Trapped in Honkai: Integrated Strategies [19]

“You’re… the guest Himeko-sensei mentioned?” Mei asked uncertainly.

“Mhm. To be precise, I’m your future new roommate.” Lyra pushed open the door and gestured to them. “Come on in already, what are you doing standing outside?”

“Waaah, so it really is a new roommate! Little sister, how old are you? Are you a new transfer student too?” Ever the quick-to-warm-up type, Kiana had already rushed over, bombarding Lyra with questions.

“Li…little sister?” Black lines formed across Lyra’s forehead.

Sure, she was shorter than Mei and Kiana, but at the very least she was still taller than Bronya. Did she really look that childish…?

“Ahem. I’m a teacher.” Lyra expressionlessly patted Kiana on the head.

As expected of bug-bug, the hand feel really is great…

“T-Teacher?” Kiana’s silly grin froze.

Everyone knew her grades in cultural classes were terrible.

“That’s right. I’m a new assistant instructor. I’ll be helping Himeko with daily affairs, and also teaching some cultural subjects.” Lyra explained, then turned a kindly but serious gaze toward Kiana. “I’ve already heard of your situation, Kiana-chan. I hope we can get along well.”

“Y-Yes, sensei…” Kiana couldn’t smile anymore. According to the law of smile conservation, the smile on her face had migrated instead onto Mei’s and Bronya’s.

“Sensei, why are you wearing a student uniform? We heard from classmates that someone spotted a new face in the commercial street today in school uniform. We thought there’d be a transfer student.”

Bronya asked with the same flat expression as ever.

[Host, wait—aren’t there two deadpan types in this house now? Attribute clash!]

The system snarked in Lyra’s head.

“Oh, that…” Lyra tapped her chin. “I ran into some trouble on the way and got into a fight. My clothes ended up in tatters. So Himeko gave me a set of uniforms to wear for now.”

Saying this, Lyra glanced at the despondent Kiana beside her, and with one swift tug pulled her over, rubbing her cheek. “Don’t look so gloomy. I’m not going to eat you. Relax, I’ll help you catch up on what you missed.”

“It’s because sensei looks so serious and responsible that I’m gloomy…” Kiana muttered under her breath.

“Ah, right, sensei, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Himeko-sensei told me to buy extra groceries today for your welcome dinner.” Mei lifted the bags in her hand.

“Yes, yes!” At the mention of food, Kiana instantly perked up again. “Mei’s cooking is amazing! Sensei, you’re in for a treat!”

“Don’t call me sensei, just Lyra is fine.” Lyra tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, a little embarrassed. “I’m only a few years older than you. Being called ‘teacher’ feels weird. Just Lyra will do.”

“And as for cooking, I’m actually very good at it too. So tonight, let me help.”

“Eh? Lyra-neesan can cook too?” Mei, feeling it impolite to use only her name, added “-neesan” naturally.

“Hearing that name, Lyra-neesan must be from Shenzhou, right? Then her cooking skills can’t be bad.” Bronya commented offhandedly.

“Mm… Shenzhou. You could say that…” Lyra’s words stalled for a moment, before she smoothly redirected. “Anyway, I am good at Shenzhou cuisine.”

“Yay, two chefs!” Kiana cheered.

“Then I’ll have to learn properly from Lyra-neesan.” Mei’s gentle smile stayed the same, but her eyes glimmered with competitive fire.

…

That evening, after Lyra and Mei spent two to three hours working together, a lavish feast was served.

Himeko and Theresa also joined, celebrating Lyra’s arrival.

After the dinner, Himeko pulled Lyra aside, explaining things about being a homeroom teacher, the work schedule, and emphasized over and over: “Make sure to keep an eye on Kiana.”

Under Kiana’s pitiful gaze, Lyra promised without hesitation.

Night fell. After such a busy day, Lyra lay in her bed, seemingly fast asleep.

But in truth, her consciousness had already entered the system space.

[So, Host, you finally met the beloved Three Houses. How does it feel?]

“How does it feel…” Lyra murmured, still half-lost in the warmth of the welcome dinner. “Just like the very first time.”

“That’s why I’m even more determined now. I’ll protect this happiness.”

[Seeing you so fired up puts me at ease.]

[But don’t you feel like you’ve forgotten something?]

“Huh?” Lyra tilted her head blankly. “Forgot… what?”

[System reinstall, Host! You don’t want your newbie gift and compensation anymore?!]

“!”

“Damn, I really did forget!” Lyra smacked her forehead. “But it’s not my fault. It’s been a whole month since I transmigrated. Forgetting is natural, right?”

[Yes, yes. So, do you want to reinstall now? It takes a day, during which system functions will be unavailable. Of course, I can still chat with you.]

“Of course. Better sooner than later. Nothing major going on right now anyway. By the way, do you know what’s in the newbie gift and compensation?”

[Hmm… the newbie gift I do know—it’s six Originium Ingots. But compensation? That I’m not sure of.]

[Host, you have to understand, a transmission fault causing a transmigrator such severe loss is rare. Even I’ve never seen it before. But it should be something good.]

“So the newbie gift was meant to let me promote to Elite 1 right away? Six Ingots… No wonder my start really was hell difficulty!” Lyra’s sensitivity to numbers kicked in immediately.

[Ehehe, that’s why I said you’re amazing, Host.]

[But hell difficulty does have its perks.]

“Oh? How so?”

[With the newbie gift, you’ll have 3 Hope and 10 Ingots.]

[The first 6★ random recruit is half-price: just 3 Hope, 15 Ingots.]

[So, after at most two more trials, your very first operator card will be a 6★. That’ll help immensely in both trials and the real world.]

“That’s true… But, System, how are star ratings even defined? It can’t just be raw power.”

[Of course not. No matter their in-game strength, the abilities you pull will be locally adapted. In terms of scale, they’re balanced at the same level.]

[But higher star characters have far greater potential.]

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This is a fan translation of 人在崩坏，但是集成战略启动 by 想做饭的饭之律者 All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!