Mei: But I Was Here First!

"My friend is very good at mixing drinks, but Himeko, you're right, the alcohol content of the drinks he makes for me is always higher each time."

Bai Ge swirled the wine glass in her hand.

He took a sip and then raised the bottle to admire the red liquid against the moon. He always enjoyed this beautiful thing and often regretted that he could never get drunk.

After each mission, Raven would have a small drink, which he would usually mix himself, and each time the alcohol content was higher than the last, as if he wanted to get Bai drunk, although he always failed.

"Hehe~ I can understand how your friend feels."

Himeko gave a meaningful smile.

"Oh? Can you tell me?"

Bai Ge immediately asked curiously.

"Well, I think any woman who drinks with you, Bai Ge, would love to see you get drunk, but unfortunately you can't get drunk, so... in the end she can only get herself drunk."

"... Is that so? Himeko, is it the same for you?"

"Hmm~ Otherwise I wouldn't have been willing to bring out such expensive wine today, it's just a pity you still can't get drunk."

Himeko's beautiful, mature face flushed red. She flicked the wine glass in her hand with her fingertips, making a crisp sound, and then drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.

If there were a drink in this world that could get Bai Ge drunk, she felt she might buy it without even looking at the price... Bai Ge's friend probably thought the same thing.

"Himeko, are you drunk?"

Bai Ge waved his hand in front of Himeko's eyes, thinking that this time she seemed to have avoided a drunken rampage. He remembered how Ji Zi had made excuses after getting drunk the time before last, which left a deep impression on him.

However, he was a little concerned now. Although Bai to have high emotional intelligence, he didn't understand why these women could get drunk even though they couldn't get themselves drunk.

"Hehe, don't underestimate my drinking capacity, Murata Himeko. You're far from getting me drunk... Huh? Why is there a big pancake in the sky? How strange."

"Looks like he's really drunk, and that's the moon."

"Really? So it's the moon. Hmm, it's beautiful. I wish I could go up there someday."

Himeko leaned against the windowsill, drunk and seemingly drawn to the bright moon in the night sky, even making a childish gesture of reaching out to touch it.

Bai Ge took another sip of wine, shook his head, and said.

"There's nothing to see. The moon is riddled with holes; it's not interesting at all."

"Ha~ I was talking about the moon, you were talking about the lunar surface."

"Um, okay."

Bai Ge paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

However, he really didn't expect that he could be outwitted by the drunken Himeko, nor did he expect that she would have such a romantic side. He was suddenly amazed.

But then Bai Ge remembered that Murata Himeko was a romantic woman.

She had read Tagore's poetry collection, and Himeko's original dream was to one day travel to the Stars and the sea, but she changed her path and became Valkyrie because of her father.

Himeko from the Star Rail next door is probably what Murata Himeko look like after her dream came true.

"Bai Ge, (Qian Wanghao), would you like to hear about my past?"

Himeko, drunk, suddenly asked.

"If you're willing to talk, I'm willing to listen."

After Bai Ge put down his wine glass, he said, "Himeko smiled and looked at the starry sky as if she was lost in memories."

"Actually, my father is a scientist with Schicksal. Because of him, I have always regarded becoming a physicist as my goal. Speaking of which, I was close to Caltech when I was only 15 years old."

"Hmm, that's really hard to imagine. Himeko looks like she's a real person!"

"Oh, are you laughing at me?"

Himeko raised her weak fist and tapped Bai Ge on the chest, but the next second her expression suddenly dimmed.

"My father suddenly died one day. I don't know exactly what happened, but I found information about Schicksal on his desk, and then... in order to investigate the details, I became the Valkyrie."

"Looking back now, it's really laughable. In order to become Valkyrie, which I didn't want to be, I gave up my studies at Caltech, gave up my dreams, and even accepted Artificial Stigmata, which shortens my lifespan."

"Bai Ge, tell me... am I living the right life now? Did I make the wrong choice back then?"

Suddenly, Himeko rushed in front of Bai Ge, grabbed his shoulders with both hands, and asked with a confused look in her eyes.

"..."

Bai Ge was momentarily stunned.

He didn't know why Himeko would suddenly reveal her past to him. Perhaps she was just drunk, or perhaps no matter what he said, she would forget it once she sobered up.

But he still felt he had to answer the question properly.

"Himeko, I have no right to judge your life, but... even if you have taken a different path than you initially envisioned, it does not mean that your life is wrong."

"At least I really like Himeko now. It's not just me, but also Kiana, Mei Bronya, Seele, Theresa, and everyone in the St. Freya Academy likes you, Ame."

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Chapter 112, Mei: I was here first! (Please subscribe automatically)

"Teacher Himeko, it's easy for reality to deviate from ideals, but even if you end up on a path that isn't what you envisioned, it doesn't mean you made the wrong choice, nor does it mean your life is going in the wrong direction."

Bai Ge gazed intently at the red-haired beauty before him, then raised his arms and gently embraced her.

He knew about her life.

To know her greatness.

Knowing that her story has come to an end.

No one in the world knew better than him what a respectable teacher Murata Himeko truly was.

Even in a time and space without Bai Ge, the flame she ignited and passed on continues to burn.

"Teacher Himeko, you are more beautiful and more amazing than you imagined. I will never allow anyone to deny your life, not even yourself."

"You taught us to fight for all that is good in the world."

"You taught us to never give up and to transform this imperfect world into the one we desire."

"You will always be our respected and beloved Valkyrie, Murata Himeko."

Bai Ge conveyed his feelings with the most sincere words, which greatly shocked Himeko. An indescribable emotion welled up in Himeko's heart and spread throughout her body.

Yes, how could one's own life be wrong?

Perhaps when she first became Valkyrie, she was only looking for the truth about her father's death, but later Himeko met a Valkyrie Ragna Ragnar.

She told Himeko that Valkyrie are people who bring light to the world and shouldn't let obsession and hatred fill their lives. Blade told her to transform this imperfect world into the one she wanted.

After that, Himeko truly became a Valkyrie fought for all that was good in the world.

Before Bai Ge appeared, Himeko, who sensed that her days were numbered, did not choose to retire. Instead, she joined St. Freya Academy at Theresa's invitation.

While continuing to fight, she also became a teacher.

She passed this belief on to one young Valkyrie after another, ensuring that this beautiful legacy was passed down.

"Waaah... Ahh..."

Bai Ge heard a sob. He gently patted Himeko's back, and at the same time, his resolve hardened. He would never let this person die! He would never let her lose her job!

"Besides, it's just that your past dreams didn't come true. It's okay. Himeko, you now have a future and infinite time."

"After we defeat the Honkai, you can continue to pursue your dreams. I'll go with you then. I also want to see the Stars and the sea."

Lost dreams and such.

As long as we pick up the paralysis and ignorance

What Bai Ge pursues is the most perfect happy ending, a beautiful ending without a single regret.

After all, just as he said, Himeko is no longer troubled by Honkai Energy, and the 863 years of life she lost have been taken back by Bai Ge.

With him by her side, Himeko will have an infinite amount of time, and she will eventually realize her dream, just like her other self in the Star Rail.

"Thank you, thank you Bai Ge, I really..."

Himeko hugged the boy tightly in her arms, tears of emotion streaming uncontrollably from her eyes.

No matter how mature she appears on a daily basis, Himeko is still just a 29-year-old woman.

She wasn't the kind of old woman who had lived a long life and could take everything lightly; on the contrary, she was an older, single Valkyrie who had never even been in a relationship.

Feeling lost, worried, unsure about the future, and questioning the past are all perfectly normal.

However, Bai Ge has now affirmed her.

He told Himeko in the most straightforward way that her life so far had been as fiery as flames and as brilliant as gold.

Bai Ge rekindled the flame of her life, which was nearing its end, allowing her to reach an even more distant future, a future that Himeko could not even imagine at this moment.

After a while...

"To be advised by your own student, this is truly embarrassing. Bai Ge, you mustn't tell anyone."

"Of course, I don't want to share the memory of Himeko- sensei hugging me and crying with a second person."

"That's too embarrassing, you should forget about it soon."

"Hehe~ It's impossible in this lifetime."