The morning sun shone on the sea. Perhaps because of the sun, the weather had started to warm up and become a little hot... Waves with white foam lapped against the beach, one after another, occasionally leaving behind a piece of seaweed or a few small shells... The beach near the waves was densely packed with small holes, the homes of small crabs that preyed on the tide...
"Caw caw!~" Several white sea birds circled and called out in the azure sky, occasionally diving down like bombers. When they flew up again... a plump, silvery-white fish would already be in their long beaks.
"Ah~ I'm full of energy now." Kiana stretched and looked up at the blue sky, shouting loudly.
"Is Kiana still a child?..." Li Xuan shook his head helplessly. Only children would shout at everything they see, right?
"Physiologically, Kiana is already an adult, but psychologically, she is only 10 years old... Bronya judges that Kiana is still in a child-like state..." Bronya, who was standing silently beside Li Xuan, said softly.
"..." Li Xuan silently glanced at the figure of a certain white-haired furball and nodded imperceptibly... She's matured physiologically, huh...
"Phew~ I can't believe I'm back at the seaside again..." Kiana said with emotion, watching the ebb and flow of the tide.
"Indeed, what happened at the underwater lab is still fresh in my mind." Mei said softly, her right hand touching the hilt of her sword at her waist.
"..." Bronya stood beside the two of them, staring blankly at the deep blue sea, her expression a little dazed...
"Bronya, are you alright?..." Mei noticed that Bronya's expression was a little strange and asked with concern.
"I'm fine, Bronya was just thinking about Seele again..." Bronya lowered her eyes and said with a deadpan expression. Her voice, which was usually calm as a still well, now carried a faint hint of sadness...
"Bronya, don't blame yourself too much. The situation back then was unavoidable, it wasn't your fault." Mei bent down and gently patted Bronya's back, comforting her.
"That's right... we'll meet again someday." Li Xuan chimed in. He was still curious about what the girl named Seele had given her before...
"But..." Just as Bronya opened her mouth to say something more, a loud sound came from the communicator on Li Xuan's wrist.
Li Xuan pressed the answer button, and a 3D virtual screen instantly appeared in front of them. This was Schicksal's remote communication virtual imaging technology... The screen flickered with white static for a moment before stabilizing, and Theresa's figure appeared on the screen...
"Looks like you've arrived at the operation site~" Theresa said with a serious expression on her little face. Through the 3D screen, the wall with an oil painting and the window next to it behind her could be clearly seen...
"Then let me explain this operation..." Theresa blinked and said, "This was once a research facility built by 'Anti-Entropy' around a test subject, but it was abandoned after the test subject went berserk during an experiment."
"According to the report you submitted when you entered St. Freya High School, the test subject named Seele disappeared during your previous contact, and the entire laboratory disappeared along with her, correct?"
"Yes, that's right..." Mei replied, biting her lip. The girl named Seele they had met at the seaside in Nagazora City had indeed disappeared...
"Hmm..." Theresa nodded and continued, "But based on the Honkai energy spectrum we've detected, there is still a strong Honkai energy presence in this area, and the fluctuations are starting to increase..."
"It's like a turbulent undercurrent hidden beneath the calm surface of the sea..."
"Does Principal Theresa mean that the laboratory didn't disappear? Please tell Bronya the specific coordinates." A gleam of light flashed in Bronya's eyes as she asked eagerly.
"Don't be in such a hurry~" Theresa waved her small hand and said, "We're still not sure if this Honkai energy is coming from the Illusory Sea laboratory, so the mission this time is to investigate the source of this Honkai energy."
"Ahem... in short, 'Mountain Sparrow' will take you down into the deep sea to find the source of the Honkai..." Theresa gave a thumbs-up, stuck out her tongue, and said with a sly look, "Good luck, everyone!~ I'll treat you all to a big meal when you get back!... Hmm, I'm going to eat first, you guys do your best~"
The moment her voice fell, the virtual screen flickered and the connection was cut... The screen was once again filled with black and white static... The loli nun seemed to have directly cut off the communication.
"Alright, alright~ Don't mind that idiot Great-Auntie. Since we know the objective, let's get moving~ It's so hot, it's not often we get to come to the beach. Let's finish the mission quickly and have some fun!" Kiana broke the silence and said loudly and enthusiastically.
"But... it's still spring, the seawater is still very cold..." Li Xuan looked at the deep blue seawater and felt a little intimidated. He had never been very interested in swimming...
"Idiots aren't afraid of the cold..." Li Xuan vaguely heard Bronya muttering... It was really strange that a species like idiots hadn't conquered the world...
"Kiana, we're not here to play. This is a Honkai zone, so let's be cautious~" Mei gently advised.
"Ugh! Mei-senpai promised to go to the beach with me and have some skin-to-skin contact!" Kiana puffed out her cheeks and complained loudly.
"I've been busy with school, so I haven't had much time~ I'm so sorry~" Mei said apologetically. She had indeed said that before but hadn't fulfilled her promise...
"..." Ah, skin-to-skin contact... Li Xuan felt like he had been hit by the two of them showing off their affection... As a single dog... uh, wait... I'm not a dog anymore!......... Hmm, I'll take Sakura to play next time...
"The beach... a promise... I remember I had a promise like that with Seele, but it was never fulfilled..." Bronya's eyes dimmed as she muttered, "I'm sorry... Seele."
In the next moment, as if in response to Bronya...
"Beep beep!!!~" An urgent sound suddenly rang in Bronya's mind. It was an alarm from the embedded general-purpose weapon Valkyrie-002 installed in her body, running on valkyriesystem 0.9.3.
[Warning! Warning! A space-warping field is forming!... A small space has appeared!]
"What's going on?! A huge vortex actually appeared on the surface of the sea..." Kiana suddenly pointed at the surface of the water in the shallow beach and said in shock.
"...Wait, that's not right! This is the one we encountered before..." Li Xuan said, suddenly realizing something as he looked at the vortex on the sea surface and the churning water.
"Be careful! The wave is rolling in!" Mei suddenly shouted. A huge wave, a full ten meters high, surged over. Li Xuan didn't even have time to react... he was completely swallowed by the wave.
"Rumble!!" The tide crashed onto the beach, even breaking through it and almost sweeping up to the 'Anti-Entropy' ruins not far from the shore...
"What happened?!" 'Mountain Sparrow', who had just formulated a plan, rushed out of the building and looked at the beach. Then she saw a scene that looked like a typhoon had arrived...
"....." The slowly receding tide once again revealed the beach glittering with golden light beneath it. Many fish had been washed onto the beach by the seawater and were helplessly flopping their bodies in an attempt to return to the sea...
Under the sun, the sea was still sparkling, as if the scene just now was a mirage...
(End of this chapter)