Not long after, a stainless-steel tray was brought over, piled with sizzling skewers.
The beef belly was perfectly marbled, the edges lightly charred, fat glimmering under the lights with an irresistible sheen.
The chicken wings were golden, dusted with cumin and chili powder.
Su Yu picked up a slice of beef belly grilled just right and set it onto the plate in front of Kiana.
Kiana didn't stand on ceremony. Her chopsticks precisely pinched the meat and delivered it to her mouth.
She didn't chew quickly, but she was clearly serious about it—like she was savoring something precious.
Su Yu turned the chicken wings on the grill, making sure both sides were evenly colored, then finally spoke.
"That kid said you look better when you smile. What do you think?"
Kiana's chopsticks paused.
She didn't look up, her gaze dropping to the dipping sauce dish.
The sauce reflected the dim yellow light, trembling faintly.
"…Think what?"
"Literally that." Su Yu placed a chicken wing on her plate. "Griseo said your colors are warmer when you smile. I'm asking what you think."
Kiana fell silent for a few seconds.
Then she picked up the wing and bit down.
The skin was crisp; juice burst out the moment she tore into it.
"…There's no 'better' or 'worse'." She chewed, her voice slightly muffled. "A smile is a smile."
"Oh?" Su Yu raised an eyebrow. "So you admit you smiled?"
Kiana's chewing stalled for half a beat.
She lifted her head and met Su Yu's face—blatantly stamped with Got you.
"…"
She set down the chicken bone, wiped the oil from the corner of her mouth with a napkin, her expression unchanged.
"I didn't smile."
"You just said a smile is a smile."
"I meant hypothetically."
"Who hypothesizes whether they smiled or not?"
"…You're so annoying."
Kiana turned her face away, staring out the window.
In the glass she could see the shop's warm lights, her own profile, and that smug man across from her.
The barbecue place was noisy. At the next table over, a group of young people were shouting drinking-game chants, loud and full of life.
The exhaust fan roared, pulling smoke and heat away.
Strangely… the clamor made her feel safe.
At least, it did for Kiana.
In the world she came from, a lively night like this had become a luxury.
No alarms. No Honkai beasts screaming. No ruins and blood.
Just the scent of grilled meat, strangers laughing and swearing, and a lamp overhead—dim, but warm enough.
"…"
She looked back.
"That kid."
"Hm?"
"Griseo." Kiana's voice was quiet. "She's… weird."
"Weird how?"
"The way she looks at people." Kiana paused. "Describing people with colors… what is that?"
Su Yu placed a bacon-enoki roll onto her plate.
"Probably just her unique way of perceiving things. Some people experience the world differently."
"…"
Kiana picked up the roll, examined it, then ate it.
The salty bacon and crisp enoki came together surprisingly well.
"She said my colors aren't warm enough." She chewed, her voice a little blurry. "Is that her criticizing me?"
"I think it's encouragement." Su Yu smiled. "She wants you to smile more."
"…I don't have anything to smile about."
"Who says?" Su Yu added another slice of beef belly. "Back in the milk-tea shop, when Griseo called me a 'big meanie,' you were clearly holding back a laugh."
"I wasn't."
"You were." Su Yu nodded solemnly. "Your lips turned up by 0.5 centimeters. As the unlucky 'anchor point' forced to observe you 24/7, my judgment is absolutely accurate."
A faint heat rose to Kiana's cheeks.
Not shyness—more like the embarrassment of having a tiny involuntary reaction exposed to her face.
"…Why are you even watching for that?"
"Can't help it. Distance restriction." Su Yu shrugged. "We're stuck within about a meter every day. Hard not to notice."
Kiana didn't answer.
She lowered her head and kept eating, a little faster than before, like she was trying to stuff down a feeling with food.
But Su Yu noticed—the tips of her ears still hadn't fully lost that faint blush.
He had the sense not to push the topic further. He simply kept placing freshly grilled meat onto her plate.
Beef belly, wings, bacon rolls… stacking up until her plate was almost overflowing.
"That's enough." Kiana sounded helpless. "I can't eat that much."
"Then eat slowly." Su Yu put a few pieces on his own plate. "Does the Kaslana dictionary even contain the words 'can't eat'?"
Kiana stared at the little mountain of grilled meat in front of her, silent for a few seconds.
Then she lifted her chopsticks and started eating—seriously.
Piece after piece.
No talking. No looking up. Completely focused on the food, like a small animal that had finally found a safe nest and could eat in peace.
Su Yu watched her cheeks turn slightly red from the heat, watched her cheeks puff faintly as she chewed, watched the quick flash of her tongue when she licked a bit of oil from the corner of her mouth.
Outside, neon lights flickered in the night. Streetlights stretched pedestrians' shadows long.
Inside, the barbecue shop was full of life—smoke, grease, laughter—an ordinary night in the city.
No Honkai.
No Herrschers.
No world that needed to be guarded with her life.
Just a white-haired girl earnestly eating barbecue… and a man beside her quietly watching.
"…Hey."
Kiana spoke, cutting through Su Yu's thoughts.
"Hm?"
"You keep staring at me."
Su Yu blinked, then laughed. He didn't deny it, and he didn't look away.
"Yeah. Still watching." He said, "Seeing you eat so happily makes me feel like this meal was worth it."
Kiana's chopsticks paused again. She didn't speak.
But Su Yu saw her fingers tighten around the chopsticks—just for a moment.
"Su Yu."
"Yeah?"
"What that kid said…" Kiana's voice was so light it sounded like she was talking to herself. "I'll… remember it."
Su Yu looked at her for several seconds.
Then he lifted his beer can and gently clinked it against her untouched iced black tea, making a crisp sound.
"Then next time you see her, remember to give her a smile."
"..."
Kiana didn't respond.
But Su Yu noticed—the way she picked up the next slice of beef belly was a little lighter than before.
....
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