Favorability Never Lies

"Oh yeah!"

After Han Jiang and Kiana left Himeko's office, Kiana clenched her fist and struck a victory pose, the two braids behind her flying high.

Then Kiana clasped her hands together and said to Han Jiang with an all-knowing expression, "Well? You were only able to join the practical training thanks to this young lady's clever performance in the office."

"Ding. Kiana's favorability +10!"

Han Jiang heard the long-absent system notification of increased favorability.

Ever since he had gotten to know Kiana and the others for a week after school started, Kiana's favorability had risen the fastest, but it had stalled once it reached 40.

Now, it seemed that favorability would only increase after they experienced things together.

In order to learn Gun Fu, Han Jiang had taken the initiative to ask Kiana for pointers, but with Kiana's teaching style, he simply had not managed to learn it.

Kiana's exact words on the training ground had been, "Like this, then like this, move your body like this. It's that simple."

Still, Kiana's favorability had increased again, so Han Jiang was not far from obtaining the Gun Fu skill.

Han Jiang defended himself. "If I hadn't made a mistake, how could I have failed? Besides, it wasn't as if I hadn't spoken up for you in the office."

"I think that if I hadn't reminded Teacher Himeko to focus on cultivating individuality, you definitely would've gotten scolded. You might not even have been allowed to join the practical training."

"I don't care. It's my credit anyway." Kiana displayed a girl's particular talent for being unreasonable.

Han Jiang rolled his eyes at Kiana. "Seeing you like this, I should've gone to Teacher Himeko and taken the test alone two days ago. I shouldn't have deliberately gotten a question wrong just now."

What Han Jiang said was half true and half false. His score had also been far too close to the passing mark. Unless he had genuinely been unlucky, he had definitely been deliberately controlling his score.

"Then you made a mistake yourself. Even without you, this young lady could still join the practical training." Kiana curled her lips. "It's getting late. I wonder whether Mei has finished making dinner. I'm not dealing with you anymore."

As soon as she finished speaking, Kiana bounced away, swinging the two white braids behind her head.

"Ding. Kiana's favorability +5!"

Watching Kiana's retreating figure, Han Jiang's lips curled upward. Weren't you done dealing with me? The system's favorability doesn't lie.

The system explained that once favorability reached 60 points, one would be acknowledged as a true friend.

Kiana's favorability was now only 5 points short. As long as their relationship continued like this, reaching 60 was only a matter of time.

Good things kept coming. When Han Jiang returned to the dormitory, notifications for Mei and Bronya's favorability rose in succession.

"Ding. Mei's favorability +10!"

"Ding. Bronya's favorability +5!"

Han Jiang did not understand why their favorability had increased for no apparent reason, but an increase in favorability was always a good thing.

Being acknowledged as a true friend by someone was not easy.

After school the next day at noon, Han Jiang planned to go to the cafeteria for lunch, but Mei stopped him just as he was about to leave.

"Han Jiang, this is the lunchbox I made this morning. It's also to thank you for taking the test with Kiana. Please accept it if you don't mind." Mei handed the lunchbox to Han Jiang.

Han Jiang accepted the plastic bag containing the lunchbox and hurriedly said, "First of all, thank you for the lunchbox, Raiden Classmate. Also, I didn't intentionally take the test with Kiana. I really failed because I made a mistake."

Han Jiang said the latter part loudly, deliberately making sure Kiana beside him heard it.

Sure enough, Kiana punched Han Jiang in the shoulder. "I knew you couldn't pass the test! You even lied to me and said you deliberately got a question wrong."

Han Jiang dodged Kiana's swinging fists, and the two of them chased each other around, fooling about for quite a while.

They only stopped after Mei gently scolded them.

"Kiana, it's time to eat."

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and everyone finally welcomed the long-awaited practical training.

Before departure, Himeko repeatedly emphasized that they had to pay attention to safety during the practical training.

Within the group, Kiana had unusually reined in her lively personality. Mainly because she and Han Jiang were currently in a position of "redeeming themselves for their mistakes," and they were afraid Himeko might get unhappy and leave the two of them behind.

Among the entire class, aside from Kiana, Han Jiang was the one most looking forward to the practical training.

Because there were no Deadwalkers at St. Freya High School, which meant he had been unable to gain Evolution Points for a whole month.

The evolution requirements for Stigmata: Hundred Refinements were sitting right there on the system panel. The conditions were not difficult, and Han Jiang was greatly looking forward to seeing what changes would occur when the Domain Gear evolved to C-rank.

A class of twenty-five people, including the teacher, needed a large vehicle to go out for training together.

Led by Himeko, everyone headed to the airship port, but Han Jiang did not see the Hyperion he had been eagerly anticipating.

The battleship before them was over a hundred meters long and thirty to forty meters high, making it only a small airship.

As a natural disaster, Honkai could not be predicted with complete knowledge and certainty even by Schicksal. No one could know where an area suitable for twenty-four people to train would happen to appear.

Therefore, their destination was Changkong City, the beginning of the Third Honkai and the city where the Herrscher of Thunder had been born.

Although it was a training battleship, it was quite fast. Two hours later, they arrived at their destination.

Present-day Changkong City was already extremely desolate. Ordinary civilians had long since been evacuated by Schicksal, leaving behind a ruined city and Valkyrie units tasked with clearing out Deadwalkers.

In a city with a population in the millions or even tens of millions, countless Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts remained after a major Honkai outbreak.

"Although the Honkai Beasts and Deadwalkers on Changkong City's outskirts have already been cleared out once by Schicksal Valkyries, minor Honkai reactions can still occur here. Everyone must pay close attention to your own safety."

"If any student disobeys orders and runs around, you will receive a major demerit. It will not only affect your academy assessment results, but also your future evaluation when joining a Valkyrie combat squad."

On the battleship, Himeko repeated the precautions again and again, warning the students to conduct their practical training strictly according to academy regulations.

Letting a group of students who had only recently enrolled conduct practical training in Changkong City was a decision made by Theresa and all the teachers at St. Freya High School.

Compared to the methods used by other factions to train Valkyries, St. Freya was already exceptionally lenient and gentle.

But Valkyries would ultimately have to go to the front lines to fight the Honkai. Sooner or later, they would have to face danger.

Near Changkong City stood a camp established by Schicksal to clear out Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts, and the training battleship carrying St. Freya High School was slowly descending above it.

Han Jiang looked through the battleship's porthole at the ruined city below. Farther away, he could even see Deadwalkers wandering about.

The students had varied reactions. Some were calm, some clenched their fists, some stared at the Deadwalkers, and some looked as though they could not wait to rush out and kill them. Yet not one of them was afraid.

Himeko blankly watched the students in their seats, thinking of the Valkyrie squad she had once served with, and let out an imperceptible sigh.

She did not know how far these students in the prime of their youth would go in the future, nor what dangers and hardships they would face.

The strict instructor on the training ground, the stern teacher in the classroom, and the big sister who laughed and played with her students in private were far less at ease than she appeared.