On the outdoor basketball court of Chiba Academy, Kevin wore a loose sports outfit that subtly outlined his well-proportioned muscles. With a flashy behind-the-back crossover, he deftly evaded the opposing team's burly guard, then leapt into the air and completed a clean dunk in one fluid motion, ending the match amid a chorus of cheers from the girls.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel, Kevin walked toward Su, who was applauding from the stands.
"Catch."
Su didn't bother saying congratulations. Kevin's victory was only natural.
People only saw Kevin's glory on the surface. They never knew how long he had honed his skills for that single moment of triumph. Though his comprehension was admittedly poor, he had stubbornly devoted himself to this technique-driven sport. Though his physical condition was excellent, he had no interest in swimming or track and field.
Smack.
Kevin caught the bottle of mineral water Su tossed to him and asked, "So? You went to see that girl again?"
"Mm. That Vill-V seems to have some kind of secret. She's very special," Su replied in a certain tone.
"When you think a girl is special, that's called being in love, you know." Kevin grinned teasingly as he twisted open the cap and chugged the entire bottle in one go.
"I believe those two things are vastly different. I'm not like His Highness the Prince, already immersed in a sticky-sweet romance."
Unbothered by the teasing, Su slung his backpack over his shoulder and left the court together with Kevin.
"Hey—"
With a flick of his wrist, Kevin sent the empty bottle arcing through the air. It landed perfectly in a distant trash can, drawing another wave of shrieks behind them.
"So... what about that cup of 'Pretty Girl Flavor' instant noodles? Want me to eat it for you? Or are you saving it for yourself?"
"You can have it. But be careful. Don't upset your stomach. Who knows what kind of concoction that eccentric girl added to it," Su reminded him kindly.
"Got it, got it. But aren't you really not interested? It was handmade by a girl, after all."
"Hmph."
Su gave Kevin a firm slap on the back.
"Only you would look forward to a cup of instant noodles."
"If it were Mei who made me a cup—I could slurp it for an entire day!"
"Oh right, I got tickets to Eden's concert again. Want to skip class the day after tomorrow?"
"Yes! I'll drag Mei along with me that day."
"I know, I know. Princess Mei's loyal sidekick. I bought tickets for both of you. But I'm not interested in being your third wheel."
Kevin burst out laughing and hooked an arm around Su's shoulders. They chatted idly about this and that. Friendship was just that simple—seemingly casual words and gestures that quietly concealed concern for one another and bright hopes for the future.
After all, they were only high school students. The grand talk Mei made about changing the world was still far too distant. Kevin only wanted to live well in the present, cherish every friend, and enjoy every moment. To live happily and freely—that felt like himself.
There was still so much time ahead. Let there be more happy memories—with Mei, and with Su. Even if one day after graduation they went their separate ways...
No, we won't go our separate ways.
We never did in the past. We won't now. And we won't in the future either.
Kevin's confidence said so.
...
Vill-V wore her VR headset, immersed in remotely controlling an "automated bionic puppet" to complete an important task. At the same time, she caught a glimpse of the warm scene between Kevin and Su.
Even back when she had only played the game in her previous life, she already understood that without the Honkai, many of these people would have simply lived ordinary lives like anyone else. Yet seeing such a scene again now, she couldn't help but feel a flood of emotion. Watching from outside was one thing. Standing within it was entirely different.
Vill-V herself was just an ordinary person. Yet now she bore responsibilities in every direction. It was those responsibilities that forced her forward, refusing to let her lie flat.
That sense of shared burden made her understand even more deeply how Kevin would one day take up the crushing weight of [Savior] from Mei—and how it would grind him down, even becoming the driving force that compelled him to push himself onward.
Vill-V had already infiltrated Chiba Academy for a month. In the original Honkai storyline, at this point she should still have been breaking in and out of MOTH's prison repeatedly. Most likely, that version of her had been alone, with no way to swim across the Pacific empty-handed.
If the original Vill-V had made it back to shore, then so long as she wished it, MOTH would never have caught her again.
Now that she herself knew part of the storyline, she naturally had no time to play games with MOTH. Long ago, while studying the geography of the Previous Era, she had heard of Nagazora City.
The name Nagazora City carried enormous weight among Honkai fans. Vill-V was naturally familiar with it. Through recollection, she remembered that Kevin, Su, and Mei's story began here.
In her memory, the Third Honkai Eruption was an early event in the Previous Era storyline. So two years ago, Vill-V had already begun making arrangements in Nagazora City and had forged admission documents for Chiba Academy.
Although she prepared early, she had never been entirely certain when the Honkai would erupt in Nagazora City. After Conductor sorted through and inferred from her memories, it was estimated to be within half a year. Thus, Vill-V personally came to Nagazora City.
As for why she came in person, it certainly wasn't to stop the Third Herrscher. Vill-V had enough self-awareness. She was just an ordinary person—no flashy cheat abilities like in Honkai fanfiction, no power to pin a Herrscher down and make them cry for mercy.
This time, she mainly came to experience the Honkai for herself. From outside this world, that might sound ridiculous—as if she were treating a Honkai Eruption like tourism.
In reality, it was the opposite. Standing here, fear never left her heart.
She did not know when the Honkai would erupt. She did not know whether this risk would cost her life outright. Each Honkai Eruption left only a tiny fraction of survivors. Su, Mei, and Kevin had the protection of the original storyline's fate lines. Vill-V had no such guarantee that she would be among the few.
Then why risk her life to come here?
The first reason was to verify how the Honkai judged the technological level of civilization. Through Newton, who was embedded within MOTH, Vill-V had already supplied them with cutting-edge technology. She herself had also developed quantum communication equipment. Though the leap was not enormous by humanity's standards, it was undeniably a step forward—after all, it was quantum technology.
So how would the Honkai respond? Would it erupt earlier? Would it erupt near her?
The second reason was that she had not personally witnessed the First or Second Honkai Eruptions. She only knew fragments of information about their impact. To this day, she had no concrete, experiential understanding of the Honkai or of Herrschers.
She had always known the Honkai was troublesome and terrifying, that every eruption was a natural disaster. But knowing that alone was nowhere near enough to formulate precise and effective countermeasures. Only by personally experiencing a Honkai Eruption could many questions be resolved—understanding the Honkai, refining plans, and reshaping her mentality.
Speaking of mentality—if Pure Evil had not taken responsibility for "arrogance," Vill-V might already have floated to the point of believing she could solo a Herrscher.
There was no other reason. She was simply too brilliant.
In her previous previous life, she had only been an ordinary person. Yet in this era, she had not encountered a single individual who could rival her. That disparity inevitably bred arrogance. Compared to her past life as a Three-Body researcher, the contrast was overwhelming. It felt as though all shackles had fallen away—her mind was crystal clear. The six of her could match a hundred-person research team.
Beyond that arrogance, there were many other tangled thoughts. All of them could be addressed by personally experiencing a Honkai Eruption.
According to the original storyline, the Third Honkai Eruption remained within humanity's controllable range. At the very least, even before the era of MANTIS, humanity had resolved that crisis through technology alone. Therefore, with her array of advanced technological tools, if Vill-V wished to escape, it should not be impossible.
As for the third reason—well, naturally it was for the sake of performance. What greater stage could there be than a Honkai Eruption?
Ahem.
In summary, Vill-V did not choose to observe from a safe distance. She came to Nagazora City personally, in advance.
However, today was still peaceful and calm...