"Well, look who's out?"
In an unremarkable house near ME Corp, a gray-haired woman clad in a black cloak and bodysuit opened the door for Gray Serpent.
"So? Did your dear partner give up on her suicide mission?"
"Raven, mind your words."
Gray Serpent didn't take offense at Raven's teasing—or perhaps, he was simply one of the more even-tempered among the Gray Serpents.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to warn Cocolia purely out of their cooperative relationship.
"From the moment I left ME Corp, Cocolia ceased to be our partner. We'll have to find another way to handle the Herrscher core ourselves."
"Oh?"
That piqued the interest of the previously drowsy Raven: "What, is Cocolia done for?"
"Her radical faction is finished. As for her personally... probably not. Even if those in Anti-Entropy know nothing about politics, they wouldn't let Cocolia die at this juncture."
Gray Serpent shook his head.
"I must say, I really admire Miss Cocolia's luck. According to our intel, Anti-Entropy and Schicksal couldn't have coordinated this, yet they both chose to make their move now—and just as our Miss Cocolia decided to go all-in."
"Against ordinary Honkai threats, those quantum-enhanced Titans might perform as well as a B-rank Valkyrie. But in a high-stakes game like this... even fifty of them bundled together wouldn't qualify for an entry ticket."
"So, her greatest use now is to serve as a cautionary tale, giving us a chance to observe..."
"Observe?"
Raven was taken aback, glancing curiously at Gray Serpent. When she noticed his silent, knowing smile, she immediately understood.
"That call with the Lord, right... Got it, I won't ask more."
"But Gray Serpent, while the Lord's mission is critical, don't forget our agreement. That condition I had for joining World Serpent—you remember, right?"
"Rest assured, Natasha..."
Gray Serpent suddenly switched to her real name. "The Serpent won't interfere with your actions. In fact, based on our recent investigations... what you intend to do might actually help World Serpent."
"Really? You're not just manipulating me?"
"Your tenure in World Serpent isn't long enough to warrant that."
Gray Serpent gave a faint smile. "Alright, let's get to work. Tonight, I need to verify the Lord's hypothesis—at the very least, confirm two things."
"Whether that girl Lynelle is still alive... and just who she really is."
--+--
Amid the fervent preparations of all three parties, the day swiftly passed. Lynelle, using gaming as an excuse, successfully made her way to Kiana's dorm.
"Gaming?"
Bronya tilted her head, then asked expressionlessly, "Does that mean you want to play games alone with Bronya?"
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Lynelle, who had been sipping a cold drink from the fridge, choked and burst into a fit of coughing.
She'd almost forgotten—this Bronya had memories of their "gaming sessions" from the first playthrough. Which meant...
"N-No, not today. I'm a bit tired, let's not play anything that intense..."
"Hmm..."
Bronya thought for a moment, then delivered her verdict decisively.
"Lynelle, you're such a scrub!"
"Who are you calling a scrub?!"
Damn this duck! One of these days, I'm telling Seele on you!
Lynelle fumed inwardly.
"Pfft..."
Mei, who had just brought over a fruit platter, couldn't help but laugh. "Lynelle, you're as popular as ever..."
"Would you like some fruit?"
"Uh, s-sure?"
Watching as Mei skewered a piece of watermelon with a bamboo stick and brought it to her lips, Lynelle felt her brain short-circuit.
Since when did we have feeding games?
But judging by Bronya's utterly nonchalant expression... Was this her everyday life?!
Heavens, if it's like this even without Kiana around, what would it be like if Kiana were here...
Lynelle didn't dare imagine it. She suddenly grew curious about what her daily life had been like after the main story ended in the first playthrough. From what Customer Service Kiana-chan had described... it didn't seem like she'd "provoked" only a few women.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before an uninvited guest interrupted their fun gaming session.
"Excuse me, students, sorry to bother you..."
A suspicious figure in a hooded outfit appeared at the dorm entrance.
"I'm the new secretary of Principal Theresa. She needs Raiden Mei to come with me to her office immediately—"
"Um..."
Lynelle awkwardly interrupted the replica. "Sorry, sir, but Theresa is upstairs right now..."
Bronya shot Lynelle a puzzled glance, then immediately caught on. "Does Bronya need to go call her down?"
"Impossible! According to Lady Cocolia's intel, Theresa should be at the training ground right now... Wait, are you tricking me?"
The slow-to-catch-on Welt Joyce finally realized.
"Cocolia? You're one of Mama's subordinates?!"
Before he could finish explaining, Bronya instantly raised her hand, and the figure of Project Bunny 19c materialized behind her.
"Project Bunny, open fire!"
A beam of Honkai energy erupted from Project Bunny's cannon. Yet, before the attack could reach its target, Bronya saw a faint purple shield materialize around Welt Joyce, blocking the strike.
"Tch, damn brat..."
Welt Joyce shot a venomous glare at Lynelle, who was hiding behind Mei and snickering.
"Whatever. Since the ambush failed, then..."
He snapped his fingers. "Titan squad, open fire at will!"
"There are Titans too?"
Bronya gasped. As a student at St. Freya, most cadets might not fully grasp the threat of Titans, but Bronya, having worked under Cocolia, knew better than to underestimate them.
Typically, a standard Titan's destructive power rivaled that of a B-rank Valkyrie, while a few elite, specialized Titans could even overpower B-rank Valkyries in combat.
"Project Bunny, scan for all Titan signals in the vicinity!"
"Scan complete. Current Titan count in the area: 15."
In less than a second, Project Bunny reported a number that filled Bronya with despair.
"Mei, Lynelle, you two go first!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Bronya shouted at them.
"Bronya was originally from Anti-Entropy—they won't harm her. So, hurry—"
"Hmph, trying to run?"
Watching the three struggle like trapped animals, Welt Joyce let out a contemptuous sneer.
"That pink-haired girl seems important to you, huh... Well, Lady Cocolia never ordered me to bring her back anyway, so..."
"Titan squad, focus fire on the pink-haired one! Kill her first—teach these two a lesson!"
"Oh no!"
Bronya whipped her head around. "Project Bunny, protect Lynelle—!"
Though Bronya reacted swiftly, the moment she gave the order, fifteen Titans phased into reality from their quantum state, all raising their cannons at once.
And then...
Fifteen beams of energy shot forth—all aimed directly at Welt Joyce, hovering in the air.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.