“I know.”
Contrary to Himeko’s expectations—
Theresa had already considered that.
“Himeko.”
“I may not be particularly clever.”
“But I spent a long time beside Grandpa.”
“My experience and knowledge are enough to compensate for many things.”
“Then why…”
“Because I have suspicions, am I supposed to abandon a homeless child in Nagazora City?”
Theresa raised her head and met Himeko’s eyes.
“Yes.”
“She is obviously hiding something.”
“But everybody has things they find difficult to talk about.”
“Just like I’ve never talked much about my own origins.”
“And I’ve never pressed Bronya or Mei for every detail of their past.”
“When she said she no longer had a home…”
“The loneliness was real.”
“The shock, happiness, and sorrow when she first saw me…”
“Those were real too.”
“That’s enough.”
“Just as the principle of law generally assumes innocence when guilt cannot be proven…”
“We cannot use suspicion toward someone’s past as justification to ignore suffering happening in front of us.”
“Heh.”
Himeko let out a quiet laugh.
“Not bad, Theresa.”
“I never realized you had this kind of awareness.”
“Looks like you haven’t been wasting your time as principal after all.”
“Hey!”
“What exactly did you think of me before?!”
Himeko ignored the complaint and leaned against the wall.
“I understand what you mean.”
“When we reach the academy, I’ll contact some of my old friends and people in Shenzhou.”
“We’ll check Xia Ling’s identity and household registration.”
“If she really came through the Sea of Quanta…”
“Then there should be absolutely no trace proving she ever existed in this world.”
“If nothing turns up…”
“I’ll ask contacts in Shenzhou to create an identity for her.”
“Consider it compensation for suspecting her.”
“Mm.”
“That’s what I was thinking too.”
“Keeping her close to us also serves another purpose.”
“If she genuinely approached me with some hidden objective…”
“She’ll eventually have to act.”
“If she didn’t…”
“Then I’d be happy to have made another friend.”
“Oh.”
“Speaking of which…”
“Little Xia Ling said her wilderness-survival skills were excellent.”
Theresa originally tried to pat Himeko’s shoulder.
Because of their height difference—
She could not reach.
Annoyed, Theresa slapped Himeko’s butt instead.
“In that case, her cooking should probably be decent too.”
“You alcoholic…”
“Looks like you’ve got another source of good food.”
“Major Himeko.”
“I’m here.”
Freya uniform and medical supplies.
“Her repair treatment is nearly complete.”
“But there may still be several larger wounds that haven’t completely closed.”
“Bandage them.”
“Then have her change into fresh clothes.”
“Understood, Major.”
The shipboard doctor nodded and entered the medical room.
…
Some time later—
Xia Ling emerged wearing a brand-new St.
Freya student uniform.
Her cheeks were faintly pink.
“Hey.”
“That looks pretty good on you.”
Himeko grinned while leaning against the wall.
“So?”
“What do you think of St. Freya’s uniform?”
“Comfort.”
“Material quality.”
“Breathability.”
“All excellent.”
Xia Ling raised a thumb.
“I haven’t worn many other school uniforms before, but I imagine St. Freya’s is objectively quite good.”
[Host.]
[You really never miss an opportunity to reinforce your character setting.]
Xia Ling’s sentence briefly silenced Himeko.
But Himeko quickly recovered and changed the subject.
“Hyperion is almost at the destination.”
“Let’s go walk around the deck.”
“You can see St. Freya from above.”
The group entered the familiar elevator once again.
Xia Ling returned to the deck she had crossed only dozens of minutes earlier.
“See that enormous barrel below?”
“That’s Hyperion’s main railgun system.”
“The ship has six in total.”
“They’re primarily used against large Honkai Beasts.”
“What if the Honkai Beasts fill a role similar to small unmanned aircraft?”
Xia Ling asked with exactly the curiosity expected from someone only partially familiar with this world.
“That depends.”
“Normally we use close-in weapon systems.”
“There are ten such batteries distributed around the hull.”
“If the target possesses greater intelligence or higher combat ability…”
“We can directly deploy Valkyries.”
Himeko brought Xia Ling and Theresa toward the deck edge.
“Hyperion’s underside contains ten Valkyrie deployment ports.”
“They allow Valkyries to be dropped directly toward ground positions or enemy aerial platforms.”
[Basically the interface Host saw in Honkai’s co-op missions.]
“Ah.”
“I see.”
Xia Ling nodded.
“So eventually, I might have an opportunity to perform an airborne deployment from those ports?”
“As long as your body can withstand it.”
Himeko smiled and pointed toward a distant island.
“Look.”
“St. Freya.”
“We’ve arrived.”
St.
Freya Academy was completely different from the flat game environment Xia Ling remembered.
Compared with the endless invisible walls of gameplay—
Only now did Xia Ling truly understand how absurdly wealthy St.
Freya was.
Sculptures.
Western-style chapels.
Academic buildings.
A gigantic athletic field.
Training grounds.
Every part of the scene reminded Xia Ling that this was no longer something viewed through a screen.
She had truly entered this world.
Truly stepped into the lives of characters she had spent years longing to meet.
“Hey.”
“Stop staring.”
“If you like St. Freya that much, Theresa can give you a proper tour later.”
Himeko patted Xia Ling’s shoulder.
Only then did Xia Ling realize—
Hyperion was already descending toward the harbor.
“Huh?”
“Himeko isn’t returning to the academy?”
“I’m not as idle as Theresa.”
Himeko waved the identity card in her hand.
“It’s working hours.”
“Only our mascot principal has enough free time to accompany you sightseeing.”
“HEY!”
“WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MASCOT?!”
Theresa stomped furiously.
“See?”
Himeko gave Xia Ling a helpless smile.
“Exactly like that.”
Then she turned and walked away with dramatic ease.
A few minutes later—
Hyperion slowly docked at St.
Freya Academy’s harbor amid the roar of engines.
Once the ship stabilized, Theresa brought Xia Ling ashore.
The two walked together across the academy plaza.
“See that wall?”
“Remember it.”
“Whenever students skip class, this is usually where they climb out.”
“If you ever want to catch one, waiting here almost never fails.”
So this is the wall…
Xia Ling silently stared at it.
Then instinctively asked a question whose answer she already knew.
“Why don’t you make it taller?”
“I already raised it twice.”
Theresa looked into the academy.
Her expression carried equal parts helplessness and affection.
“It didn’t seem to reduce the number of students skipping class.”
“I was actually planning to raise it again soon.”
“But after that…”
“I probably won’t.”
“If I make it any taller…”
“I’m worried they’ll hurt themselves when they fall.”
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