"...I did swallow, that's true, but it was because I hadn't eaten all afternoon and was starving. It had nothing to do with Honkai Beasts."
Kaino stared straight ahead, speaking with righteous conviction.
"Kaino, you can't eat Honkai Beasts, can you?" Blue Seele looked over with concern. "You'd definitely get an upset stomach if you ate one."
"I really wasn't thinking about whether Honkai Beasts can be eaten or not."
Kaino sighed.
Unlike the others, he knew for certain that Honkai Beasts were edible—Ziegfried had told him so.
According to his old man, Honkai Beasts tasted terrible and their meat was incredibly tough, so he had never considered adding them to the menu.
"Come to think of it, I heard you mentioning some armored people when you came in. Did you go to Honkai Ranch?"
"Oh, I almost forgot about that."
The Captain slapped his forehead.
"We were originally accompanying Kiana to Honkai Ranch to find some Honkai Beasts for a barbecue. But when we got there, we found the Honkai Beasts piled into a small mountain, with two strange armored creatures tied up in front of it."
"We thought some evil organization had attacked Honkai Ranch, so we wanted to untie them. But they were happy at first, then started trembling in fear when they saw Seele's face."
"I noticed something was wrong, so I questioned them a little. In the end, I learned what had happened, and that a white-haired man, a white-haired woman, and a girl who looked exactly like Seele had gone to Houmu Happy Restaurant. I figured it was you guys, so I came over—also to grab a meal."
"What about those two?"
Kaino asked curiously.
"Of course they're still tied up there. They actually called me some kind of demon... Hmph."
Before the Captain could speak, Seele beside him snorted unhappily.
Why did that way of speaking sound so much like Red Seele?
Kaino tilted his head in confusion.
Could someone's behavior really change so drastically in such a short time?
"Come to think of it, I never asked. Who is this?"
The Captain pointed at Durandal sitting opposite Kaino.
"Her? She's Durandal, one of the judges for this intermediate division."
Ignoring the Captain and the others' surprised expressions, Kaino continued introducing her.
"She's also the manager of Honkai Ranch, and the boss of those two armored creatures."
The Captain's expression became complicated.
"Guests, your meals are ready."
At that moment, Rita's pleasant yet slightly weary voice rang out. She and Bronya emerged carrying nearly ten plates and set them on Kaino's table.
"So, what would the new guests like to order?"
Xiao Shi—Nowhere to Be Found
"Kaino, it's time to get up."
Hearing Seele's voice, Kaino, who was lying on a luxurious bed inside a Honkai Ball, wriggled beneath the covers like a caterpillar before letting out a huge yawn.
"Seele? What time is it?"
Rubbing his eyes, Kaino asked Seele.
"It's already ten o'clock. Bella and I made breakfast, so come eat quickly, Kaino."
"Ten o'clock?"
Kaino immediately woke up at that, but since Seele was nearby, he did not throw off the blanket. Instead, he stuck his head out and smiled at her.
"Then, Seele, could you give me a moment?"
Seele nodded and left the room.
After rolling around on the bed a few times, Kaino found his clothes, which had been crumpled into a ball amid the tangled blankets, and hurriedly put them on.
After dinner last night, he had not continued chatting with the Captain and the others. Instead, he had retreated into the Honkai Ball with Seele and the others to play games until late into the night. That was why Kaino had unusually slept in, even throwing off his body clock.
Of course, he had mainly played with Red Seele. Blue Seele had switched bodies with her halfway through and gone to sleep, while Bella was not very good at such games and had simply watched from the side.
Come to think of it, perhaps because Tesla had not considered Honkai Beast habits when making the Honkai Balls, the inside of what should have been a resting space for Honkai Beasts was full of facilities for humans to rest and have fun in—even the house had three bedrooms.
That was precisely why they could all live inside one Honkai Ball.
After opening the door, Kaino glanced around the living room. When he found no sign of Red Seele, he scratched his head and asked Blue Seele, who was ladling soup.
"Seele, is the other Seele still asleep? I remember her saying she doesn't need to sleep."
"Huh? Well, that's true under normal circumstances."
Seele put down the bowl in her hands and tapped her cheek as she explained, "More precisely, it isn't that the other Seele doesn't need sleep. It's that if she remains in her usual state of floating nearby, she doesn't get tired."
"But yesterday, she not only helped me manage the Honkai Beasts that came to Honkai Ranch, she also played games with Kaino until very late. So she was exhausted and went back to sleep."
"I see."
Kaino nodded to show that he understood.
But he did not understand at all.
After all, they clearly shared the same body. Red Seele could use it to work, yet Blue Seele was completely unaffected?
How strange.
"Master, please eat soon. Seele and I finished preparing the food some time ago. The pot keeps it warm well, but it will still get cold if you do not eat."
Bella, seated nearby, spoke up.
"That's right, Kaino. We also agreed to meet up with the Captain and the others before going to see Xiao Shi."
"Okay, okay, I get it."
Seele urged him from the side as well.
Kaino covered his face with one hand and hurriedly began eating.
He felt like a child being coaxed into eating by his parents...
"Why did you take so long? It's almost noon already."
The moment they exited the Honkai Ball, they were met with the Captain's complaint.
"We played too late last night. Sorry, sorry..."
Kaino hurried forward with an apologetic smile.
After all, if not for him, they would not have come out this late.
The Captain rolled his eyes and tossed a small booklet to Kaino.
It was the instruction manual Kaino had given the Captain and the others staying outside before entering the Honkai Ball last night.
"There, your instruction manual. Durandal went back last night, confirmed that everything was true, then came back and stamped it for you. Let's get ready and set off."
"Oh, and Miss Durandal already paid for your meal... Come to think of it, you really can eat a lot. She didn't look too pleased when she was paying."
Kaino took the instruction manual and looked around the restaurant.
"Come to think of it, where are Miss Rita and Kiana? Why aren't the owners here?"
How much had he missed while hiding in the Honkai Ball last night?
"The owners went out to buy ingredients—it has nothing to do with how much you ate. They simply needed to restock, and she told us to lock up when we left. As for Kiana, she had secretly run out from school, and one of her short elders dragged her back last night."
Good job.
Kaino immediately understood who the "short elder" the Captain was talking about was.
"Alright, enough of that. We got the stamps from the first two divisions smoothly, and we know who the third judge is, but we should still hurry."
The Captain suggested, "If we move fast enough, we might even enter the finals before the other groups get their second stamp."
"Then the other groups would be eliminated because they couldn't enter the finals in time? You're pretty ruthless."
Kaino nodded and temporarily agreed with his proposal, but then raised a question. "Going earlier definitely has more advantages than disadvantages, but do you think Xiao Shi will let us pass so peacefully? She said she wouldn't charge us, but trouble is definitely unavoidable."
The Captain hesitated slightly, then nodded. "True."
The two reached an agreement.
"Then let's get moving. Honkai Ranch is quite far from Seaside Amusement Park, so we'll probably have to walk for a long time."
Kaino blinked at that, then looked at Bella with a smile. "I'm counting on you, Bella!"
Bella nodded expressionlessly as usual, lightly leaping from the ground and flying into the air.
"Roar!!!"
With a roar that sounded like a transformation sound effect, Bella stretched out and transformed into a dragon-shaped Honkai Beast, continuously beating her wings in the sky.
The Captain and his Seele stared blankly, while Chuche, for some reason, spun around excitedly below.
"Chuche!"
"We'll ride Bella there. It's safe, fast, and most importantly, incredibly cool!"
Kaino smiled as he introduced Bella's form to the group.
"So..."
The Captain looked suspiciously at Kaino. "The dragon that scared us into hiding back then was Bella?"
"What dragon? I have no idea what you're talking about."
Kaino did not even hesitate before pretending to be clueless.
Without giving the Captain, Seele, and the others time to react, Kaino used frost to create a broad staircase leading to Bella's back. He stepped onto it with one foot and turned to look at them.
"Don't worry, the stairs are sturdy. Even Chuche won't break them."
As he spoke, Kaino waved at Blue Seele. "Seele, come on up."
Once everyone was aboard, Bella quickly took off and flew toward Seaside Amusement Park.
On the dragon's back, Kaino frowned and rubbed his chin.
Had he forgotten something?
At the same time, at Honkai Ranch.
Durandal, who was counting the Honkai Beasts, frowned.
"Strange. Why have all the Emperor-class Honkai Beasts disappeared? They shouldn't be hiding in the city, or there would be no way there wouldn't be any disturbance at all."
Miss Durandal scratched her head in confusion.
Long Time No See... One Day Apart
"Come to think of it, this city is really quiet when you look down from up high."
Squatting on Bella's back, Kaino frowned.
Unlike the beginner and intermediate divisions before, Kaino found the advanced division extremely, extremely quiet when looking down from the sky.
It was broad daylight, and they were above a city packed with buildings, yet there were barely any people in sight.
...No, perhaps even "barely" was unnecessary.
This kind of scene was probably only comparable to the hour before early classes began at school.
"Could it be because it's daytime, so everyone is at work? Besides, in weather this hot, who would leave the air conditioning behind to wander outside?"
A familiar voice sounded beside him, and Kaino instinctively shook his head.
"Even if the weather is hot, there shouldn't be absolutely no one around. A lot of people actually like going out in summer... Huh?"
Realizing something was wrong, Kaino turned toward his side and saw Red Seele floating in the air, looking at him with a thoughtful expression.
"Seele, you're awake?"
"We went to sleep around the same time, didn't we? Even if I sleep more than usual, I wouldn't wake up much later than you."
As she spoke, Seele turned to look below.
Before you continue