Miss Yae Sakura, the Earthbound Spirit

"...Can I refuse?"

The corner of Ming Yu's mouth twitched slightly.

An ordinary room would have been fine, but the place Kiana and Mei were about to move into was Aunt Himeko's dorm.

A room that had been occupied long-term by an older single woman... just imagining the state of it was already too horrifying to bear.

That kind of blessing should be left to The Three Families, who were preparing to live there.

"How could you bear to refuse Mei? You bullied her so much already!"

The white-haired girl once again used the black-haired girl beside her as a shield.

"Uh..."

He was left speechless for a moment.

This move always worked. Ming Yu softened his tone and asked the black-haired girl beside him:

"Do you need my help, Mei?"

"If you're willing to help... then stay and have dinner with us once we're done."

Mei spoke quietly.

Compared to the lively Kiana, who had a trace of little-devil mischief in her, Mei was more considerate, possessing the gentle grace of a traditional Japanese woman.

She was completely different from that somewhat wild Herrscher of Thunder personality.

"All right. Once I get settled in, I'll come over and help you."

Ming Yu nodded.

He did not know whether Mei herself knew about the time Kiana had "forced" her head down, but the Herrscher of Thunder definitely knew.

Speaking of that Herrscher girl...

Ever since that "intimate contact," the Herrscher of Thunder's Stigmata Personality had temporarily vanished without a trace, with no intention of coming out again.

Although Ming Yu wanted to call her out and say something, he did not seem to have any way to summon her.

In any case, he would leave it at that for now...

After chatting with the two girls for a while, the Hyperion was about to finish landing and dock within the academy.

As survivors of the disaster, none of them had any luggage to pack. They headed toward the battleship's passageway empty-handed.

Along the way, he saw the last survivor.

A petite silver-haired girl with twin ponytails.

"..."

"..."

The two exchanged a glance, but neither spoke.

In Ming Yu's eyes, she had likely snuck in by following Cocolia's orders.

Different paths, same destination. This girl, who had secretly concealed her identity, had ultimately arrived at St. Freya Academy as well.

Although she was still blindly following Cocolia's commands, Ming Yu knew that her nature was not bad.

She and Cocolia were not destined to walk the same path. One day, they would inevitably part ways.

Ming Yu noticed that Bronya was holding another Homu doll in her arms.

"Wasn't your Homu doll..."

he asked curiously.

Hadn't she given it to Xiaokong?

"Bronya has many spare Homus."

The silver-haired girl hugged the yellow doll tighter and answered calmly.

However, the way she looked at Ming Yu was somewhat strange, as though she were pondering something.

—Because of him, every tactical mech Cocolia Mama had sent out had been destroyed, causing the plan to retrieve Raiden Mei directly from Changkong City to fail.

As a result, Bronya had no choice but to follow the original second plan and infiltrate the Hyperion as a survivor.

However, after investigating, she learned that this group from the Far East Branch did not intend to send Raiden Mei to some Schicksal laboratory. Instead, they planned to enroll her at St. Freya Academy for training.

After reporting this situation to Cocolia Mama, she received another order: Bronya was to infiltrate the academy as a student as well and wait for an opportunity before making further plans.

If Raiden Mei had been transported to a Schicksal laboratory in another country, Cocolia would have had plenty of chances to make a move.

But if the destination was St. Freya Academy, it would not be so easy to strike midway.

—The distance between Changkong City and St. Freya Academy was not particularly far. If she mobilized forces to intercept them immediately, the chances of success would not be high.

Furthermore, based on Bronya's report, Theresa, who possessed strength on the level of an S-Rank Valkyrie, was also aboard the Hyperion. After repeated consideration, Cocolia decided to postpone the operation to capture Raiden Mei.

In short, after their brief contact, Bronya had quickly become acquainted with Mei and Kiana.

Kiana looked like nothing more than an idiot, while Mei was very gentle, completely unlike the Herrscher she had imagined.

Besides that... she had received another mission.

Bronya looked up at Ming Yu, who was walking slightly ahead of her.

It was to observe the man before her... and determine exactly where his power, similar to that of the Third Herrscher, came from.

Miss Yae Sakura, the Earthbound Spirit

"I have to say, Aunt Himeko's dorm was even more terrifying than I imagined..."

By evening, Ming Yu had finally returned from Himeko's—no, from the dorm belonging to Himeko and The Three Families.

The room of an older single woman was truly terrifying, especially that pile of miscellaneous junk that had been stuffed into the wardrobe three months ago.

Still, Mei's cooking was quite delicious...

After surviving such a catastrophe, everything tasted good already, let alone exquisite food made by Mei.

As he savored the lingering taste of the meal, Ming Yu followed the guidance on the terminal Theresa had given him and found his room.

Since it was his first day at St. Freya Academy and there were still many procedures to handle, Theresa had not arranged for him or the three girls to do anything.

Things such as entrance tests and other procedures would have to wait until at least tomorrow.

"...So this is my dorm."

Ming Yu stood before a luxurious villa.

As he stood before the main entrance, the facial recognition system identified him and immediately opened the door automatically.

From the outside, it was not all that different from Himeko's villa.

However, as the only male student currently attending the academy, he did receive certain benefits.

—For instance, this enormous empty villa belonged entirely to him alone.

In this academy dominated by women, he was the only male student, while male staff members were even rarer.

Well, though it could not exactly be said that he was the only one living here...

After entering the room, Ming Yu turned around and shut the door. Then, as if talking to thin air, he muttered to himself:

"Miss Sakura, come out."

As his words fell, the spirit body of the pink-haired girl condensed once more and appeared beside him.

That was right. This shrine maiden would also have to stay here for the time being. He could not just abandon her in the academy while she was practically a ghost.

Otherwise, it would not be long before St. Freya had ghost stories going around.

"Are houses nowadays... all like this?"

Yae Sakura looked around with curious eyes.

For this girl from five hundred years ago, everything modern here was exceedingly novel.

After such a long time had passed, although this was still the same Far East, everything was unfamiliar to Yae Sakura.

Only after a long while did she withdraw her gaze and head into the living room with Ming Yu.

"This... is St. Freya."

"Yes, an academy under Schicksal... Um, in terms you can understand, it's probably something like a military camp combined with a private school?"

Ming Yu thought for a moment before explaining it to Yae Sakura.

Everyone in this academy was either a Valkyrie or a Valkyrie trainee.

Aside from the basic cultural knowledge that ordinary boys and girls needed to learn, there was naturally also practical training against Honkai.

Thus, it served as both a school and a recruit training camp.

Yae Sakura nodded and said:

"I roughly understand what sort of place this is."

"Once things settle down, I'll help you find some information about Kallen and Schicksal."

Although she was a girl possessed by the Herrscher of Corruption, Yae Sakura and Higokumaru were currently extremely incompatible, so she could not use the corresponding authority.

Otherwise, she probably could have infiltrated St. Freya Academy herself and searched for the information she wanted.

And as a shrine maiden from an earlier era, she probably did not know how to operate any modern electronic devices.

"...Thank you for the trouble."

Yae Sakura thanked him softly.

Then, in a somewhat worried tone, she said:

"By the way, Ming Yu, do you really not need my help?"

She had already released her possession of Ming Yu, and thus the Pseudo-Herrscher power on him had disappeared as well.

Since she had been revived in Changkong City, where the Honkai outbreak had occurred, the girl was not optimistic about the safety of the current world.

"It's fine. I have my own plans, and St. Freya Academy is fairly safe as well."

Ming Yu nodded.

This was something he had wanted to bring up himself. After all, he could not always rely on Yae Sakura's power to fight.

Now that he had acquired combat power of his own, he should study and develop it further in the future.

Besides, if this shrine maiden remained attached to him all the time, it would inevitably be inconvenient in some ways.

Especially when it came to his trump card of rewinding time, as well as other abilities he might possess now or in the future, it was best to avoid letting anyone notice their origins.

"In any case, if you're willing, stay here for now."

This luxurious villa looked as though it could accommodate quite a few people. There was more than enough room for Yae Sakura.

Come to think of it, this probably meant he had avoided Yae Sakura's death ending... right?

Ming Yu narrowed his eyes and recalled the course of the original timeline.

After Mei left Changkong City, the Honkai energy remaining in the city spontaneously gathered around a certain qualified girl at Chiba Academy, attempting to catalyze her into a new Herrscher.

If he remembered correctly, that Pseudo-Herrscher was called Yuna.

Yae Sakura, who had still been wandering there at the time, saved Theresa after she was injured by Yuna. To save her, Yae Sakura fused all her power and life into Theresa's body.

Well... that probably would not happen now.

However, the birth of a new Pseudo-Herrscher was indeed something he could consider dealing with in advance...

Otherwise, without Yae Sakura sacrificing herself to save her, Theresa might very well die in Changkong City before long.

Unfortunately, he did not know the precise time when Yuna would become a Pseudo-Herrscher, so he could only keep an eye out for related information in the future.

"Mm, I'll remain here for now, like an Earthbound Spirit."

Yae Sakura nodded.