Satou Yunona's Dream

As the faint starlight slowly descended, she floated and drifted on the shimmering, dark sea, her naked form outlined in the clear, deep Seawater by the light, revealing a sacred silhouette.

Those slender limbs were pale and powerless, like a fish on the verge of death.

The girl's long, flowing hair, like seaweed, swayed with the waves in the cold Seawater. Endless whirlpools surged beneath her beautiful body, yet the powerful suction seemed to have no effect on this tranquil and peaceful drifting.

The eyes that reflected the crescent moon in the sky were empty and lifeless, gradually becoming shrouded in mist and gray.

Thousands of fish, like phantoms, circled the soulless body, respectfully and coldly offering their presence to the empty throne, far removed from her delicate skin.

It's so cold...

It's so dark...

A sudden glimmer of intelligence and a faint light appeared in her eyes, and tears fell like broken beads, sinking into the endless ocean currents.

The girl moved her throat, squeezing out a hoarse murmur:

"I didn't see any fireworks."

That day, Satou Yunona had a nightmare.

In her dream, she seemed to have transformed into a mermaid from a fairy tale, swimming alone in the vast ocean. She looked down upon this mysterious and magnificent world, and felt an unprecedented sense of freedom and joy.

But soon, the sharp spear of the whaling ship pierced her chest cavity, and her beautiful scales, mixed with her graceful fish tail, were shattered into crimson flesh and blood, and she sank into the sea.

The remaining body was dragged onto the cold deck amidst the jubilant clamor of the humans. She looked up at those faces swelled with filthy desires and felt a pang of sadness.

The pitch-black ocean, as if representing her will, surged forth and overturned everything.

She drifted alone in the endless ocean.

His own mangled, corpse-like body was finally dragged out of the hopeless depths of the sea by a pair of hands.

A shower of starlight descended, enveloping the scene in a thin veil, while fish, like stars chasing the moon, offered gentle solace...

Satou Yunona snapped out of her reverie, looked out the window at the snow-covered world after the snow had stopped, and sighed:

"After having this dream, I'm afraid to take Hua to the swimming pool or the beach in the summer."

What a vivid dream!

She empathized with the agony of being shattered to pieces, the emptiness before life fades away, and the profound sorrow and bewilderment.

But these thoughts were ultimately like sand slipping through her fingers, vanishing as soon as Satou Yunona yawned and officially got out of bed.

She was naturally an optimistic person, and besides, the moment a dream ends, it enters into complete illusion, leaving little for further investigation.

The girl walked barefoot on the wooden floor, her eyes half-closed, and lazily stretched her waist. Her thin, homey undershirt stretched her figure in alluring curves with the movement.

It was strange; normally she would tiptoe carefully to find her slippers, but today she felt the ground was not only not cold, but rather a little warm.

This prompted the still not fully awake girl to walk directly to the table and check the time on her phone, but she had no intention of finding slippers to put on.

6:30? Isn't that a bit early for me?

As Satou Yunona passed by the other bed, she noticed that Fu Hua was already awake, as always.

"Hmm, good morning, Hua."

She rubbed her eyes, greeted Fu Hua, and then casually unbuttoned her clothes, taking them all off.

Fu Hua's response came belatedly only after all the odds and ends of the clothes had been folded and put into the basket.

Good morning, Yuno.

Satou Yunona covered her fair skin and exposed breasts with a bath towel, then looked at Fu Hua politely glanced at her.

She seemed still a little sleepy, curled up by the bed, her slightly narrowed eyes adorned with a delicate luster by the dim light falling into the room.

The girl hesitated for a moment and asked:

"By the way, do you want to shower together, Hua?"

Normally, this would be said in a cheerful tone.

But now she has a hint of timidity and cowardice that she herself is unaware of, which makes Fu Hua feel that Satou Yunona is inexplicably cute compared to her previous cunning and lively self.

The young girl glanced at Satou Yunona standing at the bathroom door. She stood barefoot in the center of her vision, her straight and slender legs exposed to the air, a bath towel covering most of her skin above the knees and extending to her soft chest.

Her delicate collarbones and the faintly outlined deep white lines were extremely dangerous, and her subconsciously evasive eyes only intensified the alluring sadistic desires.

Yuno's appearance hasn't changed much, but strangely, she looks exceptionally beautiful at this moment.

But...

She buried her head under the covers, no longer looking in Satou Yunona's direction, and replied righteously:

"I refuse."

I would rather bathe with Master Su than with Yuno.

She was sure to be sunk in the bathtub by mocking and teasing gazes; Satou Yunona successfully used her past impressions to deliver a crushing defeat.

She let out a sob in her heart and reluctantly walked into the bathroom.

Taking a shower after waking up is a habit of hers, but because of that dream today, the girl felt that if she soaked in the bathtub, her legs would turn into a fish tail, which is contrary to the structure of the human body.

Then you'll be dragged into the endless deep sea, far away from delicious things like milk tea, pizza, cream puffs, and small cakes. You won't even have a phone to check your horoscope or what colors bring bad luck. It's a completely different kind of hell on earth.

And while mermaids and such sound like fairy tales and beautiful things, I always feel that if I really became like that, I would be alone for the rest of my life.

She glanced at the bathtub, which could easily fit two of her, and somewhat guiltily chose to refuse.

The bath towel was placed outside the built-in glass door. The girl walked into the frosted glass shower enclosure and turned on the hot water.

Hot water gushed from the showerhead, soaking my entire body. Water droplets traced the curves of my body, gently licking my slender ankles across both steep and smooth surfaces, before falling onto the clean tiles with a soft, pattering sound.

She squeezed out the citrus-scented shower gel, slightly dampened the foaming ball, and then applied the cool liquid, pressing her fingertips against the PE material, feeling the delicate skin as she traced irregular circles.

Large amounts of snow-white foam swept across the area above the sacrum and on both sides where the lumbar vertebrae connect, then moved upwards to cover the symmetrical shoulder blades of the back...

The girl hummed an ancient folk song from an eastern island nation, and as the melody echoed melodiously in the enclosed room, her lonely mood was somewhat relieved.

Mermaids are not human; even with their beautiful faces and pure hearts, they are still rejected, feared, and...

Kill.

So Satou Yunona doesn't want to become a mermaid.

She didn't want to be alone.

But perhaps things wouldn't be so terrible if they turned out that way?

Satou Yunona recalled the hands that pulled her out of the deep sea as she was sinking in her dream.

All the wounds and sorrow on my body melted away in the strength and warmth of the other person's hand. An unprecedented sense of security overwhelmed the pain and confusion, and suddenly I was no longer afraid of that future.

The foam was washed onto the ground by the water flow and slowly disappeared into the drain.

The girl's humming gradually faded as the showerhead stopped spraying water, until it stopped completely.

Her emotions had completely calmed down, and the warmth of those hands seemed to be giving her immense comfort even from a dream.

The songs hummed on one's lips are also one of the factors that bring peace of mind.

This is a song my mother likes; she enjoys humming the same melody while cooking for herself.

Over time, Satou Yunona memorized the tune, and just humming it made her feel subconsciously at ease.

It felt like... your mother was watching you from the side, and you unconsciously gained courage that you didn't usually have.

The girl rubbed her long, wet hair with a bath towel, and in a daze, she remembered the gift her father had said he would give her, and murmured:

"The fireworks display? That's still a long way off."

Satou Yunona smiled.

That summer will surely bring the grandest fireworks display and the chirping of cicadas.

That also happened to be the girl's 16th birthday.

Sunday.

The elective course quotas were completed yesterday afternoon, which meant Su Qing'an could enjoy a leisurely day away from the cycle of being a corporate slave.

The snowdrifts on the road had been cleared away by robots by early morning, and the two-tone granite pavement contrasted sharply with the snow-white greenery on both sides.

The library in the distance, which used to have red eaves, now blends almost seamlessly with the sky.

The branches next to the balcony were bent over by the weight of the snow and fell onto the railing. The snow that followed accumulated in several flowerpots, and it was clear that they could not survive.

He stood on the balcony, wearing slippers and thin pajamas, tending to the few sickly potted flowers.

Yesterday's heavy snow cast a shadow of death over these flowers; after a night in such temperatures, they were almost beyond saving.

Su Qing'an's actions now can only be considered a leisurely endeavor, a matter of doing one's best and leaving the rest to Schicksal.

These flowerpots seemed to be remnants left behind by previous generations who hadn't cleaned them properly, so he didn't have much of a recollection of them.

If it weren't for Seele's incident, Su Qing'an might have remembered to bring those flowerpots back to the air-conditioned room.

But after returning, the boy, having experienced a huge amount of information, was only concerned with Seele's emotional state and the three of them having dinner, so these trivial details were naturally forgotten.

It is 7:30 in the morning.

Seele is still sleeping in, but Hua should have Awakened by now.

Although he hoped she could have a happy school life, the boy regretted that he couldn't interfere with the girls' outings.

After all, her current identity is that of a teacher whose popularity at the academy is gradually returning to normal. If Hua's friends see that she is very familiar with him, she will probably feel troubled.

Su Qing'an pinched the wilted petals. Whenever he saw this plant, he couldn't help but think of Satou Yunona's convenient powers.

Even that power is only Pseudo-Herrscher. If a true Herrscher possessed this power, could they resurrect the dead?

Even the most incredible things become perfectly reasonable under the illogical setting of power.

Su Qing'an whispered:

"Ah, the Herrscher..."

I will face that kind of existence sooner or later.

Whether I can fight against an opponent of that level at that time is perhaps a question I should be considering now.

"----."

Su Qing'an glanced at the communicator's interface; it was an unknown video call.

It wasn't Fu Xiuran, nor was it Fu Hua; Seele was sleeping in her room.

Given what happened yesterday, it can only be the relevant personnel involved.

What is the purpose? Is it a test or a threat? Is it to win someone over or to persuade them?

The boy didn't keep the other party waiting long before answering the call.

The communicator projected a clear interface; the woman was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, adorned only with a long, black dress.

This image, though only occupying a corner of the video, exuded a powerful presence, leaving Su Qing'an speechless.

Her familiar face possessed a captivating charm, sharp as a blade, and her vibrant red hair, as beautiful as a rose, swept over one's eyes, bringing with it a flood of memories.

The boy lowered his eyes and murmured to himself:

"Himeko."

Himeko didn't hear Su Qing'an's murmurs. She observed the other person's appearance and said:

"Nice to meet you, I'm Himeko, a member of the Moth to Fire."

Even though Himeko had seen the other person's face in the video and subsequent investigation materials, she still felt something was strange during the actual video call.

This boy, who is young enough to be his own younger brother, possesses such unsettling power; in a sense, this is truly bizarre.

The unknown always inspires fear and a desire to explore it further.

As a former researcher and now a warrior fighting against the Honkai, Himeko has a deep understanding of just how abnormal Su Qing'an is.

The more you know, the more you understand the incredible things involved.

The versatile armor designed to combat Honkai was created by her, and Himeko is fully aware of the latest progress in armor development.

Even though nanotechnology can be used to hide armor in thin fabric or ordinary accessories, the armor still needs to be physically visible to truly utilize its amplification effects.

Therefore, Himeko knew very well that the opponent had not used the power of the armor; Su Qing'an had reached this level purely with his human body.

Just as Su Qing'an had suspected, this call was a test.

However, in this special period when the Third Honkai Outbreak is about to occur and the world is in turmoil, such a test may not be a bad thing.

Humans need power.

Once it's confirmed that this boy isn't a newly created proxy from Honkai, there's really no need to worry too much about many things.

Even though the possibility of this is extremely slim, Himeko still maintains her opinion.

She noticed Su Qing'an's strange reaction to her, but thought it was just his wariness.

If you interpret someone's psychological age as consistent with their physical appearance, then that's a perfectly reasonable reaction.

Himeko's gaze narrowed slightly, making her usually solemn expression appear even colder and harder.

She started talking and said earnestly:

"Relax, I'm not here for Seele Fulei."