Nishikujo Sara's Personal Opinion

May 6, 2014.

A week has passed since the riot at the research institute, St. Freya Academy has remained as peaceful as ever during this time.

The matter seemed to have been quietly swallowed up by the sea breeze, and no one except the parties involved felt any turmoil.

Meanwhile, inside the office...

After carefully confirming that it was quiet around her, Theresa solemnly pulled out a comic book titled "Honkai Impact 3rd" from the pile of documents.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, she let out a cute sneeze. After wrinkling her delicate nose, the girl nonchalantly hugged her comic book and sank into the soft office chair.

This is not office time.

I'm sure.

Behind her office chair is Judah, which Theresa has recently gotten into the habit of carrying with her.

What happened a week ago made her feel very insecure, and the unease buried in her heart made this the only way she could stay calm.

The comic book "Honkai Impact 3rd" is the best way for her to relieve stress.

It has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not you slack off or not.

"Knock knock knock." With a knock on the door, the person opened it and walked in.

She was a woman wearing a white lab coat; judging from her age, she was probably only around twenty-five years old.

She actually had a very good figure; her well-developed body could be described as having undulating curves, but the wide robes covered most of it.

As Nishikujo Sara entered the room, she suppressed her smoking habit, her beautiful face showing a hint of irritation.

She tossed a strand of hair aside and tucked it over her shoulder.

Compared to a while ago, Nishikujo Sara's hair seems to have grown a little longer.

She glanced at the white dust drifting in the air, then casually shifted her gaze to Theresa, who was sitting upright and diligently working, and said:

"Headmaster, I'm here to talk to you about Su Qing'an."

Theresa smiled calmly and said:

"Long time no see, Mr. Nishikujo."

"I remember we just saw each other in the cafeteria yesterday at noon, but never mind, now is not the time to talk about this," Nishikujo Sara tapped her fingertips lightly on the desk and said, "Headmaster, didn't you approve giving Fu Hua a set of high-fidelity virtual reality equipment a while ago?"

Theresa remained silent for a moment upon hearing this. She already knew why Nishikujo Sara had come, and she replied:

"That's right, it's a highly realistic virtual environment device designed specifically for special purposes. Fu Hua said it's for Su Qing'an's training."

"Training needs? Indeed, if we're only talking about realism, that's definitely an advantage of this equipment."

Nishikujo Sara frowned and said:

"However, it can affect the training of Artificial Stigmata in terms of the speed at which life is consumed, and from the perspective of the School Doctor, please forgive me for not being able to agree with that."

"The erosion of the Artificial Stigmata has accelerated? How is that possible!" Theresa lost her composure, her voice trembling as she uttered these words.

Nishikujo Sara said:

"Artificial Stigmata are not such docile and obedient things to begin with, Headmistress. Expecting that you can keep it obediently inside your body just because you don't use it in battle is an oversimplification of the problem, isn't it?"

"It's a well-known fact that intense mental stress can cause rejection reactions to Artificial Stigmata, which is probably one of the reasons why you deliberately created such a relaxed atmosphere at the St. Freya Academy."

Theresa calmed down, but the way her fingertips pressed back and forth on the table showed that she was not at peace.

She said:

"Of course I know that, but this should only happen when the Artificial Stigmata implant recipient reaches the middle to late stage of life. Su Qing'an used the Artificial Stigmata twice in this mission, and according to him, the total time should be less than twenty seconds."

"He only had the Artificial Stigmata implanted three months ago. With such a short usage time, it's impossible for his lifespan to be reduced to only five years, nor is it possible for the rejection factors to increase."

Nishikujo Sara opened the window, leaned against it, and took out an old-fashioned silver metal lighter from her pocket.

The woman lit a cigarette.

After a long silence, savoring the lingering taste of the tobacco in her mouth, she said:

"... Principal, you should understand that Su Qing'an is special."

"But this special treatment hasn't brought any good things."

The woman's words, carried by the smoke she exhaled, filled the room, and the atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

Theresa did not speak.

Nishikujo Sara glanced at the girl's somewhat dejected face and couldn't help but sigh.

That silly nun is still the same as ever, she hasn't grown at all, but that's also why I'm willing to stay at the St. Freya Academy.

Nishikujo Sara couldn't help but say to her in a comforting tone:

"In short, although such signs have appeared, his medical report doesn't lie; it still indicates he can live for another ten years. The life force he burned during this mission, in numerical terms, is about two weeks of lifespan."

But then, she changed the subject:

"But if he continues to endure such intense mental abuse and pressure, no one can fathom the ultimate limit that the Artificial Stigmata can erode."

"Given your personality, Principal, it's impossible that you weren't paying attention to their training. He experienced 237 deaths with 99% realism in just two weeks."

"This is why his mental stress was so immense that it affected the rate of Stigmata erosion."

"Su Qing'an is learning a technique that is impossible to use in reality. I have calculated his Honkai Energy adaptability and Honkai Energy resistance. After comparing his data in the virtual scenario for two weeks, I can be sure that Su Qing'an could not possibly use such a reckless skill in reality."

"I admit that Su Qing'an is very talented. I would even say that this student is a genius I have never seen before. Even with such poor Honkai Energy adaptability, he learned such skills in a short period of time, which is simply unreasonable."

"But that's all."

"Simply having talent can't break through the limits of the body. That's not a move prepared for him at all. It's even another matter whether there's anyone in the entire St. Freya Academy who can learn it."

Even Nishikujo Sara exclaimed in amazement at this technique, which she had never heard of before:

"No wonder she can reach the A-rank Valkyrie level in such a short time. Just learning those techniques is already incredibly difficult, so how difficult must it be to create them herself?"

"Unfortunately, such a level of difficulty makes it impossible to promote. This is probably why she taught Su Qing'an without any reservations, yet had no intention of making it public."

Theresa, standing to the side, was speechless for a moment.

She has always respected students' self-will, but if a student's self-will is harmful to them, should she, as their guide, step in to stop them?

She believed that Su Qing'an had made his own choice, and she also acknowledged and trusted Fu Hua's maturity and judgment, but the other party's physical condition also put Theresa in a difficult position.

Finally, with mixed feelings, she said:

"So you came to me to ask me to take back the right to use that equipment?"

Nishikujo Sara shook her head in response:

"Although I don't mind being the bad guy, it's better to guide than to suppress these kinds of things. Su Qing'an has always shown great maturity, but precisely because of this, once such a person makes a decision, he won't give up just because of a few words."

"Fu Hua should have just gone on a mission yesterday. Although this equipment is for Su Qing'an, according to the rules, it was Fu Hua who applied for it. So he'll come to you today to apply for a new license to use it."

"When the time comes, just use the excuse that only A-rank Valkyrie has the authority to apply for this permission to get by, and let him obediently wait for Fu Hua to return. At least this way, he can have a short, passive rest."

"Fu Hua, haven't she been going on a lot more missions lately?"

After making that remark, Theresa's expression turned somewhat subtle as she looked at the woman, and she said softly:

"Shaluo, you've actually talked to Su Qing'an about this, haven't you? Otherwise, given your personality, it would be normal for you to do your best to stop his reckless behavior within the scope of your authority."

Nishikujo Sara gazed at the vast, blue sky, smoke billowing from her lips, obscuring her face. No one knew what her expression was at that moment.

Will it be sorrow or indifference? Will it be wavering or composure?

She habitually buried these secrets in the swirling smoke, and then they dissipated with the sea breeze.

Nishikujo Sara wasn't sad; she was just unhappy.

She said:

"... I told him, Su Qing'an, if you keep going like this, you might lose a few years of your life, and that idiot seriously said he knew."

He said he wouldn't be satisfied unless he got hurt badly.

The woman laughed, a laugh of ambiguity, and her tone gradually lost its composure.

"Ha, that's hilarious. You're someone who joined the Logistics Department after graduation, what are you training for?"

"Saving the world? Everyone has their own limits. The right thing to do is to honestly abide by those limits and live a good life."

"I can understand the transplantation of Artificial Stigmata; it's a temporary measure to survive."

"But what he's doing now only proves that this guy never subconsciously saw himself as a logistical support from the very beginning."

"It was as if he wanted to use that tattered body to overcome something."

"Just listen to those 'I won't be satisfied until I'm battered and bruised' kinds of talk. This guy is clearly the kind of idiot who wouldn't give up even if he banged his head against a wall to his death."

After a long while, Nishikujo Sara's tone returned to calm.

Finally, she said this:

"Really... so naive and childish."

Theresa smiled helplessly.

She thought, "If that person's will really hasn't wavered at all, why would you say so much?"

Salo.

Even if you know perfectly well that Su Qing'an's limits are what they are, wouldn't you inevitably feel a little bit of anticipation along with your worries?

You expect that child's efforts to pay off; you expect him to truly overcome something.

You felt those things were clearly impossible, but you couldn't bear to completely cut off his options, so you ended up choosing this half-hearted approach, right?

You're such a half-baked amateur, it's completely unlike you.

But I have absolutely no right to say anything to you.

Nishikujo Sara put away her lighter and cigarette case, and looked at Theresa, asking:

"Headmistress, are you not going to tell Himeko anything about him?"

Theresa's expression turned somewhat somber, and she nodded, saying:

"Sara, you should understand Himeko's situation. She has entered the late stage of Artificial Stigmata, and if possible, I don't want her to know."

Nishikujo Sara responded with a wry smile:

"Run away? There really isn't a better way, but as a doctor who can't save any of them, I'm the most useless one."

Before Theresa could offer any clumsy words of comfort, the woman waved her hand, opened the door, and chose to leave.

Before leaving, she left behind her last words.

"Headmaster, you've done a great job. This academy needs you. So, during my occasional breaks, I'll turn a blind eye. But next time, don't tear up comics. Unless you can tear them to the quark level, even an idiot would notice."

The door was carefully closed by Nishikujo Sara.

Theresa's fair face turned pink.

"I was caught after all. I shouldn't be lazy next time," the headmistress thought to herself for a moment, reflecting on her actions.

Those heavy topics were broken by the woman's last, casual remark: Nishikujo Sara had always been like that.

She is not easily saddened, and she hates seeing others sad.

The wind ruffled the hem of her white coat, Nishikujo Sara smiled as she looked at the handsome young man walking towards her.