Before Chang Yuan could speak first, Airi immediately turned the tables and accused him instead.
As if she had completely forgotten how she had hooked her arm around Chang Yuan's neck earlier.
"Hey, hey, hey, you clearly crossed the line too, okay? Why are you only blaming me?"
Chang Yuan said with an unhappy pout.
At that moment, Airi stood up, planted her hands on her hips, and said with perfect confidence, "Because I'm a girl."
"..."
Hearing that reason, Chang Yuan was immediately left speechless.
What a "because I'm a girl." What an irrefutable argument. He truly had no way to refute it.
"Hehe, so it's your fault."
"Yes, yes, yes, it's my fault, all right? Let's go have breakfast first."
As he spoke, Chang Yuan put away the sheet of paper by his bedside.
He had written it last night while Airi was bathing. It was for Velvie.
"Hehe~?"
Seeing Chang Yuan yield and admit defeat, Airi hummed happily.
Then she opened the door and went out.
After the three of them finished a simple breakfast, Airi and Velvie said their goodbyes.
As they parted, Chang Yuan also handed the sheet he had written to Velvie.
Only after she had confirmed that Chang Yuan and the others had truly left did Velvie open the paper and read it.
Yet the more she read, the more alarmed Velvie became.
Because what was written on the note was simply too unbelievable.
Velvie, by the time you see this letter, Airi and I may already have left. Please remember everything I write next.
I believe that, with your intelligence and talent, you can definitely invent Honkai-resistant Serum. Begin researching it now, because I fear that I have no resistance to Honkai.
Second, the order in which Herrschers are born and their authorities.
The Zeroth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Humanity, the Origin Herrscher. Her authority is unknown, but it is believed to be miracles. She is also the only example of one standing on humanity's side. She is still alive, but I cannot tell you her identity.
The First Herrscher, the Herrscher of Reason. Her authority is comprehension and replication. She can replicate anything she understands, but she is already dead, killed by Flame-Chasing Moth.
The Second Herrscher, the Herrscher of Void. Her authority is control over space—the power to manipulate space, as the name suggests. She has not yet been born.
The Third Herrscher, the Herrscher of Thunder. Her authority is electromagnetic force, in the scientific sense. She can manipulate it freely and has yet to be born.
The Fourth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Wind. Her authority is Ideal Fluid.
The Fifth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Ice. She controls weak nuclear force and is harmless to humanity, because she will die at another's hands the moment she is born. Of course, she may not exist.
The Sixth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Death. She possesses the abilities of decomposition and healing: molecular-level decomposition, as well as the power to heal and recover instantly so long as the brain is not damaged.
The Seventh Herrscher, the Herrscher of Flames. She controls molecular motion.
The Eighth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Sentience. She possesses memetic abilities and can alter other people's intentions.
The Ninth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Rocks. She controls gravity.
The Tenth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Thousand People. There are one thousand individuals, each with relatively weak superpowers. Their greatest threat is that they may be nearby and can kill top scientists at any time.
The Herrscher of the Eleventh, the Herrscher of Binding. She can bind any energy, including Honkai Energy and life energy. She will create a barrier, and ordinary people who step into it will die within three seconds. To destroy the barrier, it must be forced until it bursts.
The Twelfth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Corrosion. She can corrode any electronic device, even human bodies.
And finally, the Thirteenth Herrscher—the ultimate Herrscher, the Herrscher of Finality. She possesses the power of time loops. Her power comes from the source of Honkai itself: the Cocoon of Finality.
All Herrschers can be said to be her projections, except for the Zeroth Herrscher. She is the most special one.
The Cocoon of Finality is something from a higher-dimensional civilization. It is rooted at the tip of the Imaginary Tree, endlessly cycling civilizations in order to create another of its own kind. This is the truth of Honkai, all of Honkai's hidden secrets.
Oh, and I can offer you some advice here. Herrscher cores can be used to forge corresponding weapons, thereby recreating the Herrschers' powers.
You can use nanometer-scale robots to form a special metal. Only this metal can contain the power of a Herrscher core.
Lastly, you can create a device that absorbs Honkai Energy and converts it into other forms of energy. This will be extremely important when facing the Herrscher of Finality in the end.
That is everything I know. Velvie, I'm counting on you. I hope that this time, with your foreknowledge, you can save more people.
"..."
Looking at the long string of words Chang Yuan had left behind, Velvie fell into thought.
She wondered why Chang Yuan knew so much.
But upon seeing the final part, she came up with a guess.
This time... that meant he had experienced more than one.
"Reborn after dying? That's way too fantastical. But this all seems well-founded... Tch, forget it. There's no harm in trying. If he lied to me, I'll teach him a lesson the next time I see him."
In the end, Velvie chose to believe Chang Yuan. At worst, she would only be fooled once.
The next time they met, she could just get even with him.
"Honkai-resistant Serum? Sigh, that's another huge expense. Honestly, I wonder how long my little treasury can last this time."
Scratching her head, Velvie began researching the other things.
After all, the metal made from nanobots mentioned at the end was the easiest thing for her to accomplish at present.
She had no samples or materials for the other things, so those would have to wait.
"Hehe, seeing how much you trust me, I'll give you credit if this succeeds."
And so, the gears of fate began to shift at that very moment.
Meanwhile...
"Chang Yuan, what did you write on that paper you left for Velvie?"
Earlier, she had wanted to take a look, but Chang Yuan had been so stingy that he would not let her see even a single word before giving it to Velvie.
"It's a secret just for me. Don't worry, you'll know in the future too."
"That again. Can't you stop making me curious and then keeping me in suspense? It's really annoying. Aren't you afraid you won't be able to find a girlfriend in the future?"
...Find a girlfriend? Aren't you one already?
Of course, Chang Yuan could not possibly say that aloud.
Because his relationship with Airi was somewhat strange now.
They were close, but not like a couple. They were more like family.
But he did not want that kind of relationship! What he wanted was a girlfriend, a wife! Not family!
When he confessed in the end, he did not want her saying, "I only see you as an older brother," damn it!
Before you continue