Theresa remained where she was, glancing at the elementary-schooler Fu Hua. After confirming that the group had left, she let out a snort and burst into laughter.
"The Overseer... gave you this mission?"
Theresa laughed for a good while before she could finally rein it in.
Fu Hua was silent for a moment, her expression melancholic as she leaned against a nearby shelf, her gaze slightly hollow.
Sigh. The past was too painful to dwell on.
"Honestly, your mission isn't that bad."
Theresa thought for a moment, stood on tiptoe, and patted Fu Hua on the shoulder.
In the Valkyrie forces, infiltration missions usually fell to the cleaners and those Valkyries often had follow-up tasks like assassination as well.
But Fu Hua now... Theresa suddenly froze: "You're not here to assassinate promising Anti-Entropy candidates, are you?"
At that thought, she stepped back two paces, eyeing Fu Hua warily.
Though she wasn't part of Anti-Entropy, they were also fighting against Honkai, Theresa bore them no ill will.
In fact, in recent years, Anti-Entropy and Schicksal hadn't really had any major conflicts, at least that's what Theresa believed.
Fu Hua shook her head and didn't explain further to Theresa, she didn't have the clearance.
She left with one final remark: "I won't actively harm any companion who will stand on humanity's side in the future."
Fu Hua was special even within Schicksal. Even Otto couldn't force her to do anything against her principles but Fu Hua also couldn't force Otto to do anything either...
Though it was supposed to be a partnership, over time Fu Hua felt more and more like Otto's subordinate.
Theresa looked thoughtful, then extended her hand: "Let's go watch the matches."
She felt a strange familiarity with Fu Hua, as if they'd met many times before.
Fu Hua shook her head again: "You're too conspicuous. It's not convenient for me to be seen with you."
And having been spotted by Shiraha this time, Fu Hua was already lamenting her luck. Could Theresa even stay hidden in the audience?
She didn't trust Theresa.
All Shiraha would need was a slight connection of dots, and her infiltration plan would be ruined. She'd have to rely on Fenghuang Down to make people forget.
"Alright then." Theresa said with slight regret, not pressing further: "But I'll keep an eye on you when I can."
After all, everyone had their own duties and missions. Theresa understood that Valkyries had different roles she couldn't let her own whims cause someone else's mission to fail.
Fu Hua adjusted her glasses: "First, figure out how to not get recognized as Theresa."
With that, Fu Hua left the convenience store directly.
Her gaze lingered briefly in the direction the group had gone, then naturally withdrew.
That miko felt oddly familiar, even more so than Raiden Mei, like an old acquaintance.
But she had no old acquaintances left in this era. Lixue had also died nine years ago. As Otto had said, she would return to Schicksal, she had nowhere else to go.
On the other side, at the Martial Arts Tournament.
Three years later, the second tournament was noticeably livelier than the first. Mei and Yuna swallowed nervously, there were still plenty of intimidating-looking contestants around.
"Delinquent Senpai!!!"
Shiraha's eyes were sharp. He stood on tiptoe and waved his arms vigorously. Now that Rin had taken over the body, he'd broken free from his earlier predicament.
"You guys came? Overcome your fears?"
Raven was holding a stack of papers, a teasing smile on her face. She'd been in a pretty good mood lately.
Finally... finally she wouldn't have to repeat a grade four times and wait for Shiraha and the others to enter high school, then repeat again to accompany them.
Though her supposedly easy college life wasn't exactly easy anymore, at least she could live normally, which wasn't half bad.
"I, I..." Mei glanced at Shiraha, then raised her voice: "We were never afraid!"
Since Shiraha wasn't afraid, by extension, no one was afraid.
Logical, self-consistent no problem.
Raven flashed her fangs in an unabashed smirk.
Damn it, no respect for the club president!
At least she'd be in college next year...
At that thought, Mei felt a pang of sorrow, was her only recourse against the delinquent senpai really just waiting for her to advance?
"Perfect timing, though, I'm working part-time here and getting familiar with ME Corp's work environment. Come with me, I'll take you to the viewing area."
As she spoke, Raven was about to poke Shiraha's cheek but then she noticed his cheeks were puffing in and out.
It looked like a kid sucking in their cheeks... but Raven knew Shiraha's situation well.
She guessed immediately: "Your nee-chan's upset?"
Shiraha nodded, it was indeed Elysia poking him expressionlessly.
"Nee-chan's been... pretty emotionally volatile lately."
Like menopause, though beautiful girls didn't get menopause.
While they chatted, they'd already arrived at the lounge. This time, when Raven went to grab some fruit, Mei didn't lead an evacuation plan.
Shiraha busied himself arranging seats, specifically, the seat his delusional nee-chan would use.
"Little Shiraha, don't you think Rin and the miko's relationship is strange?"
Shiraha couldn't respond verbally, so he just nodded.
It was strange, especially after seeing Theresa. He could clearly sense that Yae Sakura's emotions had been off.
When Raven returned, Mei had already dragged Yuna to press against the glass, staring wide-eyed at the arena.
"What's so interesting about these matches?"
Raven sighed. Such sheltered little darlings.
"They're really impressive."
Shiraha also stood by the glass, holding the little fox. His gaze swept the venue quickly, after skimming past Fu Hua and Theresa, there were remarkably few young people in the entire arena.
Elysia had been standing to the side, until the ill-mannered miko also curiously came to stand there, immediately crowding her space.
Sigh.
Elysia so desperately wished she had a physical body. As a ghost, she could do nothing, she couldn't even protect her little brother.
I can't do anything...
"The next match is between Chen Tianwu, a dream-chasing youth from Manila, and—"
Shiraha didn't catch the rest. The name Chen Tianwu made him pay attention.
Mei covered her face with her little hands, though her fingers were spread wide, as she cautiously observed the arena, her eyes sparkling.
Shiraha suddenly spoke up: "Mei, want to make a bet? Who do you think will win?"
"Chen Tianwu!"
"The younger one!"
Mei and Yuna each had their own picks.
Compared to betting on those already-famous big names, it was more exciting to bet on the next Raven, after all, rising young stars were always more anticipated.
Shiraha hummed for a moment: "Then never mind, I won't bet."
Elysia tugged at Little Shiraha from behind.
Shiraha looked back at his nee chan, her cheeks puffed out, putting on a pitiful act. He chuckled and stood up.
"Alright, alright nee-chan, let's play together."
Elysia didn't really like holidays, because during school, Mei and Yuna had their own little circles. During that time, Elysia and Shiraha were both outcasts, even if Kiana occasionally came over to chat, the main pair was still just the two of them.
Mei glanced back at Shiraha, hesitated for a moment, then decided to keep watching the matches. Shiraha had his ghost friend anyway.
Speaking of which, when would her own ghost friend finally show up?
Shiraha wasn't particularly interested in the matches. He'd listened for a long time and only heard one familiar name, Chen Tianwu.
Chen Tianwu's talent wasn't especially high. He'd been saved through mechanical modification after Honkai erosion, and though he later became a Herrscher... his strength was probably about one tier above Yuna's.
At that thought, Shiraha paused: "Did Chen Tianwu lie about his age?"
He was at most 15, younger than Raven.
Elysia let out a long breath, sucking on one cheek: "Sigh, go on, go on, saving troubled youth is also part of a savior's main job!"
Shiraha shook his head, then looked at Raven with bright, expectant eyes.
Raven was about to outsource the task again, but there was no one else in this box.
"Alright, alright, I'll go check it out."
Minors were allowed to register, but Anti-Entropy wasn't foolish enough to let talented minors keep fighting endlessly.
The language of genius was "first come, first served", there was no need to wait for a genius to prove themselves through countless near-death experiences.
Shiraha lifted his little face with a clean smile: "Now no one's bothering me and senpai."
Rin... looked up at Shiraha, then at the empty air in front of him, and shrank back uneasily.
Everything about Shiraha was fine except for his mental health.
Someone who didn't understand Honkai might speculate about all sorts of possibilities, but Rin, as the Herrscher of Corruption, knew clearly, there was no one beside Shiraha.
But he looked so happy... why?
Rin wanted to ask, but she thought of her sister. Even the ace of Toxic Toad would be delighted to come home and see her.
Chen Tianwu won one match, then was sent for emergency medical treatment...
But the prize money was still substantial, and he was indeed a young genius, he just hadn't undergone systematic Honkai-side training, which was why he wasn't as impressive as Raven.
"Speaking of which, if Dad recruits him, would he enter Chiba Academy?"
Mei suddenly had a thought, would he join her club then?
Then she thought of the delinquent senpai, Natasha...
"No way, my club will never accept that kind of upperclassman again!"
Her club would only accept peers or younger students, that way she could pull rank and earn everyone's respect.
Those older kids all just paid lip service, what use were they?
"That's the new rule for our club."
Mei nodded again, yes, exactly.
Shiraha paused, stopping the little game he was playing with his senpai. He remembered an NPC, Chen Tianwen.
Chen Tianwu's younger sister. Though she wasn't particularly notable, given the current situation, it was likely she wouldn't run into trouble either. But... he might as well go check it out.
Satisfy his collection habit, and mess with a certain "old child" while he was at it.
Shiraha whispered: "Nee-chan, how about we go check out the back area?"
Elysia's lips pressed into a thin line. She knew Shiraha wouldn't be able to rest easy. But that was fine, her little brother should be like this... She pushed down her displeasure.
Shiraha leaned against the windowsill and glanced down. Theresa's figure stood out prominently in the crowd, after all, she was too short, her outfit was distinctive, and her position was easy to spot.
Shiraha glanced at Yae Sakura, then leaned close to Elysia's ear: "I'll take nee-chan somewhere fun."
Yae Sakura couldn't hear him.
But Rin could. She could sense Shiraha's mischievous intent, though she couldn't quite imagine where he'd pull his tricks.
...
The matches continued. Theresa's little head kept bobbing, she was clearly dozing off. These bouts were too boring for her.
Fu Hua slowly approached: "Theresa..."
Theresa looked back. She finally realized what felt off, there weren't many people in Schicksal who addressed her by name so casually.
This Fu Hua must have been close to her in the past or at least very familiar with her.
"If you're looking for promising talent, you should watch those who performed well but are young, then mysteriously disappear from the later matches."
Fu Hua reminded her.
It wasn't that she didn't want Anti-Entropy to grow stronger, it was that Anti-Entropy didn't really train Valkyries. Placing people with high Honkai resistance there was like casting pearls before swine.
Theresa had a moment of realization—oh, right.
"Fu Hua, I officially recognize you as a Valkyrie of the Intelligence Division now. After you graduate from high school here, consider coming to work at St. Freya."
She patted Fu Hua's shoulder. The Far East branch was still in its infancy, Theresa couldn't completely slack off just yet, especially since she didn't have Himeko by her side this time.
With that, Theresa ran straight to the backstage area. At least before Anti-Entropy could prepare any countermeasures, she, a veteran S-rank, could do pretty much anything she wanted.
The backstage area was quite crowded. A tournament of this scale cost a fortune, and even Anti-Entropy's martial arts tournament had plenty of partners... they could host it themselves, but partnering up was cheaper.
She looked around, noticed no one was watching the corridor, and reached out to push open the door
The door opened, though not by her doing.
Theresa blinked: "Anti-Entropy's biometric recognition tech is this good now?"
If so, her sneaking into the rest area had definitely been noticed.
Might as well just walk in openly then.
The hallway was short. Theresa strode forward, little ME Corp was nothing to worry about.
That's how it should have been.
But then, accompanied by the sound of a child's voice in the distance, a cake floated conspicuously past the doorway at the far end.
Theresa blinked again, was she seeing things?
A moment later, Shiraha appeared, his hand seeming to hold something, slightly out of breath at the entrance.
"Oh, it's you, kid."
Theresa remembered him. But as a core member of Anti-Entropy, possibly even second-generation, he wasn't really suitable to recruit to St. Freya.
She reached the next T-junction. ME Corp's interior corridors were interconnected. Shiraha was catching his breath while watching her, then turned to look beside him.
Theresa followed the kid's gaze, and saw a cake that looked familiar hovering in midair.
She reached out and poked around the cake. Nothing, absolutely nothing. Front, back, left, right, up, down... completely empty.
Theresa calmly withdrew her finger, then poked again.
Still nothing...
The cake bobbed slightly, as if being held up by some unseen force but there was no Honkai energy...
She lowered her head, then looked up at Shiraha. His smile was clean, but his voice felt strangely distant: "Big sis, do you want some cake too?"