Seeing Mei in this state, Kiana felt an inexplicable pang of heartache and hurried over to support her.
"Mei, are you okay? Why do you look so sickly?"
"I'm fine, just... just a little weak."
"Don't worry, we promised we wouldn't do anything to this girl, and we meant it. However, as a precaution, we've placed a timed explosive near her heart.
If her Herrscher persona takes control of her body again and she fails to regain control within a certain time, it will detonate."
Seeing the confusion on their faces, Himeo stepped in to explain the situation.
Hearing this, Kiana opened her mouth but hesitated, unsure of what to say.
After all, Herrschers are the enemies of humanity. Even if she could guarantee her own actions, what about Mei?
If it came to that, things might not go as she hoped.
So, Kiana believed this decision was the best they could make.
At least they weren't restricting Mei's freedom, right?
"I have no objections. After all, I couldn't control myself at that time."
"Don't worry, Mei. I won't let anything happen to you. If you ever become a Herrscher again, I'll just knock you back to your senses. If once isn't enough, I'll do it twice."
Clenching her fist, Kiana spoke with determination.
Seeing Kiana's usual sunny demeanor, Mei felt a warmth in her heart.
Of course, this didn't include a certain small figure crouching in the corner, clutching a Honkai beast plushie and observing everything silently.
This happiness had nothing to do with her. She deeply understood that she was a spy and couldn't get too involved with them.
"Hehe, Mei, we'll be classmates again. This time, I'll become the strongest Valkyrie, find that good-for-nothing dad of mine, and punch him right in the face."
"I heard from the doctors about St. Freya Academy, a place to train Valkyries."
Seeing them chatting among themselves, Himeko nodded, then activated the autopilot and returned to her room.
"Are these my future star students? One Herrscher of the Void, one Herrscher of Thunder, and one Herrscher of Reason... Sigh, am I really capable of this?"
Indeed, as a core character, Himeko had also read the script.
At first, she was quite fond of these students.
But the further she read, the more uneasy she felt. Why were all her students Herrschers?
Even Fu Hua, a warrior from the previous era who was now posing as a student at their academy, had become a Herrscher—or rather, the Herrscher had become her.
All of this gave Himeko a headache.
But headaches aside, she also felt a sense of pride. Kiana truly inherited her will, turning this imperfect world into the one she had hoped for.
It's just that, according to the script, her own "exit" was necessary for Kiana's growth.
Just thinking about it made Himeko feel a little guilty toward Kiana.
"Forgive me, Kiana. This is the last time."
...
"Attention all passengers, the Hyperion will now descend to the platform for landing. There may be some turbulence, so please hold onto the handrails."
A cute voice broadcasted throughout the Hyperion.
This was, of course, the infamous "electricity-stealing cabbage head" from the original story.
To stay as faithful as possible, a certain "big V teacher" had recreated her.
However, unlike the fully embodied Prometheus and others, the cabbage head was purely an AI.
After all, she could eventually create a body for herself, so the big V teacher decided not to bother making one for her.
As the Hyperion stabilized, there was no turbulence.
Soon, everyone disembarked from the rear hatch, except for the maintenance crew, who were responsible for servicing the Hyperion.
"My dear niece, come here and let your Aunt Theresa take a good look at you."
As soon as Kiana stepped off the Hyperion, she saw a young woman with a side ponytail opening her arms and calling out to her.
At first glance, Kiana immediately recognized her from the video call on the Hyperion.
This was her Aunt Theresa.
Without hesitation, Kiana ran over and hugged her.
"Aunt Theresa, do you have that good-for-nothing dad's contact info? I want to punch him."
After letting go, Kiana looked at her aunt with hopeful eyes.
"Well, I do, but he's currently on a very important mission. Your strength is far from enough to help him, so I can't tell you."
"Eh? Then what do I need to do to get you to tell me?"
"Become the strongest S-rank Valkyrie. Only then will you be able to help your father."
"Alright then."
"Okay, follow me. I'll take you to the dorm, and tomorrow you'll report to your class."
Since Theresa wasn't in her original loli form, she still carried a certain air of authority.
At least when she wore her hair in a side ponytail, she had a bit of Otto's vibe.
Because of this, many people in Schicksal couldn't help but show her a bit more respect.
Soon, Theresa led Kiana and the others to the dorm.
"Here, this is your dorm from now on. Oh, and by the way, Himeko, Fu Hua, and I also live here."
Taking out a key and opening the door, Theresa handed out keys to everyone while explaining who else lived there.
Kiana, full of curiosity, looked around and noticed a slightly ajar cabinet. She couldn't resist the urge to open it.
"Stop!"
Seeing this, Himeko shouted in panic, trying to stop Kiana.
But it was too late.
"Huh?"
Hearing Himeko's shout, Kiana let out a confused sound as she opened the cabinet door.
In an instant, all sorts of things came tumbling out.
There were unwashed underwear, broken bras, and all kinds of clothing.
Even without the pain-relieving alcohol due to the lack of Stigmata, Himeko's status as a "leftover woman" remained unchanged.
Even with a washing machine available, Himeko couldn't be bothered to use it.
After returning from missions, she'd take a nice shower and then collapse into bed, too lazy to deal with anything else.
"Himeko! Not again! Can't you spare a few minutes to wash this stuff?!"
Pulling a black triangular piece of fabric off her face and throwing it aside, Theresa roared in anger.
Clearly, this wasn't the first time this had happened.
"What can I do? I'm the only one running around on missions all the time. If someone could share the workload, maybe I'd have time for this."