Amidst the raucous laughter of the train, three figures—one large and two small—seemed out of place.
Bianka had changed into a set of casual sportswear she'd never worn before, her body reverting to the size of a ten-year-old child from her time in the City of Sighs.
On top of that, she deliberately wore a pair of purple, heart-shaped sunglasses to hide her highly recognizable face.
Of course, she seemed completely oblivious to the fact that her brilliant golden hair was far more eye-catching.
Rita, on the other hand, had changed into a very ordinary outfit. a small beret was enough to turn her into a passerby who would only occasionally attract a few glances.
This ability to freely adjust her presence amazed Bianka, who exclaimed that she still had much to learn.
She was also preparing to restart her plan of sparring with Rita.
And Rita's answer was still the same, exactly as it had been two months ago.
"Lady Bianka, I am no match for you."
Outsiders knew nothing of the little mind games between Rita and Bianka. But at the very least, Azhar, standing on Rita's other side, was incredibly envious of them.
At the same time, the seeds of self-doubt in her heart were constantly growing.
Compared to their various displays of skill, she felt like a mortal standing beside the Eight Immortals as they crossed the sea, watching their receding figures, unable to even find a small boat.
Am I really qualified to join this team?
Perhaps... a more ordinary team would be a better fit for me?
"Rita, what are you taking a picture of?" amidst the peals of laughter, Bianka curiously craned her neck, trying to see Rita's phone screen.
Rita's smiling expression fit the surrounding atmosphere, but she turned off her phone screen with such swiftness that Bianka saw nothing.
"It's just an extra commission someone gave me," Rita said with a smile, her gaze lingering for a moment on the center of the commotion before returning to Bianka.
Seeing Bianka tilting her head up, staring at her with those pure, azure eyes filled with confusion, Rita felt an inexplicable rush of blood to her head.
"Really? But taking pictures of people without their permission... that's not very nice, is it?" Bianka's hesitant expression made her already chubby face scrunch up, making it look even rounder.
Resisting the urge to reach out and thoroughly knead Bianka's face, Rita patiently explained her actions.
"That person is someone Overseer Otto specifically asked me to keep an eye on."
"Oh~" at the mention of Otto, Bianka timidly shrank back and didn't dare to ask any more questions.
She had only been back for a few days. Although she had made initial contact with Otto, the misunderstandings... from her personal perspective, they were still unresolved.
Otto was still the iron-fisted Overseer who would abandon her at any moment for being "useless." Her every move now could affect Otto's evaluation of her.
Although she might be the only MANTIS in the world right now, Bianka never doubted that Otto could create a second one.
So now, in Bianka's mind, she only had a temporary "get out of jail free card." If she stagnated, it wouldn't be long before she faced the risk of being eliminated again.
But getting stronger...
Bianka had already increased her training intensity to a jaw-dropping level, but in the past few days, she hadn't felt any growth.
For the old Bianka, her progress was something she could clearly feel.
Every battle, every training set... she could clearly feel which parts of her had gotten stronger, and even by how much. She knew exactly what she had gained.
But now... she couldn't feel it anymore.
Her fused body was quickly being mastered, but Bianka truly couldn't feel any growth.
It seemed... she had finally reached what others called a plateau.
Just this morning, seeing that the training goals Bianka had set for herself had exceeded the theoretical limits of her current body, Rita had stopped her training and proposed—
"Even we examiners need to practice beforehand, you know."
With that excuse, Rita had canceled Bianka's training plan for the day and brought her to the station to board this train.
As for why she had brought Azhar along?
Their problems were actually the same: they both thought too little of themselves.
Azhar, because she had constantly witnessed power far beyond her imagination. The gap between a mortal and an unfused Bianka was already like a chasm.
Not to mention the Herrschers that followed, and Shu, who was above the Herrschers.
Having her worldview repeatedly shattered in a short period of time had led to Azhar's current extreme lack of self-confidence.
She was looking too high up. In reality, a Herrscher-level battlefield was not something she needed to worry about.
Rita needed to show Azhar what kind of Honkai "ordinary people" like them should be facing.
Zombies, Deathly Honkai Beasts... at the highest level, it was just those Honkai Beasts. As for Herrschers, that was a peak that only Lady Bianka could barely touch.
And in front of Shu, they were all "ordinary people."
As for Bianka... Rita's plan was to let her experience the intensity of a normal battlefield, to get a taste of... well, "fishing." Being vigilant was a good thing, but being too tense was detrimental.
As for the possibility of Bianka becoming arrogant due to the chasm between a normal battlefield and her true strength?
This was one thing Rita had unwavering faith in Bianka about.
Lady Bianka's pride only ever appeared at the dinner table.
"Rita..." Bianka, having awkwardly changed the subject, looked at the sleeping "Kevin" leaning against the window, a hint of confusion in her eyes behind the sunglasses.
"Why do I feel... like I know that person?"
Of course you know him. After all, his real identity is...
"It's like with Kiana-sen... sis... ter... ugh..." Bianka scratched her head in frustration, finally deciding to abandon the pointless titles.
"Anyway, it's like when I first met Kiana... there's this strange sense of familiarity..."
Rita's internal monologue came to a halt.
"Lady Bianka... are you saying... you felt a sense of familiarity when you met Lady Kiana?"
Bianka nodded seriously.
"Yes. It feels like we're very similar, but there's also a very special feeling... like... like..."
Finally, Bianka said something that completely silenced Rita.
"Like meeting Mom Cecilia..."