"Er... Isn't this a little inappropriate? Everyone is training so hard, while I'm just meditating here..."
Wendy looked at Wende, who was guiding her to regulate her breathing and focus her mind, and spoke with some embarrassment. Kiana and the others seemed to be working so diligently. Was it really okay for her to be doing this?
"Not at all, Wendy. Your ability is incredibly important and extremely powerful. Therefore, you must learn how to use it to its full potential. That's the only way to maximize its effect, understand?"
Wende patiently explained to her. Wendy's power was immense, but the prerequisite was that she had to truly feel and understand her ability while learning. What she could control, what she could perceive, was definitely not just simple "wind," but the power to command and create ideal fluids.
However, having Wendy meditate was also partly Wende's own idea. He wanted to verify whether her ability could manipulate things that didn't belong to the realm of physics.
For instance, Yin and Yang qi, or the Power of Primordial Chaos.
But it was quite clear that Wendy could not control the two forces of Yin and Yang, nor the Power of Primordial Chaos that birthed them. This left Wende a little disappointed, but on second thought, if she could control even Yin, Yang, and Chaos, then Wendy might as well become an [Aeon] herself. After all, Jingliu and Tingyun could currently only [use] these powers, not [control] them.
While it might not sound like a huge difference, the distance between 'using' and 'controlling' was a world apart.
Still, Wende was already very happy that Wendy could grow to the level she reached in Honkai Gakuen.
At the very least, once she boarded the Express, the crew would gain another Emanator-level combatant.
Speaking of [Emanators], Phantylia, who had been residing in Tingyun's body since Punklorde, had undergone some recent changes. After listening to Wende's PPT presentation, this creature had actually chosen to defect. Although she had already ceased to be a Lord Ravager of [Destruction] under the influence of [Equilibrium], her sudden and willing surrender was something Wende hadn't anticipated.
That being said, one could never be too careful. Tingyun's vigilance towards Phantylia hadn't lessened in the slightest. It was just that, on certain occasions, Phantylia could indeed lend a small helping hand.
Mmm... and it was definitely not to transform into Kallen to deceive Otto! It was to genuinely lend a small helping hand!
Whenever the three little ones were facing psychological issues or were being affected by their Herrscher personalities, the patient Ms. Tingyun would listen to their innermost thoughts, and simultaneously unleash Phantylia to go inside their minds and see what was really going on.
These past few days, Kiana felt she had been sleeping much more soundly. Nothing was disturbing her rest, and no nightmares came to plague her. It was wonderful!
Mei also felt her mood had improved considerably. Although the one inside her hadn't made a peep since arriving at St. Freya, who wouldn't enjoy a good night's sleep?
Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that she was just exhausted from sword practice with Jingliu after a full day of classes. In any case, Bronya was the one sleeping like a log. She basically fell asleep the moment she lay down every day. If she hadn't finished her assignments before bed... she would just hand them off to Project Bunny 19C! She could always catch up on the work herself during the day.
Because Tingyun's "treatment efficacy" was surprisingly good, Theresa, as the principal of St. Freya, immediately appointed Tingyun to the position of on-campus psychological counselor.
Now, no one cast strange glances because of Tingyun's ears and tail. However, sometimes there were indeed... "strange" glances...
For example, the students' enthusiasm for Tingyun was in no way inferior to their previous adoration for Wende...
After all, who could possibly refuse a beautiful and adorable doctor with white hair and beast ears?
Combined with the "school culture" of St. Freya Academy, Tingyun's popularity skyrocketed overnight, placing her in the top five of the St. Freya Academy rankings. As for what kind of rankings, everyone understood without needing it to be said.
---o---
"Goodbye, Class Rep!"
After class, Kiana waved goodbye to Fu Hua, who was on cleaning duty, and then dashed out of the classroom like a flash.
"Kiana... goodbye."
Fu Hua stared, somewhat dazed, at Kiana who had vanished in the blink of an eye.
These past few days had felt like a dream. The characters from the game had actually appeared in reality. Some had become her classmates, while others had become her teachers...
To be honest, her mind still felt jumbled. Sometimes she wondered if she had been playing too many games, or perhaps if she'd lost the 50/50 on the limited banner trying to pull for March, Dan Heng, and Welt, and this was all just a massive hallucination. But the feeling she got from every class, every day, was real.
Her head was really starting to ache... Perhaps she should take a leave of absence and visit the school infirmary? Or maybe just prescribe herself a remedy...
Sigh. Frankly, her situation was manageable. It was the Schicksal Headquarters that was likely not so peaceful right now...
"Fu Hua."
Joachim had entered the classroom at some point and addressed her.
"Teacher Yang? Is there something you need?"
Fu Hua paused her cleaning duties and looked at Joachim.
"There is indeed a matter I need your help with. Could you please go to the school infirmary first?" Joachim asked.
"Of course."
Fu Hua nodded. She was nearly done with her duties anyway, so helping "Teacher Yang" wouldn't be a problem.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Joachim nodded at Fu Hua. Then, watching her back as she walked towards the infirmary, he pushed up his glasses.
---o---
"Um... Uncle Welt, are you sure Phantylia will actually help?"
Inside the school infirmary, March asked Welt with a look of confusion. That Phantylia creature had left a very bad impression on her!
"Hehe, little missy, I'm not who I used to be, so why wouldn't I help you? If I must say, I'm a member of the Astral Express now, too~"
Phantylia, having once again taken on Tingyun's appearance, spoke teasingly to March, a folding fan in her hand.
"So, can you do it?"
Welt looked directly at Phantylia.
"It's hard to say. The specific situation requires specific analysis. If it's simply a matter of lost memories, perhaps I can help her recall the past. But if she 'burned' her own memories..."
Phantylia couldn't say for sure. After all, how deep was the meaning of this "burning"? Besides, she wasn't one of those folks from the [Garden of Recollection]. When it came to memories... she could only say she would try.
"Let's take it one step at a time... I hope there are no accidents."
Welt shook his head, his gaze fixed on Fu Hua approaching from outside the door, as he slowly adjusted his glasses.