WORLD: EARTH
BRANCHED WORLD: HONKAI IMPACT 3RD
LOCATION: NEAR ST. FREYA.
Walking on the stone path. Their heels made a soft sound on the bricks as they got closer to that fancy building—St. Freya College.
It was way more impressive than Bronya thought, not that she looked down on it, given it was part of the Schicksal Organization.
Regardless, it was impressive.
The entire buildings loomed above, with their clean glass glinting in the midday sun.
The flowerbeds along the path were bursting with color, and sakura petals were all over the place in the wind.
Right in front of them was a perfectly round fountain.
The water arched gracefully into the air and then fell back down with a soothing rhythm. The summer breeze carried the smell of fresh grass and wet dirt.
And then—
"Welcome back, Ms. Raiden."
There was a girl standing just past the fountain who looked to be no older than seventeen.
She looked Mei straight in the eye. She had pale skin, sharp eyes, and short bluish-purple hair that moved slightly in the wind.
Her qipao was crisp and fitted in beautiful blues and whites. The red of her glasses caught the light as she moved them a little.
Her navy leggings hugged her thin legs, and her polished leather boots made a sharp sound as she walked forward.
Mei could tell this girl was strong even though she didn't say anything.
"And you too, Ms. Bronya."
Bronya gave a slight nod, but her face was always hard to read.
She and Mei got there earlier than most people, supposedly for the entrance exams,
Yet... that wasn't exactly the reason.
Especially with that machine standing by in the cargo bay. Project Bunny 19C. Ah yes, that couldn't be called a Bunny anymore,
Regardless,
"Nice to meet you too, Ms. Hua."
Fu Hua returned a slight bow at Mei's greeting. She'd been informed in advance and, as usual, had made her way to the front to personally greet Mei.
The first thing on the agenda was to check in with Theresa, and from there... well, plans would form.
Like that, they then walked. Students filled the grounds, murmuring as they went by, most being excited, nervous, and a lot more.
However, those that caught sight of Mei, walking along one of the top Valkyries of St. Freya, stopped to look at Fu Hua.
Especially the eye-catching figures of Mei and Bronya.
Despite being of the same sex as her, they still found themselves attracted to Mei.
And the cold Bronya beside them also gave them a sense of coldness.
"Hwahhhh~ Look at her."
"Uhhh... the other one—she's so cute... like a doll."
Bronya simply deadpanned at them, but didn't say anything,
Maybe if it had come from someone like Seele, or someone else she hadn't seen in a while, there might've been a flicker of a reaction.
Sadly however,
"Ms. Bronya, I believe this is your first time here. Welcome to St. Freya."
Fu Hua said that, making Bronya nod her head. As she did that, Fu Hua kept a steady gaze and saw that.
"Ah, pardon her, she doesn't really talk much."
Hearing that Fu Hua let out an expression of understanding, nodding before continuing on. Like that, they entered the building in front.
Past the stairs where other students moved, until they reached the hallway that led to the principal's office.
And then—
KNOCK KNOCK!
Fu Hua knocked on the door.
"Come in."
A very thin voice, almost childlike, came from behind the door. Bronya turned to me, who let out a slightly strained smile.
Then, as if to add to that, telling her not to question it, Mei shook her head.
Slowly, the door creaked open as they entered.
Inside, the office was brightly lit and strangely pristine.
A girl sat behind the large desk, barely tall enough to peek over it without sitting upright in her chair.
She looked absurdly young for her title, hands folded neatly in front of her, sitting there menacingly.
But she wasn't alone.
Standing beside the desk was a tall woman dressed in a crisp maid uniform, black and white with silver trim, polished, graceful, and eerily composed.
Mei's eyes immediately narrowed.
She had met the principal before, and knew well enough how strong she was despite her appearance.
But this woman—
Shicksal.
And not just any rank. S-Rank. Without a doubt. She immediately deduced, going by pure gut feeling alone.
«Hmph. Flies sniffling about what doesn't concern them.»
'Now, now, «Ei», let's not be rude to them.'
«Ha! Those flies think you're here to steal that white-haired girl from them—that's what this is really about.»
'Oh? Is that so...'
Mei replied inwardly with mild amusement.
She paused, thoughtful for a beat, but then brushed the notion away with a quiet exhale.
Taking a few steps forward, Mei gave a small, respectful bow toward the desk.
"It's a pleasure to meet you again, Principal Theresa."
"Mhm! Mei-chan, it's good to see you again!"
Theresa's voice was bright and cheerful, bordering on bubbly, clearly an attempt to project official authority...
which didn't quite land, considering she sounded like a twelve-year-old at a class assembly.
Still, she tried.
To her credit, Mei didn't so much as smirk. She knew better than to tease the principal about her appearance, or her voice.
"Honestly, I was surprised when grandfather sent me a word of a personnel from Anti-Entropy wanting to take the Valkyrie exam...."
Theresa went on, folding her tiny arms.
"Yes. As his successor, Uncle Yang believes she needs more outside experience."
Uncle Yang.
Rita raised an eyebrow at the words; even Fu Hua glanced at Mei. The Sovereign of Anti-Entropy being called an uncle like that.
However, Theresa simply laughed. She was an executive, and she was also strong. Mei had every right to call Welt that.
"Alright then. Is that the girl?"
Mei nodded, stepping aside. Bronya took a half-step forward and met Theresa's gaze.
"I see, she might give our students quite the time."
Rita now looked at Bronya; assassin met assassin. By their silence and positioning, both of them knew.
Ah... she's one too.
Both thought.
And though she no longer worked as an assassin, she still had the fundamentals and even used them in practice matches.
Theresa clapped her hands together once. "Alright. I'll arrange accommodations for the two of you. Feel free to look around the campus in the meantime."
"We'll take you up on that offer then, Principal," Mei said, bowing once more.
She turned, Bronya falling in step beside her. They were almost to the door when—
"Please pardon me. How about I escort our esteemed guest."
A voice from behind.
"Eh?"
Theresa blinked. Weren't they in the middle of a conversation, she thought.
But then, Theresa eventually realized, it must be some sort of mission from her grandfather.
After all, it doesn't feel real yet. A live Herrscher that isn't against humanity was right in front of them.
Anti-Entropy really hid it well.
"Ngh–"
"Bronya-chan."
Bronya was about to supposedly reject the offer, but Mei stopped her. She'd long been with people who could read her like a book.
Hence, she adapted, rather,
«Let that meddlesome woman follow for now.»
Those were the words she heard from «Ei».
Naturally, she knew where to stop. She wouldn't do anything to bring attention to Laurel or those surrounding him.
"Alright then, I shall accompany you."
Mei had explored St. Freya already, back when she came for that exchange program. It was a large campus in its own right, with many facilities around.
"..."
Naturally, Bronya kept her perfect stoicism as she looked around, passing by structures.
Certainly, this place was more lively than Anti-Entropy, since that place was more of a laboratory.
Not to mention the girls around her age.
They moved about almost without a care in the world, despite knowing they were making sacrifices for the world.
"What? Are you jealous of them?"
"No. Bronya was just surprised how carefree they are."
"Hahaha... when you put it that way it's kinda harsh. After all, Bronya-chan does sneak out of work too?"
"- △ -"
Bronya's mouth formed a triangle.
"That is that and this is this."
Bronya countered wittily, unsurprisingly. Which made Mei chuckle, all the while Rita watched from behind.
"So? What do you think? Think you'll lose."
".... Mei-nee-san. Are you making fun of me"
[Character Profile]
[Name: Bronya Zaychik]
[Title: Successor to the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy]
[Race: Human]
[Preceding Evolution path: ??]
[Affiliation: ALWA Guild, Cocytus (Engineer), Earth]
Abilities:
☆ [Honkai Force Core Manipulation]:
A new type of force discovered by using Honkai Energy to control Force Core used to manipulate Dragon Machine.
☆ [Honkai Energy Manipulation]
☆ [Skilled Assassin]