Chapter 48 : It’s Definitely Worth It

The next morning, Mei made a simple breakfast for them to start the day. It was just onigiri and miso soup. Her reason was they won't have enough food if they were to eat things unsparingly. Urien also forgot to tell them that the help was coming in a week when they woke up.

After eating, the four of them are sitting in the living room. Bronya is sitting beside Urien while Mei and Kiana are sitting in front of them.

"So, Urien… can you tell me why you know about the Honkai?" Mei asked while fidgeting.

"What a weird question to ask, Mei," Urien nodded. "It is the same reason why the girl beside you knows about them," Urien added.

"The same reason why Kiana-chan knows… Oh right, you told me about it," Mei finally reached the conclusion. She got embarrassed because she forgot about it.

"The Bronya still refuse to believe that Subject Urien who is intelligent is related to Subject Idiotka," the little girl beside Urien interjects.

"What did you say, you stupid little brat!" Kiana immediately stood up and glared furiously at Bronya.

"Now, now, Kiana-chan, Bronya-chan," Mei, like usual, began to defuse the situation. Urien just looks over them with a smile on his face.

"But Urien, Kiana-chan still haven't told me the reason why the Honkai exists and why you hunt them down," Mei asked after making the two other girls sit down.

"Oh wow… must you really be eager to jump down that rabbit hole?" Urien raised his eyebrow and stared intensely at Mei.

"Ehehe," Mei laughed nervously under Urien's stare.

"Well, as for Honkai, I don't think I will need to explain," Urien started.

"Why?" the longhaired girl tilts her head.

"Because the three of you will be studying at St. Freya Academy starting from next month. Only if you pass their exam, of course," Urien smiled.

"Wait… wait… How?" That was the only thing that came out of Mei's mouth.

"Well, I got a call from Bianka yesterday and the conversation somehow led to me recommending the three of you to become the Valkyries," Urien explained to them.

"That girl…," Mei muttered, clearly remembering the girl who came to the school to meet up with Urien.

"Well, don't be jealous, Mei," Urien gave her a smirk.

"Valkyries? Do you think they will have news about my father?" Kiana asked from the side.

Urien just shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know…," he replied. But after seeing her shoulder drop, he continued. "But! The principal of the school you are going to was overjoyed when she heard your name," he added.

"What?" Kiana tilts her head.

"When I got a call from her yesterday, I gave her the name of the three of you to register. And the moment she heard your name, she was truly overjoyed," Urien smiled a little. Even now, he can remember the sound of the other side sighing in relief. "She told me that she was a close friend of your parents," he added.

"Then…," Kiana gave him a hopeful look.

"Yes, she might know your father's whereabouts," Urien nodded. "And I got some info on your late mother," he told her with a smirk on his face.

"What?"

"According to her, your late mother's name is Cecilia Schariac. Former strongest Valkyrie before her death," Urien informed the girls. "Wow, she must be really strong to get the title of the strongest Valkyrie just like Mother," he thought. Well, his mother became one about 6 years after giving birth to him.

Kiana looks excited and there are stars in her eyes. "That's it!" She immediately stood up. "My goal is to become the strongest Valkyrie!" she roared.

"Well, I hate to break it to you but there is already the strongest Valkyrie and it would be hard to dethrone her," Urien grins.

"Then I will try even harder!" her determination didn't waver under Urien's stare. "Heh! Well, she is a Kaslana after all," he thought.

"Well, good luck on beating Bianka, Kiana," Urien chuckled. He never thought that his new friend would be the one who holds the title of the Strongest Valkyrie now.

"Wait… that name, is that?" Mei catches on quickly.

"Yes," Urien just nodded. "Well, we got sidetracked. The help will arrive in a week," he added.

"Urien…" Mei started, gaining his attention.

"This… situation. It happened because of me. Because of me, hundreds of people die," she told Urien, but her eyes were looking downward, not brave enough to meet his eyes. She was afraid of him hating her because of that.

Urien sighed at that. "Sigh, if you really think it was your fault, I think I am not really innocent either," he walks toward her and kneels on one knee.

"Eh?" She looks up.

"Do you remember the time when I carried you back to my home after you got mugged in the alleyway?" He asked.

"Yes," Mei nodded. Why would she forget about that? It was when she and Urien talked to each other for real. And she was touched by his investigation on the false charge on her father.

"It was my fault for not killing you back there," he started. "I knew something like this would happen one day as long as you were alive," he said, without looking away from her eyes. "If I were to kill you back then, these people would still be alive," Urien didn't pull any punch.

"Hey!" They heard the sound of an angry Tuna from the side.

"But I chose not to kill you. Do you know why?" He asked. After thinking for a while, Mei shook her head.

"Because I thought compared to the problems I get from killing you, it's just not worth it," Urien told her. "There are many problems that will follow if I just kill you. And I don't regret my choice," He smiles a little, kissing the forehead of the longhaired girl. "Thanks to my choice, I got myself a beautiful friend I can rely on," he added. "So, trading the lives of hundreds of people with the future problems that will arise after your death and you, my friend? It's definitely worth it," he touches his forehead with hers.

Others just silently listened to the talk between Urien and Mei. After learning how to be affectionate from his parents, unlike the one from his previous life, he had learned to prioritize saving his friends over others first. After all, that was what his parents did when they learned about his illness.

"So, don't burden yourself with their death, Mei. Just live on. Just live on and be someone that can save more people than you sacrificed to get here," he parted with her after saying that. Only now did he finally see her face. Tears are streaming down from her eyes.

"Thank… thank you," Mei sobbed. It was as if a weight had been lifted from her heart. She thought Urien would hate her because of this incident. But she never thought that he would forgive her and went as far as she is worth more than those she had killed because of her outbreak.

"Now, let's eat something," It was Kiana who broke the silence. "What? All the talking made me hungry. And we don't need to preserve our food if help is coming in a week," she stood up and marched toward the kitchen.

Mei chuckled and followed behind Kiana to make some snacks for them. She looks much better now that she cried her heart out and got forgiveness from her crush. "Wait… was he still referring to me as a friend?" she thought. Okay, that made her depressed again.

After eating, Urien prepared to go out to get some exercise in the form of beating up zombies. "Wait! We'll come too," the trio also prepared to come together with Urien.

"Do you even have a weapon, Mei?" Urien asked, getting a 'hehehe' from her.

He sighed and went inside his bedroom and came out with a futuristic-looking katana. "You can have this, Mei. This katana is called 'Levina' and it was handmade by my father," Urien told her while giving her the katana. It has a white scabbard with violet and blue color over it. And there is a symbol on the handle.

"What is this symbol, Urien?" Mei asked.

"Oh, that? I don't know. Father told me it is related to some Electro or something. My point is that this katana's main element is electric," Urien replied while giving some ammo to Kiana.

After preparing themselves, they went out to hunt some zombies. And it was a good exercise for them.

Just like that, 3 days have passed. Urien and co. saw a huge battleship in the sky. The four of them watched as a smaller battleship came down for them.

"Are you Urien Gregorios, Raiden Mei, Kiana Kaslana, and Bronya Zaychik?" a woman with glasses asked them.

"Yes," the four of them nodded.

"Great. Come aboard! Major is waiting on the bridge of Hyperion," the woman smiled at them and welcomed them onto the smaller battleship.

The girls are looking down on the city from the battleship. But Urien is in tears. He used up most of his money to buy the house just to abandon it due to the Honkai Outbreak.

The four of them joked with each other and before long, they arrived inside Hyperion. It is a massive ship and the four of them look at it with wonder.

"Guests on the bridge," a sound rang as they took an elevator to reach the bridge.

After the elevator door opened, Urien's breath hitched as soon as he saw the woman with fiery red hair.

"Nice to meet you dearlings," the woman greeted. "My name is—," Just as she was about to introduce her name, Urien's voice rang.

"Himeko," his face is full of shock, denial, disbelief, grief, and many other emotions. He staggered back a little, not believing his eyes.

"It can't be," he is still in denial, tears streaming down from his eyes. "It is impossible," he added.

Mei glanced at Urien in worry. She had heard that name before. He muttered that in his sleep when she first came to his house and looked over the case report of her father. He was muttering that name while sleeping on the couch.

Himeko looked awkward as Urien walked slowly toward her. She didn't know what to do when he suddenly hugged her. His mouth was muttering, "I am sorry," over and over again. The only different sentence she got from him before he fell unconscious was, "I am sorry for killing you, Himeko."