"She escaped?"
Mei was a little confused by the situation
"This is..."
"She went to seek revenge; perhaps she was too slow and didn't kill all the people from the Oceania branch?"
Tian Shi spoke in a joking tone, but unfortunately, no one present found it funny
"Listen, girls"
Himeko then took control of the conversation
"Although you may still consider Wendy your senior, it is very possible that Wendy's will has been affected or even controlled by the Honkai; I hope you understand that"
Himeko did not finish her sentence, but the meaning behind her words made Kiana's face darken, while Mei and Bronya remained calm
Bronya looked at Mei
To be honest, she felt that Wendy's condition was not yet beyond salvation, and it actually felt a bit like Mei back then
Although her personality has changed drastically, she remains conscious
However, Mei, who understood Bronya's meaning, shook her head
"Well... rather than saying her consciousness is still there, it is more accurate to say that the Herrscher's consciousness has retained a part of her goodwill toward us"
Mei looked at Himeko on the communicator
"The mission has taken an unexpected turn... Himeko-sensei, what should we do now?"
"Return to the Hyperion... I would love to say that, but Kiana wouldn't agree, would she?"
Himeko smiled and looked at Kiana, whose expression was complicated
However, Himeko's expression became serious
"Half an hour; you only have half an hour"
"Wendy has caused too much of a ruckus; if you can't resolve this in half an hour, the people from headquarters who are here to solve the problem might arrive"
"In that case, it won't be a problem that can be resolved by acting with kindness and stubbornness"
Half an hour is approximately the time it takes Schicksal to discover the Herrscher and deploy an S-rank Valkyrie, or even less
After all, Himeko could not be sure if Otto had foreseen this situation
However, at the next moment, a notification sound rang on Himeko's side
"Well, the situation is as bad as expected"
Himeko frowned while looking at the tablet in her hand
"Headquarters confirmed the existence of the Herrscher at lightning speed, and the S-rank Valkyrie is already on her way"
"By the way, the Valkyrie arriving this time is Durandal, the Valkyrie who usually wears a black military uniform and carries a lance"
"And, unfortunately, she is currently the strongest S-rank Valkyrie in Schicksal"
"..."
The series of bad news was a true blow to morale
"Don't worry, the half-hour agreement is still in effect; besides, the people from Anti-Entropy might also get involved"
The mention of this by Himeko considerably cheered up Mei and Bronya
"All right! Stop wasting time! Let's start!"
"Yes!"
…
"Hmm... Bianca..."
Tian Shi left possession mode and expressed his feelings in the private chat
Theresa, who was next to him, raised her hand with a somewhat somber expression and spoke
She was very upset that her students were being used as guinea pigs
"As for Durandal... perhaps I can buy some time, but it would require our allies from Anti-Entropy to make a sacrifice"
"..."
Hearing this, Tian Shi looked at Theresa in silence
"Are we going to deceive the Anti-Entropy fleet and then Bianca?"
"Are you going to bully an honest girl like that? And then what, you even sabotage your own allies?"
"Principal, is it really appropriate for you to say that in front of a Valkyrie from Anti-Entropy?"
Himeko's lips twitched slightly
The leader of the Anti-Entropy Alliance is right next to me right now, okay?
"Well... Edison is rich and powerful, so she probably wouldn't mind a small loss, right?"
Theresa felt a little guilty after Himeko said that
"What else can we do? Do you think Mei and the others are faster than Durandal, or that Wendy is stronger than Durandal?"
"Although it is a bit arbitrary to say, according to my intuition, Wendy probably won't last more than ten moves against Durandal"
Theresa knew at least how strong Sirin was back then, and the difference was immediately evident when comparing them
"Will she really be able to last ten moves?"
Tian Shi had serious doubts about this
"I'll try; I met her once when we were at the orphanage"
Himeko looked at Tian Shi's expression and spoke immediately
"If all else fails, we can delay as much as possible"
"I never realized that you, Himeko, had such a wide circle of friends"
Hearing that Himeko knew Durandal, Theresa was a bit surprised, as if she were getting to know Himeko all over again
"You know Rita, and you also know Durandal..."
"It's only because of someone else's success"
Himeko glanced at Tian Shi, who was beside her
"Oh, Ragna, right? The instructor certainly has a wide network of contacts"
Theresa's understanding changed naturally
"Eh..."
Himeko gave a vague response, thinking that, from a certain perspective, there was nothing wrong with understanding it that way
"I'll go look for her directly in a small aircraft aboard the Hyperion; I'll leave those girls in your care, Principal"
"No problem, leave it to me"
Theresa nodded
"Also... Himeko, if you can't contain Durandal, selling out Anti-Entropy is actually an option"
"?"
"Tell her the wrong direction so she deviates and collides with the Anti-Entropy fleet; if she asks why she ran into Anti-Entropy, tell her Anti-Entropy went out for a picnic"
"Are you trying to prank me?"
Himeko looked at Theresa with a strange expression
"Going for a picnic? Who would believe such a reason! And why do you do it with such skill?"
"Tell me the truth, how many times have you lied to them?"
"No, not many times; if that doesn't work, we can give Durandal's coordinates to Anti-Entropy..."
Theresa felt increasingly guilty under Himeko's gaze
"Well, after all, it's 'Dodo'..."
Theresa's voice grew softer, but then suddenly became louder
"Anyway! Durandal is in your hands! You must entertain her for at least an hour! It's a military order!"
"This is what they mean by 'a fool tricking an innocent'..."
Tian Shi sighed softly and Himeko nodded in agreement
"Is this what they call a 'combat rival'?"
"But what has happened to Bianca these past few years that has given Theresa that sense of intellectual superiority? Did she hit her head?"
Himeko simply could not reconcile the word "innocent" with the vivacious blonde girl she once was
…
"Lady Durandal, a spacecraft from the Far East Branch has approached and sent a signal to enter; shall we let it pass?"
The airship crew reported
"The other party claimed to be Murata Himeko"
Currently, there is only one Valkyrie on this aircraft: Bianca
After all, when facing a Herrscher, too many low-level Valkyries could become a burden for her
"Himeko?"
Bianca paused for a moment, and it took her two or three seconds to recall the red-haired figure from her memory
Although she knew Himeko, it was only a brief encounter and she wasn't as familiar with her as she was with Theresa
After all, she had already carried out missions with Theresa before, while she had only met Himeko once (of course, Himeko had already met Bianca many times before)
However, Bianca was not the type to overthink things and nodded immediately
"Let her in"
With Bianca's orders, Himeko's small aircraft successfully landed on the airship's deck
"Do you remember me, Miss Bianca?"
Himeko stepped off the aircraft and greeted Bianca with a smile
The instructions Tian Shi gave her on the way were for her to find an opportunity to be alone with her and leave the rest to him
"But Tian Shi's social circle is truly scandalous; I guessed back then that he knew Rita, but I never imagined he also knew Bianca..."
"I remember"
Bianca was not unimpressed by Himeko's enthusiasm
In a sense, the other party was the guide who led her down the path of becoming a Valkyrie
"(Wow!... She really has become a beautiful young woman!)"
Himeko was also a bit surprised to see Bianca like this
(Is this really the same little girl from back then? Her development rate is already comparable to Mei's, isn't it?)
The heavy black military uniform could barely hide Bianca's slender figure
"The power of puberty should not be underestimated..."
"It has been a long time, Himeko; do you need something this time?"
Bianca did not have the habit of beating around the bush and went straight to the point
"Um... could we go somewhere else?"
"Change locations? Why change locations? This..."
Before Bianca could finish speaking, she felt a pair of hands gently patting her shoulder
"This feeling..."
"All right, come with me"
Bianca immediately changed her tone
Bianca is not inflexible; it's just that most people are not capable of making her flexible
After saying that, Bianca took Himeko to her quarters on the warship
Upon reaching the bedroom, Tian Shi immediately possessed the Rowland doll in Bianca's room
"Hmm... I didn't expect you to put such cute dolls in your temporary bedroom, Bianca"
"Long time no see, Tian"
Compared to Tian Shi's feelings and reflections, Bianca's response was much less interesting
Perhaps Bianca also felt that her response was somewhat inappropriate, so she added another sentence at the last minute: "Um... how have you been lately?"
Himeko: "..."
"This girl's heart is probably in a whirl, isn't it? It's incredible that someone would ask a ghost a question like 'How have you been?' Hmm... if you look at it that way, this girl is surprisingly cute"
"I have very good health and a great appetite"
"Pfft..."
Bianca was amused by Tian Shi's absurd response
"I'm sorry; I think I asked a rather silly question"
This was the first time Bianca had smiled since they met
"I find this question very interesting; it's been a long time since anyone asked me such an interesting question"
"I'm very sorry, but I guess you get along better with Rita"
Bianca considered that the word "interesting" used by Tian Shi was not exactly a compliment
"Rita... Rita has her good points, and Bianca has hers; besides, the current Rita doesn't have my memories, you know?"
"Am I better than Bianca...?"
Bianca's face flushed slightly
For some reason, the compliment made her feel a little... shy?
"Let's not talk about those useless things; do you need me to do something?"
Bianca tried to hide her shyness by talking about serious topics
"(Is this girl... perhaps unconscious?)"
Himeko, observing the interaction between the two, noticed something unexpected
"No normal person would want to end the conversation here; even if you are shy at this point, shouldn't you force yourself to continue the conversation? In a way, Himeko really envies Bianca's innocent reaction"
"Um... about this..."
Bianca's method of changing the subject left Tian Shi somewhat at a loss
"How about we try acting together?"
"Just like four years ago in World Pool?"
Bianca asked instinctively
"Wow..."
Himeko, who already knew about Tian Shi's special timeline, was not surprised; on the contrary, she was somewhat curious
"You could say so, except the partner has changed a bit; is that okay?"
"Hmm..."
Bianca hesitated for a moment before nodding
For some reason, she always felt a little guilty toward Rita; why did she have that feeling?
"Perhaps it's because she couldn't share with Rita her joy of reuniting with Tian Shi"
"So, where should we go first?"
The excitement of the adventure from back then returned to Bianca's body after a long time
This feeling is a rare memory for Bianca
"(Hmm... like this...)"
Although there was no particular reason, Himeko unexpectedly felt that Bianca had a strange sense of enthusiasm for trying something new
"Hmm... indescribably strange; it's like... seeking thrills? And it seems to be the kind of thrills difficult to put into words? No, it must be my imagination; this girl doesn't seem like the type to seek thrills"
"Wait a moment; I'm going to get ready; I'll show you how much I've changed in the last four years"
Tian Shi was surprised to see the shadow of the young Bianca in the current Bianca
"Whoa! How incredible! She always looks at me with a professional face, but as soon as she sees you, it's like she abandons all her principles"
After Bianca left, Himeko said with a hint of jealousy
"Abandoning principles is still impossible; if I had to say, would you call it a kind of trust?"
Tian Shi reflected for a moment before speaking
"However, there certainly are differences in how close or distant the relationship is"
"For example, in the future, Bianca will openly and legitimately relax with Rita in Sky City..."
"Eh... is that really true?"
Himeko's tone was quite unpleasant
"Well, maybe there's also some excitement for such a long-awaited reunion?"
Tian Shi added
"I think the girl's body might have developed some kind of awareness before her mind..."
"That's a rather shocking statement"
Tian Shi retorted
"No, I'm serious... or rather..."
"To be a mother?"