Humans are in chaos, despicable outsiders.

"Ugh! I'm so angry!" Theresa angrily pulled out a stamp and stamped the two application forms, then immediately waved for people to leave.

"Here you go! Take this to the logistics department to collect your student uniform and teaching assistant's clothes. Oh, and as a confirmed A-rank Valkyrie, you can apply to headquarters for specially made armor and weapons, just like Himeko."

"You can even customize the appearance! Speaking of which, Himeko has a Valkyrie armor that looks like an evening gown, and she always wears it out to flirt with guys..."

"Cough cough cough!" Himeko coughed violently.

"Just send me the application yourself later. I'll approve it and forward it to the R&D department at headquarters. Now! This dean is angry! You two, get out of my sight immediately! Right now!" After giving her instructions, Theresa resumed her vengeful mode.

The two people in front of the dean exchanged a glance and wisely chose to leave through the door.

"Phew—they're finally gone...I can read my new Houmu comics now!" Theresa breathed a sigh of relief as she watched Himeko and Snow leave through the door, then excitedly opened the hidden compartment under her desk.

That was a comic book with a strange yellow doll-like rabbit on the cover.

"Houmu's Great Adventure Episode 114, a globally limited collector's edition! Yay!"

--

"Oh right...where am I staying next? Should I go back and ask Theresa?" Snow suddenly remembered something and asked Himeko Murata beside him.

"Well, the headmaster mentioned before that you'd be living with me. I don't know if you can handle the rest of the lively characters," Himeko said to Snow after thinking for a moment.

"A bunch of clowns? Kiana and the others, you know?"

"Yes, Kiana and the others," Himeko began to list the characteristics of several people in detail.

"Kiana, that girl, is the epitome of laziness and gluttony; she's the classic example of someone who won't get out of bed unless you yank the covers off her."

"Raiden Mei is a reassuring and good girl. She's taking care of the housework and preparing meals for everyone. But that girl... you know, she's the original body of the Third Herrscher."

"Bronya is a pretty easy-going child. Apart from often staying up all night playing video games, she doesn't have any flaws. It's just that her precociousness is a bit heartbreaking."

"And although this kid is usually easy to take care of, when he's with Kiana, it's... what's that Chinese idiom again?"

"...What a small world?"

"Yes, yes, yes, it's a small world!" Himeko nodded vigorously.

"Then there's Penglai Temple's Nine Heavens... Hmm, I don't know how to evaluate this kid. If there's still some traceable background to follow, that kid is truly shrouded in mystery."

"Aside from meals, he usually stays in his room and doesn't talk much. Occasionally, he plays online games with Bronya. He's actually pretty good at games; he's currently the only player in the family who can go toe-to-toe with Bronya."

"Moreover, she seems to have an exceptionally high level of knowledge and comprehension regarding the various aspects of the Honkai. Before they enrolled, I prepared a diagnostic test, and this child got almost all of them right, except for a few history-related questions."

"No, rather than saying this child has an exceptionally high capacity for learning, it's more like he already knew it all along..." Himeko thought back and seemed to realize something was amiss.

"You arrived too late and missed her sparring with Fu Hua. Her combat strength is not as weak as Kiana and the other two said. There aren't many people in the academy who can fight Fu Hua to a standstill, and most of them aren't even students anymore."

"You're saying Jiuxiao doesn't like to talk? Her strength doesn't match what it was in Changkong City? And her acceptance of Honkai knowledge is abnormally high?"

"Yes, if Bronya hadn't said she'd never seen her among the Anti-Entropy members, I would have doubted whether she was the Anti-Entropy executor. After all, there are quite a few executors known for their combat prowess."

As a transmigrator, his exceptionally high level of understanding and knowledge about the Honkai is understandable...

[But how about going toe-to-toe with Fu Hua? As an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, no matter how much he holds back, without the strength of an A-rank Valkyrie, it's impossible for him to fight her on equal terms.]

[Moreover, a man of few words, quiet yet exceptionally strong? This is completely different from the guy I had in mind before; he's more like...]

"...Nine Heavens from 'The Moth of Flame'?" Snow suddenly thought of something and asked Himeko beside him.

"Ji Zi, you said that Jiu Xiao and Fu Hua were evenly matched... I can tell that Fu Hua is a martial artist skilled in hand-to-hand combat... What about Jiu Xiao?"

"Jiuxiao... Hmm, judging from her movement habits, she should be proficient in dual-wielding melee weapons and greatswords. I can vouch for the greatsword part, after all, I'm an expert in that weapon, and I can still see some resemblance to her stances."

"But I'm not sure about dual-wielding. Perhaps you could ask Fu Hua? After all, she's the one who sparred with Jiu Xiao," Himeko shrugged.

"Hmm, I'll ask when I have the chance," the girl nodded and began to think again.

[Greatsword, dual-wielding melee weapons... or more likely dual-wielding long daggers... truly a fiery whiz from the heavens...]

No, we need to have a real conversation with her to know; it's pointless to jump to conclusions now.

"Hey! Hey! Snow, what are you thinking about?" Himeko waved her hand in front of the blonde girl, bringing her back to her senses.

"Ah, it's nothing, I was just thinking about my life from now on..."

"Tch, fine, don't tell me then. All this secrecy is fine. There aren't many bedrooms left in the house anyway, so you and Jiu Xiao can share a room! Two secretive guys, perfect pairing."

“Uh… I don’t care,” Snow shrugged.

"But what about Jiuxiao? Himeko, you haven't asked for her opinion yet..."

"This is my house! These brats dare to say anything!" Himeko waved her fist, fully demonstrating what it means to be in charge (lol).

"Alright, we're here. Mei should be preparing lunch by now. Because of Kiana's love of food, the family always prepares a lot of food, so there's more than enough for you."

"Uh...aren't you worried about food?"

"My dear, you must have faith in the strength of the Kaslana family..."

[Isn't there something off about the Kaslana family's strength?]

Chapter Fourteen: The Insects of Hidden Time

Pushing open the door to Himeko's private villa at St. Freya Academy, the aroma of food wafted out, along with Kiana's mournful cries of despair.

"I can not accept!"

"Kiana has now failed 98 times against Bronya. Friendly reminder: Bronya is about to achieve the '100-kill' milestone." Bronya simply watched the white fluffy ball of fur throw the controller aside and roll around on the sofa, displaying the [friendly] notification.

"I cannot accept this!"

"Again!"

"Bronya, her 99th perfect victory."

"Ahhh, again!"

"Bronya has achieved the '100-kill' feat with Kiana."

"I cannot accept this!!!"

"...Again!"

Bronya believes Kiana is no longer worth challenging as a weakling, so Bronya refuses the request. Bronya should go find Sister Jiuxiao later.

"...Mei! Bronya bullied me—!"

*snap*

The two people at the door simultaneously slapped their faces, looking utterly ashamed.

"Ah, it's Teacher Himeko and Sister Snow, good afternoon." Ignoring Kiana's wailing, Bronya noticed the commotion at the door and greeted the two.

Good afternoon, Bronya.

"Good afternoon... Kiana, if you keep rolling around on the floor, you'll be doing all the housework this week!" Himeko's veins bulged as she watched Kiana start rolling around on the floor trying to mop it.

"Sigh... is this a case of being bad at the game but having a huge addiction?" Snow sighed, looking at the carpet that Kiana had rolled over in, leaving a mess.

"It's you again, you golden-haired monster! If you've got the guts, come and fight me!"

"No—I prefer playing chess." The blonde girl once again ruthlessly rejected the white-fuzzy ball's challenge.

"Bronya thinks so... Is Sister Snow looking for Sister Jiuxiao?"

"Yes, but... how did you figure that out, Bronya?"

"Snow's attention hasn't been on the living room since she greeted Bronya, nor has she noticed Mei in the kitchen. So Bronya deduced that Snow was looking for Jiuxiao."

"Hmm~ Then, my clever and adorable little sister Bronya, can you tell me where Jiuxiao is?"

"After Sister Jiuxiao came back, she went upstairs to rest. Her room is the third one from the left on the third floor. Will Sister Snow also be staying here from now on?"

"Ah, right... and Himeko put me in Kujou's room. I'll go check on her first. See you later, Bronya." Waving goodbye to Bronya, Snow headed upstairs.

"See you later, Snow," Bronya waved and returned to the sofa, resuming her character's operation.

--

The villa was well soundproofed; when Snow went up to the third floor, the noise from the first floor seemed to be completely shut out.

"The third room from the left on the third floor..." My gaze followed the corridor; the door wasn't closed, and a faint light shone through the crack.

squeak--

Gently pushing open the door, I saw a purple-haired girl leaning against the sofa in the room, resting with her eyes closed, a faint smile on her face, as if she were reminiscing about something pleasant.

"Xilin..." The sound of the door opening didn't seem to disturb Jiuxiao's dream; his murmured words in his sleep could be clearly heard in the quiet room.

【really......】

"What is Sirin?" To be absolutely certain of his guess, Snow quietly leaned closer and whispered in the purple-haired girl's ear.

"Sirin is... Sirin is of course a cute magical girl, the savior's sidekick..." Seemingly tickled by Snow's whisper in his ear, Jiu Xiao frowned and continued muttering, as if drool was about to drip onto the floor.

"...Cough cough cough! Great Savior~" The violent coughing startled Jiuxiao from his rest.

"Ah??! Oh... it's you." Jiu Xiao scrambled to his feet, somewhat flustered, and looked at the girl in front of him.

“I think we should probably have a serious talk, Lord Jiuxiao of Penglai Temple.” Snow closed the door behind him and looked at Jiuxiao, who appeared to be on high alert.

"you......"

'I heard you talking in your sleep just now,' Snow said with a strange smile.

"Sirin is... Sirin is of course a cute magical girl, the savior's sidekick~" The girl imitated the purple-haired girl's tone, reproducing her previous dream murmurs.

"...You're not a transmigrator in the usual sense. In your world, there was a similar catastrophe called Honkai—an organization called Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, and a Second Herrscher named Sirin...right, Miss Houraiji Kushou?" Snow stared at the purple-haired girl in front of him.

"...Time is the horizon, gravity is desire, the future is the past, the past is damnation—" Without answering her question, the purple-haired girl softly hummed a song the blonde girl couldn't understand, and a black ring began to spin in her pupils.

"The dazzling starry sky that blankets the heavens, the World Tree with the celestial dome as its foundation, you hanging upside down on the tree—in every leaf, in every possibility, I have not seen your place—"

"Then, what kind of... sublime or erroneous being are you, little Snow?"

In the small room, the light was swallowed by the deep darkness in the purple-haired girl's hand. Time itself began to accelerate, the entire room began to age and decay, and dust began to accumulate on the floor. The authority and power from another dimension were now invisibly eroding the present world.

This is a warning to the young girl, a warning that the person before her is not as simple as she thinks, and that she should curb her pointless curiosity; it is a showdown with the person before her—if you believe you are qualified, then please step forward.

"If you keep speeding up, the house will collapse—" Golden buds climbed all over the room, the dark golden light blocking out the invisible power of time.

The room was filled with an eerie scene: one half of the wall was corroded by golden patterns, emitting a faint glow, while the other half was shrouded in complete darkness.

Then, pieces of gravel and cement fell onto their hair and noses.