The morning's academic classes passed quickly. After the initial excitement, everyone's enthusiasm for Ming Yu and the others had cooled down. While still friendly, they were no longer overly so.
Ming Yu had also figured out his current position. Although he had Honkai Energy resistance different from other men, it wasn't enough to attract the attention of the two major players. After all, in terms of strength, he was only C-rank and couldn't influence anything. In their plans, A-ranks were nothing more than cannon fodder; only S-ranks would be taken seriously. Although the game had started, it was still two or three years away from its climax. What Ming Yu had to do was to gain enough power to change the outcome within this time!
Having emerged from his fear and confusion, Ming Yu's gaze became determined again. Seeing this change in him, Mei felt puzzled but was also happy for him. Even though she didn't know what had happened to Ming Yu, from the night in Nagazora when he had turned to block that blow for her, she had considered him a comrade. Seeing him back to normal, Mei felt a genuine sense of relief.
Immersed in his thoughts, Ming Yu had no idea that his expression had been noticed by another girl, because he was currently facing a very important problem: what to eat for lunch today.
Since Kiana, Bronya, and Ming Yu didn't have the habit of packing a bento, Mei hadn't prepared one either. So, lunch was to be had at the St. Freya cafeteria.
Upon entering the cafeteria, Ming Yu once again felt that this was a place for training Valkyries. A dazzling array of various meats came into view, making his eyes swim. Just the beef alone had more than a dozen different preparations. Should he say that Valkyrie training is physically demanding, so everyone prefers meat?
Fortunately, the monthly allowance provided by St. Freya was ample, and the cafeteria prices were not expensive, so Ming Yu didn't have to scrimp and save. After choosing his food, he began to feast. While marveling at the deliciousness of the St. Freya cafeteria food, Ming Yu couldn't help but feel a little regretful. Perhaps due to the academy's style, the food in the cafeteria was predominantly Western-style dishes. This was somewhat difficult for Ming Yu, who was used to Chinese cuisine, to adapt to. Maybe this was why Mei often cooked for herself?
He looked at the serene girl eating slowly and deliberately beside him. Due to her upbringing, Mei could use a knife and fork very skillfully. The food was lightly separated under the utensils, then brought to the girl's delicate mouth, and finally chewed silently. The whole sequence of movements was swift yet elegant, like a dance. Ming Yu found himself a bit dazed watching the series of movements.
"Hey, what are you looking at, you stupid Ming Yu!" Kiana grumbled, grinding her teeth.
Bronya and Mei stopped what they were doing and looked at Ming Yu. Caught in the act, Ming Yu's face flushed red, and he stammered, "Uh, Mei's movements were so elegant, I... uh... I..."
"Eh?" Mei couldn't help but blush as well.
Bronya also studied Mei and tilted her head. "Mei-neechan does look very pretty when she eats."
Kiana glanced at the blushing Mei, her own heart fluttering, and shouted at Ming Yu, "That's still not allowed!"
"Yes, yes, it's my fault," Ming Yu admitted frankly. "I'm sorry, Mei."
"It's okay," Mei said softly, her face still red.
To change the subject, Ming Yu looked at the food on the table and said casually, "I'm still not quite used to the cafeteria food. Maybe it's a regional thing. Mei's cooking is still the best. I wish I could eat food cooked by Mei every day."
Mei's face grew even redder. Her gaze darted left and right as she whispered, "Really?"
Kiana immediately looked at Mei and said, "Yes, yes, Mei's cooking is the best! I want to eat Mei's cooking every day too!"
Bronya chimed in, "Mei-neechan's cooking is really good. Bronya likes it very much too."
Mei looked at the three of them, and with a blush on her face, she said firmly, "Then I'll cook for you all every day from now on. You're not allowed to get tired of it, okay!"
"Okay," the three replied in unison.
Looking at their joyful faces, a feeling called warmth surged through Mei's heart, even diluting her fear of the future. It felt as if her body was filled with even more strength. Since her father's imprisonment, everyone had started to distance themselves from her. After becoming a Herrscher, everyone died because of her. She once thought she would spend the rest of her life in slaughter until the moment of her death. But now, it seemed she had a goal again, a direction to strive for.
This feeling was so good.
After lunch, the four of them returned to the classroom to rest. The lunch and rest period totaled an hour and a half, a time they could use freely to relax.
Ming Yu planned to use this time to cram knowledge. In this world, under the protection of organizations like Schicksal, ordinary people basically had no chance to know about the Honkai. This was to avoid causing panic, as the Honkai was like the end of the world, and humanity did not yet have the certainty of victory. Letting the majority of people live in a false peace was perhaps not a bad thing.
Only those with a certain amount of power had the chance to come into contact with the real world. Among the four of them, the three girls had known about the Honkai from a very early age and had a clear understanding of it. But Ming Yu, apart from knowing some secrets, was basically no different from an ordinary person in this world, so his knowledge was very limited. Many things that were common sense to others were unknown to him. Catching up on his deficiencies was a very important part of his plan.
When he returned to the classroom, a figure was already there, reading a book seriously. The yellow sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the desk and covering half of the book's pages. The girl's slender, jade-like fingers gently held the corner of a page, appearing somewhat transparent and thin in the sunlight. Her face wore its usual serious expression, and her focused look gave off a hint of coldness, somewhat out of sync with the hustle and bustle outside.
Walking up to the girl's desk, Ming Yu feigned some surprise and asked, "Fu Hua, you're studying so diligently?"
Fu Hua looked up at Ming Yu and said, "The sea of learning has no shore."
"Hm? Fu Hua, you're from Shenzhou too, right? You seem to know a lot about traditional culture," Ming Yu said, looking at her.
"It's just a personal hobby. Are you getting used to things here, Ming Yu?" Fu Hua asked, closing her book.
"Yes, everything at St. Freya is great," Ming Yu replied with a nod. Before she revealed her true colors, Fu Hua was very trustworthy. One could say that if he befriended her, she would assist him as long as it didn't affect the bigger picture, which was quite valuable. Moreover, Fu Hua was a character he really liked, and now that she was right in front of him, it was hard for Ming Yu not to feel a desire to get closer.
After a bit more casual chat, Ming Yu returned to his own seat.