"It is no matter. If you believe there is something you must do, then go do it... Miss Raiden Mei, all things are impermanent. If you have already made your decision, then do not leave regrets for yourself."
Having learned about Raiden Mei's origins, Su was now leaning against a Bodhi Tree, meditating with his eyes closed. Hearing Raiden Mei's request, he simply nodded without saying much, offering only a single piece of advice.
"Teacher Himeko... the one who drinks too much and harms her health?"
After receiving a nod from Su, who was the easiest to talk to, Raiden Mei looked at the red-haired Valkyrie beside her, who was chugging beer. The innate pressure from the Valkyrie Instructor of St. Freya caused Mei, who had already fully accepted the Herrscher's power, to once again place herself in the position of a student.
"Hmm... Huh? This little bit of alcohol won't get in the way, it won't get in the way..."
Himeko, holding the beer bottle, waved her hand, but she still accepted her student's words and put the bottle aside...
"Hmm... Mei has grown up too..."
Putting down the bottle, Himeko carefully sized up Raiden Mei in front of her and nodded with some satisfaction.
"Teacher Himeko..."
"Girl, don't set your expectations too high. Great figures have the resolve of great figures, and ordinary people have the lives of ordinary people."
"This has nothing to do with power, nor does it have anything to do with status."
Himeko looked at the somewhat depressed Raiden Mei in front of her and waved her hand helplessly.
"None of you kids ever give me a moment's peace. Raiden Mei, my student, think carefully. Really think about it: why did you accept the power you've always feared and rejected?"
"What is the force that keeps pushing you forward? My student, go on, think hard. What is it that keeps driving you ahead?"
"Is it a conviction? A wish? Or is it simply for the sake of a certain someone?"
Murata Himeko looked gently at her student, waiting for her reply.
"Himeko, I..."
"It's okay. There's nothing wrong with saying it out loud, Mei. You should learn to face your true feelings."
Seeming to sense her student's predicament, Himeko comforted her, patting her shoulder and pulling Raiden Mei into a hug.
"If you're too embarrassed to say it out loud, you can whisper it to your teacher."
"Teacher Himeko... I just want to catch up to Kiana. I want her to be able to smile happily every day, instead of walking with a frown, worrying about something..."
"I know all the grand arguments about saving the world... But—"
"This won't do, Mei."
Hearing her student's true feelings, Murata Himeko's smile faded, and her expression turned serious.
"Yes, great figures have their own grand ambitions, and ordinary people have their own simple wishes. But Mei, do you know? At the end of the Battle of Heaven's Command, I saw it in Kiana's eyes—"
"It was the gaze of someone who has found their own great ideal and conviction... Without a doubt, I no longer need to worry about that child's future. She is already walking her own path."
"I can affirm that she is destined to become a pivotal figure in the future. But, Kiana's growth makes me worry about someone else."
"And that's you, Mei—my student. Have you truly sorted out your own mindset?"
"Kiana is destined to become a heroic figure, Mei. That will not change."
"If you want to follow her... holding onto this kind of mindset will only drive you further and further from her. You'll be hurting yourself and her at the same time."
Himeko shook her head as she looked at the silent girl before her, stood up, and gently ruffled her hair...
"Just talking about it here won't really help. Even if I try to guide you, the person involved has to be willing to accept it themselves... So, I agree. Go to Nagazora City, find your Kiana, and have a good talk with her."
"Let her understand you, and let yourself understand her. Honestly, you're already so grown up, even taller than your teacher, yet you're still so childish about this."
Himeko gave Raiden Mei a firm pat on the shoulder, offering her a blessing for the journey.
"Mei, you have to believe in the bond between you and her. I won't say anything else, no more nagging. I remember that girl named Raven said the transport plane will take off in half an hour?"
"Hurry up and get going!"
Gently pushing her student, whose expression was no longer so lost and hesitant, through the door leading into the Elysian Realm, Murata Himeko let out a deep sigh.
"I can't even find a boyfriend for myself... and now I have to be a relationship and life counselor for my student. What kind of mess is this!"
"But you did a great job, Miss Himeko. After all, a sickness of the heart eventually builds up into a knot, becoming a mental demon and karmic obstacle that one cannot see through or overcome alone. To untie that knot for another is a truly virtuous deed."
Su, who had been sitting silently under the Bodhi Tree listening to the entire city, finally spoke. The man opened his eyes and nodded as he watched Raiden Mei's departing figure.
"Oh, Doctor Su... So that girl finally figured it out? Just like that?!"
Hearing Su speak, Himeko turned her head to look at the gray-haired young man beside her.
"To be precise, she has finally understood her own feelings. All that's left is to express them."
Su nodded.
"That's good... Speaking of which, that little girl Imhotep is really something. She looks the same age as Mei and the others, but how can she be so socially clueless..."
Having put her mind at ease, Himeko started complaining about a certain white-haired girl.
"...That child might not be able to be called Miss Mei's peer, Miss Himeko."
Su shook his head, piquing Himeko's curiosity.
"Doctor Su, what do you mean by that? That child isn't an old antique from the Previous Era like you, is she?"
"No, she is not from the same era as I am, but she is still worthy of standing beside me. That child's consciousness is not composed of a single independent individual... but is a mixture of the bloodline my comrade Kevin left in this era, the will, convictions, and memories of the Kaslana family through the ages..."
"...and a somewhat peculiar and noble will fused together... In a sense, she, who has fused the memories and will of all the Kaslanas, has already become comparable to my old friend Kevin's former state..."
"The Demon King of Salvation... or should I say, a 'monster'?"
"...This is truly incredible information, Doctor Su. Does she know herself?"
Hearing the astonishing news, Murata Himeko lowered her voice and asked quietly...
"Naturally, she does not know either... I must ask Miss Himeko to help keep this secret."