"Hnngh..!! Ah…" Kiana grunted as she stretched her body, her bones cracking loudly.
"Gruu~" Her stomach growled, the toll of battle finally catching up to her.
"Hehehe… Kiana must be pretty hungry," Mei said, looking at Kiana, who scratched her head in embarrassment.
"Hehehehe… Fighting those monsters and the Class Monitor really made me hungry, Mei~" Kiana replied, grinning.
Bronya, who had been silently standing beside them, chimed in flatly, "Subject Kiana is always an idiot."
"What was that, Bratnya?" Kiana's left eye twitched as Bronya stared at her, a faint smirk threatening to show through her usual blank expression.
"Alright, you two, stop fighting. Goodness, you both act like children bickering over a single candy," Mei sighed, though a small smile still lingered on her face as she watched them.
"Mei, if you keep sighing like that, you might get old, you know," Oberon teased from beside her.
Mei puffed her cheeks and turned to him. "Oberon, that's not how you talk to a lady."
"Hahaha, sorry Mei. I just can't help it—after all, you've been sighing nonstop lately, and you know, I can't let this moment pass by." Oberon smiled playfully at her.
Just then, Oberon stumbled forward as something heavy landed on his back—then another weight piled on top.
"Oof! You—" He turned his head, only to see Kiana piggybacking him, with Bronya perched neatly above her.
"Go, Oberon, go!" Kiana shouted like a commander, while Bronya nodded solemnly from her "throne."
"Get off! You two are heavy—" Before he could finish, Kiana immediately locked her arms around his neck, cutting his words off.
"What was that, Oberon?" she said in a dangerously sweet tone.
"G-gah… I-I mean, please get off my back, M'lady!" Oberon gasped, frantically tapping Kiana's shoulder.
"Good! Then go! I'm starving, so my noble steed must gallop faster to the dorm!"
"Hehehe, you two should come down now. You're making Oberon struggle to walk," Mei said, taking Bronya down.
"Hm! Okay, Mei!" Kiana quickly jumped off Oberon and clung to Mei's arm instead, humming happily as they walked.
"Subject Oberon, let us proceed," Bronya said, grabbing the edge of his moth-like robe like a child clinging to her father.
"Goodness… alright, Bronya." Oberon sighed, but his smile softened as they followed Mei and Kiana toward the dorms.
By the time the four arrived, it was already six in the evening, and the sky was bathed in moonlight.
"Alright, you two. Behave yourselves while I'll go take a bath first before preparing for dinner," Mei said with a smile, walking toward the bathroom still in her combat suit.
"Mei, let me join too!" Kiana shouted, immediately dashing after her—followed by Mei's startled scream.
"Denied. I cannot allow Idiotka to be alone with Sister Mei, or Sister Mei may be in danger," Bronya declared before running in after them. A mix of screams and muffled thuds echoed through the bathroom
"Goodness…" Oberon muttered, shaking his head as he moved to the kitchen.
He began gathering ingredients: raw chicken, vegetables, and seasoning. Taking a knife in hand, he carefully positioned the blade over the meat—
Knock, knock.
Just as the knife touched the board, a soft knock came from the door. Oberon set the knife down and opened it.
"My, pleasant evening, Mr. Oberon."
It was Rita—still wearing that ever-serene, unreadable smile.
"Well, who would've thought? Miss Rita herself," Oberon said with an amused smile, stepping aside to let her in.
Her gaze lingered briefly on his face before she replied, "Indeed. Madam Theresa has invited me to stay at St. Freya for the time being. Naturally, I couldn't refuse her kindness."
"I see. Oh well, please make yourself at home. Though it's not entirely my dorm, you're welcome nonetheless." Oberon smiled as he returned to the kitchen, picking up the knife once more and resuming his work with quiet precision.
Naturally, Rita—ever the diligent maid—couldn't remain idle. Her steps were light, graceful, and soon she stood beside Oberon at the counter.
"Unfortunately, a maid such as myself cannot stand still in a single place, Mr. Oberon. Allow me to help you—think of it as a small token of gratitude for letting me in." Rita's voice was smooth as silk, her smile impeccable. She reached for the extra knife, twirling it elegantly in her fingers before setting to work on the vegetables.
"May Rita inquire," she continued with a playful glint in her eyes, "what dish Mr. Oberon plans to make?"
"A chicken soup, fried chicken, and perhaps a simple heavy meal to follow," Oberon replied, his tone calm yet deliberate. "Kiana needs something nourishing—she burns through her energy faster than a collapsing star."
Rita chuckled softly at his words. "Fufufu, such care for them. How admirable."
"Ah, it's merely my duty as their friend," Oberon replied, his knife slicing neatly through the meat with mechanical grace. "Though, I admit, it feels… comforting."
Their hands moved in unison—Rita's knife rhythmically chopping vegetables, Oberon seasoning the meat with precise flicks of his wrist. The air filled with the scent of herbs and sizzling oil, accompanied only by the faint clinking of utensils.
"You handle the knife quite elegantly, Miss Rita," Oberon said, glancing sideways with a faint smirk.
"My, coming from you, I'll take that as high praise," Rita replied with a knowing smile, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. "But I could say the same, Mr. Oberon. Your cuts are clean—like those of someone who has held more than just kitchen tools."
"Haha… well, I've had my fair share of handling things sharper than knives," Oberon said lightly, his eyes glimmering with amusement.
"Oh? Then perhaps I should be careful not to lose a finger," she teased, though her tone carried a trace of genuine curiosity.
The two continued their silent dance in the kitchen—Rita stirring the pot of soup while Oberon coated the chicken with breadcrumbs. Occasionally, their hands brushed when they reached for the same spice or utensil, yet neither commented on it. Only the faintest smile curved Rita's lips whenever it happened.
After a while, the aroma of cooked dishes began to fill the room. The golden-brown fried chicken rested neatly on a plate, the soup simmering to perfection beside it.
"Looks wonderful," Rita said softly, watching Oberon ladle the soup into bowls.
"Indeed. All thanks to your help, Miss Rita. Perhaps I should hire you as my assistant chef."
"Fufufu~ I fear Madam Theresa might protest if I were to abandon my duties just to assist a charming gentleman such as yourself."
"Ah, then that would be quite the tragedy," Oberon said dramatically, placing his hand over his chest in mock sorrow.
Rita laughed quietly—an elegant, melodic sound that contrasted the hum of the kitchen.
Just then, the bathroom door slid open as Mei, Bronya and Kiana came out. Wearing a bathrobe,
"FOOOOD!" Kiana shouted, she ran towards the table and immediately sat on the chairs, holding the utensils, followed by Bronya and Mei.
"Oberon… you should've waited for me to prepare the dinner and…" Mei trail her gaze to Rita who bowed courteously,
"Pleasant evening, Miss Mei." Rita only gave her a smile and a polite nod.
"You too, Miss Rita." Mei also smiled at her, before taking his gaze back to Oberon.
"You don't have to worry Mei, Miss Rita help me with the preparation so you should relax and eat before the food gets cold."
Mei looked at them before reluctantly agreeing, smiling at Oberon, "thank you, Oberon." Before taking a seat.
The dining hall echoed with laughter — Mei's gentle chuckles, Kiana's boisterous giggles, and Rita's amused sighs blending into one warm, fleeting harmony.
At the center of it all was Oberon, his silver tongue sparking jest after jest, drawing even the ever-composed Mei into soft laughter. Naturally, once Mei laughed, Kiana was determined to keep her smiling — no matter how terrible her own jokes were.
But as time stretched thin, the echoes of joy began to fade.
Now, only the clinking of dishes filled the room — Rita washing quietly while Mei helped clean the chaos Kiana had left behind. Even Bronya and Kiana themselves pitched in, though mostly to undo their own mess.
"How nauseating."
The words slithered from the dark corner of the room, low and cold. Oberon sat there, his once gentle eyes now veiled in frost.
A butterfly perched upon his finger — delicate, serene — until he crushed it without hesitation. The fragile wings scattered into black mist, twisting and writhing into a miasmic insect that fell to the floor.
He crushed that too, twisting his heel with quiet disdain.
"Tch." His tongue clicked in the dark as he turned away, retreating into his room — a space devoid of light, where even his silhouette was swallowed whole.
Peace fell over St. Freya. The moon hung high, draping its pale light across the sleeping campus. Cold air drifted through the trees — serene, untouched, almost sacred.
But the world is neither savior nor sinner. It simply is — and balance is never without its price.
"BANG!"
The earth split with a thunderous roar. Alarms screamed through the night, flashing red lights painting chaos across the dorm walls.
Smoke. Fire. A storm of ice and lightning erupted above St. Freya — snow fell like ash, and blizzards howled where calm once lived.
"ALERT! ALERT! ALL STUDENTS, PLEASE EVACUATE! REPEAT— ALL STUDENTS, EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!"
Dorms burst with noise as students fled in panic.
Mei, Kiana, and Bronya bolted upright, their bodies moving on instinct. They rushed to the balcony, and there —
the sight stole their breath.
The once-pristine St. Freya Academy lay buried beneath snow and smoke, buildings half-collapsed and burning under a frozen sky.
"This—!" Mei gasped, shielding her face from the biting wind.
"What happened here?!" Kiana's voice trembled, shielding Mei from the blizzard's wrath.
"Project Kiana! Big Sis Mei! Ahead of us!" Bronya shouted, pointing forward. Her eyes locked onto a distant, monstrous silhouette through the storm.
"That's—!"
"A Honkai Beast?!" Mei and Kiana said in unison, disbelief cutting through their fear.
Bronya's voice faltered, realization dawning. "No… not just a Honkai Beast. That's Emperor-class — Parvati."
The name alone froze the air around them.
An Emperor-class in St. Freya? Impossible. Yet the ground quaked under its steps, proving denial meaningless.
"Big Sis Mei, Kiana— we have to move!" Bronya grabbed their hands, urgency replacing fear.
"Right!"
"I understand!"
They ran — through rising smoke and falling snow, their feet pounding against trembling floors.
But as Mei reached for the exit, something gnawed at her chest. A missing presence.
"Oberon?!" she blurted out. Her heart seized.
Just as she turned, a gale exploded. Half of the dormitory shattered in an instant, swallowed by wind and debris.
"Mei!"
"Big Sis Mei!"
Kiana and Bronya clutched her arms before she could run toward the destruction.
"Oberon is still inside! Let me go, Kiana! Bronya!" Mei's voice cracked, raw with desperation.
But Bronya, ever logical, knew the truth — and chose mercy through lies.
"Big Sis Mei… Project Oberon was not in his room. He must have evacuated already."
It was false. Yet necessary. I'm sorry, Big Sis Mei, Bronya thought, her grip tightening.
Kiana met Bronya's eyes and nodded grimly, hoisting Mei into her arms.
"I…" Mei tried to speak, but the roar drowned her voice.
The blizzard parted—
and there it was.
The beast. Covered in luminous white lines, its azure hide gleaming like crystalized hatred. A towering boar, its tusks dripping frost.
"ROOOAAARRR!!!"
The Parvati charged, its monstrous body plowing through walls and impaling unlucky students who couldn't flee in time.