P-21 Island, The Deep.
Himeko's soul drifted through the corridor, taking in her surroundings with awe.
Thanks to her spiritual form, she could pass through walls effortlessly, observing the intricate structural designs within.
Layer upon layer of architectural systems, a labyrinthine network of passageways—all bore witness to the designer's brilliance.
Even with her limited knowledge of architectural design, she could tell this place was extraordinary.
It was hard to believe Vill-V had accomplished this all on her own.
Back then, Elysia had pushed hard to support Vill-V against all opposition, and Mobius had personally gone to retrieve her. It seemed that hadn't been a mistake after all.
Vill-V was a true genius.
After wandering around for a while, Himeko nearly got lost…
Fortunately, she finally found "her" body.
Encased within a transparent layer of ice, the figure with fiery red hair floated silently. This wasn't like looking in a mirror—this was truly "another self."
Even in her soul state, unable to feel the cold, a deep chill crept up from the depths of Himeko's spirit.
She drew closer, clinging to a sliver of hope: maybe she could return to that body? Maybe all of this could still be undone?
She moved forward slowly, but before the ice, she could go no further…
As if something invisible barred her way.
Himeko strained with all her might, yet couldn't advance an inch.
Gazing at the red-haired figure in the ice, Himeko hammered her fist twice against the unseen barrier.
But it yielded no ripple, no reaction.
Well, at least that settled one matter in her heart.
Time to go back.
Before returning, Himeko decided to drop by and see Vill-V.
She found Mei there as well.
The two were in the process of splitting a fiery red crystal into two…
…
Not long after.
Elsewhere.
"Hua, good morning."
Carole leaned against the headboard, greeting Hua as she entered the room.
"Mm, good morning."
Hua visited every day, and Carole was genuinely touched.
But thinking about it, she felt a little sorry for Hua—aside from here, it seemed Hua didn't have many places to go…
The two made small talk, chatting idly.
"How are Nuwa and the others doing? They haven't come to see me lately."
Meanwhile, Dystopia had visited several times already.
"They're probably just busy recently. I haven't seen much of them these past few days either."
"Oh, I see…"
They had all come from Shenzhou, so they'd always been on good terms.
Being busy… well, being busy was good.
When you're busy, you can forget some things.
"Hiiiya♪～ You two lovely girls, Elysia's here to see you～"
A pink figure suddenly pushed the door open, brightening the somewhat somber atmosphere.
Both of them looked up, surprised, as Elysia walked cheerfully to the bedside, her smile radiant.
"How are you feeling, Carole? Any better?" Elysia asked with a grin.
"Yeah, much better than when it first happened."
"They say the recovery is going well. I should be able to go back in a few more days."
Elysia clapped her hands happily. "Wow, that's wonderful news♪～ Once you're all better, let's all get together and celebrate for you～"
"Um… maybe not."
Carole wouldn't mind personally, but she was thinking of Hua.
"What do you think, A-Hua～"
Elysia threw an arm around Hua's shoulders, asking with a bright smile.
"Mm, okay."
Hua nodded softly.
Carole let out a relieved sigh, a smile spreading across her face.
"Hua, have you been up to anything lately?"
Elysia suddenly asked.
"No…"
Hua shook her head.
Lately, she really had been rather… free.
"Then, would you be interested in joining my squad for a few days?"
Elysia smiled as she extended the invitation.
"Huh?"
Hua looked up at Elysia.
"..."
"Alright, Senior Elysia."
Elysia patted her shoulder happily.
"Great!"
"Do your best, Squad Member Hua～!"
…
Himeko watched all this from nearby with a sense of relief.
Even though her own squad member was being whisked away by Elysia, she couldn't bring herself to feel unhappy about it.
But… it was for the best, after all.
Maybe Elysia would make a pretty good teacher?
Hah, maybe she herself would have made a good teacher too…
Damn heavens, if there were no Honkai in this world, she probably would have ended up becoming a teacher… that wouldn't have been so bad, right?
Still, with Elysia around, she could feel a little more at ease.
Even if all she could do now was watch…
Huh? Wait.
Maybe she should go look for Vya. Even if it didn't mean much now.
There were still some things she was curious about.
…
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