Honkai Impact 3rd: My Days as a Captain in Schicksal

Colorless Flame laughed. She released the crying girl but did not put away her floating cannons.

His fierce power was only effective against slaves who knelt on the ground, meekly hoping to get a bone from the old hyena. For her, this authority was nothing more than a fig leaf.

A layer, a fig leaf to cover up their atrocities of sucking blood from their own offspring.

Everything this family has is built upon the corpses of their offspring who became Valkyries. They traded those once-vibrant children for sumptuous meals, and once those children died, they stewed their corpses into a pot of meat for another hearty feast.

Now that her mother was dead, they were feasting on her flesh as if they hadn't seen meat in years, lying on the corpse.

It's disgusting, like a fly.

She suddenly remembered the poem about yabuki flowers that her mother had told her when she was little. At the time, she didn't understand what was so interesting about the Ota Irrigation System, but now she realized that the protagonist of the story her mother told was the girl who handed over the yabuki flowers.

The family was so poor that they couldn't even afford a straw raincoat. This doesn't refer to the girl in the story, but to the colorless family.

Because the current generation of the Colorless Clan consists mostly of men, she is the only one qualified to become a Valkyrie. Moreover, she was born with the sacred marks inherited from the Colorless Clan, so the entire clan is waiting for her to grow up.

The entire colorless family eagerly awaited her growth so that they could leech off her and suck her blood, just as they had done to her mother.

Leaving the Colorless Clan? It's pointless. Various impoverished demon-slaying families will still find their way here, using the Colorless Clan as a means to offer tribute to Heaven's Mandate. The Colorless Clan will still receive subsidies from Heaven's Mandate, generation after generation offering their children to Heaven's Mandate, feasting on the corpses of their own offspring. Heaven's investment in the Colorless Clan is a long-term investment, a larger ghoul clinging to this parasite.

And she... can only create more trouble for herself, leaving her with one less place to go when she occasionally has nowhere to go but doesn't want to stay at headquarters.

She was powerless to change any of this; the only thing she could change was herself.

Ironically, she couldn't even change herself.

Does exercising more and going out more really change things? No, that's just shifting your attention elsewhere to ignore the festering wound.

Colorless Radiant Fire strode up to the sect leader, raised the hand that should have been playing the zither and composing music, and with a sharp, piercing sound, slapped the sagging face without hesitation.

"Snapped--"

The sound was like the crisp crack of jade shattering on the ground, making everyone present's heart skip a beat.

The colorless radiant fire stared at the bright red handprint that had appeared on the sect leader's cheek and felt quite happy. This was a long-lost, even unfamiliar, kind of happiness.

The colorless radiant fire's hand returned along the same path, slapping the sect leader's other cheek with even greater speed.

The second slap left her feeling somewhat bored; the back of her hand felt oily, making her uncomfortable. Because of this thought, she paused slightly in front of the sect leader.

Seeing the sect leader's angry expression, Wuse Huihuo found it somewhat amusing.

He is the patriarch of the Colorless Clan. All the ancient clans in the Far East must pass through his hands and be connected to destiny. Every clan that desires to gain benefits by relying on its own mysterious and ancient bloodline must watch his expression and hope that he can slip something through his fingers to satisfy their hunger; or hope that he will nod and allow them to pay tribute to the devil.

The sect leader's eyes were like bloodshot ghostly pupils in the darkness, but he dared not retaliate. His neck stood straight, like an angry Vajra, and just as motionless.

Because he is the parasite, and the entire Colorless Clan is a parasite clinging to the back of the deceased Colorless Daughter. Perhaps they will later cling to the backs of new children, but at this moment, they all rely on the Colorless Radiance to maintain the dignity of this ancient family.

"Colorless Radiant Flame!" The sect leader sat upright on the ground and roared angrily, even the teacup on the table trembled slightly under his roar.

His face contorted, his withered and deeply furrowed features resembling a dried corpse crawling out of a coffin. Combined with his powerful roar, he appeared as terrifying as a ghost.

After considering for a moment, Wu Se Hui Huo slapped her a third time. She had lingered in front of the sect leader for a while, and it would seem foolish not to do something. However, her hand hurt a bit after the slap, so she simply stopped.

Moreover, despite the asymmetry, three sounds better than four, giving a sense of endlessness.

She picked up her phone, positioned it at the right angle, opened the camera, and unabashedly shone the flash on the sect leader's face. The red mark on the sect leader's face looked like a tattoo, almost dripping blood, so beautiful it reminded her of her mother's red marks.

“Remember, you are eating my food and drinking my water. If I want to take everything from here, you have no right to say no.”

She really wanted to say that, but then she felt it was pointless.

Home was indeed boring and disappointing, and she didn't want to stay there.

She originally thought that... after so long, going home would probably be very interesting, but reality always disappointed her.

Lifeless and gloomy, they devour corpses and bones, preferring to linger in this grave, clinging to life by eating their own offspring, numbing themselves with so-called righteousness, rather than facing the truth of their actions.

But what good is it? She can't change anything, even if the Colorless Clan disappears. Even if she's holding the floating cannons to their heads now, as soon as she leaves, they'll still devour her mother's pension, and that girl will still be weighed and priced according to her worth, and sent to her fate.

Just as the greatest effort a mother could make was to yell at her when she said she wanted to become a Valkyrie, the only thing she might have had any effect on was tearing the girl's clothes off and saying they were just temporary tattoos. If that girl had gone to Schicksal, maybe some White Family or Black Family would have appeared, sounding like they were just randomly sorted by color for the sake of management.

She can't change anything, because she too is a parasite that grew up in this morbid system, sucking the bones of the previous generation of the Colorless Woman.

She knew she wasn't righteous, and she knew her reputation would probably get even worse, but she didn't care. She had even less time than her mother; if even her mother only found her own color before she died, how long would it take for her, wasting her time here, to find her own?

She embraced that crimson glow, which was actually a colorless flame.

Life is like a summer flower, death like the blazing fire of autumn leaves.

This is just an ordinary Valentine's Day (Part 1)

"Um……"

"Um……"

"Um……"

Kiana and Keng Huo huddled together, studying what was in front of them, occasionally letting out thoughtful sounds.

"I think..." Kiana hesitated for a long time before finally coming up with an opening line, "Uh... what can it be used for?"

Keng Huo scratched his head: "I think it's quite useful. It can relax your mind, increase the fun in life, and even help you exercise."

"Then where should we put it?"

"living room?"

"Hmm... Won't it smell bad?"

"Don't worry." Keng Huo patted the creature's round body, stroking its fine fur, and said with great certainty, "It has a small appetite, only about an ounce per meal, and only four or five meals a day; it's also small, so don't worry about it growing too big, it'll only weigh about twenty pounds at most; it's omnivorous, it'll eat anything, the food you spill in your mouth is enough for one meal; and it's gentle and won't bite; and most importantly, it's very smart. I taught it to go to the toilet in a fixed place after I bought it, and if you want to train it to fetch a frisbee or something, it'll probably learn very quickly; it doesn't need to be bathed regularly, this species is very clean. If it gets dirty from playing outside, you can just wipe its mouth and nose with a damp towel, washing it too much will make its skin dry and itchy, and cause rashes..."

"Um...that..."

"...If you don't have a sweet tooth, it can be raised for at least fifteen years."

“I still feel like something’s wrong…” Kiana reached out and poked the pig’s nose. It wasn’t as hard as she had imagined; instead, it felt soft. “Why would we keep a pig as a pet?”

“It’s all the rage this year,” Keng Huo declared confidently. “Look at that straight little nose, those tiny ears, that super soft fur, and look at those perfectly arranged spots… They eat very little, they don’t bark like dogs, and they don’t break all the glass in the house like cats… Plus, they’re so cute and round, come and hum a couple of tunes for me.”

As Keng Huo spoke, he waved his hand in front of the pig. The pig lowered its head, sniffed at his palm, and silently turned its head away.

"If hamsters become popular next year, shall we get one?" Kiana's eyes seemed to light up with anticipation at the mention of this.

"After that cycle, we might have to open a zoo..."

Kiana gently shook Keng Huo's arm and said coquettishly, "How could that be... Not many~ By the way, does Shenzhou have a Year of the Dragon? You can raise any of the other eleven zodiac animals in Shenzhou, but what about the dragon..."

“That’s easy.” Keng Huo smiled mysteriously. “Have you ever heard of an axolotl?”

"Won't it grow really big? What if it can't even get out the door..." Now that Keng Huo had steered the conversation back on track, Kiana started worrying about the future. "What if it lies down in the living room and we have to walk over it..."

"No, no, it'll be about the size of a large dog at most," Keng Huo assured him confidently. "I've checked!"

"Then..." Kiana's eyes darted around, "Shall we go out for a walk with the pigs?"

Keng Huo slapped his thigh, having the same idea: "Alright! Then we... wait a bit? Shouldn't we first get the pigpen... or the litter box and food bowl ready, and then let it get used to the environment?"

"Huh?" Kiana couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She squatted down in front of the little pig with black and white spots that looked like a cow, and reached out to tease it. "Can't we do these things for it when we get back tonight?"

The little pig was clearly frightened, shrinking back in fear. It was obvious that Kiana's enormous size put a heavy psychological burden on it.

Of course, Kiana's hungry gaze was probably also a decisive factor.

“It’s not familiar with you yet, even if you drag it outside, it might not want to,” Keng Huo advised gently, stroking the piglet’s head to soothe it. “You should build a bond with it first, and take it out to play once it’s comfortable with you. Besides, it’s still young and its immune system isn’t very strong. It would be terrible if it got sick—oh right, it still needs its vaccinations. I’ll let you know when they’re ready, and I’ll come to your dorm to pick it up and take it to get vaccinated…”

"We need to establish a revolutionary friendship first..." Kiana turned her head thoughtfully, recalling how the little pig wasn't afraid of Keng Huo. "Hmm...you've already established one with it?"

Keng Huo's smile was very modest: "I bought it yesterday, and it sat in my dorm all night before I brought it to you today. I taught it how to use the toilet yesterday, so it's gotten a little used to it..."

"Oh...you two know each other?"

Keng Huo's expression suddenly became more varied, as if he didn't know how to answer: "I... although I can understand what you're saying, why does it feel so awkward?"

Kiana's lips curled into a mischievous smile: "Well, since you two are acquaintances, do you know its name?"

Keng Huo picked at his ear, feeling like he could dig half a pound of sand out of it: "We're not that close... we haven't even decided on a name yet, aren't we waiting for you to come up with one?"

"Emmm... naming it..." Kiana struggled with this, staring at the little pig cornered against the wall by the two of them, racking her brains. "Look, its fur is two colors, black spots and pink skin... it looks like a cow... but aren't cows supposed to be black and white..."

Kiana stretched out her hands and carefully slipped them under the armpits of the frightened pig, lifting it up.

The pig seemed to sense the threat from the predator, and immediately kicked its legs, thrashing about in mid-air while letting out a loud squeal. Kiana was so frightened that she instinctively lifted it away from her body.

"Clang... clang!" Kiana cried out in panic, "It... it can make a sound!"

Keng Huo couldn't understand Kiana's thought process at all: "...Then what do you think it's for having a mouth for?"

"Time to eat!"

Keng Huo covered his face in pain: "I'm sorry, I actually found what you said to be very reasonable and I couldn't refute it... Wait a minute! Almost all land animals with beaks can make noise! ​​Besides, do you think it's mute?"

“But shouldn’t pigs grunt?” Kiana tilted her head to the side, tilting her neck back as far as she could, and slowly brought the struggling piglet closer to her. Then she tossed the piglet into the air, turned it around so that its back was facing her, and quickly caught it, holding it tightly in her arms as if afraid it would run away. “Hey! Can’t you grunt? Grunt once for that big idiot to hear.”

"Hmph, ignorant..." Keng Huo realized he had fallen into Kiana's trap before he could finish his sentence, and in a fit of rage, he reached out his claws towards Kiana.

Instantly, screams and shouts filled the living room, accompanied by the sounds of limbs colliding and objects falling to the ground, interspersed with ambiguous laughter and Kiana's uncontrollable laughter as she was tickled. When the dust settled, Kiana was disheveled, her face filled with terror, leaning against the wall, drenched in a cold sweat.

Her braids were tied into a bow by Keng Huo.

"Piggy! Bite him!" Kiana, still shaken, touched her hair, then realized what had happened and threw the bewildered piglet she was holding, who was too scared to even breathe, at Keng Huo.

This is just an ordinary Valentine's Day (Part 2)

When Yae Sakura and Mei returned from grocery shopping, they found the house in a complete mess, and the culprit was nowhere to be found.

————————————————————————————————————

At that very moment, one of the culprits was walking the little pig in the garden, humming a tune softly, seemingly in a good mood: "Pig~ Your nose has two holes~ When you have a cold, you even have snot hanging from your nose~"

This was Kiana's carefully crafted training plan for the pig. She first tied the pig to the entrance of the garden, let it smell the potatoes she had prepared, then sneaked into the garden to bury the potatoes, and then led the pig to find the potatoes.

Kiana had heard that pigs have a sense of smell dozens of times more sensitive than dogs, and she also knew that European hunters raised pigs to find wild mushrooms. Her plan was that once she trained this little pig, she could lead it to the mountains behind the academy to search for rare ingredients…

However, the plan did not go smoothly from the start. The little pig did not seem to understand Kiana's good intentions. It hummed softly, circled around Kiana, and nudged her legs with its small, short nose. The rope that Kiana was holding was almost tied to her legs.

Kiana immediately deflated and picked up the pig. The pig seemed to be used to being picked up; this time it didn't squeal, but instead gently whimpered and shook its head. Kiana could even see a silly grin on its face.