"It's fine, I don't really mind."
Hua Yi stated his opinion with an air of pure righteousness. This earned him a pair of complicated looks from Raiden Mei and Kiana, as well as a blatant eye-roll from Murata Himeko.
"I mind!" Himeko shot back.
Theresa and Himeko were both thinking the same thing: So the boy who fought with everything on the line on the battlefield is actually like this in his daily life.
In the eyes of Kiana and Mei, however, this version of Hua Yi was the one they were most familiar with. He was serious at times, but for the most part, he was gentle and full of jokes. When combined with the way he stepped up during a crisis, it made him feel incredibly reliable.
He was so reliable that Mei and Kiana found it hard to stomach their own weakness. They couldn't just sit by while Hua Yi sacrificed everything in silence.
For now, the girls weren't too concerned about his living arrangements. In fact, they preferred it if he didn't live with anyone else. That way, they could sneak off to find him without being discovered... Cough.
Theresa pulled Hua Yi away from Himeko's residence, leaving Mei and Kiana behind. They watched them go before turning their burning gazes back toward Himeko.
"An A-rank Valkyrie... that sounds like a really big deal, doesn't it?" Kiana asked.
"Indeed. Between St. Freya Academy and Schicksal, the number of S-rank Valkyries above A-rank can be counted on one hand. You can definitely consider me a powerful senior," Himeko replied with a smile. There was no arrogance in her voice, only the weight of knowing exactly how much she had sacrificed to reach where she was today.
In truth, when she heard from Theresa that Kiana and the others would be moving in with her, Himeko hadn't just cleaned the room; she had also hidden her painkillers. They were her only recourse when the agony of her Artificial Stigmata kept her from sleeping. Her love for drinking was also largely driven by the hope that alcohol could numb the pain in her body.
The world was mostly made of mediocre people. Himeko didn't possess exceptional talent and had become a Valkyrie quite late. The Artificial Stigmata she used were more powerful than the standard level, but the side effects were far more devastating.
Himeko's vitality was being devoured by her stigmata far faster than that of other Valkyries. Sometimes, she feared that one day she would fall asleep and never wake up again.
Currently, neither St. Freya Academy nor Schicksal possessed the technology to improve her condition. Thus, she never asked for help. She simply endured in silence, yearning for a ray of hope to appear.
Not even Theresa fully understood Himeko's physical state.
Naturally, Kiana and Mei were oblivious to Himeko's inner turmoil. Having gained a rough understanding of an A-rank Valkyrie's power, they made their plea.
"Please, teach us how to get stronger."
Himeko looked at the two girls, a trace of bitterness welling up in her heart.
"Raiden Mei, you are a Herrscher. If you fully master your power as one, you will far surpass the level of an A-rank Valkyrie. As for you, Kiana, you are already strong enough for a human. When I was your age, I was just an ordinary person without any power at all."
Kiana, true to her impatient nature, grew suspicious when Himeko didn't give a direct answer.
"So, Himeko, you're not saying you don't have a way, are you?"
"Tch. From now on, call me Major Himeko. Kiana, Mei."
Suddenly, Himeko realized that Bronya, who had followed the other two in, hadn't spoken for quite some time. Looking around, she found the girl silently cleaning the room. Himeko couldn't help but feel a little moved.
"Bronya, leave the cleaning to me."
"Based on Major Himeko's behavior, the cleaning started much earlier," Bronya replied, calculating. "Bronya has estimated the work efficiency and remaining workload. If the cleaning is left entirely to a Major who only cares about chatting, there is a ninety-nine percent chance it will not be finished before rest. Therefore, Bronya rejects this proposal."
Is she subtly insulting me?
The warmth in Himeko's heart vanished instantly.
"I get it, I get it! We'll clean together then. And you have to call me Major Himeko, too."
"Bronya believes that the knowledge taught by a greatsword user like Major Himeko will not benefit Project Bunny. Therefore, Bronya will continue to use the previous form of address: Major Himeko."
"Tch."
Himeko realized that with these three girls—one with a dual personality, one white-haired idiot, and one emotionless girl—her future life might become very interesting indeed.
...
Theresa led Hua Yi to the house next door to Himeko's.
This was the faculty dormitory of St. Freya Academy. However, because the school was severely lacking in students, there weren't many teachers either. There were plenty of vacant houses, and this one was right next door. It only needed a light cleaning to be livable.
For Hua Yi, while the idea of living with beautiful girls was tempting, the existence of his Supply System meant he needed some private space. He had no objections to the arrangement.
"By the way, Theresa, where's my greatsword? You didn't keep it for yourself, did you?"
"As if!"
Theresa was visibly annoyed by his lack of trust.
"Your greatsword was slightly damaged after those repeated battles. It's currently being repaired by the Research Department of St. Freya Academy."
"Repairing it, huh... Theresa, is there a way to make it stronger? For example, every time I swing it, sword light bursts out? Or maybe attach special effects, like a chance to slow down an enemy's movement speed or even freeze them solid?"
"You certainly have an imagination."
Theresa shot him a side-glance and sighed.
"If we were at Schicksal Headquarters, they might be able to manage that. But St. Freya doesn't have the equipment to implement that kind of technology. Sorry."
"I was just saying."
Hua Yi meant it casually, but Theresa took it to heart.
The Third Honkai Impact's losses had been minimized because of Hua Yi. As the hero of the hour, he deserved a reward. Theresa planned to utilize St. Freya's influence to see if she could discover any ancient ruins that Schicksal hadn't excavated yet. She wanted to find a truly powerful weapon for Hua Yi.
He uses greatsword-class weapons. I'll remember that.
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