Trapped in Honkai: Integrated Strategies [15]

Theresa fell silent.

She had a feeling she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

"So… does that mean you don't have anywhere to go right now?"

"...No."

"I could always return to the space I used to avoid those vines earlier. It looks just like home there—except there's no one else around."

Theresa's guilt instantly intensified. She imagined herself waking up in the middle of the night just to slap herself if she left the girl here alone.

"If… If you don’t mind," Theresa turned to look at Lyra earnestly, "you could come and work at my academy."

Lyra seemed tempted but hesitantly shook her head. "I don't even have basic knowledge about this world. I'd just cause you more trouble."

"That's not an issue! Common knowledge can be learned quickly!" Theresa passionately promoted her academy. "Our facilities are excellent, the students are friendly, you can even live with me in a big villa, and your salary… your salary will always be paid on time."

Hearing Theresa’s last words, Lyra nearly failed to suppress her laughter.

"But…wouldn’t it really cause you trouble? If you're just worried about my ability to survive, please don’t—I have strong survival skills."

Especially in snowy terrains, Lyra silently added.

"..."

Who would be reassured by that!? Theresa internally screamed. Still, her outward words sharply contrasted her inner thoughts.

"It's fine, it's fine! Actually, my niece is currently staying with me. All she does is skip classes and sleep. If you could even just keep an eye on her for me, that alone would be a huge help!"

Eh? Being up close and personal with Kiana-chan? Even getting the chance to discipline her harshly?! As a devoted (twisted) Kiana fan, Lyra was immediately struck by these irresistible conditions.

"Alright…then if there's anything I can help with, feel free to tell me anytime," Lyra finally conceded after a moment of thought. "And also… Never mind, we’ll talk about it later."

[Host, since when did you become someone who speaks in riddles too?]

I'm not trying to. I was planning to eventually give her a [Collapse Paradigm] or [Foldartal]—something that could save her life later. But it's too complicated to explain now, so I decided to keep it vague for the moment, Lyra explained inwardly. After all, there might be situations where I can't openly intervene, but Theresa-san can.

"You've agreed? That's wonderful!" Theresa's eyes lit up immediately. "Then come with me onto the transport aircraft later—I’ll introduce you to Himeko."

"Himeko?"

"Yep, an older, single lady—she’s basically my right-hand woman here in the Far East."

Older… single lady… Theresa-san, you sure have guts.

"System-san, did you record that?"

[Of course, Host. Knowing you, I was prepared beforehand.]

Lyra once again struggled hard to suppress her laughter.

Thankfully, given her current character as an emotionally withdrawn girl, staying quiet wouldn't seem out of place.

"Oh right, while we wait, let me fill you in on this world's basics," Theresa suggested cheerfully after calling the transport. "You could also tell me about your world—maybe some knowledge overlaps."

[Wow, Host. Didn't you say Theresa wasn't exactly bright? She’s clearly testing you now.]

I only said she's not particularly smart—but she’s nearly fifty, after all. Her life experience is considerable, Lyra retorted inwardly. Besides, this kind of probing is necessary. People tend to trust conclusions they reach themselves. And for me, answering these questions is easy—I really am from another world.

...

"Children in your world only sleep six hours per day?! That’s horrifying… At St. Freya, we only have six hours of classes per day."

"It can't be helped; the environments differ. After all, we didn't have physically demanding curricula like St. Freya does."

"But your math skills seem pretty good—maybe you could tutor Kiana sometime?"

"I’d be glad to help. Honestly, I might need to audit some of your history classes as well, considering how different our histories are."

"Right, right. That won’t be a problem. I still can’t believe Tesla and Einstein were both male in your world... Too bad you don't have photos; I would've loved to see them."

Just as the two were chatting enthusiastically, a low humming sound approached from the sky. Moments later, a small black transport aircraft slowly descended onto Chiba Academy’s sports field. Shortly afterward, a flash of red jumped from the aircraft onto the field.

"Wow, Theresa. Did you switch careers to gardening?"

Seeing the dense sea of vines covering the sports field, Himeko’s mouth twitched.

"This had nothing to do with me—it was entirely the pseudo-Herrscher’s doing. Honestly, if she’d dedicated herself to environmental protection instead, she'd probably have been world-famous by now."

Theresa walked toward Himeko, with Lyra quietly following behind.

"Is this… the future colleague you mentioned earlier?"

Himeko studied the petite, black-haired girl beside Theresa curiously, noting the numerous wounds across her body. Extending her hand warmly, she greeted, "Nice to meet you. I'm Murata Himeko. About your injuries… Should we head back to the Hyperion first? We have medical pods available there."

"Hello, Himeko-san." Lyra politely wiped her blood-stained hand on her clothes and shook Himeko's hand. With her usual gentle, emotionless voice, she delivered a line that broke Himeko’s heart: "It's fine. These injuries are minor—I’ve long grown used to them."

"Ah…is that so…" Himeko fell awkwardly silent, repeatedly glancing at Theresa with a look that clearly asked: Where on earth did you pick up such an odd girl?

"Um…I'll explain everything about Lyra to you later. Let's first head back to the Hyperion. Her injuries are mostly superficial; after a short session in a medical pod and some bandaging from the onboard medic, she’ll be fine," Theresa sighed deeply, her expression complicated.

"Lyra, do you have any objections?"

"No objections," Lyra calmly replied, indicating she’d follow the organization’s arrangements.

"Then let's hurry aboard. Relax, I'm a very skilled pilot—I guarantee I’ll safely deliver our injured passenger within ten minutes."

Himeko maintained her characteristically decisive manner, guiding the two quickly onto the transport aircraft.

As the black transport slowly rose, Lyra finally glimpsed the entirety of Nagazora City beneath her, along with a massive battleship floating majestically among the clouds.

It was the place where her dreams began—the Hyperion.

---

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!