Himeko: I Died?

Inside the classroom, everyone stared at the "To Be Continued" on the big screen, still wanting more.

Honkai Impact 3rd was good, all right. Its only flaw was that it was too short.

Damn it, why couldn't Ai-chan be more diligent and drop seven, eight, or even ten updates at a time?

Watching her classmates all complain that it wasn't enough, Ye Li had something to say but didn't know whether he should.

So it was fine as long as they weren't the ones being exposed, huh?

But then again, really.

Kiana and the others, who had also been exposed, were surprisingly calm about the video.

They had already been prominent figures at Senba Academy, so the videos being exposed barely affected them.

As for Theresa, who was trying to use the videos to bolster her authority in the real world, she wished even more of her heroic bearing could be shown.

To keep her big toe from digging a three-bedroom apartment into the classroom floor,

Ye Li fled the classroom at the first opportunity after class.

Meanwhile, in Conference Room No. 1 at Senba Academy.

Many of Senba Academy's higher-ups had gathered together.

Since Theresa, the principal, was not good at handling such occasions, Himeko had honorably taken over as the "one-day principal."

"You're saying that in a week, Dr. Mobius from the Infinite Laboratory and a group of scientists from the Anti-Entropy Laboratory will all be coming to our school for an academic exchange?"

Looking at the complicated expressions of the academy's higher-ups, Himeko felt as though the world was becoming something she could no longer understand.

If the authenticity of the news had not already been confirmed, Himeko might have thought some organization in northern Myanmar had set its sights on them.

After assigning all the preparations, Himeko declared the meeting adjourned.

As she looked over the materials compiled by the school, Himeko's thoughts had long since drifted far away.

For some reason, Himeko's sixth sense told her that these laboratories' true purpose was not the academic exchange they claimed it was...

Senba Academy was certainly an excellent school within Changkong City, but it was nothing particularly impressive when viewed across the entire Far East.

Meanwhile, every one of those groups was a world-renowned research team. What did Senba Academy possibly have that qualified it to conduct an academic exchange with such giants?

"So what exactly is their purpose?" Himeko murmured as she looked out the window.

Ding-dong~

Himeko felt the phone in her pocket vibrate softly. When she took it out, she saw—

The creator you follow, @miHoYo's First Idol Ai-chan, has updated! Come watch now!

Looking at the notification, an absurd thought suddenly surfaced in Himeko's mind.

"They... couldn't be coming because of these videos, could they...?"

That night, after a busy day, Himeko finally returned home.

Pushing open the door, Himeko leaned against the wall by the entryway.

Thinking about the work that had left her dizzy with exhaustion today, she sighed helplessly.

"Theresa really left me with a complete mess..."

As she spoke, Himeko bent down, hooked a finger around the heel of her high heel, and gave it a gentle pull.

The shoe slipped smoothly from her foot with a soft tap.

Freed from the restraint of her heels, the thin black stockings on her feet glimmered delicately beneath the light.

The seam of the stocking ran along her slender instep, tracing a perfect line.

She lifted her other foot and lightly tapped her toes against the floor, her heel swaying in the air.

Then, with a gentle push from her fingertips, the shoe fell onto the floor some distance away.

"Phew~ I'm exhausted!"

With the seal lifted, Himeko eagerly opened the refrigerator and took out a can of beer.

Her throat bobbed lightly as she swallowed, the refreshing beer spreading from the tip of her tongue to her stomach and driving away the fatigue of the day.

"Ah~ That hit the spot!"

She casually pulled out her phone and quickly checked the work group. After confirming she had not missed any messages, she glanced at the class group.

As usual, the little ones in the group were chatting about the trendiest topics among young people.

As fresh new terms popped up one after another in the chat, Himeko suddenly felt as if she had fallen behind the times.

"Before I knew it, I'm already thirty~"

She casually tossed the beer can in her hand into the trash and felt the youthful energy coming from the other side of the screen.

With a sigh, she said, "Maybe after this busy stretch is over, I should find some time to date someone?"

Then Himeko shook her head with a self-deprecating smile.

Women her age were not exactly easy to match with in the first place, and with the nature of her work, it became even harder.

After all, one of the three professions people said not to date online was teaching.

"Forget it. I should just devote myself wholeheartedly to education. Romance can hurt you, but teaching and nurturing students won't."

With that, Himeko began taking off her clothes as she walked toward the bathroom.

What Himeko did not know was that in another time and space, teaching and nurturing students could not only hurt you—it could cost you your life.

The next morning.

As usual, Himeko walked into the office in her high heels, though a closer look revealed that her steps were a little slower than usual.

Looking at the densely packed lesson plans on her desk, Himeko could not help yawning, tears of fatigue gathering at the corners of her eyes.

Raising a hand to rub her temples, she felt her head heavy and muddled, as though it had been filled with lead.

"Teacher Himeko, didn't you rest well last night?" The math teacher from the neighboring class poked her head over and asked with concern. "You don't look too good. Is it because of the academic exchange?"

Himeko forced a smile, gathered up the lesson plans, and held them in her arms.

"Yeah, I didn't sleep well last night." As she spoke, she stood up and prepared to leave.

"Ah~ I haven't been sleeping well these past few days either." The math teacher sighed.

"Teaching that bunch of little brats in my class is exhausting enough, but now the school is actually taking away our rest time to prepare for some academic exchange. Isn't that complete nonsense?

"This job of ours really is killing us..."

After she left the office, her colleague's complaints gradually faded into the air.

The weather outside was gray and gloomy as Himeko walked down the corridor of the teaching building.

Thinking back to last night, Himeko could not help yawning again.

She truly had not slept well.

Because she had had a dream, and in that dream...

She died.

She died saving her student, Kiana Kaslana.