"These files are my preliminary selections, Lady Bianka. The final decision on who joins is up to you," Rita said, tidying up the documents Bianka had already looked through.
"Additionally, I would like to extend an invitation to Lady Azhar to join the team." Rita's next sentence made Azhar, who was engrossed in her meal, look up in confusion once again.
At the same time, Bianka, a beat behind, also came to her senses and echoed Azhar's question.
"Huh? Me?" x2
Rita nodded, though it was unclear who she was answering.
"Lady Bianka, I believe the team captain is best suited to make the decision. And Lady Azhar, I am extending this invitation to you now. Lady Bianka can give her answer directly. I wonder if you would be willing to accept our offer?"
"I... I can't!" Just thinking about the abilities of the people present made Azhar feel inadequate. How could an ordinary person like her possibly join their team?
While she no longer froze in fear at the sight of Honkai Beasts or zombies, the fact that she would be a burden hadn't changed.
Of course, it was possible they had some advanced technology or methods that could quickly turn her into someone who could help.
Azhar did feel a glimmer of hope for such equipment, but then she looked at herself, at the brand-new phone on the table, and lowered her head again.
She couldn't even read. Right now, the only person she could communicate with directly was Rita. She needed a translator to talk to anyone else...
And as she'd said before, she'd spent more time living through the Honkai than she had in school. Even if they gave her some powerful weapon, she was so clumsy, she probably couldn't learn how to use it, right?
Logically, refusing now was the best choice for Azhar.
But deep down, she wanted to say yes.
She was still a child, after all, and having just experienced a fantastical adventure, she still had an adventurous spirit.
This might be the only chance she'd ever get in her life!
The only chance to stay by Bianka's side.
Fire Moth wasn't like the City of Sighs. Things here weren't as "free." It was safer, but also more unfamiliar.
When she first took refuge in the City of Sighs, her mother had been there to help her get accustomed to the environment and deal with the neighbors. After her mother fell ill from Honkai sickness, Azhar had managed to maintain the relationships her mother had built, barely scraping by.
But now, in Fire Moth, she was in another strange environment. Azhar instinctively wanted to find a "senior" she knew to guide her.
She could manage on her own, but...
She had lost everything once before. She didn't want to be plunged back into that loneliness where she couldn't see, hear, speak, or get any kind of feedback.
Maybe she was being overly dramatic, but Azhar had genuine PTSD from that experience.
---||---
Unlike the conflicted Azhar, Bianka's head was spinning from all the files.
Such long sentences... such obscure and difficult terms. Why is it that I can understand every word, but they become gibberish when put together?
And why was everyone's resume longer than the last? Writing that you'd worked in the cafeteria kitchen was understandable, but... getting rescued by Senior Shu in Sapphire City, why was that something you'd write down?
Bianka didn't understand, but she was thoroughly shocked.
The main point was that she had to pick two qualified people from these files... which meant she had to read every single word.
Bianka rubbed her head while continuing to eat. Just as she had managed to mess up her beautiful, smooth blonde hair, a particularly unique resume appeared before her.
Compared to the other thick stacks of documents, this resume was just a single, thin sheet of paper. It wasn't filled with profound technical jargon or a convoluted life story that left Bianka bewildered.
Under the "Abilities" section, there were just a few confident words—
[I am very strong.]
It was a strange self-introduction, but it was also concise and to the point. The confidence in those three words made Bianka immediately wonder just how strong the person who wrote them was.
She looked up at the name on the sheet. An equally simple name was written there.
[Kevin]
A very common name, yet also a very unique one...
Probably like "Zihan" in Shenzhou—common, but with an inexplicable protagonist vibe...
"Rita, I've made my choice." After a while, Bianka was finally able to look up from the documents. Breakfast was over, and Sushang had already left to continue her lessons at the martial arts hall.
Starting tomorrow, Sushang would have to go back to her cultural classes at St. Freya Academy's junior division, so she had a look of agony on her face even as she left.
Azhar, after finishing breakfast, had gone to sit in front of the sofa. But instead of sitting on it, she sat on the rug, leaning against it.
Rita had been waiting by Bianka's side the whole time. When Bianka pushed two resumes out from the pile, a barely perceptible glint flashed in Rita's eyes.
From a pile of thick resumes, Bianka had managed to pick the two thinnest ones.
But as it happened, these two... were the ones Overseer Otto had specifically mentioned to her.
A newcomer to Fire Moth: Kevin.
And a survivor from the City of Sighs: Susannah.
This recruitment drive wasn't exactly as Rita had described. Besides the reasons she'd given, the most important factor was something Otto had mentioned to her.
"The selection for the new special operations team is about to begin. Bianka is my handpicked choice, and you and Sushang also have a good chance of being selected. At that point, your Immortal Blades will probably have to be disbanded..."
"After all, to maintain an exploration team, you need to have at least four permanent members."
With that, Otto had smiled at Rita. "But if you're willing to let Bianka go to the special team alone, the Immortal Blades can be preserved."
Facing Rita's silence, Otto paused, then chuckled. "But you won't leave Bianka's side, will you? After all, you've only just gotten her back."
Rita would indeed never leave Bianka. She knew how outstanding Bianka was now, a strength she could only dream of reaching. But she was also confident that she was no ordinary person.
Rita had already thoroughly studied the selection criteria for the special team. She was certain that if she put in the effort, she had an eighty percent chance of being selected.
But at the same time, Rita didn't want to give up the Immortal Blades.
This was the exploration team she and Lady Bianka had built together, the team she had painstakingly maintained after Bianka went missing.
All so that Bianka could take it over again when she returned.
And now, with the establishment of the special team, if she, Bianka, or Sushang left, the Immortal Blades would fall short of the four-person minimum.
She didn't want to give up the Immortal Blades, which was why she was looking for new members to fill the vacancies.
The resumes of Susannah and this Kevin were the ones Otto had given her at that time. His confident, all-knowing demeanor had made Rita pause, but she had still stuck to her principles and gathered other applications as well.
But in her own opinion, the two Otto had provided were the most suitable. And now, Bianka had chosen them too.
"Since you've made your choice, I will notify them to report tomorrow morning. We'll need to take them on some simpler missions then, so please be prepared," Rita said, collecting the files Bianka had set aside. Then she turned to Azhar again.
"Lady Azhar, have you made your decision?"
Azhar was taken aback. She thought Rita had forgotten.
In reality, this was a lifeline Rita was offering Azhar. Even in the most extreme case, if Fu Hua, Rita, Sushang, and Bianka all left the team, the remaining Senior Quinn could still look after her.
Azhar was just a child, after all, and they were all front-line fighters. Besides entrusting Azhar to Natasha, Quinn, who was permanently stationed at the base, was the best person for Azhar to rely on.
If Azhar refused...
With so much time to think, Azhar had already made up her mind.
"I'll join."
Azhar finally decided to join, not out of a sense of longing, but because she felt she had to do something... even if it was just helping others with small tasks.
Rita nodded at Azhar. "Then please join us for our operation tomorrow, Senior Azhar."
"Um... do I need to study anything beforehand?" Rita's words made Azhar instantly nervous. She looked at Rita anxiously, asking about the details of tomorrow's mission.
The people Rita had selected from so many must be very talented, and the two chosen from that pool must be even more outstanding. And her? Uneducated, unworldly...
What if she made a fool of herself? Would it reflect badly on Bianka and the others?
"There's no need, Lady Azhar. You just need to be yourself. There's no need to be so formal," Rita said, starting to clear the lunch dishes. "As for today, please just relax, Lady Azhar."
"Is that so..." Rita's words only made Azhar more nervous. She always needed to prepare, but Rita hadn't given her any specific instructions. Now she didn't even know what she was supposed to do.
When the future is unclear, people always feel anxious. The carefree are either skilled and confident they can handle anything that comes their way, or they have completely given up on their own potential and accepted the outcome of failure.
But for the vast majority of people, while they may not be brilliant, they have some ability to get things done. The feeling of "I could have done it" is never a pleasant one.
That feeling can even torment anyone who misses an opportunity due to laziness.
Even if it never happened.
---||---
And Azhar wasn't the only one tormented by this feeling. At this very moment, Shu, under the alias "Kevin," was going through the same ordeal.
Who would have thought that a powerful warrior who could tear a Herrscher apart with his bare hands would be so nervous about an interview the next morning that he couldn't even eat?
"It is my first interview, after all..." Shu scratched his head and sighed at Otto, who was sitting across from him. "Besides, I don't really need to eat anymore. Food only gives me a sense of fullness and taste. The energy it provides is less than if you just prayed for me once..."
"How pitiful," Otto shrugged. "But I'm afraid I can't help you. You know, as the heir to the Apocalypse family, I've only ever been on the other side of the interview table. Even in the City of Sighs, I was the one in power."
"So I probably can't offer you any useful experience. I only know how to make things difficult for others."
The corner of Shu's eye twitched. "Is this your twisted sense of humor? Does watching others suffer make you happy?"
"Did you think I was some great person who only works for the good of humanity?" Otto chuckled and brought a bowl of simple fried rice over to Shu.
Shu looked at the fried rice in surprise. "You predicted this too?"
Otto shook his head. "No. That's Kallen's latest creation. I couldn't bring myself to touch it, but it's not good to waste food, so I was hoping you'd help me take care of it."
Shu's hand, holding the spoon, paused. He looked up seriously at Otto, who was busy with his back to him. After a long hesitation, he scooped up a small mouthful and put it in his mouth.
The next moment, under Otto's expectant gaze, he stood up, walked quickly to the waste bin, and scraped the entire bowl of seemingly decent fried rice into it.
"What a shame. I thought it would taste good," Otto said, looking at Shu's furious scraping with a regretful expression, but he made no move to stop him. He even poured Shu a glass of water. "After all, it looked quite presentable."
After scraping the last grain of rice into the bin, Shu returned to the table with a grim face. He immediately grabbed two tissues, wrapped the small mouthful of rice in them, and tossed it into the bin from a distance.
"There are many ways to make me rest... You don't have to use this one." Taking the water from Otto, Shu hesitated before chugging it down. After a long sigh, he finally complained to Otto helplessly.
"Is that so? But I tried very hard," Otto said, continuing his work. "I spent a whole day teaching Kallen how to make this fried rice. Didn't you teach Kiana how to cook in an afternoon? I thought I could do it too."
Shu's gaze lingered on the waste bin for a moment. "...Could you maybe try a little harder?"
He didn't believe for a second that Otto had genuinely tried to teach Kallen for a whole day and gotten this result.
"In fact, I did try very hard. And so did Kallen," Otto said with a chuckle, turning to look at Shu seriously. "We've been working on this fried rice since yesterday, but this was the best we could do."