So What is the Price?

"Perhaps you had some incorrect perceptions of me before, but I still hope that as your partners who will share joys and sorrows in the future, you need to understand one thing."

"I, Lin Yu, am a coward. I'm terrified of dying. Don't think of me as some kind of reckless daredevil."

Coward?

Fear death?

Don't like risking your life?

Upon hearing Lin Yu's words, Kiana, Mei, Bronya all looked at Lin Yu with expressions that said, "Are you kidding me?"

"Yes, yes, you're a coward."

Recalling her previous worries about Lin Yu, Kiana said irritably.

"Then I hope you'll be a little more timid next time you take action. Last time I saw you charging towards the Honkai Beast, I almost thought you were going to commit suicide."

"Hmph, never mind you— Mei, Yuno, Bronya, let's go, girls, let's go shopping for clothes together!"

"Um... Bronya wants to act alone, so I'm sorry."

After saying this, Bronya, with mixed feelings, took the initiative to leave from everyone's sight.

Meanwhile, Yuno was preparing to follow Kiana and Mei's lead, but before that...

"Yuno, come with me."

Before Yuno act, Lin Yu spoke to Yuno first.

"I have something I want to say to you."

?

?

?

[Oh, what a sudden move! A move that defies common sense!]

[Ignoring the Trio! Ignoring the Sage Mode! You actually went after a Simulated Herrscher barely has any story in the original work?!]

[Shocking! Utterly shocking... Oh no, this system has figured it out.]

Your parents died in front of you, and you wear a mask of composure to hide your true self from others...

Are you looking for your Poison Ivy? Bat~

... I'm really impressed, where do you get all this imagination?

After glancing at the utterly shocked crowd, Lin Yu continued speaking to the system.

Although Kiana, Fu Hua, Mei, and Bronya have different experiences from those in the original story, they have ultimately followed a similar trajectory to the original plot.

Their mental state isn't great, but overall there's no need to worry too much for the time being.

Sirin hasn't woken up, Fu Hua still doesn't have the human touch of 'Otto can sacrifice everything for his plan', Mei has just suppressed her Herrscher Persona, Bronya has also temporarily separated from Cocolia.

There's actually nothing to worry about with these four people in this situation.

For me, the most troublesome and unstable factor in the team right now is Yuno, who didn't have much screen time in the original work.

In terms of combat strength, she could easily defeat Theresa.

Herrscher of the Void back then didn't fight Theresa this easily.

From a psychological perspective, I had deceived her, which indeed sowed the seeds of future trouble.

They dealt with all the potential time bombs around them right from the start...

Only then can I feel a little more at ease in the days to come.

Chapter 86. So what's the price?

Kiana and Mei were a little surprised by Lin Yu's actions, but after regaining their senses, they didn't say much and left with Bronya with great understanding.

Of these women, Kiana and Mei have lost some of their relatives, but those events happened a long, long time ago.

Time cannot heal all wounds, but it can heal most wounds.

Compared to Kiana and the other two, Yuno just killed her own family due to the manipulation of the Honkai, is the one who needs the most care from others right now.

As for other aspects, Kiana really didn't think much about them.

Although it was very rude, she felt that Yuno's looks were far inferior to Bianca and Rita.

Lin Yu had lived with those two for so long, yet he still thought about killing the Honkai every day. Given this premise, Kiana really didn't think anyone else could easily enter Lin Yu's heart.

On the other side, seeing the others gradually moving away from her and Lin Yu, Yuno suddenly felt flustered.

"Um, Senior Lin Yu... about what happened back then..."

Seeing Yuno's expression gradually fill with regret and self-blame, Lin Yu sighed helplessly.

"Okay, don't think about it too much."

"Let's find a place to sit down and have a good talk."

"... yes."

Yuno was already more compliant to others due to her personality, nodded slightly to Lin Yu and cautiously walked to Lin Yu side because of her regret for almost killing him.

Once upon a time, Yuno watched Lin Yu save Raiden Mei at the school gate, she also envied her senior with a bad reputation, who had someone stand up for her.

Yuno did indeed think at the time how wonderful it would be if she had someone like Lin Yu by her side who could lend her a hand.

Then, she met Lin Yu in Changkong City.

This encounter, however, is hardly a memorable one.

With her mind and body dominated by the Honkai, Yuno became an enemy of humanity.

On the battlefield, Lin Yu could only try to fool her while trying to escape.

Thinking about it carefully, if that Schicksal Valkyrie hadn't arrived in time, she might have already killed her classmates and seniors who hadn't provoked her.

For a girl who still has a relatively normal set of values, this blow, while not as shocking as murdering her own parents, was enough to make her afraid to say anything more in front of the victim.

"Okay, this is it."

After randomly choosing a coffee shop, Lin Yu found a quiet corner to sit down and handed the menu on the table to Yuno.

"Pick whatever you want, it's on me."

"... Just give me a glass of water."

"I'm talking to you..."

After finishing his order, Lin Yu looked at Yuno dared not look up, and sighed helplessly.

"Don't keep doing this. Just being stared at by your guilty eyes gives me the creeps."

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Ugh, that's enough.

You have to use talking techniques.

It feels like from the first day I transmigrated until now, I've been thinking about how to fool people every single day.

"Alright, shut up!"

After interrupting Yuno in a very domineering manner, Lin Yu asked Yuno a question.

"I haven't even asked yet why you chose to join Schicksal. You must have your own reasons for making this choice."

"... Because a man who called himself the Bishop of Schicksal told me that it was not my fault that I became like this, but that the tragedy that happened to me was ultimately caused by the phenomenon of Honkai."

Recalling what Otto had said to her, Yuno repeated it to Lin Yu.

"He told me not to be ashamed of possessing Herrscher powers, but rather to be proud. Because only then can I help more people who need my help..."

... Good job, he said something similar to Theresa back then.

"But..."

Thinking about the remaining memories in her mind, Yuno looked at her hands and suddenly felt as if they were stained with blood.

"Does someone like me, who killed his own mother, really have the right to help others?"

The moment Yuno said those words, a waiter walked over to their table and placed a cup of milk tea and a glass of water in front of Lin Yu and Yuno.

"Gentlemen, your meal is ready. Please enjoy."

The moment the waiter turned around, Yuno suddenly picked up the glass and poured the water into her hands.

As if trying to wash away some stain, she took out a handkerchief and vigorously wiped her hands, her eyes growing increasingly terrifying.

This is such a hassle.

Otto's words were not wrong at all, but the problem is that Yuno is just a high school student who suddenly has superhuman powers.

Her state of mind was not enough for her to suppress her fear of herself, the despair of killing her mother, and her anxiety about the future.

And this is perhaps the result Otto wanted.

Once she was given the right direction, Yuno's her tendency to follow the crowd meant she would only move in that direction.

However, because this general direction is too vague, it makes Yuno's already uneasy heart unable to feel at ease.

Under this tactic, which may or may not be considered PUA, if Yuno is given a little bit of recognition, there is a very high probability that a young girl Yuno will become Otto's most loyal follower.

Although the way this was done was a bit... questionable, in essence, it was a kind of redemption for Yuno.

The problem is that the person who said these words was Otto Apocalypse.

The bigger problem is that Yuno is Theresa, Otto's granddaughter.

If it were anyone else who was subjected to Otto's rhetoric, they would at most be used as pawns.

But if it's Yuno, who hurt Theresa, then after Otto fooled her, he would definitely try to ruin Yuno.

This matter originally had little to do with Lin Yu, but looking at the other party's current expression, Lin Yu suddenly felt very irritated.

Aside from Rita's previous concern, Lin Yu had never felt any familial affection from anyone else.

However, this does not mean that Lin Yu is unaware of the importance of family ties for ordinary people.

Now, a girl who lost her family due to the Honkai is being exploited by others because of the fact that the Honkai caused her family's deaths.

If this had happened elsewhere, Lin Yu probably wouldn't have thought much of it.

But if this happened right in front of me...

[So what if it happens right in front of you?]

Ultimately, there are many people in the world who are worse off than her. At least she had the power of Herrscher and survived; the others weren't even left with a trace.

For your own safety, your decision is naturally—

Okay, shut up. You promised me I'd work five days a week and have two days off.

[Nonsense, it's only the fifth day. If it's a five-day work week with two days off, I'd still be working today.]

Okay, okay, you can go stand over there for now.

Let me think, rather than a vague goal, letting her take things one step at a time might help her temporarily forget her pain.

"Yuno."

"Ah? Senior, I didn't mean to!"

Seeing that she had made a mess of water everywhere, Yuno immediately said in a panic.

"Yes, I'm sorry, I..."

"First of all, you should get rid of this bad habit of apologizing for no reason."