She was not entirely ignorant of academic matters in the field of Honkai. After all, she had been an outstanding student herself.
But seeing how confident Chen Ran was, she decided to trust him for the time being.
Theresa said, "If you need any cooperation, we'll assist you from this side as well."
Chen Ran made an OK gesture.
The four of them stopped chatting after that.
Himeko went to the cockpit, while Theresa compiled a report on the matter and submitted it to headquarters.
Chen Ran sat with Wendy, and he had many questions he wanted to ask her.
But just as he was about to speak, Wendy closed her eyes, looking as though she were saying, "Don't disturb me."
She was embarrassed and pretending to be clueless.
For a fourteen-year-old girl, what she had done earlier had already taken every bit of courage she had.
Back then, they had been on an unfamiliar island, and it had been pitch-black, so she had been able to act boldly. Now, Wendy had become shy instead.
Chen Ran could not help but smile.
Seeing that there was no one around, he reached out and pulled Wendy against his shoulder. "Get some rest. Everything will get better."
Wendy did not open her eyes, but her hands restlessly fumbled about.
Only after she caught Chen Ran's hand did she seem to relax, then she fell deeply asleep.
Three hours later, the Hyperion returned to the Far East Branch once more.
Since there was no wheelchair, Chen Ran simply picked Wendy up and carried her off the Hyperion.
Wendy looked somewhat puzzled and instinctively placed a hand against his chest. "Have you gotten stronger?"
The old Chen Ran had been the kind of weakling who would practically cry for his parents after running five kilometers, but over the past two days, he had carried Wendy without even getting out of breath or complaining.
Wendy had not noticed much before, but now that she thought about it, Chen Ran seemed much stronger than he had been in the past.
Naturally, Chen Ran could not say that it was a reward from the system.
After multiple simulations, the system had improved his physique, Honkai Energy compatibility, and Valkyrie combat skills.
He casually said, "Maybe it's a temporary buff from adrenaline."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you're beautiful, so I can't let myself look pathetic in front of you," Chen Ran said as if it were only natural.
Wendy sighed. "Sigh, I still miss the time on the island."
"Why?"
"Then you wouldn't be so smooth-talking."
Despite saying that, Wendy did not stop Chen Ran from sweet-talking her.
To a young girl, it could only be considered a flaw, and one that could add a little spice to life.
Himeko, who was walking ahead of them, could not help but smile at their conversation.
"Youth really is wonderful."
Just then, Theresa asked, "Wendy, would you mind living with other Valkyries?"
Wendy shook her head. "I've always lived that way. I'm just worried that others might not be willing to."
St. Freya did not have robots from the Sub-God Machine series, so she needed someone to help with her daily needs.
Theresa could not help but look troubled.
Under these circumstances, having Wendy live with someone else would be troublesome for them.
But if Wendy lived by herself, it would be inconvenient for her too.
"Then you can live with me—"
Just as Theresa was about to suggest that Wendy live with her, Chen Ran said, "It's better if she lives with me. I've gained some experience taking care of her during this time."
Wendy rolled her eyes at him but did not refuse.
Theresa tacitly accepted their relationship. "All right, but you must be careful at the academy. Don't do anything dangerous. I'll find you a suitable roommate to help share the burden."
Himeko, walking ahead, instinctively shook her head. Theresa really had no sense of romance.
St. Freya Special Guidance: Wendy
Chen Ran and Wendy temporarily settled down at St. Freya.
However, Theresa was worried about them, so she specifically arranged for a roommate to be placed in their four-person dormitory.
"This is Hua, an A-rank Valkyrie. I've already explained the situation to Hua. If you need her help with anything, feel free to ask her."
Theresa introduced her to the two of them.
Hua adjusted her flat-framed glasses and said, "Hello. I already understand the situation."
"I'll assist you during this time, so please leave it to me."
Wendy instinctively puffed out her cheeks.
She had originally thought that only she and Chen Ran would be living together.
But Wendy knew in her heart that if Chen Ran really had to take care of her, setting aside whether he could do it well, it would inevitably divide his attention.
Chen Ran understood this as well, which was why he had not refused Theresa's arrangement for a new roommate.
Still, it was unexpected that the roommate would be Hua.
Come to think of it, in the real world, Hua and Kevin had joined the Flame-Chaser at almost the same time.
Chen Ran naturally trusted Hua. At the very least, among the protagonists' group, Hua was one of the more reliable ones. Besides, the current timeline was 2014 rather than 2016, so there would basically be no major upheavals.
He said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Ms. Hua."
The two lightly shook hands.
Wendy's cheeks puffed out even more.
For the next period of time, Chen Ran became completely occupied with the Science Department of the Far East Branch.
He did not deliberately seek out Kiana, Raiden Mei, and the others, who had only recently joined St. Freya. To Chen Ran, meeting them would serve no purpose beyond satisfying his curiosity.
Chen Ran had previously wanted to find Raiden Mei and see how her body differed from Wendy's, but it now seemed that there was no difference between them.
If no one interfered, the Divine Right Plan actually had a high chance of succeeding.
What he was doing now was merely carrying out the experiment that should have succeeded according to its original plan.
Hua faithfully carried out her duties as an assistant, bringing Wendy back and forth between the Science Department and the dormitory.
Wendy also fully cooperated with Chen Ran. As his experiments progressed, she could feel sensation gradually returning to her lower body. It was a sign that success was drawing near.
She was delighted and eagerly awaited that day.
At St. Freya's training grounds.
Kiana had been placated by Theresa and had finally agreed to become a student at St. Freya, hoping to search for Siegfried after becoming an A-rank Valkyrie.
At the moment, she, Raiden Mei, and Bronya were conducting paired combat training.
Aside from them, the other Valkyrie students were doing the same.
Just then, Himeko entered the training grounds and cleared her throat at everyone.
"Today, I've brought everyone a new combat training instructor: Wendy."
Hua pushed Wendy's wheelchair forward. The girl did not feel the slightest unease as she calmly accepted the doubtful and even pitying gazes of the crowd.
Himeko said, "Wendy was an A-rank Valkyrie who graduated this year. Of course, an accident has occurred, so she currently has some difficulty moving around."
"But her theoretical foundation, combat record, and knowledge of weapons and martial arts are absolutely solid. I spent a long time discussing it with Wendy before I convinced her to instruct you."
"Likewise, you should understand that the path of a Valkyrie is full of accidents and hardships."
Having Wendy guide these people's training had been Wendy's own request.
It was not because she liked teaching others, but because she felt that every student needed to understand the accidents and dangers they might encounter when facing Honkai.
Wendy herself knew that St. Freya's academic atmosphere was very relaxed.
But after confronting Honkai, things could no longer be so relaxed.
She did not mind using her own pain as a warning to others. If it could remind the students, Wendy would actually be happy.
She simply did not notice that after she appeared, one girl had been staring at her so intently that she seemed lost in thought.
"Seele..."
Wendy was not the delicate, dependent type.
Not even when she was sitting in a wheelchair.
Although some students looked down on her because of her inconvenience, after she used an ordinary Colt pistol and achieved nearly flawless accuracy, everyone withdrew that contempt.
Shooting practice was the most basic training for Valkyries.
But even if it was basic, that did not mean every student could master it completely.
Even after both her legs had been crippled at the Oceanic Branch, Wendy had never slackened her training.
However, due to her physical inconvenience, she could not guide them one by one and could only briefly explain the key points of training.
The girl's focused and serious expression left Bronya staring in a daze.
"Hey, Little Pudding, you're so mesmerized by that girl that you're practically drooling."
Kiana teased from the side, "I understand that pretty girls always attract attention, but you can't be so obvious about it."
Bronya said flatly, "Idiot Kiana has no right to say that about Bronya."
Kiana herself was the one who could not help running over whenever she saw a pretty girl. What standing did she have to criticize Bronya?
Bronya was very angry.
Kiana said with a grin, "So Little Pudding isn't denying it? Great. Then no one will compete with me for Mei."
Bronya said flatly, "Big Sister Mei is mine."
"Hmph, why don't you say that again in front of that girl?"
Kiana believed she had Bronya completely figured out.
Bronya remained expressionless. "That Wendy looks a lot like one of Bronya's younger sisters."
Kiana tilted her head. "Little Pudding, you have a younger sister? Is she as cute as you?"
"Seele is very cute. In any case, she's much cuter than Kiana."
Only when Seele was mentioned could a trace of nearly imperceptible tenderness flicker across her nerve-damaged face.
Kiana scratched her head. "Then... what if your younger sister got a boyfriend?"
Bronya froze slightly, then saw that Chen Ran had somehow arrived at the training grounds and was chatting warmly with Wendy beneath everyone's gaze.
Their relationship was intimate, clearly not an ordinary one.
Bronya suddenly said, "He's a liar."
Kiana teased, "Bronya, don't tell me jealousy has gone to your head."
The girl shook her head and did not explain.
Before assassinating Cocolia, she had already been an assassin on Charon's List. Though she had been young, she had seen many kinds of people. To assassinate enemies, observing people's microexpressions had also been essential training for her.
Bronya quickly noticed that Chen Ran's expression toward Wendy contained an element of pretense.
He had hidden that trace of guilt very well.
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