Honkai: Husband-Chasing Crematorium

"Are you rambling at the moon? Have you caught a fever?" Kira asked, utterly baffled. She was finding it harder and harder to understand this guy.

Li Mo didn't clarify. Turning his thoughts into words would make them real, and that reality would be everyone's worst nightmare.

The most terrifying anomaly in this world was right behind him.

It was waiting for his death before revealing itself.

Kiana was constantly watching him.

"All right, that's it for today. Everyone's exhausted; you should rest early. I'm feeling fine, so I'll take the first watch," Li Mo volunteered.

"I'll keep watch too," Kira immediately responded. "Two people will have each other's backs. As the captain of the Valkyrie squad, I can't justify hiding behind others. If something unexpected happens, we can figure it out together."

Li Mo wasn't surprised by her reaction. With how odd he was, if Kira actually felt comfortable entrusting her safety entirely to him, that would have been suspicious.

From his observations so far, Kira was a responsible and curious person with a bit of a stubborn streak. She was efficient and reliable as a teammate.

And she liked giving people nicknames. "Gloomy Man," huh?

Whatever. As long as she's happy.

He didn't even feel the emotion of irritation anymore.

Li Mo's heart was calm, as still as a frozen lake in the dead of winter. No small flame could melt the thick layer of ice.

Everything he did now was guided by leftover instincts and a remnant of human consciousness, a framework of morals still telling him what should be done.

If he lost even those, without the neural sparks of emotion or desire, Li Mo didn't know what he'd become.

Seeing Kira and Li Mo preparing for their night watch, Shaori gently bit her lip and clenched her tiny fists. Summoning her courage, she walked up to Li Mo.

"Brother, I'm not sleepy. I want to stay up with you," she said softly.

Li Mo responded without a shred of excess emotion, urging her firmly, "Kids need to sleep. Shigure Kira is an A-rank Valkyrie or higher. She can manage a sleepless night just fine. I'm in a state where I don't need sleep either. You, however, must rest. I'm not dragging a liability with us tomorrow."

His tone was almost scolding, and Shaori's shoulders sank as she muttered, "I understand." Head bowed, she walked back to the group in silence.

This guy doesn't seem human, Kira thought, stealing glances at Li Mo's emotionless face.

That girl clearly just wanted to spend more time with him, to feel safe and cared for.

Gloomy Man was supposed to be good at reading people. How could he not grasp such an obvious desire?

Sitting by the campfire but unable to feel its warmth—how fitting.

The girl's thoughts were written all over her face. Even I felt like coddling her. Does this guy have no emotions or desires at all?

Kira's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she studied him.

Under the moonlight's embrace, the world fell into profound silence, save for the whisper of the wind.

The two sat side by side, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Hey, Gloomy Man," Kira broke the silence. "What kind of person are you, really?"

"A bad one," Li Mo replied flatly.

"Well, duh! But I also think you're pretty dependable. Thanks for everything tonight. Without you, we'd probably all be dead. If you ever need help, come to me. That is, assuming we make it out of here alive."

"I didn't save you for repayment, nor do I need any," Li Mo said.

"You don't need to test me. Whether it's out of morality, guilt, or a promise I made before, I'll get you all out of here safely.

"That is, as long as you don't go against me or do things I dislike.

"Stay close behind me. If something monstrous shows up, I'll be the first to deal with it. Don't worry about it."

"Wow, that's the longest string of caring words I've heard from you yet," Kira teased. "It almost feels like you've been brushing me off this whole time."

"I have," Li Mo admitted.

"Ugh! You're impossible!" Kira grumbled. "People like you are destined to never get a girlfriend. But fine, I, the great Kira, will graciously overlook this."

"Quite gracious," Li Mo quipped.

"Huh? You little—! Talking to you is infuriating! I actually thought you might be different from those lovestruck fools."

"…Though you are different," she admitted, hopping closer to sit beside him. Mimicking Li Mo, she tilted her head back to gaze at the solitary white moon.

For a fleeting moment, Kira thought that the moon turned red. Blinking and rubbing her eyes, she found it unchanged—still pristine and holy.

Must've been the stress, she reasoned.

If she'd looked closer, she would've seen the reflection in Li Mo's pupils: a brief glimpse of a crimson moon.

He really is kind of handsome…

Li Mo stared quietly at the moon, while Kira, unnoticed, stared quietly at him. Time slipped away in the rustling night breeze.

Just moments ago, they'd barely survived death. Yet now, they sat calmly under the moonlight.

The absurdity of it struck Kira. If she wrote this in her mission report, no one at the Headquarters would believe her.

If she mentioned ghosts or monsters, she'd be the laughingstock for months…

And what was the Headquarters doing now, anyway? There wasn't even a functioning radio signal out here.

The chilly wind nipped at her, and Kira found herself bored.

The guy beside her had turned into a colossal, unapproachable block of ice.

Cool and aloof? Or just plain antisocial?

Her mind wandered to her gaming username: SilentProPlayer, quite ironic given her chatty nature in-game.

Ugh… this is so dull.

Kira waited. And waited. And waited…

Three minutes later: How can he be so patient?!

Am I really that uninteresting? Say something! Sitting in silence all night is going to kill me!

For someone always surrounded by people, Kira was unused to this kind of cold indifference.

Low-EQ Gloomy Man, Socially Awkward Ice Block, Emotionless Robot…

She had no idea that, in just a few minutes of meditative silence, Li Mo had already earned countless new nicknames.

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