"Hop on, and remember to hold on tight. Otherwise, you might get thrown off. Let's put the cat in front," Lu Ze offered a helmet, a pink one at that, though he wasn't sure who it was for.
With the helmet on, Anna stepped on the pedals and settled herself on the seat. The small white cat lay quietly on the front of the motorcycle. The two of them and the cat sped away.
After hours of running errands, Lu Ze's hands were full of shopping bags. They had bought cat food, a cat bed, and so on. It had cost quite a bit, but Anna was a hidden wealthy woman, so she wouldn't care about such expenses.
"This is your place? Not bad," Anna commented.
Anna's home was in a residential complex. It had cost nearly 300,000 yuan to buy. The neighborhood was quite nice, and her apartment was on the third floor of Building C.
"Thank you for your compliment, Teacher. And thank you for accompanying me to buy so many things today. Come in and sit for a while. I think you must be a bit tired too."
It was his first time stepping into a girl's residence, and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. He looked around and found the room to be quite tidy. It had about two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a storage room.
"When a girl lives alone in a place like this, you need to be cautious. Even though you're an A-class Valkyrie now, you still need to take precautions. Do you understand?"
"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Teacher. Would you like some water? I'll get you a cup of warm water. It's the middle of winter; how can you not drink some warm water?"
Anna went into the kitchen and quickly poured a cup of warm water. She also brought some small snacks and then gestured for him to sit next to her.
That afternoon passed with them watching television and chatting. They got along quite well. It was also his first time getting so close to Anna.
After that initial encounter, their interactions became increasingly frequent. Not only during meals, when Anna very consciously sat opposite him, but also when they were in line, reading, or studying.
They didn't seem like a student and teacher, but more like a pair of good friends.
The teaching period during that time was the happiest he had experienced in the past year. However, the faster time flew, the happier he felt. In the blink of an eye, they had already become Valkyries capable of handling things independently.
On the rooftop, snow had already accumulated. Yet, two people stood at the edge, each holding a cup of hot beverage.
"It's wonderful, isn't it? Time passes so quickly. In the blink of an eye, I can no longer be your teacher. But remember, when you encounter danger, you must run… don't waste your life."
At that moment, Anna didn't seem to be listening intently. Her pink pupils seemed lost in thought. She tightly clutched a letter with a heart sticker on it, but she lacked the courage to hand it over.
As if she had come to a realization, she quickly took off the necklace from her neck and, with a smile, handed it to Lu Ze.
"I'll give you this necklace. Thank you for being my teacher and for always being by my side, helping me solve so many problems. Thank you…"
After speaking, she ran off. This left Lu Ze a bit bewildered. What was going on? It felt strange, yet he couldn't quite explain why. Was he overthinking it?
Nevertheless, he accepted the necklace and kept it in a box as a memento.
Time passed quickly. He successfully boarded the Hyperion once again. Anna had become the captain of a small squad. The two of them fought against Honkai in different worlds. As for the letter from that year, Anna kept it close to her heart.
Soon, her encounter with Nightowl began. Although they had only met once, and spent less than a day together, Nightowl's mind was filled with her.
This obsession continued until the outbreak of the Ice-type Herrscher, and then it fully erupted. She single-handedly fought against Kiana Kaslana and Raven, saving the Ice-type Herrscher several times.
"I don't believe it. Kiana can master the authority of the Thunder-type Herrscher, and Anti-Entropy's Reason-type Herrscher still maintains humanity. Why can't you? There must be a way, there must be a way!"
Nightowl desperately wanted to save the girl beside him, just as she had saved him back then.
"It's no use. The consciousness of Honkai has already taken over her body. Her fate is death, no matter what. Even if you escape to the ends of the earth, you will only die."
From a corner, a man with a cigarette in his mouth emerged, holding a long sword. His eyes held only disappointment.
This man was Lu Ze. He hadn't expected that his second encounter with his student would be as an enemy. The Ice-type Herrscher, no matter what, could only have one outcome: death.
However, her identity was his student, Anna. Wasn't this a form of torment?
"What do you know? They can all do it, so why can't Anna? Why is fate so unfair? I don't believe it, I don't believe it!"
*Slap!* Lu Ze landed a hard blow on his face.
"I don't understand? What do *you* understand? This person is my student, a student I've spent my days and nights with, a student I taught… I value this person more than you do, cherish her more, and want to protect her life more! But currently, she is fighting against the consciousness of Honkai, and all she experiences is pain. If you truly want what's best for her, the only way is to end her life!"
Lu Ze roared loudly, his voice stunning Nightowl into silence.
As if he had exhausted all his strength, he leaned against the wall, feeling the cold temperature of the wall. He thought of their days together. Why was he forced to face such a situation?
Mini-theater: White Cat
"Kiana, are you doing well? I don't know when it happened, but we stopped seeing each other. I miss you so much! Kiana…"
Mei Raiden walked dejectedly down the street. Her gaze inadvertently fell upon a white cat lying in an alley. The white cat looked up at her, its blue pupils filled with longing.
"Why is there a cat here? Is no one looking after it? I must say, it looks a bit like Kiana."
She took a sausage from her vegetable basket, peeled its wrapper, and offered it to the white cat.
Seeing food, the white cat was overjoyed. It affectionately rubbed against Mei Raiden's leg.
Mei Raiden, who was about to leave after feeding it, turned around to see the white cat, sausage in its mouth, chasing after her, seemingly unwilling to let her go.
"Its personality is similar too… Did you abandon it here again? Forget it, I'll take it home with me. I still can't refuse you, Kiana…"