However, Cocolia, who had completely relaxed at this point, didn't notice the difference in Bronya compared to her usual self.
This was hardly surprising.
Before the X-10 Experiment concluded, although Bronya rarely showed any expression when facing strangers, she would still reveal her true feelings to her companions from the orphanage and her adoptive mother.
But after the X-10 Experiment, her emotional circuits were damaged by the experiment.
While this didn't mean the girl had completely lost her emotions, her facial expressions were no longer as easy to read as they used to be.
At this moment, there were two things Bronya couldn't understand.
The first thing—why did that man, when he had the chance to kill her, ultimately show mercy.
Under the circumstances at that time, Bronya was certain that she was no match for him.
It wouldn't have been a difficult matter for Leo Ash to snap her neck.
But in the end, he didn't kill her.
And the other matter was, in fact, also very simple.
Bronya couldn't understand why she...
—Why she had also held back in the end.
Cocolia didn't ask for her reasons, but Bronya knew that after summoning Project Bunny at that time, she could have used it to hunt down her opponent.
And against a mech like Project Bunny with its powerful armaments, no matter how strong Leo Ash's fighting skills were, there was a high probability that he would have been defeated or even killed on the spot.
But in the end, she had simply left from in front of that man and had not directly commanded Project Bunny to kill him.
For Bronya, who had always been loyal to Cocolia and was trying to save her companion Seele Vollerei, this matter was even more incomprehensible than the first.
Bronya had actually held back against an enemy who could potentially endanger Mother's plan in the future.
Could it be that not just her emotional circuits...
—But Bronya's thought processes had also been damaged by the X-10 Experiment?
.....
Next day. Nagazora City Center
After freshening up in a hotel room in the city center, Leo Ash looked at his reflection in the mirror and let out a slow breath.
Yesterday, after leaving his apartment, he had chosen to stay in a hotel in the city center.
Although Cocolia was a reckless person, she wouldn't go so far as to cause a major incident before Raiden Mei's complete awakening.
Leo Ash didn't know how Cocolia forced Raiden Mei to awaken in the original story, but for the current Cocolia, she had already laid out her plan. The fewer variables in the subsequent actions, the more secure her plan would be.
In the past, Cocolia could have easily manipulated intelligence and controlled related news in Nagazora City, as she held all the power.
But now that Schicksal had arrived, she no longer had that kind of freedom.
Even if Leo Ash didn't contact Rita again after that, he knew that Cocolia was probably already overwhelmed by Schicksal's intervention in Nagazora.
As for why he made that judgment, it was mainly because...
When the plot wasn't being absurd, Otto was much smarter than Cocolia. If that man got even a little serious, forcing Cocolia into a corner was almost as easy as breathing for him.
[Oh, look! That handsome face is your greatest weapon!]
[The fact that the little girl didn't deliver a killing blow last time must be because she was moved by your handsome face!]
[You have already proven with facts that being handsome is genuinely useful. As long as you keep this up, making those Herrscher girls fall for your looks is just a matter of time!]
Ah, that's enough.
Hearing you heap crazy praise on me first thing in the morning... I'm begging you, this is really embarrassing.
[Embarrassing? While you say that, you're actually secretly delighted by the praise of others.]
[And now, you know what you need to do is head to Senba High School—after all, next, the Herrscher of Thunder and the Herrscher of the Void are both your targets!]
Sigh, although I was indeed planning to do that, your words just sound so wrong to me.
===============
After leaving the hotel, Leo Ash did exactly as the System said and began to head towards Senba High School.
Yesterday was the weekend, and today was Monday. As someone with the dual occupations of a Shenzhou exchange student and a Far East high schooler, he naturally had to go to school obediently.
As everyone knows, even at the end of the world, Far East high school students still have to report to school obediently.
And as for the daily necessities he needed, he had already finished buying them on his way here yesterday.
On his way back yesterday, he had only hastily bought things like an umbrella, toothbrush, and toothpaste.
After leaving the apartment yesterday, he had roamed the streets and alleys for half a day, buying everything he needed.
Things like changes of clothes, a sufficient amount of food and drinking water, various other daily necessities, and a fully fueled motorcycle had all been stuffed into his spatial inventory.
He didn't know when the Honkai would erupt in Nagazora City, but in any case, there was no harm in preparing these things in advance.
It would be a waste not to use the mission funds Otto had provided.
And so, having prepared basically everything he needed, Leo Ash arrived at Senba High School.
And right at the school gate, he witnessed an incredibly cliché scene.
At the school gate, a girl with long purple hair was surrounded by several other girls.
Even without hearing the conversation between them, just by looking at the mockery and disdain on the other girls' faces, Leo Ash could roughly guess what this group was talking about.
"You... get out of my way!"
Looking at the classmates surrounding her, Raiden Mei, who was in a bad mood, said angrily.
"Whatever it is, we can talk about it back in the classroom!"
"Yo, what's this? Is the 'young lady' Mei afraid of others seeing you being made a fool of?"
Seeing the anger on Mei's face, the lead girl's expression suddenly turned incredibly cold.
"The whole school knows you're the daughter of a criminal, what are you still acting so high and mighty for!"
"Exactly, still going on about 'Daddy was framed' every day—hey, your criminal old man has been locked up for so long, and you're still being stubborn."
"You don't really think anyone will still take your side, do you?"
"Today, we're going to see who will help you, the daughter of a criminal."
Sigh, I think I know why she awakens into a Herrscher now.
Facing these jerks every day, how could her blood pressure not skyrocket?
......