The morning sunlight filtered through the portholes, casting mottled shadows across the floor.
When Fuli woke up, the space beside him was completely empty. Only the faint, lingering scent of cold plum blossoms served as proof of his Master's stealthy late-night visit.
The boy leaned against the headboard, spacing out for a while. Then, he got up, cleaned up the chaotic traces scattered around the room, and changed into a clean set of casual clothes.
According to his plan, today was the day Fuli would begin individually visiting and thanking all the friends who had lent him a hand during the Living Planet incident.
His first stops were naturally the Schicksal and Anti-Entropy factions stationed on either side of the Hyperion's dock. However, before heading out, he had to host two special guests.
In the equipment enhancement sector, the Starforge emitted a low hum, its surface rippling with deep blue energy light.
"Whoa! Is this the super-furnace from the ads that can fuse and upgrade different equipment?"
Yuno stood on her tiptoes, enthusiastically examining the massive machine. Her long, slender legs beneath her short skirt and her milky-white leather boots practically radiated youthful energy.
"Yuno, not so loud..."
A voice soft as a mosquito's buzz came from behind her. Miyuki Asakura's small hand gently tugged at her best friend's shirt hem, her waist-length cherry-blossom pink hair swaying slightly.
The girl was still dressed in her signature "Bocchi the Rock" style—an oversized, pink-toned hoodie. Yet, despite the baggy clothing, her incredibly full peaks still possessed an eye-catching presence.
This was the effect of the Stigma: Deva Path.
As a top-tier Stigma from the Herrscher of Death lineage, it passively optimized Miyuki's physical condition over time, pushing her toward the theoretical pinnacle of human perfection. Naturally, her figure was no exception.
What? You think having assets that large would hinder combat?
Vulgar! That is nothing but the narrow-minded perspective of a hairless bipedal ape! Mother Nature does not share your concerns!
"Relax, relax. There's no one else here," Yuno waved her hand dismissively, her fingers nimbly twirling a bracelet.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Fuli entering the enhancement room. A mischievous smile appeared on her lips. Channeling her inner basketball legend, she immediately threw a sharp elbow into her best friend's side.
Man!
"Kyaa!"
Miyuki hadn't expected the attack at all. She let out a startled gasp as her delicate body lost its balance and stumbled forward... straight into a warm, solid embrace.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Fuli said, looking down. He blinked playfully at the pink-haired girl in his arms, whose cheeks were visibly flushing bright red.
Then, he looked over at Yuno, who was wearing a smug 'All according to keikaku' expression in front of the Starforge. He spoke earnestly: "Thanks for coming to help so quickly during the Living Planet battle. We really owe you."
"Why so formal? We're comrades who fought side by side, right?" Compared to the completely speechless "Bocchi," Yuno's attitude was far more natural and outgoing.
"Proper gratitude still needs to be expressed clearly," Fuli said. He released the girl in his arms, letting Miyuki float unsteadily back to her friend's side.
"So, the bracelet in your hand... is that the equipment you plan to throw into the Starforge?"
"Yeah!" Yuno slumped her shoulders, sounding utterly disappointed.
During the Wardance arena tournament, Yunli had given Yuno the One-Third Altar Sea Great God Bracelet as a prize.
Objectively speaking, setting aside its aggressively ugly appearance, the item's effect was fantastic. Whether for combat or daily life, having an extra, fully functional pair of arms was incredibly advantageous.
But since she wanted to melt it down and re-roll, Fuli wasn't going to tell her how to play her game.
"Do you have any specific ideas for the enhancement? The equipment and items produced by the Starforge take shape based on the materials you put in," Fuli explained as he walked over to the console and began operating it. "It's best to add materials that lean toward your desired outcome. If you don't have any, I can provide some."
"No need to trouble you with that," Yuno waved him off. Her expression suddenly became conflicted.
She took a deep breath, as if making a monumental resolution. She squeezed her eyes shut and shouted with the energy of someone giving up on life: "The goal is... to add even MORE arms!"
If it's going to look hideous, it might as well be hideous and overpowered! Practicality over aesthetics! The girl thought, fully embracing the chaos.
"Weren't you complaining non-stop when you first got the bracelet?"
If reality were a Galgame, a notification would have popped up over Fuli's head: [Affection with Yuno slightly increased.]
He absolutely loved hardcore pragmatists. Let's form a lifelong guild of meta-slaves together!
"I didn't want to initially," Yuno sighed mournfully, her gaze turning complex. "Not until I went through that battle on the Living Planet."
With her top-tier talent for generating and manipulating plant life and her Honkai adaptability—which surpassed even Stigma Awakened individuals—the girl had always secretly harbored a lot of pride, even if she didn't show it.
That pride peaked when Principal Theresa hinted at grooming her as a successor to take over the roles of St. Freya Academy Principal and Far East Branch Director in the future.
However, when she stepped through the gate opened by Tribbie and truly set foot on the surface of that Living Planet... when she witnessed scenes of destruction far beyond human imagination... she profoundly realized her own insignificance.
Life is like that. You never know which will come first: tomorrow, or an unavoidable catastrophe.
Rather than lamenting her powerlessness when the time came, it was better to aggressively increase her strength right now.
"But I remember you guys performed exceptionally well!" Fuli recalled the battlefield, his tone brimming with certainty. "Yuno, you summoned massive forests that intercepted the Borisin charges time and time again. And Little Miyuki's Deva Path was providing healing for over a hundred people simultaneously."
"I've been meaning to say this for a while—you should be calling her 'Senior Miyuki'!" Yuno put her hands on her hips, correcting him. "Asakura is a year older than you! And so am I, obviously."
"I-it's fine, Yuno..." the person in question whispered.
"It's just a term of endearment between friends," Fuli explained with a straight face.
"I see right through you! You haven't given up on poaching Asakura to be the ship doctor for your Hyperion!" Yuno glared at him, thoroughly exposing his sinister intentions.
"Exactly!" Fuli admitted shamelessly. "She's a top-tier support who earned the title of 'Yaoshi'—the divine Pharmacist—from everyone! Who wouldn't covet her? I've wanted to recruit her ever since we reunited in Nagazora City!"
Fuli was referring to the time before the Third Eruption fully kicked off, when Cocolia was confronting the newly arrived Theresa. At that time, under Himeko's "physical encouragement," Miyuki had healed his injuries.
Even back then, Fuli had been drafting blueprints for his Hyperion crew and had practically drooled over this hyper-healer with a top-tier Stigma, which had made Kiana incredibly jealous at the time.
As for the title "Yaoshi," it originated during the Living Planet battle from the Wardance competitors who had received her aid. After the war ended, some of them uploaded combat montages online, instantly sparking widespread discussion.
The beautiful, kind-hearted girl quickly went viral. Because the Deva Path's life-saving capabilities were so absurdly broken, the title "Yaoshi"—meaning Pharmacist, sharing a name with the Aeon of Abundance—stuck.
To be fair, Yuno, who had also performed exceptionally, received a nickname as well.
"Don't even think about poaching her!"
The girl puffed up like a mother hen protecting her chick, spreading her arms wide to completely shield her friend. "As Himeko-sensei's successor, Asakura has already promised that after graduation, she will stay and continue to support me as St. Freya's ace! We are 'Abundance' Yuno!"
Abundance—signifying prosperity, richness, and boundless vitality. Given that Yuno could summon lush, flourishing forests on a whim, creating a domain of thriving life, the title suited her perfectly.
"In short, give up!" she declared sternly, as she dropped the One-Third Sea-Subduing Deity Bracelet into the Starforge's fusion chamber. "Even if the universe reaches its end, our 'Abundance Yaoshi' duo will never be separated!"
"Um... Yuno..."
Behind her, Miyuki frowned, thinking hard for a long time before tentatively saying, "I don't think... I ever explicitly promised to stay at St. Freya after graduation...?"
"Eh?" Yuno instantly petrified into a statue.
"Hahahaha!!!"
Fuli burst into laughter at her utterly dumbstruck expression, but he was soon chased around the room by a completely mortified and enraged Yuno.
In the end, they were just sixteen and seventeen-year-old kids. Even if they wielded terrifying power, their hearts were still full of youthful energy.
Tragically, after a bout of playing tag, Yuno was ultimately defeated.
Panting heavily, she rested her hands on her knees and gasped, "D-despicable! To think you would use... that Body of the Reignbow of yours... against a mere trainee Valkyrie like me!"
"Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit," Fuli argued righteously. "I respect your power! That's why I used my ultimate trump card in this bloodless battle!"
That was a lie. His ultimate trump card against women was the Jizo Mitama. Bronya had tested it out yesterday, and Master Jingliu had taken it for a test drive last night.
"Hmph!" Clueless to the truth, Yuno rolled her eyes at him. Just as she was about to sit down, she felt her drained stamina rapidly recovering, accompanied by a milky-white glow lighting up behind her.
"Thanks, Asakura!"
Without looking back, Yuno knew exactly who was helping her. The corners of her lips curled up, and a sly light flashed in her eyes. While Fuli was busy looking smug, she lunged at him. "Now for Round Two!"
"Whoa, a two-on-one?! That's playing dirty!" Fuli shouted, though his feet didn't slow down as he continued to kite her around the room.
"Hehe~" Watching the two chase each other, Miyuki couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle, her eyes filled with gentle warmth.
But obviously, even with the Deva Path's buffs, Yuno was nowhere near Fuli's level.
She wasn't going to admit defeat verbally, though. "Alright, alright! Down to business! Didn't you say you prepared gifts for those of us who worked our butts off on the Living Planet? Where are they?"
"I have them, I have them." Fuli circled back. First, he pulled out an obsidian ring engraved with arcane patterns and presented it to Little Miyuki.
"!!!"
The girl instantly froze in place, her eyes widening to the size of saucers.
T-t-t-t... Is this... a p-p-p-proposal?!
I-impossible! He has so many amazing girls around him! How could it be my turn...
Or... is he adding me to his harem?
Or... even worse... a booty c—
She looked at the antique-styled ring, then looked at Fuli's clean, smiling face. Her mind completely flatlined.
"Bro, who confesses like this out of nowhere?!"
It wasn't just Miyuki; Yuno completely blew her top. "You're supposed to chat with Asakura more to raise her affection level, occasionally give her gifts, trigger a special interaction on a holiday, and finally confess during a specific, mysterious heart-event! Then she accepts, and you get her exclusive CG!"
"If you just walk up and confess at level zero, we reject it!"
"Huh?"
Fuli was slightly dumbfounded by this barrage of Galgame logic. "First of all, this isn't a confession. Second, even if it were a confession, I'd be confessing to Little Miyuki. We're a perfect match; what does it have to do with you? Third, did you learn all your romance experience from dating sims? Can we not apply virtual, scripted romance logic to reality?"
He pointed to his own face and joked, "Not to brag, but with a face like this, who needs to grind affection levels with other women?"
Hearing this, Yuno unconsciously scrutinized the boy standing before her.
And she stared. For three full minutes.
It wasn't until Miyuki, realizing something was wrong, stealthily tugged at her sleeve that Yuno snapped out of it.
He really is gorgeous...
Wait, no! Dammit, his logic is flawless! I literally have no counterargument!
The girl thought, feeling a sudden pang of guilt. She repeatedly chanted internally: 'A friend's husband is off-limits, a friend's husband is off-limits, a friend's husband is off-limits!' before finally suppressing her racing heart. She cleared her throat and asked, "Then what's the meaning of handing her a ring?"
"It's a piece of equipment," Fuli said, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Just like your Nezha bracelet, only this one—the Ring of Amaterasu—takes the form of a ring."
Indeed, this was the exact same cursed ring worn by Kane Pepian during the Sundial City incident—the one he used to sacrifice his life force to summon pitch-black flames after slaughtering his own clan.
As a spoil of war, it belonged to Fuli, who had personally executed him.
Objectively speaking, it was incredibly powerful. If fueled by enough life force, the black flames—which couldn't be extinguished by normal physical means—could heavily damage weaker Critical Class fighters.
The only issue was that it was far inferior to the Demon Blade - Shiranui, and neither Kiana nor Bronya had the luxury of throwing away their life force.
It was a classic case of "tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away." But for Miyuki, whose life energy was so vast she could heal a hundred people simultaneously without breaking a sweat, it was the perfect fit.
"With the Ring of Amaterasu, combined with the Thousand Forms: Peerless Hero manual Yunli gave you, normal A-Rank Valkyries won't be a match for you. You can even cosplay as a Zheng Zha clone and play around with 'Myriad Weapons Cemetery' and 'Tornado of Vicious Flames'," Fuli advised earnestly.
"But remember, you must never neglect your physical training. I deeply respected how you gave it your all to defeat the virtual Baiheng in the arena. I hope to see that blinding brilliance from you again in the future."
"Mhm!" Feeling the genuine care and expectation in his words, Miyuki nodded vigorously, a warm current flowing through her heart.
She reached out to take the ring.
Who could have predicted that Yuno's telepathic voice would suddenly ring in her head, full of exasperated 'iron-doesn't-become-steel' frustration?
[Don't just take it, you idiot! Make him put it on you! On your finger!]
Now that was a true best friend. She never missed an opportunity to act as the ultimate wingman.
O-oh...
Miyuki paused, instinctively obeying her tactician's orders. Her hand, which had been reaching out flat to accept the ring, suddenly changed posture, raising upward instead.
"Please... put it on me," she whispered, her voice as thin as silk, her cheeks so red they looked ready to drip blood.
"Sure," Fuli said, not overthinking it. "Which finger?"
[Which finger?]
The girl fearfully turned her head, giving Yuno a pleading look.
[The left middle finger, obviously! Idiot!]
The left middle finger usually symbolized being engaged or in a stable relationship; it was the standard placement for an engagement ring.
Rounding up, Fuli was practically proposing to Miyuki right now!
[Understood!]
Receiving her orders, Miyuki nodded heavily.
Then, under the watchful eyes of both Fuli and Yuno, she slowly and solemnly curled down her left thumb, index finger, ring finger, and pinky, one by one.
In the end, only one slender, pale finger was left pointing directly at Fuli—the middle finger.
"R-ready!" she said, eyes squeezed tightly shut, mustering every ounce of courage she possessed. Her heart was pounding like a frightened deer, waiting with immense anticipation.
"..."
Fuli stared at the slightly trembling, yet resolutely raised middle finger. His expression instantly turned profoundly weird, the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
"Oh, for the love of..."
It wasn't just him. Yuno slapped a hand over her own face, letting out a groan of pure, unadulterated agony.
You absolute moron!
I told you to fold the other fingers, I didn't tell you to literally FLIP HIM OFF!