Honkai Diary: Start With Picking Up A White-Haired Treasure

"Yikes! Zeke, be gentler—it tickles!"

"It tickles? As long as it doesn't hurt, try not to squirm."

"Ahh~ Something white and gooey is dripping down."

"Just wait till I'm done; then I'll rinse you clean. Does it feel uncomfortable?"

"A bit odd, but not too bad. Is this your first time, Zeke?"

"Mm-hmm, my first time doing something like this."

"No wonder it's not very comfortable."

"You sound like you're quite experienced yourself. Almost finished, now rinsing."

"Eep! It feels a little hot!"

The cascading warm water washed away the suds from Kiana's head while Zeke's hands continued massaging her hair, ensuring no shampoo residue remained.

After thoroughly cleansing Kiana's long locks—the most challenging part—they were nearly done with their bath.

Soon, two squeaky-clean, soft, and tender white-haired balls of fluff donned fresh clothes and sat on the bed inside the small wooden cabin, one after the other.

Outside, howling winds and swirling snow were completely blocked, while within, a lantern cast its gentle, warm glow.

Zeke, seated behind Kiana, held a dry towel, carefully patting her damp hair.

Kiana's short legs dangled leisurely off the edge of the bed.

"Kiana, did your dad never teach you not to be naked around boys?" Zeke suddenly asked while drying her hair.

Kiana's swinging legs paused momentarily as her eyes shifted pensively. "I think he might have mentioned it once. I'll remember next time, heh!"

"You're planning on doing this again?"

Zeke's expression darkened, and he covered Kiana's small head with the towel. With fists clenched, he aimed at both her temples, applying forceful pressure.

"Aie! Ow, ow, ow!"

"I... want... you... to... engrave... this... in... your... mind!" Zeke emphasized each word, employing his lightning spiral drill technique—an effort to safeguard the future chastity of this little paramecium.

"I get it! Let go, please—I was wrong, okay?! Isn't that enough?!"

"Knowing you were wrong isn't enough; you must remember it too!"

"I'll listen to you, I'll do what Zeke says!"

Only then did Zeke stop, lift the towel, and release Kiana.

As he wiped his own hair dry, Zeke continued, "And make sure you remember that! Your hair's mostly dried now; let it finish air-drying. Without a hairdryer, the towel can't do much more."

"Oh..." Kiana responded weakly.

Still feeling the lingering pain on her head, she puffed out her cheeks but quickly deflated upon meeting Zeke's deadpan gaze.

How strange?

Kiana was confident that with just one finger, she could easily pin down this frail little sprout and leave him writhing helplessly on the ground.

Yet, angry Zeke was genuinely terrifying—so much so that she dared not resist at all! QAQ!

Despite being intimidating, he proved to be incredibly dependable as well.

Throughout the day, Kiana felt like Zeke knew how to handle everything effortlessly. He effortlessly spotted opportunities to earn money and smoothly conversed with anyone. Even when tackling complex tasks she had never encountered before, following Zeke's instructions led her to complete them flawlessly without realizing it.

Sigh!

If only her stinky dad could possess even half—no, just a tenth of Zeke's reliability, she wouldn't have to worry so much.

"Achoo!"

Several kilometers away, a certain white-haired man suddenly sneezed.

Dressed in thin clothing, practically bare-chested amidst the icy landscape, Siegfried stood chewing on snow while rubbing his nose suspiciously:

"Huh, weird? Am I catching a cold?"

"No way, I never get sick!"

Siegfried scratched his head, puzzled, and continued to crunch away at the snowflakes. He didn't feel cold at all; if anything, they tasted slightly sweet.

"Yeehaw! Fluffy bed, here I come."

After drying her hair somewhat, Kiana got off the bed, took a few steps back, sprinted forward, and leaped onto it, eager to enjoy the sensation of bouncing upon landing.

In a split second, Zeke's eyes sharpened from his seated position on the bed. He braced himself with both hands and swiftly executed a full-force sweeping kick.

"Thud!"

"Augh!"

A moment later, Kiana clutched her bruised abdomen, curled up like a shrimp on the bed, gasping for breath in pain.

Then, a foot pressed down on her waist.

"The bed isn't that sturdy. Sleep quietly, understood?"

Zeke leaned over, his gaze flashing coldly—like a dictator who wouldn't hesitate to pull out a machine gun if anyone dared defy him.

Kiana shivered, nodding tearfully.

With that, they turned off the lights and settled down to sleep.

Sharing the same bed.

While bathing together naked might be inappropriate, given the freezing weather, two kids cuddling for warmth... Zeke wasn't so rigid as to complain about such practicality.

Definitely not because he felt weak and needed Kiana's body heat to ensure a good night's rest.

Soon after, Zeke began to regret his decision.

The next morning, Zeke abruptly woke up feeling suffocated.

A textbook rear chokehold had been applied to him during his sleep.

In her slumber, Kiana executed a lethal move on Zeke.

However, our contestant Zeke reacted swiftly. Almost instantly upon waking, he grabbed Kiana's wrist, twisted it around, bent it backward, and immobilized her.

Perfect! The winner is decided!

"Auuuughhh!" A wail of intense pain shook the snow off nearby trees.

Twenty minutes later, Kiana squatted in a corner, munching on bread while shooting accusatory tear-filled glances at Zeke.

How dare he treat me so roughly? I'll never forgive Zeke for this!

"Want some soup?"

"Yes!"

Kiana accepted the steaming bowl of meat broth, took a sip, and found it truly delightful. Instantly, her anger dissipated.

For the sake of the soup, she decided to show great mercy this once.

"So, how are we making money today?" Now calmer, Kiana eagerly approached Zeke with a cheerful grin.

Zeke leisurely sipped his soup, glanced at her, and replied:

"We'll make charcoal."

"Charcoal?"

"This is just a poor little town; there won't be many temporary gigs for us to earn money from. Yesterday, we already harvested everything possible, and continuing like that won't yield much more. We need a steady demand. Based on my observations yesterday, charcoal is in high demand here. The external supply has been cut off for quite some time, making it the only processed product we can currently produce."

"Oh."

Kiana, known as "Miss Only Replies with Oh," simply uttered, "Oh." What did she understand? All she knew was that following Zeke's advice would allow them to make money and have enough food.

Soon, carrying an enormous backpack, Kiana trudged through deep footprints, following Zeke into the forest.

"Huff...huff...huff..."

Kiana gradually started panting heavily, wisps of white steam rising above her head.

"Zeke, help me carry some, it's so heavy!"

Zeke, walking ahead, stopped. Once Kiana reached him, he took two water flasks off her neck.

Zeke draped one canteen over his own neck and opened the other, inserting a straw before handing it back to Kiana.

"Take a sip."

Confused, Kiana looked at Zeke, then obediently parted her lips as he guided the straw into her mouth.

"Mm... It's sweet, tastes good."

"It's a sugary energy drink. Sip on it when you're tired," Zeke explained, preparing to continue their journey.

Kiana suddenly panicked: "Hey! Wait, you only took one water bottle? Look at this pack—it's almost twice my height!"

"You'll get an extra share of the charcoal earnings."

"Who cares about that?!"

"I'll cook something extra delicious for you tonight."

"Deal!" Energized, Kiana quickly outpaced Zeke, leading the way ahead.

"Hurry up! Once we finish work, I want those tasty treats pronto!"

Silently, Zeke brushed snowflakes off his shoulders, curling his lip with disdain.

Hmph, Kiana!