Kiana Kaslana is a patient girl. True, she may be a bit dumb and incompetent in the areas she has no interest in but in the area, she wants to study, she excels there the most. She also treasures her family and friends the most, due to her past experiences. 

right now, she was annoyed and angry at a certain Crozzo for ignoring her. 

"Hmph!" The young girl said stubbornly as she crossed her arms and kicked the male from under the table. 

"Hey!" Rex winced at the pain in his leg. Kiana had been like this for a while now and it got a bit annoying. 

"Kiana-chan," Mei said as she looked at the younger girl who stubbornly turned the other way around. 

"Look, I'm busy this week okay." Rolling his ankle to lessen the pain, the young man looked at the white-haired girl who merely crossed her arms and ate her food. 

"did you two get into another fight?" Himeko, their beloved teacher and big sister asked. She knew that the two were close, with Kiana having almost fought her ancestor, Kallen when she said something bad about Rex. Rex and Kiana, while very close, had their moments of fighting that lead to them both ignoring each other. 

"Hmph! That idiot was out on a date with a classmate of mine." The Kaslana glared at Crozzo, who choked on his food. 

"Rex-kun... date?" Mei could not believe it. She won't deny that her friend was attractive but on a date? She quickly shut down the idea to control the green-eyed monsters in her head. 

"That is surprising. The Bronya would have thought that subject big brother Rex would be..." Quickly, the young Russian teen found her mouth covered by the hands of her brother figure and her beloved Seele. 

"B-Bronya-Onee-chan! R-rex-Onii-chan has a date so let's leave it at that." Seele said with a smile as she prayed that she won't say anything out loud. 

"S-Seele's right. I... I still have a... date later." Rex said, stressing the word date towards his younger sister figure, who thankfully nodded. 

"I see, then the Bronya would like to help you for your date." The Russian teen said as she looked at Rex. 

"Bratnya... Stupid Rex... he could have just gone with me." Kiana muttered under her breath quietly enough that only Theresa heard it. Smiling at her niece, the young woman nodded as she ate more of her meal. 

Rex stopped eating and pulled out his phone with a sigh. 

"Thanks for the meal, Mei." Standing up, the young man took his now empty plate and glass. "I have to go back to the lab." The teen informed the group. 

"This late at night?" Sakura asked as she sat beside Kallen.

"Can't you just go tomorrow?" Kallen asked him. She was a bit annoyed and angry from the looks of it. If you were wondering where Reinhardt was then 

---

In another location

Reinhardt hummed as he cast a line from a boat. He was dressed in casual clothes with a camouflage pattern. He was somewhere in the ocean fishing for some peace of mind. Being trapped in the sea of Quanta for 500 years bored him out of his mind so now, he needed to relax.

"Still fishing this late at night?" Raising his head, the young man glanced over his shoulder to notice a silhouette of a woman Reinhardt smiled.

"It helps me keep my sanity," Reinhardt said as the woman sat beside him. "What's with that form, Morax?" 

"I was in this form during my round in Liyue." 

---

"I can't this time, it's very time-sensitive and I have to finish this," The young man said with a smile as he put on a jacket and smiled at them. "See you tomorrow," He said with a smile as he looked at them, his eyes eyeing Kiana a second longer than the others before he walked out of the dorms while carrying his bag.

"Do you girls think that Rex is spending more and more time in the lab than usual?" Himeko asked curiously as she looked at the girls and their reactions. Kiana was annoyed, Mei was a bit worried, Bronya was blank-face, Seele was surprised, Kallen and Sakura were thoughtful on the other hand. 

"Hmph! He can stay there for all I care." Kiana Kaslana said with annoyance present in her voice. She was not angry nor annoyed that he was ignoring her. Not. One. Bit.

"Kiana-chan... are you crying?" Mei asked as she saw the tear from around her eyes. Wiping it, the Kaslana shook her head, denying it. 

"Big brother Rex said that he and his team were close to a breakthrough and it requires most if not all his attention," Bronya told them. "He said that if it is as he thought, it will help us a lot." 

"That still does not excuse him for ignoring me... I mean us!" Kiana shouted, hoping that no one will catch on to what she said first only for Himeko and Theresa to grin at her. 

"I am worried for Rex-Kun," Mei said. "I always find him sometimes passed out on the floor or the couch of the living room every time I wake up early." 

"Oh, that is bad." 

"Bad? Bad?! that's worse!" Kiana said as she stood up and was about to chase after her friend and secret fiend with benefits only to pause when Theresa coughed into her hand. 

"Calm down, Kiana. Rex is fine. After this research, he and his team will be moved to another department with less workload." This lowered the girls' worry for the young man but only for a bit.

"And don't worry, Ren was not on a date with your classmate, Kiana." Fu Hua said with a smile as she entered the dining room. She was dressed in a beautiful Chinese dress.

"Welcome back, Fu..." Himeko stopped midway at the sight of Fu Hua. Rather, she stopped once she noticed that the class representative was blooming and was relaxed than usual. 

"Oh, Fu Hua! Welcome back!" Theresa said with a smile. Smiling back, Fu Hua nodded at them. She set down some containers on the table. 

"I brought some leftovers. Ren cooked while we were in Shenzou and we did not finish it so I thought that we could share." fu Hua said, surprising the group once more. 

"Ren... Your husband?" Theresa asked while Fu Hua nodded. 

"As much as I hate to admit it, Ren is a better cook than I am," She told them with a smile.

===

A few days later

===

Kiana was a bit upset. She had not seen Rex for the last few days and she missed him already. Mei might be the number one in her heart but Rex... Rex was her best friend ever since Nagazora. She wanted to see him again. Especially since it was her birthday. She was happy right now but, it felt like something was missing. 

"Is everything alright, Kiana?" Cecilia asked her daughter as she approached her. Nodding with a smile.

"Yes, everything is fine!" Her smile was since but it did not reach all the way to her eyes. AS they were eating, the group noticed how much Kiana seemed distressed at the fact that Rex was not able to join them. it was the time of their presentation. 

Fu Hua and Ren can be seen eating together while talking with some of the other visitors. Reve, on the other hand, can be seen all by himself as Natasha could not make it and for some reason, Alvitr of the immortal blades have been following him whenever Rita or Bianka was not with him. 

Reinhardt Crozzo, meanwhile sat by himself hidden from view under a tree. He was still known as Schicksal's greatest traitor and he did not want to ruin the party. He was also actively avoiding everyone at the party. He was used to this.

"Everyone, I would like to thank you all for coming and celebrating Kiana's birthday with us. Now that the party and celebration is over as well as other things. I would be happy to say that the party is almost over." Cecilia said with a smile. All of the people at the party smiled and clapped at this.

"But, it's not over yet!" Siegfried Kaslana said with a smile as he looked at them. "Are you ready?" The Kaslana Patriarch asked, confusing everyone. 

Ready for what? 

Suddenly, a rendition of the happy birthday song can be heard playing. Several gasps were heard as Kiana turned around. Blue eyes widened and tears of relief and joy formed around her eyes. 

"Happy birthday, Congratulations." Rex Crozzo could be seen smiling happily as he approached them while pushing a cart with a cake on it.

"Happy Birthday, With salutations," Kiana smiled more at the sight of him dressed in a three-piece black suit with the blue shirt they bought when they last went shopping together.

"Happy birthday and may your sky stay blue..." Rex smiled as he stopped when he pushed the cake in front of her.

"Happy birthday to you," Finishing the song, the young man smiled at her. 

Chuckling, Kiana leaned in and blew the candles before looking up at him. 

"Kept you waiting, huh?" 

"Yes, you did. Baka. I'm still mad at you" She said with a smile as she reared her hand and punched him on the arm. Much to the surprise of many. 

"Hey!, what's that for?"

"That was for ignoring me and making me worry Baka," Kiana said, watching him wince a bit. She then reached in, grabbed his necktie, and pulled him to her eye level before she kissed him on the cheek gently.

The young Crozzo blushed hard. It was the first time Kiana had been this affectionate in public. 

"And this is for the surprise. Thank you, Rex." Kiana said with a bright smile that reached her eyes. It was a truly beautiful smile and one that the Crozzo will never forget for the rest of his days. The young man turned Red as he smile before being crushed in a hug.