Although she hadn't quite managed to memorize all those messy dates and figures, Kiana remembered the chronological order and the details of the various events clearly enough.
There was no doubt that Kiana was working hard, so Hua Yi felt he should do something to ease the difficulty of her make-up exam.
Since one week was far too short, they temporarily gave up on the other subjects. This time, Kiana only needed to achieve a passing grade in History. Thus, on the second day, Hua Yi sought out Mr. Yang.
He found him in a corner of St. Freya Academy, currently on break and seemingly sighing to himself with the classic lines, "A thousand sails pass by the sunken ship; ten thousand trees flourish before the dying tree."
Hua Yi intended to ask Mr. Yang to highlight the key points for the exam, but beyond that, there was a deeper purpose to his visit.
Mr. Yang's identity was far more than just a teacher at St. Freya Academy, and Hua Yi was well aware of that.
Holding a thermos and slowly sipping on some health-boosting tea, Mr. Yang listened to Hua Yi's request and shook his head with a smile.
"Highlight the key points? I believe I mentioned before that I don't accept 'backdoor' requests here, Student Hua Yi. Even if it's you, it won't work."
"History is a subject that leans heavily on memory. Even if you highlight the points, Kiana still has to memorize them herself. How can that be considered a 'backdoor deal'? You might not be fully aware of Kiana's situation,
sir. Due to family reasons, she never received a systematic education. She's essentially starting from zero baseotherwise, she wouldn't have scored a zero in the first place. Trying to jump from zero to a passing sixty in just one week is a bit of a tall order for anyone."
"Alright, alright. You don't need to use formal honorifics with me. Even though we are currently in a teacher-student relationship, given the abilities you've displayed, it won't be long before you become a qualified warrior against the Honkai. The future belongs to you. I might even have to ask a favor of you someday."
Mr. Yang showed an attitude of extreme high regard for Hua Yi. While Hua Yi had already demonstrated a high level of knowledge in class, tying for first place with the class monitor, Fu Hua, that alone shouldn't have been enough for a teacher to display such a specialized stance.
After all, in many cases, academic excellence isn't everything.
Perhaps Mr. Yang had managed to uncover quite a few things despite Theresa's efforts to hide Hua Yi's deeds.
When Nagazora was shrouded in high concentrations of Honkai energy, the citizens had all been evacuated, and most remote communication and monitoring equipment had failed.
Those who had arrived at the scene and witnessed Hua Yi's battleor even participated in itaside from Raiden Mei and the others, were only a lone survivor of the Nagazora Defense Force, the staff on the Hyperion, and the Titans from Anti-Entropy.
Mr. Yang took a sip of his tea and continued.
"Kiana indeed doesn't seem like she was failing on purpose. She didn't hand in a blank paper; in fact, she answered quite a lot of questions. It's just that her answers weren't standardized enough, and she failed to write down specific times and locations,
which led to her getting no points for the entire response. How about this: I'll add a fifty-point essay question to the make-up exam. As long as she answers that correctly, passing shouldn't be too hard. With a full week of study, surely she can scrounge up the remaining ten points from the rest of the paper?"
It seemed Mr. Yang didn't have very high expectations for Kiana, requiring her to only secure ten points.
Hua Yi couldn't help but chuckle before asking curiously, "A fifty-point essay question? That sounds like it would be quite difficult. Do you really believe she can get all fifty points?"
"This isn't a question meant to test academic knowledge, Student Hua Yi. What do you think is the meaning of History as a course? Is it merely to test a student's ability to engage in rote memorization?"
Mr. Yang's expression turned serious, his eyes fixed intently on Hua Yi, not intending to miss a single detail on the boy's face.
Hua Yi shook his head frankly.
"Naturally not. As the saying goes: 'Use the past as a mirror to understand the present.' The meaning of studying history, besides understanding the world's past and the footsteps of our ancestors, is to treat those past events as references. It serves to encourage or warn uslest we forget the past, it shall serve as a teacher for the future."
"Your way of speaking is very similar to Student Fu Hua," Mr. Yang said with a smile, shifting the topic to a more relaxed direction. "Speaking of which, you've been at St. Freya Academy for a while now. How are you getting along with your classmates? Have you encountered any difficulties?"
Hearing Hua Yi's answer, the image of that girl who always maintained a subtle distance from everyone else surfaced in his mind. He replied:
"Class Monitor Fu Hua is serious and conscientious; she is indeed very suited for her position. Some of the other students privately find her a bit too cold and unapproachable, but in my view, perhaps there is a deeper meaning behind her demeanor."
"That's a very airtight answer. I thought you might say something like, 'Fu Hua is a beautiful girl and I have a great impression of her.'"
"You're joking, Mr. Yang. Even if I had such thoughts, I couldn't just say them so bluntly."
Even as the atmosphere grew more relaxed, Mr. Yang's expression suddenly turned solemn again.
"You should know the relationship between St. Freya Academy and the Schicksal organization, right?"
"Yes. It was born from Schicksal, but remains independent of it."
"It seems you know some of the hidden details. In that case, I won't say much more. The only thing I want to remind you of is that Fu Hua is an A-Rank Valkyrie transferred here directly from Schicksal. Do you understand?"
It appeared Mr. Yang harbored quite a high level of vigilance toward Fu Hua.
Hua Yi, who had once served as a Captain, knew Fu Hua's personality well. However, he didn't argue against Mr. Yang's well-intentioned warning. Instead, he nodded seriously in thanks.
"I understand."
Mr. Yang stood up, leisurely sipping his health tea as he walked toward his residence, leaving one final remark.
"As a teacher, answering questions and resolving doubts is my job. If there comes a day when you encounter a difficulty you cannot overcome, or if you crave the power to protect others, you can come find me. Perhaps I can help you."
The power and spirit of the First HerrscherWeltmight have finally found a suitable successor. Mr. Yang thought. If it were the boy who had performed those deeds during the Third Honkai Impact, there would be no need for extra tests. With just a single opportune moment, he, who had been merely lingering on his last breath, could finally find some relief.
That was Mr. Yang's thought.
Thank you for the kind offer, but I still hope to let Bronya ride the motorcycle.
That was Hua Yi's thought.
Hua Yi had always known about the Herrscher Cores that represented immense power, as well as the existence of the various Gems, but he had never thought of taking them for his own.
Once, Hua Yi didn't believe he possessed the aptitude to endure that level of power. But now, possessing the Supply System and being able to obtain an unlimited number of Stigmata, he no longer had any need for that power.
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