People Outside Want In

After parting ways with the girls, Han Jiang wandered around the camp alone.

The camp covered a vast area, yet the central zone was off-limits.

"There's a large Honkai reactor in there. It supplies energy for the entire camp's operations, as well as some smaller supply stations outside." Just as Han Jiang was wondering about it, Himeko's voice came from beside him.

"Ms. Himeko." Han Jiang turned and saw Himeko staring at the central area.

"I happened to be stationed here during the camp's early construction and took part in some of the planning," Himeko continued. "The camp you see now was already expanded once. It wasn't easy to establish this place back then!"

Han Jiang nodded. Intense Honkai Energy reactions naturally attracted Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts. Building a large Honkai reactor in Changkong City, where Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts were everywhere, sounded unbelievable just thinking about it.

Even after the expansion, the outer walls still bore countless silicon-based chunks left behind by dead Honkai Beasts. It was easy to imagine how brutal the scene had been back then.

"Come on, let's look around somewhere else. We can also talk about you a little," Himeko said as she turned and headed elsewhere.

"Me?" Han Jiang followed behind her.

"Mm. Tell me how you feel about studying at St. Freya High School. Any difficulties you've encountered, things in daily life—anything is fine," Himeko said casually.

Han Jiang had many things he wanted to ask, but he did not know where to begin. He silently walked beside Himeko.

Seeing that Han Jiang was not speaking, Himeko asked, "As a rare male capable of absorbing Honkai Energy to fight, is there anything you want to say?"

Han Jiang looked up at the sky and joked, "It's not bad. I feel pretty lucky, since I get to study and live with so many beautiful girls."

Himeko chuckled. "Boys usually prefer hanging out with other boys. In an ordinary school, boys your age would probably spend most of their time, aside from studying and occasionally talking about girls they liked, figuring out how to lift their friends up and ram them against the railings."

Han Jiang's eyes widened at Himeko's blunt words, but on second thought, she was not wrong. Most boys of sixteen or seventeen were probably like that.

"You're the only boy in your year. The boys in second and third year have already taken part in suppressing small-scale Honkai outbreaks or carrying out special missions, so it must be hard to find a same-sex companion at the academy," Himeko continued.

"Boys are different from girls. There are some things that are fine to say between boys, but you would never say them in front of girls, no matter how close you were."

Himeko draped an arm over Han Jiang's shoulder. "If there's ever anything you're holding in because it's hard to say, you can come to me. You can treat me like an older sister. No need to be so formal."

And so, Himeko and Han Jiang wandered around the camp like an older sister and younger brother, chatting about all sorts of things in life.

Most of the time, Himeko spoke while Han Jiang listened.

They mostly talked about Shenzhou. It was clear that Himeko had taken the initiative to learn about Shenzhou's culture in private.

Once they had more or less toured the camp, Himeko said to Han Jiang, "It's getting late. I still have some things to deal with."

"Mm. I still have a little time, so I'll take a look around the outskirts of the camp." Han Jiang bid Himeko farewell.

After taking only two steps, Himeko turned back and said, "Don't keep everything bottled up inside. Fighting the Honkai is humanity's responsibility. When it comes to that, there's no distinction between men and women."

"The girls in your class are all Valkyries. They aren't as fragile as you imagine. And isn't the reason Valkyries can head out to battle smoothly precisely because they have such an excellent Logistics Department behind them?"

Himeko seemed to leave behind a remark that came out of nowhere, but it made Han Jiang relax slightly.

Ever since arriving in Changkong City, Han Jiang had suddenly felt much heavier at heart.

As his teacher, Himeko had naturally noticed the change in Han Jiang. That was why she had sought him out for a private chat after everyone else dispersed.

Boys in adolescence already had an inexplicable sense of pride, and Himeko also considered that Han Jiang was from Shenzhou, where people had believed since ancient times that it was only natural for men to shield women from wind and rain.

But when it came to the Honkai, because women had an exceptional compatibility with Honkai Energy, the price they paid was often far greater than ordinary people imagined.

Himeko thought that seeing the girls face such dangerous matters, Han Jiang, as a boy, might feel that he needed to do more and shoulder more responsibility, perhaps putting himself under too much psychological pressure.

As for that, seeing the girls' passionate determination to eliminate the Deadwalkers had indeed made Han Jiang feel some pressure for a moment.

It was not that he had some kind of chauvinistic mindset. He simply felt that Valkyries worked incredibly hard fighting the Honkai and wanted to share their burden—or simply take all of it upon himself.

He possessed a mysterious system. As long as he used its abilities flexibly, then no matter how many difficulties lay ahead, perhaps one day he could completely resolve the Honkai.

Han Jiang was not some great man with lofty ideals. He only wanted Kiana and the others to enjoy peaceful lives and prevent the tragic events from the original game's story from happening.

Han Jiang had indeed felt more pressure, but it was not as serious as Himeko imagined.

Watching Himeko's departing back, Han Jiang sincerely reflected that Himeko truly was a qualified teacher. His state of mind had changed only slightly, yet she had already noticed.

Himeko had not chosen to ignore him just because he was a boy. As a teacher at St. Freya High School, she might never have had a male student before.

Because of Han Jiang in her class, she had most likely specifically looked into the thoughts of boys his age.

If there had not been combat training, Himeko would have approached him privately for a talk after some time anyway.

Getting along with many beautiful girls was certainly a happy thing, but constantly being surrounded by girls without a single same-age companion of the same sex could, in a sense, also feel a little sad.

Himeko thought Han Jiang might be upset over having no male friends and that she would have to counsel him sooner or later. He could not keep running to the training grounds whenever something came up, nor should he avoid playing with the girls just because everyone in the class was female.

It was somewhat like not appreciating his blessings, but people always thought about what they lacked.

"To all my fellow men, St. Freya High School is a besieged city. People outside want to get in, while those of us inside... Well, I don't want to leave anyway. Hehe." Han Jiang muttered as he ambled toward the camp's main gate.

By coincidence, he ran into Kiana and the other two, who were preparing to head out and explore the surrounding area.

"Han Jiang, are you planning to go to the outskirts of the camp too?" Mei asked first.

Kiana laughed twice, pointed at Han Jiang, and mocked, "This guy must be scared, so he deliberately waited for us at the gate."

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll reluctantly protect a classmate. Once we're outside, Han Jiang, don't get so scared that you cry." Kiana's smile was exceedingly smug.

Han Jiang ignored Kiana and nodded to Mei. "I was planning to take a look around outside too. How about going together?"

Mei smiled gently. "It'll be safer together."

"Based on Bronya's analysis, Han Jiang ranks among the top five in the class in terms of strength. Though we are only exploring the surrounding area, there will still be a certain degree of danger. With Han Jiang joining us, the safety factor will increase by at least thirty percent," Bronya said.

"Hey, you three, wait for me! Don't walk so fast!" Kiana shouted from behind them.