Chapter 233: The Maiden's Blush Says It All
"So, are we going or not?" Tesla folded her arms across her chest, looking at Theresa. "To be honest, I really don't want to go. That dog Otto absolutely doesn't have anything good waiting for us."
"No, Dr. Tesla, we have to go." Einstein was the first to raise an objection at that moment. "Otto's press conference this time was practically aimed at the whole world."
"He's just declared in front of the entire world that he's stepping down and that Principal Theresa is to take over."
"If we go, there are bound to be problems — he definitely has a pit dug for us — but if we don't go, the situation won't be any better."
Tesla was briefly taken aback and turned to look at Einstein. "What — so it's our fault now if we don't go?"
"No, Tesla, if we don't go, we really will be in the wrong." Joyce, standing off to the side, suddenly spoke up. "He's already singled us out by name."
"Ah."
"What Mr. Joyce means is, Otto has already said he is stepping down, that he trusts Theresa can take over leadership of Schicksal in his place, that he trusts she'll be better at helping humanity."
Irene's hand rested on the table, her fingers lightly tapping the surface. "If we go, we're walking into the surprise he's already prepared for us. But if we don't go, then later, if he wants to smear us, it'll be the easiest thing in the world."
"We carry ourselves uprightly and sit upright — why shouldn't we go?" Irene looked at Tesla. "Besides, he's handed Schicksal right into our hands. Not taking it would really be letting him down, wouldn't it?"
After the three on the other end of the communication line had been silent for a while, Einstein pushed up his glasses. "In that case, may I take it that Miss Irene has been waiting for this moment all along?"
As Einstein spoke, his gaze fixed itself on the Theresa who had appeared on the video screen. "After all, Miss Irene quite suddenly wanted Principal Theresa to start getting familiar with paperwork."
"Doesn't that mean Miss Irene knew long ago that something like this would happen?"
Irene merely smiled and said nothing, while Einstein, as though he had read something into her silence, nodded. "Well then, let us set out."
Hyperion.
Up on the deck, Irene walked out and looked over at Theresa, who was standing at the edge of the deck feeling the wind. "I knew you'd be here. What's wrong? Still thinking about something?"
"Mm, I'm still a little worried." Theresa nodded. "Grandpa definitely has something waiting for us, but right now we don't know a single thing."
As she said this, Theresa glanced at Irene, a touch of resentment in her eyes. To say just then that they didn't know a single thing — that was clearly not quite accurate.
Because there really was one person here who looked like she knew an awful lot but simply wouldn't say.
"Ai, no need to worry. Elysia and the others back at base didn't come along with us, did they?" Irene acted as though she couldn't catch what Theresa was getting at. "So you don't have to worry about a base-swap."
"Am I worried about a base-swap right now?" Theresa looked at Irene, hands on her hips. "I'm clearly worried about something else!"
"What else is there to worry about?" Irene walked over to Theresa's side, still wearing the same look of being utterly oblivious to the hint. "Our adorable Theresa really can't keep anything bottled up at all, can she? If there's something on your mind, why not just tell me?"
"Isn't this because of you? If you told us everything, then we'd have something to stand on, wouldn't we?" Theresa twitched the corner of her mouth, lifted her dainty pink fist, and pummeled Irene's chest.
"Aiya, don't pound, don't pound, you'll flatten me, you'll flatten me!" Irene deliberately let out a few exaggerated yelps, and Theresa immediately stopped.
"So you really aren't going to tell us anything?" Theresa lowered her hand and looked at Irene. "You really aren't worried at all about what Grandpa might do?"
"You know all of those things ultimately come from a parallel world, don't you? What if Grandpa actually—"
"Lots of things have already been changed, Theresa." Irene stroked Theresa's head. "From the very day I arrived in this world, a great many things have changed."
"I've already done so much, so many things have changed long since, and a lot of the intel I knew has long since become useless. Just as you said — what I know is, after all, only what happened in another world."
"Then..."
Before Theresa could speak, Irene cut her off: "But I understand all of you. I understand that in certain situations, the things every one of you would do will never change."
"It's the same with Otto. The things he's about to do are nothing more than those few — so I know what he'll do."
Theresa grabbed Irene's clothes and shook her back and forth, her tremendous strength dragging Irene along with the motion. "Then come on, hurry up and tell me — you've already guessed it all!"
"Aiya, some things really can't be said." Irene swayed along with Theresa's shaking. "Anyway, trust me. I'm not going to lead you astray."
"But I feel like, by not telling us now, you are leading us astray." Theresa simply clung to Irene's clothes, climbed up onto Irene's back, and started shaking Irene's head.
"What on earth is it that we aren't allowed to know?"
"Because some things, once you know them, lose all their impact." Irene reached behind her and lifted Theresa down, drawing her into her arms.
"Do you remember? Why, in the past, there were certain things I didn't want to tell you — that I only needed to handle on my own?"
Held in Irene's arms, pressed against Irene's chest, Theresa was startled for a moment. Then, listening to Irene's question, she thought it over for a little while.
"Because they couldn't be allowed to be known."
"Some things, once known, go wrong." Irene gently stroked Theresa. "Just treat this matter as a vacation. Otto will see to his own affairs on his own."
"Trust me."
"..." After Theresa was silent for a while, she finally nodded in Irene's embrace. "Fine, I understand. Then, Irene, all we have to do next is wait until we get there."
"Mm." Irene nodded. "Just wait, that's all. Oh, that's right — once we arrive, you all can go to the meeting yourselves. As for me, I have something else to take care of."
"Ah?" Theresa looked up at Irene. "You're planning to act alone again? No — you're going to go find Grandpa, aren't you?"
"Nope~" Irene looked at Theresa as she spoke. "I'm just going to finish a task. It's not to go find Otto."
"Then, Irene, look me in the eyes and say that again." Theresa propped herself up to look at Irene. "Are you sure you're not going to go find my grandpa?"
"Not looking, not looking~" A smile played across Irene's face as she spoke, setting Theresa down on the ground. "Truly, you have to believe me — absolutely, positively, no falsehood at all."
"You're definitely lying to me." Right now Theresa really wanted to stand on Judah and rap Irene on the head, but unfortunately he hadn't been brought along. "You're really not going to find Grandpa?"
"Really, I'm not." Irene shook her head earnestly. She really wasn't going to find the old man — or rather, she wasn't going right now, because over these past few days she had been discussing something with everyone, and this just happened to fit conveniently alongside that other matter.
Counting the timing, it was about right. Seeing as a certain little fellow could no longer cause them any trouble, why would they still need to go fight him? Or rather, wouldn't it be better to deal with him in advance?
"So what are you saying you want to do?" Theresa propped her hands on her hips and looked at Irene. "At a time like this, shouldn't we be handling the matter on Grandpa's side first?"
"Because the matter on that side is important too." Irene pinched Theresa's cheek. "Aiya, in any case, relax. It's definitely not something connected to your grandpa."
"I'm going to handle the matter of the Corruption." Seeing that Theresa didn't seem inclined to let her off so easily, Irene had no choice but to come out with what she was going to do.
"Corruption?" Theresa tilted her head, not quite grasping what Irene meant. "Did something happen to Rin and Little Senti?"
"I'm not talking about those two." Irene wagged a finger. "I mean the Corruption that was originally supposed to be born into this world. Now's the perfect chance to take care of it alongside this other matter."
And it really was supposed to be around this point in time that the Corruption was born. Of course, on this current world-line, the scenario where Mei runs in and confronts the Will of the Honkai definitely doesn't exist anymore.
This was precisely why Irene had been continually mulling over how to deal with the Corruption. In the original story, Mei went in and carried the Corruption back out with her, then turned around and entered the Realm — that was how the Corruption ended up unable to scatter too many of its branch-selves outward.
But now that step didn't exist, so the Corruption would likely be born at random. Trying to find him at that point would be a bit difficult — though, granted, they currently had two Corruptions on their side, and two-on-one was, in theory, certain to win.
But before they actually found and subdued him, just how much destruction he would inflict was an uncertain number. That was why Irene had also been wracking her brain over what exactly to do.
Then Mobius had simply suggested, point-blank: just find a way to bring him down the way it was originally done. As long as he was under their surveillance, two-on-one wouldn't be any problem at all.
So, now was the time to deal with him. Once both matters were resolved together, they could give their full attention to waiting to face Finality — or to helping Irene become Finality.
As for how to handle the Corruption once he had been brought down, Elysia had quietly popped up at that very moment, declaring that the whole thing could be left entirely to her and Little Corruption.
Not that it really mattered either way — once he was brought down, as long as he was under their surveillance, the original Corruption could only be kneaded around like a lump of clay in their hands.
Besides, this child wasn't actually bad by nature. He was simply scared, and that had triggered a stress reaction; with proper guidance, he'd turn into a good kid like Little Corruption.
Though, according to Mobius, Little Senti turning out like Elysia was hardly what you'd call a good kid.
"The Corruption has already been born? But Little Senti and Zero didn't seem to mention it?" Hearing this from Irene, Theresa, as expected, lowered some of her guard.
"Mobius says they have a way to pinpoint his location, and then I'll go make contact. I'll bring Rin and Little Corruption along with me when the time comes." Irene looked at Theresa.
"So things over here are entrusted to all of you. If you need me, I'll be over in a flash."
"And there are plenty of things I think the rest of you have much more to talk about with Otto." Irene pointed at the interior of the bridge. Yes — or to put it another way, most of the people on this ship had a little account or two to settle with Otto.
So since they weren't short of one Irene, Irene might as well go take care of something else.
"Is it safe?"
"I'm the Herrscher of Death. No one is safer than I am for handling this matter." Irene patted her chest. "And besides, you ought to trust Dr. Mobius and the others."
"Compared to them..." Theresa looked at Irene. "I trust you more. You have to be careful, you understand? After all, the Corruption is a Herrscher too."
Mobius and the rest, those people from the Previous Era, weren't familiar to Theresa, but since Irene said they could be trusted, Theresa could trust them. And besides, she trusted Irene even more.
"Little Corruption and Rin will go too?"
"Of course."
"Then I have no problem with it." Theresa nodded. "And let me say it again — be careful, do you hear? Don't go rushing in for everything."
"Wah, what on earth did I do to make Theresa worry about me this much?" Irene looked at Theresa, astonished. A mischievous impulse welled up in her heart; she crouched down to look at Theresa and pointed at her own cheek.
"That said — since Theresa's so worried about me, how about you send me off with a blessing—"
Before Irene had finished speaking, she felt a wave of warmth on her cheek. The next moment, she saw Theresa stumble back a few steps, her face flushed red as an apple. Irene, too, froze in place, staring at Theresa.
Her earlobes had turned bright red as well. Looking at the dazed Irene, Theresa, as if she had drawn some kind of courage from somewhere, planted her hands on her hips and stared back at Irene: "What? Wasn't it you who said it?"
"...Understood, my dear Theresa." Listening to Theresa's words, Irene stood up, though her earlobes were still flushed a vivid red. "I will definitely come back safely."
"Going now?"
"Mm, going now." Irene nodded, and then took straight off, drifting away into the distance. Theresa watched the fleeing Irene, and for some reason planted her hands on her hips and nodded.
"Hmph, what's so great about Irene." After Theresa had been proud of herself for a moment, her mood markedly improved, and she turned to head back to the bridge.
Theresa spotted someone who had, at some unknown point, come to stand at the deck's exit, watching her with a smile. When she looked over, the figure even raised a thumbs-up at her.
Cecilia: laughs.
Theresa's previously triumphant face turned crimson in an instant. Seeing Cecilia beckon to her, Theresa, head bowed and cheeks burning, walked over.
"Aiya, don't worry, I won't tell." Cecilia patted Theresa's shoulder, a smile filling her face. "Although, when the time comes, do we want to mention this little matter to the Lord Overseer?"
"What's there to mention about something like this?" Theresa clung to Cecilia's clothes and shook them back and forth, her face so red it seemed it could drip water. Even though the weather wasn't actually cold, faint wisps of steam could be seen rising from the top of Theresa's head.
As for Cecilia, only a smile remained on her face as she stroked Theresa's head. Aiya, the scene before her really did call to mind her own brief, sweet time with Siegfried back in the day.
Now Theresa, too, had someone she liked. How nice. Irene was a good person, and Theresa was as well. Very, very good.
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