They're All Family Without Blood Ties Anyway-Does the Difference Really Matter That Much?

"... Never mind, forget I said anything."

Seeing Lin Yu force out a smile that looked more like a grimace, Theresa immediately rubbed her forehead and said helplessly.

"Do as you please... Sigh, go and get some rest."

"Tomorrow, we should leave here and return to the Far East Branch."

The next day, the Schicksal Headquarters

After resting for a day, Lin Yu arrived near the transport plane and saw Theresa and Kiana, who were preparing to return to the Far East Branch together.

Of course, it wasn't just these two. In fact, Raiden Mei, Yuno, and Bronya Zaychek, who was hesitant to approach the group, also appeared nearby.

Upon seeing Lin Yu's Raiden Mei, she almost burst into laughter and pounced on him.

Just as she was about to act, Mei suddenly remembered the things that 'she' had done in the past.

Although it wasn't her intention, 'Raiden Mei' did attempt to harm Lin Yu.

Lin Yu wanted to make her stronger, but she was then possessed by other personalities who were preparing to kill Lin Yu.

Even after hearing Otto's comforting words, Mei still felt utterly incompetent.

Lin Yu... he must be very disappointed in me too.

In the end, the relationship between Lin Yu and me... was just wishful thinking on my part.

Making this move under the current circumstances will only trouble Lin Yu.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu looked at Mei, whose face was calm, and then at the character introduction template that popped up from the system.

Name: Raiden Mei

[Identity: Herrscher of Thunder, who has temporarily sealed her power.]

Current favorability rating: 90 (you know what I mean)

[Note: Be careful in everything you do.]

No, sir, give me an explanation for what's going on.

Her calm demeanor, coupled with the 90% favorability rating and the phrase "be careful in everything," is a bit intimidating.

And now, Mei, Yuno... is she going back to St. Freya with us too?

[Otherwise, she's a living, breathing Herrscher, and a super-powerful Simulated Herrscher who forced Theresa to flee after just one minute of meeting her. Otto would definitely want to squeeze every last drop of value out of her.]

That makes sense...

After seeing Yuno and Raiden Mei, Theresa, who had been waiting for everyone to arrive, took the initiative to walk towards the two Herrscher girls.

Raiden Mei was alright, but Yuno was next to Mei, immediately showed an unconcealable sense of guilt after seeing Theresa.

"Mei and Yuno, right?"

After walking up to the two of them, Theresa spoke to them.

"Grandpa told me that you two are willing to join our Schicksal, so on behalf of the Far East Branch, I would like to welcome you to join us."

"I originally intended to say something like 'St. Freya Academy's training is very rigorous,' but now it seems..."

Noticing Yuno's expression, Theresa took another step, bringing her body even closer to Yuno.

"Yes, I'm sorry!"

Upon seeing the girl she had tried to kill after transforming into a demon appear before her, Yuno's already unstable emotions fluctuated wildly.

"I, I didn't mean to... No! I, I, I..."

"Okay, calm down."

Seeing Yuno's emotions starting to fluctuate, Theresa walked over to Yuno's side—only to find, incredibly awkwardly, that she couldn't reach Yuno's shoulder.

"Once the mind and body are dominated by the Honkai, even the kindest person will turn into a demon."

"Losing to the Honkai is not your fault. Just work hard to become stronger in the future."

At this moment, Theresa glanced at Mei, who was still calm beside her, and then spoke to Yuno.

"I heard you two were classmates at the same school, right? Look at Mei, she controls her emotions very well."

"But I..."

After glancing timidly at Raiden Mei, Yuno swallowed back the words she wanted to say.

I didn't feel this way before, but after standing next to Mei, I realized...

How scary! How scary! How scary!

This intimidating aura, and that calm expression—if she had shown even a tenth of her current imposing presence in the past, she wouldn't have been bullied by those scumbags to the point of being 'famous throughout the school,' right?

Mei- senpai, how did you become like this?

As for you...

Seeing Bronya's reluctance to approach the crowd, Theresa said helplessly.

"Miss Bronya Zaychek, you'd better come back to St. Freya with me."

"Your identity is rather special, so leaving here with me is the best choice for you."

Although Theresa didn't spell it out clearly, Bronya, with her exceptional intelligence, already understood what the elder meant.

Two days ago, when Durandal used the Black Abyss White Flower to heal Theresa, she also channeled her power into others, so Bronya's injuries were also healed.

Whether it was the damaged emotional circuits or her problematic legs, both have been restored to their most perfect state under the power of the Black Abyss White Flower.

But precisely because of this, new problems have arisen.

If Bronya, whose emotional circuits were damaged, only realized that her actions were somewhat wrong after Lin Yu revealed the truth she didn't want to face.

Now that her relationship has returned to normal, Bronya almost had a breakdown.

Especially now, with Raiden Mei and Yuno, two victims of the 'Third Honkai Outbreak,' by her side.

Even though the two men had no idea who she was, Bronya felt she had no face to face them at all, considering that she had also been involved in this outrageous incident.

"Oh, it seems like everyone's here."

Kiana, who was standing still and about to greet Mei, suddenly tensed up when she heard this voice.

That voice... could it be?!

On the other side, Theresa reacted in the same way after hearing the voice.

That voice... could it be?!

At that moment, the two white-haired creatures, one big and one small, simultaneously looked towards the source of the sound.

Rita Roseweisse —it really was her!

In that direction, Valkyrie named Rita Roseweisse walked towards the group with a smile.

Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, Rita walked naturally to Lin Yu's side...

—Like an intimate lover, he gently embraced Lin Yu.

Chapter 82. Since they're all family without blood ties, is the difference really that big?

The moment Rita gently hugged Lin Yu, the atmosphere on the scene immediately became awkward.

The girls at the scene were divided into three groups: Theresa and Yuno's group, who thought, "What happened?"; Bronya's group, who thought, "This has nothing to do with me"; and Mei and Kiana's group, who thought, "This woman...!"

While the onlookers were still enjoying the drama, Kiana and Mei were already clearly sensing a sense of crisis.

Meanwhile, Rita, who had her arm around Lin Yu, smiled as she looked at Kiana face was filled with shock and anger.

Although she knew that Lin Yu's trip to the Far East was a done deal, Rita was not about to let her brother be dragged into Otto's plans so easily.

K423 needs to build strong enough bonds with others, and after arriving at the St. Freya Academy, she will meet many people.

Although Rita is willing to fight against the Honkai, it doesn't mean she has no selfish motives.

She couldn't stop Otto's plans, nor could she stop her brother from entering the battlefield and getting caught up in the vortex of conspiracy.

At this point, she could only find an opportunity to have Lin Yu step back from the front lines as much as possible.

As for whether this matter would anger Bishop Otto...

In Rita's eyes, Otto wouldn't go that far.

A gentle hug from the sworn sister when seeing off her sworn brother is not an excessive gesture in Rita's hometown.

As England girl, if Rita hadn't been worried about her actions causing any negative consequences, her visit to Lin Yu might have been more than just a simple hug.

As for Lin Yu now, he did not immediately start struggling after Rita suddenly hugged him.

No matter how much he denied it, at that moment he did feel the warmth of family from this sister.

He could sense that Rita was indeed worried about him.

In that case...

In this situation, of course we should be bolder!

Whether it's a foster sister and foster brother, or a husband and wife, they're all family members without blood ties. Is there really such a big difference?! GO! GO! GO!

I'm telling you... I finally get a moment of peace and quiet to enjoy the warmth of my family, so could you please not let the atmosphere veer off in this direction?

[Host, this system is very disappointed in you. Haven't you realized—this system is warning you that if you continue like this, something bad will happen?]

At that moment, Lin Yu saw two data bars pop up from the system.

In the notes on these two data bars, he saw Kiana and Mei's names—wait, why is your affection level fluctuating so much!

And are those snippets of resentment like, "Ah, Lin Yu actually has a girlfriend," "Can sisters really be this intimate?" "I guess Lin Yu and I just aren't meant to be," "You idiot senior, why don't you try harder?" "It's always been just me being one-sided," and "Damn it, I really want to rush over—but why should I stop them from hugging?" for real?

Hehe, guess.

So, from the time I traveled to the present, today is only the fourth day.

Is this the amount of affection I can achieve on the fourth day?

Hehe, guess.

At that moment, Lin Yu struggled in Rita's arms for a moment before whispering to Rita.

"Sister, don't worry, I'm not a child anymore."

"Really? But A'yu, you still have seven months until you turn 18."

After inadvertently mentioning Lin Yu's birthday, Rita let go of Lin Yu's hand and said with a hint of worry.

"Your sister is very worried about you continuing to push yourself so hard outside."

Damn it... Damn it!

Looking at Rita and Lin Yu, Kiana felt like she was grinding her teeth to powder.

Is bringing up my senior's birthday at this time trying to tell me, "You don't understand him at all," or "My relationship with him is much deeper than yours"?!

That woman is awful!

"However, now that I think about it, maybe I was worrying too much."

After gently stroking Lin Yu's hair, Rita gazed at the boy before her with loving eyes.

"I believe my A'yu will not let me down."

Mei, who had been staring blankly, finally came to her senses and realized that Lin Yu and the Valkyrie in front of her were siblings.

The problem is... is this kind of atmosphere, these kinds of actions, this kind of tone of voice really how siblings should behave?

I have this feeling that something's not right.

After finishing what she needed to do, Rita finally sighed helplessly.

"Alright, I've said what I needed to say. If I say any more, you'll think I'm being long-winded."