Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

Lingyi did not give a definite answer, but simply said this while continuing to carefully analyze the various information she had collected using radio waves.

"Is that so..."

Kohinata Mirai bit her lip.

Looking at Lingyi like this, she felt a little pain and discomfort, and at the same time, for some reason, a tiny bit of anger also arose in her heart.

And so, another night passed.

On the second day, without any interference, the vehicles traveled very quickly and soon arrived at the border town along the highway.

Seemingly due to the chaotic situation, there are quite a few refugees here, gradually forming a gathering place, and members of some humanitarian organizations are distributing some supplies here.

"Wait here, don't open the door for anyone. I'll go see if I can get some supplies... or something to trade."

Noticing the situation, Lingyi left, giving these instructions at the carriage door before departing.

"Yes, we understand, we will be obedient."

No one really cared about this; they simply said they would stay quietly in the carriage and not run around.

"Excuse me, are you also refugees here? Where are your guardians?"

Just then, seemingly noticing the distinctive vehicle parked there, a medical worker who was conducting a free clinic came over, apparently wanting to inquire about the situation.

"There's no one else here. Just tell me what's wrong. What is it?"

Seeing the person approaching, Lingyi silently concealed the blade in her sleeve, staring intently at the other person, and answered warily.

"There's no one else... So you escaped from over there on your own? Ah, that's amazing, and you're really lucky. I heard it's so chaotic over there that it's impossible to survive."

The caregiver looked somewhat incredulous at Lingyi's statement.

"So, is there something you need from me?"

Maintaining a safe distance, Lingyi inquired about the other party's purpose.

"Ah, I just noticed you have a lot of children here and wanted to ask if your adults needed any help with so many, but it turns out you're the only ones who escaped? What are you going to do now...?"

The caregiver looked troubled, seemingly having not considered this situation.

"We need supplies. Can you provide them? We can also exchange them for something of value."

As it happened, Lingyi had also planned to have a conversation, so she went straight to the point.

"Supplies... alright, we can distribute some to you depending on the situation, but we need to register your identities, is that alright?"

"Okay, our situation here is..."

Reasonable requests are never denied, and so began a brief conversation filled with surprise and... some sadness.

"How did it go, Sister Lingyi? How was your chat with that lady?"

Not long after, Lingyi returned to the carriage, and some anxious children began to ask what had happened.

"...In short, they not only agreed to provide supplies, but also offered a new option."

"If we wish, we can accept their arrangements and be placed in a peaceful country to live."

"The reason is that our information is on their records, and some procedures have been completed. It's just that they've temporarily detained it because they can't contact us during this period."

"So, if you'd like, you can go directly through the process they arranged beforehand."

Lingyi briefly informed everyone present of the information she had obtained after negotiating with the caregiver over there.

"Was this something Auntie and the others arranged beforehand...?"

Some of the children realized that this was an arrangement left over from the people who had previously cared for them, and a sense of sadness settled over them.

"Well, theoretically speaking, there's no reason not to agree. In any case, a chaotic area where war could break out at any time is ultimately not as good as a relatively safe, peaceful, and orderly place where one can get a good night's sleep."

"But... what I need to know is that if we go there, I might not be able to protect you. Although order means safety and peace, it also means that I might not be able to gain an advantage in some areas or deal with some situations."

"You will choose whether to leave for distant lands or stay here. Of course, in any case, I will guarantee that you will never be threatened."

Ignoring the change in atmosphere, Lingyi continued to state the facts quietly and unemotionally, presenting the options to all the children present with rational words.

"So, Sister Lingyi, what are your thoughts?"

In a moment, the calm child sought advice from Lingyi.

"I……"

"I hope to stay here. I don't know, I can't understand, and I can't control the unknown. Although it's chaotic here, at least we can solve problems with the simplest physics."

"Although it sounds terrible, I might be more suited to this kind of life here."

Lingyi remained silent for a long time before finally giving her answer.

The blade in her hand, her fighting techniques, and her skills in taking lives—these are the things she has honed and mastered on this journey.

However, once she enters a new environment, her strengths may not be as effective, and she is somewhat afraid of this change.

"If that's the case, then you must leave!"

Hearing Lingyi's explanation, the anxious child said, "Qi Ersi Ba is [?]".

“That’s what I think too. Sister Lingyi, you can’t keep pushing yourself like this. I’m very worried about your condition if you continue living like this.”

The calm child, with a worried look in her eyes, offered her suggestion.

"I, I'm fine. What could possibly happen to me? Don't worry about me."

His words were calm, without a trace of doubt or emotion; they were simply a statement of facts.

"That's right. Although you didn't say it, Sister Lingyi, you didn't act like you were at all reassuring. I could tell that."

The cheerful child loudly expressed her thoughts.

"Sister Lingyi, you're in so much pain. I don't want you to suffer like this anymore."

Even the timid child mustered the courage to express their opinion.

"Besides, since it was introduced by Auntie, it must be trustworthy, so Sister Lingyi, you are completely overthinking it."

The optimistic child smiled and used these words to comfort the child.

Meanwhile, the other children, having lived with Lingyi for so long, knew more or less about her condition, and unanimously chose a path that would make things easier for her.

"I understand."

After a moment of silence, Lingyi calmly agreed to their idea.

After that, things were quite simple. Following the instructions of the caregivers and other staff, and carrying some necessary supplies, the small convoy boarded the passenger ship.

"Even though I've known for a long time, I still want to say that their relationship is really good; they are both very considerate of each other's feelings."

"Yeah, I agree with that, Che-chan."

On the cruise ship, in their private cabin, they waited quietly for the ship to reach its destination. Recalling the scene just now, Xiaoqiege and Yuedu Diao couldn't help but think.

It wasn't just Lingyi's one-way act of giving; the children she helped were also repaying her kindness in ways they could, just like Lingyi and those who saved her.

"That should make things easier for Lingyi now."

At this moment, Kohinata Mirai felt a little more at ease. Even though she knew that the experiences along the way were just illusions of the past, she still couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

"That's not necessarily true..."

When asked about Kohinata's future thoughts, Chris remained silent for a while, then crossed her arms, lowered her head, and murmured to herself as if lost in thought.

"What's wrong, Chris? You've been so quiet ever since we boarded the ship?"

Hibiki Tachibana, whose energy had recovered somewhat, looked at Chris and asked in confusion.

"It's nothing, it's just that I've noticed that, judging from this timeline, the time is almost here... for my first encounter with that guy."

Bending down, Chris spoke with a mix of hesitation and shame about what she was thinking.

"Speaking of which, Chris, what did you mean by 'not necessarily' just now?"

After Chris finished speaking, Kohinata Mirai asked about her earlier mutterings.

"Sorry, let me have some peace and quiet. You'll all understand eventually. I... I need to do some mental preparation right now."

There was no answer, perhaps because it revealed a shameful truth to her; Chris felt her body needed to cool down.

"Ok."

Seeing this, Kohinata Mirai said no more and quietly waited for the ship to dock.

Chapter Nineteen: Exhausting Reason

Sitting by the window, I looked up through the window frame. The sky was a clear, bright blue, and the fluffy white clouds looked like cotton candy hanging in the air.

Looking down, pedestrians on their phones, electric motorcycles speeding by, and punctual buses fill the streets bathed in the morning light.

Only when you are far away from the chaotic and disorderly world, and the deafening sounds of gunfire no longer ring in your ears, can you truly appreciate the miracle and preciousness of the everyday scene before you.

"Well then, everyone has covered most of today's content. We still have a little time, so I'd like to conclude by playing a world-famous piece of music for you..."

Such a sound, accompanied by melodious violin music, entered her ears, drawing Kohinata Mirai's gaze back into the room.

After disembarking from the ship, they were taken to a local orphanage that had been arranged in advance, and after everything was settled, some lessons were prepared for these war orphans.

These courses are primarily designed to help children recovering from war adapt to society. The teachers are adults or students who volunteer to work here, contacted by charitable organizations that collaborate with medical institutions.

And right now, the vocal lessons that Kohinata Mirai is taking are one of them.

"That's all for today, get out of class dismissed."

The music ended, and get out of class was over. The children began to leave one after another.

"Lingyi, where did she go?"

After class ended, Kohinata Mirai got up and left the classroom with this thought in mind.

Previously, she noticed something strange: while all the children were being arranged to learn something, she couldn't find Lingyi's figure until the class started.

So, as soon as get out of class ended, she prepared to go look for it.

"Hey, wanna try the lunch here later... Hmm, what's up? What kind of death are you planning to have in the future?"

Just as she stepped out of the room that served as her classroom, Kohinata Mirai saw Akatsuki Kirika and Tsukuyomi Cho discussing their plans to have lunch at the cafeteria.

"I'm looking for Lingyi. She didn't come to this classroom, so I'm a little worried about her. Have you seen her?"

Kohinata Mirai truthfully expressed her inner thoughts to the two of them.

"I didn't see it, but that's not strange, is it? Didn't Zero always like to disappear?"

Xiaoqiege gave Xiaoyinxiang Mirai a puzzled answer.

When Lingyi lived in the hospital, she always liked to go off somewhere by herself, so she didn't find it strange that she couldn't see Xiaoqiege now.

"But... well, I'm still worried. When we got off the ship, I noticed that Lingyi's condition hadn't changed, and she also missed class..."

Kohinata Misaki (積積積). However, the Japanese did not feel relieved because of this.

After getting off the ship, she paid close attention to Lingyi's condition because of the wounds on the other person's body, and thus she noticed something strange.

That is, when Lingyi stepped off the ship and from chaos into order, her expression did not change; she showed neither relaxation nor joy.

This was strange, and combined with the bizarre fact that Lingyi was nowhere to be seen during today's class, Kohinata Mirai couldn't help but feel worried.

"In that case, it is indeed a bit worrying. In the future, since that's the case, let's go look for it together."

After listening to Kohinata Mirai's words, Tsukuyomi Chō pondered for a moment and decided to lend a hand.

"Hmm... I don't quite understand, but I'll do my best to help, Death!"

Xiaoqiege didn't quite understand why she still needed to worry after arriving in a stable area, but trusting her companion, she decided to lend a hand.

So they parted ways here, each heading in one of three directions to search for Lingyi's whereabouts and to see how she was doing.

.............

"Where could she be? I've searched the dorm and other places, she's not here... Could she be here? Hmm, Chris, what are you doing here?"

When Kohinata Mirai had been searching for a long time without success, she walked through the corridor and at a corner, she encountered a white-haired girl who was squatting on the ground, covering her face and doing something that she didn't know.

"The future... nothing much. I'm just sorting out my feelings and struggling with some things. What will you be doing in the future?"

Upon seeing Kohinata Mirai, Chris slightly raised her head and, with a complicated expression, explained to Kohinata Mirai why she was there, before asking a question in return.

“I’m looking for Lingyi. I haven’t been able to find her, and I’m a little worried about her condition.”

Hinata answered Mirai.