"I never expected to return to the Far East in this state."
Himeko, who looked somewhat more serene than before, stepped off the plane.
"Is this what they mean by 'things have changed, but the people are no longer the same'?"
"Who knows?"
Tian Shi sighed softly next to Himeko .
"Speaking of which, who is that blonde lady who came to see you off before you boarded the plane?"
Himeko asked curiously, suddenly remembering something.
"Big sister... could your way of asking be less direct?"
Tian Shi was left somewhat speechless.
This time, he left quietly, concealing his achievements and fame; the only people who truly knew about his involvement were Joyce, Welt Yang, and Reanna.
Speaking of which, why is it always Reanna?
The loyal knight princess is, indeed, useful.
"However, regarding our relationship, I would say we are friends."
"You have quite a few friends."
Himeko couldn't help but sigh.
"But, on the bright side, maybe Dad is tormenting some beautiful woman... or even Mom's reincarnation? But if that's the case, shouldn't we call the police?"
Himeko's words were a way to find joy amidst the difficulties.
"First, we'll pay our respects to Mom, then we'll handle the preparations for Dad's funeral... By the way, are you really a guardian angel or an omen of doom?"
"I am so sorry."
"No, it was just a casual comment, don't take it to heart."
Himeko said, waving her hands repeatedly.
"Although we haven't known each other for long, I know you are a good person... Eh, good ghost, sorry, I made an inappropriate joke."
"It's alright, if that makes things easier for you."
Tian Shi said, dismissing the joke.
"Come on, you lead the way, and I'll pay my respects too."
...
Click...
After the memorial service ended, Himeko used her key to open the door to her house.
"Cough, cough!... There is so much dust. Dad hasn't cleaned the house since I left... No, more accurately, he probably hasn't even been home."
Amidst the rising dust, Himeko covered her mouth and nose helplessly, complaining.
Himeko now seems completely prepared to embark on a new life.
Although only she knows her true thoughts.
"One moment, I'm going to look for where Dad threw the mop."
"Since I'm here, I'll lend a hand; the place is such a mess it's pitiful to look at."
However, Tian Shi had sharp eyesight and found the broom.
"Let's start with the brooms. How about we each take care of one floor?"
"Okay, no problem."
Himeko nodded and then went upstairs on her own initiative; upstairs were mainly bedrooms, so, naturally, she had to start tidying her father's belongings from the top.
It is reasonable to assign the downstairs living room to Tian Shi.
"But remember not to move too fast, lest you activate the teleportation."
"I know..."
...
Seriously, everything has vanished in an instant.
Himeko, with a broom in her hand, went up the stairs with her face full of emotion.
"In just two or three days, I felt like I had lived through two or three years of events, and before I could assimilate everything, I was suddenly faced with the prospect of having to trust the spirit I had just met."
As Himeko swept the floor, she recalled the corners of her house that held her memories.
"A family photo... toys we played with as children, models my father made when he was in school... and a safe?"
Suddenly, Himeko noticed something she didn't recognize.
When was this safe built?
Himeko timidly entered a password... and it opened.
"My dad always uses my birthday or my mom's birthday as the password, how unoriginal!"
Himeko shook her head sadly and then looked at the contents of the safe.
"What are these? Work documents?"
Himeko frowned as she took the documents out of the safe.
"Schicksal... Honkai... Valkyrie... Wait, what is all this?"
Himeko rubbed her temples.
"Is this some kind of chuunibyou novel draft?"
No, it's not that.
Himeko 's intuition told her that what looked like a fantasy was very likely true.
My father is not so childish as to forcibly keep a novel draft that is terribly embarrassing in a safe.
"I'll ask Tian."
He is the only person I can fully trust now.
...
"Yes, it is true."
Tian Shi took a look at the document in front of him and nodded in approval.
"A monster called Honkai lurks in this world, constantly threatening it; it may sound like a shonen manga, but it is completely true. Your father was a scholar who studied the Honkai."
"Then Dad..."
"Investigating the Honkai inevitably leads to being corrupted by the Honkai,"
Tian Shi said calmly.
"Seriously... fighting the Honkai...?"
Himeko touched the document in her hand thoughtfully.
"I want to join Schicksal, just as you said, to follow in my father's footsteps, but I would prefer to become a Valkyrie."
A fire lit up in Himeko's eyes.
"Tian Shi, you have a method, right?"
Did she ask the Anti-Entropy Leader if he has a way to join Schicksal?
Of course... yes.
Although it seems a little strange, isn't this the right path for Himeko?
"Yes, if you have talent, Schicksal will take you."
No power refuses to have more talented personnel.
"Talent? That definition is too broad, isn't it?"
Himeko frowned slightly.
"It's quite broad, but not difficult; for example, your previous goal was to get a doctorate."
"Isn't this taking too long?"
Himeko frowned.
She was very aware of her limitations.
To be a doctor, she would need at least three or four years.
The courses needed to continue her studies could not be completed in a short time.
"If you are willing to change course, one year is enough for me to train you to get a doctorate."
A confident smile appeared on Tian Shi's face.
"I don't understand aerospace engineering, black hole thermodynamics is a 'new' discipline that only appeared in 1972, but if we remove the word 'black hole', engineering is a piece of cake for me."
"Could it be that you are actually quite smart? A brilliant student?"
"What do you think, Himeko ? You should know that knowledge is power. Would you like to change course? It's not about giving up your current subject; you can learn it when you have the opportunity in the future."
It would be a waste for someone with a doctorate to enter Schicksal and become a Valkyrie.
"Do you want to learn?"
"Of course, I do!"
She is not giving up on her dreams, so Himeko had absolutely no reason to reject Tian Shi's suggestion.
But... this world is truly amazing.
A ghost is teaching a university student how to get a doctorate.
A perfect blend of feudal superstition and modern science.
...
Once the events surrounding Murata Ryusuke were concluded, while checking his belongings, Himeko gained information about Schicksal and solidified her new goals.
Shortly after, the preparations for Ryusuke's funeral were completed, his commemorative headstone was placed in the ancestral grave, and Himeko began to focus on mechanical engineering.
Regarding living expenses, there has been no problem thanks to Reanna's care; the only drawback is that Reanna considers it a waste to send Himeko to Schicksal to become a Valkyrie.
Coincidentally, Tian Shi also thought so. Why not create a shell company and pretend it was Schicksal?
However, Himeko was not foolish; in fact, she knew the truth.
But of course, given Reanna's current relationship with Himeko, perhaps she can convince her? After all, Reanna has been supporting her lately.
If we directly address the issue of Anti-Entropy's investment, it is inevitable that Himeko will have other ideas.
So, after much back and forth and various concerns, Reanna gave up.
After all, her ambitions were elsewhere, and Ryusuke's death was related to Anti-Entropy.
Soon after, with Tian Shi's help, Himeko began publishing articles in international journals.
Thanks to Himeko's talent and Welt Yang's valuable help, she successfully obtained her doctorate.
"The next step is to find a way to join Schicksal, right?"
Himeko was euphoric upon receiving her degree; in a way, she had broken Professor Einstein's record.
Although Himeko knew she had taken a shortcut.
"That's right, but if you're willing to seek contacts, you certainly can,"
Tian Shi said seriously.
Oh my goodness! The Anti-Entropy Alliance Leader is preparing to guide one of his people to join Schicksal!
Welt Yang's face twitched as he watched the two people in front of him discussing how to join Schicksal.
"Well... if it's about joining Schicksal, then I do know something about that."
Welt Yang couldn't take it anymore and spoke.
"In recent years, Schicksal has expanded its Valkyrie recruitment. The simplest way is to go directly to the headquarters in Vienna for an interview; if you have the right aptitudes, you will be able to pass."
Wait a minute, won't he become a sinner forever for having brought the leader of his own alliance to the brink of death with this action?
"Is it really that simple? Doesn't this style feel a bit strange?"
"Yes, it is that simple. Due to the severe shortage of Valkyries that Schicksal has suffered in recent years, some branches in different regions have opened their doors to recruit Valkyries."
Welt Yang adjusted his glasses.
"But I must mention that the Valkyrie casualty rate is unusually high."
"Well, in that case, let's buy tickets to Vienna."
Himeko seemed not to have heard Welt Yang's last sentence at all.
"Truly, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger."
However, with Tian Shi nearby, Himeko undoubtedly has the confidence to be fearless.
...
All this is a mess.
"Name."
"Murata Himeko."
"Age."
"Sixteen."
"Sixteen... well, what about your academic qualifications?"
"Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from Caltech, USA."
Huh... sixteen years old?
The Valkyrie in charge of the interview looked astonished.
"Good."
"Doctor of Philosophy?"
"Yes, this is my university degree."
Himeko obediently handed over her university degree.
"Check it again."
The Valkyrie, who was conducting the interview, handed the university degree to the clerk next to her, and shortly after the test results were known.
"Real."
The clerk and the Valkyrie exchanged strange looks.
Is she a doctoral student playing Valkyrie? And on top of that, a sixteen-year-old genius with a doctorate?
Beep beep beep!
At that precise moment, the phone next to the clerk rang, and she answered quickly.
"Huh? Approved? But the interview isn't over yet, there's a medical exam later... Yes! I understand!"
The clerk's confused tone suddenly turned serious, and it was not difficult to imagine that someone must have given a firm order during the call.
"Miss Himeko, you have been directly admitted, please go through this door."
After hanging up the phone, the employee, immediately adopted a look of bewilderment, observing Himeko as she spoke.
"Direct admission?"
Himeko was also somewhat disconcerted at that moment.
"It's like a pie falling from the sky,"
Tian Shi said disdainfully from the side.
This sounds like sarcasm, right?
Although Himeko's initial goal was to be accepted, a look of unease appeared on her face.
"According to the usual procedure, they will also ask you questions such as whether you have experience in martial arts, how many people are in your family, and whether you have a boyfriend."
After the questioning, several physical examinations would be performed... but now all of that has been omitted, and everything feels strange.
However, since things had reached that point, Himeko was not one to back down.
She directed a look at Tian Shi, pushed the door, and entered.
"Good afternoon, Miss Murata."
After walking down the long corridor, in the lounge at the end, a white-haired woman with an orange eye patch was waiting for Himeko .
"What? It's Amber,"
Tian Shi murmured.
In this situation, he unconsciously assumed it was Rita, but it's still a long way before Rita becomes a Valkyrie.
Rita will not be rescued from the Honkai Impact until next year, and the following year, in 2008, when she is thirteen years old, she will begin her Valkyrie training.
There is a five-year age difference between her and Himeko.
"Good afternoon... May I ask why I came directly here?"
Although the other person was very kind, Himeko was still a little worried.
Speaking of which, is this woman named Amber? It's quite a nice name.
"Please relax, Miss Murata, I don't intend to harm you; after all, you are Doctor Ryusuke's daughter... But, may I ask what is the reason for your visit to Schicksal?"
"Me? I want to continue my father's legacy... but in my own way, by becoming a Valkyrie."
"Becoming a Valkyrie..."
Amber's tone was inexplicable.
"You seem to be serious?"
"Yes, I am serious."
"That's fine."
Amber nodded and turned to look for something.
"By the way, miss, do you know the cause of my father's death?"
"I don't know, I'm just a secretary."
After a brief silence, Amber shook her head.
"If you have truly decided to become a Valkyrie, please sign this document."
"What is this...?"
This file does not look good.
In this atmosphere, it feels like she is offering me some kind of demonic pact.
"It's nothing strange, just a consent form for an artificial Stigmata transplant surgery."