Chapter 135: Patient
After placing the Serenity Gem, Kirataka once again activated the teleportation function of the Cosmic Juggernaut and returned to St. Freya Academy from the World Bubble.
Although he went back in time three times, it actually only took one night and one morning.
Well, it didn't take that much time actually, probably less than twelve hours.
Since Bronya had been informed in advance and she helped to cover for him, the other people in the academy should not have noticed.
As for Otto, the Serenity Gem was stolen. If he had any suspicion, he would not suspect himself for the time being. He had never shown his face in front of Fu Hua, and only Siegfried and Kiana had seen him in the last moment.
And with the unexpected factor of Siegfried appearing to attract Otto's attention, he will either suspect other executives of Anti-Entropy, or... he may suspect the World Serpent.
A mysterious organization, elusive methods, a powerful intelligence network... Only such an organization can intervene in the struggle between destiny and anti-entropy, right?
'Anyway, Kevin has promised me that the World Serpent will help me after he comes out of the Quantum Sea, so I might as well take some advance payment now.'
This time he gained a lot, including the projections of two Divine Keys, the HSN-b46 serum that neutralizes Honkai energy, and the Serenity Gem.
But the most important thing is that it prompted Kiana to start changing.
While thinking, Kirataka passed through the portal of Cosmic Juggernaut and came to the boudoir of a certain girl.
The room was decorated very simply, and apart from the Homu dolls that could be seen everywhere, there was almost no girlish atmosphere at all.
The computer screen on the table was on, with the startup interface of a game clearly displayed on it.
The warm sunlight outside the window shone into the room through the veil, hitting the silver-haired girl leaning against the head of the bed, making her hair somewhat dazzling.
Well, this is Bronya's room.
——The cover that Bronya provided for him was actually quite simple. He just played games with the girl in the room all night and slept until noon the next day.
Last night, with the help of the wonderful gadget she brought from Anti-Entropy, Kirataka covered up the traces of Honkai energy that activated the Divine Key and teleported directly from her room to Singapore.
'So, it is natural that I will stay in this room when I come back.'
The fluctuations caused by his return also made the girl who was resting with her eyes closed open her eyes.
The pair of grey eyes that showed no emotion stared at him for a long while before speaking:
"Kirataka, you're back."
He nodded and said:
"Well, didn't Mei and Seele come to see you during this time?"
"It's a common practice that Bronya likes to sleep in because she often stays up late."
The silver-haired girl said as a matter of course:
"Besides, no one except that idiot Kiana would barge into someone else's room without permission."
That's true—
Bronya did not ask him what he did in Singapore. She did not have the habit of prying into other people's secrets.
"Now that you're back, Kirataka, it's better for Bronya to take a rest for a while..."
The girl's voice became quieter and quieter, and then she slid from her position leaning against the headboard into the warm bed without hesitation.
His weariness could not be concealed in his words.
It seems that he hasn't had a good rest since last night.
"…In order to prepare for any unexpected situation, Bronya did not sleep all night."
"Well, then, Bronya, you should take a rest first. I'll bring you lunch later."
Kirataka glanced at the clock in the girl's room and saw that the hour hand was almost at twelve o'clock.
He opened the door and went downstairs as if nothing had happened.
The black-blue-haired girl sat obediently on the sofa, holding a little fox in her arms.
——Because he left last night, he temporarily handed the little guy over to Seele and asked her to take care of her and rest together at night.
It seems that the relationship is pretty good now... But Seele has always been like this, she can get along well with everyone.
They seemed to be watching a TV series. Kirataka glanced at the screen. Hmm, it was some kind of romantic drama...
"Seele, Higokumaru, good morning... no, good afternoon."
"Good afternoon, Brother Kirataka."
"Master~~~~~~"
The little guy broke free from Seele's arms, flew to his side, and threw herself onto his shoulders.
"I want to eat fried tofu for lunch!"
Kirataka rubbed her little head, then looked at the purple-haired girl who was already busy in the kitchen. He smiled and said:
"I should be acting cute with Mei~"
…
After he came back quietly, the two Valkyries who went to Singapore to carry out the mission also returned to St. Freya Academy two days later.
——To be precise, they were escorted back by other people.
One suffered some degree of burns, and the other had no wounds on her body, but her mental state did not seem to be that stable.
In short, they all managed to be admitted to the infirmary inside the academy.
As roommates and friends living together, it was natural for Mei and the others to visit the two patients.
The first place Kirataka and several girls came to was Fu Hua's ward.
The gray-haired woman was leaning obediently on the bed, with bandages wrapped all over her body.
——In order to make Otto believe that she was indeed defeated by Siegfried, Fu Hua had no choice but to take a heavy blow from the fire bomb of the Judgment of Shamash in order to complete her exit.
Seeing Fu Hua's appearance, Seele hurried to the bedside and asked with some concern:
"Class Monitor...your injury..."
"Nothing, just a minor injury."
Fu Hua waved her hand and didn't take it to heart.
The attacks of the Judgment of Shamash in hand cannon form were still unable to cause her fatal injuries. Although it looked scary, with her own recovery ability, this level of injury would probably only take about a week to heal.
"Class Monitor, I made some chicken soup for you, drink it while it's hot."
Mei took out the thermos from her side and handed it to Fu Hua.
"...Thanks."
Fu Hua smiled, took the chicken soup from Mei's hand, and started eating it without hesitation.
Kirataka watched the three people talking with Fu Hua from the side, but he had a lot of thoughts in his mind.
The injuries on her body were obviously intentional. With her skills, if she didn't want to get hurt, it was entirely possible for her to stay away from Siegfried.
So... it was intentional?
He was not unaware that Fu Hua was not completely loyal to Otto. When confronting her on a certain timeline, she once said that her relationship with Otto was only one of gratitude and cooperation.
This time she let Siegfried go... Maybe she felt that the ownership of the Serenity Gem was not that important to Otto's plan?
Well... in other words, she is indeed someone that he can strive for in the future.
After letting Bronya and Seele stay to look after Fu Hua, Kirataka and Mei came to Kiana's ward next door.
Compared to Fu Hua, Kiana did not have any external injuries on her body.
But her expression looked a little depressed. She was sitting on the hospital bed, staring out the window in a daze.
"Kiana...? How are you..."
Seeing her listless look, Mei walked towards her with some worry.
"...Mei, Kirataka, you are here."
The white-haired girl turned around, looked at the two people who entered the room, and said in a low voice.
She still remembered that her true identity was revealed by the unnamed guy, but she didn't remember what happened after that.
'I seemed to throw a punch, and then...what happened next.....?'
'Dad, is he... okay?'
'No, compared to this...'
She is a Herrscher, an existence that will destroy humanity and civilization...
'As long as I stay by their side, my relatives and friends will get hurt one day...'
However, looking at the purple-haired girl in front of her busying around, Kiana had a new idea.
'No, not all Herrschers will become like that, right...?'
Mei can obviously control her own strength very well, so maybe she can do it too.
Countless thoughts emerged in Kiana's not-so-bright mind.
Of course, she can't do it by herself, maybe... 'maybe I can ask Mei how she controls her Herrscher power?'
However, she really found it difficult to reveal her true identity in front of familiar people. She was not ready for that yet.
"Woo woo…"
Unable to make a decision for a moment, the white-haired girl simply curled up in the bed and covered her head with the quilt.
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