That's right, it was almost Raiden Mei's birthday.
Strange, right? Her birthday was clearly April 13th, and the Third Eruption was two months ago. By all accounts, it shouldn't be happening now.
The truth was, back when the Hyperion had first departed Nagazora, they were still a fledgling crew. Capable assistants like Cat Cakes hadn't been created yet.
As the only ones available, the four of them were swamped with work, running around like headless chickens.
Kiana spent her days hauling cargo and reactors taller than she was. Bronya's Project Bunny 19C often spewed smoke from being overworked. Fuli teleported back and forth between corridors, clutching various blueprints and materials, trying to patch up any issues.
And Mei—she always managed to wear her oil-stained uniform with the same crisp discipline as a kendo uniform. The way she used her tachi to shave the excess threads off a bolt was more elegant than a Michelin-star chef handling truffles.
Fuli clearly remembered that on her birthday, the girl had tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, the blue light of the plasma welder making her violet pupils flicker.
"Instead of a romantic surprise that overloads the reactor, I'd rather have everyone eat a hot meal on time tonight."
As she spoke, she casually flicked out a bolt of lightning to stabilize a teetering parts rack in the distance. When she turned, the arc of her billowing sleeve was just like a swan spreading its wings to take flight.
But she couldn't just sacrifice her own happiness like that, and Fuli certainly couldn't stand by and do nothing.
Fortunately, as members of the Chinese cultural sphere, they used not only the Gregorian calendar but also the lunar calendar.
If they were too busy to celebrate her Gregorian birthday, they could just make it up to her on the lunar April 13th.
Of course, all of this was being kept secret from Mei herself.
They had promised to give her a surprise. What would be the fun in spoiling it?
"I see..."
"So, Bianka, are you coming? It'll be a lot more fun with everyone there!"
Fuli looked up expectantly, the ends of his slightly-too-long hair brushing against the gold-trimmed, fleur-de-lis pattern on the girl's pauldron.
"Unfortunately," Bianka shrugged, "Fu Hua and I have a mission around that time."
She had previously told Theresa that she and Fu Hua had met on a mission together.
This was clearly a lie, so she had to make it true after the fact.
In reality, it didn't really matter whether she followed through or not. If worst came to worst, she could just say it was a private mission assigned by the Overseer.
Even if Theresa asked Otto about it later, that unscrupulous man would undoubtedly help cover for them.
However, both Bianka and Fu Hua were exceptionally serious people. Since they said they had teamed up, they had to actually team up at least once.
"Cousin Hua is going too?"
Fuli's face fell a little. "I was hoping to invite her as well. What a shame..."
"Indeed. It's a shame I won't be able to annoy Raiden Mei."
Just imagining the dark look on Mei's face when she showed up at her birthday party made Bianka sigh with regret.
She had taken a thorough dislike to that magnetic-field-flipping witch. The next chance she got, she was going to pin her to the deck of the Hyperion with her spear!
Golden sunlight streamed through the ornate portholes of the bridge, weaving a flowing honey color into the girl's swaying blonde hair.
Sandwiched between the two, Fuli scratched his head. "Is your relationship really that bad? I don't think Mei's ever done anything to offend you, has she?"
"We just don't get along," the knight princess said with a wave of her hand. "See, I get along just fine with Kiana."
This was the instinct of a top predator.
Even though Kiana still spent her days wandering the Hyperion in an oversized boyfriend shirt and a miniskirt, Bianka didn't consider her a threat in the slightest.
Raiden Mei was different. The moment Mei got an opportunity, she would swallow the innocent and kind Little Li whole, leaving no crumbs behind!
[Speaking of which, Host, I've always been curious about something.]
Prometheus, who was floating nearby, chimed in with a question. [You and your cousin Fu Hua are on good terms, right? Since you knew from the previous timeline that she has the Garuda Gene you need, why haven't you gone to see her in the past two months?]
The little AI was very much looking forward to meeting her old friend, Hua. It was a perfect opportunity to get another perspective on the development of the current civilization.
Even if some of her memories had been erased or burned by the accursed first rated power of the Fenghuang Down, the remaining parts would still be a valuable reference for the two AIs on the moon.
At this question, a rare blush crept onto Fuli's face.
He stammered anxiously, [W-well, I was afraid of disturbing Cousin Hua's training! Besides, we're not that familiar with each other yet. It would be rude to just show up and ask for help!]
When this excuse stumbled out of Fuli's mouth, Prometheus's processing core nearly overloaded.
But then she saw the boy unconsciously wringing the hem of his shirt, the tips of his jade-like ears tinged with red, and his crimson eyes, usually full of starlight, darting around nervously.
This look of a boy experiencing his first crush was a world away from the hot-blooded maniac who had first slain a Herrscher and then annihilated a god!
The little AI instantly understood.
[Damn! You have a sister complex!]
[What do you mean, a sister complex?! I just have a lot of respect for Cousin Hua, that's all!]
This was the self-proclaimed #1 Fu Hua Fanboy in the world talking.
If Bianka weren't there, Fuli would have thrown his hands in the air and shouted:
My cousin is the strongest in the world!
[Host...]
The little AI's mouth twitched as she was about to say something more, but Dr. MEI appeared and patted her on the shoulder.
After the end of the Third Eruption in the previous timeline, Fuli, having been sent back to Shenzhou, was desperate to enter the world of the Honkai.
He searched for over half a year but still couldn't find a way to gain abilities.
It was then, for reasons unknown, that Fu Hua appeared before her little cousin, whose heart was beginning to fill with despair.
As his guide, she not only taught him the peerless technique "Peerless Nine Turns," which was derived from the Edge of Taixuan, but she also took her little follower on a journey across the lands of Shenzhou and various dimensional fragments, greatly broadening his horizons and knowledge.
Given the circumstances, it would be weirder if Fuli didn't worship her from the bottom of his heart.
She had practically given him a new life.
Not to mention, Fu Hua's own looks and demeanor were top-tier!
To a fledgling young boy, the peerless grace of Azure Empyrea, who had traversed five thousand years of history, was more than just a critical hit; it was a one-shot kill!
Understanding this, Prometheus rolled her eyes. To think that the dull, simple-minded Hua she remembered now had her own little fanboy—and that fanboy was her own Host. She inexplicably felt like she'd been one-upped.
[Such is the charm of time.]
Dr. MEI sighed, then changed the subject. [By the way, the Hua of this timeline probably has no idea that she's being madly worshipped by a little cousin she's only met once, right?]
Prometheus's mouth twitched. [I can already picture the scene when they formally meet.]
...
With the Honorary Councilor issue settled, Ana was once again at loose ends.
Business was business, and personal was personal. Even if he couldn't recruit the future Herrscher of Ice, Fuli wasn't about to just leave her hanging.
"Stay for dinner," he said. "I see you came on Bianka's jet. She's not leaving, and with your current strength, you can't leave on your own."
"O-okay..."
Lies don't hurt; the truth is a sharp knife.
Ana's expression didn't change, but she was already pouting internally.
What does he mean, 'with my current strength'?! B-rank Valkyries are strong too!
Dammit, I can kill an African elephant with one punch!
"Taixuan front Command just released an update. They've detected a pod of White Devourer Whales, originally from Fragment 1145, in this airspace. They seem to be roaming and hunting."
Fuli threatened her casually. "Bianka would be fine, but you, Ana, better not do anything rash. Otherwise, you might spend the rest of your life as a motionless statue."
The schariac girl, who had been sulking just a moment ago, immediately piped down, shaking her little head like a rattle. "I-I-I! I won't do anything rash!"
White Devourer Whales were a special species that roamed certain world bubbles in the Sea of Quanta. Adults could grow up to 40 meters long, with some exceptional individuals reaching over 60 meters. They looked like giant flying whales covered in hard, white bristles.
They moved with a graceful, leisurely air, usually in pods, and at first glance, they seemed almost divine. In reality, they were extremely cruel and bloodthirsty.
Nearby factions would occasionally organize small forces to hunt them, but since the pod's nest was located in a dimensional fragment, if they retreated in time, there was nothing anyone could do about them in that dark zone, hidden from satellite surveillance.
Seeing that Ana had been thoroughly cowed, Fuli contacted Bronya through the comms.
After asking his little sister, who had just returned, to entertain their guest, he mysteriously took Bianka's hand and led her away from the bridge.
As their figures disappeared behind the door, Bronya turned her head.
"You've been excluded."
Her little mouth opened, and she began to gloat.
Th-this is the Hyperion's hospitality?!
Ana was dumbfounded.
In the corridor, a confused Bianka was being led by Fuli. "Where are we going?"
She wasn't worried that Fuli would take her to some dark room and do unspeakable things to her.
One, he didn't have the ability.
Two, she did.
The boy walking in front of her was practically skipping. "Don't worry, we're almost there!"
"Then I'll look forward to it."
Seeing his proud expression, Bianka couldn't help but smile, squeezing his hand and lacing their fingers together.
Soon, the two of them, hand in hand, arrived at Mount Taixuan, the training room.
The moment they pushed the door open, the pure energy in the air was so thick it felt like it could liquefy, and Bianka took a deep breath.
Looking around, she saw that Mount Taixuan, which had been little more than a small hill, now stood over a hundred meters tall. The peak was shrouded in clouds and mist, sometimes as calm as a mirror, sometimes roiling like a stormy sea, adding to its mysterious atmosphere.
The mountain path was lined with strangely shaped rocks. Diluted water from the Fuli Well flowed down from a gap at the summit, forming a waterfall that cascated down like the Milky Way, crashing against the rocks below and sending up countless crystalline droplets.
"This is called the Fuli Well! It's the Hyperion's new power source."
Fuli let go of the girl's hand and put his own on his hips. "I got it! Hehe, pretty cool, right?"
"Amazing..." Bianka murmured. "And this environment... it's the perfect training ground!"
Only now did she understand why the usually generous Fuli had been so secretive with Ana this time.
If outsiders knew about a super-large energy containment device like the Fuli Well, the Hyperion would undoubtedly become a target for many desperate people.
It wasn't that the world was short on desperados; it was that the Fuli Well was so valuable that even an S-rank Valkyrie would be tempted to take action.
[But Little Li still brought me here without a hint of hesitation or secrecy.]
At that thought, Bianka's heart felt as sweet as if she'd eaten candy.
But after the initial sweetness came the doubt of a powerful warrior.
How can this much energy be contained without leaking a single drop?
"That's because from the moment you and Miss Ana entered the Hyperion, I cleared the energy from your immediate surroundings, making that area no different from the outside," a clear, enchanting voice said from above. "Normally, the interior of the Hyperion is a bit more abundant. A better environment is more conducive to the physical and mental health of my little brother and the others, you know."
Fuli looked up, his head clipping right through two large objects, his vision completely blocked.
"I clipped through the model," he said with great regret.
"It's not like I don't have a suitable body. If I wanted to, I could condense a physical form made of energy anytime, anywhere on the Hyperion."
Kallen, dressed in casual clothes, gave a half-smile. "What, does my not-so-proper little brother want a taste?"
The corners of her mouth were slightly upturned, making her look like a lady from ancient times, but a closer look at her eyes revealed a mischievous glint.
Fuli frantically shook his head. "No, no, no, thanks!"
Although Virtual Otto's feelings for Kallen were one-sided, so she wasn't technically his brother's wife, he couldn't just be so familiar with her after only a few days!
"Hmph."
Just as Mei said. He's always cracking lewd jokes, but the moment things get serious, he chickens out.
What's that? A chaste little brat?
How cute.
The nun, corrupted by modern trash culture, smiled, her eyes curving into crescents.
Bianka asked, hesitant and wary, "Little Li, who is this?"
Her clear, beautiful eyes were filled with vibrant color, and her features held a lazy air, as vast and mysterious as the depths of a fantastical universe, as bright as a galaxy of stars.
Slender fingers, flawless white skin, and soft white hair cascading down her shoulders—there wasn't a single flaw to be found on her, as if she were a masterpiece of nature.
For as long as she could remember, Bianka had never seen a girl so beautiful.
"My name is Kallen Kaslana. Not the one you're thinking of, but an artificial intelligence created in her image," Kallen introduced herself gracefully.
Bianka's thoughts spun, and she instantly understood Kallen's identity.
Different individuals with the same name?
For some reason, an image of Kiana flashed in her mind.
The girl's head began to throb.
"What's wrong? Energy sickness?"
Fuli, who had been watching her, rushed over to check on her.
"Ah, it's nothing."
Bianka shook her head and gave him a smile. "Did you bring me here to train together until dinner?"
"You can't go three sentences without mentioning training. As expected of Schicksal's number one training fanatic."
Fuli quipped first, then nodded. "Something like that. You came all the way from the Mediterranean. I can't just let you go back to Schicksal empty-handed."
"Leaving empty-handed would be due to a lack of strength," Bianka said. "Don't forget, if the Hyperion had lost that last match, I would have dragged you back to Schicksal."
"Wait, wait!" Fuli, realizing something was wrong, quickly interrupted. "Didn't we already make peace with the Senate? Why am I still wanted?"
"I've already put the word out. Fuli is the prey of Durandal and the Immortal Blades," Bianka said with her arms crossed, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "A person must be true to their word."
Fuli was on the verge of tears. "You're kidding, right? Look how much I've been sucking up to you. Can't you show some mercy and spare my life?"
He didn't want to meet that super troublesome maid!
The knight princess shook her head. "Not a chance. The rumors about us have almost reached Anti-Entropy."
Not only will I not spare him, but I'll hold on even tighter, she thought seriously.
Fuli's cheeks puffed out. "Then I'm not letting you train here!"
"Fine. See you in a week."
Bianka stood up and made a show of walking toward the exit.
Her arm was immediately grabbed from behind by the boy. "Can't you take a joke?!"
He then turned and stormed off to Kallen's side in a huff.
"Hehe~"
Watching the foolish Little Li, who was talking to Kallen but kept stealing glances at her, afraid she would run off again, Bianka let out a dark little chuckle.
She was beginning to understand why Rita always liked to tease her and the others.
This feeling was truly addictive.
...