Honkai Impact 3rd: The Girl Who Chases the Flame

………………

A wildly imaginative idea:

Kevin: I think with my strength, I can still go toe-to-toe with this Herrscher.

Me: No, you're going to get a beating.

Kevin: Why?

Me: Because you're always asking riddles and acting cool.

Kevin: ...

Me: This guy is so cool, it would be so satisfying to beat him up. (∩???∩)

Chapter Fifty-Six: Blanca and the Song of the Scars (Part 1)

Today is also a rainy day.

Blanca stood looking up at the gloomy sky, as if the rainy season had finally arrived, with the weather like this for several days in a row.

For Blanca, the weather alone was the worst thing ever.

Because her current mood is colder and more piercing than the plum rain season, coupled with this rainy day, where in this world is there such torture?

She was a student at Themis University, but this city, which lacked the earthy and flowery atmosphere of her hometown, didn't suit her at all.

Ultimately, for a country girl like her, this modern metropolis was far too sophisticated...

Blanca chewed on a sandwich she bought from the convenience store and casually tossed the coffee can in the distance into a trash can.

But Blanca realized what was happening as soon as she threw the coffee can—

"Ah... I lost it."

Blanca hadn't fully gotten used to the strict garbage sorting system in big cities.

"Clap."

Blanca stared in astonishment at the high school boy who had been sheltering from the rain beside her, her hand firmly gripping the coffee can.

At that moment, he also looked over—

"Seriously, do high school students these days even get garbage sorting wrong? That's common sense."

The boy said helplessly, putting the coffee can into another type of trash can.

"No, that..."

Blanca wanted to say she was a college student, but suddenly blushed and coughed twice.

"Sorry, I lost it by mistake. Thank you."

Now that things have come to this, wouldn't it be even more embarrassing to explain that I'm a college student?

"Oh, I'm sorry, are you a college student? I was a bit rude to speak to an older person."

However, things didn't go as planned, and the boy discovered Blanca's identity the next second.

"Eh?"

"That's what you're wearing around your neck, isn't it? The emblem of Themis University."

The boy scratched his head and pointed to Blanca's chest.

"Ah... I'm sorry, even though I'm a college student, I still got the garbage sorting wrong. I'm so sorry."

Instantly, Blanca's entire demeanor turned gloomy.

What's more, being lectured by a high school student was a complete loss of face.

"Don't worry about it, I was just being too harsh."

The boy scratched his head.

"If you're a college student, you're probably not from the local area, right? Then I have no right to blame you."

"...I see."

Blanca muttered something.

"There are good people in big cities too."

"What a prejudiced statement..."

The boy was speechless.

Is Themis University really that bad?

"kindness?"

Blanca was somewhat stunned.

"Isn't a university just a gathering place for a group of self-important young people who have no real ability but always think they are superior to others, who divide themselves into groups based on all sorts of prejudices, and who hurt each other with meaningless vanity and a competitive spirit?"

"What? That scathing review that goes against common sense, and that definition that's so precise it's almost excessive, all in a flash!"

The boy was getting a little frantic.

Are you some antisocial liberal arts girl from somewhere?

"No, I'm definitely an engineering student."

Blanca shook her head, her eyes darkening further.

“At school, I was ostracized because of my background. I was forced to listen to people laughing at me when I introduced myself. They laughed at my accent because it sounded like dirt. Every day, I was forced to do all sorts of thankless and arduous tasks…”

There's also this troublesome senior who needs my help with everything, all she does is eat instant noodles and drink coffee all day, that awful demon... Möbius..."

"Just how miserable was your college life? I thought students like this only existed in novels! And you, you even gave away your name, the name of that scumbag senior."

The boy felt like he'd heard the name "Mebius" somewhere before, but he didn't think about it too much.

"what……"

After endless complaining, Blanca suddenly blushed and quickly bowed in apology.

"I'm so sorry, we're not even that close, but I forced you to listen to my complaints."

"Don't mind me, I was just waiting for someone, and it's a good way to kill time."

The boy scratched his head.

"By the way, what's your name? Um... let me make this clear beforehand, I'm not trying to pick you up."

"A woman like me, who has neither a good figure nor a pretty face, would never have anyone come up to chat me up, no matter what."

Blanca said with a wry smile,

"My name is Blanca. I'm a freshman at Themis University."

"I am Hen."

Hen scratched his cheek.

"A senior high school student from a nearby high school. You really underestimate yourself."

"Senior year of high school... So you're taking the entrance exam for Themis University this year?"

"Don't make getting into the world's number one university sound as casual as going out to buy groceries..."

Hen was speechless; he realized that the person in front of him had a pitifully low level of common sense.

"I'm not going to take the college entrance exam."

"Eh? Um, I feel a bit apologetic..."

"You?! You just now, you definitely thought I was an idiot, didn't you?!"

It was all too easy to understand what this person was thinking; Hen's lips twitched.

"Well... I guess I'll join the army? Hmm... does that count as joining the army?"

"Eh? Joining the army...?"

This choice was truly surprising, and in Blanca's eyes, the handsome young man in front of her did not fit the image of a soldier.

"Surprised? After all, going to university is common sense these days."

Hen shrugged.

"Then why are you unwilling? Judging from your tone, it's not that you can't pass the exam, is it?"

"...I have all sorts of situations too."

Hen looked up, and Blanca suddenly noticed a very faint, subtle... hint on the boy's youthful face.

pain.

It's not physical, but an indelible mark of memory etched into a person.

"Hey, Blanca."

While the two were looking at each other in silence, a woman with green hair wearing a white coat yawned and waved in their direction.

"Senior Mebius?"

Blanca was stunned.

"Hey, here you go."

Mebius casually tossed aside what he was holding, and Blanca quickly caught it, discovering it was an umbrella with a snake pattern on it.

"Huh? Um... did you come to bring me an umbrella, senior?"

how to say……

It's a strange feeling.

"The rain seems unlikely to stop until tonight, I can't leave you out alone..."

Mebius was halfway through his sentence when he suddenly tilted his head and saw the mark next to Blanca.

"Hmph~ Are you on a date with your boyfriend? Is it... you know? Pretending I didn't bring an umbrella so I can legitimately share one with him?"

"No, that's not it! We just met. Senior Mebius, your delusions are too severe."