While eating a relatively nutritious meal that consisted of bacon, eggs, and some…. nutritionally rich oysters, the two women and one man were also chatting.
"Um…"
Putting her fork down, Mei spoke up:
"Raiden is asking whether Bronya has completely cut ties with Cocolia?"
Noticing her hesitation, Adam also put his fork down, taking a napkin from beside him
"Yes, she has." He said as he slowly wiped his mouth. "Don't worry about her. She's completely on our side now."
Even before the day before yesterday, Bronya was still on their side. She was just…Reluctant to completely cut off her 'mother'
"That's good."
The purple haired girl breathed a sigh of relief
Despite what Cocolia has done, Mei does genuinely treat Bronya as her friend. And naturally, as a friend, she doesn't want her to continue being in that woman's clutches
"I'm quite curious though…" Putting the napkin down, the silver haired girl looked at her with curiosity. "Why didn't Raiden personally come out?"
"..."
Mei lowered her head, cheeks flushing
"Isn't it obvious?"
Olivia swung her legs repeatedly on her chair, smiling lightly as she looked at the other girl
"She's just shy!"
"...."
Hearing her words, Adam put a hand on his chin and looked at the purple haired girl with an inquiring gaze
-The girl being stared at didn't speak up. She just kept her head down
"No way…."
His eyes widened, and his look towards Mei became strange
The legendary Herrscher of Thunder, the Queen of Conquest, refusing to show up because she's too embarrassed of getting 'conquered' in bed…. How funny!
"A-ah…L-let's talk about Bronya!"
The purple girl, flustered by their stares, rapidly shook her head
"There's not much to talk about." He smiled knowingly "The only problem is Cocolia."
Yes, that woman is the only problem. Let's hope she doesn't do something stupid- like getting Kevin out of the Quantum Sea early
"Cocolia…."
As she murmured, the color of one of the girl's eyes changed and became bright red like blood.
- It's Sister Raiden who has come online.
Like yesterday and the day before yesterday, she is online, but not completely. Both of them can take turns speaking.
"…What should we do with her?"
Raiden asked in a deep voice that reeked of dissatisfaction and hatred
When it came down to speaking about Cocolia, she overcame her shyness and dared to come out and speak.
Actually, this discussion should have taken place yesterday…But they were all too tired and busy with the moving in of the girls
"What do you want to do with her?" He looked at her eyes, one indigo and one scarlet "She was the one who destroyed Nagazora City, and... it was also she who sent Mr. Ryoma to prison."
Adam spoke in a low, murmuring voice. Though he didn't hate Cocolia to the core- he still had no intention of defending her
She destroyed your family, sent your father to prison, turned the city you lived in into ruins, and even wanted to capture you, take away the Herrscher core in your body, and then kill you.
The hatred between Cocolia and Mei is like a bloody feud that will never fade away.
"...One day, I deal with her."
Herrscher of Thunder spoke coldly
No matter how much one can insult that woman's intelligence, they certainly can't insult her caution. This old fox has hidden away like a rat- not even Anti-Entropy executives might be able to find her
But the day of reckoning will certainly come
"Just don't kill her." Adam nodded lightly, unconcerned. "Do you need any help?"
The purple-haired girl's singular crimson eye softened, her gaze gentle as she looked at him and spoke:
"No need…I want to take care of her myself."
A double-layered voice echoed throughout the room as she spoke, both eyes filled with determination as she clenched her fists.
-That was both Mei and Raiden speaking.
"Okay." His smile softened. "I'll be ready to support you whenever."
Then he pointed to the breakfast on the table and said:
"Let's stop talking about serious things. Come on! Eat your breakfast first. I'll go get Bronya and Kiana."
"Mhm…"
The purple-haired girl hummed, picking up her fork and resuming eating wordlessly
...
"Delicious!"
A moment later, Kiana, who was pulled out of bed and still wearing pure white pajamas, sat at the dining table and exclaimed loudly and boldly
Of course, Tuna is Tuna. For almost all food, she gives the same evaluation of 'Delicious'.
"Stupid Kiana, don't talk while eating."
The silver-haired girl at the side scolded mercilessly without a change in her expression.
Not talking while eating is basic manners!
"Oi, don't say anything, you little Bratnya."
The white haired grinned as she reached out and pinched her face.
"Woooo-"
The silver-haired girl's little face was badly ravaged by the evil Tuna; she could only barely manage to make intelligible sounds
"....."
Such a scene made Adam's eyes widen slightly.
Snapping his head to Mei, he saw her calm reaction that screamed, 'This is normal'
So this was a normal occurrence? Well, thinking about it, it made sense. Kiana and Bronya really didn't have a bad relationship
'Indeed, this life isn't bad at all.'
He thought to himself.
Watching people bicker was always comical. But watching two beautiful girls bicker playfully? Even better
'.....'
This peaceful life is quite good. But heh….Like Olivia, Adam will never stop craving adventure.
A peaceful life without any ups and downs wasn't bad by any means. However, to Adam, it would get really boring.
But maybe….With these girls, life will never get boring.
Sparring with Olivia, listening to Yae Sakura talking about the Far East five hundred years ago, listening to Higokumaru's cute and coquetish voice, flirting with Mei from time to time, teasing Kiana, playing games with Bronya, flirting online with Rimuru and Monika and Shiraori, being playful with Rias, chatting with the hardheaded Homura and the man of Culture Kazuma…..
This Academy life is far more colorful, eventful, and exciting than the one from his previous life
"....."
He opened his eyes, glancing once again at the warm scene in front of him
….This superficial peace is doomed to be short-lived
Kiana and the others' seemingly wonderful school life now is just Otto's deliberate plot.
Whether for himself or for the people around him, he wanted to protect this feeble tranquility, so he had to become even more powerful….
Of course, tranquility didn't necessarily mean stability. After all, what is life without a bit of spice?
What he wanted was….A good ending.
Not for himself, but for the people around him.
He wanted to become so strong that, if Kiana and the other couldn't overcome Finality by themselves….He wanted to be able to take the Cocoon, tear it apart, reorganize it, and forcibly transform it into Kiana's shape
- Adam wanted the power to flip the chessboard at any time
….
"Everyone."
As everyone's attention turned to him, the silver-haired boy tapped the table twice as he looked at the girls with a smile.
"I'm going to leave after this meal."
Before the expected tribulation comes, it's imperative to increase his power as much as possible.
"Eh?"
Kiana was the first to react.
"Ne Adam-senpai, where are you going?"
She poked the food on her plate, staring at him with unbridled curiosity.
Actually, they were all well aware that he took a monthly leave from Theresa- the legal loli herself told them herself
But they didn't know the specifics. They didn't know why he would leave, or why he would go alone.
"To a friend. She needs my help."
His smile dropped slightly, but he quickly concealed it.
"Oh…Err, have fun then?"
….
The white haired girl quietly replied, scratching her head.
She felt something was wrong, but she didn't think much of it.
After all, Adam already knew Bratnya beforehand, so it made perfect sense for him to visit some other friends who weren't aware of honkai.
…
"Mhm…Take care."
"Yes! Stay safe on your adventure!"
Mei and Olivia both said, respectively, waving at him as they were informed by him beforehand.
They both knew his purpose and that he was going to another world….And both wouldn't accompany him.
"...."
As the others spoke up one after the other, Bronya stared at him quietly, her mouth trembling
"....Bronya wishes you good luck."
She finally replied, the corners of her mouth lightly curling upwards into a small and stiff smile
"Thank you, everyone." Adam crossed his hands in front of his chest, leaning back in his seat. "Take care of yourselves, and continue to improve."
Gaze snapping to Kiana, he smirked
"Don't slack off, my good girlfriend." Though his words were playful, his tone was comically serious. "Otherwise….Once I return, I'll spank you."
"Heh! No way!"
The mentioned lazy girl turned her body away, sticking her tongue out at him
"I'll surpass you!" She puffed her chest. "Watch me!"
"That's impossible, Kiana idiotka."
Bronya, as expected, suddenly chimed in from the side.
"Adam already has the maximum score possible."
"Huh? Wait- That's true! Argh, that's fine too! I'm also gonna get a full score on the exams!"
Seeing Kiana making impossible promises while Bronya is staring blankly at her, Adam turned to look at Olivia and Mei.
The purple-haired girl looked exasperated, yet seeing that they didn't get into an argument, she focused on eating.
Olivia was watching them with a wide smile- the only thing missing was probably popcorn.
'Really….'
…Wouldn't it be a pity if a random being just popped up and devoured or erased all of this?
Those are his thoughts.
'Heh…To my core, I'm still a paranoid person.'
Just because the chance is low, doesn't mean it's 0
Perhaps if he hadn't consumed so much fiction, he would never even consider such possibilities.
Rather than pondering such meaningless things, he'd better just do what he planned to do
-That is, leaving before expected to search for Raven in Nagazora City
…
..
.
Adam stood in the air amongst the clouds with his outfit fully donned
In his hand was a blue core- the Herrscher core of Reason
At his shoulders was a pink fox curled around his neck, providing a soft and comforting warmth.
As he gazed at the blindly bright sun, an abyssal dark vortex materialized in his hand and consumed the core.
It directly went to his [Stomach], cutting off its connection with the Cocoon and allowing [Great Sage] to analyze it more effectively.
As for using it? Well, although he wouldn't be able to use it at 100% with the Cocoon providing him almost infinite honkai energy….He'll still be able to use it through his stomach, just at a far lower output.
Which didn't truly matter. After all, a Herrscher of Reason's power isn't in their output.
When one construct can obliterate it all, why bother wasting energy to construct 100?
"....Come on, Sakura."
Adam gently tapped the fox wrapped snugly around his shoulder.
"Understood."
Her voice echoed in his mind as she rubbed her head against and-
She turned illusory, easily entering his [Stomach].
"..."
Now entirely alone again, the silver-haired put his hand on his hip, tilting his head to look to his right.
There, a faint illusory figure entered his view,
It is pure black, devoid of anything. Starlight flicked inside it, with two blazing suns at its top as 'eyes'
-It was Adam's stand.
To this very day, he still wasn't clear about the special ability of this Stand
"Even so, you've already told me what your ability is, haven't you?"
Adam raised his hand, lightly stroking the vague outline of his spiritual manifestation.
Unfortunately, what he knew was limited. He only had an instinctive feeling of its ability.
"Oh well….We'll see how you change my teleportation."
Shrugging, he inwardly communicated with [Great sage]
[All is ready.]
Using his Semblance [Memorial Teleportation] to teleport is quite simple.
Coordinates don't need to be set up. There's no need to predict the position of the Earth at the exact moment of teleportation. There's no risk of teleporting and ending up in space
-Yes, he intended to use this semblance to teleport straight to Nagazora City.
But no, he's preparing so much because he will also add something extra
- He'll experiment by infusing the power of stand and using it in conjunction with the Semblance to test how this will teleportation will turn out.
His beloved partner [Great Sage] will collect all the data, and with both of them cooperating, there is basically no risk of him somehow getting torn up by space or ending up in a void that would consume him.
-In fact, not many precautions were needed.
The memory is the anchor to the place. No matter its exact coordinates, no matter where it is, this semblance will allow him to eventually teleport to the place exactly in his memories.
Such a bug level teleportation- worthy of being an ability derived from a soul from a higher dimension
[Start?]
"It seems like you're also excited."
He lowered his hand, letting it hang in the air freely
"....."
Adam also lowered his head, looking downwards.
He was above St. Freya Academy, at a height so high that the Academy seemed miniature.
However, with his enhanced vision, he could easily see the place where students mingle, and bonds are made
[Asterios: My solution isn't the best, and it might not be something you like….Having said that, are you sure you want to go ahead with this?]
[Homura: …Yes. Anything will be better than this.]
His blue eyes glanced over this chat again and again
"See you later, everyone."
Exhaling, he closed his eyes and braced himself.
Is this the meaning of an 'Academy'?
It's merely a phase of life where humans are at their freest- where they can pursue whatever they want and be as reckless as they desire
End of Volume 4: Academy Life
…
..
.
—-----
A/N:
This was a really short volume.
To be honest, I'm not really sure if I showed the Academy life well. But I did at least want to have a mini-volume for it, since Adam and the others will stay here for 1-2 years.
But anyway, I don't want to say too much. Any thoughts on this volume?
As for the next one…Well, with how I planned it out, I'll definitely have a blast writing it.