3 Chapter 3: Somehow Abducting Tuna/Kiana?

"How has it come to this...?" Itsuki massaged his temples, his brow furrowed in bewilderment.

In front of him sat a stunningly beautiful girl with long, uniquely styled white hair in twin braids, her striking blue eyes barely visible as she devoured her meal with astonishing speed.

This predicament began just 20 minutes earlier when Itsuki, distracted by an intrusive Chat Group notification, accidentally collided with someone, causing them to lose consciousness.

The unfortunate victim of the collision was Kiana Kaslana, the celebrated protagonist from the world of Honkai 3.

Itsuki was shocked to find that his accidental encounter had knocked out the charming Tuna. After all, the Kaslana clan was reputed to possess peculiar powers that rendered them nearly superhuman.

He even recalled rumors that Kiana could survive a high-altitude free fall without a parachute and emerge without a scratch.

Thus, he was utterly astonished that a mere bump could leave her unconscious. It seemed the rumors might just be fabrications, not grounded in reality.

Unbeknownst to Itsuki, however, the rumors were partially true. The actual reason for Kiana's fainting was due to extreme exhaustion and hunger at the time.

Itsuki then apologized to Kiana and, upon hearing how hungry she was, decided to treat her to whatever food she wanted.

Which back to the present now, Itsuki watched Kiana eat in delighted, while he was feeling sadness, especially as the stack of plates beside her gradually transformed into a towering pile.

My money… damn it! What was I thinking earlier? I really want to go back and slap my earlier self!

Regrettably, regrets could not be undone, and he could only resign himself to a heavy sigh, accepting the grim reality that he might have to limit himself to one meal a day for the rest of the month.

"Um! It's really delicious! Waitress! Could I have three more, please?" the girl requested cheerfully, causing Itsuki's eyebrows to twitch once again.

"Yes!" the waitress responded, quickly heading back to the kitchen, her forehead slick with sweat—a clear sign of how often she received similar orders from this girl.

"Listen, Kiana-san, I hope you understand that my funds are quite limited, so please be more mindful about ordering more," Itsuki said with a sigh, turning to face Kiana.

Kiana nodded before she continued with her meal, seemingly unaware and indifferent to his financial concerns, which troubled Itsuki further.

"It's also my fault for bumping into her… although the chat group is really to blame," he sighed, shifting his focus to the chat group that appeared before his eyes on a panel that looked like something out of a modern sci-fi film.

Seeing that no one around seemed to notice the panel, Itsuki deduced that it was visible only to him, much like the ones in the numerous fanfics he had read.

[Itsuki Kurokami: Hello guys? Does anyone understand what this thing is? I got suddenly invited to this when I was running back home.]

First things first, let's pretend to be confused in front of the others.

Itsuki thought it best, knowing that pretending to know too much might make the others wary of him.

[Yuji Itadori: I don't know either, though I expected someone here might.]

[Satoru Mikami: Never mind for me, I'm just as surprised by this sudden appearance of a sci-fi panel. I thought I was being experimented on by aliens, given how advanced this technology seems.]

[Makoto Misumi: Well, I'm just an ordinary high school boy, so I don't know anything about this.]

"Hmm, two isekai OP protagonists and a fake protagonist are in this group? Intersting," he chuckled to himself, amused by how Gege, the author of JJK, often relegated his main character to a supporting role.

Yuji Itadori indeed seems a pitiful protagonist, his frequent losses making it seem as though he's barely the protagonist of his own series.

Despite that, his trials still pale in comparison to the ordeals faced by other protagonists like Naruto, or even worse, Kamijou Touma and Guts.

After all, their struggles could only be described as hellish, where living feels more cruel and punishing than death.

Just thinking about the unimaginable death toll Kamijou Touma has faced and the horrific life Guts has endured, Itsuki felt that Yuji was somewhat fortunate by comparison.

[Itsuki Kurokami: Is that so? Well, it seems we've really stumbled into a mysterious situation.]

[Yuji Itadori: Mysterious situation?! What do you mean by that?!]

[Itsuki Kurokami: I mean, perhaps we've been brought together for a specific purpose, and that purpose might be very important and have significant implications for us all.]

Silence fell among them, as they understood that such a strange occurrence must have some underlying purpose.

There must be a hidden agenda behind this chat group! That was the thought in everyone's minds, except Itsuki, who could already speculate about the possible reasons for their gathering.

[Itsuki Kurokami: But, you know what? This is kind of like a fanfic I used to read.]

[Satoru Mikami: What do you mean by that?]

[Itsuki Kurokami: I mean, literally—especially this chat group thing. I don't know if there will be a mission or quest we need to do at some point in this group.]

[Yuji Itadori: ???]

[Makoto Mizumi: ???]

[Satoru Mikami: ???]

Seeing the confusion, Itsuki facepalmed as he realized he might be the only otaku who delved into such unusual fanfics, not typically read by the majority of otaku.

Should I be proud of that? Or feel sorry for myself because I'm more of an otaku than all of them?

His lips twitched at the realization, and finally, he explained about the fanfic he often read, helping everyone to understand their current situation better.

But his attention was no longer on the chat group as he realized that Kiana was still relentlessly adding more food to her order.

Damn it! This girl really is heartless! She doesn't care about my money or whether I'll have enough to eat!

"Stop, Kiana! That's really enough! If you order any more, I won't be able to pay for it," Itsuki exclaimed. Kiana stopped, though a reluctant expression appeared on her face, rendering Itsuki speechless once again.

He sighed, then shook his head, turning to see Kiana continuing to eat her meal.

"By the way, why do you look like this? You seem very hungry and weak; have you not eaten for several days?" Itsuki asked, feigning ignorance of Kiana's circumstances.

Kiana paused, her body stiff, though she tried to conceal it, Itsuki could see her discomfort.

"I-I, I lost my wallet! Yes, that's right! I lost my wallet! That's why I haven't eaten for a few days!" Kiana replied, her face firm, trying to convince Itsuki, though it didn't seem to work.

"Really? If that's the case, why didn't you ask your family for food? You do have a family, don't you? Or could it be…" Itsuki looked at Kiana with suspicion, causing her to stiffen once again.

He sighed, "You don't have to tell me your troubles, but I hope I can help you if you're in need."

Kiana remained silent, unsure whether to explain her situation to Itsuki, especially since their relationship had just formed minutes ago.

Moreover, she was suspicious. After all, nobody helps someone they've just met unless they have an ulterior motive.

Wait! Don't tell me, did he fall in love at first sight with this young lady?!

Realizing this possibility, Kiana stared at Itsuki wide-eyed in surprise before looking at him with caution.

Itsuki, noticing Kiana's wary look, felt uncomfortable. He thought she might be misjudging him to be giving her such a scrutinizing look.

"What's with your eyes? I just want to help you sincerely, okay? It makes me uncomfortable to see a girl like you run away from home."

Run away from home? Does he think I'm a runaway girl?

Kiana remained quiet, eyeing Itsuki for a moment as she decided whether to tell him. After pondering for a while, she decided to reveal her situation, feeling his sincerity through her intuition.

And she trusted her intuition, as it had saved her from many a troublesome and dangerous situation since she had been living alone, wandering in search of her father.

"It's not what you think; I'm not running away from home. I'm actually searching for my stinky dad who just disappeared without telling me where he was going," Kiana explained, gritting her teeth in annoyance.

Hmph! Stinky daddy! Vanishing without telling your daughter anything! You have no idea how hard it's been for me to find you, to the point that I've had to travel around the world because of it!

"I see, forgive my presumptuousness, as there have been many cases about young girls running away from home on television."

"Don't worry, I've also heard about that on television and understand your concern," Kiana shook her head, unconcerned about his misunderstanding.

"So what have you been doing all this time? Are you just looking for your missing father?"

"Yes, I've been searching for my father everywhere, even in other countries if I don't find him in one," Kiana answered, as if it were the most normal thing for her.

She didn't realize how strange and odd this sounded to others, especially given her condition as neither a wealthy heir nor an ordinary person, and seemingly without a family.

Traveling the world is expensive for ordinary people, and it would be impossible for Kiana unless there was someone secretly supporting her from behind.

And, of course, Itsuki knew who this person was – none other than Otto Apocalypse! The mastermind and source of evil in this world, who had caused many tragedies due to his own obsessions!

And he's also someone Itsuki honestly didn't want to be involved with before, especially because of his character, which could betray anyone just to achieve his goals.

However, he wasn't afraid now, since he had a cheat, one that could thwart all of Otto's complex plans with his incredibly fast-growing power.

"But, Kiana, I had a doubt after you said that," Itsuki asked while thoughtfully pinching his chin.

"Yes? What is it?" Kiana tilted her head in confusion, unsure what doubt she had caused by what she had said earlier.

"You may not realize this, but traveling the world is impossible unless one is wealthy, and from what I see, you do not appear to be wealthy, correct?" She nodded, still puzzled about what Itsuki was trying to explain.

"Unless you have someone supporting you, someone backing your search for your dad. Do you remember and know who this person might be? If not, perhaps they have a hidden agenda with you."

Finally, Kiana realized, with a shocked expression, she stood up, "Did you say that someone has been targeting this young lady for a long time?!" to which Itsuki nodded, deepening Kiana's shock at this revelation.

But, seriously, Kiana only realized this because I explained it to her now? She really is… stupid…

Itsuki stared as his mouth twitched, amused by Kiana's stupidity, no wonder she was often called a 'Paramecium,' a single-celled organism, by Bronya.

"I see, I see! That's why I felt something was wrong when I kept receiving plane tickets every time I wanted to go to another country!" Kiana said in realization, now understanding the real reason she could travel to another country.

"I thought I was just always lucky, because there would always be someone or some event that made me win plane tickets! It turns out it was because of someone targeting me!"

"Well, what's your plan now? Do you still want to search for your missing dad even though you know someone is plotting against you from behind?"

Kiana hesitated, but then her eyes firmed, "I still want to find my stinky dad! Besides, I need to know why he left me without a word!"

"Is that so?" She nodded again in response, steadfast in her decision.

"How about staying at my place for now? You don't have a home and have been sleeping outside, right?" But this question revived Kiana's suspicions as she stared at him warily.

This guy! It seems my guess was right; he fell in love with me! And he's coveting my body too!

"Damn it! Don't look at me as if I'm a pervert greedy for your body, okay?" Kiana shot back a look that said, 'do you?' which only frustrated Itsuki further.

"Like I said, I just really want to help you sincerely. Now that I know you're a girl from a broken home, it just makes my desire to help even stronger," he said, spreading his hands helplessly.

Kiana and Itsuki looked at each other for a moment, until finally Kiana decided and said, "In that case, I will trust you, but I warn you! Don't try anything weird with me, because this young lady is very strong, you know!"

Kiana showed off her slender biceps, which were white and beautiful, like those of any other pretty girl, but only Itsuki knew how true Kiana's statement about her strength was.

Don't judge her slender muscles like those of other girls; behind their slender and delicate appearance lies superhuman strength that can easily destroy armored doors!

"Don't worry, I won't do anything like that, trust me! I'm a gentleman," Itsuki said convincingly, and Kiana nodded as she decided to trust him.

Finally, Itsuki paid for the meal, feeling a pang of sadness at seeing only a few yen left in his wallet. Then, he returned to his apartment with Kiana.

Somehow I successfully abducted this cute tuna… I don't know whether I should laugh or be happy right now?

This is what Itsuki thought as he watched Kiana observing his room while inside of it.

(A/N: Sorry if the quality of my writing seems a bit off compared to before. This could be due to not writing as regularly as I used to and rushing this chapter more than usual. Also, due to a busier schedule, I can only update this novel with two chapters per week now.)