"For you, I undoubtedly am."
Xia Qi stared at Gray Serpent, her gaze icy and indifferent.
"However, until your 'Master' emerges, it's more fitting for the serpent to remain lurking in the shadows."
"..."
Gray Serpent looked at Xia Qi in silence, his curiosity about her growing.
"You are a most interesting individual."
"You came to find me just to confirm if I'm your enemy?" Xia Qi continued to regard Gray Serpent, her expression still cold. "Risking premature exposure to the world by coming here... Do you truly believe World Serpent can control everything?"
"Naturally, Miss Raiden Mei."
Gray Serpent spoke with great confidence, but then his tone shifted, becoming insidious. "However, an anomaly has now appeared... and that is you, Miss Raiden Mei."
"So what do you intend to do next? Try to kill me? Or inject me with a serum to turn me into a Honkai beast?"
Xia Qi narrowed her eyes slightly, cold, suppressed lightning flickering within them.
"No, no, no."
Gray Serpent shook his head. "As you said, Miss Raiden Mei, I truly won't do anything to you. After all, I don't possess sufficient strength to face a true Herrscher."
He paused, his voice taking on a thoughtful, almost taunting quality.
"Although... for World Serpent, a single Herrscher isn't really all that significant. No matter how powerful a Herrscher might be... as long as she stays with humans, doesn't that Herrscher then have a weakness? Isn't that so?"
"If you dare lay a hand on them, I will ensure your so-called 'Master' never emerges from the Sea of Quanta."
Xia Qi stared at Gray Serpent with an icy gaze, her voice dropping to an arctic chill. Then, she reached out and lightly closed her fingers around his neck.
Gray Serpent wasn't trying to dodge that slow motion. He felt as if he'd been plunged into the depths of the ocean, utterly unable to move a muscle.
Xia Qi applied pressure to his neck bit by bit, speaking slowly, her voice frosty. "Gray Serpent. Do not test my limits. Otherwise... World Serpent will have no further reason to exist."
With that, she stared into Gray Serpent's crimson, unwavering mechanical eye, then flicked her wrist, tossing him aside like garbage onto the ground.
"Cough... cough..."
Gray Serpent lay on the ground, coughing heavily a few times before slowly getting up.
"You are... truly difficult to communicate with, esteemed one."
Gray Serpent slowly rose to his feet, looking at Xia Qi. He didn't seem angry, merely continued to watch her intently.
Xia Qi, meanwhile, turned her gaze toward the construction site.
The mechs had all stopped working and were now looking at Xia Qi. Various heavy armaments emerged from their massive steel frames.
Regarding the amusement park they were building, Xia Qi had every reason to believe it was a bomb—one capable of threatening her and reducing all of St. Freya Academy to ashes.
Thinking this, Xia Qi stepped past Gray Serpent and walked toward the amusement park.
For now, she had no intention of killing Gray Serpent. It was meaningless and would only worsen the situation.
Gray Serpent remained where he stood.
He watched as the Honkai-themed amusement park turned into ruins.
He watched as Xia Qi, holding her blade, slowly walked out from the construction site.
He watched the funds he had requested from the organization turn to dust.
"..."
Gray Serpent fell silent.
"You certainly know how to make things difficult for me, Miss Raiden Mei."
As he spoke these words, Gray Serpent's voice finally dropped, losing its earlier taunting edge.
Xia Qi walked slowly past him, turning her head to look at him sideways, her expression frigid. "I believe you will clean up this mess properly."
"..."
Gray Serpent remained silent. He very much wanted to say he wouldn't, that he would report everything truthfully to Theresa.
But whom would Theresa trust? It was simple. Definitely not him.
And besides...What Xia Qi had said about not letting their Master emerge from the Sea of Quanta...
Didn't that essentially confirm their plan had succeeded? She didn't even intend to stop them, as long as he didn't threaten what she cared about at this moment?
Ah, right. "At this moment" was Gray Serpent's own addition.
Xia Qi turned and left without looking back.
She believed Gray Serpent would make the right decision, but...
In the end, she guessed wrong.
"I'm so mad I could scream! Arghhhhh!!!"
That evening.
Theresa's furious, frustrated shouts rang through the dorm, accompanied by Himeko's deeply weary attempts to calm her.
"Alright, Theresa, don't be so angry. What's done is done. We're already putting out a warrant for them."
"But I'm just so mad! Waaaah! I emptied my entire secret stash! Not a single coin left! I even owe them money for building the Honkai Land! But! But they ran away on the very first day!"
"And they blew up the foundation they just built! Blew it up!!!"
"..."
Xia Qi sat silently on the sofa, listening to Theresa's indignant, hurt yelling and everyone's attempts to comfort her. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
She hadn't expected Gray Serpent, who supposedly valued business integrity, to simply flee.
He'd taken Theresa's secret funds and vanished without a trace...
"Waaaaah!!"
Xia Qi silently turned her head away, unable to bear looking at Theresa's devastated face.
However, as she turned her head the other way, her eyes met Bronya's.
"..."
After meeting Xia Qi's gaze for a moment, Bronya silently looked away.
"..."
Seeing this, Xia Qi was slightly taken aback. Then she realized she needed to have a proper, private conversation with Bronya soon.
Perhaps...
The time had come.
Xia Qi thought calmly to herself.
The night soon passed. Because they were in the dorm, Xia Qi didn't get a chance to be alone with Bronya. She planned to send Bronya a text the next day, inviting her to the academy café.
As for Theresa...
She eventually left, still grumbling and deeply wronged.
"..."
Xia Qi believed destroying it outright was better than leaving behind a hidden danger.
That night, she conducted the usual training for everyone. The next morning, she prepared breakfast, watched them leave, then sat alone in the living room and sent Bronya an invitation.
[Bronya, let's go to the library together at noon. Our training methods for everyone might need some adjustments.]
"..."
After sending the text, Xia Qi felt a bit bored. After a moment's thought, she decided to get up and give the room a thorough cleaning.
However, she had just picked up the broom when she heard the sound of the door opening.
"Hmm?"
Xia Qi stepped out of the bathroom and saw Himeko walking in through the open door. A flicker of confusion appeared in her eyes.
"Teacher Himeko, did you forget something?"
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