"Senpai, look. That's Olaf."
"Mhm."
"There's Buzz Lightyear over there too. Senpai, do you see him?"
"Mhm. I see him, Tetsuya-kun."
Tetsuya smiled and lowered his hand.
After talking with Sonoko at the café, Tetsuya took Utaha to Disneyland in Tokyo. Utaha had been confused and surprised at first when her junior brought her all the way to Tokyo, but she soon realized what was going on and chose to stay quiet.
This was a chance to go on a date with her junior, Utaha wasn't about to waste the Sunday she had already set aside.
Besides, since Tetsuya-kun was the one who invited her, it would be rude to refuse and say she wanted to go straight home, right?
Tetsuya was also happy to bring her here, walking around together and looking at many things, like the Disney Princesses and the snowman Olaf they had just seen walking by.
Utaha calmly looked around at the beautifully crafted architectural buildings that resembled fairy-tale castles. The two of them were currently in Fantasyland.
"Are you thinking about writing a new novel, something like historical fantasy?"
Utaha looked at him, thought for a moment, then nodded faintly. "That's a good idea… but no. My current novel isn't finished yet."
In the end, she shook her head.
Tetsuya nodded. He also wasn't sure if the quality would turn out well, since historical fantasy romance novels were usually about princes, princesses, or nobility, and inevitably included political elements throughout the story.
Could Utaha make political aspects interesting to read? If not, readers would probably drop it out of boredom.
"Well, don't worry about that for now. Let's just have fun."
The two explored further. They rode several attractions, bought things like Mickey Mouse keychains, and ate delicious food.
When the day started to turn into evening, Tetsuya drove Utaha back to her house.
In front of Utaha's home, Tetsuya stopped the car, and Utaha looked at him beside her. "Thank you, Tetsuya-kun."
"I'll be looking forward to my payment," Tetsuya said with a smile.
Utaha blushed slightly, looking at him with a helpless, embarrassed expression. "You… do you really want a gift from your senpai that badly?"
"Mhm," Tetsuya nodded with a faint smile. "Isn't it normal to give a reward after someone works hard?"
Worked hard? Teaching could probably count as hard work, it wasn't easy, after all.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to give him a gift. Utaha thought to herself, staring at her kouhai in slight contemplation.
But what kind of gift should she give?
Seeing Tetsuya smiling, Utaha noticed the car windows were still closed and took a deep breath. Then she leaned her curvy body forward and gently pecked Tetsuya on the lips.
Feeling the warmth and softness on his lips, Tetsuya secretly felt pleased. Still, he was a little dissatisfied when Utaha pulled back so quickly.
"Are you satisfied?" Utaha asked, her cheeks faintly red.
Tetsuya shook his head, looking disappointed. "No way. I didn't even get to really feel your lips."
Utaha felt annoyed. Of course she wasn't going to give in to Tetsuya's demands and simply crossed her arms.
"Senpai, that's not enough."
"No."
"What a shame."
Tetsuya sighed, opened the car door, and let Utaha get out.
"See you, Utaha."
Utaha watched the car drive away, still feeling the lingering sensation on her lips, along with the embarrassment in her heart and the heat in her reddened cheeks. She covered her face with both hands, feeling it grow warm.
"..."
After a while, Utaha calmed herself down, wiped the blush from her cheeks, and walked into her house.
Luckily, her father hadn't returned yet, and her mother was probably in the kitchen cooking. Otherwise, Utaha would have completely lost face in front of her parents.
Meanwhile, as Tetsuya drove home, he saw a notification from the chat group.
======
[Group Mission Triggered!]
[Mission Details: Group member March 7th is facing a threat from the Antimatter Legion. Group Mission activated. Assist March 7th in defeating the Doomsday Beast!]
[Mission Participants: Tetsuya, March 7th, Erza, Tsunade.]
[Mission Time Limit: 1 Hour.]
[Accept / Decline?]
The second mission had been triggered!
And it was in March 7th's world, a world that was extremely dangerous. You could even say that March 7th's world was currently the most dangerous one of all.
Tetsuya fell silent for a moment.
[March 7th: Wow! The Antimatter Legion is attacking Herta Space Station!]
[Saeko: Antimatter Legion? I remember Tetsuya-kun mentioning it before, but what exactly is it?]
[Erza: Oh, I'm participating in this mission too? If I join, will I get Group Points?]
[Tetsuya: The Antimatter Legion is a massive army led by one of the Aeons, Nanook the Destruction.]
[Tsunade: Sounds scary, but I finally get to join a mission!]
Without hesitation, Tetsuya switched out of the chat function and accepted the group mission. Immediately, the world froze, and Tetsuya's figure vanished from inside the car he had already parked.
…
Honkai: Star Rail World, Herta Space Station
"Take this!"
An ice-based attack shot out from the bow in March 7th's hands and pierced the metallic body of one of the Voidrangers. However, there were still other Voidrangers, and March 7th wasn't fast enough to draw her bow again.
Fortunately, Dan Heng stepped forward and finished off the Voidranger that was closing in.
"Whew! That was close," March 7th sighed, wiping sweat from her brow. "Thanks, Dan Heng!"
"Don't be reckless next time, March."
Whooosh!
A powerful gust of wind suddenly rushed toward them, accompanied by the flapping of enormous wings. In the deep starry sky beyond the platform, a massive white-and-blue dragon-like lifeform could be seen soaring high.
"The Doomsday Beast has arrived," said a woman with long red hair and a beautiful yet serious face. Himeko glanced at the silver-haired, golden-eyed girl nearby and couldn't help thinking, 'It must be because of the Stellaron inside that child.'
"A huge monster! Come down here!" March 7th stood firm, gripping her bow as she stared up at the Doomsday Beast above.
"Roar!" The Doomsday Beast let out a roar and moved closer.
Up close, it looked like a dragon, but clearly not a natural creature. Its body was enormous, with each part connected to the void. One massive claw was black, the other white, with a strange core at the center of its body. It looked more like a weapon than a living being.
"Is that the Doomsday Beast?"
Amid the chaos, a voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone turned around. Three people had appeared behind them, one man and two women. The man had blond hair and red eyes; one of the women had long red hair and carried a sword; and the last woman had blond hair and… a pair of very large jewels.
Himeko was startled by their sudden appearance and immediately raised her guard. "Who are you? You're not from Herta Space Station, are you?" she asked, speaking first.
Appearing out of nowhere behind them made Himeko extremely wary. Dan Heng also tightened his grip on his spear. Stelle, standing nearby with a baseball bat in hand, looked at the three of them in confusion.
'Cool. They just showed up out of nowhere.'