Satou Yunona fell into a dream.
It was the same boring daily routine as always. The teacher wrote mathematical formulas on the blackboard with a piece of chalk.
Satou Yunona copied down her notes with some difficulty.
tan2A=2tanA/[1-(tanA)^2]. She wrote down a formula in neat handwriting, but the girl was somewhat distracted as she gazed out at the blue sky and white clouds beyond the window.
Ah, to hell with the double-angle formula, the girl cursed silently.
The Honkai outbreak in the outside world had already swept across all of Changkong City. As the source of the outbreak, Senba Academy had made Satou Yunona's probability of survival nearly zero.
Even with her excellent resistance to Honkai Energy, the girl's frail body lacked the combat power to resist Zombies and Honkai Beasts.
Yet under such circumstances, Satou Yunona had been drawn into a mental dream by some unknown entity and could not escape.
At this moment, the Honkai in the outside world had turned the city into a living hell.
Meanwhile, the girl was leisurely passing her days in a dream.
Su Qing'an was hurrying onward.
Although he could have arrived at the safest course of action without even thinking, the young man was now doing the exact opposite. If the Dojo's location in Changkong City could be considered relatively safe, then Senba Academy was undoubtedly the heart of hell.
He had worked so hard to survive after arriving in this world. Wasn't that the whole point?
Then why had he mounted the Kawasaki H2R parked at the Dojo without the slightest hesitation and headed straight for Senba Academy?
This was the motorcycle he had bought earlier to escape when the Honkai erupted. Although it was extremely expensive and could not legally be driven on public roads, Kawasaki had defined the H2R as a track bike. Its savage horsepower was hidden within this steel monster, making it more suitable than anything else for Su Qing'an, who only intended to use it as an escape vehicle after the city collapsed.
Three hundred horsepower, a top speed of four hundred kilometers per hour, a supercharged engine, a full-carbon-fiber body and aerodynamic kit—every one of these features was an excellent aid for escape. He had previously memorized most of the routes on Changkong City's map. In the face of the enormous destructive power of the Honkai Beasts, this had undoubtedly been prudent preparation for escape.
And now, he was using both this Kawasaki H2R meant for escape and the escape routes he had meticulously recorded to reach Senba Academy as quickly as possible.
Even Su Qing'an himself did not understand it. He was most likely only undertaking a futile effort at enormous risk, while Satou Yunona's probability of death was infinitely close to one hundred percent.
There was no point in going there now except to increase his own chances of dying.
But... but.
On the deserted roads, he pushed the motorcycle's speed to its limit, the supercharged engine roaring beside his ears.
If I don't go, I'll regret it.
Even though Su Qing'an feared death, was afraid of being injured, and refused to fight, he would rather endure suffering a thousand times worse than all of that combined than live with regret.
There was nothing in this world more helpless than regret. It meant that you might once have been able to save something you treasured, yet lost the chance forever because of hesitation.
Murata Himeko was in a very good mood.
She looked at herself in the mirror. Her nose was high and straight, her flawless fair skin carried a faint flush, and her amber eyes seemed to hold a smile. She had the standard appearance of a mature beauty, but the light-colored lipstick on her moist lips gave her an air of girlishness.
Her gorgeous red hair fell loosely behind her shoulders, adding a touch of allure. Today, the woman wore casual clothes that were rarely seen on her—an outfit she might have worn as a student. Having put it on again, she felt a vague sense of nostalgia.
To maintain the image of a gentle older sister in front of Su Qing'an, Murata Himeko had spared no effort. Even the watch on her wrist, worn as an accessory, was this year's fashionable model favored by young girls.
It had been some time since they had last met. Ever since Su Qing'an's parents passed away, Himeko had decided to take responsibility for his upbringing. Unfortunately, just after persuading him to move to Japan, several urgent missions had arisen, keeping her from visiting Su Qing'an.
Although the young man's recent email replies seemed to have become much more cheerful, Himeko still needed to see Su Qing'an's living situation with her own eyes before she could feel even slightly reassured.
Hmm. She looked over her face with some satisfaction. She should count as a gentle older sister now, right?
Although she had a gentle side to her personality, Murata Himeko rarely showed it normally. She usually gave people the impression of being sometimes frivolous, sometimes coldly alluring, yet dependable.
Should she bring that little guy a gift? But the child seemed uninterested in everything, which was genuinely giving her a headache.
Himeko fell into troubled thought.
"Major Himeko! Headquarters has issued an emergency notice that a large-scale Honkai outbreak has occurred in Changkong City."
The emergency communicator issued by Schicksal rang out. The news it delivered instantly wiped the smile from Murata Himeko's face.
Changkong... City?
A large-scale Honkai outbreak had occurred in Changkong City? If that was true...
"...There has been a Honkai outbreak in Changkong City?" Murata Himeko confirmed to the person on the other end of the communicator.
If it was true...
"Yes, Major Himeko. Changkong City is expected to have very few survivors. Schicksal has currently sealed off every transportation route leading to Changkong City and contained the situation in the Far East using the public narrative of the infectious disease BH. Please prepare for deployment. Based on your GPS location, the Hyperion will arrive above you in ten minutes."
Su Qing'an was dead. Murata Himeko reached that conclusion using her years of experience and rational judgment from fighting the Honkai.
For a moment, this strong and eternally optimistic woman seemed as though an immense grief were about to crush her completely.
Murata Himeko, you were the one who sent him to Changkong City.
If he really died, not only would you have directly caused his death, you would not even have seen him one last time.
You broke your promise.
You failed to take care of him. You even got him killed.
I have to see him with my own eyes. Until I see that child's corpse, I won't give up. She told herself this, but it sounded more like a powerless consolation and prayer.
Himeko's five fingers unconsciously clenched into fists. The force she could not control turned her knuckles white. If not for a warrior's discipline, which meant she rarely let her fingernails grow long, it would have been perfectly normal for them to be digging into her flesh now.
Using a warrior's will to suppress all her pain, Murata Himeko tied her loose hair into a ponytail with a hair tie.
"Ten minutes is too slow. I want the Hyperion to appear before me within five minutes." She issued the order expressionlessly, then wiped the light-colored lipstick from her lips with a tissue.
"Yes, Major Himeko." The communicator disconnected.
Himeko stared blankly at her disheveled reflection in the mirror, speechless for a moment.
The Honkai...
Murata Himeko suddenly laughed. Her smile was as cold as a blade, and a certain resolve ignited in her amber eyes.
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