"Go on and eat. An empty stomach is never a good thing."
Feeling that Miko might be trying to change the subject, Acheron simply went along with it and left things there. She wasn't the type to pin someone down over a small slip they hadn't meant to make. Better to let it pass as though nothing had happened.
"Mei, would you like some?" Miko asked, glancing across the table at Acheron.
Acheron had already said she'd eaten breakfast, but Miko asked anyway. Maybe she'd want a little more.
"I already ate. You go ahead," Acheron said, giving a small shake of her head.
"Alright then."
With the expected answer in hand, Miko turned her attention to breakfast and began to eat.
Whatever else was going on, food first. She needed the energy if she was going to keep having interesting conversations with Acheron.
Speaking of which...
Acheron probably noticed just now that I... like that sort of thing...
But she won't go telling anyone...
Eating in silence, Miko felt a flicker of embarrassment as the memory of a moment ago resurfaced.
She had to admit — she'd been a little too unguarded back there.
But it was fine. If Acheron knew, she knew. No use worrying about it.
When it came to Acheron, Miko genuinely felt at ease. And not only because the two of them got along well — it was Acheron's particular temperament that made Miko feel she could trust her with certain things without any fear of consequence.
Now then...
What should I ask next...?
Miko turned the question over in her head as she ate. She had the distinct sense that now was a good opportunity to bring up that kind of topic.
After all, it was just the two of them here. And Kaito was all the way in Liyue — it was about as good a window as she was going to get.
Sitting across from her, Acheron had already noticed the look on Miko's face.
So she does have more strange questions for me.
Is it because we're both Kaito's girlfriends?
The thought settled in her mind and drew her into quiet contemplation. She was genuinely curious about the answer.
Was it their shared connection to Kaito? Was it simply that they were both women? Or some combination of the two?
She truly couldn't work it out.
"Mei."
Just as Acheron was turning the question over in her head, Miko spoke up.
Here it comes.
"What is it?"
Acheron watched Miko — still chewing — and knew she was about to start.
No matter. She was ready.
"You and Kaito... hmm... or rather, you and Wendy and Kiana — how do you all... manage things?" Miko had thought it over and decided to keep it a little vague rather than spelling it out directly.
Manage things?
What manage things?
And manage things with whom, exactly?
Kaito? Wendy? Kiana?
Acheron stared at her, genuinely puzzled. The question had come out far too vague to parse.
"Manage what?" she asked, looking at Miko's expectant face with visible confusion.
"Doing that, obviously. There are so many of you — can Kaito really handle it?" Seeing that Acheron wasn't following, Miko had no choice but to be a little more direct.
However she looked at it, this was a matter that had direct implications for her own future happiness — so she felt it was entirely reasonable to want a clear answer.
Not that Kaito was an ordinary person, of course. But then again, neither were any of them. She herself certainly wasn't.
Acheron: ...
She hadn't expected this to be the question. For a brief moment, she genuinely wasn't sure how to answer.
But whatever angle she considered it from, the answer could only ever be: Kaito was perfectly fine.
"Of course he can," Acheron said. She'd initially considered adding something about proper scheduling or arrangements, but thought better of it and simply gave the straightforward answer.
The simplest answer, after all, was the most convincing. Saying too much would only make it sound like she was overexplaining.
So this is coming from personal experience on Acheron's end...
Wait, no...
Yesterday counts too, doesn't it.
It really was... very good...
With those thoughts drifting through her mind, Miko said aloud: "Sounds like you've had quite the enjoyable experience yourself, Mei."
And what about you? Aren't you going to share your experience from yesterday?
The retort formed instinctively in Acheron's mind.
But that wasn't really how she operated — so she kept it firmly to herself.
"Why not just ask Kaito directly? Why come to me?"
After a moment's thought, Acheron put the question back to Miko. She was curious to hear what Miko would say.
"Oh, Mei — how can you not see it? No man is ever going to admit he can't keep up. Not that I think Kaito can't, of course — because yesterday I... ahem. Anyway. It was very good." Having said her piece, Miko resumed eating her breakfast.
Thank goodness it was Acheron sitting across from her right now. With anyone else, she'd have died of embarrassment. But it was precisely because it was Acheron that she'd said any of this at all — she wouldn't have breathed a word of it to anyone else.
"Then go and experience it more."
"Huh?" Miko blinked, genuinely caught off guard.
She hadn't expected Acheron to say something like that.
"I didn't think you'd say something like that, Mei. You're starting to sound just like me."
The surprise faded, replaced by amusement, and Miko began to tease her.
She'd thought at first that Acheron wasn't particularly inclined to talk about this sort of thing — but apparently that wasn't quite right.
Still, there was something unmistakably odd about the way Acheron discussed improper things with a completely proper expression. Miko found she still couldn't quite get used to it.
That said — Acheron was clearly someone who did these things too, and Miko adjusted quickly enough.
"It's because you've already told me so much," Acheron said.
"I haven't told you that much. Just a little," Miko immediately cut in, pushing back.
She'd only shared a little — hardly a lot.
"Either way, you said it. A little or a lot — you still said it."
Seeing Miko get hung up on the distinction between a little and a lot, Acheron stated it plainly.
Regardless of quantity, said was said.
"Alright, Mei — you win."
Miko gave a helpless little nod.
She couldn't argue with that. Said was said.
"We're not competing over anything. There's no winning here," Acheron remarked in response to Miko conceding defeat.
As far as she was concerned, there was no victory to claim. She had simply been telling the truth.
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Reincarnated as Mahito, Watch Me Manipulate Everyone
✅ New releases are dropping, plus get exclusive content & updates.
✅ Help us unlock community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters of ALL STORIES!