Honkai, But Spirit Simulator

"Oh… let's start with the video footage then." Einstein raised an eyebrow slightly.

Following Einstein's command, a female figure appeared before everyone.

A woman with long black hair, wearing an ancient Valkyrie uniform, covered in blood and grime, with the Yellowstone Ruins as the backdrop.

It was clear that the light of her life was gradually fading.

"...It should be recording by now, right?"

The blood-soaked Valkyrie took a deep breath.

"I am H.A. If you can see me, it means you've cracked my puzzle… I don't know whether to congratulate you or curse you… I assume you know about the Destiny organization, perhaps you're even a member, oh, maybe you're Otto Apocalypse himself. If it's the latter, then I truly must thank the heavens…"

Chapter 41: A Drunkard, a Drunkard…

"Otto…?"

Welt seemed surprised to hear the name.

"Is that the Otto you mentioned before, Doctor?"

"Obviously, yes." Einstein nodded, but didn't offer Welt much explanation, continuing to watch the footage that H.A. presented.

"You must know what Honkai is, and you must also know that the Destiny organization's belief is to eradicate Honkai from the Earth, but unfortunately, that's impossible."

The Valkyrie, covered in blood, gave a slightly miserable smile.

"I'm not overwhelmed by negative emotions, but…"

The Valkyrie paused, ultimately not stating the reason directly.

"In the 'Last Soul Steel,' you will find irrefutable evidence, please be prepared… As you might guess, this isn't the 'Last Soul Steel' I'm referring to, but a video I've transferred… along with an encrypted message. Try to decipher it, prove your technical prowess to me…"

"This kind of Roger-esque statement is really unpleasant."

Liu Bai, floating in the air, curled his lip.

"How about we start the Great Soul Steel Era next?"

"Dr. Einstein has no idea what you're talking about." Einstein turned to H.A. "How long would it take to brute-force that password?"

"Preliminary estimate is about three months."

"At full load?"

"Even at full load, it would take four weeks."

It was clear that Einstein wasn't satisfied with H.A.'s answer.

"...Then I'll leave it to you. Honestly, it's rare to be kidnapped by curiosity."

"If I remember correctly, I was the one who kidnapped you with curiosity last time, wasn't I?" Liu Bai asked curiously, looking at Einstein's displeased expression.

"Well, it's not just curiosity that gets kidnapped, you know."

"Huh…?"

While Liu Bai was stunned, Einstein had already turned and left, and Tesla made a face at him before following.

"Hmm… not just curiosity? Could it be affection? Wait, did I just get confessed to?"

Evening

"Glug… hah!" The red-haired drunkard waved a bottle of wine around, shouting at the air, "Liu Bai! Drink! If you don't drink, you're looking down on me!"

"..."

Liu Bai, behind Tesla, watched the boisterous Tesla with a dark expression.

[Welt, you should go back first, leave this to me and Ein.]

"O-okay."

Welt finally understood why Einstein's assessment of a drunk Tesla was "incredibly destructive."

He felt that if he got entangled, it definitely wouldn't be a good thing.

Thinking this, Welt's lips twitched slightly, and he went straight back to his room.

Coincidentally, a pen pal from his former lab had sent him a letter, with a photo enclosed.

—A handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes.

It wouldn't hurt to see what this pen pal wrote to him.

Welt hurried back to his room, leaving only Liu Bai and Einstein in the living room, watching Tesla spin around, trying to force wine on Liu Bai.

"Why is she even more rowdy than usual today?"

Liu Bai scratched his head in distress.

It wasn't like he had never seen Tesla drunk before, but he had never seen Tesla this drunk.

"Maybe she's been holding it in for too long?" Einstein laughed at this point.

"You were already throwing a drunken fit at the hotel a few days ago, where would I get it?" Liu Bai curled his lip. "Don't laugh, it won't be too late to laugh after Tesla pukes all over you."

"..."

As if imagining herself covered in vomit, Einstein's smile slowly faded.

"Loser... who's the loser! Edison, that bastard who can't even hear you, actually dares to say that—!"

Tesla, after spinning around several times, finally made herself dizzy and collapsed onto the sofa.

"What's so great about that guy compared to me! It's just... hic... that he has a little more stinky money than me, and his body is a little better than mine, right?"

And personality and drinking habits...

Liu Bai and Einstein silently added in their minds.

"Doesn't he ever think, can that bastard even hear you? Hic... Why does that guy think I'm a loser? Is his brain pickled in formaldehyde?"

"This woman is surprisingly vindictive."

If Tesla hadn't mentioned it, Liu Bai would have almost forgotten about the loser thing.

"And Einste..."

Tesla's topic suddenly shifted to Einstein.

"That woman, although she's quite cute, is just a short, messy-haired chicken coop who has no chest and no butt."

A smug smile suddenly appeared on Tesla's drunken face.

"And she's not honest at all, always thinking about sneaking off on her own!"

Einstein: ...

Einstein pointed at Tesla, who was gesticulating wildly on the sofa, and looked towards Liu Bai's location: "Go, Liu Bai, give Dr. Tesla two slaps to sober her up."

"And myself." Tesla hiccuped again, "Frederica Nikola Tesla... this name sounds like a German pig."

Liu Bai looked at Einstein strangely.

Einstein shook her head: "Dr. Einstein believes this is slander against German pigs."

"I actually think the name is quite cute, isn't it?"

"Tsk, I knew you men would say that." Tesla reacted to Liu Bai's voice, "Anyway, hic, you men aren't really interested in the name 'Nikola,' which is unisex, are you?"

Indeed, Frederica felt much better than Nikola.

"Dr. Einstein's suggestion is to give Dr. Tesla two slaps to sober her up."

"...You can forget about it."

Liu Bai supported Tesla with a speechless expression.

This person curses even herself when she's drunk, can't afford to provoke her.

Speaking of which, he learned a lot during those eighteen years living with Mobius—like taking care of drunks with bad drinking habits.

"Speaking of... hic, although I'm called a doctor, I haven't graduated yet."

"I know, I've known about this for a year."

Liu Bai coaxed Tesla like a child.

"Hic, whatever, so I already said it..." Tesla struggled symbolically a few times, "hic... By the way, did you guys analyze that thing?"

Tesla unexpectedly brought up something serious.

This was probably good news; it seemed her logical abilities were returning.

"Weren't you right there at the time... and four weeks."

"Four weeks?" Tesla, who had just been helped up by Liu Bai, immediately sat back down and giggled foolishly, "So, that means we can play all night tonight?"

"..."

No, I don't think anyone wants to play with you.

"Four weeks! A month! A big vacation!"

Tesla suddenly started waving her arms and legs.

"Wine pool and meat forest! Dates! Leave Liesel in the lab!"

"Dr. Einstein reiterates once again that the best solution to the current situation is to give Dr. Tesla two slaps and make Dr. Tesla recognize reality."

Chapter 42: Cemetery and Leanna

"Ah... ouch, ouch, ouch."

The next morning, Dr. Tesla, with dark circles under her eyes, walked down the stairs, clutching her head.

"Damn it, why does my head hurt so much?"

"That's what hangovers are like."

Liu Bai said nonchalantly.

"No, I feel like I was... ugh, it doesn't feel like a hangover headache at all."

Tesla gave a suspicious look.

"I'm quite experienced when it comes to hangovers."

"...I don't think that's something to be proud of," Liu Bai said, pursing his lips. "Did you hit your head somewhere when you were drunk?"

"Dr. Einstein believes Dr. Tesla's head might have been caught in her own room's door."

The culprit, a certain natural-haired woman, sat on the sofa as if nothing had happened.

"Huh? Liesel, what are you talking about?"

"Just a reasonable deduction about the drunk Dr. Tesla."

You really dare to say that...

Liu Bai looked at the nonchalant Einstein, his eyes twitching.

Last night's farce ended with Einstein slamming a dictionary down.

Yeah, a dictionary, smack, and the world was quiet.

If Einstein hadn't been weak, she might have been able to test Liu Bai's fatal protection ability...

"I-is that so?" Tesla's hungover brain turned over. "Last night... uh..."

Tesla's face instantly flushed.

"Uh... UHHHHHHHHH!"

Tesla, who had probably recalled what happened last night, immediately covered her face.

"Don't stop me! Let me live under the sofa for the rest of my life!"

"Heh, still so innocent," Einstein said.