Seeing this scene, Theresa was greatly shaken. An image of a duel between masters from "HOMU's Cultivation Chronicle" flashed through her mind, and she secretly wondered if her assessment of Ming Yu had been too low.
With a touch of curiosity, Theresa reached out a small hand to catch a petal. The moment the light red petal landed in the Principal's palm, it immediately transformed into a gleam of sword light and cut a shallow gash on her delicate little hand.
"Ah~" Theresa cried out softly, immediately clutching her hand and retreating a few steps, completely distancing herself from this dangerous battlefield.
Outside the Stigmata Space, Himeko looked at the two incredibly calm figures on the hospital beds and said to Kiana with a deadpan expression, "So this is what you meant by a major incident."
Although her face was calm, Himeko was roaring internally. If it weren't for this sudden phone call, I could have scheduled my vacation for the next three years, gotten a two-fold salary increase, and while I'm at it, gotten the two years of back pay that a certain Principal owes me.
I'm the captain of the Far East Branch's 5th Squad, Captain of the Hyperion, and a special instructor at St. Freya High School. I'm working three jobs, so I should be getting three salaries, right? Even though the 5th Squad and the Hyperion are linked, that's no reason for the branch chief to dock my pay!
But a certain stingy Principal only pays me one salary! Don't think I don't know that the docked money has all been turned into manga, all collector's editions, and she buys five copies of each!
Faced with the indifferent Aunt Himeko, Kiana's heart tightened, and she explained, "There... there really was a major incident just now, Mei can prove it!"
"Right, Mei?" Kiana looked at Mei pitifully, her eyes pleading as if her life was in Mei's hands.
Mei sighed softly. Kiana's brain really wasn't working right; Teacher Himeko was obviously angry about something else. But she still went along with Kiana and prepared to explain.
Just as Mei was about to speak, Himeko waved her hand and said, "Alright, I know what happened. For now, we have no way of getting information from inside the Stigmata Space, we only know that some anomaly has occurred, right?"
Bronya nodded, agreeing with Himeko's analysis.
"Since there's been an anomaly, something must have happened inside. Whether it's good or bad, it means they're not far from coming out. There's nothing we can do right now but wait quietly for them to emerge," Himeko continued, her tone becoming more resolute. "Don't be fooled by the Principal's appearance. She is, in fact, one of Schicksal's rare S-rank Valkyries. She'll be fine!"
Despite saying this, Himeko's gaze shifted to Ming Yu, who was lying nearby. The joyful expression he had before entering the Stigmata Space had been bothering her ever since.
*I hope you don't do anything out of line. Otherwise, no matter the cost, I will never let you go!* Himeko vowed silently in her heart.
At this moment, Kiana realized Aunt Himeko was just teasing her. A surge of anger rose in her heart, and just as she was about to say something to get back at her, the HOMU helmet on Ming Yu's head on the hospital bed suddenly shattered.
Although the HOMU-shaped helmet was cute, it was packed with various electronic components. As the helmet shattered, these components scattered everywhere, littering the floor.
Bronya's face instantly turned cold as she watched the shattered HOMU helmet. She glanced at the equally stunned Himeko, and a question popped into her mind—the school should reimburse this, right? After all, this thing had taken a lot of her effort to make, and the quantity was limited.
Sharp-eyed Kiana noticed the pink hair and rabbit ears revealed after the helmet shattered and immediately cried out, "Ming Yu... he's turned into a rabbit!"
Mei and Bronya also looked at the transformation on Ming Yu's head and were greatly shocked. This appearance was almost identical to a certain shrine maiden they had met in Nagazora.
Himeko, however, looked at the mutated three-magatama pattern on Ming Yu's forehead, then at Theresa's body, comparing it with the Stigmata on her back. Her heart sank, and doubts arose, but she ultimately couldn't understand what had happened.
The detail-oriented Mei noticed that Ming Yu had still not regained consciousness and also saw the strange pattern on his forehead. She wondered, "The connector is already broken, but Ming Yu's spirit hasn't returned. Is it related to the pattern on his forehead?"
Bronya looked at the pattern, a three-magatama design on the inside and a cherry blossom on the outside, and was also greatly puzzled. Although Ming Yu's spiritual anomaly was certainly related to this change, she couldn't explain it either.
Just then, Kiana stealthily crept forward, came to Ming Yu's side, and extended her sinful hand towards the tall, erect rabbit ears.
Noticing Kiana's action, Mei was startled and couldn't help but marvel at Kiana's audacity. She quickly shouted, "Kiana! What are you doing!"
"Hmm? Just wanted to touch them. Don't you guys want to try?" Kiana said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "You won't figure anything out just standing there anyway. Instead of thinking aimlessly, it's better to just touch them and see."
At this excuse, Mei's expression froze. She surprisingly couldn't find a reason to object.
"Mmm..." Bronya looked at the ears, her heart also tempted. She suddenly felt she was losing control of her hands. *Ming Yu is unconscious right now anyway, he won't know if I touch them just once, right?*
Seeing that no one objected, Kiana let out a mischievous giggle. She glanced at the still-unconscious Ming Yu and was about to continue her unfinished business.
Suddenly, the boy on the bed's eyes shot open, and a gleam of sword light flashed from them.
Kiana was instantly startled and couldn't help but take a few steps back, looking into Ming Yu's eyes.
She discovered that the boy's pupils were no longer their usual black, but a deep purple. Though they lacked focus, they were filled with endless Honkai Energy, and a sharp sword light flickered in their depths.
Kiana had no doubt that if her hand hadn't stopped, that sword light would have definitely left a deep impression on her.
*It's just a little touch, why be so stingy!* Kiana grumbled to herself, but she didn't dare to reach out again.
As Ming Yu opened his eyes, intense waves of Honkai Energy radiated from the Stigmata on Theresa's back and the Sakura of the Far Shore on Ming Yu's forehead. The entire room was gradually engulfed by the Honkai Energy overflowing from the Stigmata Space. Various electronic instruments went dark one after another, rendered useless. Only the special device for detecting Honkai Energy concentration flashed a warning red light, indicating that the intensity of this Honkai Energy was unusually high.
The concentration of Honkai Energy in the room rapidly increased. The air became thick and viscous, making even breathing difficult.
Among the four who were still conscious, Himeko had the weakest Honkai resistance. Of the other three, two were Herrschers, and one was the product of a special Anti-Entropy experiment. She was the one who suffered the most in this environment.
The abnormal Honkai Energy concentration forced Himeko to clutch her chest and leave, only feeling slightly better after moving far away from the two on the beds.
"What on earth... happened?" Kiana asked in a daze, looking at Ming Yu's purple-glowing eyes and then at the unresponsive electronic equipment.
"This intensity..." Leaning against the other side of the room, Himeko's expression became incredibly grim. "There's no mistaking it. This is a Herrscher-level Honkai Energy reaction. What in the world did they encounter in the Stigmata Space!"