Chapter 82: Ryosuke Murata's Dream
[Ryosuke Murata and Welt Yang remained wary of each other, each silently calculating their next move. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Soon, Himeko brought out a plate of specially made curry, its aroma and appearance impeccable.
With her easing the tension, the atmosphere at the table became less awkward. As Himeko steered the conversation, the two elders found common ground in discussing her, and the mood quickly warmed up. Seeing them chatter endlessly, Himeko urged them to eat:
"Alright, alright, time to eat! Here, try my cooking!"
Welt smiled and nodded: "I'm really sorry to trouble you with hosting me for dinner..."
Taking a spoonful of the beautifully presented curry into his mouth, Welt's eyes widened in shock! Since the Second Honkai Eruption, this was the first time he had suffered such a devastating blow—his mouth felt like it was on fire. Seeing Welt's unnatural expression, Himeko grew worried. Had her cooking turned out that bad? Not wanting to disappoint his daughter, Ryosuke, under Welt's solemn gaze, wolfed down the entire plate of curry. Meanwhile, Peppermint Candy curiously took a bite as well—only to collapse on the spot, completely incapacitated!]
[Kiana]: "Th-That curry is terrifying!!"
[Raiden Mei]: "Teacher Himeko, just how much chili did you put in there!?"
[Stelle]: "Doesn't seem as bad as coffee..."
[March 7th]: "This curry's lethality is nothing compared to coffee!"
[Huohuo]: "How do you make something look and smell so good but taste so awful?"
Huohuo posed the soul-crushing question!
[Murata Himeko]: "I only failed that one time! My cooking is usually fine, right? Oh, by the way, I just brewed some coffee—anyone want some?"
[Kiana]: "Me! Mmm... it's good!"
[Stelle]: "Looks like the plan failed. As expected, not all Himekos are created equal!"
[After dinner, Ryosuke took Welt out to the balcony—it was time for their real discussion. Under the shimmering stars, Welt Yang and Ryosuke Murata quietly gazed at the night sky. "I love looking at the stars.
Beautiful, aren't they?"
"Each one is a shining treasure, holding infinite possibilities."
"Teacher Welt, I'm sure you understand what I mean, right?"
"Earth, the solar system, the Milky Way... in the grand scheme of the universe, they're nothing more than a drop in the ocean."
Tentacles coiled around Ryosuke as he smiled at a stunned Welt and said: "Humanity... was never the only civilization."]
[Stelle]: "Welt: Go on, I'm listening."
[March 7th]: "Welt: (glancing around instinctively) Yeah... lots of aliens. Lots of civilizations."
[Honkai·Welt]: "Back then, I never imagined I'd one day venture into space alone."
[Honkai Star Rail·Void Archives]: "Old friend, you weren't alone. I was there with you, wasn't I? Didn't I accompany you into the cosmos?"
[The Story of Ryosuke Murata:
In a study, a tiny loli Himeko stared wide-eyed at a model spaceship placed on the table. Ryosuke gently patted her head and told her it was his first handmade project from elementary school—his very first spaceship. "Himeko wants to fly it!
Himeko wants to pilot a spaceship!"
Ryosuke held her in his arms. "Then Daddy will work hard to build a real spaceship and fulfill both our dreams!"
............ "Your wife's condition is stable for now, but we can't rule out sudden deterioration. It would be best if you stayed by her side."
But Ryosuke's research had reached its most critical stage—he couldn't leave. The fruits of his labor or his wife's safety—the choice lay bare before Ryosuke Murata. His wife struggled to sit up in bed and assured him she would be fine, that she could take care of herself and Himeko. "So Ryosuke... go without worry."
That was what she told him.]
[Murata Himeko]: "Mom... it's been so long. I can barely remember your face now..."
[Raiden Mei]: "Little Himeko-sensei is so cute~"
[Rita]: "Absolutely adorable~"
[Fu Xuan]: "What research could possibly be more important than your own wife?"
[Otto]: "Utter nonsense!"
[Aventurine]: "Career or family? Is this even a choice?"
[Scott]: "Exactly! How could family ever compare to one's ambitions?"
[Sushang]: "How can you say that!?"
[Sushang]: "...Oh, it's Scott. Never mind."
[Scott]: "It's just common sense. You people are the weird ones."
[Ryosuke left without looking back. "I knew it was an obvious lie."
"She was forcing herself to act strong, pretending everything was fine."
"Her condition wasn't that optimistic at all.
Deep down... I realized it."
"But I deliberately chose to ignore it."
"—Because I had more important things to do."
"From that moment on... something inside me broke."]
[Murata Himeko]: "Father knew how bad Mom's condition was... but he still left?"
[Siegfried]: "If he couldn't even take care of his own wife, how could he ever be a good father!?"
[Otto]: "From this point on, his heart belonged only to his ideals. He had already gone mad."
[Kevin]: "He became willing to do anything to achieve his goals."
[March 7th]: "You mean all his actions were just to get Earth into space? That's way too extreme!"
[The Story of Sugars:
In the Candy House, Kompeito Elder rambled on like a fussy old man, imparting wisdom to Peppermint Candy before her mission: "...Our rule is: if you can't win, run.
Never confront the Sky People head-on..."
"Though this is your first time in the human world, I have high expectations for you..."
But like many children who tune out their elders' lectures, Peppermint Candy didn't listen to Kompeito Elder's advice and stepped straight through the portal—arriving on Earth. "I heard Black Sugar mention this place—where she met her host. There should be plenty of suitable candidates nearby..."
"Well then... time to look around."]
[Stelle]: "Is it happening? The destined encounter!"
[Nicholas·Black Sugar]: "Ah... Peppermint Candy really met the wrong person."
[Firefly]: "You have requirements for choosing hosts?"
[Siri]: "Not everyone can withstand the power of Sugars."
[March 7th]: "Don't make it sound like some magical girl contract-beast situation!"
[Silver Wolf]: "As we all know, most contract beasts in magical girl stories are evil... but here, it seems the candidate is the bad one."