"Well... he's a very impressive person. Much more impressive than me, anyway."
Kira Shigure lowered her head and whispered.
As she spoke, a joyful mood uncontrollably bloomed in her eyes.
To Cecilia, a veteran in these matters, it was clearly the expression of a young girl experiencing the first taste of love.
Because she had once been the same.
Impressive?
Cecilia could count on one hand the number of men who could be described as impressive by an S-rank Valkyrie.
It was none other than the leaders of the three major organizations.
Otto was impossible, the Anti-Entropy Sovereign even more so, and then there was that mysterious Lord of the World Serpent.
Excluding those three possibilities, the only one Cecilia could think of was the Kaslana family. But besides Siegfried, the Kaslana family hadn't produced a decent warrior in a long time.
From this, one could deduce that Kira Shigure's sweetheart was not in Schicksal, not in Anti-Entropy, and certainly not in the World Serpent.
No, no. Cecilia came to her senses. For a young girl in love, she would naturally see her sweetheart through a thick filter, even if he wasn't that impressive. So it was possible that Kira Shigure was just over-imagining things.
In reality, the person might not be strong, or perhaps his forte wasn't combat, but something else.
Ahem...
Something else. Cecilia's cheeks flushed red, and she expertly calmed herself down.
"Oh, a person who little Shigure calls impressive. I'd really like to see him for myself. Would it be convenient for you to bring him to my house for a visit this weekend? I'll check him out for you!"
Cecilia hugged Kira Shigure, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"This..." Kira Shigure didn't make a promise.
Cecilia was puzzled. "What's wrong? Is he not in Europe?"
Kira Shigure shook her head. "Not only that, he might not even be in this world."
Cecilia: "Someone from a Bubble Universe?"
Kira Shigure: "Something like that."
Cecilia: "Little Shigure, you..."
An expression of shock involuntarily appeared on Cecilia's face. Her gaze towards Kira Shigure became incredibly complex.
Falling in love with someone from a Bubble Universe was not something a Schicksal Valkyrie should do.
Although on the surface...
Not everyone from a Bubble Universe could leave it and go to another world. And Kira Shigure had many ties in this world, as did the person she liked.
Once the novelty wore off, no one would be willing to leave their home. So would Kira Shigure follow him, or would he follow her?
If she went, Otto would definitely not agree. All the resources spent on cultivating an S-rank Valkyrie would be gone just like that.
He would surely take some necessary measures to prevent Kira Shigure from leaving Schicksal.
So the only choice was for him to come over.
During the honeymoon phase, he hadn't appeared by Kira Shigure's side. It seemed that was his answer.
"Alright, alright, Captain, you don't need to worry too much about me. It's just that it's hard for me to keep these things to myself. I'm not telling you because I want your help, just to relieve some of my own psychological pressure."
"I never expected him to come to my side. After all... he has a very important mission that he has to complete."
"I'll go back when he needs me. If he doesn't, I'll just wait here."
"Until his mission is over, or the day he needs me."
Kira Shigure closed her eyes and let out a heartfelt, foolish smile, revealing two sharp little canine teeth.
When would they meet again? She didn't know. Maybe they never would.
Even if they did, what she would get might not be the joy of reunion, but the fear and crisis under the dual pressure of disaster and the Bizarre.
But even so, Kira Shigure was still looking forward to it, looking forward to their next reunion.
What kind of expression would Li Mo have then?
Cecilia: "..."
Cecilia shook her head slightly, a barely perceptible, wry smile on her face.
This child had fallen hard.
If not for Schicksal's ideological education, Kira Shigure would have probably left Schicksal long ago to be with her sweetheart.
She didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
What had Kira Shigure experienced in her last few missions?
Cecilia thought the answer lay there.
Suddenly, Cecilia changed the subject, turning the conversation to another person: "By the way, little Shigure, I heard you took on a student with low aptitude and made her your designated assistant. Is there a reason? Schicksal has many Valkyries with good aptitude, why not choose them?"
Assistant?
Kira Shigure thought for a moment.
It was Saori Tsuruyu.
"Emmm... there's no other reason, really. She has relevant work experience, and her brain works faster than mine. She's my external brain," Kira Shigure said her reason candidly.
Cecilia: "But work experience can be gained just by going on a few more missions, right? If you personally lead a team, many people can gain mission experience."
Kira Shigure: "No, the work I'm talking about is quite special. Ordinary people can't complete it, let alone get experience alive..."
The death rate of paranormal events, for ordinary people, was ridiculously high. Once you go in, you might as well not plan on coming out alive.
Trap after trap, death rule after death rule.
To stay alive, you couldn't trigger a Bizarre rule; to know the Bizarre rules, you had to find clues and related intelligence; to find related clues, you would almost inevitably come into contact with a ghost or a rule.
It was almost a vicious cycle. Under normal circumstances, there were few survivors, let alone those who could stay alive, remain clear-headed, and analyze calmly.
Her personally leading a team?
Wasn't the incident at St. Freya High School her personally leading a team? In the end, they were almost wiped out on the first day.
"Oh? Were those the few special missions the Bishop dispatched you on?"
"Yes."
"Is it convenient for you to disclose them?"
"This... I'm sorry, Captain. I think it's best for you not to come into contact with these things. Knowing about them won't do you any good, it will only bring you bad luck, so please don't ask again, really."
Kira Shigure's expression was serious, she spoke to Cecilia word by word, earnestly.
She really didn't want Cecilia to get involved with the Bizarre. After all, that guy had said that being tainted by contamination was absolutely not a good thing. Those who got involved with the Bizarre never came to a good end.
It was fine for ordinary people. If they lived for too long, they would just cause trouble.
Seeing Kira Shigure so firm for the first time, Cecilia didn't press her further.
"I'm going to leave Schicksal HQ for a while to clear my head. The Overseer gave me a year's vacation. Captain, call me if there's an urgent mission."
Kira Shigure stood up, quickly left the training ground, and prepared to go to the city below the floating island, where she had bought a small house.
Given her current situation, it was best not to stay in Schicksal for too long, or it would be easy for others to discover the strangeness of her body.
Kira Shigure paused, placed her hand on her lower abdomen, her cherry-red lips moved, and finally turned into a faint smile.
Cecilia sat where she was, lost in thought.
---||---
"Hiss... so cold."
Night, in a small forest, a rustling cold wind blew, sweeping through the treetops and brushing against Li Mo's uncovered body.
"Wait... cold?"
Li Mo froze for a moment, suddenly realizing something.
He, who was approaching the Bizarre, even if he could feel the cold, wouldn't express it.
Sensing something was off, Li Mo looked down and was instantly dazed.
"Holy shit, why am I naked!"
"No, wait, why do I feel ashamed? I've died so many times, I shouldn't care about human ethics anymore..."
"Where am I?"
Li Mo looked left and right, finding himself in a remote forest. At least for now, no one was approaching.
Why was he here? He should have been in the haunted manor...
Li Mo sighed heavily, calmed himself down, and tried his best to stay cool.
Only by being calm enough could he rationally analyze the cause and effect.
"To escape the Knocking Ghost's pursuit, I held Kanagawa's hand and entered the area of the ninth room, but that area obviously has a special suppressive effect on ghosts."
"But what does that have to do with me coming here?"
For a moment, Li Mo's judgment reached a stalemate. He didn't know which world this was.
Was it the Prime World he was most familiar with? Or the world where the haunted manor was, or another world he had been to before.
Of course, it was also possible that it was a plane he had never set foot in.
No matter what, his primary task was to confirm his location and how to get back.
But before that, Li Mo needed to check his own state.
"The Bizarre pistol and the thermometer didn't come with me. What about the notebook? It's not here either..."
"My clothes and the Bizarre items on me didn't come, so is this a physical transmigration, or a soul transmigration?"
Li Mo looked at his left hand. The Sprout-enhanced left hand was still there, and he could faintly feel its ominous presence.
"The Sprout-enhanced left hand wasn't lost, probably because it's bound to me. But to use it, I have to die at least three times."
"I can't use it now. I can't feel the Bizarre aura. The contamination on me has been cleared."
"What on earth happened? What strange rule did I trigger?"
Li Mo fell into deep thought. Even after experiencing so much, being forcibly transported to another world during a ritual, this was a first.
Because the rules of the Bizarre and their corresponding prices and effects were related.
Li Mo couldn't figure out which ghost in the haunted manor, which rule was related to forced transmigration.
"..."
"I remember now."
Li Mo suddenly came to his senses. After his head cleared, he remembered the last moment before his consciousness dissipated.
A voice echoed in his mind—
"I made a choice I deeply regret."
After that, he lost consciousness.
But combined with Li Mo's investigation of the haunted manor, his tentative entry during the day, and the fact that he arrived without clothes and his contamination was cleared,
Li Mo judged that it was very likely his soul was extracted, washed, and then sent to any world.
Although the flow of time in different worlds was different, the difference wouldn't be too great.
He had to find a way to get back as soon as possible...
"A choice I deeply regret"... I have many regrets, one more won't make a difference.
Whether it was a prophecy or not, this sentence would be the main consideration for Li Mo's subsequent actions. After all, it was the last thing he remembered before his consciousness faded.
It was very likely a memory of a ghost he had glimpsed after triggering a rule.
Li Mo stood up. The moment he took a step, he couldn't help but look left and right.
No one...
Fortunately, he wasn't directly teleported to a bustling street, or he would have really died of social embarrassment.
"Sigh, I might as well have died a few more times and let human ethics disappear from my mind. I won't be coming back to this world anyway."
Li Mo sighed with a bit of resignation. He had no precedent for returning to a world after dealing with the Bizarre, because there was no need.
The most urgent task now was to find a set of clothes, then gather intelligence about this world, and think about the fundamental reason why he was here.
There was a fire not far away, a remote small village.
It was late at night. Most people living in the countryside wouldn't stay up late, as they had to wake up early for work the next day.
Li Mo moved under the cover of darkness, quickly sneaking to the only house with clothes hanging out to dry.
"Sorry, it's an emergency. I'll come back to compensate."
---||---
Two hours later, Li Mo reached the top of a mountain. Looking out, the town was not far away.
No, it was more of a metropolis than a town.
The lights were brilliant, neon lights scattered like stars on the dark ground, twinkling nonstop.
After leaving the forest, Li Mo entered the bustling city. Fortunately, it was late at night. The streets that were bustling during the day had become sparse, with only a few vehicles on the road.
Most of the shops were closed. Plus, with the dark night, Li Mo put on a hat and pulled the brim low. His out-of-place attire didn't attract too much attention.
After half an hour of observation, Li Mo finally confirmed one thing.
This world had a Schicksal organization, because he saw Schicksal's emblem on some tall buildings.
This meant the enterprises belonged to Schicksal.
Combined with the time he saw on the large screen in the square.
If nothing unexpected happened, it should be the time after the end of the Third Honkai Eruption, when the main characters were enjoying a beautiful life at St. Freya.
Why does this time seem so familiar?
Li Mo didn't think too much about it. The original plot could only be a reference at most. In fact, the normal development of many worlds was far from the original plot.
So a reference was a reference, it could never be the standard answer.
But the question was, what was he supposed to do now?
Li Mo was at a loss.
He really couldn't figure out why the rule outside the ninth room would send him here. He couldn't even figure out the way back.
Was he really going to be trapped in this world forever?
"The only clue I can think of right now is that sentence I heard during the consciousness... no, probably a higher-level soul transfer, before the soul transfer—'I made a choice I deeply regret.'"
"So do I just need to make a choice I regret to go back?"
Li Mo glanced at the clothes on his body. He already regretted it very much.
So an ordinary regrettable choice couldn't let him return, nor could it trigger the rule.
"A choice I deeply regret?"
"..."
"..."
Li Mo's pupils contracted. He stretched out his hands, a reasonable yet strange thought appearing in his mind.
"A coincidence?"
"Not a coincidence."
"The contamination on my body has been completely cleared. Whether it's temporary or not, at least for me now, I can fully feel the emotions I had as Li Mo at the very beginning."