"So, Ah Li, you're going to be time-traveling next?"
A girl's voice echoed through Li Zihan's dormitory.
The sound came from the sofa.
After a miserable defeat, the white-haired dango tossed her game controller aside and sprawled comfortably on Li Zihan's sofa.
She acted with such casual, freewheeling abandon, as if she were in her own home.
This girl, who was always harassing Mei and clamoring to drink her "Mei-flavoured juice," had for some reason shown up at Li Zihan's place today, pulling him into a gaming session.
And was then utterly crushed.
The defeated white-haired dango didn't seem upset. Instead, she shifted around on the sofa a few times, found the most comfortable position, and lay there.
She then looked at the true owner of the dormitory and asked.
"I hear you're going to Vienna, five hundred years ago?"
"Yes, Chaldeas is basically complete. The first time-travel experiment is scheduled to begin in about a week."
The young man sitting next to Kiana also tossed his controller aside and spoke to the white-haired dango who was half-lying on the sofa as if it were a bed.
"The destination is Vienna of that era."
"Seele and Schicksal's direct Valkyrie, the Dull Goose, have both passed the Chaldeas tests. Next, I will take the two of them to five hundred years in the past to retrieve the soul of the Saintess, Kallen Kaslana."
The Dull Goose truly lived up to her reputation as the greatest goose among the village tyrant geese.
Initially, Durandal, Rita, and even Otto had all failed the Spiritron Transfer test and were screened out together.
But she "diligently wished to possess the aptitude for Spiritron Transfer," and received a response from the World Bubble from the Sea of Quanta within her...
And then she actually gained the aptitude for Spiritron Transfer.
Li Zihan, who had been standing by waiting for the results, was stunned at the time.
She diligently wished for the aptitude, and then she actually got it.
Are you a certain Reinhard who wishes to remain anonymous?
Honestly, Li Zihan felt that the Dull Goose might have some misunderstanding of the word "diligence."
"Go five hundred years into the past to retrieve the soul of the Saintess, Kallen Kaslana?"
A clear look of interest appeared on the face of the white-haired dango, whose own surname was Kaslana. She shot up into a sitting position, her expression excited.
"That sounds pretty interesting. Count me in."
"In this world, only those who have come into contact with the Sea of Quanta have a chance of passing the Spiritron Transfer test."
Li Zihan glanced at the white-haired dango and said.
"You don't have that aptitude."
"Ehhh?"
The girl's pretty and delicate face, now sitting cross-legged on the sofa, was etched with obvious disappointment.
"It's really not possible?"
The white-haired dango looked pitiful. Her azure eyes stared straight at Li Zihan, filled with clear longing and desire.
She looked just like an adorable little white cat expectantly waiting for a can of fish.
This girl was surprisingly good at acting cute.
Feeling that Kiana's behavior was completely different from his impression of her in the game, the young man's expression was a bit hesitant.
Should I bring her along?
In truth, it wasn't difficult for Li Zihan to grant someone the ability for Spiritron Transfer.
It was merely a matter of restarting the "x-10" experiment, kicking the person into the Sea of Quanta, then using the Second Divine Key to observe their location and fish them out.
Recreating Seele's ordeal in a short time to reap the gifts of the Sea of Quanta.
To put it simply, it was about shearing the Sea of Quanta's wool.
However, Li Zihan's main objective for the upcoming trip was actually a date with Seele.
Aside from the tool-man, every extra person he brought would be like installing a giant lightbulb right next to him.
"Of course not."
Li Zihan, who clearly had his own selfish motives, answered decisively.
"Aww..."
The white-haired dango, who had been acting cute just a moment ago, immediately slumped in disappointment again.
However, being a natural optimist, Kiana didn't stay sad for long about not being able to see her ancestor from five hundred years ago.
Kiana quickly cheered up, scooted over to Li Zihan's side, and wrapped an arm around his neck.
The posture was highly reminiscent of best buddies in a male dormitory, arms slung over each other's shoulders.
Like Bronya, Kiana was a girl with a male protagonist template.
Feeling the softness pressing against his shoulder blade and the faint, delicate fragrance that wafted to his nose, Li Zihan thought that having a female "bro" like this seemed pretty great.
"Well then, Ah Li, do you have any plans for the next week?"
The white-haired dango, not seeming to mind that she was being taken advantage of, kept her arm around Li Zihan's neck, apparently having a proposal.
"Oh, is there something you need?"
Li Zihan, who was actually going to be very busy, turned his head to face the girl who seemed to have a suggestion, preparing to refuse her.
He still had to practice on the future Herrscher of Ice and Herrscher of Rock.
In the experiment that turned Wendy into the Herrscher of Wind, the Overload Modes of Jizo Mitama and Fenghuang Down had successfully erased the Herrscher personality, allowing the human Wendy to gain Herrscher powers.
However, when the Overload Mode Jizo Mitama attacked the Herrscher personality, it also affected the human personality, amplifying emotions slightly.
Wendy, whose favorability towards him was originally around the level of "someone easy to talk to," seemed to have fallen in love at first sight under the buff of Jizo Mitama.
If he were to unleash this combo on Mei, who had yandere potential, or on Seele, whose second personality was already quite dark...
The day his head would roll wouldn't be far off.
Not wanting to go down the same path as Makoto Itou, Li Zihan decided to test the effects of different power levels of Fenghuang Down and Jizo Mitama on the two future Herrschers.
He needed to collect as much data as possible to lay the foundation for the real Artificial Herrscher Project to come.
"Hey, Ah Li, do you want to watch Mei shower?"
Kiana, who would definitely be an old lecher if she were a guy, pressed her rosy lips close to Li Zihan's ear, her voice low and her tone conspiratorial.
This girl seemed to be recruiting him for a group peeping mission.
Hah, is something as low-class as peeping even interesting?
Li Zihan's eyes widened.
This old lecher Kiana was inviting him—the master of a fragment of the Second Magic, the vessel of the son of the Sun God, the sole designated ally of the Previous Era's Pioneer, the Director of Chaldea in the Honkai world, and a man of many other grand titles—to do something as vulgar as peeping?
What kind of genius-level operation was this?
An affront to decency!
This was a complete and utter affront to decency!
Li Zihan fiercely criticized the white-haired dango in his heart, his face contorting into the uniquely grim expression of a critic.
He stared at the white-haired dango who was clearly trying to recruit him for some disgraceful activity, and slowly articulated his opinion on the matter.
"I would like to hear the details."
Author's Note:
PS: Is it just my imagination? I feel like what I've been writing recently has strayed a bit from my original goal of "practicing writing romance scenes."