"The mission's over, too~" The white-haired girl skipped across the land bathed in the dawn, her hair bouncing and fluttering lightly through the air.
The boy adjusted the shoulder strap across his back, securing his katana firmly in place, and gave her an equally carefree smile.
Suddenly, the girl turned around and shouted to him from afar, "L-a-z-y b-o-n-e-s, hurry up! I want ice cream!"
Sheng Jiu smiled helplessly and hurried after Kiana...
A month had passed since Sheng Jiu, Kiana, and Theresa had returned from Changkong City. By now, Sheng Jiu, Kiana, and the others were capable of handling small-scale Honkai Beast outbreaks in the surrounding areas. Sheng Jiu and Kiana had just completed a mission to suppress the Wrought Ones in Hokkaido, and the two had returned to St. Freya Academy.
"I'm exhausted, I'm exhausted! Mei, I'm starving~" As soon as Kiana came in, she flopped onto Mei and started whining.
"Idiot Kiana, Bronya and Big Sister Mei just got back from a mission, too." Kiana felt a heavy pressure against the back of her head. She angrily shoved Heavy Trooper Bunny's cannon aside and protested, "Tch, the mission Lazy Bones and I just took was to hunt down Wrought Ones. Do you even understand how important it was?"
"Bronya and Big Sister Mei took a mission to exterminate Honkai Beasts. Idiot Kiana wasn't qualified to take that one."
"You!"
"Now, now." Mei quickly stood up to smooth things over. "You've worked hard, you two. Sheng Jiu, Kiana didn't cause you any trouble, did she?"
Sheng Jiu opened a can of chilled cola and waved his hand with a smile. "It's fine, Mei. The Dung Beetle Lady is pretty reliable, she do—ow!"
"Who are you calling a dung beetle?!" Kiana lunged at Sheng Jiu, claws bared, but he nimbly dodged her.
"Okay, you two. Come eat," Mei said gently.
Everyone chatted as they ate, the atmosphere warm and friendly—but only for a little while.
"Hey, hand over your chicken leg, or don't blame me for what happens!"
"What? You already ate the one Mei gave you, and now you want mine? Not a chance!" Sheng Jiu fought off Kiana's chopsticks, determined to defend his chicken leg to the death.
Their chopsticks soon clashed in battle across the table, from beside the black pepper steak to the miso soup, neither gaining the upper hand. The fight finally ended when Heavy Trooper Bunny's claws pinned both their hands down.
"Hmm? Where are Himeko and the principal? Why aren't they here?" Mei asked Bronya curiously, glancing at the two empty seats at the table.
Just then, the door opened, and Theresa and Himeko walked in, both sporting heavy dark circles under their eyes.
"Whoa, how'd you two turn into pandas?" Sheng Jiu stared at them in disbelief as they sat down. "I thought you both got off work at nine sharp."
"Don't even ask." Himeko took out a can of beer, but Theresa slapped it out of her hand. Himeko could only sulk and stir the miso soup in her bowl. "Headquarters just sent word that the principal has to give them a detailed report on the mission to hunt down the Pseudo-Herrscher. Our dear principal has never been any good at this sort of thing, so last night she dragged me into an all-nighter to write the report."
Theresa's cheeks reddened like ripe apples. "W-what do you mean, I'm no good at it? I only asked Himeko to help me think it through. What are you laughing at?! And you, Sheng Jiu—you're coming with me, too. Headquarters said they want to check all of Jueying's specifications!"
"Nooo, Principal, I want to go back to sleep! Tomorrow's the weekend..."
Three hours later, the three of them reluctantly said goodbye to Theresa and Sheng Jiu as the two boarded the Hyperion.
Kiana hurriedly straightened Sheng Jiu's uniform, like an old mother fussing over her son. "Just follow your superiors' instructions while you're there. I'll take good care of your snacks. Oh, and remember to bring me some shrimp pizza from there! And also, I heard the headquarters' tomato and cheese pasta is delicious, so bring me some back..."
"Got it, got it. We're off. Bye!" Sheng Jiu waved through the window as everyone watched the white ship slowly rise into the sky and disappear from view.
Sheng Jiu lay down in his cabin aboard the Hyperion and soon fell asleep... A few hours later, Theresa woke him. "Wake up, we're almost there."
"Hmm? Oh, let me see... What?!" The view outside the window left Sheng Jiu gaping in shock.
The battleship had reached the Mediterranean. Before them stretched a vast archipelago of floating islands, so immense that Sheng Jiu thought it was an entire floating city.
"That's right. This is Schicksal Headquarters, a gigantic archipelago of floating islands above the Mediterranean. It's Schicksal's administrative center and the organization's most important research facility. It exists to fight the Honkai, operating day after day." Theresa pointed proudly at the islands below. "All right, let's get ready to land."
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