Bizarre Honkai, a Wife-Chasing Crematorium

The Notebook wouldn't lie.

Or rather, it wouldn't reveal its own secrets or rules. It operated on a fixed path, waiting for a predetermined outcome. But it wouldn't fabricate facts about its owners…

Chiba Academy's dorms were shut down, replaced by a new building funded by an anonymous "Clown α." The price of this generosity remained unknown.

The promised scholarships were deposited into the accounts of Number Three, Raiden Mei, and even Number One. The absence of Number Four and Number Five from the list went unquestioned by Li Mo, a final act of mercy.

Back at the villa, it was still night. A day and a night in 303 translated to a few hours in the real world. A three-to-one time dilation. Every Bizarre entity distorted time differently. MEI theorized it was related to their nature and the extent of their contamination.

"Little Mo~ Use your eyes as a mirror! How do I look? Tell me! Elysia looks good in everything, right?" Elysia twirled, her colorful skirt swirling around her.

In Elysia's room, Pardofelis gnawed on a can of tuna, letting out a "Meow!" of disapproval at her owner's antics.

Dr. MEI documented the Bizarre incident, occasionally pretending to adjust her glasses to observe Li Mo.

He sat patiently, Elysia's captive audience, offering the expected praise: "Yes, yes, Elysia looks good in everything."

Elysia beamed at the compliment.

Dr. MEI sighed. Elysia's happiness wasn't about the words themselves, or even Li Mo specifically. It was the act of being adored.

Would I ever become like that? she wondered.

"Alright, death accumulation cleared. I'm going to bed. Tonight, I should see how Kiana becomes a Bizzare. That's crucial for understanding their origins."

"Need company, Little Mo?" Elysia teased. "Sharing a dream with Elysia is quite romantic, don't you think?"

"No. I'm afraid your presence would disrupt the dream."

"Sounds like you're offering yourself as ghost food," Dr. MEI said. "Be careful. I'll have Can instruct Pardofelis to intervene if necessary." She'd mounted a camera on Pardofelis's head. If Li Mo lost control, Pardofelis would buy them time to wake Elysia.

"It's fine. Don't worry. Nothing happened last time."

"I have resets. I can always rewind."

Li Mo headed towards his room.

"Resets aren't foolproof," Dr. MEI warned. "Like this time. Your consciousness was separated from your body. I killed your body, triggering a reset for your consciousness. But if your consciousness is killed, you might not be able to reset."

"Consciousness… the vessel of the soul. That's the one thing resets can't touch. If that dies, it's truly over."

Li Mo paused, understanding her concern. If his consciousness was extinguished, only reversing time could save him. True death. The final destination.

"See you tomorrow." He waved, entering his room and closing his eyes.

Pardofelis stood guard, the camera fixed on Li Mo. Moonlight streamed through the doorway. Kiana stepped on Pardofelis's sock-covered paw.

"Meow!"

Pardofelis, along with the camera, froze solid.

Kiana scowled. First the Bizzare Kiana, now this girl trying to peek at her boy. She was grateful for the power she'd reclaimed, though the other Kiana was still in control.

"A-Mo…" She gazed at Li Mo, reaching out to touch him.

The Bizzare Kiana intervened. She shared Kiana's emotions: possessiveness, selfishness, overwhelming love. Only the expression and form were different. Their feelings for Li Mo were identical. Last night's ritual had imprinted Kiana's memories and emotions onto the Bizzare Kiana, granting her seven years of shared experiences with Li Mo. 

The Bizarre instincts still warped her perception, but her possessiveness was pure.

She wouldn't let Kiana touch him.

Slap!

Kiana's hand was swatted away, a bloody mark appearing on her arm.

"You…!" She glared at her other self, about to unleash her fury.

Golden threads wrapped around her, binding her in a suggestive pose, like Bronya in the Domination Theater. Her mouth was sealed. She struggled helplessly as the Bizzare Kiana approached Li Mo, bathed in crimson moonlight.

She climbed onto his bed, sitting on top of him. She cradled his head, kissing him deeply, drawing out a long, shimmering strand of "moonlight."

"Mmm! Mmm!" Kiana thrashed, but the binding threads, a combination of her own powers of restraint and domination, held firm. She'd used them playfully on her friends before.

The Bizzare Kiana giggled, oblivious to Kiana's struggles.

Li Mo didn't react. He was deep in his dream, his consciousness transported to another world.

Sunlight bathed St. Freya. The harsh morning glare tormented the Valkyrie trainees.

Morning training was relatively mild for Valkyries. Physical exercises and classes in the morning, combat simulations in the afternoon. Like a regular school's morning run, except here, it was ten kilometers. Not a sprint, but a test of endurance.

With Schicksal's best Honkai augmentations, ten kilometers was a breeze.

The winner was always the same: Kiana Kaslana. In just a few months, she'd gone from ordinary girl to St. Freya's top combat student, inheriting the prodigious talent of both the Kaslana and Schariac families.

And where there was a first, there was a last: Li Mo, without any Honkai augmentations. He was fitter than average, but no match for enhanced Valkyries.

"Kiana, slow down! I can't keep up…" he gasped as she lapped him again.

"No can do! Mom's the strongest Valkyrie! I have to be even better! They say I have great potential. Honkai causes so much suffering. I'll become the strongest Valkyrie and save everyone!" She slowed down slightly. 

She'd already finished her run, but she'd circled back three times to wait for him. Mei's breakfast wouldn't wait forever.

"Kiana, I… I still need to run. Go eat…"

"I'm doing extra training! Because I want to!"

After the run, Li Mo limped to the infirmary, his second home.

"You two again? Right, I'll go eat outside. Don't mind me!" The doctor left tactfully.

Kiana, blushing, helped Li Mo onto a bed.

"I'll apply the medicine." She rummaged through the cabinets, familiar with their contents.

"I can do it myself."

"No way! Then how can I skip class? You know I can't stand those history lectures. I'd rather spend time with you…" She puffed out her cheeks.

Her expression softened. "Besides… I don't see you after school…"

"We can video call. We can still play games and chat, even if we don't live together."

"It's not the same! I asked Auntie Theresa and Ms. Himeko if you could move in, but they said no. Something about avoiding impropriety."

"That's normal. I'm a boy. And I'm fine where I am. It's quiet." He smiled wryly, turning to reveal the bruises on his back.

Kiana gently applied the medicine. Valkyrie training was brutal, like a constant military hell week. If not for his years of prior physical conditioning, he wouldn't have lasted.

"I want to move in with you…" Kiana whispered.

"People will talk."

"I don't care! I'll punch anyone who says a word against you!"

"Ms. Himeko will punch you."

"I'll take it! I've endured worse! Ms. Himeko can't break me!" She tilted her chin proudly, looking at him expectantly, waiting for praise.

"We'll talk about it later. Let's keep things as they are for now."

"Okay. But… do you really need to keep doing this? It's not necessary… You're so tired. I don't want to see you like this." Her eyes flickered with concern.

Li Mo turned, stroking her hair gently.

She leaned into his touch.

"I have no choice. Theresa already bent the rules for you. If I complete the basic Valkyrie training, I can be your support staff. No one can object. I can stand behind you, officially."

"Saving the world is your dream. Mine isn't so grand. If you can endure this, so can I."

"Defeating the Honkai… I want to see that day. The whole world watching. You, on stage, bathed in light, cheered by everyone. The most radiant, most beautiful girl in the world!"

"Just thinking about it gives me strength. Enough to keep going." He gazed at her intently, his eyes burning like embers in the night. Small, but bright. Determined to push back the darkness.

Kiana stared back, mesmerized. She nodded, clenching her fists. The spotlight wasn't what mattered. It was the light in the eyes of the audience. She wouldn't let him down. She would be the most radiant, most beautiful girl in his eyes.

That afternoon:

Murata Himeko sat in her office, enjoying her afternoon tea. No students to interrupt her. They were probably still in the simulation, honing their skills and minds.

"Ugh, this tea is awful. Needs more kick. I should get some sake." Theresa had hidden her stash. The nerve! As if she could stop her from drinking!

She can try, but she'll fail.

As she stood up, she heard a commotion outside. She quickly sat back down, resuming her composed posture, taking a sip of tea.

"Ms. Himeko! Emergency!" A group of students burst into her office.

Himeko remained calm, maintaining her teacher facade. Mature, rational, composed… even if it was all an act.

What kind of emergency? she wondered. Did Theresa trip? Did Kiana and Li Mo cause another scandal?