"Don't let her appearance fool you. She may look young, but she's actually an old woman in her forties. For certain reasons, her body has remained stuck at twelve." Murata Himeko patted Yu Luo on the shoulder and looked at him sympathetically. "That little shrimp likes pranking people she doesn't know. You'll get used to it."
"Ah?!" Yu Luo suddenly snapped back to his senses and asked excitedly, "Principal Theresa really is in her forties?!"
Murata Himeko felt that Yu Luo's reaction was a little off, but she figured the blow might have been too much for him to accept right away. Wanting to watch him make a fool of himself—no, wanting to shatter his illusion—she nodded and added, "She was already active ten years ago as one of Anti-Entropy's three great S-rank Valkyries. She's already forty this year!"
"Isn't that even better?!" Yu Luo excitedly slammed his right fist onto the edge of the bed. "A legal loli, white-haired too, good at fighting and licking—no, good-looking! She's practically a fantasy come true!!!"
Yu Luo's words thoroughly frightened Murata Himeko. She looked at him as if he were non-recyclable trash, then awkwardly stood up from the bedside and put some distance between them.
"I'll go get the three little girls who've been worried about you." As Murata Himeko opened the door, Theresa's voice reached her ears before she could step outside, like a devil's whisper:
"Himeko, because you drank on the job this month, your salary is gone."
"Please don't, Principal! My salary's already been docked for three months straight. If I don't get paid again, I'll have to sell myself!"
Their bickering gradually faded away. Just as Yu Luo was about to lie down and properly check the system notifications, he spotted a pair of yellow rabbit doll ears and a silver-gray drill.
"It's Bronya. Come in. Why are you standing outside?" Yu Luo recognized those iconic features at once and spoke with a smile.
Sure enough, Bronya cautiously poked her head in through the doorway. "No dangerous individuals detected. Safety confirmed." With the help of the augmented armor on her legs, she floated into the room and sat beside Yu Luo.
Yu Luo rubbed Bronya's head and asked with a smile, "Why are you alone? Where are Mei and Kiana?"
"Wow, Bronya, you sneaked off! We agreed to come together!" Kiana's booming voice could be heard from far away. She then rushed in like a whirlwind, tripped over something underfoot, and crashed heavily onto the floor. She slid forward and slammed into the bedside.
Thud! The dull impact made Yu Luo feel his whole body shake. Leaning halfway out of bed, he looked at Kiana as she rubbed her head and climbed up from the floor. "Be careful. Your brain barely works as it is. If you damage it, you'll be even dumber."
"This young lady is clever and quick-witted, not dumb! Ow..." Kiana retorted tearfully, pain in her voice.
"According to Heavy-duty Rabbit's scans, Kiana's intelligence is at the same level as a paramecium."
"You little runt, are you picking a fight on purpose?!"
"Heavy-duty Rabbit's scan results are authoritative and trustworthy."
Watching Kiana and Bronya start arguing, Yu Luo felt his entire body relax. Wasn't this cheerful, happy everyday life exactly what he had desperately wanted to protect?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Mei Raiden appeared in the doorway as well. Carrying a fruit basket, she walked in and stopped Bronya and Kiana's quarrel.
"Enough. Teacher Yu Luo has only just woken up. You'll disturb his recovery like this."
Seeing Mei Raiden, Yu Luo asked with concern, "Mei, how are you feeling? Did they give you a hard time?" As he asked the last question, his eyes glanced toward the door. Mei Raiden instantly understood who he meant. She shook her head, took an apple from the fruit basket, and began peeling it as she answered gently.
"No. Teacher Himeko didn't make things difficult for me. Starting tomorrow, I'll be attending St. Freya Academy."
"I'm going to St. Freya Academy too! I hope I get assigned to the same class as Sister Mei." Kiana spoke hopefully at first, then glanced at Bronya, who was sitting in front of Yu Luo and enjoying his head pats. "It'd be best if this little runt got assigned to a different class."
"According to Bronya's calculations, the probability of Bronya being assigned to the same class as Sister Mei is one hundred percent." Bronya tilted her head and spoke in an even tone.
"Principal Theresa is my auntie! I'll have her separate you from Sister Mei right now!"
Kiana's boundless energy really could lighten people's moods without them realizing it. Mei Raiden watched Bronya and Kiana interact with a smile, and yesterday's events resurfaced in her mind.
"That man named Yu Luo is no longer in mortal danger." In a special detention room aboard the Hyperion, Mei Raiden sat on the only single bed with her arms wrapped around her knees, seemingly lost in thought. Murata Himeko suddenly entered and spoke to her.
"He should wake up sometime tomorrow."
"That's great." Mei Raiden sounded as though she had breathed a sigh of relief. Her head remained buried between her knees as she said in a muffled voice, "From here on, you can deal with me however you want."
"Kill you? Fine." Murata Himeko's voice was icy. "With one less Herrscher, perhaps the world can escape the prophecy of destruction."
"Is that so... Then that's good. As long as I'm alive, I'll definitely hurt others. So as long as I die..." Before Mei Raiden could finish, Murata Himeko strode forward angrily and pulled her up from the bed.
Slap!
Under Mei Raiden's stunned gaze, Murata Himeko delivered a heavy slap. Her voice was filled with rage. "Don't joke around!"
"I'm a warrior who fights Honkai, not an executioner who murders girls! Besides, that person risked his life to save you from the Herrscher. If you want to die like this, can you really face him?!"
Murata Himeko's words struck Mei Raiden's heart like heavy hammers. "If you truly don't want the life someone saved for you, then give it to me. I'll train you into a warrior capable of controlling her own power!"
"What if I can't control it? What if I lose control again and hurt even more people... hurt him..." Mei Raiden argued emotionally, two streams of tears sliding down from the corners of her eyes. Having been controlled by the Herrscher and hurt the person most important to her would forever remain a pain in her heart.
Murata Himeko stepped forward with an overwhelming presence and solemnly placed her right hand over Mei Raiden's left chest. "Then I'll add a safety lock for you!"
"I'll implant a small bomb beside your heart. Once the Honkai Energy in your body gets too high, the bomb will explode! How about that? That should put your mind at ease, right?"
"Then carry on living with the life someone saved for you!"
Watching Murata Himeko stride coolly out of the detention room, Mei Raiden felt as though a tremendous burden had been lifted from her body. She placed both hands over her chest and whispered gratefully, "Thank you..."
"Mei, Mei..." Yu Luo's voice pulled Mei Raiden from her memories back to reality. She asked curiously, "What is it, Teacher Yu Luo?"
Yu Luo took the apple, now peeled down to a much smaller size, from her hand and asked with concern, "Keep peeling and there'll only be the core left." He then took a huge bite and asked indistinctly, "What's wrong? What were you thinking about? Is the Herrscher's will still acting up?"
"No." Mei Raiden shook her head and answered, "The Herrscher's will probably won't appear again. I was just thinking that St. Freya Academy is a girls' school, so Teacher Yu Luo might not be staying with us."
"That's right! Teacher Yu Luo, where have you been assigned? Are you going to be separated from us?!" Hearing Mei Raiden's words, Kiana suddenly realized the issue and asked Yu Luo anxiously. Even Bronya stood up from the bed, her emotionless silver-gray eyes fixed on him as she waited for his answer.
"Blind Monk, you've found the key point!" Yu Luo snapped his fingers in what he considered a handsome manner and smiled at the three girls waiting for an answer. "St. Freya Academy may be a girls' school, but teachers can be men."
"Although I don't know what subject I'll be teaching yet, I'll be your teacher from now on." Yu Luo smiled mischievously.
"Please take care of me, Student Kiana, Student Mei Raiden, and Student Bronya!"
Before you continue