Conversation and Decision

The red-haired woman looked at the young man's face through the window.

He's finally made a friend, little guy, she thought, feeling a sense of relief.

But then, the woman sighed inwardly.

It's a really serious injury.

A life-or-death struggle where a single mistake means death. He must have experienced the terror and despair of the Honkai for the first time in his otherwise ordinary life.

When she saw Fu Hua's thoughtful report on the communicator, Jizi was speechless.

The stubbornness of this child, who swung his fists even after shattering his sword before dying, was exactly the same as his usual demeanor. Was this a form of consistency between his inner and outer self?

No, he must have been scared too, terrified. It's normal to cry from embarrassment at any moment, but until the very end, knowing he was going to die, he must have been incredibly unwilling, unwilling to the point of suppressing his fear, unwilling to the point of generating fierce resolve, unwilling to the point of refusing to stop fighting even in death.

Fu Hua seemed to have learned something from the Head of the Academy, so the boy's recent activities were included in the report.

After challenging over a dozen dojos, he studied martial arts under Chen Junxuan, a martial arts grandmaster from Shenzhou?

In such a short period, the boy's martial arts skills were already far beyond those of an ordinary person.

This might be his reliance for killing Mortals.

Fu Hua's final assessment was that Su Qing'an possessed unparalleled martial arts talent. A realm that ordinary people might not achieve even after fifty years of arduous training, he accomplished in just a few weeks.

Coupled with his performance against the Honkai Beast for the first time, analyzing his shattered blade indicated he had killed at least double-digit Mortals and Honkai Beasts, and then escaped from the jaws of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

If he were female, judging by his first battle record, he could surely become a Valkyrie no less renowned than Major Jizi.

But he was male. Tests showed his Honkai Energy resistance was only enough to avoid Honkai Infection. Even a little less, and becoming a Mortal during a Honkai outbreak would be normal.

And this level of Honkai Energy resistance was already a miracle. Excluding special cases like the Kaslanas, Su Qing'an was already very fortunate.

Major Jizi considered that the logistics department of St. Freya Academy might be suitable for him. Perhaps sending him back to Tiangong City in Shenzhou, or Canghai City, where he wouldn't be exposed to such a world, would be better.

I understand everything, Fu Hua.

But can people who have seen the real world truly be willing to jump back into a cage?

After understanding the falsity of peace, will he still be willing to entrust his fate to the protection of others?

Perhaps it would have been better to let him stay in Shenzhou.

She pushed open the door and sat by the sickbed. Muryōtō Jizi couldn't help but gently brush the scab on the boy's cheek with her fingertip.

He's as handsome as he was when he was little, just his personality is a bit disappointing.

"Jizi... Sis?" Opening his eyes and seeing the dazzling red hair, Su Qing'an, realizing he was at St. Freya Academy, understood the true identity of the gentle big sister from his memories.

I should have realized it sooner.

"Long time no see, little guy," the red-haired woman said gently, stroking his head with a smile.

"Yeah. I haven't seen you since I was 13," Su Qing'an turned his head away. The sky outside the window was clear and calm.

"Jizi, is this the Honkai?" the boy suddenly asked.

"...This is the Honkai, a disaster aiming to destroy civilization. Death, war, tragedy – the Honkai brought all of this.

"And the place I'm in, St. Freya Academy, exists to train warriors who can fight the Honkai, Valkyries," Muryōtō Jizi replied with a heavy heart.

"Valkyries... huh," Su Qing'an smiled, his feelings a strange mix of complexity.

"You've probably figured it out by now. Even if there were survivors at the beginning of the Honkai outbreak, they would only be women."

"Out of the entire population of Changkong City, over 2.3 million people, you are the only male survivor."

"Men's Honkai Energy resistance is generally insufficient to survive the Honkai. You are one of the rare exceptions."

As Muryōtō Jizi said this, she looked at the boy's bitter smile and felt his immense sorrow as if it were her own.

"I know. I know I'm already very lucky. It's good that I survived. It's good that I survived being chased by an Emperor-class Honkai Beast."

The boy looked out at the clear, azure sky. White contrails and wisps of clouds stretched out in messy lines.

He spoke in a tone of understatement, as if he had never experienced that desperate struggle, as if he were simply talking about something unrelated to him.

"Jizi, you don't want me to stay here, do you? I know. You're such a strong person, but you're always so cautious around me. I don't like it."

"My parents said they were archaeologists. Now that I think about it, they were serving a force similar to the one after St. Freya Academy."

"I don't know how they died, but Jizi, you must blame yourself for their deaths, right? You feel guilty, which is why you suddenly became awkward around me."

"What a fool. I've faced Honkai Beasts too. I know that when it comes to the Honkai, nothing unusual should be expected. They were already prepared for it. They had the resolve to continue even if it meant breaking their promise to me."

Finally, the boy looked at Jizi's stunned face and said earnestly:

"So, I don't blame you."

Jizi had always been unsure how to face Su Qing'an. But during their first meeting in the hospital room after many years, the boy's words struck her to the core.

Such a direct approach. His candid words, without any pretense, unexpectedly shook her heart.

The guilt buried deep within her, like aged snow, was warmed by a furnace. Even though she stubbornly believed it was her responsibility, her entire being felt healed.

But as a mature adult, the woman feigned annoyance and delivered a chop to the boy's forehead, saying:

"Children shouldn't meddle in adult matters."

The gentle force left Su Qing'an with only the impression of cold fingers, so he smiled and surrendered in kind: "Yes, yes, yes, Sister Jizi, I get it."

"...In short, you should know that you don't have the potential to fight Honkai. Even with excellent martial arts, a normal human physique can at best kill an Emperor-class Honkai Beast."

"Even the Valkyries cultivated to fight Honkai rely mostly on their Valkyrie Armor for combat capabilities. You, whose Honkai resistance is barely up to par, are incapable of using Valkyrie Armor."

"What this means, you should understand."

Muryōtō Jizi stated the unvarnished truth.

"I understand." He nodded.

This meant that even if he stayed at St. Freya Academy, he would only be in the logistics department.

"So I'll give you two choices. One is for me to send you back to Shenzhou, and I'll visit you when I have time."

"The second is to stay at St. Freya Academy and undergo training for the logistics department. As for accommodation, you can live with me, or I can apply for a single room for you."

When she mentioned accommodation, Muryōtō Jizi smiled, as if teasing him.

"I choose the second one. There's probably no absolutely safe place in this world anymore. In that case, I'd rather stay by your side, Sister Jizi."

Without answering Jizi's teasing, Su Qing'an chose to stay at St. Freya Academy.

"Since you've made your decision, I'll head to work now. Get some good rest, little one."

Jizi stood up and stretched her body, her mature curves full of tension. Then, without delay, she prepared to turn and leave.

"Sister Jizi, I need to go to Senba Academy one more time. I know this is selfish, but if I don't go, I won't be able to let it go."

Satou Yunona was dead.

Even without seeing the body, he understood this fact.

But if he didn't go to Senba Academy himself, he would never be able to move on.

"I've passed by here so many times, and this is the first time your shop is open. When do you usually open?"

In his memory, she had earnestly finished the young man's coffee, given him a thoughtful review, and then asked this with some anticipation.

"What do you mean 'it depends on my mood'? Then what am I supposed to do if I want to drink coffee?" The girl, shocked by the young man's absurd answer, let out a speechless exclamation.

One warm afternoon.

"You really like cats, don't you, Su Qing'an? Huh? You ask me why I know? It's obvious."

The girl, squatting down to feed the cat with him, poked his cheek with her fingertip and said:

"See? You're smiling so gently, completely different from your usual indifferent face."

The girl's face wasn't particularly beautiful, but her refreshing smile, like a summer stream, soaked into the memories of that day, making it unforgettable.

Satou Yunona was just a very ordinary girl.

She was unremarkable among the more than two million people who died in Changkong City.

To Su Qing'an, she could be an ordinary regular at the coffee shop, a talkative high school student he bantered with daily, a fellow animal lover they fed cats with, one of his few friends.

Or, she could be very important.

"...In a month, Changkong City should be mostly cleared. If your injuries have healed, you can go if you want."

The little guy is sometimes so stubborn it's a headache, but that's also part of his charm.

After that, Muryōtō Jizi left observation room A019.

"Thank you..." the young man murmured, closing his eyes.