Chapter 9: Kiana, You Are the Challenger

As the night of early summer deepened, the occasional sound of insects chirping came from the grass. The light was still on in the Valkyrie dormitory.

Kiana, who had been taught and raised by the "Knight" family Kaslana, always despised sneak attacks. But this guy, Ye Feng, not only ambushed her but also claimed that this body was his?

Kiana couldn't help but roll her eyes at Ye Feng and stick out her tongue to express her disdain and contempt.

"Kiana, you seem quite upset."

"..."

Kiana pursed her lips tightly and glared at Ye Feng without saying a word. She felt that if she spoke, she would make an embarrassing sound.

"Well, I'm a kind person and can't stand seeing you like this. Since you're so unwilling, I won't force you."

"—?!"

Ye Feng got up and left the dormitory, leaving Kiana confused.

Huh? Did he really leave?

This was somewhat unexpected.

Kiana held her dizzy head, her entire consciousness was hazy, as if she was in a state between sleep and wakefulness.

'So, am I in the stigma space that Aunt Theresa mentioned again?'

Kiana wanted to get up and take a bath, as she felt like she had fought with an emperor-class Honkai beast, drenched in sweat. There was also a sticky feeling, as if she had been drenched in honey, making her extremely uncomfortable.

But Kiana didn't want to move, feeling as though she was experiencing sleep paralysis. Only her thoughts and vision could barely function.

'Aunt Theresa said that if I entered the space again, I should gather as much information as possible.'

But... as embarrassing as it is to say...

I really need to pee.

There was an intense feeling of fullness, as if just a slight poke would cause everything to spill out.

But she couldn't pee.

Moreover, she didn't even have the strength to get up and go to the bathroom.

She didn't want to move at all.

Enduring the unprecedented feeling of fullness and discomfort, Kiana vaguely saw a pink progress bar in her vision, with a heart above it and a lock below.

The progress bar was full, reaching the heart, but the lock below was still closed.

"What is... this...?"

But, it feels so uncomfortable...?

No, it's not just discomfort.

Because she had never experienced such a strange "sensation" before, Kiana couldn't find the right word to describe it.

Isn't there a saying—"the line between pleasure and pain is very ambiguous, and they can even transform into each other."

But one thing Kiana could confirm was that she was indeed suffering and wanted to escape from this state... or more accurately, she wanted to "release."

"Everything in the stigma space is an illusion meant to confuse you, to shake your resolve."

At that moment, Kiana recalled Aunt Theresa's warning.

"If it's only this much, I—gur~~"

At that moment, Kiana saw Ye Feng return, carrying Mei in his arms.

"You seem to think this place is a stigma space?"

Ye Feng sat down beside Kiana with Mei in his arms.

"When you returned to reality, you told everyone about what happened here, right? Which genius analyzed it for you?"

"...Let go of Mei."

Kiana could only weakly call out.

"Looks like I need to explain a bit more about this world."

"Let go of... Mei..."

"Are you a parrot?"

"...Let go of Mei!"

But Kiana could only watch, unable to do anything.

Ye Feng patted Mei's butt, bringing up her status screen, and said with dissatisfaction:

"Why does it make me look like a cuckold? Take a good look, Mei's affection for me is 100, while yours is only 70. You don't even meet the standard for entering the fight, while I've unlocked all the positions. You're the challenger here."

"You're lying... Mei would never like you!"

"Come on, you've been here twice now. You should understand the 'worldview' here a little, right?"

"Mei would never like you, no matter what!"

"If you interrupt again, I'll marry Mei right here and make you the officiant."

"..."

Seeing Kiana fall silent, Ye Feng finally said, "Alright, let's get back to business."

"Business?"

"You seemed to have a big problem with me claiming ownership of this body earlier. So I brought Mei here to give you a more direct understanding."

"What are you planning to do?"

Kiana felt something bad was about to happen.

Then, Ye Feng unlocked the lock on the pink progress bar on Kiana's body...

—

The scent of banana milk filled the air, and the sound of crispy toast and simple sizzling created a symphony of delight. Kiana slowly opened her eyes.

Compared to last night, the morning air was so refreshing!

"Kiana, it's time for breakfast."

Mei, wearing an apron, peeked out from behind the door, her dark blue hair cascading smoothly down her back.

Kiana stared blankly at Mei, then suddenly opened her arms and rushed over, hugging Mei tightly.

The impact caused Mei to take two steps back, her white, tender feet stepping out of her slippers.

"Mei~~"

Kiana burrowed into Mei's embrace like a spoiled child, "You won't leave me, right? You won't hate me, right?"

"Huh? Why would I hate Kiana?"

Mei gently stroked Kiana's head.

Kiana, who had her face buried in Mei's chest, looked up and gazed at her with upturned eyes. The girl's smile in the morning light was so healing.

Kiana nodded vigorously.

"Mm!"

During breakfast, Kiana couldn't help but recall last night.

She had grown a lot overnight.

She had also learned a lot.

At the very least, she understood the exact meaning of "usage count."

Putting that aside, that guy actually made her do that in front of Mei... in front of Mei...

Damn it!

Next time I go back, I'll punch him first.

"Kiana, did you enter the stigma space again?"

Bronya noticed Kiana's abnormal behavior.

"Huh? Um, no..."

If she admitted she entered the stigma space, she would have to report it to Aunt Theresa.

How could she explain it?

That she was posed in all sorts of positions by that jerk all night long?

Or that she begged, "At least let Mei leave first"?

Even if it was a stigma illusion, Kiana didn't want Mei to see her looking so pathetic.

She couldn't do anything!

The only consolation was that the jerk quickly let Mei leave.

Kiana absentmindedly ate her sandwich, but when she saw the whole sausage inside, she suddenly felt a strong sense of fullness.

"I'm full."

"Huh? Just that? At least drink your milk."

"...No thanks."

As Kiana left the table, Bronya and Mei exchanged glances.

"Is today's food not good?"

Mei picked up the sandwich and took a bite of the part Kiana hadn't eaten, then sipped the untouched milk.

"It tastes the same as always."