"...6. Actually, I do know a few things."
Chang Yuan intended to reveal a few secrets.
The moment she heard that Chang Yuan actually knew about these things, Velvie's eyes lit up.
Excited, she pressed both hands onto Chang Yuan's shoulders.
"You know? Hurry up, tell me!"
"Uh, the corrosive energy mixed into the air is called Honkai Energy. Under Honkai's corrosion, some people are turned into mindless dead soldiers.
These monsters exist to exterminate humanity. Some infected animals even turn into Honkai Beasts, and even the weakest Honkai Beasts are seven or eight meters tall.
But those aren't the key issue. The key is that when Honkai erupts, there is a certain chance that entities known as Herrschers will be born, and every Herrscher possesses an ultimate physical law."
"???"
After hearing Chang Yuan's introduction, Velvie was utterly dumbfounded.
I was only curious about what that energy was, and suddenly we're talking about the safety of the world? Are you kidding me?
Airi also looked at Chang Yuan, hoping to see some sign on his face that he was joking.
After all, if things really were as he said, then all of humanity would face an epic catastrophe in the future.
"I'm not joking. All of it is real. It's just that the organization you investigated, Flame-Chasing Moth, has kept information about Honkai extremely well hidden.
So, until now, hardly anyone in the outside world knows about Honkai. As for how I know... I'll come clean in the future, but not now."
"...This is so cool! Doesn't that mean I have a chance of becoming a savior?"
"Velvie, this isn't cool at all. A lot of people will lose their lives because of this."
Airi shook her head sorrowfully.
She believed Chang Yuan hadn't lied to her. At the very least, he would not deceive her about something this serious.
Thus, when she thought of the future, Airi could not help feeling saddened.
"Ah... Okay, that's true. But there's nothing we can do. We're just ordinary people."
"...6."
Big V Teacher, you were being a little too modest.
You were an ordinary person? Then what did that make the scientists of Mu Continent? Ordinary students? Or infants who had just learned to babble?
After studying on her own for a month, she had already become a genius in mechanics, and you called that ordinary? Even the cheat powers of many transmigrated protagonists weren't this absurd. He did not even have a cheat power—only foreknowledge of the plot.
"Chang Yuan, I want to save this world. You know so much. Can you help me?"
"..."
Chang Yuan fell silent at her words.
He could promise anything except this.
Save the world? If he could do it without sacrificing Airi, then he was certainly willing.
But what if, even with his foreknowledge, they still could not defeat the Herrscher of Finality, and Airi had to be sacrificed then?
He did not want to save a world like that. What he wanted was simply a world where Airi survived.
"Chang Yuan..."
Seeing Chang Yuan's silence, Airi did not know why, but she felt a barrier arise between them.
And the truth was indeed as she imagined.
One only wanted to selfishly save one person.
The other wanted to save the world, even at the cost of sacrificing herself.
Their ideals were different, and they were destined to disagree in the future.
"Heh, I never expected Airi to want to be a savior too. But if that's what you want, I'll be with you. I'll use everything I know to help you."
"Mm. For humanity, for everyone, I will definitely defeat Honkai."
Seeing that Chang Yuan was willing to support her, Airi revealed her bright smile once more.
"It's getting late. Get some sleep first, then we'll leave Twilight Street tomorrow. We can't stay here anyway—your hair is too distinctive."
Stretching lazily, Chang Yuan prepared to sleep as well.
"Uh... I only have two rooms here. You two can squeeze in together?"
"...That works. But where's the bathroom? We were so busy running earlier that I didn't even get to bathe."
"Over there."
Velvie pointed in a direction.
Seeing that, Airi picked up her clean clothes again and headed for the bathroom.
After she left, Chang Yuan immediately asked Velvie for paper and a pen.
He intended to tell Velvie a few things first. With her intelligence, she could begin researching many things in advance, and when the time came to face Honkai, their chances of victory would improve.
Night...
"Maybe I should just sleep on the floor."
On the cramped bed, Chang Yuan looked at Airi, who was barely two fists' distance away from him.
It was not that the bed was small. For one person, it was actually fairly spacious.
"Mm-hm~? Chang Yuan, are you embarrassed?"
Airi blinked and smiled at Chang Yuan.
But if not for the flush on her face, Chang Yuan might really have believed she was not embarrassed.
"Uh, y-yeah."
Damn it, she's only just turned fourteen. I can't bring myself to do anything, and even if I did, she might not be willing.
Love was reason and restraint, but it could also be madness.
Yet no matter what, Chang Yuan was never willing to go mad.
"Hehe, what are you afraid of? It's not like we never slept together when we were little."
"You said it yourself, that was when we were little. Back then, you were just a tiny bean, and you even had to hug me to sleep at night."
At the mention of their childhood, Chang Yuan shook his head.
How could childhood compare to now? They had both grown up now and had to take responsibility for their words and actions.
"Mm-hm~? All right, put a backpack between us. Then neither of us will cross the line."
"That works."
With that, Chang Yuan placed his backpack between them as a divider.
Once everything was done, they both turned over, their backs facing each other.
This was the first time in all their lives that they had slept together at such close range.
One was shy, the other excited, and it was around three in the morning before they finally fell asleep.
The next day...
"Hey, hey, get up, get up! If you don't get up now, I'm eating all the breakfast by myself."
Standing before the door to the second bedroom, Velvie pounded heavily on it and shouted.
The two inside both opened their eyes.
They instinctively turned to look at each other, only then noticing that both of them had their arms around the other's neck.
"..." ×2
"!!!" ×2
The two reacted instantly, releasing each other and instinctively scooting away in opposite directions.
As expected, both of them ended up landing on the floor on their butts.
"Ah! Ow, ow, ow."
Rubbing her butt, Airi winced in pain.
Chang Yuan was not doing much better.
"Hmph, you crossed the line."
Before you continue