A Honkai World Without Honkai / Persecuting Theresa and the Golden Courtyard Group

Collapse City: Starting Out by Making an Anime Version of Honkai

Author: Leaves and Dog

Synopsis:

At a press conference.

"President Yaqing, rumors say that the anime-themed film Honkai you created used the banner of beauty to trick fans into shedding tears. What do you have to say about that?" a reporter asked, holding out a microphone.

"Utter nonsense. Honkai is a positive, beautiful, healthy, and uplifting anime. It tells the story of beautiful girls saving the world," Yaqing said solemnly.

"But some people also say that you have a close relationship with the president of Schicksal, yet maliciously portrayed him as a hateful villain in the anime. How do you explain that?" the reporter asked.

"Slander! Pure slander! I revere the president like a father. Lawyer, I want to see my lawyer!" Yaqing's expression changed drastically.

This was a city world without Honkai and without sorrow. Kiana, who had endured countless hardships in another timeline, had become a young lady of Schicksal with both parents alive.

A Honkai World Without Honkai

This was a large passenger plane flying from a small Nordic country to the Far East. In the comfortable atmosphere of first class, a young man in a white shirt reclined lazily in his seat. Under the warm yellow lighting, his handsome face was mesmerizing.

"Little brother, won't our sudden trip to the Far East scare Kiana?"

The woman speaking sat beside the young man. Her warm white hair fell behind her shoulders, and her pale cyan eyes gazed at him seriously. Her light blue fishtail dress and snow-white long sleeves added a touch of gentle elegance to her temperament.

"Big sis, stop worrying. I guarantee Kiana will be touched," the young man said carelessly. Perhaps because it was a little stuffy, he directly undid several buttons at his chest.

"A surprise? More like a shock!" A resentful voice came from the seat behind them. The white-haired man's resentment seemed almost tangible. He had planned to spend the flight singing with his wife, only for his brother-in-law to snatch her away.

"Oh? Siegfried, you're still alive?"

Brothers-in-law were supposed to be as close as actual brothers, but the young man had never liked Siegfried. Especially after learning that he had supposedly groped the butts of every female employee in the Schicksal Group, he had nearly gone to beat him up himself. Fortunately, his sister Cecilia had talked him down.

"Don't speak like that." Cecilia helplessly patted the young man's head, then gently buttoned his shirt back up for him.

Siegfried shook his head helplessly. Thankfully, more than a decade of effort had improved his brother-in-law's opinion of him somewhat. Otherwise, he would never have known peace. Still, who had started that rumor back then?

Siegfried gritted his teeth inwardly. Because of that rumor, the young women in the company would detour around him whenever they saw him. That alone was not much of a problem, but even his brother-in-law and the president believed it. That was when things became serious.

On one side was love, and on the other was his career.

Other people enjoyed success in both career and love. As for him, his career was ruined, and his brother-in-law still could not stand him in his love life.

Still, Siegfried did not take Yaqing's attitude toward him too seriously.

The young man's name was Yaqing Schariac. He was Cecilia's younger brother by fifteen years. Their father had died in a car accident before he was born, while their mother had also died in a car accident after giving birth to him. From childhood, he and his sister had depended on each other.

A three-year-old child and an eighteen-year-old girl guarded shares and assets worth nearly a hundred billion in the Schicksal Group. It was like a child carrying gold through the streets. Not only did the shareholders want to swallow it all up, but even their relatives eyed it greedily.

In the end, President Otto Apocalypse personally spoke up, allowing the siblings to catch their breath. Unlike his gentle sister Cecilia, young Yaqing had been especially ruthless.

When he was ten, Yaqing discovered that his parents' deaths were highly suspicious. He spent a year investigating and found the mastermind at the age of twelve. Then, over the next four years, he drove the Gonzales Family, which held 16.4% of the Schicksal Group's shares, into complete bankruptcy.

Yaqing completed his revenge at sixteen. He had destroyed a family that had lasted for a century in only four years, and thus entered President Otto's sight.

In recent years, Otto had seemingly intended to groom Yaqing. Not only had he helped him take control of the Schariac Family's assets, but he had even handed an entire division of the Schicksal Group over to him.

Many shareholders within the group secretly speculated that Otto was training Yaqing as his successor. Some even said that this business trip to the Far East had been arranged so Otto could have Yaqing spend more time with his granddaughter.

"Big sis, I'm exhausted." Yaqing yawned.

"Then get some sleep. I'll wake you when we arrive."

Only after hearing his sister speak did Yaqing sleep peacefully. Cecilia gently covered him with a small blanket. Seeing the fatigue he could not hide between his brows, she could not help but feel heartbroken.

Cecilia knew that Yaqing was competitive by nature, so he never let her know about the messes within the company. He only wanted her to be happy. But how could she be happy when she saw the exhaustion he could not conceal?

"He's too tired," Siegfried said softly after seeing Yaqing fall asleep.

As a family head himself, Siegfried had the Kaslana Family's wholehearted support behind him, while Yaqing had only Cecilia.

Ever since Cecilia married Siegfried, Yaqing had seemed like a different person. It was not that he had put on a mask, but that he had completely taken one off, because he no longer had any weaknesses behind him.

About three hours later, the sun slowly rose, and the plane was about to land. Listening to the flight attendant's gentle voice over the intercom, Yaqing silently opened his eyes. There was none of the grogginess of someone who had just woken up; his eyes were instead clear and bright.

Yaqing glanced at Cecilia, who was sleeping soundly beside him, and smiled. Then he looked at Siegfried behind them, who was sleeping heavily and even snoring, and felt puzzled. How had these two not starved to death while traveling around the world?

"Big sis, wake up."

Yaqing helplessly shook Cecilia.

"Ah~ Are we there?" Cecilia rubbed her eyes, looking adorably dazed. She stretched, and her sexy, perfect figure made it impossible to look away. Unfortunately, the one seeing this sight was her own younger brother.

The summer heat and the holiday season had filled the Far East's capital, Changkong City, with crowds as numerous as ants returning to their nest. Even the airport's four exits were somewhat congested.

However, that had little to do with Yaqing's group. As high-ranking members of the Schicksal Group, they naturally had access to the highest-level VIP lounge at an airport owned by Schicksal.

Cool air blew from the air conditioner.

Sitting on a soft designer sofa, Yaqing rested his long legs on the coffee table. Looking at Cecilia and Siegfried leaning against each other, he asked, "Big sis, where are you staying tonight?"

Cecilia thought for a moment. "I don't know. We were originally planning to go to Turkey."

"It's fine. I just booked a hotel online," Siegfried said, waving his phone from beside her.

He had booked a hotel, not a room.

Yaqing chuckled. Just then, the phone he had been idly spinning around his fingers began to ring. Seeing the name on the screen, he looked utterly bewildered. He could not understand why this person was calling him so early in the morning.

"Hello, Kevin. Don't tell me you just got off work?"

When Yaqing answered the call, Siegfried and Cecilia politely stopped talking.

In the outskirts of Changkong City, inside the living room of a luxurious yet minimalist villa courtyard, a white-haired, blue-eyed young man opened the refrigerator and took out an unopened cup of instant noodles.

"I just woke up. I heard you're coming to Changkong City. Su and I don't have time to pick you up. Someone in the courtyard wants to pick you up, though, but I think you probably... slurp."

Hearing the sudden sound of noodles being slurped on the other end, Yaqing's face darkened.

He had a rough guess about the person Kevin meant. The first possibility was Mobius; he had known from the first time he saw that woman that she was no good. The second was Elysia; he really could not handle that woman.

"Kevin, eat fewer instant noodles."

"Slurp. Having a bowl of instant noodles first thing in the morning is such a wonderful thing. Oh, right, how long are you planning to stay in Changkong City this time?"

"I'm staying for a while. As for exactly how long, that's a long story. I'll come back to the courtyard tonight and tell everyone together."

At Golden Courtyard, the pink-haired girl who had just woken up rubbed her sleepy eyes. Smelling the aroma of instant noodles in the air, she asked curiously, "My, Kevin, you're actually calling Mei so early in the morning? How enviable~?"

"No, it's Yaqing." Kevin took another huge slurp of noodles.

Upon hearing Yaqing's name, the pink-haired girl immediately perked up from her sleepy state. After carefully checking the contact name on the screen, she snatched the phone away.

Kevin let her do as she pleased and focused on eating. After all, there was not much time left before he had to clock in for work.

"My, Yaqing, my dear Yaqing, it's been so long! After all this time, you never even called us~?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Yaqing smiled bitterly. "My fault, my fault, Elysia. I'm returning to the courtyard tonight."

"Really?! Miss Pink Elf has been cleaning your room every day for you~?" Elysia's voice was full of delight.

Yaqing knew that Elysia cleaned his room because of love, though not the love between a man and a woman. Rather, Elysia loved everyone in the courtyard equally.

"All right, Elysia, I still have things to do. We'll get together when I return to the courtyard tonight."

"Hey! I—"

"Beep beep..."

Listening to the disconnected beeping from the phone, Elysia puffed up her rosy cheeks in dissatisfaction and muttered, "Honestly, he didn't even let me finish."

Although Elysia looked dissatisfied, she was still very happy inside.

Elysia loved all the tenants of Golden Courtyard.

Meanwhile, in the airport VIP lounge, Yaqing had barely hung up before Cecilia and Siegfried looked at him with eyes gleaming like they had just heard some juicy gossip.

They had not heard much else, but the moment they heard that sweet female voice call out "my dear Yaqing," Siegfried's ears practically perked up, while Cecilia even leaned closer without hiding it.

That was why Yaqing had hung up without hesitation.

"Little brother, my dear little brother, who was that? You sounded so close. Is she your girlfriend?" Cecilia asked curiously, half-joking.

Yaqing's expression did not change as he explained, "When I attended high school in Changkong City, I wasn't used to living in the dorms, so I rented a place outside. She's just a roommate I shared the place with."

Cecilia smiled and did not press him any further.

Siegfried, on the other hand, felt as if a kitten were scratching at his heart, yet he was too embarrassed to ask.

"All right, all right, big sis. The driver we arranged has arrived. We should get going."

Teasing Theresa and the Golden Courtyard Group

As the Far East's capital, Changkong City was so vast that it nearly split the Far East islands down the middle. The regions above it were known as the Far East North Isles, while those below were the Far East South Isles. St. Freya Academy was even more extraordinary. As Schicksal's only privately funded educational institution, it occupied nearly a quarter of Changkong City.

Rather than an academy, St. Freya was more like a miniature city. It had shopping streets, parks, tourist areas, and everything else one could want. It was even more prosperous than some first-tier cities.

And all of that was thanks to St. Freya Academy's principal, Theresa Apocalypse, the adopted granddaughter within the family of Schicksal's president Otto Apocalypse and Kallen Kaslana, as well as their lawful heir.

Today, St. Freya Academy was unusually lively. Before the sun had even risen, the sleeping principal had been awakened by a phone call. Otto told her that an inspector dispatched from Schicksal headquarters would be conducting a surprise inspection that day.

At that moment, all the sleeping female students and teachers in the academy dormitories heard the principal's miserable squeal, like a pig being slaughtered.

"Himeko, Himeko, look, is my hair messy?" The white-haired, blue-eyed principal, one and a half meters tall with the aura of someone one point four meters tall, nervously smoothed her hair one moment and straightened her nun's uniform the next.

"That's enough, Theresa. This is already the thirtieth time you've asked me that in ten minutes." The mature woman, completely unlike the principal, rubbed her forehead helplessly. Her crimson hair had been blown slightly messy by the breeze as she smoothed the wrinkles on her white shirt.

The magnificence before her chest was the goal the principal had pursued her entire life.

At the entrance to St. Freya Academy's education district, a pure black Maybach worth tens of millions of dollars sped over and came to a steady stop not far from Principal Theresa.

The driver got out and respectfully opened the door.

Theresa bowed politely.

Himeko also gave a slight bow.

"St. Freya Academy welcomes your arrival. We hope that..." Theresa had been delivering her official spiel perfectly, but upon seeing the familiar graceful figure step out of the car, she cried out in delight, "Hey! Cecilia!"

"It's me, Theresa." Cecilia's eyes curved into crescents.

If not for the many students watching curiously nearby, Theresa would probably have disregarded her dignity as principal and buried herself in Cecilia's ample chest to act spoiled.

"It's been a long time, Principal Theresa. You're still as petite and adorable as ever." Dressed in a tailored black suit paired with an immaculate white shirt, Yaqing adjusted the black-framed, gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.

His temperament was completely different from the roguish, lazy appearance he had shown on the plane. He was so refined, so gentlemanly, so Otto...

Theresa could even see Otto's shadow in Yaqing. As expected of someone personally raised by Otto.

He was clearly so gentlemanly, yet every word he spoke poked at Theresa's temper.

Theresa glared at him with considerable authority.

"Hey, hey, there's still a living person here," Siegfried suddenly interjected after being ignored the entire time.

Theresa snorted directly. Compared to Yaqing, who kept "teasing" her, Theresa clearly disliked Siegfried even more.

"Fine, fine, just pretend I don't exist." Siegfried pretended to sigh, though his eyes remained full of amusement.

Between the two people who did not get along, teasing Theresa was clearly the higher priority.

"Cecilia, I'll take you around the academy first. Oh, right, you're here to see Kiana, aren't you?" Theresa took Cecilia's long right hand in her small one.

"Theresa, I am indeed here to see little Kiana, but I'm not today's inspector." Cecilia blinked her beautiful eyes, smiling brightly. It seemed that she was also happy to tease Theresa a little.

"Huh?" Theresa froze.

"Ah, Principal Theresa, I completely understand the bond between you and my sister. But unfortunately, I'm today's inspector. What a fickle world."

Yaqing's perfectly gentlemanly tone made Theresa clench her fists. If she had not known he was just having fun, she might really have been fooled.

"Then that's easy. Himeko, I'll leave the inspector to you. Cecilia, let's go!" Theresa pulled Cecilia along and happily headed toward the shopping district.

Cecilia could not bear to reject Theresa's goodwill, so she helplessly glanced back at Yaqing and Siegfried.

"Hello, sir. Welcome to St. Freya Academy. My name is Murata Himeko. I am a teacher at St. Freya and will be accompanying you during this inspection." Himeko politely extended her hand, continuously studying Yaqing's handsome face as she could not help but sigh inwardly at how handsome and gentlemanly he was.