“I know.”
To Himeko’s surprise, Theresa had also thought about this.
“Himeko, I might not be very smart, but having been by Grandpa’s side for so long, my experience and insight have made up for that part.”
“Then why did you…”
“Just because of suspicion, should I let this homeless child wander in Nagazora City?” Theresa looked up, meeting Himeko’s eyes.
“Yes, she clearly hid something in her words.
But everyone has their own unspeakable secrets.
Just like I never talked about my background, and never asked too much about Bronya and Mei’s past.”
“I can feel that her loneliness when she said she had no home didn’t seem fake.
The surprise, joy, and sadness when she first saw me were genuine.
That’s enough.”
“Just like the legal principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty,’ we can’t ignore others’ suffering just because we doubt their past.”
“Heh…” Himeko let out a light laugh.
“Not bad, Theresa.
I never knew you had such insight.”
“Looks like being the School Director hasn’t been a waste.”
“Hey, what kind of image did you have of me before!”
Ignoring Theresa’s dissatisfaction, Himeko leaned against the wall and looked up at the ship’s ceiling.
“I understand what you mean.
When we get to the academy later, I’ll contact my old friends and the Shenzhou side to check Selia’s identity and household registration.”
“If she really came from the Sea of Quanta, then there should be no trace of her existence in this world.”
“Of course, if we really can’t find anything, I’ll have Shenzhou forge an identity for her.
Consider it compensation for doubting her.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.
Having her live with us also serves that purpose.”
“If she approached me with some ulterior motive, she will inevitably act.”
“If not, I’d be happy to have such a friend.”
“Ah, speaking of which, little Selia did mention she’s very good at surviving in the wild.” Theresa wanted to pat Himeko’s shoulder but couldn’t reach due to their height difference, so she angrily slapped Himeko’s butt.
“So that means her cooking skills should be decent, right?”
“You, who gets drunk every day, are in for a treat.”
“Lieutenant Commander Himeko, I’m here.”
Just as they were talking, a young woman in a white medical uniform came to Himeko with a set of Saint Freya Academy uniforms and a medical kit.
“Her repair is almost done, but there might be some larger wounds that haven’t healed yet.
Go bandage her up and have her change into new clothes.”
“Yes, Lieutenant Commander Himeko.”
The ship’s doctor nodded and entered the medical room.
…
After a while, Selia came out wearing a brand-new Saint Freya student uniform, her face slightly flushed.
“Oh, doesn’t that look good?” Himeko leaned against the wall and smiled.
“So, how do you like our Saint Freya Academy uniform?”
“It’s impeccable in terms of comfort, material, and breathability.” Selia gave a thumbs up.
“I haven’t worn many other uniforms, but I think Saint Freya’s uniform is pretty good.”
[Host, you really never miss a chance to maintain your persona.]
Himeko was a bit speechless at Selia’s remark, but she quickly adjusted and changed the subject.
“The Hyperion is about to reach its destination.
Let’s go to the deck and take a look.
I’ll show you the full view of Saint Freya.”
Taking the familiar elevator again, Selia returned to the deck she had stepped onto just tens of minutes ago.
“See that huge cannon below?
That’s the Hyperion’s railgun system.
There are six in total, used to fight large Honkai Beasts.”
“And what about Honkai Beasts that are more like small drones?” Selia showed the curiosity of someone who only half-understood this world.
“That depends on the situation.
Generally, we can use the close-in weapon system to counter them.
There are ten such systems distributed around the ship.”
“And if the enemy is smarter or stronger, we can directly deploy Valkyries to fight.”
As she spoke, Himeko led Selia and Theresa to the edge of the deck.
“At the bottom of the ship, there are ten Valkyrie deployment hatches.
They can airdrop Valkyries directly to the ground or onto drones.”
[That’s basically the co-op battle interface from HI3.]
“Ah, I see.” Selia suddenly realized.
“So will I have the chance to be airdropped from those hatches in the future?”
“As long as your physical condition can handle it, of course.” Himeko smiled and pointed to a small island in the distance.
“Look, Saint Freya.
We’ve arrived.”
Seeing Saint Freya from a high altitude was completely different from the flat view in the game.
Compared to the invisible walls everywhere in the game, Selia now truly appreciated how lavish Saint Freya Academy was.
Reliefs, Western-style churches, teaching buildings, vast playgrounds and training grounds…
The scene before her reminded Selia that she had truly come to this world and was participating in the lives of the characters she had longed for.
“Alright, stop staring.
Since you like Saint Freya Academy so much, let Theresa give you a proper tour later.”
Himeko patted Selia’s shoulder, and Selia then noticed that the hyperion was gradually approaching the port.
“Huh?
Isn’t Himeko coming back to the academy?”
“I’m not as free as Theresa.” Himeko waved her ID card.
“It’s work time now.
Only our mascot School Director can accompany you on a sightseeing trip.”
“Hey!
Who are you calling a mascot!” Theresa stomped her feet in anger.
“See?
That’s how it is.” Himeko gave Selia a helpless smile and turned to walk away gracefully.
A few minutes later, amidst the roar of engines, the hyperion slowly docked at the Saint Freya Academy harbor.
Once the ship was secured, Theresa took Selia off the ship, and the two strolled together across the academy plaza.
“See this wall?
Remember it.
If a student skips class, they usually climb over this wall.
If you want to catch her, waiting here is a sure bet.”
So this is the place…
Selia looked at the wall in silence and subconsciously asked a question she already knew the answer to: “Then why don’t you make the wall higher?”
“It’s already been raised twice.” Theresa gazed into the academy, her eyes filled with a touch of helplessness and doting: “Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have improved the situation with students skipping class.”
“I was just planning to raise it again recently, but I probably won’t do it after that.
If I make it any higher, I’m afraid they’ll get hurt if they fall.”