Morning Practice

The undisguised admiration and affection washed over him.

"..."

Ming Yu wordlessly closed the book and opened another one:

"Why Is Kallen a God?"

"..."

It seemed their styles were all pretty similar... He truly had no way of judging the quality of their contents.

Or perhaps... he should just take them all back?

In the end, Ming Yu picked out more than ten books related to Kallen, registered them through the system, and took them out of the library.

These books should keep Yae Sakura occupied for quite a while.

"Um, Ming Yu, are you living alone in the dormitory right now?"

Before they parted ways, Mei asked curiously.

All sorts of rumors and information about Ming Yu, the academy's only male student, seemed to have spread among the girls within a single day.

"Mm, that's right."

Ming Yu nodded.

Although Yae Sakura was also there, that was not something he could publicize for the time being.

"Then... would you like to come eat at our dorm? One more person wouldn't be any trouble."

Mei suggested.

As the benefactor who had saved her, she felt that simply thanking him was not enough. She wanted to do something for him.

If her father had not yet been imprisoned, perhaps she could have given Ming Yu some material compensation using the Raiden family's assets. But now, she no longer had those means.

If she had to say what she could still do now... it was probably her passable cooking skills.

Naturally, Ming Yu had no intention of refusing.

After all, as the "Herrscher of Cookery," Mei's food was truly delicious.

"If I can eat Mei's cooking every day, then I won't hold back."

For him, it only meant taking a detour to Mei and the others' dorm after class.

Getting top-tier food just by taking a slight detour was quite a bargain.

"And also..."

Mei blushed as she quietly suggested:

"Although I can't come every day... on weekends, when there aren't any classes, I can come over and cook for you. What do you think?"

Morning Training

After saying goodbye to Mei at the library entrance, Ming Yu made his way back to his dormitory.

This would probably be his residence for quite a long time. Calling it home would not be an exaggeration.

"Welcome back."

The moment he stepped through the door, he heard a pleasant female voice.

Well, living with a fox-eared beauty was not bad at all.

Thinking this, Ming Yu walked into the living room.

The pink-haired girl was sitting by the sofa, a Homu plushie in her arms, staring unblinkingly at the television across from her.

—Fine, that Homu plushie was standard dormitory equipment, probably promoted throughout the academy because of a certain headmaster's personal tastes.

The television was playing the currently popular "Homu Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

"So you've already learned how to use the television..."

Ming Yu mused.

Though these days, very few young people actually watched television.

"Miss Sakura, I brought back some of the books you wanted."

Ming Yu piled the books about Saint Kallen that he had borrowed from the library onto the coffee table.

"Thank you, Ming Yu."

The pink-haired girl rose and walked over to the books.

Every cover bore Kallen's image, though their styles varied greatly.

Some were more cartoonish, some were realistic, and there were even ukiyo-e versions.

Still, regardless of the style, Yae Sakura could immediately recognize that they truly depicted her old friend.

After being reborn following five hundred years, she did not believe her old friend could still be alive. Yet she still desperately wanted to know what Kallen had experienced after leaving Yae Village all those years ago.

"Although five hundred years have passed, I don't think writing has changed that quickly. You should still be able to understand it."

Ming Yu said with a smile.

At that moment, he noticed that Yae Sakura's body seemed more solid than it had been in Changkong City.

"Miss Sakura, your body...?"

He asked.

"Mm. Since arriving here, the environment seems to be restoring my condition to a certain extent."

As she spoke, the pink-haired girl raised her hand and looked at her arm.

Although the concentration of Honkai energy at St. Freya Academy was not as outrageous as in Changkong City, as a training base for Valkyries, it was still far higher than in places where ordinary people lived.

Thus, in such an environment, both her strength and body were slowly recovering.

After only a day or two, she had already become nearly tangible.

—This was not entirely a bad thing, but neither was it entirely good.

The good part was that as she gradually absorbed Honkai energy, the amount of power she could wield would increase. If a situation arose where she needed to possess Ming Yu in battle again, she could provide even greater assistance.

The bad part was that the malice of the Herrscher of Corruption, who coexisted with her, would also begin to spread as the Honkai energy increased.

Yae Sakura had originally wanted to open the books and read about Kallen right away, but then she remembered that Ming Yu had only just returned and had not yet eaten dinner.

—Since it was Ming Yu's first day at school, she had not yet grasped his exact schedule and had been unable to prepare a meal in advance.

"No need. I'll handle dinner myself..."

Ming Yu made Yae Sakura, who was preparing to stand, sit back down obediently before jogging into the kitchen.

They should take turns handling the cooking, at least. Leaving it all to Yae Sakura did not seem right.

However, whether before or after coming here, he had not actually had much experience cooking.

Still, as long as he was willing to try, he believed that hard work would not betray him...!

In any case, Ming Yu decided to start with the most basic egg fried rice.

Yet even with the ability to repeatedly rewind and try again, there were always things he could not accomplish.

Wasn't using rewind to cook like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?

After taking some basic ingredients from the refrigerator, Ming Yu opened his personal terminal, then opened the browser and began searching...

Once he had finished his preparations, he began his attempt with confidence.

The first time, after a flurry of panicked scrambling, you made something quite terrible. Judging from its shape and color, it was hard to call it egg fried rice.

"..."

Rewind!

The second time, the egg fried rice at least barely looked like egg fried rice, but after taking a spoonful with his chopsticks, its taste still made people want to keep their distance.

"..."

Rewind.

The thirteenth time, due to a mistake in his handling, you leaked a trace of electricity and caused the kitchen appliances to explode. Yae Sakura, who had been seriously reading, poked out her two fox ears and asked whether you needed help.

"..."

Rewind...

After countless failures, he finally made two portions that were reasonably acceptable.

"...Could I have Kaslana blood?"

Looking at the two plates of egg fried rice, which could barely be considered below average, Ming Yu mocked himself.

At any rate, this level should still be edible.

After bringing dinner to the dining table, Ming Yu called Yae Sakura over.

The next day.

Thanks to St. Freya Academy's forest-surrounded location, its mornings were exceptionally pleasant.

The air was extremely humid; simply taking a breath let one feel its refreshing moisture and coolness.

Within the verdant forest, a faint white mist lingered, while the light of the rising sun became gentle as it shone down.

To meet Fu Hua and learn boxing from her, Ming Yu left his dormitory on time and headed into the forest.

Amid the unceasing chirps of insects and birds, the sharp sounds of punches cutting through the air were particularly eye-catching. Thus, Ming Yu found Fu Hua without much effort.

She wore a blue training outfit—this should actually have been a Far East Branch Valkyrie uniform, but everyone could customize their own uniform, so she had chosen a design with a stronger Shenzhou style.

The gray-haired woman stood facing the rising sun, skillfully performing a set of martial arts.

Her punches were crisp and decisive, her footwork elusive. The entire sequence flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and running water, a delight to watch.

Though Fu Hua's Shenzhou-style outfit, combined with her habit of morning training, always made Ming Yu think of those elderly people on the Shenzhou continent who liked taking morning walks and exercising at dawn...

An old man doing morning exercises... Wait, why an old man?

Just as Ming Yu's thoughts wandered, Fu Hua had already finished the entire sequence.

After withdrawing her fists and feet, she turned around unhurriedly and looked at Ming Yu.

"You're here."

With her senses, she had naturally known long ago that Ming Yu had arrived nearby.

"Mm, good morning, Class Monitor."

Ming Yu also greeted this senior.

Although she had just completed intense exercise, there was not a bead of sweat on Fu Hua's face, and her breathing remained remarkably steady.

It seemed that this level of training was already nothing unusual to her.

"I didn't expect you to really come."

Fu Hua said with a faint smile.

"Of course. To be honest, Class Monitor, I have a very urgent need to become stronger."

Ming Yu answered frankly.

Although academy life still appeared quite leisurely, even setting aside all the trouble caused by people like Cocolia and Otto, this world itself was only three or four years away from the arrival of the End.

Coming to St. Freya Academy was not only to get close to the protagonists and observe future developments, but also to give himself an opportunity to grow stronger quickly.

Fortunately, with his special ability to rewind, he possessed a natural advantage when training or practicing a particular skill or ability.

—After all, someone who could rewind time could always experience the same stretch dozens, even hundreds of times, until he had completely mastered it.