Honkai: Strijder (Honkai Impact 3 Male MC)

"So, you're the one Sig calls Raiden Mei?"

By the barbecue grill, three girls, Kiana, Rozaliya, and Liliya, surrounded a black-haired girl who sat on a chair, looking very nervous.

Raiden Mei had arrived during the dinner and was accompanied by her father, Raiden Ryoma, who had come to this unfamiliar place. Now, she found herself facing the three intimidating girls.

Mei was well-mannered, but her father's stern expression throughout the journey, combined with her unfamiliar surroundings and lack of experience playing with peers, had left her feeling quite anxious.

"Listen up! I'm Kiana, one of the three legendary leaders of the orphanage!"

Kiana stood in front of Mei and struck a flamboyant pose, reminiscent of something you'd see in a tokusatsu show. She had a proud expression on her face.

"I'm Rozaliya, the second of the three leaders!"

Rozaliya was to the right, doing the same exaggerated pose with a beaming and enthusiastic smile.

"And I'm the third, Liliya."

Liliya was on the left, mirroring the pose as well. However, her expression lacked the enthusiasm, making her look more like she'd been dragged into it rather than volunteering.

Mei shrank a bit when she saw their peculiar greeting, and then nervously replied, "I'm–I'm Raiden Mei. Nice to meet you—"

"Listen up! Since you're here now, you need to understand that we're the big shots around here! You must follow our lead in everything. And any tasty food or fun things must be offered to us first. That's the only way to survive in this tough place. Got it?"

Kiana had her hands on her hips, proudly smiling, and yet, there was an air of goofiness about her.

Her two companions followed suit.

Rozaliya: "Got it?"

Liliya: "Got it?"

Then Liliya suddenly turned her head and asked Kiana, "Wait, isn't Sigurd the leader of the orphanage?"

"So what!? Sig listens to me! If you round it up, the three of us are the leaders!"

Kiana responded with a logic that was strangely convincing.

Then Rozaliya raised her hand to speak, "Wait a minute! Kiana, you're not from the orphanage, are you? Don't you have a dad?"

"Oh, come on! You know my dad, he's in bed and can't get up. Besides, aren't we good friends? Why are you still hung up on this small detail?"

"Yeah! Kiana is right, we're forever good friends!"

"Right, forever good friends, hahaha!!"

Rozaliya and Kiana then linked arms and included Liliya as well, emitting two energetic and silly laughter sounds, along with one reluctant giggling sound.

Mei looked at this scene, and her gaze couldn't help but waver.

'Are they perhaps intellectually challenged individuals? How sad, they are so young too...'

In her timid eyes, there was a hint of sympathy.

Afterward, right in front of her, three small black spheres appeared above the heads of the trio, who were still holding their heads and laughing heartily. The spheres plummeted freely.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Following the sounds of what seemed quite painful impacts, the three huddled, clutching their heads and groaning in pain.

"Ouch, that hurts!" x3

"Don't bully the newcomer."

Sigurd walked over slowly, flanked by the expressionless Bronya and the ever-blossoming Sin Mal who snuggled by Sigurd's side.

At her side, there was the demure and elegant Seele, holding a beverage.

"We didn't bully the newcomer. We were just saying hello to her!"

Kiana, still clutching her head, protested.

"Do you think I'm deaf? What do you mean by being the orphanage's leader and offering food?"

"We were just joking! We didn't mean it!"

"I know, that's why you haven't been suspended."

"Dictator! Cruel! Unreasonable! Sig is a big dummy—mhm~!"

Sigurd remained silent.

Then Kiana found herself suspended, her mouth gagged with a towel, making her produce only muffled sounds.

Sigurd nodded to Bronya, and Bronya gave a faint smile. She produced a small whip seemingly out of thin air.

"Give her a spanking."

"Yes! Bronya will make sure she remembers it."

Bronya smiled and playfully licked her lips, and behind her, an endless amount of dark energy seemed to emanate. Meanwhile, Kiana, hanging helplessly in mid-air, struggled in fear but to no avail.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

"Waaaaaa!!!"

Sigurd's gaze then shifted to the remaining two "leaders."

Rozaliya and Liliya clung to each other, trembling in fear, unable to speak.

"In consideration of their minor roles as accessories, they can go face the wall for fifteen minutes."

"Yes!" x2

Afterward, Sigurd turned his attention to Mei, rubbing his chin and wearing a probing expression.

Seeing all of that, Raiden Mei can only let out a tiny whimper of distress as her body trembled.

...

On the other side, the adults' gathering.

Tesla and Einstein sat opposite each other several meters apart, each tied to a chair with ropes, silently staring at each other.

Welt was busy cleaning their dirty faces and clothes, as well as tending to some minor wounds. He even skillfully touched up the makeup of the two delicate ladies, demonstrating exceptional makeup artistry with tangible makeup tools.

Ryoma began to wonder what kind of thing these 2 grandmas had Welt done to them in their daily life for him to be this skillful.

Cocolia and Ryoma glanced at each other, both feeling embarrassed.

One of them had tied up the other's daughter and used her for an experiment involving the Gem of Conquest.

The other knew they had their part in this, and was just going along with it.

In any case, none of them felt comfortable.

After a while, Tesla and Einstein, who were still in a standoff, were approached by a tired-looking Welt.

"Pfft!"

Cocolia swore she didn't want to offend the big shots, but the sight of Welt in front of her was truly comical.

His clothes were tattered, his hairstyle a mess, and his face was covered in various bruises, with clear claw marks left by Tesla even on his cheeks.

The dignified First Herrscher, Lord of Anti-Entropy, and the man who had long been considered by the Second Herrscherr as her greatest threat, with this appearance, who would believe he's really the same person?

"...Don't laugh, I had no choice."

Welt helplessly scratched his head.

He had been trying to suppress the two without harming them, but for some reason, after he got involved, Tesla and Einstein seemed to have some unspoken agreement and directed most of their firepower at him.

Welt couldn't bring himself to harm them, so the end result was that he managed to suppress them, but not without getting injured during their struggles.

Ryoma scratched his face, wearing an expression that showed he was trying hard not to laugh.

"Long time no see, Ryoma."

"Yeah, it's been a while, Lord Welt."

"Just call me Welt, or Yang, it's fine."

Welt emphasized with a hint of helplessness.

But Ryoma was a stickler for principles. Despite their friendship, he genuinely followed Welt's beliefs and felt the need to maintain the etiquette of a follower.

"I apologize on behalf of Einstein for what happened to little Mei."

"No, this is... my own choice."

Ryoma said in a low voice, with a sense of guilt and regret in his eyes.

Then, Welt delivered a punch to his face.

Bang!

"I know, so this is a lesson for you! First, you didn't fulfill the duties of a father; second, you forgot our beliefs!"

Ryoma held his face, chuckled bitterly, and had nothing to say.

After the punch, Welt patted Ryoma on the shoulder.

"It's in the past now, thinking about it more won't help. Fortunately, there's still room for recovery, let's work together. Not just for little Mei but for our shared ideals."

"Yes, Lord Welt!"

With the business settled, the two men then exchanged glances, smiled, and hugged each other.

"Long time no see, Ryoma!"

Welt said again, with genuine joy and a smile.

"Yes, Welt, it's really a pleasure to see you safe."

Ryoma also let go of his formality and smiled relaxedly.

"How have these years treated you?"

"Everything's been fine. But on your side... it seems there hasn't been much progress made!"

Ryoma glanced at Tesla and Einstein, who were still in a standoff, with a sly smile on his face.

Welt followed his gaze and then tilted his head, looking puzzled.

"What progress?"

"Nothing, just know that I believe in you!"

"...Although I don't really know what you're talking about, thanks."

"No problem, I have some reference material here that I can send to you when you get back. Take your time to ponder it, I'm still waiting for the invitation."

Invitation? Welt didn't quite understand, but he didn't dwell on it, and soon the two of them went to the side, chatting and laughing heartily.

Meanwhile, Cocolia, rubbing her chin, looked at Welt, then at the two other female big shots of Anti-Entropy still in a standoff, and had a sudden realization.

'Could the Lord's situation be just like that kid? Hooo~ it seems I've found another shortcut for a promotion!!'

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Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please go to my Patreon1, just for $5 each month, you can read till the latest chapter.

Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 227: The Pursuit1

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