Seeing Bronya's face radiating pure happiness, the other three people in the room fell silent.
Shu and Mei exchanged glances, then looked at Kiana, who was still peering out the window. They watched Mei and Kiana look at each other, and then, with unspoken agreement, all three turned their gaze back to Bronya.
Kiana was the first to approach Bronya. She waved her hand near Bronya, popping the imaginary bubbles of happiness emanating from her.
"Bronya, have you turned into an idiot?" Kiana deliberately adopted an exasperated tone. "We don't even know where those Homus outside came from yet."
Bronya snapped back to reality instantly, her dead-fish eyes returning in a second. "Correct. These Homus could very well be evil Honkai beasts in disguise, trying to deceive Bronya."
The others let out a sigh of relief. They knew all too well the devastating effect Homus had on Bronya. Thankfully, she could still clearly recognize danger...
"Bronya must carefully examine these Ho... Honkai beasts and find their weak spots," Bronya declared solemnly. Then, with righteous determination, she walked past Kiana to the window, standing on tiptoe to look down.
"Homu! (It's a human we haven't seen before!)"
"Homumu? (Aren't all humans the same?)"
"Homu homu! (That's because you're human-face-blind!)"
"Homu?! (Really?!)"
An excited expression reappeared on Bronya's face.
It's real, it's all real, this must be real!
Have they finally arrived in the Homu world? Has Homu finally brought her, Bronya, here?
Shu sighed, physically lifting Bronya away from the window and setting her down on his bed.
Bronya's expression instantly reset. She cleared her throat twice under the exasperated stares of the other three.
"Ahem... These Honkai beasts are very cleverly disguised. Bronya couldn't find their flaws. However, if Bronya just looks a little longer..." Bronya started.
"No need..." Shu pressed his hand to his forehead, a gesture of helplessness. "My scan has already covered all those Homus."
"What are the results?" Kiana and Bronya asked almost simultaneously. This was probably the most Bronya had spoken in one go.
"Honkai energy readings were indeed detected. But their physical composition is strange. Not flesh and blood, nor silicon-based glass... They're like a group of animate dolls, filled with cotton stuffing beneath their fabric exterior..." Ai-chan, now back in the room, spoke through Shu's glasses.
"Like dolls?" Mei asked, surprised. "But how are they moving then?"
"The Honkai energy is powering them," Shu explained. The data Ai-chan analyzed came from his scan; he couldn't perform such rapid calculations and comparisons himself, but Ai-chan could.
Although, even without Ai-chan, Shu could tell the difference between cotton, silicon, and flesh at a glance.
"So the cause of all this is still the Honkai?" Bronya dropped the subject of looking at the Homus. Now that Honkai energy was confirmed, she wouldn't fixate on them.
Homus were important, but fighting the Honkai took precedence.
"It has to be," Ai-chan continued. Kiana glanced at the glasses on the nightstand, then at Shu's narrowed eyes, and handed the glasses to him.
"We haven't found any trace of a Honkai reactor inside these Homus. They don't even have skeletons, just tightly packed cotton stuffing," Ai-chan, now worn by Shu, continued explaining, pointing the finger squarely at the Honkai.
"Therefore, this bizarre situation can only be the work of the Honkai-da!"
"Oh!" Kiana clapped in surprise. Even though Shu couldn't see Ai-chan's state, he could imagine her striking a proud, hands-on-hips pose.
She really is easy to please, Shu thought. Even Kiana knows how to make Ai-chan happy.
Wait... hasn't Kiana always been good at this kind of thing?
"Ordinary Honkai don't manifest like this," Shu picked up the thread. "So this time..."
"It's highly likely another Herrscher." A dangerous glint flickered in Shu's eyes, and everyone present felt the weight in his words.
"We only left De Pascal seven days ago..." Mei couldn't help but murmur. "Another Herrscher... already?"
Indeed, the frequency of Herrscher appearances was alarmingly fast... fast enough to break Shu's subconscious assumptions.
Until just now, Shu hadn't entered a state of constant readiness for a Herrscher attack, meaning he wouldn't have been able to react to any sudden Herrscher ambush.
There's always peace after a great battle. This was Shu's instinctive thought, a shared understanding among everyone on the train. But now, that assumption could be disregarded.
Encountering a third Herrscher, or a Herrscher-level threat, after only seven days left absolutely no room for relaxation.
"Should we go down and check?" Kiana asked, looking at Shu's grim expression.
Shu remained silent for a moment, then nodded. "We need to investigate."
He raised his hand and tapped each person present. A faint, multicolored shield spread from their shoulders, gradually enveloping their bodies.
It wasn't as heavy-duty as the protection against the Herrscher of Memory, but it offered temporary support even after leaving Shu's immediate vicinity.
Finally, Shu applied a shield to himself. After a brief pause, he tapped his glasses as well, giving Ai-chan a protective shell.
With a gesture, the two remaining pseudo-Xuanyuan Swords flew to his side, following him out of the room.
"I'll go down first and check things out. You all stay safe," Shu instructed, turning back before leaving. After a moment's hesitation, he added, "The Genesis Key is in my wardrobe. If the situation becomes critical, you can use it."
"But remember, the maximum power load cannot exceed 20%. If things get out of control, Kiana, use the Genesis Key to take everyone and the Akashic Chronicle and get out of here. Understand?"
Kiana froze, not answering, just watching Shu's retreating back.
Shu hadn't expected an answer. Telling Kiana to evacuate the others was unrealistic; she couldn't do it. Even if she did run, she'd inevitably turn back alone.
He could only emphasize the warning.
Shu centered himself, took a deep breath, braced himself, and opened the train door.
Now... it was time to meet these Homus.