Honkai Star Rail: I must live a peaceful life

"How did it end up like this?" The indoor lighting illuminated the two people sitting across from each other as Milo and Eureka exchanged helpless glances.

"This is going to ruin me... absolutely ruin me." Eureka collapsed backward, staring listlessly at the dim ceiling above, as if watching her reputation crumbling before her eyes. "My reputation is completely destroyed," she muttered miserably.

"Look on the bright side—at least no one knows you here," Milo responded coolly. "But I might have to stay here for quite a while, and this black mark on my history can be used against me repeatedly. No matter how you look at it, I'm the one who's worse off."

"Hehe... what does that have to do with me?" Eureka laughed bitterly. "On the battlefield, whether you're caught running fifty steps or a hundred steps makes no difference—death is death. Are we really going to argue about which way of dying is better?"

"Besides, didn't you say that only in extreme circumstances could someone evade your detection? Then what's the deal with those two eavesdropping outside the door?" Eureka's voice grew frantic.

"That's probably my fault," Milo turned his head away, avoiding her gaze. "What can I do when that person's mastery of classical mysticism surpasses even mine?"

"Whatever—" Eureka drawled with half-closed eyes. She no longer wanted to discuss this issue.

She was completely falling apart. The embarrassment had consumed most of her mental processing power. Deep inside, that part of her called 'maiden's heart' was curled up in a ball, crying hysterically and banging against the walls, too distraught to even offer a basic courteous response to this consolation.

"At least that might offer you some psychological comfort," Milo was equally exhausted by the sudden turn of events. His seemingly calm expression had become so rigid it was practically statuesque.

The whole situation had involved so many coincidences that no one could have possibly predicted it.

It had started with an innocent slip of the tongue. After their pursuers retreated, the two decided to find a place to rest in the night breeze. Then one casually mentioned something about considering the money they'd paid, suggesting they rest at the other's place, and the other—not yet adjusted to their status as a defector—thoughtlessly agreed.

Awkwardness always strikes suddenly, especially when both realized upon reaching the workshop that neither intended to actually rest.

For Eureka, being in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar person, her persona wouldn't allow her to rest without maintaining her guard, especially since there was only one bed. Even though Milo had already mentioned that he'd been spending his nights in the rocking chair, and the bed clearly hadn't been used, this wasn't about choosing between the bed or the floor—it was about not daring to sleep while the other remained awake.

As for pretending to sleep, at their level of expertise, that would be even more awkward than openly showing their wariness.

Normally, Eureka's style would be to just sleep with her automatic counter-attacks enabled—if you can strike me down, that's on you—but being deceived twice in such a short time had made her subconsciously uneasy.

She was genuinely spooked.

As for Milo, he worried she might recognize him and take advantage of his sleeping state to bag him up and sell him off.

After all, even setting aside how much heat his death notice might still be generating, the accident that led to his escape was major news that anyone returning to the Imperial Capital couldn't possibly have missed.

The attack on Grahys during the entrance examination, the death of Skelo Institute's First Seat right there, and then the newly crowned Emperor not only refusing to change the subject but personally taking up the vacant First Seat position.

No matter how you looked at it, as long as she had access to the Imperial network, she couldn't possibly overlook the fact that he was the supposedly dead former First Seat.

They could only dance around each other like playing tai chi, even producing dialogue that could easily be misinterpreted, like "Wouldn't the bed be more comfortable?" "I'm worried about casualties" "Would you really just close your eyes and sleep?" But trust me, they were genuinely having a serious discussion about trust and backstabbing.

The bed referred to resting, casualties meant being hit point-blank by skills while sleeping, and the opposite of normal sleep was pretending to sleep while maintaining heightened guard—when broken down, there wasn't a hint of anything risqué, only barriers and probing.

But as luck would have it, Miss Jessica happened to be passing by with Meg, and the two of them pressed their ears against the door, with little Meg even getting caught.

Heaven knows what Milo and Eureka felt when they heard that innocent girl's startled cry just as their conversation was careening into increasingly absurd territory.

The young girl's excited gossip-hungry expression, convinced she'd stumbled upon a scandal, was really too much to handle.

In short, Eureka just wanted to grab a spaceship and flee back to the Imperial Capital overnight. Meanwhile, Milo was seriously considering the feasibility of using mental abilities to erase everyone's short-term memories.

"Are you two alright?" A moonlight-like figure floated gracefully through the doorway, her gentle voice carrying barely suppressed laughter.

Miss Jessica had arrived.

"Please don't tease us," Milo could only respond wearily.

"I'm sorry, I haven't received professional training, so I probably can't help reacting to certain situations," Jessica smiled joyfully. "Really, I was almost scared while eavesdropping."

"Please... please don't twist the knife," Eureka clutched her chest and spoke breathlessly, caught between inhaling and exhaling.

"Of course," Miss Jessica's smile was enchanting as she softened her voice, appearing genuinely concerned about something. "But even if I don't mention it, how do you plan to handle the current situation?"

"What else can we do?" Eureka's gaze drifted upward, as if reaching some sort of consensus.

In reality, they just didn't know what to do for now.

Fortunately, Milo didn't try to brush it off with circular statements like "we'll just have to make do." The perpetually squinting individual responded resignedly: "We'll all just have to stay awake."

"Is that so? As it happens, I wasn't planning to sleep early today either. Why don't you two join me for some entertainment?" Miss Jessica winked, gently smiling as she made her proposal.

Moonlight streamed through the skylight behind her, bathing her already delicate features in an otherworldly, hazy glow. The various mechanical devices hanging in the workshop took on a lustrous sheen, as if reality had become displaced—like a fairy from utopia extending an invitation while standing on a lake's surface.

As a side note, the above flights of fancy were entirely Eureka's; Milo's mindset was far more composed, with only one thought:

"No using charm skills during normal conversation."

End of Chapter