Sizzle—
The smell of grilled meat wafted through the intense battlefield.
Ryn subconsciously swallowed, then slapped herself twice.
Himeko and Ryn looked at her, one showing a frightened expression, the other quickly distancing himself from her.
"Hey! Let me explain..." Ryn hurriedly reached out, trying to grab Ryn and Himeko, but they moved even farther away.
"Guh... It's over, I'm going to be mistaken for a cannibal..."
——————————————
Himeko had already briefly explained the situation in the control room to Ryn and the other. Ryn, in turn, used his Heat Vision to give Himeko's back wound a simple treatment.
The gash on her back ran from her left shoulder to her upper hip, deep enough to expose the bone... That Himeko could hold on until now could only be attributed to her powerful Valkyrie physique...
Controlling the temperature, Ryn seared the skin around Himeko's gash, cauterizing it to stop the bleeding and prevent the wound from worsening.
While treating the wound, Ryn noticed something... Himeko's bones were no longer human spinal bones, but the alloy skeleton of the Nexus System...
Himeko, who had clenched her teeth throughout the ordeal without crying out in pain or even grunting, looked at Ryn behind her through the reflection in her greatsword. This guy had been staring at her back for quite a while...
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Himeko snorted coldly.
"Hmph, had enough of a look?"
Realizing his gaffe, Ryn coughed awkwardly, then used the bandages torn from Ryn to simply wrap Himeko's wound before putting her cape back on her.
"I've given your wound a simple treatment, but the specifics of your injury can only be determined by Emisha."
"Mm..." Himeko used her greatsword for support and stood up again.
Ryn had already told the other members of Fire Moth to evacuate outside ME Corp and wait for their return. The combat mechs of ME Corp would only defend the facility, and the attacking Honkai Creatures had been torn to shreds by Ryn's black sun, so Emisha, Yiselian, and the others would be safe outside.
But as for Seele and Bronya's situation, they could only leave it to fate...
Ryn, Ryn, and Himeko couldn't do anything to help Bronya and Seele, so they could only pray for Seele's success.
Unfortunately, Ryn no longer carried the Cortana that had merged with the Kevin doll. Otherwise, having Cortana hack into ME Corp right now would have made things much easier.
While waiting for Bronya, Ryn quietly approached Himeko and asked her in a low voice.
"Himeko... you don't tie... that up... how do you keep it from interfering with your fighting..."
Fearing Himeko wouldn't understand, Ryn gently pointed to her chest, then cupped her own enormous bosom.
Ryn had lost her previous memories and didn't know why she had to be wrapped in those bandages all the time, but her intuition told her it was necessary...
Because it seemed she had been wrapped in bandages ever since she was a child. Perhaps it was to hide something on her body, to prevent others from discovering something... or maybe because it was cool?
Whatever the reason, Ryn now understood one of the reasons... which was to prevent her well-above-average bust from interfering with her combat...
Upon hearing Ryn's question, Himeko was suddenly taken aback. It had been a long, long time since she had heard such a question... The last time someone had asked this was back when she was a teacher before the Great Honkai Eruption...
Himeko's perpetually stern, deathly face suddenly softened. She began to gently and kindly instruct Ryn, passing on some of the little tricks that Valkyries often used.
Just like when she used to teach her students...
Ryn, on the side, pricked up his ears and eavesdropped. Although some of the female-specific content was useless to him, it never hurt to learn more~
——————————————
An unknown amount of time passed in the data space... but it must have been a very, very long time. Bronya had completely fallen for Young Mei's psychological suggestions, forgetting Seele, forgetting Fire Moth... only thinking that being with Young Mei was all that mattered...
To make Bronya happy, Young Mei rewrote the data space she could control, weaving a harmonious and peaceful world.
No Honkai, no war, and no... people.
In this vast world, there were only Bronya and Young Mei... because Young Mei had only ever seen Raiden Ryoma, who created her, and Bronya, who was now before her. She had never seen other humans, so she couldn't replicate them...
"Hehehe, Sister Bronya, isn't Mei amazing~ This who... whole world was made by Mei!" Young Mei gestured with her hands to form a large circle, as if that circle was the whole world. Then she spoke happily to Bronya, seeking her praise.
"Amazing~ Big Sis Mei is the most amazing!" Bronya smiled and patted Mei's head, then quietly looked into the distance, at every corner of this world.
"Doesn't Sister Bronya like this world? I see you've been looking into the distance..."
"It's not that I don't like it... it's just that this world is too quiet. There's no pain or sorrow, it's always the same, unchanging..."
"But isn't peace good?"
Young Mei scratched her head. Humans are so complicated... they long for peace, but they don't like peace?
"No, I like peace very much... It's just that I've always felt that I should be living in another world, where everyone fights with all their might for survival. There are no schemes or conspiracies, only hearts that are closely connected. That place... it seems like a world on the brink of collapse, walking on the edge of destruction..."
"No way! Sister Bronya has always lived here with me, you haven't been anywhere else~"
Young Mei took Bronya's hand and led her on a slow walk under the setting sun.
All of this was fake, but Young Mei wished it were real... if only she were really Bronya's little sister.
"Sister Bronya! Wake up!"
See...le...?" Bronya's steps suddenly halted. She seemed to have heard someone's shout... familiar yet strange... but this should be her most important person, why couldn't she remember who it was... and who was this name that just slipped out...
"
"No! You can't remember!" Young Mei put her hands on her hips angrily and said to Bronya with a pout, "That world isn't beautiful at all. Doesn't Sister Bronya want to live with Mei in this beautiful world?"
"Sorry... Mei... I..."
"We made a promise! Sister Bronya, you said you would definitely come back!"
"Yes... I will come back..."
Bronya's eyes were no longer confused. She remembered. No matter how Mei tried to cover it up and tempt her, this fervent emotion could not be faked...
"Sorry, Mei. I have to go back. Everyone is waiting for me."
"Why... did Mei not do something well enough..." Young Mei sensed Bronya's determination to leave and couldn't help but sob.