Ren was well aware of Himeko's little drinking habit, but since he had chosen to preserve her self-will, he didn't see the need to restrict her on such minor things. As long as the tasks he assigned were perfectly executed, he was happy to let her be.
Besides, she was Kiana's teacher; Ren could afford to give her some leeway.
In the few minutes that Kiana was waking Himeko, Ren had already dealt with most of the wine bottles. These two had really drunk a lot, and judging by the labels on the bottles, each one probably started at ten thousand yuan (around $1400 USD) per bottle.
Compared to the millions in wealth that Eden brought to The Obsidian Concord every day, this level of drinking was just a drop in the ocean. However, Eden having a drinking habit was understandable, but Himeko, as a combat member with no income, daring to drink this much...
Ren considered whether he should cut her combat funds next time and let her experience the tyranny of a black-hearted boss.
Lost in thought, Ren reached out to lift the heavy empty wine box, intending to throw it into the trash bin outside the alley along with the trash bags. Before he could exert any force, his hand suddenly lightened, and the box was effortlessly picked up by someone.
"Let me handle this." Kiana took the wine box from his hands. Ren didn't refuse. Picking up the trash bag by the wall, the two of them walked out of the alley together.
"Ren, my teacher… she sometimes has some less-than-perfect habits. Sorry for giving you a bad impression." On the way, Kiana's expression was a little awkward. The meeting she had envisioned should have been more formal, but now not only was it lacking formality, but she was also troubling Ren to clean up the mess.
Ren naturally wasn't dissatisfied. He just found Kiana's embarrassed expression amusing. He smiled and asked, "In your original imagination, what kind of scene should this meeting have been?"
"Probably… more serious? After all, you are both very important friends to me."
"But wouldn't that be like a student being called into the teacher's office?"
Kiana was taken aback by Ren's rhetorical question. She thought carefully about the scene in her mind and realized it did seem a bit strange.
"But…"
"Kiana, you think that not being able to show me the best side of your teacher would make me dissatisfied, but the opposite is true. I'm very happy that you can let me see the most authentic side of your teacher and friend."
"Really?"
"Of course. Everyone in this world has their own hobbies, and people often choose to hide these hobbies as secrets, only sharing them with their closest friends."
"Drinking isn't anything shameful. Your teacher is willing to share it with you, which shows that your relationship is close enough. If your teacher doesn't mind sharing her hobby with me, doesn't that mean we are already friends?"
"Is that so?"
"Kiana, don't forget, you are the common friend between me and her. As long as you are here, I and she will naturally become familiar. There's no need for a so-called 'meeting'."
Ren was always eloquent. Just a few words from him dispelled the nervousness in Kiana's heart. Soon, the regretful expression on the girl's face faded away, replaced by a relieved smile.
"Thank you, Ren."
After taking out the trash, the two returned home.
Himeko had already sorted out her appearance. Not only had she changed into clean clothes, but she had also put on light makeup.
She really hadn't expected Ren to come back with Kiana this time, and she had inadvertently exposed her embarrassing image.
As a puppet, Himeko naturally felt a sense of awe towards Ren, but to support Kiana's standing, Himeko, who considered herself 'family', still changed into formal attire, not wanting to appear timid in front of Ren.
Of course, the meeting wasn't as strange as Himeko had imagined, just ordinary small talk. At first, Himeko spoke a little nervously, frequently observing Ren's expression, but as Kiana intentionally guided the topic, she finally confirmed that Ren was just an ordinary teenager.
Relaxed, Himeko quickly reverted to her true nature and gradually completely forgot about the Herrscher's threat, starting to talk animatedly.
"Kiana, let me tell you, when I was with this kid back then, he was much more shy than he is now."
"Ms. Himeko and Ren knew each other for a while?" Kiana was taken aback.
Ah? Hadn't I mentioned it?
The cold sweat instantly broke out on Himeko's forehead when she realized she might have revealed Ren's secret. But when she spoke just now, she hadn't felt any constraints.
"Your teacher is right. When I found her back then, I did help her for a while, but at that time, I didn't know she was your teacher." Ren naturally took over the conversation, "After all, I got the Gem of Haste, I couldn't just leave it alone."
"Oh, no wonder Ms. Himeko is staying here." Kiana suddenly understood. This was Ren's home, so it was a bit strange that Himeko would be staying here.
Ren had revealed to her during the Pacific War that he was not the Herrscher of Flame, but had just coincidentally encountered Himeko who had fallen out of the Imaginary Space, and only survived and appeared in Herrscher form after obtaining the Gem of Haste.
"My mother and I lived here back then, and we were often harassed by that bastard father of mine. Although Himeko was injured, she was also a Valkyrie. With her here, at least we could be much safer."
Kiana's memory quickly returned to the day they first met, recalling the scene of Ren driving away his father. But soon, she couldn't help but recall the tragic situation that followed.
Just as the girl's face gradually turned pale, Ren put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head at her.
"Don't think about what happened later. That was just a predetermined ending. In fact, even if you weren't there, my mother's illness wouldn't have lasted long."
"Mm."
Seeing the girl's emotions calm down, Ren continued, "Do you remember that I recognized your Valkyrie identity at first glance? Actually, it was also because I learned about it beforehand from Himeko."
"Honkai, Schicksal, Herrscher…"
The scene seemed to have turned back into a dialogue between Ren and Kiana. Himeko and Eden exchanged glances and wisely chose to shut up.
Ren spoke in great detail, and sometimes even Himeko began to doubt whether she had really met him so early on.
However, although the facts were somewhat inconsistent with what Ren said, it was harmless. Himeko let him continue, occasionally nodding in agreement.
In the oblivious reminiscence of the two, everything from the past gradually became clear, until the sun set in the west and Himeko's stomach, which had only had alcohol all day, rumbled loudly. This conversation finally came to an end.
"Wendy went to a music training camp today, and no one at home is cooking."
"Oh, Wendy's not here to keep you in check, so you two chose to binge drink?" Kiana saw through the laziness of the older women at a glance and cast a disdainful look.
"Oh, my dear student, your teacher has been single for so many years, what's wrong with having a little drink?" Himeko didn't feel ashamed at all. Ignoring Ren's gaze, she hugged Kiana into her arms.
"Honestly, you're so grown up, and you still can't take care of yourselves." Kiana couldn't really get angry. She struggled free from Himeko's embrace and sighed helplessly.
Looking at the two alcoholics, Eden and Himeko, she knew dinner was probably out of the question. Just as she was considering whether to order takeout or go to a restaurant, Ren proactively offered to cook.
Ren's cooking skills were not bad. With the enhancement of his puppets, ordinary home-style dishes were almost effortless for him.
"There are still a lot of ingredients in the refrigerator. Leave it to me this time." After all, it was his own home. Ren was still very familiar with the room layout. He took the apron hanging on the wall and walked into the kitchen.
"Then I'll help you." Kiana stopped bothering with Himeko and followed Ren into the kitchen.
Soon, only Himeko and Eden were left in the living room.
Watching the two people squeezed into the small kitchen, Himeko sighed, "If others knew that the Herrscher of Dominance, who has infiltrated most of the world, is just like an ordinary boy in front of Kiana, they would probably doubt their eyes."
"No matter how cold a person is, they will become soft in front of the person they like, wouldn't you agree?" Eden said gently, surprisingly pulling out a large bottle of red wine and two wine glasses from somewhere again, "Care for some?"
"How did you hide such a big wine bottle?" Even Himeko was startled by Eden.
"A wine lover naturally has some unique methods."
After saying that, the two laughed in unison and started drinking, each with a glass.
"Eden, you're right, they are both good kids. Back when I heard that message, I knew this kid wasn't inherently bad. Being able to get to this point today can be considered lucky."
"It's just…" Himeko sighed.
"Herrschers can never enjoy the peaceful life of ordinary people. This is the destiny of being a Herrscher," Eden added.
"Let's hope they can walk to the end together. Maybe then, we can also get rid of our puppet identities and return to being ordinary people."
"Then let's wish that fate favors them, cheers."
"Cheers."