Over the past few days, Hikari Aoi had been searching for ways to obtain friendship points—but to no avail.
Recalling how, in the game, using a friend's Valkyrie in battle would grant friendship points, Hikari Aoi couldn't help but feel that perhaps he should become good friends with Otto Apocalypse.
Of course, that was just a joke.
There was only one Hyperion, and reality wasn't like the game where identical Valkyries could exist in multiples. Hikari Aoi believed that the method of obtaining friendship points likely lay with Kiana and the others—but for now, he had no legitimate reason to approach them.
Unlike Tachikawa Academy, whose student dormitories were located off-campus, the dormitories of Senba Academy—where Kiana and the others studied—were within the school grounds. As an outsider, Hikari Aoi had no way to openly visit them.
And it seemed to be a girls' school.
With no progress for the time being, Hikari Aoi continued exploring the virtual interface. After repeatedly trying keywords like "Ai-chan," "Lingyi Girl," and "Dawei," he confirmed that his system truly had no recharge function.
So, aside from attending classes, he spent his days doing physical training in hopes of improving his combat ability.
Without professional guidance or real combat experience, the results were minimal.
But at least it wasn't meaningless.
Today was Saturday—
The day Hikari Aoi was to report to ME Corp for his internship.
Even after gaining a bit of power, Hikari Aoi still planned to go.
Not because he coveted the fairly generous internship salary—
But because of ME Corp itself.
In the game, ME Corp was part of Anti-Entropy. The powerful Titans produced by Anti-Entropy were, in the eyes of many players, even stronger than Valkyries. Unless a Valkyrie's level and equipment far surpassed them, at equal levels—
A Titan could take a Valkyrie's attack without much issue.
But if a Valkyrie took a punch from a Titan—
It would either mean instant death, or something very close to it.
In addition, ME Corp was capable of producing purple-grade weapons.
For Hikari Aoi, who currently only possessed a single two-star Stigmata, this was the greatest potential source of support he could access.
Of course, he didn't expect ME Corp to hand such weapons to a mere intern like him.
His real plan—
Was to search for them in the abandoned ME Corp building after the Honkai descended.
Furthermore, the former president of ME Corp, Raiden Ryoma—who had been imprisoned a year ago due to a financial scandal—was none other than Raiden Mei's father.
With the identity of an ME Corp intern, it would likely be easier for Hikari Aoi to come into contact with Raiden Mei in the future.
…Probably.
The towering skyscraper of ME Corp was imposing, blocking out even the sunlight from above.
If all of Nagazora City were filled with buildings like this, its citizens might never get a full view of the sky.
Fortunately—
The surrounding buildings weren't as grand.
Although after Hikari Aoi received the invitation letter, a few well-meaning classmates had subtly reminded him that the major scandal from a year ago had severely damaged ME Corp's reputation, and that he didn't need to be overly fixated on becoming an employee—
At least from appearances, ME Corp still retained its former prestige.
After entering through the main doors, Hikari Aoi found the receptionist and presented his internship invitation, explaining his purpose.
Under her guidance, he walked through the building for a while before arriving at the third floor.
"This will be your internship location. For now, your job is to organize some of the company's internal documents. Once you become more familiar with the work, other tasks will be assigned."
Looking at the young boy in front of her, the receptionist pursed her lips slightly, then added a kind reminder:
"Each area of the company is separated. Employees from different departments are not allowed to enter other areas without authorization. Please keep this in mind. If you violate the rules, you may lose your chance of becoming a full-time employee."
"Thank you, I understand."
Seeing Hikari Aoi nod, the receptionist smiled gently and left the office.
It was a single-person office.
Only Hikari Aoi was there.
As for his tasks and requirements, they were already displayed on the electronic screen next to the computer.
The workload wasn't heavy, nor did it require much technical skill. After all, Hikari Aoi was only a first-year student at Tachikawa Academy. ME Corp didn't expect much from a high schooler—they were simply assigning him work according to standard procedures.
This arrangement would last for three years.
After graduating from high school, Hikari Aoi could officially join ME Corp as a full-time employee. Alternatively, he could choose to delay employment and pursue higher education first.
But Hikari Aoi had no intention of staying here for three years.
After all—
The Third Honkai Eruption would definitely occur before that.
For now, he wanted to see whether the documents ME Corp had assigned him to organize contained anything of value.
As he browsed through them, he found that none were particularly confidential. Aside from basic information, they mostly detailed business collaborations between ME Corp and other companies that didn't require secrecy.
The ME Corp branch in Nagazora City wasn't the headquarters—it was just a regular branch. The current president had never even visited.
And the purple-grade weapons Hikari Aoi had imagined…
There was no way they would be stored in such a minor branch.
Among the vast sea of documents, the only thing that gave Hikari Aoi some gain—
Was the discovery that the upper floors of this ME Corp building contained a weapons research lab.
Even if there were no purple weapons—
There should at least be a blue one, right?
Every time Hikari Aoi thought about the only Stigmata he currently possessed—Selena (Top)—and remembered his glorious past in the game, where "blue Stigmata were only for collection, and most purple ones were barely useful," he couldn't help but feel a quiet sense of sorrow.
Silently memorizing the limited information about the building's layout, Hikari Aoi glanced at the time and packed up, preparing to leave.
As an intern, he didn't have to work overtime like full-time employees. His tasks were relatively light.
Walking along the designated route out of ME Corp, he could still see many employees busily at work.
The current ME Corp—
Was bustling and full of life.
But when the Honkai descended—
This place would likely be abandoned in an instant.
Hikari Aoi let out a quiet sigh as he stepped out of the building, walking farther and farther away.
Now—
It was time to do something important.
To estimate when the Honkai would descend.
To prepare in advance.
Hikari Aoi planned to investigate the current condition of Raiden Mei, who should already be studying at Senba Academy.
Since Senba Academy was a girls' school—
He might have to make use of his above-average physical abilities…
And sneak in over the wall.
This matter was of great importance.
It was absolutely not a perverted act.
There was no need for doubt.
Hikari Aoi was—
Fighting for all that is beautiful in this world.