Joyce conjured several chairs, gesturing for them to sit down and talk at their leisure. Himeko and Mei, no longer hesitating, settled into the seats, waiting for Mr. Joyce's story to unfold. Seeing the two women seated, the man began to slowly recount his tale.
"And so... in the very end... I and Reanna, the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal at the time, stopped Otto from launching the Honkai Energy Fission Bomb at New York. My last memory is of that child pressing down on my wound, desperately trying to stop the bleeding while weeping incessantly..."
"I gave him the Core, along with the meaning and mission inherent in this surname. The identity of a Human died."
The man's gaze softened, as if recalling the child crying beneath the collapsed Empire State Building.
"That child is the true Anti-Entropy Leader... As for me, this old geezer who slumbered within the Core for over fifty years before being awakened... I'm merely a spiritual symbol at best. To be honest, Joachim would have been far more suitable as the Anti-Entropy Leader. I did nothing at all."
The indigo-haired man shook his head and sighed.
"Mr. Joyce, there's no need to say such things... Your deeds alone qualify you as a great figure. It was your actions that saved the original members of Anti-Entropy, rescued the people of New York, and paved the way for the Anti-Entropy we know today, wasn't it? They gathered together because of you—"
Himeko glanced at Joyce, who sat there shaking his head and sighing.
"...?"
The man recalled how, upon his return, Einstein, Tesla, and Joachim had taken him on a tour of their old haunts, their faces flushed with excitement and pride.
Back then, Joachim had leaned in conspiratorially, his voice bubbling with enthusiasm as he pointed out the rebuilt Empire State Building:
"Joyce, did you know? Anti-Entropy funded the construction of this rebuilt Empire State Building, and on the first foundation pile they drove, everyone carved your name to honor you. You're the cornerstone of this building!"
-
"When I returned, I saw the rebuilt Empire State Building, my name engraved on its first foundation stone. I saw one of the world's most prosperous cities, free from the children's cries and despair I remembered. I saw long-lost smiles on the faces of my former friends and junior colleagues... Perhaps—perhaps I truly am not an ordinary man, as you've been saying."
"Ah... to think a group of young people would have to set this old man straight... How embarrassing."
Joyce shook his head, rubbed his temples, and sighed. The headache was returning.
"Hey, hey, hey, old man, you're not that old, are you? You slept through the last fifty years—that doesn't count! You're barely older than us, maybe in your early thirties at most, right?"
"Then stop calling me 'old man'... Just call me Joyce."
Completely unpretentious, Welt Joyce waved his hand casually and turned his gaze to the white-haired young nun who had been standing behind Himeko and Mei for quite some time.
"Hmm, you must be Theresa, the lady Einstein mentioned?"
Joyce shifted his attention to the petite Headmaster of St. Freya Academy.
"That's right. And you must be Leader Joyce, am I correct?"
Theresa nodded in acknowledgment and looked at Joyce, who returned the nod.
"First, I'd like to thank you for your assistance. But... why did Mr. Joyce have to come personally?"
"To stop that ancient geezer from causing more trouble, of course. That one punch from back then wasn't nearly enough!"
As Joyce spoke, memories of the past surged through him, his anger intensifying with each recollection. His fists clenched instinctively.
"Just to clarify, Mr. Joyce, you simply want to punch Grandpa in the face...?"
Theresa was dumbfounded by such a single-minded purpose. You stormed Schicksal Headquarters with us, guns blazing! At least we could say we were trying to rescue people, even if it was a selfish goal. But you, sir, came all this way just to land a punch on your despicable pen pal?
"Ah? You misunderstand, Ms. Theresa... Your grandfather might be getting more than just one punch..."
Joyce shrugged and continued:
"I've been reviewing the notes left by Anti-Entropy's founding members. Hmm, some old friends are no longer with us... but their records, beyond scientific observations, almost all share a similar wish—"
"Your 'good' Grandpa... they all practically wanted to punch him in the face. And ever since I got back, Dr. Tesla's been going on and on: 'Joyce, when you set off this time, make sure you give that old bastard a few extra punches in the face!'"
The indigo-haired young man wore a helpless expression.
"I've been counting all the times... I think I really need to awaken a Stand..."
"A Stand...?" Theresa swallowed nervously, a sudden thought crossing her mind.
"Ah, a Stand—Star Platinum!"
"If I combined all their grudges, I'd have enough 'ORA's to fill at least three A4 pages, font size 10... Hmm, Miss Theresa, you wouldn't mind, would you?"
Remembering who the head of Theresa's family was, Joyce turned to her.
"Punch him! Punch him as much as you want! Help me give him one too!" Theresa exclaimed furiously, having just finished a heated video call with her own grandfather.
"Hmm, then I can rest easy..."
Reflecting on his conversation in the Sea of Quanta with the dear daughter of another old friend, Joyce completely shed all his reservations.
"Punch him! Punch him all you want! I was just about to bring this up anyway—"
"Isn't he your Dad...? Is it really okay for you to say that?"
Joyce was dumbfounded. He had expected to have to negotiate with the girl for a while, appealing to her emotions and reasoning with her. Instead, she agreed faster than France surrendered, and her enthusiasm for beating up her own father even surpassed Joyce's own, the poor sucker who had been thoroughly screwed over by Otto.
"He's still my dad, so I can beat him up as much as I want. After all, no one understands a father better than his own daughter, right?"
"So you think your father deserves a beating?"
"Don't you think so, Mr. Joyce?"
"Well, he certainly does deserve it—"
The young man nodded.
"My only request is: don't kill him... Never mind, his Soulium Body probably makes him unkillable anyway—"
Snow tilted her head thoughtfully, then decisively abandoned the idea of saving her fated Overseer father.
"I suggest hitting harder! Too light and Dad won't even feel it."