A golden stream of light streaked across the azure sky, flying from the gardens to the Valkyrie dormitory.
The golden light followed a hidden, cautious path, as if it possessed its own intelligence, terrified of being discovered.
The light was, of course, the Xuanyuan Sword, inhabited by Ji Lin's consciousness.
Her body was cloaked in a radiant golden light, so thick it seemed to flow like liquid, covering the entire blade.
No matter how she looked at it, the "protrusion" on the end of her hilt was simply too strange.
Ji Lin had tried every method she could think of; she could neither remove it nor destroy it. Even if she tried to pass it off as a sword tassel, the gelatinous object looked nothing like one.
"...I hope things go smoothly this time."
Ji Lin prayed silently in her heart.
The last time, she had accidentally revealed the "patterns" on her body, and in the extremely humiliating dogeza posture, no less.
You might say that the structure of a sword makes a dogeza impossible.
No, no, everything has a "spirit" to it.
Believe it or not, even a tree can appear to have a graceful charm.
It's just that people usually describe such things as "feeling strange."
"Is Chiyuan not here?"
She wasn't in her dorm, nor could she be seen at the training grounds.
Ji Lin searched the entire campus but couldn't find Fu Hua.
"I'll go ask Kiana."
Ji Lin flew towards the Valkyrie dormitory.
If one were to speak of who Ji Lin had the deepest bond with, it would undoubtedly be Fu Hua, Danzhu, and Cangxuan.
But if one were to ask "who she could speak to with complete candor," it would have to be Kiana.
The two of them shared a very subtle relationship that was "not quite best friends, yet surpassed it."
Even if the other person found out something embarrassing about them, they wouldn't feel ashamed... well, okay, it would still be very awkward, but how to put it... it wasn't as repulsive.
After all, under Ye Feng's guidance, Ji Lin had seen Kiana open her heart, and Kiana had glimpsed Ji Lin's soul laid bare.
In a sense, they could be considered "sisters."
In the dormitory.
Mei was in the kitchen preparing lunch, while Bronya was playing games in the living room.
Kiana, however, was buried in her reading at a desk piled high with clutter.
Tap, tap, tap. A knock came from the window in front of her.
She looked up and saw, through the glass, a bewitching holy sword floating by the windowsill.
Kiana pushed open the window and said happily, "Ah Lin, what brings you here?"
Ji Lin floated inside, turned her blade slightly, and said urgently, "Don't close the window."
"Ah, oh, okay."
Kiana scratched the back of her head in confusion and sat back down.
"Kiana, what book are you reading?"
It was a very traditional Shenzhou-style opening.
First, you make small talk about unimportant topics, then gradually lead into the main subject.
"Eh?!"
Kiana froze, fumbling to close the open book, stuff it in a drawer, and lock it.
She leaned her back against the drawer, her slender waist twisting shyly.
"It-It's nothing, just some secrets of Valkyrie combat. By the way, Ah Lin, did you need something from me?"
Kiana's actions piqued Ji Lin's curiosity.
But Ji Lin was not a cat; even if she was curious, she would politely keep it to herself.
She straightened her blade. Though she was in the form of a sword, she exuded the graceful and elegant air of a classical lady.
"This servant has indeed come here to ask for Kiana's guidance on a matter."
Kiana puffed out her chest. "Ask away! As long as it's something I know!"
"Kiana..."
Ji Lin began, a bit shyly, "Chiyuan... no, do you know where Fu Hua went?"
"Class Rep?"
Kiana tilted her head. "She should be in her dorm, right?"
"This servant went to her room earlier but did not see... Fu Hua."
"Huh? That's strange. I saw her playing games on her phone during breakfast."
"Playing games?"
Ji Lin, of course, knew what "playing games" meant. Having been in the modern era for so long, she had learned many modern terms.
It was just that she found it difficult to reconcile the image of the "celestial and ethereal Chiyuan" with "playing games on a phone."
"Ah Lin, wait a sec, I'll go ask Bronya and the others," Kiana said enthusiastically, seeing Ji Lin seemed a little down.
The little bug rushed out in a flurry and, not long after, scurried back in.
A smile bloomed on her face; she had clearly found the answer.
"Aunt Himeko said Fu Hua went to a construction site."
"A construction site?"
"I'm not sure what she's doing there, but Aunt Himeko said Class Rep found the commission on the Far East Branch's mission board... It's probably to clear out some Honkai Beasts.
Ahhh!! Damn it, speaking of which, I didn't even notice that Class Rep became an A-rank Valkyrie after last semester ended. I'm so frustrated! Why am I still a B-rank? My overall score was only 10 points lower than hers!"
At this point, Kiana's face suddenly darkened, as if she'd remembered something unpleasant, and she couldn't help but click her tongue.
"Tch, 10 points again."
"?"
"N-Nothing, don't mind me. Since it was a commission from the Far East Branch's mission board, I should be able to find the information."
Kiana took out her terminal and swiped her finger across the screen.
"Found it. It's a commission from an entertainment company in North America. It seems they plan to open a branch here."
Ji Lin floated closer. A look of confusion appeared on Kiana's face.
"Hm? An E-rank mission? At a construction site? What's Class Rep doing there?"
Kiana didn't understand.
It was also strange why such a commission would even be on the Far East Branch's mission board.
But then she remembered that this was the academy managed by her great-aunt, and she felt a sense of resignation.
Her great-aunt was always coming up with some new gimmick.
After all, even she, a student, had heard about the academy's financial deficit.
In the future, they might even have to debut as idols to save the school from bankruptcy.
Hm? What's this?
As the Xuanyuan Sword also moved closer to view the mission's detailed address, the corner of Kiana's eye caught something stuck to the back of its hilt.
It looked a little familiar.
Like a curious kitten, Kiana's future-seeing eyes widened. She raised her hand and pinched the gelatinous object protruding from the hilt.
—And pulled!
VMMMM!!
A sound like a dragon's roar echoed through the dorm.
The resounding hum startled even Mei, who was cooking in the kitchen. She turned off the stove, dropped her pots and pans, and rushed to the bedroom.
"Kiana, what's wro... ong... with... you... huh?"
Why was there a golden sword lying on the floor?
Ah! Why was it sweating? It was sweating bullets!
---o---
On Taixuan Mountain.
Danzhu brought out a bamboo chair and placed it under a large tree.
She lay down on it contentedly.
A gentle breeze rustled through her dark hair and feathered clothes.
She laced her hands behind her head, looking carefree and at ease.
Danzhu watched her sister fussing over something in front of the Bagua Furnace in the center of the clearing and couldn't help but speak up.
"Sister, there's no need to test the Honkai energy concentration. This definitely isn't the Taixuan Mountain we're familiar with."
As the lively and bubbly younger sister spoke, she crossed her left leg over her right and gazed upwards at the shaking leaves, where the blue sky peeked through the gaps.
Danzhu squinted her eyes comfortably and gave a cute stretch.
"This place hasn't been touched by the Honkai at all. So why make work for ourselves? It was you who taught me in Mebius's lab, Sister. As the saying goes: As long as your mind doesn't slip, there are always more ways to live than to die, so why bother~"
"Danzhu."
Cangxuan walked over to the reclining chair, her shadow falling over her sister's head as she looked down from above.
"Although there's no threat of Honkai, there is an existence more terrifying than the Final Herrscher. Even..."
Even Aponia, the strongest psychic of the Previous Era, could only submit to him. Cangxuan found it difficult to say those words.
After all, an explanation would have to follow...
"Even what?" Danzhu blinked.
Cangxuan didn't answer, instead pulling her sister's hand. "Get up. Come with me to the lab."
"Ehh? No, I don't want to! We already died in battle! I shed blood for the cause of fighting the Honkai, I gave my life to resist the calamity! Now that I'm dead, I should be freed from work, right? I should enjoy a peaceful life, feel the breeze, bask in the sun.
Besides, this place is completely free from Honkai corruption. There are no Honkai Beasts or Herrschers. This is basically the ideal life we used to dream of."
Cangxuan's ice-blue eyes stared silently at her sister.
She hadn't witnessed the horror of the Evil God.
Cangxuan said, "Aren't you worried about being dragged back to that bizarre academy?"
Cangxuan held her sister's hand as they stood on the grass under the tree.
"What's the use of worrying? Life goes on whether you worry or not. Instead of worrying about things that may or may not happen, it's better to enjoy the present—isn't that what you told me when we uploaded the wrong data, Sister? We ditched Dr. Mebius's experiment report and ran off to the amusement park that day."
"..."
Cangxuan was speechless.
The words she had spoken in the past had now become a boomerang, smacking her squarely in the face.
"So, Sister, let's take a nap together. It's so comfortable here. Whatever troubles we have, we can think about them when they actually arrive."
"Your little sister is right, you know."
Just then, a familiar voice drifted over.
Cangxuan's body stiffened, and she looked toward the clearing.
The Evil God had appeared there at some point.
He wore a gentle smile, as refreshing as the blue sky, as approachable as a friendly boy next door.
But Cangxuan, having experienced the 'Library of Soul-Shaking Fluids,' knew that he was not as harmless as he appeared.
His personality was wicked to the extreme!
Just as Cangxuan was about to speak, she felt something press against her shoulder.
She turned her head to see that her sister had fallen asleep on the spot.
"?"
Cangxuan quickly steadied Danzhu's falling body, slowly kneeling down and resting the back of her sister's head on her lap.
"Don't worry, she just fell asleep normally."
Ye Feng said kindly, "After all, Miss Cangxuan, you wouldn't want your sister to have any contact with me, would you? See, how thoughtful I am."
Cangxuan held her sister like a mother hen protecting her chick. She raised her head, her cold eyes fixed on Ye Feng.
"I knew it. I knew you would come back."
"Of course. Guess what I came here for?"
"..."
Cangxuan pressed her lips together, her gaze firm as she stared at Ye Feng without a word.
"That's right. Just as you're thinking, I came here to play with you."
"—?"
"No need to be surprised. You've already called me a 'God.' It's quite simple to see through your thoughts. Oh, you wanted to say 'Evil God,' right? Well, it's all the same."
Cangxuan forced herself to remain calm. Cradling her sister on her lap, she looked up and said faintly, "So, what do you plan to do?"
"Let's date."
"?"
"Why so surprised? You didn't think I was the type to pounce on every pretty girl I see, did you? That's right, you guessed correctly."
Ye Feng stood in the sunlight five meters away from Cangxuan, looking at the two sisters in the shade of the tree.
"However, your bodies both belong to me. If I wanted them, I could take them at any time. But an interesting soul is a rare find."
Cangxuan lowered her gaze, the ice-blue data streams in her irises flickering at a high frequency.
She said softly, "I don't have the right to refuse, do I?"
"You can refuse. I'm not a demon. However, if you refuse, Cangxuan, then I'll just have to ask your sister."
"!!"
Cangxuan looked down at her sleeping sister and gently caressed her cheek.
"...I understand."
"You really don't have to force yourself."
Ye Feng said sincerely, "I'm really not a bad person."
But Cangxuan was resolute. "My mind is made up. There's no need to say more."
"Alright, since you've said so, Cangxuan, then come over here. Let's do something that only lovers do."
"..."
Cangxuan, still kneeling and holding her sister, lowered her eyelids, seemingly having made some kind of decision.
Ye Feng said, "Since you've made your decision, why don't you place her on the grass next to you?"
"Eh?"
"Don't worry, she's sound asleep. She won't wake up midway."
"No, wait, you want to do it... here?"
Ye Feng smiled. "If we're outside, considering your feelings, Cangxuan, I can stop before going too far, just like in the attic. But if we're in a room, with a big bed, I can't guarantee how far I'll go."
The ice-blue light in Cangxuan's eyes flickered. She could tell that there wasn't a hint of falsehood in Ye Feng's words.
He would definitely do it.
"...I understand."
She placed her sister on the grass beside her. Just as she was about to get up, Ye Feng stopped her.
"Come over just like that."
Just like that?
Cangxuan froze. She was currently kneeling on the ground, her hands, which had been carefully supporting Danzhu's head, still pressed against the grass.
"Don't go too far."
"Fine. If you won't come to me, I'll go to you."
Ye Feng slowly walked in front of Cangxuan, his large shadow gradually engulfing her face...
This again?
Cangxuan tilted her head back, her upward gaze filled with tension.
In the attic, she had obtained two antidotes with her fragrant tongue and cherry lips.
Today would just be a repeat...
Kneeling, Cangxuan straightened her back, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a delicate white hand, closed her eyes, and slowly leaned forward.
At the same time.
Kiana hid behind a tree trunk in the dense woods nearby, her head of fluffy white hair peeking out, her eyes glued to the scene.
Ye Feng was, of course, aware of Kiana's presence.
Last night, Kiana had run off in a huff, telling him not to touch her ever again.
Ye Feng had cheerfully agreed.
After all, whether she was angry or happy, the little bug was always charming.
Now, Ye Feng couldn't resist teasing her again.
Therefore, in the vision reflected in Kiana's eyes, Cangxuan transformed into Mei.
Kiana nearly broke down on the spot.
"E-E-Ehh? Why is M-Mei...?!"
Is she also going to be defiled by that bastard Ye Feng?