Honkai, But Spirit Simulator

"...So, there's a possibility that you, Teacher Liu, will always be with me, right?"

Impossible.

Hua realized this even without Liu Bai's answer.

...So, she was just being selfish, just being unreasonable.

"Who knows? When it comes to the future, who can say for sure?"

"Mm... I guess so."

Teacher Liu was indulging her selfishness.

"Teacher Liu... If you leave, will I still be able to protect Father, protect Carole?"

"...Fists." Liu Bai said softly after a moment of silence, "I've said it before, Honkai won't bargain with you, and Honkai won't show mercy to any life. They are cold and ruthless. Having resolve alone won't change anything. How much you can protect depends on how hard your fists are."

"So... strength?"

"No, strength is just a means, not an end—I think you, as a martial artist, should understand this better than I do." Liu Bai continued, looking at the somewhat bewildered Hua.

Hua's family precepts were the typical "knight-errant" precepts.

"Tch, thinking about it, that's a really cliché saying."

Liu Bai chuckled self-deprecatingly again.

"Hua, you're not a cowardly girl. On the contrary, you have a strong sense of justice and are very mature. At this age, you can already realize the principle of 'everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world'—in that respect, you're much better than I am. Actually, I'm quite lazy."

"Teacher Liu... I... I might not be mature."

Hua sat on the chair, hugging her legs, curling herself into a ball.

"Just thinking about the scene of Father and Carole dying in the Honkai, I... I'm not like you, Teacher Liu..."

"They're not dead yet, don't jinx them."

Liu Bai gently patted Hua's shoulder.

He completely understood Hua's fragility.

"Besides, your teacher isn't leaving yet... How about making a promise with me?"

"A promise?" Hua raised her head in confusion.

"That's right, a promise."

Liu Bai pulled Hua into an embrace.

"Even if your teacher has to leave in the future, it'll only be a temporary departure... a really, really temporary one."

His future simulations were still long... Thirteen Flame-Chasers, there were still ten more, there would always be a chance to meet again.

"Mm..."

"How about this, after I leave, you temporarily, temporarily protect their safety?"

"...Temporarily?"

"—Carry them forward, hold on until I come back, and then leave the rest to me." Liu Bai said firmly.

"..."

After Liu Bai finished speaking, Hua fell into a brief silence, then a smile appeared on her face.

"Teacher Liu... Hasn't this basically changed nothing?"

Clearly nothing had changed, but... she was unexpectedly relieved.

How cunning...

"Ahaha~ I thought I could fool you, but I didn't expect to be found out."

"Then, pinky promise."

Hua extended her slightly curved little finger towards Liu Bai.

[Fu Hua Compatibility +20%]

"Speaking of which, Teacher Liu, have you ever wanted to help other people like this before?"

Hua, who had regained some energy, seemed to have remembered something.

"Hmm? Why do you ask?"

"Before... the first time we encountered the Death Soldier, you muttered something like, 'Damn it, if Reanna or Rita were here, they'd take down these Death Soldiers in one hit.'"

Did he say that?

Liu Bai pondered for a moment... it seemed... he really did say that?

"I'm impressed you still remember that..."

"Umm..."

Hua blushed slightly.

Does this feel like a surprise inspection?

"While I can't go into too much detail, I can give you a rough overview of their characteristics... Hmm, let's start with Reanna... But I should mention, I've never been her Guardian Spirit."

## Chapter 67: Someone Even Himiko Can't Afford to Offend

"So, Liu-shi, you've had these kinds of experiences..."

After listening to Liu Bai's embellished story, Hua looked thoughtful.

"Liu-shi... do you hope I can become a 'watcher' like that Reanna?"

"That depends on your own choice."

Hearing Liu Bai's answer, Hua gave a wry smile.

She... perhaps really did want to become that kind of "watcher."

"...I understand, Liu-shi. I won't let you down."

Hua's spirit finally returned to its usual state.

"Seriously, don't always carry the expectations of others," Liu Bai sighed. Hua's personality was really...

"Um... Liu-shi, could you take your hand away now?"

Recovering her spirits, Hua felt the touch of Liu Bai's arm, and her face flushed slightly—when she made her promise, Liu Bai had put his arm around her shoulder to comfort her.

"That... men and women shouldn't touch hands."

Although continuing wouldn't be... anything, really...

But Hua's thin skin and girlish shyness ultimately prevented her from saying the second half of that sentence.

[Fu Hua Compatibility +10%]

[The Third Honkai Eruption devastated most of East Asia, including Canghai City. However, like gold being refined by fire, talents like Mei, Kevin, Su, and Hua began to emerge onto the stage of the era.]

[With your help, Hua managed to escape from Canghai City, which had fallen into a Honkai paradise, with her friends. She successfully joined up with the Fifth Squad led by Himiko at the Moth Chasers to Fire's base.]

[Through your education, Hua reaffirmed her resolve after a brief period of confusion.]

...?

Wait, system, hold on a second, aren't you using the wrong word here?

It's called a goal! Not resolve!

However, the system completely ignored Liu Bai's complaints.

[The next day, Hua, having reaffirmed her resolve, rejoined the battlefield in Canghai City.]

This time, it wasn't just small-scale skirmishes like before.

As an elite squad of the Moth Chasers to Fire, the Fifth Squad had a dedicated armed force to support them.

Various powerful Honkai-fighting weapons developed by the Moth Chasers to Fire were deployed on the battlefield in this battle.

"Learn well, watch carefully. Group combat and individual combat are two different things. Don't always rush ahead; always pay attention to your teammates."

"I understand, Liu-shi."

As a formal member of the Fifth Squad, Hua naturally received corresponding Honkai-fighting weapons. Fortunately, due to Hua's father, the Moth Chasers to Fire had also begun to provide gauntlet-type weapons.

However, the technical level of these gauntlets... was much lower than Hua's previous Fist Blade Type III.

The only advantage might be that they were modified to fight Honkai, so they could cause more effective damage to Honkai creatures.

In addition, Liu Bai told Hua not to rush too far ahead because he wanted to study the structure of the Moth Chasers to Fire's current Honkai-fighting weapons—especially those large weapons.

[Thanks to the valiant efforts of Hua and the other soldiers, the Fifth Squad quickly rescued most of the survivors from the ruins of the city. However, even so, there was still a long way to go before Canghai City could be completely recovered.]

[However, you may not be able to see the scene of Canghai City being recovered—the Third Honkai Eruption caused extremely heavy damage to most of East Asia, with less than one in a thousand survivors, so the entire region seemed like a burden.]

[You and Hua learned about the Moth Chasers to Fire's arrangements for the survivors of the Third Honkai Eruption.]

[They would be sent to Australia for proper resettlement. At the same time, Carole, who survived the Honkai in Canghai City, finally moved Himiko after several applications and became a trainee warrior in the Moth Chasers to Fire's Fifth Squad. However, as a trainee warrior, Carole would still be relocated to Australia with the survivors and would train there.]

"Haa... I'm leaving." Carole leaned against the railing, looking wistfully at her friend.

Behind her was a temporary pier, where giant ships carrying the survivors rescued from Canghai City were docked.

...The survivors of a city could be carried by just one giant ship. Something no one would have dared to imagine in the past.

"Yeah, have a safe trip."

"..."

Listening to Hua's straightforward answer, Carole twitched the corner of her mouth.

"Although I knew you weren't very good at talking... but at a time like this, can't you say something nice? Even if it's just to deliberately humor me."

"Uh... sorry, it's just that I think Australia should be very safe, and Carole, your ability to adapt to new environments is much stronger than mine, so I shouldn't need to remind you of anything. If I had to say something... train hard?"

Having experienced real battlefield training, Hua was now more calm and composed.

And what she said left Carole unable to refute it.

"...Yeah, if it were you going to Australia, I might actually be worried," Carole said, nodding as she looked at the massive ship behind her. She then flashed a bright smile, "Hehe, it might sound a bit presumptuous, but maybe when I come back after my studies, I'll be able to protect you."

"...Mhm."

"Hey! Hua, what's with that perfunctory look on your face!"

"It's nothing, I just think that if it's you, Carole... I'll be looking forward to it."

Looking at the ever-sunny girl before her, Hua felt that she might have been seeing her as too fragile.

She... was also moving forward in her own way.

"Hey! Then you just wait and see, Hua! Maybe by the time I get back, I'll be able to become the vice-captain of Fifth Squad, and then you'll have to listen to my orders."

"You little whippersnapper who hasn't even grown all her feathers yet wants to be my vice-captain?"

Himiko, in full military attire, had appeared from the side at some point and mercilessly smacked Carole on the back of the head.

"Scram, scram, get on the ship already!"

Himiko kicked the dawdling Carole.

Over these past few days, Himiko had grown quite fond of this energetic and cheerful girl.

Who wouldn't like someone who could bring hope to the team?

"M-Maybe I'm a genius!" Carole stubbornly retorted.

"If you're a genius, pigs will fly!"

Himiko raised her leg, pretending to kick Carole again. Seeing this, Carole immediately turned into a quail, shrinking her neck and scurrying onto the ship.

"In any case! Hua, you have to take it slow with your promotions! You have to wait for me!"

Perhaps she herself was just a mediocre talent with annoying energy, but she believed that her friend would definitely be the most, most, most, most dazzling star of this era!

[After seeing Carole and the survivors of Canghai City off, the war was not over.]