Himeko's Concerns

She tied her apron behind her back with her hands behind her back, carefully folding up the cuffs to reveal her fair skin.

While washing the dishes, the girl would occasionally tuck her hair behind her ear, because she had been in a hurry when she tied her hair up earlier, leaving her hair untied.

In fact, given her swordsmanship and martial artist's intuition, even though Su Qing'an's footsteps were habitually silent, she should have been able to detect him the moment he stepped through the door.

But in fact, she only realized what was happening after Su Qing'an pushed open the door.

Has her recent comfortable life made her a little complacent?

Or is most of your attention focused on the game?

Or perhaps... this place unexpectedly makes her feel at ease?

The eerie, misty sense of déjà vu always made her wonder what kind of existence Su Qing'an meant to her.

You can make ripples on the water's surface with your fingertips, and the porcelain bowl and wooden chopsticks sway gently in the water before silently sinking.

Her mind returned to peace.

Those are fragments of memories that are harder to trace than those lost normally; they are as illusory as flowers in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water.

If it weren't for her barely preserved sword heart realm allowing her to keenly perceive the fluctuations in her Mind Lake, even if she considered it an accident or a coincidence, it would be quite normal.

In Fu Hua's view, it was the ripples caused by the insignificant [Ashes] left after the Udu-dust was burned away.

It's pointless to even try to find it.

What we need to think about right now are other things.

Is there a way for Su Qing'an to become stronger? She gazed at the water, fragmented memories flashing through her mind...

Su Qing'an sat obediently in the chair, and from his angle, he could clearly see the girl's slender back as she washed the dishes.

The pink apron had a cat paw print-shaped tie for knotting, and the girl carefully tied it into a neat and orderly bow.

Kiana gave him this apron; although it wasn't exactly to his liking, he usually wore it while cooking.

Only now, seeing Fu Hua wearing this apron, did he realize how ridiculously cute it was.

He originally wanted to wash the dishes with Fu Hua, but the way she washed the dishes in an apron was really different from the impression she usually gave people. That sudden and clear girlishness made him a little uncomfortable.

Even the frozen Mind Lake seemed to waver.

"What are you planning to do later?" Fu Hua asked, slowly wiping the water-stained bowl with a cloth.

"Go train. I want to test some things in a combat simulation scenario," Su Qing'an replied.

He had used the Stigmata many times inside, but the data framework inside regarding the detailed flow of Honkai Energy and the reactions of the body when Artificial Stigmata were in operation was not perfected to the level of comprehensiveness.

The skillful application described therein differs somewhat from reality.

Practicing controlling Artificial Stigmata inside isn't very useful; on the contrary, the simulated negative physical reactions make Su Qing'an feel very uncomfortable.

Even if it only has a slight effect, it's still more worthwhile than directly consuming one's life force for experimentation.

Su Qing'an wasn't unafraid of the consequences of using the Stigmata; the detached and surreal feeling of being gradually informed of her impending death was enough to make it a lie to say she wasn't afraid.

Compared to a straightforward death, the feeling of being acutely aware, step by step, of one's own impending doom is far more agonizing.

He could choose without hesitation to burn his life to feed the demon called the Stigmata, because there were things far more detestable than these that were forcing him forward.

However, it's far from enough to just train the accuracy of the Stigmata and improve some combat power that he would have to pay such a price.

The lifespan of the Stigmata that can burn is one of his few bargaining chips.

And when gamblers hold their last chips and are about to make their final gamble, they also calculate carefully, right?

"You just got back from a mission. Even training requires a balance of work and rest," the girl retorted to Su Qing'an's answer, frowning as she put the dried dishes back into the cupboard.

"Then... I'll open a coffee shop." After thinking for a while, Su Qing'an realized that playing games was practically her only form of entertainment.

"You own a coffee shop? I've heard others mention it. For you, running a shop is a way to relax?"

She took off her pink cat paw apron, folded it neatly, and placed it on the table.

Su Qing'an's gaze lingered on the apron for a few moments before she nodded and said, "I really enjoy making coffee."

Not noticing any change in the boy's eyes, Fu Hua nodded seriously and said:

"Oh, you really like it? Whether it's relaxing or having fun, it's only meaningful to do things you enjoy. Let's go together then. I haven't made coffee in a while."

"Can hua do that too?" he asked.

But then he realized that if it were Hua, it wouldn't be surprising at all.

Su Qing'an readily accepted this fact, after all, even the girl's remaining memories were already far more extensive than what ordinary people could ever imagine.

Himeko gradually came to understand this through her interactions with the other party, which is why she said Fu Hua was very versatile last time.

"Yes, I learned a little bit when I was doing missions in some places before, but it's just at a very basic level," Fu Hua said.

However, no one knows what standard she was using to define "ordinary".

So the two of them went out.

Satou Yunona stood in front of Himeko's house door.

After she and Su Qing'an went to the equipment department to hand over the remaining equipment, she went to the office of Headmaster Theresa to inquire about the next steps and follow-up reports.

The other party ended the conversation in less than five minutes, gently patting their heads to tell them to go back and rest.

So she used the key to open the door.

"Welcome back. Your first mission must have been tough." The red-haired woman was lounging on the sofa, dressed rather lightly despite it being winter.

Himeko turned her head, smiled, and waved to Satou Yunona, saying...

If you could just ignore the beer in her hand and the empty can hidden under the coffee table, that would be the best scene.

Satou Yunona glanced at the smoldering beer can in the other person's hand and said somewhat speechlessly, "Major Himeko, if you keep drinking like this, your stomach will break down sooner or later."

"Don't worry, Yuno. As a mature adult, I know how to take care of myself," Himeko said, though she wasn't sure if it was reliable. Then she changed the subject, "Anyway, you all worked hard this time. What about Su Qing'an? Did he go back to his dorm first?"

"Yeah, he went back to the dorm. But I feel like he'll probably go to the training ground later," Satou Yunona nodded and said, offering her guess.

"They're all people who can't stop. He's also an idiot who doesn't even know how to rest properly." Murata Himeko gave a rather complicated smile.

She immediately downed the wine in one gulp.

She placed the empty aluminum can on the coffee table, the sound of it clattering together was rather crisp.

The woman stood up and said:

"Kiana and the others went grocery shopping. They should be back soon. I'm going to bed now."

After speaking, Himeko turned and headed towards her room. Then, as if remembering something, she suddenly stopped and said to Satou Yunona, who hadn't yet spoken:

"Please help me tidy up, Yuno."

Satou Yunona sighed and said:

"I just can't do anything with Major Himeko. If Mei sees you like this, she'll give you a very gentle lecture."

"That's the only one I absolutely don't want." Himeko's expression was indescribable.

It's naturally difficult to refuse someone who genuinely cares about you and whose advice is given in a very gentle manner and tone.

However, after agreeing, the feeling of repeatedly committing the same mistake and getting caught is truly embarrassing.

In this respect, Su Qing'an is indeed easier to deal with.

Murata Himeko let out a heartfelt sigh of helplessness.

"Only once, okay? Now you should get some sleep." Satou Yunona gave Himeko a satisfactory answer.

"Thank you for your help then," Himeko yawned, then complained softly, "I stayed up really late last night helping the headmaster with a report."

If it weren't for wanting to see how Satou Yunona would look when she returned, Himeko would have gone to sleep long ago. Of course, she also used that as an excuse to drink a few cans of beer to stay awake.

However, given the child's current state, perhaps Kiana's own experiences and significance to her can offer her more comfort.

So I left early.

Exhausted and sleepy, she entered the room with this thought in mind.