Honkai: You're telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3?!

"Shu, guns! There are actually guns in here!" A familiar voice pierced through Shu's daze, snapping him back to reality.

Guns? What guns? Where?

Didn't I empty the magazine?

Shu stared blankly at the metal gate, then at Kiana, who was on the other side, holding a pistol out to him through the bars.

"Hello? Earth to Shu! Take the weapon!" Kiana huffed, her outstretched arm trembling slightly. "Just because you're injured doesn't mean you can ignore people… My arm is getting tired…"

Hearing her complaint, Shu instinctively reached out and took the pistol.

…I feel like I've done this before… many times…

Suddenly, a wave of nausea surged through him. He swallowed back the vomit rising in his throat with sheer willpower.

Ugh… that taste… Maybe spitting it out would have been better…

Shu scrambled to the side, clutching the wall as he finally succumbed, emptying the contents of his stomach.

"Shu!" Mei gasped, rushing to his side and gently rubbing his back.

"Shu! What's wrong?!" Kiana's face reappeared, pressed against the gate like she was trying to phase through it. She stared at Shu, who was still retching.

Is he allergic to guns? Or is he… throwing up because he saw me?

Kiana instinctively touched her face.

No, it must be something wrong with his preferences! Everyone knows I'm a super cutie!

After several heaves and a prolonged bout of dry retching, Shu's throat burned, and even his saliva tasted sour. Bronya silently offered him some tissues. He took them, wiping his mouth weakly, then stumbled back, putting some distance between himself and the remnants of his last two meals.

"Here, rinse your mouth." Mei gently patted his back, offering him a water bottle.

"Thanks." Shu managed a weak smile, nodding at Mei as he took the water and retreated to another corner to rinse his mouth.

"Mei, what's wrong with him?" Kiana, still peering through the gate, asked, a flicker of insecurity in her voice. "Is there something on my face?"

Mei paused, then carefully examined Kiana's face.

Nope, still perfect.

"Nothing," Mei shook her head, turning back to Shu with a worried expression. "I don't know. Even if his wounds are acting up, it shouldn't be like this…"

"Maybe he's allergic to guns?" Kiana offered another theory.

"No." Bronya chimed in. "Bronya gave Shu the Principal's gun earlier, and he didn't show any adverse reaction."

"That's weird…" Kiana frowned, deep in thought. "Could it be… some kind of superpower backlash?"

Shu abruptly turned, a streak of water trailing from his mouth. He stared at Kiana for a long moment, then turned away, tilting his head back and draining the rest of the water. He crushed the empty bottle and tossed it aside before wiping his mouth and returning to the gate.

"Shu, are you okay?" Mei asked, her worry evident. Shu had been weak to begin with, and this sudden vomiting spell…

But strangely, Shu's complexion seemed slightly better after throwing up.

"Sorry for worrying you," Shu said with a smile, offering an apology.

"As long as you're okay." Kiana finally pulled her face away from the gate, patting her chest with a sigh of relief. "You scared me! I thought you were dying or something!"

Shu: "…That's very thoughtful of you. Please don't worry so much next time."

"Well, as long as you're fine." Kiana waved off his sarcastic comment, turning towards the small wooden door. "There must be more guns in there! I'm going back in to look!"

"Wait!" Shu's sudden shout stopped her in her tracks. He looked at Kiana, his expression serious. "Kiana, were there… a lot of bodies in there?"

"Yeah," Kiana shrugged. "What, you don't use dead people's stuff?"

Shu shook his head, falling silent.

He'd been pondering the corpses in the bar ever since encountering the second Honkai soldier. Why were they there? And why hadn't they turned into zombies or Honkai soldiers?

Their deaths weren't caused by gunfire or the Honkai. They had guns on them, but something had prevented them from using them. What?

The most likely explanation was a sudden attack by the two Honkai soldiers. A massacre in that confined space.

Perhaps the gangsters had been too drunk to react.

But why hadn't Kiana been attacked when she went in?

He wasn't surprised the second soldier had waited until he'd dealt with the first before revealing itself. It had even engaged in a silent standoff with Kiana while he fought.

Thinking of this, Shu was suddenly glad he hadn't let Kiana go back in to search for ammo. A third intrusion might have triggered a direct attack.

He eyed the wooden door warily.

"Kiana, wait. I'm coming with you." His voice was low and serious, his hand gripping the pistol tightly.

Kiana paused. "Huh? You're coming too?"

His preferences really are weird… Kiana admitted, her thoughts drifting to a rather… inappropriate place.

She glanced at the height of the metal gate. "It's pretty high. Do you want me to come out and help you… Huh?!"

Shu took a few steps back, then, with a running start, leaped gracefully over the gate, landing lightly on Kiana's side.

Mei's eyes widened, Bronya's jaw dropped, and Kiana stared at him as if seeing him for the first time.

Shu landed, testing his footing, then clenched his fists.

The strange power he'd felt earlier was gone, but the physical enhancements remained.

He touched his chest. He desperately wanted to rip off his shirt and bandages to check if his wound had disappeared, but…

He was too proud to show off his abs to Kiana.

"Shu…" Kiana drifted closer, her eyes practically glowing.

"What?" Shu shivered, but maintained his composure.

"Tell me the truth," Kiana said, her voice unusually serious. "Do you actually have superpowers?"