"Kiana is fine. Although I didn't stay inside the transport plane the whole time to avoid making Rita suspicious, I saw most of the process. It was just a normal physical examination. After all, the instruments in the transport plane are limited, as you saw with your own eyes before."
Fu Hua had intended to take Kiana back to the vicinity of the arcade, but she encountered Evan again halfway. Knowing that he was worried about Kiana, Fu Hua directly stated the situation she understood.
"Mhm."
Evan nodded, a different kind of expression appearing in his eyes as he looked at Fu Hua.
"If Schicksal had done anything superfluous, St. Freya Academy would have fought them. When that time comes, whose side will you stand on? Fu Hua."
"I... I don't know."
The project attempting to "master the power of a Herrscher in a human body" could essentially increase the probability of defeating the Honkai. Fu Hua became one of the executors of the project for this reason, gaining knowledge of a few fragments of it.
But the current Fu Hua realized that the former her had been a bit too naive.
Fu Hua had originally thought that the result of the plan's failure would merely be the resurrection of the 2nd Herrscher, Sirin, who had already died once. Otto, as the promoter of the plan, should have had a foolproof strategy—or so he said.
However, was there really a foolproof strategy? Was the perfect backup plan in Otto's eyes a foolproof strategy in the normal sense?
Otto was a guy who never cared about how much was sacrificed.
Even with such scruples in her heart, Fu Hua still couldn't make a decision.
She still remembered the deal with Otto—she would become a Valkyrie of Schicksal, and Schicksal would become the protector of Shenzhou.
Fu Hua also had to consider the safety of the land of Shenzhou.
Even though St. Freya Academy achieved brilliant results in the 3rd Eruption, Fu Hua couldn't use that to determine if St. Freya Academy, whose management area was only the small Far East, had the spare capacity to protect the vast land of Shenzhou.
One had to know that the previous St. Freya Academy only stabilized after multiple rounds of aid from Schicksal.
Fu Hua's answer revealed hesitation and apology, but for Evan, such an answer was already enough.
"Since the matter has come to a close, I'll handle the subsequent impact. First, you helped me move things, and then you had to play games with Kiana. Although there was a gap of two or three hours in between, with your personality, Fu Hua, you probably used that time to train, right? A lot happened today. Rest well."
Words full of concern. However, considering the situation where she had just handed Kiana over to Schicksal, what Fu Hua felt wasn't the warmth of being cared for, but guilt.
Guilt for betraying trust.
When she asked Kiana out earlier, the other party agreed without much hesitation, and even gave the Super Deluxe Meal ticket she won again to her in the arcade.
Fu Hua lowered her head. She didn't know how she should choose in the future, but she knew she should apologize now.
"I'm sorry."
"If we must be precise, I have to bear responsibility too. After all, I saw it happen but didn't stop it. Since we're both at fault, let's not apologize to each other."
Evan didn't tell Fu Hua about the preparations he made in secret. After waving his hand casually, he paused slightly and continued.
"Will you invite Kiana to play in the arcade again later? Not because of some plan or mission, but simply to play together. I think Kiana had a lot of fun playing with you. Look, she's smiling right now."
Hearing this, Fu Hua, who had her head lowered, raised it in surprise and looked at Kiana.
The girl, still in a coma, seemed to be having a sweet dream. At this moment, not only was there a smile on her face, but a little drool was also flowing from the corner of her mouth.
It seems she's dreaming of something delicious.
However, this confirms from another angle that Kiana is hungry.
Even though when she gave me the Super Deluxe Meal ticket earlier, Kiana said she was very full from lunch and didn't want to eat anything else.
It must be because she heard my hungry stomach growling while we were playing games—when I hadn't eaten lunch due to struggling with the knowledge of the mission.
Warmth? Shyness? Touched? Guilt?
Fu Hua no longer knew what emotion was overflowing in her chest.
She still didn't know how she should choose, but she made a decision—a decision she would execute regardless of the future: if Kiana's life were threatened, she would absolutely not sit by and watch.
Watching Fu Hua walk away, Evan supported Kiana to sit on a street bench, letting the girl's head rest on his shoulder.
Waiting quietly.
The setting sun, which had been scattering its afterglow, was no longer visible. Only a glimmer of light on the horizon announced the direction where the sun had set. Kiana woke up at this moment.
"Did I... faint from hunger?!"
Evan, who was admiring the sunset and feeling emotional about life, heard Kiana's mumbling right next to him and instantly felt like laughing and crying at the same time.
"What do you mean 'fainted from hunger'?"
Evan had already thought of an excuse, but hearing Kiana say this, he didn't know how she reached that conclusion.
"Probably because I ate too little for lunch today. It's all Bronya's fault. She made me play Honkai God Domain, and I found the game pretty good. As a result, to save time and level up properly, I left the dining table without eating much. Then in the afternoon, Fu Hua asked me to go to the arcade again. I consumed too much stamina and fainted from hunger. Well, it can't be helped. After all, this young lady is just too popular; my whole day was fully booked."
Watching Kiana's triumphant appearance, Evan couldn't help but reach out and pinch her cheek.
"I heard from Fu Hua that you won the Super Deluxe Meal again. Why didn't you eat it yourself?"
"That? Because I heard the Class Monitor's stomach growling. Hahaha, can you imagine? The Class Monitor, who usually keeps a straight face, actually had her stomach growl from hunger. It was super fun! Seeing such an interesting Class Monitor, I gave her that ticket as a reward. Tsk, if I had known I would faint from hunger, I should have eaten with the Class Monitor back then... So in the end, this young lady was the one who lost face the most? So angry!"
"Fu Hua didn't think you lost face, so don't worry about it. It's about time for dinner now. Mei has already made a big meal waiting for you to enjoy. Let's go?"
"Ooh! Then let's go back quickly!"
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