She gently comforted the girl while tenderly taking hold of her arm. Though the girl was still somewhat afraid, she seemed to barely endure it.
Then... Himeko gently untied the bandages, unwinding them layer by layer and revealing the ugly scar left by Honkai energy corrosion beneath.
"Does it hurt a lot?"
"...Mm."
Perhaps she had begun to accept Himeko somewhat. She raised her head, her adorable big eyes looking at Himeko with grievance and pity in them.
"This will never happen to any of you again."
Gently hugging the girl, Himeko softly patted her back and whispered in her ear.
"Waaah..."
At that moment, the girl suddenly hugged Himeko, burying her head in Himeko's chest as she began to cry...
Beside them, Theresa watched this scene with mixed feelings. Yet it only strengthened her resolve. She had to establish St. Freya, so these pitiful children could live like ordinary people.
While the girl cried, Himeko spoke with the other experimental subjects and learned that they had been brought to Babylon Laboratory when the youngest was five and the oldest was seven.
These girls were basically all orphans. At first, Heavenly Mandate personnel had found them and told them that their parents had died after contracting a disease called "Honkai."
However, the Heavenly Mandate personnel told them not to be afraid, because the Heavenly Mandate Organization would adopt them.
Having lost both parents and with no one to rely on, they could only accept Heavenly Mandate's adoption. At the time, they had even felt grateful to the organization.
After all, it had been willing to take in orphans like them who had no parents.
Yet after being sent to Babylon Laboratory, they discovered it was nothing like they had imagined. Especially one day, when Heavenly Mandate personnel in white coats