With Tatsuki watching from the side, everyone trained hard.
Marin, however, walked over with a small shoulder bag in hand.
"Tatsuki-kun, look at the cosplay I brought you!"
She opened the bag and pulled out a black outfit—at first glance a suit, but not quite.
"Tada—black butler attire!" Marin grinned. "I think it'll look very right on your bed."
"Oh? Then I'll try it."
Tatsuki was also curious what he'd look like in something like that.
He took the clothes and began changing—without much fuss about modesty.
Marin blinked rapidly, staring at the crisp lines of muscle across his torso; for a second, there were little heart-shapes in her eyes.
W-whoa, the succubus influence is getting stronger! Marin screamed internally.
Just looking at Tatsuki's body now made her feel like she was losing control.
Thankfully, Tatsuki changed quickly, and Marin managed to keep her cool, doing nothing outrageous.
The commotion naturally drew some attention.
Closest was Miko, who, in the middle of training, noticed Tatsuki undressing in front of Marin and nearly jumped.
They're not going to do anything here, are they? A terrifying thought rose in her mind.
She snuck a cautious peek. And had a new thought instead. Tatsuki's body is… perfect.
Just seeing him in the undershirt made Miko's face flush.
That's the place that helped Yui grow up. Even through the thin shirt it seemed… intimidating.
Thankfully, what she feared didn't happen.
Tatsuki slipped on the black, Western-style butler uniform.
Flawless physique. Handsome features. Cool, understated eyes.
It suited him perfectly—an aura of a stern, elegant butler swept out.
After giving him a top-to-bottom look, Marin personally straightened his collar.
Clapping in satisfaction, she beamed, "I knew this was perfect for Tatsuki-kun!"
"I think it works too. Feels pretty good."
Tatsuki moved around a little—neither tight nor loose. "How'd you get my measurements so right?"
"I… felt them out," Marin whispered, ears red.
Tatsuki teased on purpose. "Pervert?"
"I am not a pervert!" Marin puffed her cheeks in protest.
It wasn't like she did it on purpose. From their accidental contact before, she'd just… memorized his measurements. That wasn't being a perv at all.
Tatsuki ruffled her hair. "Haha, don't mind me. Just kidding."
Marin basked in the head pats, then chirped, "Penalty: you have to wear this all day!"
Tatsuki: "But we still have class, don't we?"
"Hmph, don't you have that dominate perception thing? I'm sure Tatsuki-kun can handle it."
Laughing, Marin spun away back to practice, leaving no room for Tatsuki to object.
Tatsuki could only smile wryly. So I'm being handled now?
Just then, someone @-ed everyone in the group chat.
He opened it—Kiana.
Kiana: "@everyone We've got a large-scale Honkai event here! Is this gonna trigger a Apocalypse Journey?"
Silver Wolf: "Honkai?"
Saeko Busujima: "New to me as a term. Whether it triggers Journey depends on the group's definition."
Bronya: "If it qualifies as a apocalypse factor, it will trigger."
[Ding! Detected group member Kiana encountering a Honkai Incident. Initiating Apocalypse Journey!]
[Journey Mode]: Four-person party
[Duration]: 3 days
[Participants]: Tatsuki, Kiana, Furina, Silver Wolf
[Objectives]:
Eliminate Honkai Beasts and Deadwalkers.Resolve the Honkai Incident.
Momonga: "It's here, it's here!"
Exusiai: "Kiana, as you wished—Journey is on."
Furina: "This is a stage play I shall attend personally. Do watch closely!"
Silver Wolf: "I'm in? Launch."
Tatsuki: "Why do you all sound excited?"
Tatsuki didn't bother pondering how a Honkai event counted as a apocalypse factor.
Seeing the other three so hyped, he simply hit Confirm.
…
"A powerful Honkai surge in Changkong City!"
Far East Branch—before banks of precise, mechanized instruments.
A petite figure in a black-and-white nun habit stared up at the data crawling across the screens, all of it keyed to Changkong City.
White hair, blue eyes; long hair tied into a ponytail draped over her left shoulder. The family crest of Apocalypse pinned at her chest.
Theresa Apocalypse—an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, and headmistress of St. Freya Academy under the Far East Branch.
Theresa watched each value shift, grave.
"Changkong City isn't a small Honkai incident. It could very well be the third global Honkai."
Honkai—periodic cataclysms.
Every few centuries, they come—war, plague, climate disaster, comet impact… manifestations unpredictable. According to Schicksal's collected tomes: the unknowable will of a god.
But the result? The mass extinction of the world's ruling species.
"Convene an emergency meeting!"
…
Draped in a gorgeous black-and-red evening dress, Himeko Murata stood between high-rises, admiring the neon night.
"Beautiful night view… why show up late today of all days?"
She was waiting for her date.
Himeko—a woman eerily similar to Shizuka Hiratsuka in certain ways.
Bzz—bzz—bzz—
A drone-hum rolled from above; blinding floodlights poured over Himeko.
Not a date—but a flying warship bristling with high-tech machinery. It hovered before the tower; a gangway extended and locked in place.
Dozens of uniformed women marched out.
Himeko didn't panic; she just clicked her tongue, annoyed. "Tch. The date's over before it even started."
A bespectacled officer stepped behind her with a military coat and draped it over Himeko's shoulders, covering the glamorous dress.
Himeko folded into the coat and groused at her adjutant, "Didn't I say don't interrupt my dates?"
The adjutant merely pushed up her glasses. "By date, do you mean wasting time with some rich boy?"
A little crossmark popped on Himeko's brow. "You looking to die?"
Unfazed, the adjutant delivered her report. "Urgent notice from HQ: Large-scale Honkai in Changkong City, severity matching the one from fourteen years ago."
Himeko's irritation stuttered.
Fourteen years ago… Something stirred in her memory.
A rakish smile tugged at her lips. She barked, "All hands, board—now! Destination: Changkong City!"
Coat flaring, Himeko strode toward the Hyperion, excitement glinting in her eyes. "So it's finally come… the Third Honkai."
....
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