Shocking! The Relationship Between Reanna and Liu Bai Is Actually... (cont.)

"..."

What you said makes so much sense, I'm speechless.

"So you thought of the captain..."

To be fair, when their own captain is in the zone, he might actually call Liu Bai that.

After all, their own captain is a bit of a hypocrite in some ways.

Back when I first saw my captain in my hospital bed, my first thought was of a maid café—and then Ragna corrected me sternly.

Then, less than three years later, he and Liu Bai caught their captain at a maid café...

Meanwhile, Liu Bai inexplicably thought of Rita.

After all, when it comes to the person with the best maid service... Rita is definitely the one.

If I remember correctly, Rita was studying onesie black stockings before I simulated it myself.

From another perspective, isn't a vacuum actually simpler?

Vacuum Rita... cough cough, stimulation in every sense of the word.

However, this idea can only be kept hidden for now, since Rita is currently in a state of "amnesia".

And even after the simulation ends... it's still a difficult thing to bring up in various ways.

"By the way... Liu Bai, you wouldn't have cosplayed with Lady Reanna before, would you?"

"... How did you come up with this idea about Reanna?"

Liu Bai's expression turned strange as his thoughts were pulled back to the present.

"Hmm... because Lady Reanna seems to have a loyal dog persona?" Himeko replied, stroking her chin.

"No, Reanna has nothing to do with loyal dogs or anything like that."

Liu Bai quipped, "Reanna, I guess... she has her own righteous path? But she is indeed a loyal female knight."

"Is that so?" Himeko asked with deep skepticism.

"Yes... Isn't Reanna always handling everything in a businesslike manner?"

"But they'll also protect and indulge you, right?"

Himeko hit the nail on the head, "Otherwise, you should be commanding the entire Anti-Entropy right now, right?"

"Ah... I think so too?"

Liu Bai couldn't refute this point at all.

"So, have you two ever done cosplay?"

"Obviously not."

Liu Bai tapped Himeko's head in an annoyed tone.

Why is Himeko's thought process a bit off lately?

"Then who have you done something similar with?"

Hmm... it seems there really isn't one?

Liu Bai pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

That's the truth; I've never actually done cosplay with anyone.

"Hmm... that really does raise suspicion."

"...I think you're just bored." Liu Bai sighed. "You'd better find something to do."

"... What could possibly happen to me?"

She's been incredibly free lately, hasn't she?

No, I should say I was extremely idle for the past four years. The only thing I needed to do was prepare lessons.

"Women who do nothing are truly terrifying."

Liu Bai sighed from the bottom of his heart.

In his opinion, Himeko was just bored out of her mind.

Hmm... but speaking of problems...

"By the way Himeko, how are you feeling?"

"Huh? You're in great shape, and you have a great appetite." Himeko tilted her head. "Last month I even took on two mutated Knight-Class one-on-one... What's up?"

"You should still take care of your health if Artificial Stigmata."

Liu Bai sized up Himeko.

To be honest, Himeko isn't the kind of person with talent; Honkai Energy adaptability has always been a big problem.

"Hmm... is it alright?" Hearing Liu Bai talking about serious matters, Himeko became a little more serious as well. "I can't feel any erosion or anything like that. Haven't you looked at the records of the recent tests and physical examinations? Everything is normal."

"Hmm... that's good."

After confirming that Himeko wasn't just making excuses, Liu Bai nodded.

That's true. Because of her own actions, Himeko should have suffered fewer injuries than in the original timeline, and her mindset is also better.

After all, mindset can indeed affect physical function.

"If we're being honest, shouldn't we be the ones who need to be worried about, Captain and the others?" Himeko shrugged. "I've basically stepped down from the front lines. Captain and the others... were recently taken to the Arctic by Lady Reanna."

"The Arctic? Wrestling with a polar bear?"

Liu Bai really didn't know about this.

"Hmm... I guess so?"

Himeko pulled up a photo on her phone.

The image above shows Ragna taking a selfie with one hand around the neck of a polar bear.

You could tell from Ragna's radiant smile that Ragna was doing quite well.

Yes, the big bear next to it looks like it's been wronged.

"There are still many photos."

As Himeko swiped her fingers, a series of creative group photos of the team's seniors and the polar bear appeared before Liu Bai's eyes.

Some were holding polar bears, some were lying on the backs of polar bears, and some were even wearing polar bears as a "cloak" on their bodies...

Looking at it this way, Ragna is, as always, the most normal one in the team.

"... So you really went to wrestle with a polar bear?"

Liu Bai's lips twitched.

"Isn't this a bit like animal cruelty?"

"Huh? No, it's the same one. The captain and the others sent it away after training."

No, it's not about one or two, it's about...

Well, to sum it up, life is tough for bears, and I feel sorry for them.

"... Fine, you guys are really something."

Liu Bai rubbed his forehead.

Is anyone feeling unwell?

"No, everyone is fine. Maybe they've even stopped having their periods."

"... You really have a sharp tongue."

Fun fact: a woman's menstruation gradually stops after the age of 45, which is called amenorrhea—the meaning of Himeko's words is self-evident.

"Your elders are on average no more than three years older than you, right?"

"What's that saying again?" Himeko pursed her lips, "Not everyone has the chance to use the following phrase—it applies to both men and women."

That's a really vicious statement.

So vicious that Liu Bai wanted to share it with Himeko's seniors.

"Well said, I'll pass that on to Ragna when I have the chance."

"--I was wrong!"

It goes without saying what would happen if these words reached the ears of the older generation.

It's easy to imagine that when they return from the Arctic, they'll gamble with Himeko's door in the middle of the night and then put a sack over her Himeko.

Moreover... Himeko is probably somewhat aware of how much hatred she has within her own team.

After all, he was the only "real-life" member of the original assault team.

Faced with resentful seniors blocking the door in the middle of the night, even if you had three heads and six arms, you'd have to kneel down...

Himeko was terrified just thinking about it.

"... So, besides wrestling with polar bears, what else do they do in the Arctic?"

"Ah, this is the content of Lady Reanna's extreme training."

Himeko and Ragna seem to be exchanging information quite frequently, which is better than Liu Bai, who is a hands-off manager.

... However, to be fair, Liu Bai's decision to be a hands-off manager was simply because he knew he couldn't compare to Edison in terms of business acumen.

Well, although now I have a tiny bit of a desire not to get caught up in this mess.

"Extreme training... I think they're more like going on a picnic..."

"After all, we are all Valkyrie —but then again, I don't think Lady Reanna would really let her seniors go on a picnic."

Himeko pondered for a moment and then said.

"And the captain is also a strict instructor... Wait, why are you looking at me like that?"

"... It's nothing."

Liu Bai couldn't very well say that he wanted to cause trouble for Himeko, could he?

If you really cause trouble, you'll lose all future benefits.

"By the way, when will the clothes arrive?"

"... about half a month."

Ah, men.

Achoo!

Ragna rubbed his nose.

"I always feel like someone is talking badly about me behind my back..."

In the Arctic, Ragna, wearing only a short-sleeved shirt, rubbed his arms.

Although the Valkyrie is physically strong, she still feels cold in this icy and snowy environment.

"Could it be a cold?"

Reanna walked over to Ragna with two steaming cups of coffee in her hands.

"Drink it while it's hot, otherwise it will get cold soon."

"Using Honkai Energy for insulation... Sir, you are truly extravagant. Thank you."

Ragna took the coffee and sipped it.

"However, I don't think it's a cold. Maybe it's that brat Himeko talking bad about me."

"Ha... Himeko, it's been a long time since I've seen that child."

Reanna smiled; she was the kind of person who remembered all her subordinates.

"If I remember correctly, the Alliance Leader is with that child right now, isn't he?"

"Ah... yes."