Rita shook her head and replied softly,
"Lord Otto, I'm not quite sure either. Perhaps Miss Bianca has her own methods."
Otto rested his chin on his hand, his delicate face showing a thoughtful expression. After a moment, he nodded and said,
"—Very well, you may go."
After Rita left the room, Otto picked up one of the blood vials and examined it, a faint smile curling at his lips as he murmured,
"Fake? No... Bianca wouldn't do that. These samples are all real. But how did she pull it off? Truly surprising~"
-------------------------------------
"Kiana☆! It's been a year! A whole year! Four hundred and sixty-two sounds, and you act like they're your enemies or something—you just can't remember them no matter what!"
Fu Lin looked at the leisurely Kiana☆ lying on the bed with a mix of frustration, helplessness, urgency, and confusion in his voice.
"But these four hundred and sixty-two sounds are convoluted, obscure, and difficult to grasp. I'm just not that smart to begin with, so you really can't blame it all on me."
Kiana☆ lazily lay on the bed, the corners of her mouth slightly raised in her signature silly smile, her eyes sparkling with anticipation as she stared straight at Fu Lin.
Fu Lin had intended to scold her further, but seeing her expression, his anger instantly melted away, replaced only by helplessness and doting affection.
He gently poked Kiana☆'s forehead with his finger and said softly,
"Don't belittle yourself—you're not stupid. You're just too playful at times and unwilling to put things to memory. Fine, I'll recite it for you again, the 'thousanth'th time."
Hearing that, Kiana☆ snuggled deeper into her warm blanket, her face showing eager excitement as she urged him on,
"Mhm mhm, Fu Lin, start now! I'll definitely listen carefully and do my best to remember."
Fu Lin had tried several times to call out her lies, but the words always stopped at his lips and never came out, leaving him with a hesitant expression.
He then comforted himself in his heart, "It's already been a year—what's a few more times?"
With that, Fu Lin cleared his throat and slowly began to recite the mysterious and profound "Blade Mantra," word by word, hoping Kiana☆ would finally understand.
After finishing once, he paused briefly, then recited it a second and third time before slowly stopping.
With his throat a little dry from all the reciting, Fu Lin took a sip from his cup and asked,
"Did you remember it?"
Kiana☆ blinked her eyes and replied,
"Almost."
Fu Lin put down the cup and said,
"So that means not yet. Forget it—there's a gift for you tomorrow. That's enough for today. Good night, Kiana☆."
Seeing Fu Lin about to leave, a trace of disappointment flashed in Kiana☆'s heart, and the brightness in her eyes dimmed slightly as her expression turned into a sad little kitten face.
But upon hearing there was a gift tomorrow, Kiana☆ quickly bounced back, nodded sweetly, and softly said, "Good night, Fu Lin."
With that, Kiana☆ curled up like a small cat and slowly snuggled into her warm blanket.
Back in his own room, Fu Lin sat cross-legged on his bed, stretched out his right hand, and a baseball bat appeared in his palm.
Fu Lin looked at the bat he had secretly brought back from the Herta Space Station—the same model as the one Stelle uses—and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Kiana☆ will definitely be happy with this birthday present, right?"
He then took out a ribbon from his system space and skillfully wrapped it around the bat. In no time, a beautiful bow was neatly tied onto it.
"Mm, now it's perfect."
Fu Lin looked with satisfaction at the baseball bat he had decorated himself, a strange sense of accomplishment welling up in his heart. He could already picture Kiana☆'s excited face upon seeing the gift.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Kiana☆ kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep, so she began silently reciting the "Blade Mantra" in her mind.
That's right—silently reciting the "Blade Mantra."
Kiana☆ was actually far more clever than Fu Lin gave her credit for. Pretending not to remember the "Blade Mantra" was just a disguise—a trick to deceive Fu Lin.
Behind that seemingly clueless, innocent exterior, she was secretly calculating her little plan.
She liked the way Fu Lin looked at her with gentle affection.
Every time those eyes rested quietly on her, her heart felt like it was gently brushed by a soft feather, a joy too profound to describe with words.
Even though Fu Lin was like a constant, ever-present warm sun always by her side, her heart still felt like it could never be fully filled—like something was missing.
That longing was like a vine growing from the depths of her heart, tightly entwining her, making her crave more—more of Fu Lin's sincere care and meticulous attention.
So, she racked her brain to come up with this seemingly clumsy yet subtly clever plan—one that could draw Fu Lin's attention without appearing too deliberate.
—Pretend to not remember the "Blade Mantra."
And it worked!
Whenever she showed a confused expression, Fu Lin would helplessly shake his head, but still show up by her side every time.
With his deep and gentle voice, he would slowly recite the "Blade Mantra" to her, word by word, like the most beautiful melody in the night.
And it was precisely because of this that she could, like a greedy child, shamelessly enjoy more of his attention and companionship.
In the endless night, the sound of the "Blade Mantra" being recited became a guiding light, illuminating her and bringing her a long-lost sense of warmth and comfort.
And so, Kiana☆ slowly relaxed and drifted into a sweet sleep, with a faint smile still lingering on her face.
...
Early the next morning, Fu Lin's fair and slender fingers gently knocked on Kiana☆'s door. Then he leaned in close and said softly, "Kiana☆, time to get up!"
A lazy voice came through the crack in the door, laced with drowsiness and a hint of coquettishness. "Nooo, let me sleep a bit longer~ just a little longer~"
Fu Lin stood quietly outside the door, occasionally glancing at his watch. Seeing that nothing was happening, he couldn't help but feel a wave of helplessness.
With a slight sigh, Fu Lin decided to push open the door.
As the door slowly opened, he was greeted by the sight of Kiana☆ tightly wrapped up in her blanket like a curled-up little kitten.
Fu Lin shook his head helplessly, sat down at the edge of the bed, and softly asked,
"Do you know what day it is today?"
Kiana☆'s muffled voice came from under the blanket, hoarse and lazy,
"Mmm~ of course it's a sleep-in day. What could possibly be more important than sleeping in~"
Fu Lin rubbed his forehead in exasperation. Then he stood up, turned to leave, and said as he walked away,
"Since someone forgot what day it is, I guess the gift I carefully prepared last night is wasted. What a pity~ what a pity~"
Hearing that, Kiana☆ suddenly opened her eyes wide inside the blanket, her heart tightening. She quickly threw off the covers, looked at Fu Lin's back, and shouted,
"Fu Lin, wait! I'm awake! I remember now—it's my birthday today! Quick, give me my birthday present!"
Hearing that urgent and slightly spoiled voice from behind, Fu Lin's steps instinctively halted, his body pausing slightly.
Then, the corners of his mouth lifted in a soft smile, like sunlight quietly blooming on his face, as he thought to himself, "Finally got her out of bed. Not easy!"
Then, Fu Lin slowly turned around, and what greeted him was the sight of Kiana☆ in disheveled pajamas, a spontaneous movement revealing most of her skin as she pounced toward him.
Fu Lin quickly reached out his arms and caught Kiana☆ firmly. The soft and bouncy sensation from her waist made it hard for him to let go.
But he quickly realized his lapse, averted his eyes, released her, and cleared his throat awkwardly before saying,
"I'll give it to you after you freshen up and get dressed."
"Got it~"
Kiana☆ didn't seem to notice Fu Lin's awkwardness. She just nodded obediently and walked toward the bathroom with light steps.