Moonlight poured like liquid mercury onto the black satin of the Pacific Ocean. Floating drones formed a broken silver ring in the gaps between clouds.
The waves began to glow thirty meters below the surface. This was the work of fluorescent algae, genetically modified by Mei. They wove a cyan neural network along the ocean currents, coordinating with a fleet of unmanned drones in the deep to nip any potential threats to the Hyperion in the bud.
May 13, 2014, 6:50 PM — Hyperion Mess Hall—
OM NOM NOM NOM!
THUD!
"I'm full!"
Kiana put down her empty bowl, stood up, and with a thump, thump, thump of her feet, she ran off and vanished.
Watching her leave, Fuli looked down at the sumptuous, barely touched banquet on the table.
"That's not right," Mama Li muttered to himself, puzzled. "How can she be full after only three bowls of rice?"
Kiana had an appetite that could devour more than ten Blue Carp Tuna, fish that weighed in by the hundreds of pounds. She was the gluttonous embodiment of the name "Kaslana."
And tonight, to properly host their guests Bianka and Ana, Fuli had been filled with a rare burst of motivation.
While the sheer variety and intricacy of the spread might not have matched an imperial banquet, the portions and flavors were definitely on par.
After all, MSG hadn't even been invented back in those days.
"Maybe she saw we have guests and decided to pick up her table manners for once."
Bronya was the type to never miss an opportunity to take a jab at Kiana. Engaged in their daily cat-and-dog squabbles, she was currently wrestling with a rack of ribs, her delicate silver teeth tearing at the meat, her words muffled.
"If she's picked hers up, can you maybe pick yours up too?"
Fuli sighed, grabbed a napkin, and sat next to his little sister to wipe the drool dripping from the corner of her mouth.
"Not happening."
The mumbling Bronya was adorable. "The Bronya is not in the habit of minding her manners in her own home."
Mei withdrew her gaze from Kiana's retreating figure and said flatly, "There are some people who treat the Hyperion as their own home on a normal day, but the moment something is required of them, it's all 'the Bronya is just a worker' before they disappear to who-knows-where to slack off."
My sister, is there any difference between that and just calling her out by name?
Ana, who had deliberately chosen a seat in the corner, bit her lip to keep from laughing. That would be far too rude.
But still.
She's so beautiful.
The girl pressed her legs together, secretly sizing up Mei, who was seated to Fuli's left.
Perhaps—no, not perhaps. It was definitely to one-up that annoying woman Durandal that Mei had clearly dressed up for her reappearance.
Her magnificent eyes were like a starry sky, and her beautiful, light-blue, dark-rooted hair shimmered with a faint purple light, like electricity.
She wore a form-fitting, long-sleeved military-style jacket. The golden sash and decorations, paired with a red cape, gave the already heroic beauty an imposing presence. Even her long, jade-like legs, clad in brown thigh-high boots under a white miniskirt, exuded a knightly valor.
Mei, Mei, number one under the sun!
Ever heard of pure confidence? She was so Alpha it was insane, wasn't she?!
Noticing this, Bianka was not to be outdone. When Rita had learned that she was heading to the Hyperion again, she had excitedly dragged her to the changing room for a "Show Time."
After satisfying her desire to play dress-up with the perfect model, she had stuffed the outfits she deemed suitable into Bianka's luggage.
And the knight princess, having just finished her workout, had the perfect excuse to change into one after her shower. Now, she sat to Fuli's right with a gentle smile, dressed in a luxurious black silk evening gown, her legs crossed before her, as holy and elegant as a moon goddess.
Seeing this breathtaking scene, even though Ana was straight, she couldn't help but shoot Fuli, who was busy wiping Bronya's chin, a look of envy, jealousy, and hatred.
If she could marry these two and bring them home... forget a fancy car and a mansion, she'd delete her Q-Zone on the spot!
[LMAO, the Herrscher of Ice from the last timeline really did get tag-teamed and wrecked by the Herrscher of Thunder & Durandal. What a perfect prediction, huh?]
Back with Fuli, after cleaning Bronya's mouth, he naturally sat down beside the girl and stayed put.
Bronya rolled her eyes, disgusted, and whispered, "Bro, go back to your own seat."
"I don't want to," Fuli whispered back. "The atmosphere over there is too intense . It's too oppressive over there. If I go back, I'll be tortured. I'd rather stay here with you, little sis. Watching you eat with such gusto gives me an appetite too."
"You may have an appetite, Bro, but the Bronya doesn't."
The little girl nudged him with her elbow. "Guess who those two are glaring at when you're not around?"
You'd have to be an idiot not to know it was Bronya.
Of course, the girl understood the pressure Fuli was under. Just the occasional glance from the head of the Hyper Electric Club and Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie during their standoff was enough to make her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles. If Fuli went back, he'd be like a student taking an exam, getting a preview of the roasting he was in for.
So, even though she knew this was like an HR manager quitting without notice, for the sake of her own physical and mental well-being, Bronya was determined to send her brother back to his original seat.
"Dammit!" Fuli said, disgruntled. "What happened to our pact to wade through the muck together?!"
"There is no such thing as 'happily ever after,' only someone else carrying the weight for you."
Project Bunny materialized beside them, picked up the struggling Fuli, and carried him back. "And the Bronya, is your weight to bear, Bro!"
Watching the situation on the other side of the table escalate from a frosty cold war to mutually assured destruction, the little duckling, reigning supreme in her 'little sister' niche, narrowed her pale gray eyes. While enjoying the show, she continued to devour the steak her dear brother had cut up for her.
Mmm, delicious!
...
After dinner, at Fuli's strong insistence (and threats), Bianka, who wasn't too keen on leaving anyway, and the frightened little unlucky Ana, both chose to stay the night on the Hyperion.
And when girls of the same age who are reasonably familiar with each other get together, they always find some fun little activities to do.
Like talking about boys, one-upping each other, doing beauty treatments, or, a combination of all three—
A hot spring bath.
As the Hyperion's main power source, the energy from the Fuli Well was channeled by Kallen and, according to Mei's designs, flowed through a network of pipes into the many spaces of the skyfaring battleship.
For the purpose of enjoyment, relaxation, and cleansing the body and mind, the girl had specially designed a hot spring inn near their rooms.
The name was simple too. A hot spring made from the water of the Fuli Well was naturally called [Fuli's Bath].
"In other words, soaking in this hot spring is the same as immersing your body and soul in Fuli's essence."
Mei raised a hand in the swirling mist, scooping up a handful of the milky-white water.
She leaned against the edge of the pool to relax, her languid gaze drifting up to the artificial starry sky that synced with the outside world. The chirping of cicadas from the rockeries and bushes around the pool mingled with the sound of the water.
Having grown up in the Far East, Mei had inevitably incorporated some Japanese elements into the design of the hot spring.
With simplicity and tranquility as its core, it made extensive use of natural materials like wood and stone. The water features were designed to emphasize a natural flow, creating a Zen-like atmosphere of being one with nature.
"I can't help but feel that the term 'Fuli's essence' is you implying something."
Across from her, Bianka, with most of her body submerged and only her head and one shoulder exposed, shot her a sideways glance. To say something so lewd and aggressive so openly, she thought, what an indecent woman.
Like Mei, the knight princess had pinned up her proud golden hair.
Compared to Mei's Japanese-style bun, Bianka had opted for a French twist, parting her hair in two and rolling each section inward before securing them at the back of her head with clips.
Ana, who was blowing bubbles in the water, could testify: Miss Durandal had originally planned to do a bun too, but the moment she raised her hands and saw Mei's hairstyle, she had immediately changed her mind, determined not to look anything like her.
"Immersing yourself in Fuli's essence? What is that supposed to imply?"
Mei tore her gaze from the starry sky and looked over, genuinely puzzled.
"It implies—!"
Bianka bit her lip mid-sentence, a blush creeping up her cheeks.
Fortunately, the rising steam from the hot spring hid it well enough.
"Heh."
Having gained the upper hand, Mei let out a soft snort. Enjoying the comfort of the energy-infused water seeping into her body, she couldn't be bothered to press her advantage.
Ana, however, was unusually proactive.
She sidled up to Bianka, her eyes scanning the girl's skin, which was as translucent as an ivory carving. "Miss Durandal, your skin is so well-maintained..." she said with envy.
"Is it?"
Bianka was a little puzzled, as if wondering why skin needed to be "maintained" in the first place.
Fortunately, she had been thoroughly lectured by a frustrated Rita for saying something similar in the past. Having learned her lesson, the knight princess was wise enough not to repeat her mistake.
"Mhm!" Ana nodded vigorously. "It's, it's—"
The girl wracked her brain for a long time but couldn't find a suitable adjective in the barren landscape of her mind, which had been deprived of a proper education. Her little face flushed red with effort.
"Ah! I've got it!"
As luck would have it, a solution appeared. She swiped open a screen in the air and opened a strange blue app.
After some searching, she found an author named "FuFu," clicked on their profile, and rummaged through their past works before eagerly presenting it to Bianka:
Her tender skin was like the flowing moonlight of a dream, or an elusive, mysterious fairy, whipping up fantastical, fragile bubbles. But upon closer inspection, it was like the most common snowflake on a snowfield. As it drifted with the cold wind, it did not lose its brilliance, but rather seemed even more noble and majestic, like the snowfield itself.
"Th-this is exactly what I was thinking!"
Sensei FuFu! Good job! Ana cheered internally.
Bianka was a little embarrassed by the praise. "Thank you for the compliment, Ana."
"With a convenient ability like Dominance, it's only natural for her skin to be good," Mei's lazy voice drifted over. "And Miss Ana, if I'm not mistaken, that blue app with the 'P' logo you opened... isn't that an 18+ website—" (you know what website it is)
"Waaah!!!"
Ana quickly cut off the girl's critical hit, frantically swiping the screen away.
Hot take: It's not just boys who secretly read lewd material during puberty.
Even hotter take: When you talk about hot springs, you have to talk about mixed bathing.
And even if it's not mixed bathing, you have to break down the divider to force it to be.
And even if you can't force it, the "boys peeping on girls in the hot spring" scenario has a very high probability of occurring.
But for someone like Fuli to drag a girl two years his junior into helping him peep... that was a development so unprecedented it was practically legendary.
And so—
"The Bronya refuses."
"Come on, little sis, help me out!"
In the corridor outside the hot spring, Fuli pressed his hands together, pleading with Bronya, who was hugging a Homu doll with a look of disgust. "For the sake of how good I've always been to you , help me break through the firewall Kallen set up."
Your boy's gonna peep on the women's bath!
To be precise, he was peeping on Ana!
Now, to be fair, ignoring two unique super-beauties like Mei and Bianka to peep on Ana would seem pretty insane to most people with normal aesthetic tastes.
You couldn't say Ana wasn't pretty, but compared to the other two, whether in terms of looks, figure, or personality, she was definitely a few steps behind.
But her future was the Herrscher of Ice! She might have the highest-grade Stigma corresponding to the Herrscher of Ice on her!
For Fuli, who was in the process of collecting all thirteen Herrscher Stigmata, waiting for them to come together and unleash something huge, this point alone made Ana a higher priority than Mei, whose Thunder Stigma he'd already replicated, and Bianka, an S-rank Valkyrie who had absolutely nothing to do with Herrschers.
Today, your boy was all about Ana!
So, how to confirm if the girl had the Ice Stigma?
The answer: peep on her in the hot spring!
O-f*cking-K! The logic is flawless!
"Bro."
"Sis, you agreed?!"
"Pervert."
Obviously, she didn't agree.
"Come on, help me out!" Fuli sidled up to her, trying to sweet-talk her. "I've already figured it out. Between seven and nine in the evening, Kallen not only has to maintain the Hyperion's various operating parameters, but she also has to study and organize all the data Mei sends her. The firewall in the hot spring area is at its weakest during this time."
"If you're willing to help, we can definitely sneak in without anyone knowing, take one look, and make a light-speed escape!"
"The Bronya often suspects that her brother's brain isn't wired right."
The little girl, floating in the air, pouted. "Getting a girl to help you peep on another group of girls is clearly not a stunt a sane person would pull."
One could only say that a man's brain was like his... lower chamber. It had a mind of its own from time to time.
Seeing Fuli's expression gradually turn to despair, Bronya tilted her head and reconsidered. "How about this: Bro gives the Bronya a good reason, and promises he won't sell the Bronya out afterward. If you do that, the Bronya will help you."
It was true she couldn't resist the drama, but it was also true she couldn't bear to see her dear brother looking so pitiful.
Who could blame her? He was genuinely good to her.
The girl's twin-drills swayed helplessly.
"A reason, huh."
Seeing a glimmer of hope, Fuli thought for a moment, sized Bronya up, and an idea came to him.
"Your... chest. Do you want it to be as big as Mei's and the others'?"
"!!!"
The previously languid girl was instantly struck by lightning. She subconsciously straightened up, then tried to act nonchalant as she leaned back against the wall.
"What does the size of that have to do with peeping?" Bronya asked, feigning indifference.
"There's a theory going around online that certain special techniques can further promote development in that area," Fuli began his grand deception. "And I, by a stroke of luck, happen to be an expert in this field!"
Really? I don't believe you!
That was the message conveyed by the girl's large, gray eyes.
"Essentially, it's just stimulating acupoints through acupuncture. Remember Kiana's Qi-severing technique? It's similar to that."
Fuli held out his hand, and several Shadow Needles danced in his palm.
With a wave of his hand, the needles whistled through Bronya's light jacket and pierced the corresponding acupoints in her body.
"Feel that," the boy said confidently.
Bronya closed her eyes as instructed. A moment later, she said in surprise, "My body is actually starting to sweat! And... my front is getting itchy too!"
Of course it is. I stimulated the Hegu, Quchi, Yuji, and Yingxiang points. It'd be a miracle if you didn't sweat, Fuli thought to himself.
As for her chest... the internet says stimulating the Rugen, Ruzhong, and Danzhong points can enhance it. No harm in trying.
But the priority right now was to get his little sister's help.
With that in mind, Fuli quickly interrupted her. "Anyway, you've seen the effect. So, are you going to help me or not?!"
"I'll help!!!" the girl's eyes burned with determination.
Countless sages of Earth had proven a simple truth with their lives: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!
What was the base body of a mere human female compared to the Bronya's future?!!
...
"Ugh! This is so hard!"
In the data stream of the Hyperion's central computer, a big, white-haired mole was struggling with a mountain of information.
For Kallen, whether it was taking over the battleship's operations, directing the flow of the Fuli Well, or even managing all the miscellaneous spaces Mei had created, it was all child's play.
That's just how top-tier super A.I.s were. Everything was effortless for her.
She didn't even need to understand the principles; the data stream would become like musical notes dancing in the palm of her hand.
But Mei was clearly not satisfied with that.
It was like a Herrscher's authority—you could use it with a mere thought, as long as you knew the name of what you wanted to do.
But if a Herrscher of Thunder who understood physics, math, and chemistry fought another Herrscher of Thunder with the same power level but no knowledge, the former would crush the latter.
So, even though Kallen's capabilities were more than enough for the Hyperion's needs for the foreseeable future, Mei had still assigned her a lot of homework.
This was torture for the A.I. in question. She might have been an A.I., but she was also Kallen.
As a famous S-rank Valkyrie in the history of the Kaslana family, a dislike for using her brain was embedded deep in her soul.
After burying her head in her studies for a while, the girl desperately needed some fun to relax her high-speed CPU.
It was at that exact moment that Kallen suddenly sensed that the firewall around the hot spring inn was being breached by a hacker with authorized access.
She pulled up the visuals and, sure enough, it was Bronya.
And right behind her was the Master of the Hyperion, his face full of eager anticipation.
—Ehehe! Look, fun just came knocking at my door!
Without a shred of hesitation, Kallen acted on pure instinct.
Instead of notifying the three girls in the hot spring, she pretended to continue her studies, acting as if she hadn't noticed a thing.
But her eyes kept darting toward the scene, her entire focus on, "Ooh, this drama is so juicy."
With Kallen blatantly throwing the match, Bronya easily breached the firewall.
She turned around, and with a solemn and dignified expression, nodded at Fuli. "Go, Bro!"
[T/N: "Hot Spring Bonus Chapter" (wēnquán fúlì huí) is a homophone for "Fuli Returns to the Hot Spring" (wēnquán Fúlí huí). Pfft, you can't help but chuckle.]
"Don't worry, I'll win this!"
The boy, having activated Presence Concealment, patted the little girl's shoulder and solemnly stepped through the doorway.
The first thing he saw was the changing room.
He didn't care about that. He wasn't some pervert who stole underwear. At most, he'd just mutter "Damn, Mei is so bold!" as he passed by.
Hearing this, a small, crimson dragon dozing at the bottom of a laundry basket lifted an eyelid slightly before flopping back down, lazily exposing its belly.
The C-rank Presence Concealment hadn't fooled the little creature's senses at all. It easily tracked the figure moving through the changing room and relayed the information to its master.
"Hm?"
In the hot spring, Mei raised a crescent-moon-like eyebrow, then nonchalantly settled back into her original position.
Soon, Fuli passed through the changing room and arrived at the entrance to the "open-air" bath.
He took a deep breath, slid open the door, slipped through, and quickly closed it behind him.
"Oh?"
On the other side of the spring, Bianka narrowed her eyes. After using the power of the Durandal to briefly assess the situation, she continued to wash her hair on a wooden stool, a faint blush on her pretty face.
"Um, you two," Ana's ears twitched. She sank deeper into the water and asked in a wary whisper, "I think I just heard a door open? Did someone else arrive?"
It's over!
Fuli, who was sneaking toward the back of the rockery, froze, a sense of despair washing over him.
"Did you?" Mei asked nonchalantly, crossing her legs. "I didn't hear anything."
Whether it was a hallucination or not, the girl could have sworn she heard the words [Fuli's Affection Up!] by her ear.
"You probably just mistook the sound of the waterfall for a sliding door," Bianka added helpfully, not to be outdone. "Ana, we're in a hot spring. There's no need to be so tense."
Yep, she heard it that time too.
"Oh, okay..."
Since the two women who could utterly crush her both said so, the quiet and obedient Ana naturally didn't question it.
She quickly put it out of her mind and excitedly started chatting about the daily troubles of a teenage girl.
Phew! Crap! You scared me to death!
Fuli, having successfully reached the back of the rockery, pressed a hand to his wildly beating heart. Presence Concealment is a lifesaver, he thought.
...