"Care to come in and sit for a while?"
Little Black had stopped at the villa's main gate. Michael turned sideways. Although he didn't specify, even if Mei were a complete idiot, she wouldn't think he was talking to her.
She had no idea what her father and Michael had discussed, but she felt like he was a little... excited? But he hadn't said a single word on the way here, as if he were deliberately suppressing something.
At first, she thought it was because of this Auntie Himeko's presence that he didn't want to talk. But she had been watching the rearview mirror the entire time, and Michael hadn't even glanced at the woman.
It couldn't be... that she was the third wheel, could it?
Mei turned to look at the older woman beside her. She had finally taken her hands off her face. She first glanced awkwardly at Mei, then looked through the car window at the villa's deep garden, and replied dryly, "I... I think I'll pass. Just take me back to the academy."
"Pfft—"
Michael burst out laughing. He finally turned to Mei and said, trying to hold back his laughter, "Take a good look, Mei. This woman who fools around all day, picking up men for dates and failing miserably, is the head teacher of a certain academy. After you graduate from Chiba Academy, whatever you do, don't go to her school."
"You..."
What could Himeko say? She could only bury her face in her chest.
Mei, who had already pulled the car door handle, paused at his words. This was the first thing Michael had said to her all evening.
"So, what's the name of that academy?"
Mei glanced at Himeko, a little embarrassed. She knew Michael was just joking, which was why he hadn't even named the school. She just hadn't expected this Auntie Himeko she'd run into to know Michael. And her aura... how should she put it, it was very different from the teachers she knew. Was this the difference between high school and university?
"Ahem! You don't need to ask that. Just pray for your own good luck!"
"Hmph!"
Mei knew Michael had something to discuss with Himeko. Even so, she was still a little annoyed that he hadn't looked at her the entire trip. She just gave a cold snort and got out of the car to go home.
"How nice..."
Himeko lifted her head again. She watched as Mei struggled a little to push open the villa's gate and walked with a straight back, step by deliberate step, down the dark garden path. Her eyes were practically overflowing with envy.
"Are you envious of her youth, or her innocence?"
"Ah... both, I guess."
As Michael spoke, he turned Little Black's headlights to their brightest setting.
The sudden brightness startled Mei. She pouted, turned around, wrinkled her nose at Michael, and made a face.
"Hmph! So childish."
"You don't like it?"
Himeko was a little surprised. She was almost thirty, and she could easily distinguish between a joking complaint and real disgust.
If Michael simply disliked the girl, that would be one thing. But he was also afraid she'd be scared of the dark, so he deliberately used the car's headlights to illuminate the path for her. Wasn't that a contradiction?
"Who likes childishness?" Michael shook his head, his tone flat but with a hint of barely perceptible annoyance.
Himeko frowned. She didn't care whether it was childish or not. From her personal perspective, she envied such childishness, such a carefree attitude. But she knew her life was different from Michael's, so their views were naturally different. He certainly had the right to dislike childishness, but...
But the question was, did he really dislike it?
Words could be false, but actions couldn't. Whether he disliked childishness or not, at least he didn't dislike the girl.
"Is that... Raiden Ryoma's daughter?"
"Oh? You know."
"We've been dealing with Raiden Ryoma for years. Of course, we know his daughter. Uh... it was too dark at first, I didn't recognize her... Hehe, I've heard a lot about Anti-Entropy's mech technology."
Himeko slapped the car seat hard, as if venting her frustration... and why wouldn't she? Not long ago, Little Black had swatted her down mid-jump.
How could Michael not know what she was thinking? But because of that, he couldn't help but smile himself.
The only pity was that he had arrived in such a hurry at the time, with no chance to take a picture of that moment for careful observation.
"Let's go, I'll take you back to St. Freya. By the way, do you need me to cover for you in front of Principal Theresa this time?"
Sensing Michael's effort to change the subject, Himeko smiled with pursed lips. As Michael reversed the car, she completely relaxed, sprawling across the back seat without any care for her image. Her tone held none of the tension one would expect after getting into trouble.
"Did you forget something? Today is the first day of the new year, and also the last day of the winter break."
"Oh... Oh? So? It's a holiday? Is that your excuse as a teacher to go drinking in the city and pick up men for dates?"
Himeko's flushed face twitched slightly. Was it true that one misstep leads to eternal regret? That night had just been a moment of madness. Now it seemed that as long as this guy was alive, this joke would probably follow her for the rest of her life.
But then she realized—today's incident was completely different from last time. What did she have to feel guilty about?
"Tsk! Sorry to disappoint you, but this time it was just a regular blind date."
"You... you're sure? You run, he chases, and that's your blind date? Who plays out a blind date like a spy movie?"
"Uh... well... that's a bit complicated."
Michael chuckled lightly and casually replied, "How complicated?"
"Sigh..."
Just talking about it made Himeko cover her forehead and sigh.
"We just chatted a bit online, and the next thing I know, he bought a plane ticket and came to Nagazora City. I really..."
"Couldn't you just not see him?"
At the mention of this, Himeko covered her forehead again.
"He's a rich kid from Hong Kong. Schicksal and Shenzhou have had a lot of joint projects in recent years, and his family is in that business. He has connections with some high-level people in both Schicksal and Shenzhou, so it's not easy for me to refuse."
"Not easy to refuse? You're a Schicksal A-rank Valkyrie... uh, that doesn't really hold much weight, I guess. What about Theresa? Don't think I don't know, Theresa is the granddaughter of that Schicksal Overseer Otto. With her influence, would it be so hard to turn down a suitor for you?"
Himeko tilted her head, momentarily unsure if Michael was being intentional or not. His words were incredibly naive, but if she remembered correctly, hadn't he just said, "Who likes childishness?"
"Hey! Come on! If a classmate said something mean to you in school when you were a kid, would you go crying to the teacher and then go home and ask your parents to fight your battles for you?"
"..."
"Theresa could easily solve this problem, but with her nagging personality, I'm afraid... Anyway, it's such a small thing, there's no need to ask her to step in. Besides, I had some fantasies too, right? What if we met and it turned out to be a good match? He's handsome in the pictures, and I'm not getting any younger. If it worked out, hehe."
"But?" Michael silently added the two words.
Himeko shot him a look and continued after his "but":
"But it didn't work out!"
"And then?" Michael softly uttered the two words, which made Himeko even more annoyed.
"And then he wouldn't leave me alone, what else could happen?"
"So? I thought you would have roughed him up a bit, to put an end to his ideas."
"Heh? Is that the kind of person you think I am? I'm just a humble A-rank Valkyrie. I wouldn't dare to provoke such a 'big shot.' Besides, even if I did hit him, I'd be in the wrong. 'A fair lady is a gentleman's good match.' He's just a bit annoying, he hasn't done anything out of line."
"So rather than getting into trouble and having Theresa clean up your mess, you'd rather swallow your pride and go back and beg Theresa to handle it, right?"
Himeko grunted and said no more. She was used to it. The Michael of today was a bit different from the one she had met that night. He seemed unusually excited. And along with his excitement, he was also very sharp, every word stinging her heart.
"Think whatever you want."
"If you ask me, you didn't drink enough tonight."
"Hehe..."
"If you'd been just a little more drunk, you probably would have slammed him on the table and punched him three times."
Himeko stared out the window at the receding lights, completely ignoring him now.
Normally, she wouldn't mind Michael's jokes. But the human mind is a fickle thing. Today had not been her day, and even a simple jump had been swatted down by an AI. How could she be in a good mood?
When you're in a bad mood, your tolerance for jokes naturally drops. Besides, although she knew Michael, they had only spoken a few times. To say they weren't on good terms would be an exaggeration, but to say they were... that would also be an exaggeration.
They had just passed the stranger stage, but couldn't really be called friends yet. If they had gotten along well today, maybe. But now they were just... half-friends?
Hmph! They weren't close anyway.
The car drove onto the bridge. The once-bright lights of the city were now a lingering afterimage behind them. Before them was a vast expanse of "black ink" that merged with the distant horizon. Even so, this was just a small, shallow bay left by the sea on the edge of Nagazora City.
But a shallow bay was a shallow bay. Streaks of white light, the size of pinpricks, occasionally flashed in the darkness, but they didn't have the chilling glint of a needle's tip. Although it was the cold, deep sea, it was still reflecting the city's lights, so it naturally carried the warmth of those lights.
Himeko's mind gradually calmed down. Then, for some reason, she spoke again:
"St. Freya Academy is relocating."
Michael wasn't surprised, neither by Himeko's change in attitude nor by her words. He just asked calmly, "Is that something you can talk about?"
"Yeah. It's not a secret. The academy is out in the open, and a move this big can't possibly be kept completely quiet. You don't seem surprised, so I guess you already knew."
"No, I didn't."
"..."
Michael wasn't lying. His mind had been on Mei lately, how could he have paid attention to anything else? But he remembered that although St. Freya Academy was in the Far East, it wasn't supposed to be in Nagazora City...
"Hehe, my vigilance is getting worse and worse. That little fellow Otto probably found me eight years ago, which is why he deliberately set up the Far East Branch in Nagazora City. And now that the Honkai is about to erupt in Nagazora City, St. Freya Academy is too close, which won't give those two a chance to get closer... tsk tsk tsk."
That did sound like something Otto would do. But this time, Otto might have been a step too late...
A strange smile appeared on Michael's face. Himeko, who was staring out the window, naturally didn't notice.
"From the way you're talking, it sounds like you're leaving Nagazora City tomorrow?"
Himeko's gaze shifted back to the front, and they made eye contact in the rearview mirror.
"Do you even know what 'confidential' means..."
"Nope."
"Come on, you're just trying to get information out of me."
She could tell him about the academy's move because it wasn't a secret, nor could it be. But the specific timing, the personnel transfers... if St. Freya were a normal school, it would be fine. But as Schicksal's Far East Branch, the timing of their movements and the deployment of their personnel were military secrets.
Himeko wasn't drunk tonight. Of course, even if she were, she was confident she wouldn't be tricked into revealing anything.
But on second thought, there was a third possibility—which faction did Michael belong to? She had never heard of someone like him in Anti-Entropy. What if he was actually an enemy?
Himeko's muscles tensed. It wasn't that she was overthinking things, but as a warrior, her previous attitude toward Michael had been a bit too familiar, given that she hadn't confirmed his identity. She couldn't even explain why she had acted that way...
Just then, the car suddenly stopped.
"Huh?"
The sudden stop startled Himeko so much she almost attacked. Luckily, she quickly recognized her surroundings—they were already at the main gate of St. Freya Academy.
What was even more sobering was that there were three figures standing directly in front of the car.
Principal Theresa, that was to be expected.
That Shenzhou girl named Hua...
"I already messaged Hua to wait for you here," Michael explained softly.
"Then... why is the Overseer here too?" Himeko squinted. Her hand was on the door handle, but she showed no sign of getting out.
Unlike most of her colleagues, she didn't like the Schicksal Overseer. It wasn't that she hated him, but it was best to avoid contact if possible.
But she soon realized she was overthinking it. She was just an ordinary A-rank Valkyrie. How could she possibly make the Schicksal Overseer wait for her in the middle of the night?
There were only two possible answers. Excluding herself, that left...
Michael turned and smiled at her.
"Get out. I have something to discuss with your Overseer."
Himeko covered her face again and quickly ran behind Theresa after getting out of the car.
"Well then... Grandpa, I'll take her back first?"
"Mhm."
Otto grunted softly. He smiled playfully, his gaze never leaving Michael.
In contrast, Hua had turned to stare at the crescent moon over the sea from the moment Michael got out of the car. But she still had to say something:
"I won't be staying."
"Okay."
Michael nodded and walked to a spot two steps in front of Otto.
When the other three figures had completely disappeared, Otto smiled and waved his hand. Two magnificent sofas appeared in the middle of the road.
Michael smiled too. They sat down in unison. A wine glass had appeared in Otto's hand at some point. Seeing this, Michael snapped his fingers, and an identical one appeared in his own hand.
"You don't need to create the wine, do you?" he raised his eyebrows.
"What else?"
Michael sneered. Right, he had assumed the other man also had the Authority of the Void...
They looked at each other, their smiles gradually fading, leaving only numbness and indifference.
One crystal-clear wine glass was filled with blood-red, the other with moonlight. They gently clinked their glasses and then downed their respective portions in one gulp.
"The relocation of the Far East Branch actually began a week ago. The campus over there has been under construction for several years. Now we just need to move the people over. There's some finishing work tomorrow, and the day after, St. Freya Academy will no longer be in Nagazora City."
Otto seemed to be talking to himself, but Michael understood what he meant.
"Good. The day after tomorrow, then."
Michael and Otto looked at each other and smiled. It was clear that although this wasn't the day they had truly been waiting for, they shared a common sense of urgency.
Then came a few minutes of silence. They didn't have much in common to talk about... actually, they did, but saying it out loud would be like asking for trouble.
Besides, there was no need.
Michael gently stroked the armrest of the sofa and suddenly sighed for no reason.
"My power, you use it quite skillfully, don't you?"
Otto didn't answer, just gave a meaningful smile.
Michael shrugged. He had been getting ahead of himself. Right, the Void Archives wasn't just a combat-type Divine Key; it also stored almost all the knowledge of the Previous Era. That naturally included history.
So, even without a hint from Hua or Su, it wasn't surprising that Otto knew his identity.
And Otto wasn't as hostile as he had imagined. Perhaps he knew very well that with his current power, he was nothing in front of Michael. Since he couldn't kill him, there was no need to show hostility. Just hide it. Wasn't that familiar to him? After Kallen's death, hadn't he hidden the seeds of hatred, biding his time for over a decade before rising up at the most critical moment to complete his revenge on mortals?
But there was another possibility, a much more likely one—this man had already guessed what the other man was going to do.
After all... he was his descendant, in a way.
"Don't look at me like that. Otto, I'll be blunt. Our goals are the same."
Michael gave a direct, affirmative answer. Then, for the first time, he and Otto looked at each other and smiled.