Regarding the question of whether one thousand lives are enough to beat Honkai Impact 3rd.

Perhaps it will be a long time before Himeko Murata understands the weight of the boy's words.

But the future at that time is already unpredictable.

96. The starter Pokémon are always adorable.

Kiana breathed a sigh of relief, pulled her head back, and ended her spying.

She said softly:

"I told you it would be alright, right? As long as Aunt Himeko knows that Su Qing'an has woken up, everything will be fine."

Raiden Mei also pretended to be nonchalant and withdrew her gaze from the room. Based on her previous education and personality, doing this was actually surprisingly a little shameful to her.

The girl felt a little flustered doing this with a group for the first time. Her heart seemed to beat faster because of the nervousness, and her fair face was flushed with a blush.

But whether it was her worry for Himeko or her joy at Su Qing'an waking up, it all motivated her to carry out her spying to the end.

But it's great that everything's alright.

Mei gently twisted her clothes, her right hand gradually relaxing, and a faint smile appeared on her face, clearly she was also relieved.

She addressed the group:

"If there's nothing else, let's leave now."

Bronya finished her ghost-like levitation using the Heavy Bunny, and the little girl landed lightly on the ground. She blinked and said:

"Now that everyone is alright, will Mei-neechan cook extra dinner to celebrate?"

Raiden Mei laughed upon hearing this:

"Of course we will, but let's leave here first."

"We'll need to prepare extra ingredients for dinner, and Bronya will have to help us out then."

After she finished speaking, she looked at the people present with a puzzled expression and said:

"Bronya, when did Yuno leave?"

The little girl tilted her head and answered:

“Yuno-nee said that since Su is alright and Aunt Himeko is also fine, she will go to training.”

"It seems she went to find the class monitor."

Raiden Mei's smile lost some of its warmth; she understood that Sato Yuno ultimately couldn't let go.

If it were me, I could understand the girl's inner turmoil, because I had experienced similar emotions and struggles.

Even now, Raiden Mei may still live in that ghost town where millions perished in a single day, her soul wandering and echoing there restlessly, as if searching for a spirit she can communicate with, trying to atone for her sins.

No one can help her escape this cage.

Sato Yuno is the same. Having indirectly lost everything because of herself, she once again tasted this sense of powerlessness today, falling into self-doubt. It is understandable that she tries to numb herself with the ethereal feeling of becoming stronger.

Raiden Mei wasn't very worried about the girl.

Because if it's Sato Yuno, she can definitely do it.

Compared to that girl's resilience and willpower, Raiden Mei sometimes doubts whether she is occasionally cowardly.

If Raiden Mei can be described as gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, then Sato Yuno is like the wind and snow that drifted from a bitterly cold land.

Such a person doesn't need direct comfort or reassurance. The only thing I can do for her now is to welcome her back with a sumptuous dinner.

Mei knelt down and smoothed the little girl's curly ponytail, which resembled a drill bit, and asked with amusement:

"So Bronya, why do you call Su Qing'an 'Little Su'?"

She found it hard to imagine the contrast that would occur when the aloof boy was called that.

Bronya answered matter-of-factly:

“Bronya is much younger than Su, so of course we should use a more respectful term.”

Raiden Mei almost burst out laughing, but she managed to hold it in and asked:

"A title of honor? Where did Bronya learn that? Can you tell me?"

Bronya nodded in agreement.

she says:

"It was that idiot Kiana who told me. She said it's a strange custom in China. As long as you call each other that way, the relationship between two people can be established quickly. She also said that when a junior calls an elder that way, the elder will be very happy."

"After Bronya called him that that day, Xiao Su showed an expression that he would never normally show, and even touched Bronya's head and said that Bronya was cute."

"He even slipped me a few pieces of candy at the end."

Bronya rummaged in her pocket for a moment, then opened her small, delicate palm. On it were several unopened marshmallows, their thin coating perfectly intact and well-protected.

She seemed to cherish the gifts Su Qing'an had given her.

During the time Su Qing'an was in a coma, Bronya was also saddened. If she hadn't eaten the candy before because she planned to save it for later, during this period, the candy's existence became exceptionally precious in her eyes.

The girl's gaze softened as she looked at the little girl. She patted Bronya's head and said:

"Oh, is that so? Isn't that great?"

Bronya's gray eyes darted away, and she nervously clutched Mei's collar, saying:

"Mei-neechan, shouldn't Bronya be called that? Because Mei-neechan can't help but laugh."

Raiden Mei gave Kiana a reproachful look, her gaze darting away guiltily, and then said earnestly to Bronya:

"No, look, Su Qing'an is happy that you call him that, isn't he?"

The little girl carefully recalled the expression on the boy's face at that time. His usually slightly indifferent expression turned into surprise, and then his dark eyes, which seemed to hold the heavy darkness of the night, were filled with a gentle smile.

The hand resting on his head conveyed a peaceful warmth, and the aroma of coffee filled his nostrils.

Bronya can confirm that Su Qing'an is not unhappy.

She nodded her little head emphatically, her spiral pigtails swaying back and forth, looking very cute.

She said with certainty:

"correct."

Mei stood up, took Bronya's hand, and said:

"That's fine then. Since he's not upset, Bronya can continue calling him that. As for the customs of Shenzhou, we'll ask the class monitor next time. She'll definitely be more reliable than Kiana."

Kiana pursed her lips upon hearing this, knowing she was in the wrong and didn't refute it, but she couldn't be entirely blamed either.

When she told Bronya this, she herself was completely convinced of it. Otherwise, given her personality, if she wanted to deliberately deceive Bronya after knowing the truth, she would not have succeeded.

It was only during a casual chat with Su Qing'an that Kiana realized she had done something stupid.

However, since this small misunderstanding did not cause any serious consequences, Kiana did not choose to reveal the truth and let everything take its course.

Yeah. She's just too embarrassed to admit she's wrong, especially in front of Bronya.

This incident proves a well-worn truth.

The best way to fool others is to fool yourself first.

97. Fu Hua and Sato Yuno.

St. Freya Academy.

Inside the training room.

The girl sat quietly in the center of the empty space, her slender fingers forming strange hand seals. Her breathing was natural and silent, possessing a unique and rhythmic magic.

Meditation.

Unlike her usual boxing practice, this was the rest of the training the girl was undergoing.

Of course, at this moment it is less of a spiritual practice and more of a strange way of resting.

Using Feather Dust twice in a row has brought Fu Hua's mental and physical energy to a low point. To resolve this negative situation, simply taking a long nap is unlikely to provide complete relief.

If she maintains a normal rest rate, she needs to refrain from using Feather Dust for a consecutive week in order to gradually recover to her original state.

During this time, the body's strength will continue to diminish.

The so-called Zen meditation is Fu Hua's way of resting to replace normal hibernation and speed up mental recovery.

Fu Hua sat in the same posture, her heart as still as a mirror, never rippled.

This means that she has raised her concentration to a level that is difficult for ordinary people to reach.

In Buddhism, Zen is the truth, life, and wisdom of all things in the universe.

But the so-called meditation in Fu Hua's place is not a complicated thing.

It only requires absolute tranquility, and then one can experience the fragments of the self within that clear and illusory world, finally finding a state of peace and achieving a deeper level of relaxation.

The so-called tranquility does not mean eliminating external noise, but rather demanding inner peace.

Inner peace.

To truly achieve this, one must reach what martial artists call the "mind's eye" or the state of "still water."

This was naturally no difficult task for Fu Hua, whose martial arts skills could be described as divine.

Having experienced countless battles, the immortal was always plagued by numerous disturbances before each true meditation session.

Having lost most of her memories, when the girl entered meditation, all she could feel in that clear world was an endless emptiness.

nothingness.

blank.

She could no longer find any fragments of herself in it, and could not even see the moon's reflection in the water clearly.

Although the personality and soul are still intact, the fragmented memories of the immortal have ultimately affected all aspects of his life in various ways.

Sorrow inevitably surges in; the fragments of memory have long since burned to ashes, but the emotions linger like maggots clinging to bones, impossible to dispel.

I... I've really forgotten so much.

And what exists inside might really be very important to me, very important.