Memories

"So, you two snuck aboard the Hyperion and hitched a ride here after me?"

Theresa looked at Kiana and Sheng Jiu, standing off to one side with their heads bowed.

"Um... Actually, I insisted on coming. Kiana had nothing to do with—"

"Not true! I came because I wanted to, and it had nothing to do with this lazybones!" Kiana stubbornly cut Sheng Jiu off.

Theresa watched the two of them make excuses for each other and smiled with deadly kindness. "Well, aren't you two proud of yourselves?"

"But—" Kiana began, only for Sheng Jiu to cover her mouth.

"When we get back, I'm going to ask your teacher if this is how he usually teaches you!"

Theresa's sudden change of tone startled them both. She pinched Kiana's cheek, fuming. "Kiana! Do you have any idea how dangerous this was? Two prospective B-rank Valkyries coming to Changkong City—you know what you're doing? If anything happened to you, how could I explain it to Siegfried?"

"And you, Sheng Jiu! The moment headquarters sends you a new weapon, you get cocky, huh? What do you take me for? I used to be an S-rank Valkyrie! Some ordinary Herrscher isn't going to get the better of me!"

"Ow, Theresa, my face..." Kiana's eyes were watering from the pain. Theresa finally realized she was still pinching Kiana's cheek and quickly let go.

"And another thing: you two are going straight back the way you came." Theresa glared at the remains of the Deaths nearby. "You were lucky this time. The Loyal Ninja-Warrior Death you ran into had little combat experience. A mature one takes an entire Valkyrie squad to defeat. No, you two are going back right now!"

"Come on, Principal~" Kiana hugged Theresa and started wheedling. "We went to so much trouble to get here, and it's so late now. It'd be dangerous to make us go all the way back. What if we run into another one of those Deaths? Just let us stick with you. I promise we'll follow your orders. Right, lazybones?"

Kiana shot Sheng Jiu a meaningful look. He caught on at once and chimed in, "That's right, Principal. We can be a big help."

Feeling the softness against her head, Theresa gradually calmed down. She gave a quiet snort, then tapped Kiana on the nose. "You two are such a handful. Fine, you can stay with me for now. But you absolutely cannot disobey my orders. Otherwise, when we get back, you'll be hanging from a flagpole by the Oath of Judas!" She pointedly glanced at the weapon resting nearby.

Meanwhile, in the girls' dormitory, Himeko's voice rose an octave. "What? You're saying the two of them are with you?!" She paused. "All right, got it."

"What's wrong, Himeko? Did something happen?" Yae Sakura asked, worriedly watching Himeko's hand tighten around the communicator.

"Do you have any idea what those two idiots, Kiana and Sheng Jiu, went off to do? And they claimed they were pulling an all-nighter at an internet café! They secretly followed the Principal to Changkong City!"

"What?" Yae Sakura stared at Himeko in disbelief. "How could they? How did they even get to Changkong City?"

"They must've slipped past the guards and hidden aboard the Hyperion. Just wait till they get back—I'll give them a proper scolding!" A vein bulged on Himeko's forehead...

At daybreak, faint light streamed through the shattered windows and spilled across the empty streets, outlining the ruins. Dust drifted through the air, and the stench of decay and desolation hung over the streets and alleys. The city's former splendor was gone.

"Next, we just have to walk two more blocks and we'll be there... Hm?" Theresa turned around and saw Sheng Jiu standing motionless in front of a dilapidated building, lost in thought.

"Lazybones? What are you doing?" Kiana waved a hand in front of Sheng Jiu's eyes, bringing him back to the present.

"Sorry, Principal. This place... It's the orphanage I grew up in. Could I go inside and look around?" Sheng Jiu gazed at the words "Changkong City Sixth Welfare Institute" above the entrance and spoke a little hesitantly.

"Let's go have a look together." Theresa led them inside.

Sheng Jiu slowly made his way into the building and eased open the door, which had been left ajar.

Inside, everything was in disarray. Trash and debris littered the place. Sheng Jiu crouched down and began cleaning up without a word. "When I was six, I lost all my memories from before... After that, it was like I was haunted by nightmares. They came back to torment me every few days. My classmates thought I was a monster and wouldn't play with me. Only the director treated me like a normal person."

"The director was a cheerful woman. She was always smiling, and she was so kind. Even when we did something wrong, she'd smile and tell us it was all right..."

"She always remembered what each of us liked to eat, and whenever she came back from going out, she'd bring us all kinds of toys and snacks..."

Kiana and Theresa crouched down and helped Sheng Jiu clear away the trash.

"When the Honkai erupted, I remember the director drawing away our classmates after they mutated so she could protect us. She bought us precious time to escape..."

"I remember the last time I saw her. She was fighting a Honkai Beast in the hallway to protect a classmate who'd been surrounded..."

Sheng Jiu stood up and opened the door to the hallway. Dried blood remained on the walls, and many mummified bodies lay across the floor. He gathered them all together and set them alight. He watched the black smoke rise and stood there for a long time without leaving. Kiana went over and gently patted his back.

Sheng Jiu wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, then returned to his usual talkative self. "Let's go. Let's put an end to all this."