Otto crouched in a densely-leafed tree, the foliage concealing his form.
From his perch, he had a clear view of the girls' dormitory of the nearby academy.
He had the distinct air of a peeping tom casing the joint.
That was where Fu Hua was staying.
The reason he was hiding was, of course, the fear of being discovered while staring like a thief at a girls' dorm.
Fortunately, the man was quite experienced in these matters and had never been caught.
Otherwise, security might have already called the police.
Dong… dong…
As the morning bell echoed across the campus, girls began to stream out of the dormitory, yawning.
Though the school year had started less than a week ago, they had already formed cliques, walking in groups of three to five or in pairs, creating a long, flowing river of people on the stone-paved paths.
And amidst this crowd, a solitary figure walked alone, looking completely out of place.
Just as her father had worried, Fu Hua hadn't made any friends at her new school.
Otto took it all in from his hiding spot.
He watched her arrive on campus, watched her clumsy attempts to fit into her new environment, and watched as she remained unaccepted, an outsider.
Fu Hua could only drift along the edges of these small groups, utterly alone.
During his days in Sapphire, Otto had remained in the shadows, watching over her. Since he had already confirmed that he couldn't save anyone else in this illusion, his focus was now entirely on Fu Hua.
He hadn't revealed himself to her directly, as that would be difficult to explain.
And looking at the lonely Fu Hua, Otto had no intention of swooping in to take advantage of her vulnerability. It wasn't the right time.
What Fu Hua needed right now wasn't a man, but a friend who could welcome her into a new circle.
Otto couldn't play that role. He couldn't accompany her through her fleeting school life.
Because…
This was an all-girls school.
But Otto knew that this friend would be arriving very soon.
When that girl who looked so much like Carole finally brought Fu Hua into a life of happiness, and after that period—arguably the happiest days of Fu Hua's entire life—came to an end, what awaited her was despair.
Only after one has tasted true happiness does the despair that shatters it become truly suffocating.
That would be the right time for Otto to appear before her.
---o---
Today, Otto was once again hidden, spying on Fu Hua. He noticed, however, that she seemed distracted in class.
She looked just like a student desperate for the final bell to ring.
Otto was curious. For someone like Fu Hua, who had no friends, class should have been her favorite time. Yet now, she seemed to be thinking about something else entirely.
Could she be thinking about her Big Brother Otto, who was so far away?
Otto chuckled.
Impossible.
Could she have fallen for one of the male teachers?
The absurd thought crossed his mind, but he quickly shook his head.
Fu Hua and romance were fated to be strangers. If it weren't for him, she would likely have remained single her entire life.
But whether from the perspective of a man or the Overseer of Schicksal, Otto had no intention of ever letting Fu Hua go.
He sat in the tree, quietly waiting for school to end. When the final bell rang, Fu Hua shot up from her seat and walked out with a brisk pace. With Otto tailing her, she surprisingly left the school grounds entirely.
Isn't her daily routine a monotonous line between the dorm, the cafeteria, and the classroom?
Otto then watched as Fu Hua headed into the city and ducked into a noodle shop.
Oh?
Otto raised an eyebrow. He didn't enter the shop, instead looking up at its sign.
He remembered now. During her meals in the school cafeteria, Fu Hua's portions were much smaller than they had been back home.
Was she worried that her appetite, far larger than her peers', would draw strange looks?
So she was deliberately suppressing her hunger, leaving her unsatisfied, and now she had to sneak out for an extra meal.
She was trying, in her own way, to fit in.
Otto suddenly felt that Fu Hua was a bit like Kiana.
Both of them were so clumsy.
With that thought, Otto wandered into a bookstore, casually picking a volume from a shelf to flip through, though his attention remained fixed on the noodle shop's entrance.
However, as he glanced at the children's picture book in his hands, his brow furrowed slightly.
The illusion was constructed from Fu Hua's cognition. The only books with actual text were ones she had read. Many books that she was unlikely to have ever picked up were blank inside, containing nothing but a cover.
This was a detail that only an outsider like Otto could notice.
But most of the children's picture books and fairy tales had both pictures and words.
Fu Hua didn't seem like the type to read such things.
This meant this part of the illusion was a product of someone else's cognition.
"Herrscher of Corruption."
Otto whispered the name. The Herrscher of Corruption was a girl from Fu Hua's era, likely younger, being Yae Sakura's little sister.
And these picture books contained content from her memories.
Could the reason the Herrscher had trapped Fu Hua in this illusion be that she recognized her?
Otto didn't know. He looked up at the azure sky and spoke a name.
"Rin."
That was the Herrscher of Corruption's human name. She was the younger sister of Rin, one of the Previous Era's Thirteen Flame-Chasers.
It was she who, upon becoming a Herrscher, caused her own sister's death.
In that final battle that extinguished humanity's last hope, the Herrscher of Corruption destroyed mankind's last city. Only at the moment of her sister's death did Dr. MEI seize the opportunity to seal her within the Black Box.
He called out Rin's name, but the sky remained a placid blue, unchanged.
He didn't try again. The Herrscher was surely watching him from the shadows—this man she could do nothing about. She couldn't comprehend this man who was immune to her corruption.
She couldn't figure Otto out.
Putting those thoughts aside, Otto set the book down. He saw Fu Hua emerge from the noodle shop with a satisfied look on her face. This was probably the first full meal she'd had since starting school.
Otto resumed his tailing. Fu Hua remained completely oblivious to his presence.
Watching her path, Otto saw that she was heading back to the school. It seemed the good girl really had just stepped out for a proper meal.
But then, Otto turned his head, a puzzled expression on his face.
A moment later, Fu Hua also turned her head.
They had both heard a faint cry for help.
It was the cry of a young girl.
Without hesitation, Fu Hua bolted in the direction of the sound.
Otto watched her righteous back as she ran off to help, but he didn't follow. This was likely the fated encounter between Fu Hua and her first friend in Sapphire.
A cheerful, energetic girl would be attacked by a few Deadwalkers, and Fu Hua would appear like a knight in shining armor to rescue her and help her escape.
That was what was supposed to happen next.
Although the still-mortal Celestial couldn't defeat several Deadwalkers, escaping with someone in tow would be easy enough.
Just a few measly Deadwalkers…
Otto suddenly frowned.
He could feel the ground vibrating.
It felt as if a colossal beast was striding across the earth.
He looked toward the direction of the cries and saw a massive white silhouette.
Was that… a Chariot-class Honkai Beast?
A white, silicon-based carapace, interwoven with crimson muscle, with thick forelimbs like celestial pillars. A Chariot-class Honkai Beast, as large as an entire building, appeared in Otto's field of vision.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
It bellowed, and a shockwave ripped through the air. The ground cracked, nearby buildings collapsed with a deafening crash, and the screams of humans filled the air.
The Chariot-class Honkai Beast was announcing its presence to the world, and the terrified cries of humanity were its anthem.
Otto froze.
In the original history… wasn't it supposed to be just a few Deadwalkers? Why was there a Chariot-class Honkai Beast?
Could it be… Fu Hua checked the "Very Easy" box on the difficulty survey?
Hey! You can't just fill those things out randomly!