My name is Bianca Kaslana Ataegina.
As the captain of Fire-Moth's Second Trailblazing Squad, the leader of the Immortal Blades, the strongest combatant second only to Senior Shu, and Fire-Moth's one and only MANTIS...
I am currently facing the third most important challenge of my life.
Uh... awakening as a MANTIS, participating in the subjugation of the Herrscher of Binding(Bonds)... and there was also that time my sister and I discovered that our true identity was actually Senior Shu's—
Ahem! Anyway, the current Bianca believes she is facing an incredibly important challenge!
She is going to school!!
Standing in front of the gates of Fire-Moth Academy on the ninth underground floor, Bianca had already swapped to a different physical form.
Rita had said this form was much better suited for interacting with classmates. Her original body was too mature, which could lead to her being isolated and ostracized by the other students.
And that isolation and ostracization could very likely evolve into targeted school bullying...
At any rate, Rita had been deadly serious, painting a very grim picture of the consequences.
Although Bianca didn't exactly know why the consequences were so severe, if Rita said it was severe, then it was severe.
Bianca immediately bought into Rita's fearmongering and activated her "power-saving" form.
It seems this so-called "school bullying" really is terrifying, Bianca thought. Rita was so traumatized just talking about it that she actually got a nosebleed.
Bianca couldn't help but take it to heart, feeling a deep sense of vigilance toward this so-called "school bullying."
Then Rita went on to describe many more "severe" scenarios... Like how if she didn't dress properly, she'd be bullied. If she didn't act like a good girl, she'd be bullied. But if she acted too good, she'd also be bullied...
Terrified by Rita's endless stream of excuses, Bianca had stood perfectly still, turning pale as she let Rita dress her up however she pleased.
So going to school is actually a psychological survival horror game?
No wonder... No wonder Sushang sent me that panicked SOS when it was her turn to go to school! So this is the kind of nightmare she had to face? But then why does everyone say going to school is something every kid has to do?
Bianca racked her brains. Finally, based on her days and nights of tirelessly reading light novels under her covers... based on her vast life experience, she arrived at a conclusion.
The so-called "school" — is a Battle Royale!!
Only the students who survive to the very end can successfully graduate! Every single experience at school is designed to temper children's willpower under crushing pressure!
In that case, I absolutely must conquer this proving ground called "school"!
Standing before the gates of Fire-Moth Academy, Bianca took a deep breath.
The air on the ninth underground floor was impeccably filtered by the AC system, carrying a heavy, bustling scent of daily life.
The simulated sunlight was almost blindingly bright. Welcome posters and banners were plastered all over the academy entrance.
Bianca stared at the word "New" on the banner for a long time. She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she felt like the last vertical stroke of the character was drawn far too long, resembling an unsheathed sword.
Her heart beat a little faster. She took a deep breath, lowered her head, and inspected her "equipment" one more time.
The school uniform Rita had prepared for her was ironed perfectly straight, without a single excess wrinkle. Every stitch looked like the work of a master tailor.
The bow at her collar was tied just right—neither too flashy nor too timid.
Her backpack had also been packed personally by Rita last night: notebooks, a pencil case, spare hair ties, and an assortment of snacks...
Rita had specifically emphasized that the snacks were for socializing, not for eating herself.
Bianca half-understood, but since Rita said so, it had to be true.
Right before she left the house, Rita had adjusted her collar one last time. Her expression had been a mix of gratification, anticipation, and a subtle, indescribable excitement.
She had used those smiling eyes to look Bianca up and down for a full thirty seconds, before covering her mouth and letting out a short, cryptic giggle.
"Lady Bianca, please remember," Rita had said, her voice as gentle as reading a poem as she pinned a mosquito coil-shaped barrette back into Bianca's hair. "If anyone bullies you at school—"
"I know," Bianca had nodded solemnly. "That's school bullying."
"No," Rita's smile had deepened. "That's when you come find me. I would very much like to see what kind of child dares to bully our Lady Bianca."
Bianca wasn't entirely sure if "snitching to Rita" was considered a rule violation in the School Battle Royale, but since Rita didn't say she couldn't do it... that meant it was a valid tactic.
Thinking up to this point, Bianca couldn't help but recall the day Sushang sent her that distress signal.
"Bianca, save me!!"
"I don't want to go to school!!"
"Shifu is a demon!! And my mom is in on it with him!"
"I'm doomed!!"
Four consecutive text messages had transmitted Li Sushang's silent wails of despair like a reaper knocking at the door. That was also the first time Bianca realized text messages could literally transmit sound.
Li Sushang was an elite within Fire-Moth, an absolute prodigy among her peers. Bianca was certain of this.
Yet even a girl like Li Sushang—someone who feared nothing and would charge headlong at a Honkai Beast with nothing but a sword—was driven to send an SOS over the start of a school term.
The danger level of this proving ground known as "school" was likely far beyond her initial estimates.
Stepping onto the campus, Bianca kept her nerves continuously taut, her azure eyes darting around with intense vigilance.
Any kid who tries to ambush me will be defeated in the most ruthless manner possible!
Rita, I will definitely win!
Just like that, the constantly scanning Bianca quickly had her attention drawn by the "recruitment posters" of the various factions within the school.
"Manga Club, Calligraphy Club, Broadcasting Club, Speech Club, Literature Club... I see. So this is the distribution of power on campus?" Bianca stood there for a full ten minutes, deeply analyzing the various factions within the school.
"...Bianca?"
The sudden voice from behind made Bianca jump. She hurriedly spun around, instantly spotting Bronya wearing a Homu backpack and a deadpan, expressionless face.
"Senior Bronya!" Bianca exclaimed, thoroughly surprised.
Even someone as strong as Senior Bronya needs to go to school?!
"Are you... here for school too?"
Bronya's face visibly darkened a few shades before she stiffly nodded.
I knew it!
Bianca cried out in her heart.
If even Senior Bronya needs to participate in this proving ground to increase her strength, then this time I must... Ah, this is really nerve-wracking... With so many masters gathered here, can I really secure a victory?
No, I can't give up!
Bianca felt her blood begin to boil!
Yes, I'm fired up!
Bronya had no idea that the Bianca standing in front of her was currently hyping herself up into a battle frenzy. She only felt that the depression in her heart had finally dissipated a little.
As for where that depression came from...
Go ask Kiana!
...
Kiana had found out about Bronya going to school yesterday afternoon.
"I'm so bored—"
Kiana lay sprawled on the living room sofa, flipping through a book she had swiped from Shu.
Shu and Mei had taken Rice Cake to Otto for a checkup. After all, Rice Cake had a brand-new core inside her body, and Shu went along specifically to ensure Otto didn't pull any funny business.
The two of them wouldn't be back anytime soon.
For some reason, Rice Cake had become incredibly clingy toward Mei, completely ignoring Kiana and Shu in favor of circling Mei all day long.
And Mei completely spoiled Rice Cake in return. This human-cat dynamic actually gave Kiana a profound sense of crisis.
She was here first! How could she lose to a cat?!
She refused to accept this! she was going to study in secret and then blow Mei away with her brilliance!
...Exactly three pages later, Kiana abandoned the idea of studying, slapped the open book over her face, and let out a long, dramatic sigh.
Studying is pure torture... Thank god Mei put my tutoring sessions on hold for now.
She definitely wanted to go back to the past, but if possible... could she just skip the whole 'going back to school' part?
No?!
Fine... I guess I'll just have to endure the pain and keep working hard for the resurrection of civilization.
Right at that moment, Bronya pushed the door open and walked in. She looked a bit shell-shocked, tightly gripping a freshly issued admission letter in her hand.
Kiana instantly smelled blood in the water. Peeking out from under her book and locking onto her target, she popped off the sofa like a coiled spring.
"What's that?!"
The stunned Bronya snapped back to reality and, without changing her expression, hid the letter half an inch behind her back.
"It has nothing to do with idiot Kiana."
"Eh? But we're an inseparable team!" Kiana was already right in her face.
Her absurd dynamic vision was sharp enough to track a Herrscher's attack trajectory. Did Bronya really think a piece of paper could slip past her eyes?
She tilted her head, recalling the brief glimpse she had just caught.
Then Kiana's eyebrows shot up to a height Bronya was entirely too familiar with.
It meant trouble was about to descend.
"Admission? School? Going to school?"
Kiana repeated the words three times, her voice getting louder with each repetition.
Bronya's brow twitched.
Kiana had already plastered a highly unethical smirk on her face.
"Bronya is going to school?" She grinned cheekily, resting her hands on her knees and bending down to bring her eye level perfectly even with Bronya's. She used a voice so cloyingly sweet it would have instantly petrified the absent duo.
But to Bronya, it just sounded like nails on a chalkboard.
"Oh my~ So it turns out we actually have a widdle~ kid~ who needs to go to school in our squad~"
Bronya pressed her lips into a thin line. "Bronya is no longer a child. Bronya is an operative who has completed multiple high-risk missions."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kiana stood back up, linking her hands behind her head, and sighed with the tone of a seasoned veteran. "And now our elite operative has to wear a backpack, raise her hand to speak in class, go home and do homework at night, and get the teacher to call her parents if she bombs a test—"
"Bronya does not bomb tests," Bronya coldly interrupted her, but interrupting at all was already a loss of composure.
A flaw!!
Kiana precisely seized on this.
She twisted her body, sidestepping to Bronya's other side, tilted her head, and looked up at Bronya's face from below, as if she had just discovered a new continent.
"Aww, is Bronya actually really sensitive about this?"
Bronya fell dead silent.
This was a trap.
Admitting it was impossible. Bronya would never bow her head to the evil Kaslana forces.
But what if she argued that she wasn't sensitive about it?
Then Kiana would just say, "If you don't care, why are you getting mad?" How was she supposed to counter that?
Since when did idiot Kiana have this kind of scheming capability?
Trapped by an idiot's snare. Bronya felt there was no greater sorrow in life than this.
But—she was the Silver Wolf of the Urals, Bronya!
"Kiana snuck into the fridge last night and ate the pudding saved for Shu, didn't she?"
Kiana's smirk instantly froze. Her eyes went wide as she stared at Bronya in utter disbelief.
Even Shu didn't know about that!! She thought she had pulled off the perfect crime, waiting until everyone was asleep...
"Bronya, you stayed up late playing games under the covers again, didn't you!!"
"Bronya will recommend that Sister Mei cuts Kiana's dessert ration in half." Bronya completely ignored Kiana's accusation, taking her admission letter and walking right out of the living room, leaving Kiana behind to let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Although she had successfully shut down Kiana's attempt to make fun of her, she was still deeply depressed about having to go to school.
But now, seeing a child-sized Bianca standing there in a daze with a backpack on, Bronya actually felt a sense of camaraderie.
Exactly! She wasn't the only "child laborer" in Fire-Moth. Strictly speaking, even Sister Mei and idiot Kiana were still minors.
If Fire-Moth ever opened a high school or university division, none of them would escape!
"Why the hell does this Great One have to go to school too?!" A highly indignant voice suddenly rang out nearby.
The voice was incredibly recognizable—shrill, arrogant, and full of a blustering aggressiveness.
Bianca and Bronya turned the corner and saw Sin Mal leaning against the wall, arms crossed, angrily stomping her little leather shoes against the floor. Her short, two-toned pink and purple hair puffed up slightly, reflecting her agitated mood.
Standing opposite her was Seele, her hands clasped delicately in front of her, leaning slightly forward. Her expression held a patience so gentle it bordered on holy.
"Because... you can learn a lot of things at school," Seele's voice was soft, like a lullaby. "And Sin is very smart. You'll definitely adapt very quickly."
"Who wants to adapt to this crap!" Sin gave Seele zero face, aggressively spitting to the side.
"Pfft." An undisguised snicker came from Rozaliya nearby.
She was standing with her hands on her hips about three paces away from Sin—a safe distance that would give her enough time to run away if Sin tried to "murder" her.
"Liliya, Liliya! So even Sin is scared of going to school? I thought Sin wasn't afraid of anything! What's wrong, is idiot Sin scared of failing her exams?"
A vein visibly throbbed on Sin's forehead.
"Idiot Rozaliya," Liliya said deadpan from beside her, her tone as flat as a weather forecast. "Sin is going to kill you."
"No she won't!" Rozaliya tossed her head with absolute confidence. "Sin might look super mean, but she's actually a tsunde—OW—!!"