Yeah well, i know it's been more than 2 months since her birthday, but i wanted to celebrate it myself so i chose to write something on that day, but it didn't go so well and i used up 2 months for this alone. So hope you enjoy this.
I don't know how to tell this story properly. Well, quite a few events happened in just one day, no, they were all good things, nothing bad happened at all. It's just that there are so many things that I got them mixed up and I couldn't even organize my thoughts properly.
Well, everything has a beginning. So, 5AM would be a perfect time to start the story.
*ring ring ring*
As soon as the alarm bell rang, Fukabe Touma tiredly raised his hand to turn it off. Glancing up to take a closer look, what caught his eye was the yellow color of the alarm clock. Why does he still use an alarm clock like this instead of setting an alarm on his phone? This clock with Homu's image was a gift that the entire 5th platoon received from Bronya, who had won so many prizes in a competition in the city recently.
The guy developed a habit for his morning, wake up, brush his teeth, wash his face, do personal hygiene, use the phone for a while before doing anything,... the last part was really not very good. After finishing his personal hygiene, he picked up his phone, checked his email and saw if there was any new information. In fact, at this time Touma fully woke up, looking at the date, it was August 18…. It was Bronya's birthday, the day their whole squad had been waiting for for a week. According to the plan, this morning they will practice early in the morning as they do every week, then eat breakfast and perform the various tasks assigned secretly yesterday.
When he walked out, like every week, Bronya, Hua and Mei were already warming up, Kimura and Ms. Himeko were standing on the side chatting, the principal and Kiana... were still sleeping as always. By the way, everyone had prepared everything for today very carefully, only Kiana acted like she didn't care and was lazy and refused to do anything. But, everyone knows, she actually secretly does other things and pretends to know nothing.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Touma-niisan, you woke up really late." When she heard Touma, Bronya came closer to pick him up because she was the closest person. She was currently wearing tight clothes, an oversized jacket, light shoes, and tied her drill-shaped hairstyle to one side, the outfit she usually used for practice sessions like today. Even so, Touma still had to look at her for a bit, because she looked extremely cute right now, no matter how many times he looked at her, he would still make the same opinion. The tight outfit accentuates Bronya's body, although it is not as plump as Mei or Himeko's, but that creates her own charm, the hair tied on one side creates a feeling slightly different from usual. But what really made him look at Bronya this time was something else.
"…Bronya?"
"Yes?"
"That's my jacket, right?"
That's right, that black jacket belongs to Fukabe Touma, that's why it's so big.
"Ah, Bronya saw it on the chair so she took it upon herself to wear it, Bronya sorry."
"No no, it's okay." The boy quickly answered when he heard the apology because he didn't mean to blame, "I'm just a little surprised."
It had become a daily occurrence for him and Kimura to exchange clothes to try on or imitate each other's styles, even Kiana had secretly worn his shirt a few times. But the fact that Bronya, who was usually coldly and suddenly wearing his jacket, was quite new. Well, she had also worn Kiana's, Mei's, and even Himeko's clothes, so there was probably nothing to worry about. Probably.
"?"
"Nothing." Touma patted Bronya's head with his hand, she seemed happy with this action, then the two walked over to the group, starting this morning's practice session.
At first will be jogging. Because the whole group are people with supernatural powers, even if it's not Valkyries then they also receive power from other mysterious sources, so 5km is too short, instead, Fu Hua suggested everyone run 20km and then back to the training ground, a total of 40km.
"You will be the one to take care of Bronya all afternoon, are you sure you can do it?" Kimura asked Touma as the two ran behind the group, Bronya was running alongside Mei at the front of the group so she definitely couldn't hear what they were saying.
"That depends on whether everyone can take care of her til my turn." Yesterday when finalizing the plans, everyone agreed that the surprise party would be held in the evening. This means that throughout the day everyone will have to split up to distract her.
The first shift was Kiana's, partly because she was the one who didn't do much in preparation, on the other hand, the game Homu Adventures just released a new coop event. Bronya would probably want to play it as soon as possible, but to make sure everything would go smoothly, Kiana would play along and try to keep Bronya from going anywhere for over an hour. As for Touma, he had already scheduled Bronya on a date for this afternoon.
While thinking, the whole group had returned to the training area without realizing it, and as always they divided into pairs to deal with it, then swapped opponents with each other. This part is to train everyone to be able to effectively deal with all types of opponents, and that was Ms. Himeko's idea, as expected of a teacher, her perspective is different.
"You're not focus."
"!?"
Just before Touma could regain his composure, Fu Hua quickly moved in front of him and took a stance to throw a punch. Not having time to raise his hand to block, he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes to endure the blow, but what he felt was a light touch on his cheek from the class monitor's strong arm. Fukabe Touma staggered a bit and then landed on his butt.
"Aida…"
"Are you okay?"
Fu Hua reached out to help him stand up, "Are you worried?"
"…No." He looked to the other side, pretending not to, but he accidentally looked to the training ground he had looked at just now, there were the silhouettes of Bronya and Ms. Himeko practicing. In fact, even if he doesn't look over, the class rep will still know what he's worried about.
"It's okay, just think of today as a date for Bronya-san's birthday."
"If so, it would be better, but she is inherently very sharp, just being able to hide our plan til today is already a miracle."
"Haha… I'm just afraid that Kiana will accidently spill the bean first. As for you..." she said then pointed at her friend who was still sitting on the ground, "…You just need to enjoy today and go on a date with her to your heart's content."
Fukabe Touma blushed and looked down, well it would be a lie to say he didn't have feelings for Bronya, the truth was he had very mixed feelings about everyone. From Mei, Kiana, to Bronya, all three of them are very beautiful and attractive in their own way.
Mei is gentle and elegant, with long, shiny black and purple hair and a plump body. She is truly the idol of both men and women around her. Kiana is an energetic girl, perhaps a bit excessive, but extremely kind and caring for others. Above all, after growing up with so much pain and tragedy, Kiana at the end of the story has become a Herrscher of Finality with immense power, a moon princess, and an admirable woman.
But what about Bronya? For the boy named Fukabe Touma, or for the person who is living his second life with memories of this world's originally story, Bronya Zaychik is the 'character' who literally led him to the Honkai universe, no exaggeration, she the reason why he could know about, came and immersed himself in their stories. That girl with cold silver hair of steel is the youngest in the group, while Mei is currently 18 years old, Kiana is 17 years old, and Bronya is only 15 years old, but if talking about life experience, combat experience, she is the most seasoned person.
With an orphaned childhood and no relatives to support, she had to live the life of a mercenary in cold Russia, and received the title "Silver Wolf of the Urals" at an age where most people still in the arms of their love ones.
Furthermore, knowing 'the character Bronya' is one thing, knowing and living with 'the person Bronya' is a whole different story. Since some time, Fukabe Touma has seen everything no longer as a game, but as reality, and the person who helped him to truly achieve that was Bronya.
So today, no matter what, he wanted the plan to succeed, as one of the first steps to repay for everything Bronya had done for him.
"Special move! Neko Charm!"
In Kiana's room, both she and Bronya were sitting in front of the screen, with game consoles and two devices connected together.
Kiana shouted loudly as she used a combo attack to finish off the boss with only a small amount of hp remaining, but, as expected…
"Kiana idiotka."
Bronya said as she saw Kiana combo into the air, and was immediately defeated by the boss in the blink of an eye. Kiana gasped speechlessly, as if her body frozen on the spot.
To save the game, Bronya quickly took it down and helped both win.
"Hmph." Bronya cleared her throat a bit to show off Kiana, her face still expressionless.
"…I-I intentionally created a chance for you to finish!" Kiana tried to justify the fact that she made the right combo but went in the wrong direction. Of course, Bronya was not surprised because this was the 4th time Kiana did that this morning.
"Where are you going?" Kiana asked quickly when she saw Bronya stand up. Because Bronya was playing with him, the coop levels were completed extremely quickly, as expected of her being the top 1 player in the game. However, the event is not over yet, nor is the time that Kiana was given by everyone over.
"Bronya was going to get some water." she replied nonchalantly.
"Ah, then let me go get it!" Kiana quickly pushed Bronya back to her seat and ran towards the door. Unable to help but be surprised, Bronya asked Kiana:
"Kiana, what's wrong?"
"E-eh? What do you mean?" Kiana replied awkwardly.
Obviously, a normal Kiana has always been lazy, but today she was competing with Bronya to get things, as if there's nothing strange about that. After humming for a long time, Kiana finally said:
"Well… today is your birthday, and I don't have anything to give, so consider this to make up for it…" She rolled her eyes the other way, partly because she was embarrassed to say it, on the other hand, it is to admit that she didn't help much in preparing Bronya's surprise, she just didn't tell the whole truth.
"…."
"W-what?" Kiana asked when she saw Bronya staring at her.
"Nothing, it's just that Bronya didn't expect that idiot Kiana could think like that."
"What do you mean! I'm not that heartless!" After speaking, Kiana quickly left the room and went to get water, leaving Bronya sitting alone.
She already knew today was her birthday, but in the past, there was only one year when Bronya celebrated her birthday, and that was when Seele secretly planned to surprise her...
Quickly enough, Kiana came back with two glasses of water in her hand, along with a few packets of snacks, packets that Bronya remembered that Mei had forbidden Kiana to eat today. Kiana noticed Bronya's eyes and quickly said: "It's okay, if I say we eat it together, Mei-senpai won't scold me."
It's obviously an excuse to eat snacks. Bronya thought so, but realized that Kiana actually have good intentions, she decided not to say it.
[9:42 AM]
- Kiana: Mei-senpai! Class rep! We're ready, it's your turn.
- Mei: I know.
- Fu Hua: I'll come pick her up right away.
- Kiana: How's it going, Touma-senpai.
- Touma: It's okay, we've finished the hardest part.
- Kimura: The only thing left is to arrange everything and don't let Bronya know!
- Mei: We'll take Bronya-chan to the restaurant near the Square, Touma-kun, please inform to meet her nearby.
- Touma: Understood!
""Happy birthday Bronya!""
Sitting at a table on the second floor with a beautiful view at a restaurant near the city's square, Mei and Fu Hua bottom up with Bronya to celebrate her birthday. Mei and Fu Hua booked a table and ordered dishes that Bronya usually likes to eat. After Kiana finished her part, Fu Hua came to pick Bronya up. Kiana used the excuse of being called away by Theresa to not make Bronya suspicious, and, according to the plan, Mei and Fu Hua would now be responsible for keeping Bronya here until noon.
After finishing their drinks, the two of them took turns taking out two small gifts.
"Bronya-chan, this is my birthday present. Please accept it, okay?" Mei was the first to speak, and placed the small paper bag in Bronya's hands. The youngest girl looked very surprised, she didn't really show any emotions, just opened her eyes wide and stared at the bag in her hand. When she glanced up at Mei, she nodded, as if telling her to open it, inside was a flower-shaped bracelet carved from some kind of crystals. When Bronya touched the flower, she felt a cool feeling on her fingertips, and with it an incredible peace as she held this gift in her hands.
"…"
"Do you like it, Bronya-chan?" Mei asked after observing Bronya for a while.
"… yes, thank you, Mei-neesama." Bronya replied.
"Well then, it's my turn." Across the table, Fu Hua was waiting to be given her gift, looking at the shape of the gift in her hand. It seems to be a box, or a book of some kind.
When Bronya received it, it wasn't as heavy as it looked. At the class monitor nod, Bronya unwrapped the gift, revealing it to be a cardboard box with a transparent paper cover on one side, and inside was a rather high-end looking headphone.
"I think you will be annoyed if you keep hearing Kiana scream so this will probably be necessary. It's a pity that I couldn't find a design with Homu's image in such high quality..." Fu Hua explained. Indeed, many times Kiana would often tease Bronya by screaming around her. Although there was no bad intention, many times the silver-haired girl got angry and summoned Project Bunny, resulting the room belong to one of them, or the living room would become a battlefield with countless dents and breaks everywhere. Although it cannot be completely guaranteed that Kiana will not tease Bronya anymore, at least when the Kaslana girl screams, her voice will not affect the person wearing the headphones too much.
After listening to the class representative's explanation, Bronya also thanked her and they started lunch.
They talk about all sorts of things in their daily life. From how often Kiana skips school to what has happened in the past nearly a year, from what Anti-Entropy is planning to small things like how to practice the next morning.
Bronya looked outside, the weather was really pleasant today. Although it is the end of summer, the sweltering heat has given way to the gentle breezes of autumn. The sunlight is no longer too bright, but gentle rays of light penetrating the clouds. Today in the square also seems more crowded than usual, there are groups of friends standing here and there chatting, there are couples walking past holding hands, jumping around on the white tiles. It looks like the whole world is happy and joyful today...
Realizing that, Bronya felt a little relieved, but her heart tightened when she realized she was missing something...
At that moment, Bronya's phone rang with a message tone. When she opened her phone to see, it was a text message from Fukabe Touma, and he texted to confirm the appointment that they both agreed on yesterday.
[13:28 PM]
- Fu Hua: Touma, it's your turn.
- Mei: We just finished eating, are you here yet?
- Touma: I just arrived, thank you both.
- Mei: Good luck!
"Good afternoon, Bronya."
"… Good afternoon, Touma-niisan."
…Here it comes
Standing in front of Bronya was Fukabe Touma who was leaning against the wall. In fact, he had hastily helped with the preparations before arriving at this place. He just had time to shower and change into the clothes he prepared yesterday before catching a taxi here.
He is wearing a dark blue flannel shirt combined with a reddish brown T-shirt inside. He wore black jeans and sneakers of the same color as the pants. Speaking of color tones, dark colors have always been Fukabe Touma's style, but he was scolded by his friend Kimura Fuuya for always choosing dark colors, so he wore these shirts. Well, at least he also thought that sometimes change might be for the better.
As for Bronya, her appearance looks more sophisticated than usual. She wears a white off-the-shoulder shirt, made from light and flowy material. The collar and shoulders are designed in a soft ruffle style, creating a feminine and glamor feeling. The sleeves are short, slightly puffy at the top and slightly bunched at the biceps, helping to create balance with the off-the-shoulder top. Two thin black straps running from the front to the back are probably connected to the skirt, creating a bold and generous look.
The skirt is black, with a light plaid pattern that creates contrast with the white shirt. The waist of the skirt is embellished with a leather belt with a yellow metal round buckle, a highlight that highlights Bronya's slim waist.
In addition, she also wears a black choker necklace, simple but outstanding thanks to the triangular purple-blue pendant detail in the middle. White thigh-high stockings cover most of the leg but still reveal a small amount of skin between the thigh and the skirt, creating a seductive look without being too ostentatious.
Her hair is still tied into two braids with the familiar drill shape, but instead of being tied with a bow like usual, it is tied with two light purple ribbons. That expressionless face was still the same as ever, which made others feel both curious and attractive when looking at it. If I had to say, she looks more like a doll now because her pretty appearance is as if it doesn't exist in this world.
Even though there is a beauty like Mei standing behind her, Bronya still attracts a lot of attention from those around her.
According to Fu Hua, Bronya did not originally dress like this when going to lunch, but Mei proactively chose this outfit because she knew Bronya and Touma would go on a date right after lunch.
Waving goodbye to Fu Hua and Mei, he turned back to Bronya:
"So, shall we go?"
"Yes." Bronya replied, she took the initiative to take Touma's hand and the two started today's date. Since they started living together in , it's been noticeable that Bronya has become more aggressive in their daily interactions, and Touma has had to get used to this because he didn't expect the girl usually cold in his imagination, now having gestures that are closely to him.
The boy's plan today is very simple, drag Bronya around to interesting places in the city before returning to for the final gift.
At first he thought this date was enough as a gift for Bronya, because she also seemed like she really wanted to hang out with him, just the two of them. But he didn't feel right, he felt like he needed to do something more, so the plan for tonight's gift was drawn up with everyone's help.
The first destination of the two was... to say the first destination was not Fukabe Touma's plan, it was right at the square in front of the two of them. There was a busker there attracting attention, so Bronya pulled him closer to see.
Standing in front of the decorative stone statue was a boy holding a guitar and another girl clearing her throat. Based on their facial expressions and clothing, it seemed they were from the west, two travelers from far away. The young man began to play the first notes, those notes were traditional and classic British music, easily recognizable to Fukabe Touma.
"…Scarborough Fair…"
"Do you know this song, Touma-niisan?" His whisper of the song's name could not escape the ears of Bronya standing next to him.
{Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme…}
"Um, if I'm not mistaken, this is a medieval English folk song and it has many variations."
{Remember me to someone who lives there
He once was a true love of mine…}
Remembering the history of this song, he continued: "Its story is about a love story that goes against the upper class and society of that time."
Fukabe Touma isn't too familiar with medieval England, but if he's not mistaken, it's usually the boys and knights who express their feelings for the woman they love, and it's usually only one-sided love. Yet in this song, the guy is the one being pursued. That guy proposed the conditions in a romantic, affectionate and poetic way. He asked the girl to do many complex and difficult things, such as weaving clothes for him, made from maple wood, to prove that she really loved him. Finally, she should come confess her love to him and ask for his hand. Or he wished so, because she had betrayed him and left him suddenly, so she had to return to do the difficult things he proposed.
{Tell her to make me a cambric shirt
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme
Without seams nor needle work
Then she'll be a true love of mine…}
Each verse of the song repeats the second verse, and also the main meaning of the song, which refers to four herbs: parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme. Each type of flower symbolizes something, like sage symbolizes strength for thousands of years, rosemary symbolizes loyalty, love...
After Fukabe finished explaining, the song ended and everyone applauded the two travelers. In fact, they sang so well that he thought that if given the chance, they would soon become famous, or they were already famous but were just hanging around.
"Touma-niisan sure really knows a lot." Bronya spoke up after Touma's long analysis.
"Really? It's just that I was curious about this song before." Funny thing is, he learned about the song in his previous life, not this life. He happened to hear it and was curious about it. Touma himself didn't expect that he would remember it so clearly that he could explain it to Bronya.
"Okay, shall we go?"
"Yes."
Back to the date plan, the first destination that Fukabe Touma chose was the shopping center.
Well, there wasn't really much thought behind this choice, he just thought that this place had both shopping and a gaming area in it, which Bronya would probably love. Furthermore, after eating, Bronya might want to do something a bit more exercise-oriented.
Holding the hand of Bronya who was younger than him both in physically and spritually, he led them both through shops of all kinds. From clothes and accessories to electronics like game consoles and controllers.
"Bronya, do you want to buy some more clothes?" Touma asked.
Normally he wouldn't pay too much attention to other people's clothes, but yesterday, when thinking about the places they would go on their date, he remembered that Bronya didn't have as many clothes as the rest of them. That doesn't mean she's sloppy or poor at all, but it's because of her soldierly demeanor. Soldiers often have to move around a lot, so they often don't want to have lots of things. And on the other hand, Bronya doesn't want to spend too much money because it seems like she doesn't really care about her appearance that much, even the outfit she's wearing is chosen by Mei... in fact, almost her pension money was invested in electronic components, most of which were for game consoles and bits for Project Bunny.
"…But Bronya doesn't have much money left." Bronya replied shyly, her face turned pink and she looked away to hide it, she was also embarrassed to admit it. But, as expected, Touma replied:
"No problem! All of our expenses today will be covered by me." He patted his chest proudly while bringing out his wallet.
"…But, but—" Right before Bronya could say anything more, Touma placed his index finger on Bronya's lips, he said:
"Today is your birthday, so just let me pamper you a little."
After hearing that, Bronya couldn't say anything more but just nodded to show her agreement. The two headed in so she could try on clothes.
The employee was also very enthusiastic in advising both of them on the most beautiful and suitable outfits for Bronya. While Bronya usually wears short skirts, switching to a long skirt or jeans might not be so bad. Watching Bronya browse the clothing aisles, he realized how stupid he had been.
How could she not care about her appearance?!
Yes, Fukabe Touma had actually forgotten where the name "Silver Wolf of the Urals" came from. That was the hidden corner of Bronya's past, the thing he didn't want to think about the most. That was the assassin nickname that Bronya received at the age of 12, while most of the missions were long-distance sniping or behind-the-back assassinations that left the assassinated person unable to react, there are still a small number of missions where she had to disguise herself to enter the middle of an enemy battlefield. During those missions, there were times when Bronya had to take advantage of her body, dress like a whore and use beauty tricks to lure the target into her trap.
If I have to say, she 'does care' about her appearance, just not like other girls, they dress beautifully to impress the person they like, show off to those around them or just simply that they want themselves to be more beautiful. For that little silver-haired girl, her appearance and beauty are one of the useful assassination weapons.
"You have a really beautiful lover." The employee came closer and whispered to Touma after choosing a some dress for Bronya.
"W-we're not lovers!" He replied, but still tried to speak softly so Bronya wouldn't hear. He's not lying though, those two are not lovers.
"Really. But hurry up or that girl will be taken away, she looks so cute!" In response to the employee's words, Fukabe Touma could only laugh, he had no intention of objecting, he wasn't even sure of his own feelings. He always prided himself on understanding other people's emotions from a young age, and spiritually he was 20 years older than his appearance, but he felt like those things were of no use when dealing with his emotion himself.
While Fukabe Touma was lost in thought, Bronya had finished changing. She opened the curtain and before the boy's eyes was a girl with a completely different image than usual. Bronya let her hair down, and at the same time put on a long white and blue dress, accompanied by black accessories here and there. The color scheme seems masculine but strangely it suits Bronya very well, and those colors can't help but remind Touma of Herrscher of Reason's outfit because of the similar color tones.
The employee standing right next to her covered her mouth and blushed, because she rarely saw someone trying on clothes that exuded both gorgeous beauty and uncontrollable cuteness. There were also a few people outside who happened to pass by and they immediately stopped to look in. Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that her beauty is shining brightly.
As for a certain black-haired boy, he stood motionless... no, he couldn't handle this beauty and cuteness. He had seen Bronya in many different outfits, from fan art and costumes in her previous life, to daily life encounters due to the fact that they live in the dorm together, but every time he saw her in a new outfit, it just surprised him much or less.
The employee deliberately pushed Touma towards Bronya with a grin, perhaps she was also proud to have chosen such a perfect outfit for her customer. Standing before this beauty, Touma could only say one sentence:
"Y-you look c-cute…"
"…Thank you." Having said that, Bronya turned away, making Touma also embarrassed, but she turned away so as not to show her blushing cheeks, Bronya was really happy to be complimented like that.
"…Then, on to the next set."
"Uh, there're still more?"
"Um."
After that, Bronya tried many more outfits, from rebellious schoolgirl jeans and T-shirts, to the famous European Gothic outfit and even a Chinese cheongsam! Fukabe Touma couldn't understand why there was even that type of outfit in this place, but every time she lifted the curtain, everyone's eyes inside and outside the store turned to Bronya. Well, even though she's young and her body isn't as busty as the others, her small figure, expressionless face, and rare silver hair still create her own charm.
After a while, the two chose a few outfits, including the dress Bronya tried on at first, and left the store, leaving everyone there with indescribable joy, especially the employee. Before she could leave, she also gave Bronya and Touma a pair of funny-looking T-shirts, along with a message to the boy: 'Do your best!'.
It seems at least she doesn't hate this.
Touma thought so when he saw Bronya's happy appearance after leaving the store.
"Touma-niisan?"
"What's wrong, Bronya?"
"Where are we going next?" Bronya asked after turning around and walking right next to Fukabe.
"Hmmmmmm, next will be the game center." Hearing this, her eyes lit up and became excited, just as Touma predicted. Bronya's passion for games is limitless, and just one morning of playing games with Kiana is not enough to satisfy Bronya.
*piu piu*
*You win*
…. That was the 26th 'You win' sound that Fukabe Touma heard in just over 30 minutes since the two set foot in this game center. He had thought that it would take about an hour and a half to two hours for the two of them to clear all the games that could be played in this place... Fukabe Touma had underestimated Bronya.
Regardless of whether it was a two-player game or a single-player game, under Bronya's guidance, everything became so easy that the manager had to follow us around to make sure there was no cheating going on. In return, he could only gasp because Bronya not only cleared the game but also set a series of new records, it was so high that... Touma doubted that anyone else would break this record.
And with that, the number of gifts that both of them received also increased significantly. Not all games have gifts and not all rewards are in objects. Some games are just bonuses coin so they can play other next game, but… Fukabe Touma had to carry three bags just to hold gifts of all kinds, from teddy bears, Homu models, to things like cups, books, and candy. Really? Why are there even those things in the game center?
"Touma-niisan want to try?"
"Eh?"
Bronya asked when she saw Touma standing leisurely behind her. The next game in front of them both was a simple prize shooting game, it seemed like this would be Bronya's 27th victim, or so he thought before she approached and handed the fake gun to him.
"Are you sure? Doesn't the reward look nice?"
On the reward shelf, the item for the hardest target to shoot is a pair of Homu-shaped phone hooks.
"Bronya will help, Touma-niisan, don't worry." Hearing that, he carefully placed the bags near them, then received the gun from Bronya, stood at the shooting platform and began aiming.
"You need to raise your hand a little higher." Bronya said as she came closer to adjust Touma's right hand, the hand holding the gun, however, his whole body felt hot, that was because Bronya hugged the right half of his body. This caused even the manager to turn away because he was embarrassed.
"B-Bronya!?" he called out in panic.
"It's okay, Bronya will help you."
"…that's not it…" he originally intended to say that she was hugging him, but hearing Bronya's usual emotionless voice, he decided not to say anything. Bronya's small body pressed close to his, Touma couldn't help but feel something small, but very soft coming into contact with his body, causing his face to heat up uncontrollably.
"Please lean a little more to the right."
"L-like this?"
"It's a bit too much, lean back a bit to the left."
Just like that, gradually the gun barrel was pointed right at the target. Fukabe Touma isn't really good at things like shooting. In his previous life and this life he had both practiced shooting, in his previous life it was one of the basic military classes and in this life it was one of the classes taught by Ms. Himeko, but he never really do well in this part.
"Now try to stabilize your wrist, and hold your breath a little." When preparing to pull the trigger, you need to stabilize your body and wrist, and hold your breath slightly to avoid shaking your body and damaging the line of sight. These are the basic knowledge when preparing to shoot as a sniper. He had heard it before during his shooting lessons, but hearing Bronya's voice whisper right in his ear really hit different.
Suddenly he felt a warm feeling on the back of his right hand, he didn't even need to avert his eyes, because he knew it was Bronya's hand guiding his hand to the trigger, as soon as his breathing stabilized, Touma heard a small whisper again:
"Right now."
And he pulled the trigger at the same time as Bronya's index finger pressed in. The target on the shelf far away shook a bit before falling completely, signaling that he had succeeded in shooting. Touma turned to face Bronya happily, perhaps because this was the first time he hit a target, even though it wasn't a real gun and even with Bronya's help.
He went to get the reward because Bronya said 'I played the game, the reward is yours', but then he turned around and gave Bronya one of the two phone hooks he had just received. As a natural reflex, they both took out their phones, and each of them also had an identical Homu limited keychain.
That key chain was something that both Touma and Bronya shared when they first met. That was the time Bronya broke into ME Corps, Nagazora to install a backdoor on Raiden Ryoma's computer. At that time, Fukabe Touma 'accidentally' helped Bronya and then for some inexplicable reason, Bronya came back and invited him to go with her around the city.
As for Fukabe, he happened upon Bronya after chasing after a small blue butterfly, and then helped her to keep things going according to the storyline. When Bronya invited him to go somewhere, he didn't know where to go because he had only just arrived in Nagazora and had to take them both to a shopping center where there were many game consoles.
Coincidentally, that phone hook has been kept by both of them until now. And seeing it, Touma couldn't help but feel a little shaken. Bronya attached the newly received phone hook to the one she already had.
….One more thing as rememberance, right?
"Thank you, Touma-niisan." Bronya said, holding the phone and two hooks close to her face, the expression was so adorable that Touma unconsciously patted her head again.
So the game center dating part, done!
Their next destination was a bit spiritual, a small temple.
Traveling was a bit difficult because the two decided to only use public transportation such as buses and trains. Although it's a long walk, it's worth it. In addition, Bronya also let Project Bunny take charge of carrying all the bags today, so the move was quite light.
There are quite a few people here, it seems because today is Sunday they also come here to pray and play. Most of them are young people, but there is also many old men and women, as well as couples with children. There are also other young girls here and there, it wouldn't be worth mentioning if there weren't some of them still wearing 's uniforms. They looked like they were about to be sent on a mission so they came here to pray for good luck.
Both Touma and Bronya were quite famous individuals in school, so as a natural reflex, the two hid somewhere hidden and waited for them to leave.
Needless to say, Fukabe Touma, one of the first two male students at the school, it would be strange if he didn't become a topic of discussion. On the other hand, Bronya is always at the top of the rankings and her cuteness attracts not only boys but also girls.
To enter this temple, first, you must purify yourself by washing your hands or rinsing your mouth before entering the temple. After Touma quickly finished his part, it was Bronya's turn, she slowly turned the faucet and put her hands down to catch the stream of water. Carefully bringing it to her lips, she washed her mouth, each drop of water sparkling like diamonds rolling on her lips, her lips parted, letting the water pass naturally and comfortably. Gently brushing the remaining drops of water off her face, Bronya used a handkerchief to dry her face and ran to Touma's side.
Waiting for a while, it was finally their turn to pray. Each person pulled out a coin, threw it lightly into the merit box, bowed twice, clapped twice, then bowed again and began to pray.
This was obviously not the first time the two came to this temple, in fact they had gone here quite a few times on holidays, but that was with everyone in the dormitory.
"What did you pray for?" Touma asked Bronya after they both finished praying.
"If Bronya says it, praying won't have any effect." Bronya replied.
Normally, revealing a wish is something that should be avoided because it can make the wish ineffective. That said, many times this Touma has revealed his wish to others, don't know if it will come true or not.
Saying that, Bronya pulled him back to the counter to draw Omikujis. It seems that this is what Bronya likes the best when going to this temple, because every time Touma feels she is excited when she is about to pick the Omikuji, like right now. Quickly, each one of them had a piece of paper in their hand. To be fair, they both decided to put it in front of them and open it at the same time.
As a result, Bronya got Dai-kichi, but Touma? It's obvious that he always considers himself unlucky – an Dai-kyou ...
"Ah…" Seeing the unluckiest Omikuji in Touma's hand, Bronya couldn't help but cry out in surprise. "Should Bronya think that Touma-niisan has an affinity with the Dai-kyou?"
"Ahaha, I hope not…" He laughed, because it wasn't the first time, and certainly wouldn't be the last time he drew this lot. The previous times I went to the temple, my best results were only on the Sue-shou-kichi, could he be more unlucky?.
As always, he tied the it on a nearby string. In fact, even if it was a Dai-kichi lot, he would still hang it on there, he is not someone who believes too much in luck. Surprisingly, Bronya also tied up her omikuji this time.
"Are you sure, this time it's the Dai-kichi?" Touma asked, because he had never seen Bronya hang a lot before.
"Um." Bronya only replied that way, but the idiot next to him didn't know, she did so with the hope that his bad luck would be neutralized by her luck.
So, after resting a bit, they moved on to the next place.
You want to ask what they both wished for?
At that time, he had a lot of thoughts, Touma didn't know what the future of this world would be like, whether he would destroy everything or not. And Bronya wondered how to cope with what happened.
But then, their final choices, coincidentally, was the same.
〈〈I wish this day could last forever. 〉〉
….
"…Wow." This was one of the rare times Bronya showed surprise.
Both of them are currently on one of the top floors of this building. This is a hanging tower, similar to the Tokyo Skytree, and this is the floor that serves people to admire the scenery as well as cafes on high.
From here, can even be seen in the far distance, along with many of the buildings below. He had guessed correctly that Bronya had never been here, seeing her current surprise was more than enough to prove that thought.
Fukabe had booked a table for two right in the spot with the best view. The price was not cheap at all, but he thought it was worth it for Bronya. He led Bronya to that seat and right next to him, a staff member came and gave him a menu.
"What do you want to order?" He passed the Menu to Bronya. Seeing that, she also gently received it and opened it. There were many dishes that both of them could order. From Coffee to common drinks like Coca or Pepsi, from ice cream to dishes like rice or ramen, it's all there. After a long search, she decided on a non-alcoholic Blueberry Cocktail and fruit parfait. As for Touma, he chose a glass of mint soda with pancakes.
Sitting and looking across the city scene, Bronya felt a little nervous.
"What's wrong, Bronya?" Of course, that expression and distant look could not escape Touma's eyes.
"…It's nothing." Bronya answered like that, but more than anyone else, Touma still understood that the girl with silver hair had something bothering her.
Bronya have betrayed Cocolia. She was originally sent to Nagazora to do many missions, in order to make Raiden Mei awaken into the third Herrscher of this era, Herrscher of Thunder. Then captured her to bring back for Cocolia to do experimentation, all to save Seele, the person she loved, who was trapped in the Sea of Quanta. But when Mei awakened, having been touched by kindness of Touma, Kiana and Mei herself, Bronya decided to abandon her mission to protect these new friends, even though it would make Seele wait a little longer.
However, if this continues, Bronya also knows that these peaceful days will not last long, then her mother Cocolia will come here, and at some point she will have to choose one of two sides. She didn't know what to do anymore, choosing one side also meant having to point the tip of her cannon at the other side... just think of that scene, Bronya's heart cracked a little.
"Enjoy your meal." Before they knew it, the staff had already brought out the dishes the two of them ordered. Looking at 'Touma-niisan' sitting in front of her, Bronya tried to avoid his eyes and look away, she brought the Blueberry Cocktail to her lips, tasted a little, her tongue felt something sour, refreshing, making the taste buds feel refreshed.
"You know, if anything happens you can tell me? I'm always here for you." Touma suddenly said that, causing Bronya to immediately turn to look at him, his face smiled a little, he looked straight into Bronya's eyes. And with that look in his eyes, even though his mouth was smiling, Bronya always knew that Touma was serious about this.
Of all the people Bronya knew in , Touma was one of the first people she got to know. From the first time they met in that small alley, through the times they hung out, got to know each other, talked, performed missions and now even go on dates together. Bronya affirmed that she understood the person in front of her better than anyone else, even better than Mei and Kiana. She also thought that he knew she was hiding secrets, but he decided not to reveal it, and it was this boy's gentleness and protection that was one of the big reasons why Bronya turned her back Cocolia.
"Yes."
Hearing Bronya respond, he felt somewhat reassured.
Touma understands, he know more than anyone in this world about what's about to come. With his existence and intervention, things have changed a bit, but there are things that will definitely happen.
"Mmm, it's really delicious." Bronya exclaimed after taking a spoonful from the parfait cup.
"Really? I should have ordered a parfait too."
"Touma-niisan, do you want to try?"
"Eh?"
Touma just carelessly expressed his regret for not ordering the same dish as Bronya, but he didn't expect that he would put himself in a difficult position, now - Bronya raised the spoon she had just scooped up in front of her face and brought it closer to Touma.
"Ah, er, but…"
"Bronya's arm will get tired."
That action made the surrounding couples feel embarrassed when they looked at them.
"Come on, aaaaa…"
"…" With no other choice, Touma had to accept the spoonful of food. He wondered if Bronya did it on purpose, because in addition to feeding her, she also used the same spoon she had just eaten with. Is it any different from an indirect kiss? No, it even more than it.
Chewing and swallowing while blushing, the taste of that parfait really surprised Touma, or maybe it was just because he didn't usually eat ice cream.
"It's your turn, aaaaa…"
"…"
In response, he also cut a piece of pancake and was about to feed it to Bronya. He was also shy about doing so, but he really wanted to see her shy expression. And then contrary to expectations, she ate without showing any emotion.
It seemed like that action inspired everyone around, and the surrounding couples also started feeding each other like they did earlier, the cafe became more lively than ever. .
"…Touma-niisan?"
"What's up?"
"What would Touma-niisan do if you had to choose between two sides, and choosing either side would hurt the other side?" Bronya asked, her eyes averted, she could only look down at the hands resting on the table of the person sitting in front of her.
"…Is there no way to neutralize the two sides?"
"Yes."
"Do I have to choose, no matter what happen?"
"Yes."
At that moment, all the surrounding noises seemed to disappear, Bronya did not feel the presence of anyone other than the two of them, everything was blurry, and she kept waiting for an answer.
Touma were thinking very seriously, he got to this point because he made the same kind of decisions. But Bronya is not the same, unlike an old soul like himself, this young girl has not yet reached adulthood, thinking about what she is about to go through is enough to make others shudder and wonder 'will I be okay when I encounter these things?'
The answer?
"I don't really know…"
"…" Bronya's small hands clung tightly to her dress, as if she wanted to tear it off, as if she wanted to make her hands bleed. But then Touma continued:
"…It's just that, if it were me, I would follow my heart, and take responsibility for that choice." When Bronya raised her face, Touma said so with a gentle smile that she also rarely saw.
"…" She couldn't say anything in response.
"…Well, I can't say I don't regret any of the choices I've made so far, but on the other hand, I'm glad."
"'Glad'?" Bronya asked bewilderedly.
"Well, because if it weren't for those choices, how would I meet everyone?" Touma grinned.
John C. Maxwell once said "Life is about choices, and every choice you make makes you who you are", so Touma does not, nor does he want to, regret, and he also hopes that Bronya will have the strength to do that too, all for the story they want to create.
"That place? The hill?"
"Well, it's a beautiful sunny day, that would be a perfect place ."
After spending time sitting at the cafe, the two continued to move to another place.
Sitting on the bus, Bronya asked Touma about the next destination. As planned, they would roam somewhere else until late afternoon and then return to the rooftop of a building in for the final party. Of course, Bronya didn't know that, however Touma thought that perhaps she had vaguely guessed it but didn't ask anything.
Speaking of the hill they were both heading towards, it was a secret place they had found at the end of the previous battle, a place quite close to , but it seemed like not many people had discovered it. Since then, the two of them have considered this a secret base and occasionally come here to relax together.
The first time they came here was at dawn, both Touma and Bronya were injured everywhere, exhausted both physically and mentally, they fell asleep together under a large tree next to them.
"How nostalgic…"
It's been almost a year now, and through the process of studying and traveling together, not only the two of them, but everyone in has become as close as family.
"…Touma-niisan."
"What's up?"
Suddenly Bronya called Touma, then ran ahead of him under the tree, she sat down and patted her thigh.
"Eh? I mean…"
Fukabe Touma asked confusedly, but all he got in response was Bronya's thigh slapping action.
Is she… getting bolder or something?
Sighing a bit, he obeyed and quickly lay down, and it must be said that, even though Bronya did not have a busty body like the others, the feeling of being firm, soft, and extremely comfortable that Touma was feeling in the back of hishead is truly amazing.
"…Um? Bronya? Why did you let me rest on your lap?" Touma obeyed because he knew he couldn't go against her words, but he still didn't know what the purpose behind it was, or rather, the reason he was rewarded like this. .
"… Everyone has been busy all day, right? To prepare for my birthday." After a long while, Bronya spoke.
"…you already know?" There was no surprise in his answer at all.
Of course, Bronya is too smart for anyone to hide anything.
"Touma-niisan, there's no need to say anything, just rest." Bronya said gently, one hand gently touching Touma's cheek, a light breeze passed by, making both of them remember the first time they came here.
At that time, Touma was also given a lap pillow by Bronya after the battle of that night.
Today was really busy, in the morning he practiced, then ran errands until noon and then went on a date with Bronya in the afternoon. Although it's actually not that tiring, the fatigue here is mental.
And then, he also fell asleep in this peace...
.
.
.
"…Um…" When Touma's senses returned, he felt like he had been sleeping for hours. When he saw that the sky had turned sunset yellow, he realized how long he had been sleeping.
He jumped up, turned to look, Bronya was sitting there, and she had also fallen asleep while leaning against the tree behind her. He approached her gently, avoiding waking her up, stroking her head as gently as possible, he thought to himself:
She has been through a lot, but she will go through a lot more in the future... Do I really have the ability to stay hy ber side?
As a reincarnated person, and also the person who understands this world the most at the present time, he still cannot guarantee that everything will be as desired. Right now, things that should not have happened have already happened, the biggest reason is that he interfered in the world, Fukabe Touma's existence was already a singularity in this world. And because he has affected important individuals, things will no longer be the same, Touma himself doesn't know what will happen next.
But…
But he couldn't waver at this moment, just because of his own selfishness, he had put the whole world in a precarious state. If he wavered, everything could end awfully .
"Touma-niisan?" Bronya called out when she saw Touma sitting in front of her, deep in thought.
"Ah, sorry, did I wake you up?" Touma said and went to sit against the tree, right next to Bronya.
"Not at all, Touma-niisan, did you sleep well?"
"Um, thank you very much."
Hearing that, Bronya leaned her head on Touma's shoulder and said softly, "Thank you, for everything."
Touma couldn't hear the second part of the sentence because Bronya had whispered, but he didn't respond and just remained silent.
Looking up at the sky, the sunset was about to pass, and soon he would have to take them both back to the dormitory's rooftop for the final party. But he didn't want this time to pass at all, every minute, every second with just the two of them was really comfortable, he didn't want this moment to end, and neither did Bronya, this strand of time was strangely peaceful…
When dusk was about to end and darkness had taken over half of the sky, Touma suddenly had an idea, he immediately pulled out his phone in Bronya's surprise.
"…I was going to use this for tonight's party, but maybe now would make more sense."
"What is it?"
"You will know soon. Hello, Principal? I'm sorry but can we use it now?" Apparently the person on the other end of the line was Theresa, and she was currently preparing dinner in the dormitory. Touma turned on the speaker for Bronya, who was bewildered, to listen.
[What? You want to use it now?! Why, isn't Bronya not back yet? Oh wait, is Bronya close to you?]
"Good evening, principal." Bronya said hello.
[Ah… ah, good evening, and happy birthday Bronya. Jeez! Why you have to change the plan at the last minute! Are you sure about this, Touma?]
"Yes, this moment will definitely be the most perfect time for it."
[Understood, please wait for 30 seconds.]
After speaking, Theresa hung up the phone and ran to get the controller.
"Okay, Bronya, come here."
Touma led her towards the city. From here, they could clearly see the street lights and car lights sparkling in the distance. Then suddenly, Touma continued:
"Actually, we were planning on using this gift when we were all on the rooftop, but I wanted just the two of us to see it alone. Call it selfish or whatever, but I don't really want to share this moment with anyone else."
viuuuuu*
A clear sound reached Bronya's ears, the sound of something being launched into the sky at high speed.
"Happy birthday, Bronya."
After that, a lot of fireworks exploded in the sky, and fortunately the location of the explosion was right in the middle of the sky changing from the yellow of sunset to the black of night.
"…wow."
"What do you think?"
"Um! It's so beautiful!"
It took a lot of time and effort to prepare for this, because you can't just shoot off fireworks on a normal day.
But that was also the problem that was solved first, because in the group there was Theresa Apokalypse, the words of this chibi principal, obviously had extremely weight.
The next problem was the fireworks, Fu Hua helped prepare this. Coming from the land where fireworks were first invented, Shenzhou, it was not difficult at all.
The only thing left is to plan meticulously to surprise Bronya, even though half of it is already revealed...
It was Touma who came up with the idea, and chose the time, but he did not expect its effectiveness to be this high, because Bronya's face was blushing, accompanied by something he had wanted to see all along. Today, Bronya's lips curled up a bit, it was clear that she had accepted this gift with a smile.
Bronya suddenly hugged Touma, kissed him gently on the cheek and buried her head in his chest, whispering softly, "Thank you so much, Bronya is very happy."
Touma's brain couldn't handle the situation just now, just hugging was enough to give him a headache, and Bronya even kissed him... His face was red and hot like it was about to burn, and his head felt like it was about to explode.
When he looked back at the small figure in his arms, she was still watching each explosion of fireworks in the sky, he once again realized how fragile Bronya was. Touma hugged her tightly, as if he didn't want to let her go, as if he never wanted to let her go again.
Feeling that, Bronya also gently patted the boy's back as if to comfort a crying child. They both watched the fireworks until the end.
It's good that everything went smoothly. Fukabe Touma thinks so.
"Let's go, everyone is probably waiting." Touma took Bronya's hand after the fireworks ended and returned to the dormitory, their home...
(Touma's POV)
When I wake up again, it was the living room that appeared to my sleepy eyes.
Looking around, Mei and the class rep were sleeping leaning against the wall. Principal Theresa and Fuuya were lying on the ground, while Kiana and Ms. Himeko were in such a position... um, I wonder how they could sleep soundly in that position...
As for Bronya? She was sleeping soundly on the sofa right next to me with a thin curtain covering her.
I tried my best to remember what happened last night. If I'm not mistaken, after arriving, we all celebrated Bronya's birthday with cake and candles in the traditional style. After that, everyone ate, drank, sang karaoke and played games until dawn.
I was able to wake up probably because I had a little sleep last afternoon.
It's only 5 o'clock so maybe I'll let everyone sleep a little more before going to school. After yesterday, everyone will probably agree to take a day off from training.
I sat up and picked up the photo we all took together yesterday.
Everyone looks so bright and smiling.
"Thank you for celebrating her birthday, Touma-onichan."
Suddenly a gentle whisper passed through my ears. Startled, I turned around and saw a blue butterfly there. I immediately understood that the person who said "thank you" to me... was Seele. Leaving aside how she got here, or whether she was really Seele or not, she probably really wanted to celebrate Bronya's birthday but couldn't do anything while under the Quantum Sea.
"Wish you're here too." I quietly smiled and replied...
Yeah, that's all.
I'm not gonna lie, even if i was lazy, it's my second year of university, i got busier and things didn't go so well these times.
My grades dropped, and i have to make it up by study harder.
But i'm sure chapter 4 and so on will come soon.
At least, i hope this can entertain you guys a little bit. Actually i want to bring more things into this, but i'm afraid that it will spoil something, so i chose not to bring them in.
As always, thanks for reading, please leave some reviews about what you like and not like about this chapter, thank you very much.
