"Kiana, I agree with Anqi's idea this time. You've been far too lazy lately, so take this opportunity to catch up on the schoolwork you've fallen behind on."
"No wayyy!!!"
The next day, five o'clock in the morning.
Anqi stood at Kiana's door, twisted the doorknob, and found it wouldn't turn.
"Bang!"
Anqi smashed through the doorknob and lock with a single punch and pushed the door open.
Kiana was still fast asleep at the moment, sprawled face-up across the bed in a starfish shape. Her blanket was in a corner and her pillow on the floor, her soft, smooth shoulders exposed from the collar of her pajamas, and a puddle of drool soaked the sheets.
"Kiana..."
Anqi patted Kiana's cheek, but there was no reaction.
"Kiana."
Anqi nudged Kiana's body, and Kiana smacked her lips in sweet slumber.
"Kiana!"
Anqi sat expressionless on Kiana's waist and back, bending her legs backward.
"Crack!"
"Uwahhhh!!!"
Kiana twitched and wriggled on the bed like a worm for a moment, then looked at Anqi with a haggard face.
Anqi looked at Kiana with an innocent and cute expression, saying softly:
"It's time to wake up, Kiana. Today's schedule is about to begin."
"You're a demon... Ah, sorry, I'm getting up right now!"
Kiana changed her tune the moment Anqi grabbed a handful of her hair as if to cut it, and nimbly jumped out of bed.
Anqi watched Kiana enter the bathroom to wash up, then pulled open the bedroom curtains, looked at the pitch-black sky outside, and sighed.
Teacher Himeko's bedding was warm and fragrant, yet she had torn herself away from it for the sake of friendship. What a great sentiment!
Anqi was shocked and moved by her own gentleness for a moment, then clenched her fist toward the pitch-black sky and said with a pure look:
"Anqi, Fight!"
On a certain misty early morning, after her customary 20-kilometer warm-up sprint, Fu Hua loosened her joints, a hint of worry showing on her pretty, picturesque face.
She hadn't been able to practice martial arts properly for several days.
She remembered it was the morning of the first day after the exams. Fu Hua had thought most students would still be sleeping soundly in their rooms, and she even held a little expectation about having the athletic field all to herself.
Then, she saw Anqi leading a stumbling Kiana running laps, calling out something as they ran—one shouting, the other echoing—and if you listened closely, they were actually science formulas and humanity memorization points.
Fu Hua immediately understood that this was probably Anqi helping Kiana prepare for make-up exams.
To be able to help a classmate like this in the early morning of a vacation, she truly is a good child.
Fu Hua smiled silently and waved in response to Anqi, who was greeting her.
However, on the second day, the scene changed to Anqi pushing Kiana from behind as they ran.
On the third day, it changed to Anqi running in front holding an iron chain, followed by Kiana with her neck tethered.
On the fourth day, Anqi chased from behind brandishing a pair of scissors, while Kiana ran for her life in front.
On the fifth day, Anqi's scissors turned into an assault rifle, and Kiana ran even faster.
Amidst scenes like these, Fu Hua could no longer concentrate on practicing her punches. Or rather, compared to martial arts, the sight of these two doing morning exercises was clearly much more attention-grabbing.
"That conclusion about her being a good child..."
"Did I jump the gun?"
On the sixth day, Fu Hua watched as Anqi drove an off-road pickup truck from gods know where, chasing Kiana. Amidst the roar of the engine and Kiana's wails, Fu Hua wore a deadpan face and grew doubtful of the assessment she had made a few days earlier.
Kiana had failed a total of six theory classes, barely scraping by on the rest.
Through a week of meticulous, patient, and affectionate tutoring, Anqi successfully enabled Kiana to achieve a full sweep of barely-passing grades in the first round of make-up exams.
"Himeko, Himeko, eat some takoyaki!"
Anqi linked her arm through Himeko's, raising her hand as a bamboo skewer pierced a steaming little meatball.
Himeko was checking city travel guides on her phone. Hearing this, she tilted her head slightly, her brightly painted lips with a touch of rouge parting slightly to bite into the meatball.
"Hss... Hot, hot, hot!"
"The shopkeeper said they're only good if they're hot!"
"Indeed, the taste is good... Speaking of which, what on earth did you do to that kid? Leaving aside the fact that she passed all her make-up exams like a miracle, how did she end up like this?"
Himeko covered her lips slightly with her phone, tasting the food while shifting her charming, alluring eyes backward with a smile.
Anqi glanced toward Kiana.
She saw that the usually energetic, silly jock was currently hanging half her body over Raiden Mei, who wore a worried expression. Kiana exuded a limp, powerless, and haggard air from head to toe, lacking even a shred of the vibe of someone out on a trip for vacation.
Anqi stabbed a meatball and popped it into her mouth, replying in a soft, gentle tone:
"Just normal tutoring, Himeko."
"Normal, my foot! I let the iron chains, scissors, and machine gun from earlier slide, but you ** drove a tank to chase me! And you ** didn't even know how to use the brakes at all!"
Kiana caught Anqi's reply—which was full of innocence and sincerity—and instantly exploded, pointing at Anqi as she refueled with refined elegance.
Anqi sighed, stabbed the last meatball, and extended it to Kiana's lips.
"There was no help for it, you see. Kiana, I'm only 14 after all, and I don't have a driver's license. After borrowing the tank, I could only barely manage to drive it by using the operation manual; it's completely normal not to be skilled with the brakes."
"You actually have the nerve to explain yourself?! What do you mean it's normal not to be skilled?! If you don't know how to drive, don't use a tank, do you want to run me over?! Also, the takoyaki is delicious, thank you."
Kiana tugged at Anqi's cheeks, eating the meatballs while switching between manic outbursts and expressions of gratitude.
Anqi also reached out to tug at Kiana's soft cheeks.
"If we had used conventional methods, how could we possibly have crammed the test points into Kiana's empty and sluggish brain? You clearly ought to be thanking me!"
"Shameless! You clearly did this just to go out and play with Teacher Himeko, so you deliberately tortured me! You have no loyalty, putting friends before the same sex! I've decided, tonight I'm sharing a room with Teacher Himeko to make you furious!"
"Nani? You dare fight Himeko for me?"
Anqi turned pale with shock, her normally expressionless little face instantly taking on a flustered look.
Everyone knew just how lacking in principles Kiana was during her cabbage worm phase; she would casually drop lines like "I want to drink Mei's sister-juice." If she set her sights on Himeko, would there be any end to it?
"Hee-hee! You're scared, aren't you, stinky Anqi?"
"Let's duel! We shall determine victory, and also life and death!"
"Ho-ho! Don't think winning the exams makes you hot stuff. Exams and a life-and-death duel are two different things, so you better believe this young lady will beat your butt black and blue!"
"You foolish cabbage worm, today I will..."
"Bang! Bang!"
With one punch each, Himeko forcefully silenced the two girls who were about to throw down right there in the middle of the street.
Afterward, she put her hands on her hips and glared down at the two of them from above.
"Exercise some restraint when we're outside, and stop dragging me into your personal grievances. And... at least call me Teacher Himeko!"
"Bang!"
Kiana took an extra punch because she blurted out that impolite form of address.
"Honestly, I'm only 24 years old, why do you two keep calling me an auntie? Where am I old? Where am I old, huh? Tell me, Kiana!"
The more Himeko spoke, the more irritated she grew. She simply grabbed Kiana's ear and questioned her with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
The powerful and terrifying aura forced Raiden Mei—who had wanted to plead on Kiana's behalf—to take two steps back and silently ignore Kiana's panicked and pleading gaze.
Only Anqi's eyes lit up. She grabbed Himeko's fair, tender arm, rubbed against it, and said with an obedient look:
"Himeko, even if you're ten years older than me, I still love you the most!"
"...Love a hammer! I'm starting to miss that introverted version of you from before!"
Himeko was momentarily torn between joy and sorrow, bringing a karate chop down on Anqi's head.
Anqi stuck out her pink tongue, then continued clinging to Himeko's arm, intoxicating herself in Himeko's maidenly fragrance.
Being introverted was just to fit the character background, after all, and Anqi truly wasn't fond of socializing, so she wasn't lying.
Hopefully, even if Sister Himeko learns the truth in the future, she won't blame me. Amen!
"Achoo!"
The Ursus Empire, the snow-covered Kosovos Mountains.
Anqi, wrapped in a heavy white winter coat, rubbed her nose and lay motionless beneath the snow cover.
Herrschers and humans were not the same species; their bodies were sturdier, more tenacious, and virtually without weaknesses.
Yet Anqi, as the Herrscher of Domination, was one of the rare exceptions. This was because their bodies were more like puppets driven by authority rather than crucial vessels meant to house life and power. Thus, they did not possess true Herrscher bodies and certainly lacked the trait of being completely immune to harm—for instance, they would still break down if subjected to excessive damage, and for another example... they would still catch a cold in freezing snow.
"Achoo!!!"
Anqi wiped away her snot with some ice and snow, her frostbitten red nose twitching uncomfortably.
Yet most of her body remained shrunk in the snow, unmoving.
Damn it, why can the St. Freya me get all cozy with Sister Himeko, and the young-lady me get to enjoy hot springs and maid service, while only I have to shrink here and freeze?
Stop whining, keeping watch is effective. According to the intelligence gathered by the young-lady me, Anti-Entropy forces should be noticing this place soon.
For Cocolia's dominion, hang in there, me!
At worst, once I get her body, I'll let you have the first taste! Such big, round momos, aren't you tempted?
"Get lost! I suspect you guys are running NSFW gags, and I have proof!"
Anqi rolled her eyes, feeling depressed at her comrades' cynical remarks.
Right now, a group numbering three to four hundred Honkai Beasts had gathered in the valley, mostly Knight-class and Ballista-class, with a very few reaching Chariot-class. Those sturdy bone armor plating and massive bodies—if placed in a city without Anti-Entropy and Schicksal garrisons—flattening a major metropolis would be no problem at all.
And according to the results of the young-lady me probing around during business transactions, the local Anti-Entropy military forces would regularly patrol the nearby area and clear out Honkai Beast threats in the near future.
Therefore, Anqi had scouted this area for Honkai Beast packs early on. Thanks to the invisible resonance between Herrschers and Honkai Beasts, she had found this valley and had already quietly lain dormant there for two days and two nights.
Suddenly, Anqi's ears—which were not buried by white snow—twitched, and the corners of her mouth curved up silently.
They're here!
Anqi widened her eyes and looked toward the mouth of the valley. She saw dark blue Titans climbing to higher ground, lining up in a straight formation, their shoulders transforming to mount huge cannons.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
"Boom!!!"
A wave of heat that melted the snow swept across the valley, and the entire center of the valley floor was covered in scorched earth and magma.
However, some of the faster Honkai Beasts capable of flight had already broken through the dust and lunged at those silent, sturdy Titans.
A war between steel and giant beasts commenced.
Artillery fire roared wave after wave, and the deafening sounds of mechanical explosions and giant beasts being torn apart echoed continuously.
Anqi lay quietly prone on a higher place, watching motionlessly until the Titans wiped out the beast pack and dragged the remains of their "comrades" far away.
"Tch! It seems the herd I picked was a bit too large; they directly dispatched a Titan Legion and left no human corpses behind. No opportunity this time."
Anqi sighed silently. Sensing other Honkai Beasts in the region, she decided to head to the next battlefield to look for an opportunity.
This entire region was Anti-Entropy's territory, but after all, it wasn't the North American headquarters, so available funds and resources were limited, meaning the number of Titans was also limited. They couldn't entirely rely on Titans to clear out wild Honkai Beasts; sooner or later, they would encounter human troops, and sooner or later, they would encounter human corpses.
Anqi waited unhurriedly for the Titans to depart completely, her gaze lingering on some of the Titan wrecks with a hint of covetousness and eagerness.
Before you continue