Lin woke from sleep, opening his eyes amidst the morning dew. Vivid colors filled his vision. This sleep had involved no dreams of world-piercing swords or sinister, bloodthirsty rainbow eyes. He had actually fallen asleep without a nightmare, and even his color vision had returned.
His body was gradually turning back into that of a normal human. This should have been something to be happy about, but he wasn't happy at all.
"Wake up, Scumbag-Mushroom." Bianka pulled open the tent. Having finished her warm-up, she was full of vigor, like a girl descending with the first light of morning. "Get up and exercise."
Lin face was as cold as if it had been frozen in Antarctica for three days; it was not a pleasant sight. Einstein was right. The span of time was too great; some things must be cut off. He thought Bianka would understand that after fifty thousand years, anything would vanish, and she would back down.
But he had underestimated her confidence. Or rather, he underestimated how straight-headed she was—she simply planned to take him back to fifty thousand years in the future by force. She had no idea about the situation with the World Bubble, or what method to use to take him to a different time if it was a temporal distortion caused by quantum disorder, but she had no worries at all. Her confidence came from absolute belief in her own strength.
If there were thorns ahead, she would trample them. If there were mountains, she would cleave them. Even the vast ocean couldn't stop her.
Fortunately, nothing was settled yet. The unsolved mysteries of the bubble hadn't surfaced. He had plenty of time to think... but she also had plenty of time and opportunity to do what she wanted.
Lin sprinted with all his might, leaving the wind behind him. It was too fast for a morning run, but someone followed him easily, speaking without even losing her breath. "Scumbag-Mushroom, your romantic history from before was all fake, wasn't it?"
"It's true," Lin said with a tight face.
"My intuition tells me that was definitely the result of some exaggeration."
"..."
Lin hoped her intuition wouldn't be so accurate—or at least, not accurate in this regard.
"Don't worry, I won't stop your normal social interactions," Bianka laughed innocently, though dark shadows seemed to flicker. "But you must be single-minded in a relationship. No more mysterious things happening, okay?"
...
"Isn't this quite good? Miss Bianka is gentle, virtuous, and well-educated." Einstein couldn't help but laugh as she wiped grease from her face, teasing Lin. "I'm sure she'd be willing to learn to cook for you."
"..."
ELF No. 3 stood beside her with a look of disdain, handing tools to Einstein. "Scumbag-Mushroom... that name fits you quite well. The Doctor was right; that girl's only been here a few days and she's already been tricked by you."
Lin couldn't help but sigh. "How much longer?"
"Hard to say."
A look of worry appeared on Einstein's face. She had encountered a problem.
"The Star Gate should be barely usable now, but it simply won't start."
"Is it a lack of Honkai energy?"
"No, that's been solved. Remember the beasts and mechs you and Miss Bianka killed? I used their cores for power. It should be enough for at least one system startup, yet there's still no effect."
"..."
"...As I thought, it's a problem with this World Bubble."
The two looked at each other, understanding. The "quantum distortion" Bianka mentioned was likely the reason the gate wouldn't work.
Einstein put down her tools and changed the subject. "So, are you going to leave that girl behind and return to our time?"
Lin said nothing. He turned and walked out. Only when he was outside did a faint sentence drift back: "We'll see."
We'll see? What does that mean?
Einstein tilted her head, looking at a bewildered No. 3.
...
"Scumbag-Mushroom, how about your name being Lin Ataegina from now on?" Bianka suggested solemnly while cleaning the dishes.
"...Is there any point to that?" Lin watched the bright orange firelight indifferently.
"Uh... no point..." Bianka turned her head away, using the firelight to hide the flush on her face. She whispered, "It's just a surname."
"...Get some rest."
Lin ducked into the tent and lay down anywhere. He had been in an energy-saving mode for the past two days, always considering something, and was much colder than before. His mind was filled with so many things he felt a bit weary. He simply closed his eyes, preparing to sleep.
Rustle... rustle...
The sound of fabric rubbing pulled Lin back from his drowsiness. He watched with a sharp gaze as the golden-haired girl slipped between his arms, wrapping her hands around his waist.
Her long hair was still a bit damp, her skin flushed, her beautiful sapphire eyes darting around in panic.
Bianka buried her head, her ears so red they were practically bleeding. She said nervously, "I... I saw you were in a bad mood. I know it's because I'm too forceful... So, just this once, you can do whatever you want. I took a bath. If you want to... want to sniff or... whatever you want."
She was a miraculous girl. Most of the time, she was valiant, decisive, and strong—straightforward in a way that didn't seem like a girl, let alone a girl in her teens. But now... if Lin just reached out a little to tuck her hair...
His finger gently touched the tip of her ear, and the girl's enticing body trembled violently.
"Uuu~" She let out a cute whimper she wouldn't normally make.
"L-Let's get this straight. In the words of others, I'm very rigid. You have to take responsibility for what you did to me before." Bianka squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to look. She felt like her body was in a furnace. "If you act recklessly from now on, I will give you a severe lesson."
Bianka finally understood the feelings of the other owner of the Abyss Flower, the S-rank Valkyrie Cecilia who came before her. There were rumors that Cecilia's husband, Siegfried, had touched the bottoms of every Valkyrie in Schicksal and was a recklessly playboy. Such a powerful Valkyrie still married him; perhaps that was what they call... affection.
This guy's situation was quite similar to Siegfried's. And she happened to be the S-rank Valkyrie who inherited Cecilia's weapon. Truly... destiny.
Lin looked at the trembling, delicate girl calmly. He thought for a moment and said peacefully, "Let's just sleep."
"..."
"Goosey?"
"Do you think I don't dare?"
Lin suddenly felt a bad feeling. Bianka was too straightforward. "Wait—"
"Whoosh!"