People are collapsing, but Kevin

"During that experiment, Seele got lost in the quantum ocean, and Bronya... failed to save her."

As she spoke, Bronya slowly closed her small knuckles and dug them into her palms. She showed rare emotion. Although her tone was as calm as always, it also contained a hint of sorrow.

"Bronya received the Heavy-Armored Bunny 19-C from Seele, but her brain was severely damaged during the experiment. She can only rely on the chip implanted by Cocolia's mother to maintain basic functions. The injury on her leg was also corroded and worsened by Honkai energy, and she needs the help of an exoskeleton to walk."

It can be said that Bronya's life is a process of moving from one tragedy to another. Born in an unfortunate era, no one has ever really cared about her except for a few friends in the orphanage. After her emotional dysfunction, she can't even feel happy.

The so-called "mother" never contacted her again after the failure to capture the Herrscher, and seemed to have abandoned her like her previous masters. After arriving in Saint Freya, she faced suspicion and distrust, which made her feel very bad.

Maybe it wouldn't be so painful when you don't feel anything. For Bronya, she only called Kevin and Yuno brother and sister affectionately when they were taking emergency shelter, but in a sense, maybe it was just a fake becoming real.

"Yuno-sister..."

Bronya's eyes were a little red and swollen, and she sobbed softly a few times. Suddenly, she threw herself into the arms of the pink-haired girl beside her, rubbing against her like a spoiled child, enjoying the plump and soft touch, and her emotions gradually calmed down.

"Alas, poor child."

Yuno stroked her back, raised her voice a little, and comforted her in a cheerful tone:

"Okay, okay, it's okay. Now that we have a better environment, we should live with a positive attitude. Just like what Houmi said, what's important is not the past, but how to face the future, isn't it?"

"Hoomi?"

"Yeah, they are characters from the comic book series "Hum's Adventure" that my sister reads. The little rabbits in it drive big robots just like Bronya. Do you want to take a look? You will definitely like it."

After hearing Yuno's words, Kevin had an idea. He happened to have obtained a few copies of the latest Hom series comics from Theresa.

Although I don't know how the other party got something that has not been released yet, it's a good opportunity to show it to Bronya. Maybe she can have another super robot comrade?

"This is it. I'll lend it to you first." Kevin randomly picked one and handed it to Bronya's desk. "If you're interested, you can come to me. I should be able to ask Auntie to get a few more. I don't think she would mind."

It's strange to say, he had found several unreleased comics of the "Hoom Adventure" series in Theresa's office before, but he didn't think that his aunt, with her age and experience, would like robot comics.

Of course, the generous Theresa later learned that Kevin was a fan of Hoom, so she directly gave him a complete set of "Hoom King", which even included a brand new bonus setting draft.

God knows where she got this internal information?

Maybe in the eyes of children, mother (?) is so omnipotent.

At the same time, in the St. Freya staff dormitory, a woman with blue hair pushed the door open and entered.

"Dr. Tesla, I have some unfortunate news to tell you. You need to be the main artist for the new issue of Howl's Adventure."

"What did you say, Chicken Coop Head?!"

After hearing this, the red-haired "girl" called Tesla jumped up from her chair instantly, waving her arms wildly. She looked like a lobster out of water, very funny.

"Isn't this Theresa's job? Why do you want me to ghostwrite for you? F... This genius is very busy. The latest mecha design is not yet completed, and I have to supervise a new graduate student... Uwaaaaa! I protest! She... she she she is exploiting my labor!"

"Calm down, Dr. Tesla. Cute girls don't lose their temper easily."

"Humph!"

Einstein patted her shoulder and said slowly:

"The principal is very busy, you know. She made great efforts with Otto to take us in. In addition, due to the third collapse, the recent income and expenditure are a bit tight, and the serialization of the Hom series cannot be stopped. I can only rely on you."

Tesla had to take the job reluctantly, but considering that Theresa would give him a graduate student later, who was said to be well-behaved and obedient, maybe he could ask her to help him.

Mei, who was studying electromagnetic physics, suddenly felt a chill...

ps: The Anti-Entropy Duo has now returned to their destiny. For various reasons, the current teacher of Mu Yue Honeysuckle is Theresa. The royalties can be used to subsidize a little bit of Saint Freya's huge expenses, but she often grumbles and leaves the painting work to Dr. Tesla. This is the black-hearted loli Theresa (bad)

Chapter 45 Mei's Determination

(*【(

That night, in Dormitory 4-117 of St. Freya.

Mei walked out of the reception room, leaned on the balcony railing, looked up at the starry night sky, and seemed to be thinking about something.

She felt uncomfortable.

This was not because the new classmates excluded her or anything like that. In fact, most of the Valkyrie students at Saint Freya were very warm and friendly.

She still remembered that when she just moved in last night, Olga and Saori Kanzaki from the dormitory 116 next door, as well as senior student Susanna, helped a lot and arranged the new dormitory in an orderly manner.

St. Freya's student dormitory is arranged in a two-bedroom, one-living room layout, including a bathroom and kitchen, giving students considerable free space.

Thanks to the support of my classmates, all kinds of daily necessities were prepared and the move-in went quite smoothly.

When she thought of this, a sense of guilt grew uncontrollably in Mei's heart. She couldn't help but wonder, if everyone knew that she was the third Herrscher who destroyed Changkong City, would they still be as enthusiastic as they are now?

"Do you miss me, Mei? Why are you alone on the balcony? Is there something that makes you unhappy?"

Suddenly, a soft female voice came from behind her, and a pair of white arms passed over her shoulders and gently embraced her neck.

Glancing sideways, Mei caught a glimpse of a few strands of pink hair. She shook her head and didn't say anything. It was more like she was conflicted than unhappy.

Yuno was keenly aware of her thoughts, chuckled mischievously, stretched out his fingers and gently pinched the girl's fair face, and continued in his usual cheerful tone:

"You are such a pretty girl, it's a pity to look so sad. Cheer up. Kevin and I just went to the school snack shop to buy some cakes. Come and have a try."

Mei opened her mouth, but the words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat. She silently stared at the smiling face so close to her. It was as bright as a blooming flower, making it hard not to feel pity for her.

"No, thank you for your kindness... I don't have much appetite at the moment."

She ultimately rejected Yuno's proposal.

Although she was happy that the two friends were always thinking about her, Mei always felt that she really shouldn't and didn't deserve to accept so much kindness from the people around her.

Before leaving Changkong City, Theresa ordered that the identity of the third Herrscher be kept strictly confidential, and only announced to the outside world that "the Herrscher has been annihilated" without revealing any information, which was a disguised protection.

Apart from the top management of Saint Freya, only a few of her friends know Mei's identity. In the eyes of all her classmates, she is a survivor of the Honkai Impact 3 and someone who needs care.

Compared with the direct and obvious malice, this kind of kindness that made people feel guilty made her feel more at a loss.

Perhaps it is because of her pride as a young lady, Mei does not like to receive too much favor from others, especially when she feels that she has let others down, which would bring her a very bad feeling.

Kevin, Yuno, Theresa, and the students from Saint Freya were all very good people. But I was the culprit who destroyed Changkong City, and I lived with them openly. This was really...

Shameless.

When Mei thought that some of her classmates’ hometowns might be in Changkong City, she felt as if her heart was being tightened by a rope.

Although she did not kill anyone directly, over the past two days, every time she closed her eyes, she seemed to be able to feel her hands tearing flesh and soaking it with blood.

Maybe it was just imagination, but she could almost clearly feel the adhesion of every inch of skin and flesh, and the burning pain of every drop of warm blood flowing through her palms...

That feeling made her want to vomit, and falling asleep peacefully was almost a luxury, but from another perspective, Mei felt that this could make her feel better - the happier she was like this, the more guilty she would feel.

Now that she has returned to a peaceful life, in a sense it has become the source of her pain.

"Hmm, I see..."

Yuno loosened her hand and tapped her chin with her fingertips as if thinking.

"Is Mei worried that she will get fat if she eats too many desserts, and her beauty will be overshadowed by me? No, she will look better if she has a fuller figure~"

Mei, who was originally thinking about serious things, was amused by her remarks. Her cheeks were puffed up with cute little puffs, and she finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"No!" Mei shook her head vigorously, "It's just... I was just thinking about Changkong City. I... I'm sorry!"

As she spoke, she lowered her head, her slightly flushed face gradually faded, and her voice became increasingly subtle, seeming a little pessimistic, even confused.

"It's all because of me, everyone, Yuno's family..."

Knowing that the other party was in a mental impasse again, Yuno did not reply immediately, but gently hugged Mei's waist, with the plump and soft flesh on her chest pressed against the slightly trembling back, using the warmth of her body to bring a reassuring feeling.

Then, she spoke softly:

"You know, Mei, I'm actually an adopted child."

"…Why?"

"You're surprised, right? After all, with a cheerful personality like mine, anyone would think I'm a happy girl with a happy family, right?"

Afraid that she had said something wrong again, Mei just nodded and glanced at Yuno cautiously. She saw that she closed her eyes calmly and recalled her past.

"Of course, my adoptive parents were very good to me, but unfortunately... they later contracted an incurable disease and could no longer accompany me..."

At this point, Yuno pursed her lips and sighed softly, showing a rare look of sadness. Her eyes were covered with a thin mist when they opened again, but she still maintained a sweet smile and suddenly asked:

"Mei, aren't you a little arrogant in your thinking?"

Arrogance? Are you kidding me…

Mei subconsciously wanted to deny it out loud, but looking at those blue eyes that seemed to be able to see through her heart, she couldn't help but think carefully - Yuno would not lie, she absolutely believed that.

Is Mei Raiden arrogant? The answer is obvious. Although she is kind and even a little weak, she is born into a noble family. However, she cannot hide her subconscious pride of being superior to others. This can be easily seen from the impression she left on people in the past that she was difficult to approach.

Because of this, she was never able to become real friends with the classmates who surrounded her.

"When faced with those irresistible things, if you just take all the responsibility on yourself and worry about it alone, wouldn't that be too self-righteous?"

Knowing that Mei had a stubborn temper, Yuno simply went along with what she meant and stroked Mei's ponytail. This made Mei silent for a moment, as if she was struggling internally, and she spoke haltingly:

"But... it's all because of me..."

"But that's not something you can control, Mei, is it? And you are indeed trying to make up for your mistakes. Just like Kevin said, thanks to your protection, we can come here safely."

The pink-haired girl winked playfully, her soft cheeks forming cute dimples as she smiled, and she whispered something in Mei's ear.

"So don't be too hard on your past self. Why not use it as motivation to think about your future plans? For example, who can capture Kevin's heart? Mei-chan has to work harder, okay?"

In fact, no one blamed her at all. Mei just couldn't forgive herself. Now, this mental exhaustion has been reduced a lot thanks to Yuno's guidance.

She is not an omnipotent savior, and she cannot demand that she can make up for everything, but she still has the right to choose how to face the future and turn the pain she carries into actual motivation to pay for her past sins.

Mei turned around and faced Yuno. She nodded solemnly, the confusion in her eyes disappeared, and she gave a slightly competitive look:

"Well, although Yuno is my best friend, Kevin is also my favorite person. I won't admit defeat!"

"Hey, I know. Let's go in and have something to eat. They're all sweet things that every girl would like."

Then, when the two of them walked into the reception room, the smile on Mei's face froze instantly, and her eyes almost popped out.

"Kekekeke...Kevin! Why are you here?!"

She screamed and looked at the white-haired boy sitting on the sofa eating donuts. Her mind went blank and the blush on her cheeks turned red.

"Hmm? Don't be nervous. Yuno just invited me to visit your dormitory. But you guys seem a little busy over there... Why are you reacting so strongly?"

Kevin raised his eyebrows, calmly picked up a tissue and wiped off the chocolate sauce on the corners of his mouth.

"You... Could it be..."

"Don't worry." Kevin smiled and blinked, "I didn't hear anything."

"Uooaaaaaaaaa!! Yuno you're such a bad bastard!"

The girl's shy cry spread throughout the dormitory.

ps: In the girls' dormitory, it is normal to stick to each other and have emotional exchanges, even if it is a love rival.

Chapter 46 Return to Changkong City

The opportunity that Mei longed for finally arrived in the third month of school.

With a report, Ji Zi walked into Theresa's office with a serious look and said straight to the point:

"We are in trouble, Principal. Two hours ago, a huge Houkai energy fluctuation occurred in Changkong City. The specific cause is still unclear, but according to Ai's analysis, it is very likely a Herrscher-level waveform."

"How is this possible? I remember in Ai's database... didn't it mention that only one Herrscher would be born after each collapse? That should be a definite rule..."

Theresa held her chin with both hands, rolled her eyes, and snorted slightly in confusion.

"The third Herrscher must be Mei Raiden. I will never forget that smell. Since she showed no abnormalities under our surveillance, what is this thing?"

Thinking back to that well-behaved and obedient girl, and her performance that was completely in line with the power of the Ruler of Thunder, it can be basically confirmed that some mechanism left over from the previous civilization is still effective.

There is no doubt that Mei is the Herrscher born in the third collapse, but the possibility of certain variables cannot be ruled out, so we have to remain vigilant.

"Could it be a pseudo-herrscher or something like that?" Jizi guessed, "Like the one who appeared in Yae Village in the far east five hundred years ago."

This hypothesis is very likely. Although the Herrscher has left and is in a stable state, the intensity of Honkai energy in Changkong City is still maintained at a high level. In addition, with a full three months, theoretically there is enough suitable carrier to condense a degraded version of the Herrscher core.

"Who knows? To be on the safe side, it's better to investigate it thoroughly. If we leave it alone, it will pose a threat to us one day."

Theresa clapped her hands and made her own decision.