Lanqi, wearing a casual vest, sat on a bench in Heart Pulse Plaza alongside Hyperion and Talia, enjoying the leisurely hours around three or four in the afternoon.
All that echoed in their ears was the cheerful laughter of children chasing one another across the open square, mingled with the crisp jingling of handbells.
After spending the afternoon strolling through the nearby shopping district, they had followed the path to a high, open vantage point overlooking the main city—a spot perfectly suited for a rest.
Perched atop this elevated ground, the plaza felt like a mountain crest from which one could gaze into the distance, taking in the vibrant throngs moving in an endless stream through the city-state. All around stood majestic architectural complexes, rich with the ancient craftsmanship of artisans and adorned with statues.
Under an afternoon sky dotted with sparse clouds, a flock of birds flew across the distance.
Surrounding Heart Pulse Plaza were bustling commercial streets, exotic restaurants, and cafés of every kind. As the very center of daily life and commerce for the local residents, it felt so vast that even after exploring for hours, they seemed to have covered only a tiny corner.
The first gentle gust of wind that reached them away from the commercial streets brushed softly against their cheeks, prompting Hyperion to narrow her eyes in comfortable delight.
The bustling clamor of the crowd, the melodies played by minstrels, and the distant laughter and songs of strangers all carried up to this height.
Over the course of the afternoon, the three had simply wandered about, popping into enticing shops along the way to pick up local specialty drinks and pastries unique to South Vantina.
Later, on their way back toward Heart Pulse Plaza as they prepared to head home, Talia had suddenly stopped in her tracks, caught by something.
What met their eyes was a tiny storefront.
Children just let out of school cheered as they hurried across the flagstone pavement, swarming the little shop. One after another, they thrust forward the coins in their hands at the counter without the slightest reluctance or regret.
Talia couldn't catch the aroma from afar, but judging by the children's expressions, whatever confection they sold was clearly immensely popular.
Hyperion had glanced at Lanqi several times, and Lanqi, catching the hint, nodded. After saying a quick goodbye to the two of them, he walked over alone.
Had it been Talia or Hyperion standing in line among a crowd of children, it might have felt a bit awkward. Lanqi, however, paid it no mind; he even chatted warmly with the kids, asking about their studies.
In that moment, Hyperion had unexpectedly felt that Lanqi might actually make a wonderful father someday—he truly knew how to get along with children.
Before long, Lanqi returned with three boxes of treats.
Together, the three made their way to this wooden bench beside the plaza pathway.
Hyperion's thoughts drifted back to reality as she gazed down at the dessert in her hands.
It was a chilled cheesecake that seemed somewhere between yogurt and ice cream, packaged in a cardboard pastry box. Fresh strawberry flesh peeked out from its sides.
Before Hyperion had even opened her box all the way, Talia beside her had already scooped up a spoonful with her wooden spoon and slipped it into her mouth.
Her expression remained completely unchanged, yet her eyes lit up.
"..."
When Talia looked up again, she found Lanqi and Hyperion both staring intently at her cheeks, as if waiting for her verdict.
"Mmh. It's delicious," Talia commented earnestly.
Hers was chocolate-flavored.
A contented smile blossomed on Hyperion's face. Seeing Tata enjoy her food made Hyperion feel as though she were savoring a delicacy herself.
And yet...
Hyperion noticed that Lanqi was watching Tata with a smile as well, looking as satisfied as if he, too, were partaking in a feast.
Hyperion: "..."
Forget it.
There was no stopping him.
At worst, she would just have to save his life one more time.
Sitting shoulder to shoulder, the three scooped up their desserts, letting the sweetness and silky richness melt over their tongues while taking in the panorama of South Vantina's main city.
Warm sunlight filtered through the leaves above, and on the broad, neatly paved roads down below, hooves occasionally clattered rhythmically as horses trotted past.
"..."
"I really wish we could always stay together like this,"
Hyperion narrowed her eyes against the scenic view, chewing on the sweet and tart strawberry with its crisp little seeds, and involuntarily murmured her heartfelt wish aloud.
It felt remarkably like the peace of mind she had experienced in the illusion of the Fallen Land of Gentle Slumber.
The only difference was that the ones accompanying her were not her parents, but another, uniquely special kind of company.
If only this could last forever.
To be honest, she didn't want any rift to form between the three of them ever again, nor did she want another incident that would leave them unable to face one another.
Presently, Hyperion felt their gazes.
Both Lanqi and Talia were looking at her.
Neither showed the least bit of surprise.
Lanqi still wore his usual smile, and Talia still wore her customary impassive expression, yet both gave Hyperion an overwhelming sense of warmth and familiarity.
"Thank you for always staying by my side,"
Hyperion hesitated for a heartbeat before offering her heartfelt gratitude.
"Don't worry, Hyperion,"
Talia set down the empty cardboard box in her hands and looked at her steadily.
Though Lanqi didn't speak, he glanced down at the cake in Hyperion's hands, of which only a tiny corner had been eaten.
"..."
Following Lanqi's gaze, Talia shifted her eyes toward his face.
The two held each other's stare for a fleeting second. The wind rustled through the foliage between them, and the surrounding air seemed to chill by several degrees.
Hyperion looked between them, unsure how to speak up on Lanqi's behalf.
This time, however, Lanqi was not particularly flustered.
"Er, I haven't touched my box yet, and I'm feeling a bit full. Would either of you like to try some matcha-flavored cake?"
He lifted his unopened box, held it out toward his left, and asked with an expression that almost seemed to plead for their help.
He had bought three different flavors earlier.
"Tata, how about I try a little piece of the matcha and share a small piece of strawberry with you?"
Hyperion took the cardboard box from Lanqi's hands and looked toward Talia.
"Okay."
Talia hesitated briefly, then nodded.
She then watched Hyperion use a clean spoon to carve out a small portion of the matcha cake for her own box, before transferring a generous chunk of strawberry cake back to Talia, handing her a box loaded with the equivalent of a cake and a half.
"..."
Talia stared at the freshly assembled red-and-green cheesecake, feeling as though she was essentially eating two and a half of the three cakes.
It was as if they were finding every possible way to share things with her, coaxing her into accepting without even realizing it.
After gazing at the cake for a long while, she spoke.
"Thank you,"
Talia said to the two beside her.
Before she could even lift her wooden spoon, she saw both of them on her left staring back at her in astonishment.
"What is it?" Talia asked, puzzled.
"Tata, do you know that your tone just now was super gentle?" Hyperion said with obvious excitement.
"Was it?"
"Yes!"
"Indeed," Lanqi chimed in, backing Hyperion up.
Talia remained silent for a long time, feeling thoroughly uncomfortable under their collective stares.
"I was acting."
Scooping up a bite of cake, she fixed her attention entirely on the confection before her, muttering under her breath as if to herself.
"Oh! Tata's embarrassed! Your lie is way too obvious!"
Hyperion cheered and wrapped her arms around Talia, nestling against her side with a laugh.
"Actually, I don't think Tata is necessarily embarrassed," Lanqi offered, analyzing the situation in all seriousness from the side.
Hyperion turned her head, looking at Lanqi in confusion.
"When Tata eats, she focuses single-mindedly on the food. She doesn't have room to think about anything else," Lanqi stated.
"You..."
Talia's wooden spoon froze midair, as though she were fiercely suppressing an urge welling up inside her.
She looked at Lanqi's utterly harmless, bewildered expression, as if hitting him right now would somehow make her the unreasonable one.
In the end, she rested the cake box on her lap, scooped up a generous spoonful, reached out to grip Lanqi's chin, gently pinched his mouth open, and shoved the spoonful directly into his rounded, agape mouth.
"Mmph!"
Lanqi was struck dumb with shock, utterly unable to anticipate Talia's line of action.
Meanwhile, the faint trace of an upturned arc appeared at the corner of Talia's lips. She looked down at him, as though issuing a silent warning: *Try provoking me again and see what happens.*
Sitting between them on the bench, Hyperion shook her head with a helpless laugh.
Whenever Lanqi acted reliably, the three of them could get along wonderfully.
Little skirmishes like this were hardly a problem at all.
So long as he didn't constantly unleash those bizarre whims of his to test the very limits of human mortality, everything would be just fine.
Chapter 502