"Haah... haah..." With the battle finally over, Ming Yu couldn't help but collapse onto the ground. He hadn't had time to treat the wound on his leg, and the continuous bleeding had stained a large patch of his clothes, making for a rather miserable sight.
"Hey! Are you alright like this?" Theresa ran to Ming Yu's side and shouted, a hint of worry in her eyes.
"Haah... I'm holding on, just a little tired," Ming Yu said, panting, a trace of fear lingering in his heart.
This was only the second floor, and the Jotun's Mad Wolf wasn't even that strong of an enemy, yet he had nearly capsized. If that last Mad Wolf hadn't gone crazy and lost its senses, he would have been in a much worse state.
His combat experience was still too lacking. Once he faced an unfamiliar enemy like this, it was easy for problems to arise. If that assassin-type Mad Wolf hadn't insisted on a frontal assault, defeating it would absolutely not have been so simple.
But the issue of combat awareness couldn't be solved in a short period of time; it could only be built up through years of training. Even if Sakura of the Far Shore could compensate for some of his shortcomings, he was still at a disadvantage in this aspect.
When facing a powerful enemy, this flaw was enough to create a fatal opening.
Theresa naturally didn't believe Ming Yu's words. She suddenly lifted his pant leg, revealing the gruesome wound beneath. Three long gashes were spread across his calf, the flesh torn and rolled back. In the depths, some necrotic black tissue had even begun to appear.
"The wound is already like this, and you're still trying to be tough!" Theresa said in a somewhat reproachful tone.
"Ah..." Ming Yu scratched his head awkwardly. "It's actually not as serious as it looks. My recovery ability is very strong, it'll be fine in a bit."
If he had had time to treat the wound and hadn't been constantly fighting, it probably would have been mostly healed by now. Unfortunately, the burst of power from "Flash" and the subsequent entanglement had only worsened his injury, leading to this state.
However, Ming Yu wasn't too worried. After all, this was just a Stigmata Space. With enough Honkai Energy, these injuries could be healed. If this were reality, it would be a huge problem, and there would also be the risk of turning into a Honkai Zombie.
Higokumaru didn't say anything, but simply landed on Ming Yu's shoulder and gently nuzzled his cheek with her small head. Although they came to the Tenshukaku to help Yae Sakura, it was ultimately related to her. Seeing Ming Yu injured, how could she not be concerned?
"Nonsense!" Theresa naturally didn't believe this excuse. "Can't you just..."
She had wanted to say "Can't you just be more careful?" or "Can't you just be more cautious?" or something along those lines. But then she remembered that Ming Yu was, after all, just a trainee, and as the Principal, she couldn't participate in the battle. What more could she ask of him?
To be ambushed by two high-level Honkai Zombies in a place like this, even a B-rank Valkyrie without her battlesuit would inevitably suffer some losses, let alone a mere trainee.
"Huh?" Ming Yu looked at Theresa with some confusion. What did she mean by stopping mid-sentence?
"It's nothing. Just bear with it for a moment." Theresa picked up Sakura Fubuki from the side, intending to debride the dead flesh for Ming Yu. Although the blade wasn't sterilized, after fighting for so long, it was still spotless, and even faintly glowed with a crimson light. It must be an extraordinary item, so it should be fine without sterilization.
"What... Hiss!" Ming Yu was still enjoying the little fox's affection when a heart-piercing pain suddenly shot up from his calf, making him involuntarily suck in a breath of cold air.
"I'm just cleaning the wound. Look at you!" Theresa glanced at Ming Yu, who was trying his best to endure, and said casually.
Ming Yu immediately glared at Theresa, dissatisfied. He hadn't expected it to hurt so much. The feeling of a blade scraping through his flesh was not pleasant. Not only did he have to endure the physical pain, but the psychological aspect was also hard to bear. The thought of a knife scraping around inside his body made him shiver.
Seeing Ming Yu's pained expression, Theresa found it a bit amusing, but she held back her laughter and sighed softly, "Is it worth it?"
"It's not about whether it's worth it or not," Ming Yu said, stroking the little fox's head and giving her erect fox ears a gentle squeeze. The texture was indeed very good. "It's just that I have to do what I promised."
Higokumaru's little face turned slightly red as her ears were pinched. She let out a soft whimper but didn't struggle, her four tails just wagging and wagging behind her.
Shaking off the blood on the blade, Theresa then cut off a large piece of fabric from the hem of Ming Yu's clothes, tore it into long strips, and bandaged his wound to stop the bleeding.
Watching Theresa's practiced bandaging technique, then looking at the large chunk missing from his own clothes, and finally at Theresa's long skirt, Ming Yu sighed silently. *What am I thinking? How could the Principal possibly cut her own little skirt? I was too naive.* Fortunately, the hem of this outfit wasn't short, so it didn't matter too much.
As if noticing Ming Yu's gaze, Theresa's face also turned a little red. She explained, "I just cut what was convenient. At worst, I'll get you a new school uniform when we get back. You can pick any style you want."
*Anyway, it can be charged to the school's expenses, so I don't have to spend my own money. It won't affect me buying HOMU manga and dolls,* Theresa mused.
Ming Yu stared at Theresa's slightly red face without saying a word. After a long while, he sighed as if resigned to his fate.
Unfortunately, Ming Yu was still too naive at this point. It was only when he received a thick winter uniform a few days later that he would understand that "the Principal's dignity is inviolable."
"Alright," Theresa said, tying a knot over the wound and dusting off her hands.
Ming Yu glanced at it. The wound was well-bandaged. Although simple, it served its purpose. It was a pity she didn't tie a little bow at the end; he'd have to give it a bad review. But then again, considering the strips were torn from his own clothes, it was probably for the best that there was no bow.
"Let's rest here for a while. We'll go to the next floor when your wound has healed," Theresa said as she stood up, her tone leaving little room for argument.
Ming Yu nodded without objecting. In an consciousness space like this Stigmata Space, the flow of time was not the same as in the outside world, so there was no need to worry about running out of time. Besides, Jizo Mitama wasn't going anywhere, so they weren't in a hurry.
He looked around. The room was devoid of any furniture, unnervingly clean. There were only red candles lit at the edge of the room, but they hadn't burned down at all after all this time.
Ming Yu didn't find it strange. This place was the little fox and Yae Sakura's domain; Newton's laws didn't apply. The only thing he cared about was that the floor was getting uncomfortably hard after sitting on it for so long.
The little fox, however, seemed to have read his mind. She found some cushions from somewhere, allowing them to take a short rest.
Theresa glanced at Ming Yu, hesitated for a moment, then took out a rice ball the size of a human head and reluctantly handed it to him, saying, "Here, eat something to recover your stamina."
Ming Yu didn't refuse and accepted it with thanks. He was indeed a bit tired after fighting for so long, so a rice ball would be good.
But, where did Theresa pull that rice ball from? Can you even hide something like that on your person?
While munching on the rice ball, Ming Yu looked suspiciously at the Principal, who had just pulled out another rice ball. However, Ming Yu felt it was probably best not to pursue this question.