“System, didn’t you say I transmigrated into the Previous Civilization of Honkai?”
“Ding. The system has always only said it was closer. Everything else is the host’s imagination.”
It’s over.
Who can beat the Honkai from that old setting?!
Yuji almost dropped to his knees.
What “Honkai grows stronger with civilization,” what “no matter how strong you are, Honkai is always above you.”
“Ding. Host need not panic. Honkai is only a trial and must have a limit.”
“What does that mean? Does it mean there’s still a chance?”
“No. The system means you don’t need to face an enemy that is completely impossible to defeat.”
Completely impossible to defeat?
I don’t get it!
Is this really “impossible to defeat”?
This is clearly not even having a chance to fight!
“Ding. Host is too pessimistic. The system means the limit of the trial is the same as in your impression and will not change much.”
Hearing that, Yuji finally relaxed a little.
If it really became that strong, what was the point of fighting Honkai?
I might as well just hide in a safe place, wait until Finality is about to arrive, then run home through the spacetime passage.
“By the way, if I go home, I won’t bring Honkai with me, right?” Yuji suddenly thought of this and asked the system directly.
“…Ehe?”
“What do you mean ‘Ehe’?!”
Great.
Suddenly the future looked completely dark.
Ah~ my heart is so tired!
“Yu, Yu?”
“What are you spacing out about?”
Yuji came back to his senses.
He had just finished a meeting with Mobius and temporarily secured enough safe time.
He had asked the system on the way back, which was why he did not respond to Mobius right away.
“Ah? Sorry, I got lost in thought. Can you say again what you need me to do?”
Mobius rolled her eyes at Yuji, then said, “Remember to come to my dorm tonight. I prepared a surprise for you~”
Surprise?
Damn, the way Mobius said that made his scalp tingle.
Was she going to take revenge for making her leave earlier?
But then he thought about it.
Elysia had once filled Mobius’s cabinet with pink dresses, and even earlier had forced her to wear them and taken photos.
And she was still fine now, right?
Yuji relaxed a little for now.
It shouldn’t be that bad.
Mobius wouldn’t be that petty.
But just in case, Yuji decided it was better to refuse first.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to go—MEI had already made plans with him, and he couldn’t break that promise.
“You can’t come…? Fine, then coming tomorrow night is not too late either.”
Mobius thought for a long time and finally decided to change the day.
“Oh right, you said today there was something important you needed me to do. What is it?”
“Nothing much. I just want you to help me look after a child.”
A child?
Yuji seemed to understand who it was.
It should be Griseo, right?
“Do you still remember the one I mentioned in my lab before?”
“I remember. Blanca, right? Is it her child?”
“Yes, it’s hers. But the child’s mother went to evacuate the people and has no time to look after her. As for the child’s father… you should know him.”
Yuji pretended not to know and asked Mobius.
“Who?”
“It’s that Ato who just finished fighting the Third Herrscher and was arranged by you to go support.”
Ah, right.
Shesha isn’t dead yet?
That recovery ability is really terrifying.
Oh right, it seems Mobius finished off Shesha with the last hit.
“Even you think that Honkai Beast is hard to kill, right? Just as you thought, that Honkai Beast not only didn’t die, it even swam from the Far East all the way to Shenzhou.”
Oh, so that’s how it is.
It ran so far.
No wonder Ato still hasn’t finished.
Wait, how does Mobius know what I’m thinking?
“Enough. Your thoughts are written all over your face. If it weren’t for you, that child wouldn’t have both parents away. You have to take responsibility. Looking after the kid is your job now!”
Mobius patted Yuji’s shoulder and slightly raised her head to look at him.
“Alright, I got it. I’ll take good care of the kid.”
Back at the First Research Institute, MEI was researching the Honkai disease medication, while Vill-V had directly built a new Helix Workshop next door.
Yuji looked at Vill-V making such a big fuss.
As expected of the civil engineering big sister—even the way she built things was different.
“MEI, I’m back!”
“Good that you’re back. Looks like your energy is still fine.”
“I just stayed up the whole night. That’s completely enough!”
As he spoke, he even showed off his muscles a little.
“Alright, come here.”
MEI was already used to Yuji’s occasional antics.
If Yuji became completely serious, she would feel uncomfortable instead.
“What is it, MEI?”
MEI gestured for Yuji to lower his head, then cupped his face and gently kissed him.
“Alright, you can go now.”
Yuji still wanted to say something, but Mobius directly pulled him away.
“Don’t forget what you have to do today!”
Mobius said unhappily.
She had just come back with Yuji and already let MEI get a taste first.
“We’re here. This is where the child is. The child’s name is Griseo. Don’t scare her when you go in.”
Yuji gave an OK sign and prepared to go in.
Then Mobius wrapped her arms around Yuji’s neck, gripping tightly like a snake that had caught its prey.
Snakes always inject venom with their mouths.
Mobius was no exception.
She forcefully delivered the “venom” into her prey’s mouth.
“…It all tastes like MEI.”
Then she remembered what she planned to do tomorrow…
“Forget it. I won’t pursue it this time. Hurry up and go in.”
She directly slapped Yuji inside, closed the door, and left.
Yuji did not remember the Previous Civilization timeline clearly, but based on the current time, Griseo definitely should not be this age.
“Ah… is it a new big brother?”
Griseo looked at the pushed-in Yuji with a cute blank expression, then tilted her head.
Ah!
So cute!
How can there be such a cute human cub?!
There was no time to think about how old Griseo was this year.
Yuji, who had been hit in the heart by Griseo’s head tilt, was almost instantly killed.
Even the Third Herrscher had not caused Yuji this much damage, but little Griseo did it!
“Ah, hello. You’re little Griseo, right? I’m your dad’s friend. My name is Yuji, and I’m here to play with you~”
Yuji tried to keep his tone as gentle as possible, afraid of scaring little Griseo.
“Mm, Big Brother Yuji, hello.”
Ah!
She called me big brother!
She can say hello!
So polite!
Calm down, calm down, Yuji, calm down.
She’s just a human cub… But Griseo is not an ordinary cub.
She’s an explosively cute cub!
Look how weak this Yuji is.
He was almost one-shot by a single “big brother.”
“Ahem, um, little Griseo, how old are you this year?”
“Mm… Mom said I’ll be 11 after my birthday this year. What’s wrong, Big Brother Yuji?”
Oh~ eleven years old… Wait, that doesn’t seem right.
Normally shouldn’t she only be eight or nine?
Whatever.
After all, this isn’t a completely identical world.
Just an age issue is not a big deal.
“Then little Griseo, what do you want to play? Big brother can play with you.”
Yuji’s voice had already gone soft and high.
He could not resist anything cute at all.
“Little Sister Elysia gave me a drawing board. Let’s draw together. Let’s draw Big Brother Yuji.”
Elysia… little sister… Well, that’s something she would do.
“But why do you want to draw me?”
“Because Big Brother Yuji is very pretty, prettier than Dad. I want to draw it.”
Oh, how can this mouth be so sweet.
Yuji understood what Griseo meant.
“Pretty” just meant good-looking.
In short, she was praising Yuji for being handsome.
Sorry, Ato, your daughter is too amazing.
“Alright, then I’ll be the model for little Griseo. You draw!”
Then Yuji followed little Griseo’s instructions and stood by the window, looking out.
Griseo’s movements never stopped.
If she was not satisfied with the drawing, she would keep going.
With Yuji’s willpower and stamina, lasting until Griseo finished was simply easy.
“Alright, Big Brother Yuji, I’m finished.”
Hearing Griseo’s words, Yuji also stopped posing.
“Come, let big brother see little Griseo’s masterpiece.”
Then Yuji plopped down on the ground and looked at Griseo’s drawing.
In the drawing, Yuji was looking out the window with some longing.
The light drew a clear black-and-white boundary.
Outside was a couple with a child.
Yuji was in the darkness, while that family outside the window was in the light.
Yuji looked at the drawing and did not know what to say.
His heart was filled with mixed feelings.
“Big Brother Yuji, did I draw it badly?”
Yuji came back to himself, smiled, and patted Griseo’s head, then commented.
“How could it be? Little Griseo’s drawing is clearly amazing. Look at these lines, and this lighting—it’s simply the work of a master!”
“Ah… is that so? Does Big Brother Yuji like it a lot?”
“I like it. I like it so much!”
“Then this drawing is a gift for Big Brother Yuji.”
Yuji looked at the cute Griseo and felt a little moved.
How could there be such a good child.
Ato, I’m sorry.
I’m really sorry.
“Then I thank little Griseo!”
Yuji carefully put the drawing away.
He decided to use the best frame and hang it in his room.
“Then, as a return gift, how about big brother teach Griseo some drawing techniques?”
“Okay~”
While Yuji and Griseo were playing, over at Mobius’s laboratory.
“Doctor, I’m back! Did you miss me?”
A girl with sky-blue hair walked into the First Research Institute carrying luggage.
As soon as she entered, she saw Klein holding her phone and scratching her head nonstop.
“Oh, isn’t this Junior Sister Klein?”
“Ah? It’s Senior Sister. The doctor is preparing an experiment. If you want to see her, you’ll have to wait a bit.”
“It’s fine. I can just sit here for a while. I saw you looking worried earlier. Is Dr. Mobius giving you too much work?”
“Um… probably…”
Klein could not really say.
After all, she was not looking at her phone for work, but thinking: Nagazora City has already been destroyed, so Eden’s concert is definitely impossible to attend.
Since she can’t go, does this count as breaking the date?
“By the way, Senior Sister, why did you come back?”
“Didn’t Sister notify me that the Third Honkai Eruption broke out? I came back to see if there’s anything I can help with.”
“Oh right, where’s Griseo? Sister and Brother-in-law are both busy. Griseo wasn’t just left at the Flame-Chasers, right?”
“She should be… with Yuji?”