"Help!"
Flames, ruins, corpses. In the chaotic city, the sound of collapsing skyscrapers echoed continuously. From a corner piled high with debris, a girl's faint cry for help arose.
However, the city was already in utter disarray; no one noticed her. When she looked up at the sky, a massive Honkai Beast had just toppled the last building and was about to stomp down on her.
Just then, a mysterious white-haired girl stepped forward. A perfect and cool flying kick landed on the Honkai Beast's face, not only saving the girl but also resolving the city's crisis in one fell swoop.
"Big sister, who are you?" the girl asked, full of admiration.
The white-haired girl smiled mysteriously, leaving behind a dashing figure. "My name is Kiana, and my goal is to become the world's strongest Valkyrie."
...
"Valkyrie... hehehe." Kiana, slumped over her desk, grinned, drool trickling down the corner of her mouth, soaking a large portion of her textbook.
"Kiana! You're sleeping in class again!" Just as she was soundly asleep, a stern voice suddenly sounded by her ear.
In an instant, the ruined city and the rampaging Honkai Beasts all vanished like bubbles. Kiana, still sleepy-eyed, looked up to see Teacher Himeko's angry expression.
She shrank back, subconsciously glancing around. As expected, all her classmates' eyes were fixed on her. Her two best friends, the ever-tolerant Mei, wore a look of helplessness, while the stoic Bronya, needless to say, couldn't hide the amusement on her face even behind her propped-up textbook.
"Teacher Himeko, I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize to me. The only one you should be apologizing to is Mei. There are only 183 days left until the college entrance exams, and you're sound asleep in the classroom." Teacher Himeko shook her head, her tone filled with disappointed exasperation. But she ultimately spared Kiana's feelings and didn't elaborate further in class.
"Kiana, I hope you remember that the college entrance exam is the most important event in life. You're an adult now. It's time to put aside your fantasies of Valkyries and Honkai Beasts and focus on improving your grades. After all, there's no such thing as Honkai in this world. Continuing like this will only hurt yourself."
That's right, there's no Honkai in this world. Saving the world and all that... it's always just been my fantasy.
Kiana's expression dimmed. She nodded silently.
"Alright, let's continue with the lesson." Seeing Kiana no longer clinging to those unrealistic fantasies, Himeko sighed, gave her a complicated look, and then returned to the podium to continue explaining the problems on the mock exam paper.
The sound of chalk scraping against the blackboard resumed in the classroom. But Kiana, whose grades had already fallen far behind, couldn't absorb anything. She looked at her drool-stained textbook, then instinctively glanced out the window.
Outside, the late autumn wind carried a hint of desolate chill. It swept through the golden treetops, carrying away a few fallen leaves.
It's gotten colder again.
...
"Here are your results." Before school ended, Himeko found Kiana and placed a report card in front of her. On the test paper, the red-inked 60 looked like a vivid bloodstain.
Passed?
Kiana was somewhat surprised.
"Don't get happy just yet. This isn't your real score." Noticing the surprise on her face, Himeko gently shook her head and wrote another score on a blank piece of paper. "This is."
39 points. Even lower than before.
The girl paused, staring silently at the score.
"See? Not only no improvement, but you're actually regressing. If you continue in this state, you'll probably struggle to even get into a vocational college next year." Himeko crumpled the paper and tossed it into the trash can. She looked into Kiana's eyes, sighed, and said, "I don't blame you if you can't study. But Kiana, this world ultimately has no superpowers. For you now, the college entrance exam is your only chance."
Seeing the girl hang her head silently, Himeko hesitated, but finally couldn't help saying, "Ren probably never told you, but he was once one of my students too."
Hearing this name, Kiana finally reacted. She looked up, waiting for Himeko to continue.
"He was the most talented student I ever taught, and the one with the most outstanding grades. With his scores back then, getting into an excellent university would have been effortless. He chose to take a leave of absence from school, solely for you."
A look of disbelief flashed across Kiana's face. She stammered, "But..."
"He told you he was forced to take a leave, right?" Himeko, expecting the girl's reaction, shook her head slightly, gazing out at the sky. "If the branches of late autumn are still laden with leaves, they won't make it to next spring. If he didn't take a leave, neither of you would have been able to continue. So, he gave the opportunity to you."
Seemingly recalling the boy's once stubborn demeanor, a smile appeared on Himeko's face. She turned back to Kiana and seriously placed the test paper in her hand.
"Kiana, I'm not telling you this to pressure you to do well. I just want you to understand that I changed your score to 60 simply because I didn't want him to worry about you."
"So, please don't let him down, and don't let down our kindness, okay?"
"After all, this world has no Honkai, and no miracles."
...
The daylight hours in late autumn were short. Students were already dismissed as the sun was setting. By the time Kiana emerged from Himeko's office, only a sliver of crimson remained in the sky, along with vast stretches of shadow.
Although she had been with Ren for so long, he had never told her the reason for his leave of absence. Suddenly learning the news from Himeko, Kiana felt as if her actions throughout the day were like swallowing a mouthful of broken glass, the pain making it difficult to breathe.
Kiana's grades were poor, not because she didn't want to study. She had tried countless times, writing furiously, pushing herself to her limits, but the limitations of talent were a reality that couldn't be changed by effort alone.
It was precisely because reality was too painful that she fantasized about a world with Honkai, fantasized about becoming a Valkyrie who saved the world.
But the more she indulged, the more she unconsciously tried to escape, until her grades became irreparable, and she lost the courage to continue.
She picked up the test paper. The barely passing score felt like a filthy bloodstain, mocking her escapism.
"This world... has no miracles."
Standing under a ginkgo tree with falling leaves, the girl stood for a long, long time. The school gate was right in front of her, but she couldn't bring herself to take a step.
The evening breeze lifted the hem of her clothes, making her shiver – not from cold, but from fear. She was afraid, afraid that Ren would be disappointed when he learned about her grades.
Until dusk fell, the sun dipped below the treeline, and inky clouds climbed the sky, heralding the arrival of a winter night.
She wandered alone through the deserted campus, walking where others had laughed and played in the daylight. The suddenly cold evening wind blew against her somewhat thin frame, making her look no different from the yellow leaves falling from the branches.
"Ren," the girl murmured, reaching out to catch a falling leaf.
Seven years ago, her father's departure changed Kiana's life trajectory. At that time, she was only eleven or twelve and was forced to leave home. It was then that two lonely souls happened to collide.
No relatives, no savings. In the vast world, the two young children were like puppies abandoned by their owner, forced to huddle in a narrow culvert.
It was late autumn then, the winter wind just beginning to show its teeth.
So, the two, dependent on each other, relied on their frail arms, using the culvert as a base, to build a temporary shelter together against the encroaching cold.
Fortunately, they weren't killed by that winter. By the time spring arrived the following year, things seemed to take a turn for the better.
First, an orphanage found the two wanderers. Then, coinciding with the popularization of free national education, and with the meager tips earned from odd jobs, they managed to save enough to survive.
"Fallen leaves in autumn don't disappear; they transform into new buds in the coming spring."
They firmly believed this, until a strange couple came to the orphanage.
As older children, both were at an age to be adopted. The couple chose the mature and sensible Ren but couldn't take Kiana along as well.
Subsequent adoption attempts mostly followed the same pattern: either the sensible Ren was chosen, or Kiana, being a girl. But when asked to adopt both simultaneously, almost everyone refused.
As the rejections mounted, the orphanage director finally grew impatient. In his view, the aging pair was merely consuming the orphanage's resources. If not for legal restrictions, he would have thrown them out long ago.
Under these circumstances, finally, on Kiana's 14th birthday, the two were expelled from the orphanage together. Although Ren was younger than her, he had long been prepared to leave.
It was these preparations that helped the two quickly find their footing. Relying on their exceptional abilities, they navigated the neighborhood. Gradually, they managed to acquire a small, cheap room, their new shelter.
And this life continued until now.
At 18, Kiana had blossomed into a graceful young woman. Her excellent athleticism also made her quite popular, but her carefree personality was a headache for many teachers.
After all, in school, grades were paramount. Without academic talent, it was difficult to gain recognition.
Knowing Ren's grades were also poor, Kiana was optimistic about studying. In her mind, the worst that could happen was that they would rely on each other, just like when they were little.
But today, that sense of complacency vanished completely.
Ren left school to support her.
For the first time, the girl felt an inexplicable pressure. She finally realized that she and Ren were ultimately different individuals, and perhaps one day, they would be completely separated.
Her current school life carried not only her own future but also Ren's expectations.
"If one day, he's disappointed in me, will he... leave?" Panic flickered in Kiana's eyes, gradually transforming into fear.
And once fear took root, it spread continuously. Even as the night grew darker, Kiana still dared not go back.
She was afraid, afraid of seeing disappointment in those eyes.
...
"You... aren't you hungry?" Just as Kiana was squatting under a tree, preparing to wait out the long night, a boy's voice suddenly sounded.
She looked up and saw Ren's figure standing in the moonlight, just like when they first met.
In an instant, joy mixed with grievance, transforming into glistening tears that welled up in the girl's eyes. She pretended not to care, wiped them away, and feigned calmness.
"What are you doing here?"
Her words made Ren unsure whether to laugh or cry. He could only say, somewhat exasperated, "Have you forgotten what day it is? I waited for you at the school gate for three hours."
"What day?" Kiana, her heart already consumed by sorrow, was taken aback, completely forgetting anything special about today.
"It's your birthday. I got off work early this afternoon and specially cooked a big meal. Who would have thought the grown-up girl I waited so long for would be hiding here crying like a little kid."
"I... I wasn't crying!"
"Yes, yes, my Kiana is the strongest Valkyrie in the world; she wouldn't cry." The boy smiled, gently wiping the tears from Kiana's eyes.
"...Ooo."
In that instant, the tears she had been holding back could no longer be contained, pouring out like a bursting dam. Ren seemed to have expected this. He asked nothing, merely holding her gently.
He never asked much, but when the girl wanted to cry, he was always there.
Only when Ren's clothes were soaked with tears did the girl's sobs in his embrace finally cease.
Kiana, having vented her emotions, tugged at the boy's clothes, a blush creeping onto her face. "I'm sorry."
"Mhm, you don't need to apologize to me. Seven years ago, our fates were already bound together." Ren smiled, ruffling the girl's messy hair, and stood up. "Let's go. Home, for dinner."
He extended his hand, intending to pull Kiana up from under the tree, but stumbled, nearly causing both of them to fall.
"My... my legs are numb." Squatting under a tree for so long in such cold weather, any normal person's legs would have lost feeling long ago. Kiana felt a little embarrassed. It was clearly her fault, not only making Ren search for her for so long but also being so ungracefully unable to stand.
"Alright, I'll carry you." Ren sighed, helplessly crouching down. Kiana, as if accustomed to it, expertly draped her arms around him.
Just like seven years ago.
The late autumn night was quiet and deserted. Only withered yellow leaves, like a golden carpet, covered the entire street. Kiana leaned against Ren's back, moving forward together under the dim lamplight.
"Ren, do you think... there's Honkai in this world?"
"I don't know. But that doesn't stop me from believing in you."
"What about miracles? Teacher Himeko told me miracles don't exist in this world."
"Then she must have been lying to you. Because our meeting seven years ago was a miracle in itself."
The girl smiled, like the first brilliant snowflake of winter.
"Huh, is it really snowing? Looks like the weather forecast was right. Autumn is about to end."
"So, it's gotten colder, and a certain girl who hasn't grown up is still sulking alone at school."
"Who said I was sulking? I just knew it might snow today. I was waiting for the first snowflake, and I was waiting for you."
Winter brought colder temperatures, but for the two of them, it allowed them to draw even closer, until they could feel each other's warmth.