"New technology? What you're saying is useless to me. Although I'm the head of the Far East Branch, I don't understand technology."
"Of course not. If that were the case, I wouldn't have come to you. And I don't want to deal with your grandfather, the Archbishop of Schicksal. I think you should understand why."
Takatsuki shook his head and said: "What I'm about to show you is a power derived from the most primal human instinct, a miracle hidden within the human body: Hamon!"
"Hamon?"
As Theresa was feeling curious, she saw Takatsuki take a deep breath, and a brilliant golden light bloomed in his palm.
She cautiously shielded herself with Judah before realizing: "No Honkai Energy reaction? This isn't Honkai Energy? How did you do that?"
No matter how Theresa looked, Takatsuki's hand had no mechanism that could emit light.
Takatsuki didn't explain. Instead, he turned to look around, fixing his gaze on the nearby fish tank. Then he extended his index finger and touched the surface of the water in the fish tank.
Theresa clearly saw something golden, like lightning, engulf the fish tank. Then, with just one finger touching it, without even grasping it, he lifted the fish tank.
No! He wasn't lifting the fish tank! He was lifting the water inside it, and even the goldfish in the water were unaffected.
"This is! How did you do that!?"
Theresa couldn't comprehend how Takatsuki had done it. After all, she didn't detect any Honkai Energy reaction, and the fish tank was her own, so it couldn't have any hidden mechanisms.
Theresa even ran over and put her hand into the water, then withdrew it after the goldfish were scared away by her hand.
She looked at the water stains on her hand and fell silent.
"This is Hamon, also known as Ripple. Its principle is to generate 'ripples' in the blood through a specific breathing rhythm, producing power. Just as dropping a stone in water creates Ripples, a special breathing method will also generate Hamon within the human body, thereby producing powerful strength."
Putting the water back into the fish tank, Takatsuki looked at Theresa: "The power of Hamon is not very destructive, but it is not a power of slaughter. Rather, it comes from the vitality of the body. Hamon can alleviate pain, prolong life, and slow down aging, so even at a very old age, one won't appear old."
"Oh, you, Director, don't need this point, but other girls would probably care a lot."
Theresa, who was originally struggling to understand Takatsuki's words, immediately flared up when she heard the latter part: "So, discussing a woman's age is a big taboo!"
She let out a long breath: "But this is all just your side of the story. I haven't seen the other effects you mentioned."
Theresa is playing little tricks now, too, Takatsuki thought silently.
"That's true, but the powers I've mastered by traveling the world are not just this one. The other has a visible effect."
Takatsuki silently switched his character card: "Hamon is for extending the lifespan of Valkyries, so this power is for increasing their survival rate. I call it Armament Haki!"
"Come on, attack me, Theresa!"
Takatsuki's arm instantly turned black, enveloped by Haki.
"Attack? Alright!"
Whether it was to settle a personal score or not, Theresa directly pulled a spear from Judah and thrust it towards Takatsuki.
Clang!
The spear rested against Takatsuki's palm, unmoving, without even scratching his skin.
"This is Armament Haki. Haki is a power derived from a person's willpower and spiritual strength, materializing it. Armament Haki can increase defense and destructive power, and it can also be conducted through the human body to objects."
After blocking Theresa's attack, Takatsuki plucked a leaf from a nearby potted plant. The leaf instantly turned black, enveloped by Haki, and then used as a blade to cut into the flowerpot.
The originally fragile leaf actually tore a smooth cut into the flowerpot, as if it had been sliced by a sharp blade.
"This is the increase in destructive power. How about it?"
Theresa returned the spear in her hand to its place: "So, this is your bargaining chip? Then, since it's a trade, what do you want?"
"Let me tell you first, the Far East Branch doesn't have money. If you want money, you'd better go find Grandpa."
Takatsuki chuckled: "Do I look like someone who cares about money? I only have three demands."
"Firstly, you are not allowed to hand us over to Schicksal Headquarters. Because we came here not for Schicksal's reputation, but for this Far East Branch established by Cecilia's will, and for you."
Takatsuki still remembered the common saying he often heard in his previous life: you can trust Theresa's character, but you can't trust Theresa's intelligence.
So he had to agree in advance. Basically, as long as they agreed, Theresa wouldn't break the agreement.
"That's naturally not a problem. Since you are students of St. Freya, protecting the students is my duty as Director. What's the second one?"
"Secondly, you are forbidden from informing Otto about my situation. You can find an excuse and just say I'm an ordinary person who can use Hamon and Haki."
Actually, Takatsuki had exposed quite a few things along the way to gain the upper hand. If he were in front of Otto, his background might have been completely guessed. However, he felt much more at ease with Theresa and Himeko. It wasn't that he looked down on their intelligence, but Otto was simply too monstrous, too cunning.
"That's also not a problem. What's the third one?"
"The third is, Mei and I don't want to live in the dorms!"
"Where will you live if not in the dorms? It was agreed that someone must supervise you, and you can't leave this island."
Takatsuki shook his head: "What I mean is, I need you to build a villa for us to live in. Of course, I have no objection to whoever you arrange to live with us, as long as everyone has their own room. Even if you, Director, personally move in, there's no problem."
"Hah! A villa?!"
Theresa immediately jumped up: "This Director doesn't even have a villa! St. Freya Academy doesn't have such a building. Do you know how long it would take to build one starting now!"
"With Schicksal's technology, it should be finished within a week."
Seeing Takatsuki's relaxed demeanor, Theresa gritted her teeth: "Do you know how much it would cost if we used Schicksal's technology? The Far East Branch doesn't have that much money."
"I think, if you sell Hamon and Haki, no, even if you just give Hamon to your grandfather, or perhaps not even sell it, just give it to him and act a little spoiled, how much money you want wouldn't matter, would it?"
Hearing Takatsuki's words, Theresa thought seriously for a moment. As someone in her forties, Theresa had no psychological pressure about acting young, and even less about acting spoiled.
After all, her appearance was only twelve years old, and Otto always looked the same.
"Alright, I agree, but I also have a request and a question."
It's good that she agreed, Takatsuki breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he had once read posts online that integrated the background of Honkai Impact 3rd to understand the protagonist's background. Otherwise, with his habit of skipping game story intros, he really wouldn't have found a topic to create this sense of mystery.
"The request is normal, what is it?"
"I want you to be a teacher at St. Freya, responsible for teaching Hamon and Haki! Anyway, the previous request only said you should join, not that you had to be students, right?"
Theresa looked smug, as if she had gained some advantage.
"A reasonable request, I agree. And the question?"
Theresa's gaze instantly changed: "You and Cecilia..."