"Bronya, would you like to try a mascot costume? A bunny or a bear?"
Mei asked half-jokingly.
Bronya shook her head.
"Bronya prefers Homu over bunnies or bears"
That being said, it would be quite boring to bring up this topic in this context.
"Hmm... Surprisingly, we share the same taste as the director"
Himeko said meaningfully.
"It's a shame Theresa isn't here"
"Mmm... after all, Director Theresa still looks like a child" Mei nodded.
"Hey, hey... is it really okay for you to badmouth your director here? Don't you have anything better to do" Tian Shi commented.
"Hua"
"Yes, Master"
Fu Hua clasped her fists in salute.
"Please give your orders"
"Go and give these girls some extra training"
I have a feeling that if we keep talking like this, Theresa will catch us red-handed.
And... the previous topic was a bit dangerous, wasn't it? Is rope underwear something you can just talk about?
Why didn't you show me in secret... cough cough?
"Yes"
Fu Hua also felt that the previous topics had gone a little too far, and since this was a rare order from Tian Shi himself, Fu Hua did not beat around the bush and led the two little ones away, one in each hand.
Well, strictly speaking, Mei is no longer considered "little".
Besides Himeko, Mei was the tallest among those present.
Yes, the tallest in every way.
"Someone's taken a liking to her"
After Fu Hua dragged Mei and Bronya away, Himeko said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Tsk tsk... rope... that kind of vibe"
"Why don't you go and practice a little more too?"
Despite being exposed, Tian Shi remained unfazed and threatened.
"Or maybe we could get Ragna to come back and demonstrate how to wear a black silk maid outfit without underwear?"
"Hey... how did Captain Ragna get involved in this?" Isn't this suggestion a little risky?
Letting the Captain wear those clothes...
"I don't think the Captain would agree to such an unreasonable request"
"Wouldn't Miss Ragna want her team members to be treated unfairly in Anti-Entropy?"
"That's all I would say"
"Are you some kind of unscrupulous boss out of a manga?"
Himeko sighed, rubbing her forehead.
Although it was a joke, thinking of my Captain... wow, her already excellent looks plus the added benefit of her personality.
That is extremely dangerous.
"But why bring up this topic suddenly?"
"Perhaps after careful consideration, Himeko, you are not really suitable for a maid outfit?"
Tian Shi stroked his chin and began to seriously reflect.
"You surely won't call me 'Dog Sama' in a sickly sweet voice, right?"
"Not really... cough, maybe"
To be fair, it's not that you can't say it, but admitting it directly is kind of embarrassing.
No, it's even embarrassing to think about it.
"Aren't you embarrassed to be called that in such a sweet and sickly voice? I get goosebumps just thinking about it"
"But embarrassment and pleasure are not mutually exclusive"
"..." What you said makes so much sense that I'm speechless.
"Then you thought of the Captain..."
To be fair, when their own Captain is in the zone, she actually might call Tian Shi that.
After all, their own Captain is a bit like that in some respects.
When I first saw my Captain on my hospital bed, my first thought was of a maid café, and then Ragna severely corrected me.
Then, less than three years later, she and Tian Shi caught their Captain at a maid café...
Meanwhile, Tian Shi inexplicably thought of Rita.
After all, when it comes to the person with the best maid service... Rita is definitely the one.
If I remember correctly, Rita was studying the monkey black stockings thing before I simulated her.
From another perspective, isn't the void actually simpler?
Void Rita... cough cough, stimulation in every sense of the word.
However, this idea can only be kept hidden for now, as Rita is currently in a state of "amnesia".
And even after the simulation ends... it's still somewhat difficult to bring up in various ways.
"By the way... Tian, you wouldn't have cosplayed Lady Reanna before, would you?"
"How did you come up with this idea about Reanna?"
Tian Shi's expression became strange as his thoughts returned to the present.
"Hmm... Because Lady Reanna seems to have a loyal dog personality?"
Himeko replied, stroking her chin.
"No, Reanna has nothing to do with loyal dogs or anything like that"
Tian Shi joked.
"Reanna, I guess... has her own righteous path? But she is a loyal knight"
"Is that so?" Himeko asked with deep skepticism.
"Yes... Isn't Reanna always the one who handles everything seriously?"
"But she will also protect and indulge you, right?" Himeko hit the nail on the head.
"Otherwise, you should be in charge of the whole Anti-Entropy right now, right?"
"Ah... I think so too?" Tian Shi couldn't refute this point at all.
"So, have you two ever cosplayed?"
"Obviously not"
Tian Shi tapped Himeko's head in an annoyed tone.
Why is Himeko's thought process a little off lately?
"Then, with whom have you done something similar?"
Hmm... it seems like there really isn't anyone?
Tian Shi pondered for a moment and then shook his head.
"That's the truth; I've never cosplayed with anyone"
"Hmm... that really raises suspicion"
"I think you're just bored" Tian Shi sighed.
"You'd better find something to do"
"What could I do?" She's been incredibly free lately, hasn't she?
No, I should say I was very inactive for the last four years.
All I needed to do was prepare classes.
"Women who do nothing are truly terrifying"
Tian Shi sighed from the bottom of his heart.
In his opinion, Himeko was simply bored.
Hmm... but speaking of problems...
"By the way, Himeko, how are you feeling?"
"Huh? I'm doing very well" Himeko tilted her head.
"Last month I even faced two Knight-level mutant monsters one-on-one... What's wrong?"
"Even if you have artificial stigmata, you must take care of your health"
Tian Shi assessed Himeko.
To be honest, Himeko is not the kind of person with talent; Honkai energy compatibility has always been a big problem.
"Mmm... health?" Hearing Tian Shi talk about serious matters, Himeko also became a little more serious.
"I don't feel any erosion or anything like that"
"Haven't you checked the recent test records and physical exams? Everything is normal"
"Hmm... that's good"
After confirming that Himeko was not just making excuses, Tian Shi nodded.
That's right.
By his own actions, Himeko should have suffered fewer injuries than in the original timeline, and her mindset is also better.
After all, mindset can affect physical function.
"To be honest, shouldn't we be the ones worrying about the Captain and the others?" Himeko shrugged.
"I have basically withdrawn from the front line"
"The Captain and the others... were recently taken to the Arctic by Lady Reanna"
"The Arctic? To fight a polar bear?" Tian Shi really didn't know about this.
"Hmm... I guess so?" Himeko pulled up a photo on her phone.
The image above shows Ragna taking a selfie with one hand around a polar bear's neck.
It could be seen from Ragna's radiant smile that she was enjoying it.
Yes, the big bear next to her looks as if it has been harmed in some way.
"There are still many photos left"
As Himeko scrolled her fingers, a series of creative group photos of the senior team members and the polar bear appeared before Tian Shi's eyes.
Some were holding polar bears, others were lying on the backs of polar bears, and some were even wearing polar bears as a "cape" over their bodies...
Looking at it this way, Ragna is, as always, the most normal on the team.
"So they really went to fight polar bears?" Tian Shi's lips twitched.
"Isn't this animal cruelty?"
"Huh? No, it's the same one"
"The Captain and the others sent it after training" No, it's not one or two, it's...
Well, to summarize, life is tough for bears, and I feel sorry for them.
"Fine, you guys are really something" Tian Shi rubbed his forehead.
"Is anyone feeling ill?"
"No, they're all fine"
"Maybe they've even stopped having their period"
"You really have a sharp tongue"
Fun fact: a woman's menstruation gradually stops after 45, which is called amenorrhea; the meaning of Himeko's words is evident.
"Aren't your seniors on average more than three years older than you?"
"What did you say?" Himeko pouted.
"Not everyone has the opportunity to pass to the next phrase; it applies to both men and women" That is a truly cruel statement.
So cruel that Tian Shi wanted to share it with Himeko's seniors.
"Well said, I will relay it to Ragna when I have the chance"
"I was wrong!" It goes without saying what would happen if these words reached the ears of the older generation.
It's easy to imagine that when they return from the Arctic, they will open Himeko's door in the middle of the night and then put a sack over her head.
Besides... Himeko is probably aware of how much hatred she has within her own team.
After all, he was the only "real" member of the original assault team.
Faced with resentful seniors blocking the door in the middle of the night, even if I had three heads and six arms, I would have to kneel...
Himeko was terrified just thinking about it.
"So, besides fighting polar bears, what else are they doing in the Arctic?"
"Ah, this is the content of Lady Reanna's extreme training"
Himeko and Ragna seem to exchange information quite often, which is better than Tian Shi, who is a hands-off manager.
However, to be fair, Tian Shi's decision to be a hands-off manager was simply because he knew he couldn't compare to Edison in terms of business acumen.
Well, although now I have a little desire not to get carried away by this mess.
"Extreme training... I think it's more like going on a picnic..."
"After all, we are all Valkyries, but, then again, I don't think Lady Reanna would let her superiors go on a picnic"
Himeko reflected for a moment and then said.
"And the Captain is also a strict instructor... Wait, why are you looking at me like that?"
"...It's nothing" Tian Shi couldn't say that he wanted to cause trouble for Himeko, could he?
If you really cause trouble, you will lose all future benefits.
"By the way, when will the clothes arrive?"
"Around half a month"
Ah, men.
"Aha!" Ragna rubbed her nose.
"I feel like someone is badmouthing me behind my back..."
In the Arctic, Ragna, dressed only in a short-sleeved shirt, rubbed her arms.
Although a Valkyrie is physically strong, she still feels cold in this icy and snowy environment.
"Could it be a cold?"
Reanna approached Ragna with two steaming cups of coffee in her hands.
"Drink it while it's hot, otherwise it will cool down soon"
"Using Honkai energy for insulation... Sir, you are truly extravagant"
"Thank you" Ragna took the coffee and drank it.
"However, I don't think it's a cold"
"Maybe it's that brat Himeko talking bad about me"
"Ha... Himeko, it's been a long time since I saw that child" Reanna smiled; she was the type of person who remembered all her subordinates.
"If I remember correctly, the Alliance Leader is with that child right now, isn't he?"
"Ah... yes"
That's what makes it so annoying.
However, it is better not to show this attitude in front of Lady Reanna.
Speaking of which, what is the relationship between Lady Reanna and the Alliance Leader?
"Um... Lady Reanna, you and the Alliance Leader...?"
Ragna blurted it out on her own, but then regretted it a little.
"Me and the Alliance Leader?" A smile flickered in Reanna's turquoise eyes.
"What do you think is my relationship with the Alliance Leader?"
"Ahem... I apologize for being so presumptuous" Ragna said with some awkwardness.
"Not at all, such a small question is not presumptuous" Reanna smiled slightly.
"My relationship with the Alliance Leader... could it be described as a fusion of spirit and body?"
"Eh... ah?" Wait, wait, wait, isn't this word a little sinister?
Although Ragna is already twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, she is undoubtedly a complete novice when it comes to relationships; well, the whole team is.
"Why are you so surprised? Haven't you seen how I felt when the Alliance Leader possessed me?"
"Ah... that's true" Ragna wasn't sure what expression to wear.
What about the physical fusion of body and soul...?
"So, you and the Alliance Leader are soulmates... or something like that?" To be honest, this is the first time Ragna has seen a physical fusion of body and soul.
"Haha... this statement really seems very easy to misinterpret"
Reanna couldn't help but laugh at the strange expression on Ragna's face.
"But if we talk about soulmates, I'm not even in the running... well, although what those children are really looking for is the fusion of flesh and spirit"
Reanna thought of the factions within her organization that had split over Tian Shi, it was truly absurd that the reason for the faction conflict within an organization was so meaningless.
However, Reanna herself was happy to see this happen, after all, such a "harmonious" faction is something rare in the history of humanity.
"If I had to describe my relationship with the Alliance Leader... perhaps I would just say that I follow him?"
"Perhaps?" Ragna asked, somewhat bewildered.
"After all, some things are difficult to explain in a few words... If you really don't understand, you can say that my relationship with the Alliance Leader is that of soulmates, the truth is that I don't dislike that kind of statement"
"..." This kind of statement is truly difficult to accept.
"Very well, let's move on from the topic" Reanna looked at Ragna with a half-smile, as if she could read her thoughts.
"The Headquarters has developed a batch of equipment suitable for Valkyries, which has just arrived"
"Have the team members come and try it"
"Yes, Sir" Ragna saluted.