Herrscher of the Void: Waste Not, Want Not! / The Lunch Problem

Have you forgotten that the demons in stories are masters at manipulating souls?

"Too..."

Seele already harbored the same worries, felt her spirits dampen slightly, but still hesitated before speaking.

"But, judging from the older brother's appearance, he doesn't seem like a demon..."

Despite her anxieties about the unknown, Seele, who had been adrift in the Sea of Quantum for an unknown amount of time, still yearned to connect with others and alleviate her loneliness.

Even though she was only communicating with Gwen with worry and caution, and still harbored an unknown fear of strangers, Seele's loneliness had already dissipated by more than half.

Before the Stigmata Consciousness could respond, new text appeared below the long passage the two had just finished reading—

"Speaking of which, I noticed you mentioned the Sea of Quantum in your diary just now..."

I think I heard this name mentioned before by a friend who does scientific research; it seems to exist in a special place, somewhere outside the world.

"!"

At this moment, even the Stigmata Personality couldn't help but widen its eyes—

If Gwen's words are true, then it means that they may have re-established contact with their original world. Even if they cannot go back, they may still have the hope of talking to people they used to know!

Chapter 134 Black Seele: Making Use of Waste!

At this moment, both the gentle and lovely Seele and the volatile and wary Stigmata Consciousness thought of the notebook in front of them, which might represent the hope of returning to their Eigenworld.

Neither Seele herself nor the Stigmata Consciousness spoke immediately, falling into an eerie silence—

Seele wanted to try speaking, but she knew the Stigmata Consciousness would stop her, and she didn't know how to start.

Knowing that Seele would definitely speak, the Stigmata Consciousness was considering how to prevent Seele from acting impulsively and getting hurt, but it also didn't know how to speak.

Meanwhile, in the classroom at the Senba Academy, Gwen, seeing Seele's prolonged silence, remained unperturbed and continued his leisurely questioning—

"So, does that mean we live in the same world?"

If you don't mind, could you tell me some well-known things?

I can cross-reference this with the history of our world to confirm whether the world you originally inhabited is the same world I inhabit.

This wasn't Gwen ignorance to deceive Seele; rather, Gwen genuinely harbored this doubt—

Although Gwen didn't watch the final chapter closely because it was so long and tedious, resulting in some gaps in her understanding of the Gwen Honkai Impact 3rd universe, she still believes that parallel worlds exist within the Solar System that serves as the setting for Honkai Impact 3rd.

Otherwise, what was Su's Hengsha Plan observing?

Therefore, Gwen still wanted to confirm whether Seele, who was talking to him, belonged to this world.

If not, and since I've brought Seele along, something not so good might happen...

Gwen still remembers that in the Captain's storyline, Mr. Stargazer was targeted by the world because his return time was slightly off.

Therefore, Gwen needs to prepare in advance to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

However, although Gwen had thought things through quite thoroughly, he still overlooked one point—

"Let's think together, what are some major events that everyone knows?"

Seeing Gwen's suggestion, Seele, who found it quite reasonable, perked up and made her own suggestion.

"Don't you really enjoy reading?"

Think about it carefully...

The Stigmata Consciousness casually remarked, wanting Seele to have some ability to solve problems independently.

However, although Seele loved reading, having grown up in the Cocolia Orphanage, which couldn't provide a proper education, she mostly read storybooks.

As for what this world is really like, what has happened, what captivating scenery it boasts, and what epic tales it has witnessed...

"..."

After hearing the words of the Stigmata Consciousness, a somewhat disappointed Seele pondered for a long time, suddenly realizing that her understanding of her own world... seemed to be far too limited—

"I..."

The voice of Seele within her body was so faint that the Stigmata Consciousness could barely hear it, revealing the girl's inner turmoil.

"I don't know what to say..."

"You..."

The Stigmata Consciousness, which was about to reluctantly praise Seele, was suddenly choked and didn't know what to say for a moment.

"I..."

Seemingly sensing the shock and anger of the Stigmata Consciousness, Seele's consciousness within her body became even more timid.

However, knowing that this concerned whether she could return to the real world, Seele still mustered her courage and said:

"The orphanage is full of fairy tales, some Russian language textbooks and math books, but very few books about the outside world..."

"... Thinking about it carefully, what is it that many people already know..."

A surge of anger welled up inside him, but hearing Seele's weak voice, the Stigmata Consciousness couldn't bear to blame her, and could only speak in the calmest tone possible.

"Many people know this..."

Instead of hearing the expected reprimand, Seele's fear subsided somewhat, and she began to think from the perspective of the Stigmata Consciousness's hints.

Just a moment later, Seele's eyes lit up as she thought of something—

"How's HOMU?"

Sister Bronya said, "There are people all over the world who like HOMU..."

"That blond rabbit?"

The Stigmata Consciousness subconsciously frowned and asked, somewhat questioning Seele's suggestion.

Just by flipping through her Remembrance, the Stigmata Consciousness realized that Bronya did indeed say something like that, and for the moment, that seemed to be the only thing she could think of...

"Forget it, I doubt anyone in any other world would like that blond rabbit..."

With a hint of disdain, the Stigmata Consciousness manipulated the body to write down this answer.

This time, the Stigmata Consciousness's attitude had nothing to do with being angry at Seele for her lack of ambition; it was simply that she genuinely didn't think the so-called world-famous HOMU was that good-looking...

"..."

Hearing the words of the Stigmata Consciousness, Seele wanted to retort that HOMU wasn't ugly at all, but considering the other party's potentially unfriendly tone, she ultimately gave up on the idea.

On the other hand, Gwen was stunned when he saw the unexpected answer from the other party. After a moment of reaction, he remembered that Seele was still a child. Considering the environment of the Cocolia Orphanage, it was hard to say whether she had received basic education.

Expecting Seele to recount major historical events or news facts seems... indeed a bit of a stretch.

"A miscalculation..."

Gwen, seemingly having no intention of going out during the break, sat in his seat casually twirling his pen, thinking to himself—

"The existence of something HOMU... combined with the previous characteristics, it can be basically confirmed that it is Seele from the Honkai world."

Only...

Just HOMU isn't enough to determine if this Seele is the Seele of this world...

It seems we need to find a way to get Seele to talk about people she knows, and judge based on Bronya's situation, which is an important character..."

With this in mind, Gwen began to reply to Seele—

"HOMU?

Although I don't particularly like it, this fairytale character does exist in my world and is loved by many children.

However, it's not enough to determine whether you and I are in the same world based solely on HOMU...

If you don't mind, you can say some familiar place names or institution names, such as your school or the name of the person who sent you into the Sea of Quantum.

My family has some connections, so checking a place name, organization, or person's resume isn't difficult.

"!"

In the cabin of the Sea of Quantum, upon seeing Gwen's message, the Stigmata Consciousness immediately lit up, and before Seele could speak, it quickly typed out several lines—

Cocolia Orphanage, Russia.

Dean Cocolia.

They adopted an orphan named Anne Mar.

Perhaps Seele, being kind by nature, didn't hold any grudges, but Seele's Stigmata Consciousness didn't have a good impression of Cocolia, who sent Seele into the Sea of Quantum, and Anzu, who had bullied Seele.

Now that waste can be put to good use, the Stigmata Consciousness is naturally happy to do so.

Chapter 135 The Lunch Problem

"Think of your Sister Bronya, she was also subjected to those experiments."

Knowing that Seele would be unhappy with his act of betraying Cocolia, the Stigmata's Stigmata Consciousness spoke first, before Seele could even speak.

"Although we sent your Sister Bronya back last time, who can guarantee that that woman won't use her for experiments again?"

The Stigmata Consciousness, which was of one mind with Seele, naturally knew who Seele cared about most in her heart. With a single sentence, it suppressed Seele's dissatisfaction, leaving her only able to weakly say:

"But, won't it cause trouble for Mother Cocolia if we say her name so directly?"

"The person on the other end said that he's just a high school student with some family connections. How could he possibly have any influence over your 'all-powerful' Mother Cocolia?"

Seeing that Seele was still protecting Cocolia, who had put her in such a predicament, the Stigmata Consciousness felt a surge of disappointment and frustration.

"You should worry about whether he will be targeted by Mother Cocolia."

"That's right, quickly tell your older brother not to investigate too deeply, so as not to cause any misunderstandings with Mother Cocolia..."

Instantly, Seele's attention was diverted, and she quickly spoke to the Stigmata Consciousness.

"Okay, okay..."

The Stigmata Consciousness spoke in its usual disdainful tone, slowly adding notes to the notebook.

"Learn."

Meanwhile, as Gwen calmly replied, wondering which Seele was controlling the body.

Moreover, considering the great vigilance that Black Seele showed towards the outside world in order to protect Seele, Gwen did not intend to completely play the role of a warm-hearted older brother, but instead showed his own needs from time to time, such as exploring the Sea of Quantum.

Although it might make Black Seele more vigilant, it's better than being suspected of having bigger schemes and affecting the other party's subsequent binding of the Chat System.

Gwen managed to finish his morning classes through intermittent conversations with Seele in the Sea of Quantum.

"Yuzuru, let's have lunch first. After lunch, I'll show you around the school..."

After packing her books into her bag, Raiden Mei suddenly remembered that this was Gwen's first time attending school in Japan, and he probably didn't know many things. She looked up at Gwen, who was looking at her with a puzzled expression.

"By the way, Yuzuru, did you bring a lunchbox?"

"Convenient?

You mean lunch?

Gwen blinked, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Doesn't the school have a cafeteria?

"There is a cafeteria, but..."

Upon hearing Gwen's question, Raiden Mei knew that this German transfer student was unfamiliar with Japanese middle schools, so she explained tactfully:

"It might be a little different from what you imagine."

From what I understand, the food options available at the school cafeteria might be disappointing if you don't make a reservation.

Moreover, seating in the cafeteria is quite limited, and the provided tableware cannot be taken out, so it's not a very good option.

Although her mother passed away early, as the eldest daughter of the Raiden Family, Raiden Mei is clearly not the type to fight with her classmates for lunch. Her knowledge of the cafeteria is limited to what she heard from her former "friends".

After her family fell into poverty, Raiden Mei started preparing her own lunchboxes and no longer had the opportunity to go to the cafeteria.

"I see..."