Bronya—Project Bunny, Are You Rebelling?!

"This is too much… My head's spinning already! Can you all ease up a little?!" Elias clutched his forehead and awkwardly dodged the girls' relentless head-pat attacks.

While it had felt great at first, being pet nonstop by six hands quickly wore thin. There were limits, after all.

However—

"Getting scolded... feels so good."

"Elias, can you meow for us?"

"This combo of cuteness and grumpiness is just... amazing."

"Papa Elias' tail seems super sensitive."

"Hisssss! Yame-ro, Seele!"

While the universal truth in anime is that cuteness equals justice, everything in excess eventually becomes overwhelming.

Elias' cat-eared, cat-tailed form was simply too fitting. It sent Seele and the others into a charmed, abnormal state.

And it was a state so intense that even the Herrscher of Rebirth's authority couldn't undo it—completely absurd.

This was exactly why Elias had initially resisted sprouting cat ears and a tail. He'd already experimented on himself during his research on granting animal traits through authority.

He knew he looked dangerously good like that. It was precisely because he looked too good that he decided to seal that form away.

But that seal had been undone under the seduction of two Meis.

Truly, the power of a beauty's plea was formidable…

"That's it! I'm not letting anyone pet me anymore!"

Elias frowned and pushed away the incoming hands.

He activated his quantum ability, transforming into a quantum ghost, finally rendering himself immune to the group's affection assault.

But he had forgotten—there was someone among them who could do the same.

Seele, too, quantumized and lunged at him like a butterfly in flight.

(Now that I think about it… ever since I pulled Seele out of the Sea of Quanta, she's awakened her quantum powers…Crap.)

If it were just Seele, Elias wouldn't mind too much. But the favoritism issue afterward would be a headache, so he simply retracted his cat ears and tail.

"Ah, the ears are gone..."

"No—!!"

"I wasn't done petting yet!"

"Can't it last just a bit longer?"

As Elias canceled his transformation, the girls looked as if they'd lost their dearest kin, devastated. But at least the charm state finally wore off.

Elias gave each of them a forehead flick, his eye twitching in frustration. Now he finally understood why even pampered house cats might sometimes envy strays.

Because humans—as pet owners—could be completely unhinged!

"Now it's my turn. No objections, right?"

"W-what are you going to do, Papa Elias?"

"Isn't it obvious? The same thing you all just did to me. After all, cute little kitties are born to be eaten by their papa. And lucky me—one just volunteered."

Elias scooped up the Seele-cat and couldn't help but think—who would've imagined that his normally sweet and obedient angel, White Seele, could have that side to her too?

With a wicked grin, he opened his mouth—

—and bit down gently on her cute cat ear.

"Yip!"

"Trying to run? It's too late. Remember the House of the Hearth rules? Rule #10: Never show disrespect to your father. I never thought I'd have to punish you one day, Seele."

"Wuwuwu Papa Elias, I was wrong! Help me! Other me, Dark Seele?!"

(Nope! I begged you to switch with me earlier and you didn't. I didn't even get a turn to pet him! This is injustice!)

Dark Seele complained from the mental space. Unlike Herrscher Mei, she couldn't forcibly take over the body.

Because the primary Seele hadn't given permission, Dark Seele had no choice but to watch helplessly, unable to do anything.

She was practically drooling at the sight of Elias' cat ears—so close, yet completely out of reach.

"It's not just Seele. None of you are getting away either. I can play with you naughty kittens all night long!"

"!!!" x4

Elias narrowed his eyes. It was his usual handsome smile, but it sent cold sweat trickling down the girls' backs.

While Elias was usually doting, if they got carried away and made him angry… the consequences could be severe. Bronya, as a veteran member of the House of the Hearth, knew this better than anyone.

So the duck tried to flee, trembling—however…

"Project Bunny, bring her back."

"Buzz buzz!"

Bronya's quantum robot suddenly materialized. With a loud hum, Project Bunny grabbed the back of her collar with its large mechanical claw and hauled her back in front of Elias.

"What?! How can Elias command Bronya's Project Bunny?! Stop! Let Bronya go!"

Bronya was stunned by her robot's betrayal. No matter how many orders she gave, the once loyal Project Bunny 19C completely ignored her.

This was one of the rewards Elias had received during his second time-travel: top-priority command access over Project Bunny 19C.

"Little Bunny, traitors never end well."

"Buzz buzz!" (Project Bunny only follows the highest authority in the house.)

"Well done, Project Bunny. I'll make you a cute humanoid body later."

Elias smiled as he patted Project Bunny's chassis.

He planned to recreate the humanoid doll body for Project Bunny from the game.

At that, the bot raised its metal claw in salute, as if it were ready to snap a cane and pledge eternal loyalty.

"So, little duck—why aren't you running now?"

"Guh… Bronya is going to get eaten."

"Bronya-sis, are you here to keep Seele company?"

"You dummy… Now Bronya's Project Bunny has been hijacked by Papa Elias. Didn't we agree the top authority belonged to me?!"

After that, Elias took sweet revenge on each and every girl. Not even Himeko, the elegant older sister, was spared.

...

And then, the next day—

Everyone's cat ears and tails vanished completely, as if it had all been just a dream.

"That's too bad. I thought after Elias finished petting us, we'd get to pet him again. Can't we just stay like that all the time? You were really cute."

Kiana looked longingly at Elias' head, making a pawing motion in the air.

"You're awfully shameless, Kiana. My skin isn't thick enough to walk out the door with cat ears and a tail. Besides… St. Freya Academy's rules clearly state: no pets allowed."

Elias shrugged. It was a perfectly normal rule, though for some reason Theresa had emphasized it in bold. Who knows what incident prompted that…

"According to that rule… what should we do with Kiana then? Should Bronya help release her into the wild?"

"Uh, that's… a blind spot, huh."

Elias blinked, thinking Bronya had a point. Pets weren't allowed—but what about pet girls?

"Huh? What are you two talking about?"

Kiana tilted her head in confusion.

Elias chuckled and shook his head, gently picking off a grain of rice from her cheek. That girl always ended up with rice on her face thanks to her messy eating.

"By the way, where are Mei and the Herrscher?"

"Elias, I'm ready."

"You came out at just the right time? As expected, it suits you."

Two Raiden Meis appeared, both wearing St. Freya Academy uniforms. Since the Herrscher wanted to stay by Elias' side, becoming a Valkyrie was naturally the best choice.

So she decisively chose to enroll. Even though the Queen hadn't existed long, with Raiden Mei's memories, she could easily keep up with the current curriculum.

As Elias imagined how shocked the other Valkyrie students would be in class, seeing Mei suddenly appear as twins—

BZZZ!

The special phone used to contact Anti-Entropy buzzed. Elias raised a brow and checked the message.

"…As expected. Chiyou's location has finally been found, along with one of the 10th Divine Keys—Xuanyuan Sword. Looks like it's time to move."

After reading the encrypted intel, Elias' grip on the phone tightened slightly. After all this time, the target had finally been located. About time.

"Elias, is something wrong?"

Kiana immediately asked when she saw the shift in his expression.

"Yeah, looks like I'll need to take a day off."

"Want us to help?"

"Just in case—Mei, come with me."

Elias looked at Mei. Against something like Chiyou, a Judgment-class Honkai Beast, ordinary strength would be ineffective.

Unlike his own companion Honkai Beast, Benares, Chiyou was a colossal creature. In ancient times, it was said to devour entire cities in one bite.

Its size was comparable to that of a modern megacity—or even a small continent.

(Its threat level isn't inferior to that of a Herrscher. They say it can grow infinitely by consuming land. A single shift of its body could trigger tsunamis with devastating consequences. It has to be eliminated before that happens.)

Even sealed, Elias couldn't rest easy. Any potential threat had to be completely removed.

Still, this wasn't a video game. If a full-on battle occurred, even if victory was assured, the collateral damage to coastal cities would be catastrophic.

Fortunately, Elias had a more secure plan in mind.

"Can we come too?"

"Next time for sure, Kiana."

"Hmph! Just you wait, Elias. One day I'll become the strongest Valkyrie and take down any Honkai Beast in a flash!"

Kiana stomped her foot. She knew it was because she wasn't strong enough yet that Elias hadn't brought her along.

"Yeah, I believe in you."

Elias smiled and patted her head. He wasn't just humoring her—he truly believed she would become the strongest.

After explaining the situation to Himeko and Theresa, Elias donned the Vermilion Knight: Eclipse and set out with Mei to the coordinates Anti-Entropy had provided for Chiyou's seal.

But on the way, he made a stop at a supermarket—to buy an oversized box of luxury instant noodles.

Mei gave him a strange look, puzzled. Was Elias planning to feed Chiyou noodles?

"Elias, what's with the instant noodles?"

"They're important. Very important!"

"O-okay…"

She didn't know what he was thinking, but she trusted he had his reasons.

As a side note, due to the Chiyou matter, Herrscher Mei's enrollment was postponed by one day. The two became one again for the mission—for now, the Queen was still more adept at combat using authority.

"Alright, switching out—your turn."

"Got it. I'll finish this beast off in no time."

Having her first day of school delayed by Chiyou had left the Herrscher stewing with frustration.

...

West of Xiachuan Island, international waters.

Anti-Entropy's warship hovered on the surface of the sea.

They had been exploring this stretch of ocean for the past two months, searching for Jiuyou—the fabled prison of the Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Chiyou. The area was vast, and the location was exceptionally well hidden, which was why it had taken so long.

Due to the gravity of the matter, Welt had come in person.

"So this is Jiuyou? No wonder it took forever to find. It's an underwater cave system beneath the sea floor, and they also found a golden ancient sword?"

"Yes. Comparing with Previous Era records, that's the 10th Divine Key—Xuanyuan Sword."

"...Exactly as the Herrscher of Rebirth described. If that's the case, then this sword really is the key to sealing Chiyou. So the intel checks out."

Welt let out a quiet breath of relief.

Had Elias not warned him in advance, Anti-Entropy might have rushed to recover the Xuanyuan Sword as soon as it was found—

And that would have resulted in Chiyou's release, a disaster in the making. Based on legends, Chiyou's massive size alone would make its movement catastrophically destructive.

"Commander, what should we do next?"

"No rush. Reinforcements will be here any moment."

Welt answered confidently. No matter how dangerous Chiyou was, he trusted Elias had come prepared.

"By the way, how's Ryoma doing?"

"Uh… same as always."

"Sigh, let's hope he keeps his cool."

Thinking of his old friend's current state, Welt sighed helplessly.

He couldn't understand the mindset of a doting father—much less how one feels upon discovering their daughter has a boyfriend.

At that moment, on the deck of the Anti-Entropy warship—

Raiden Ryoma, recently released from prison, sat there with a complicated expression. Beside him was a white-haired, blue-eyed man with a mischievous look—Siegfried.

After being freed, Ryoma was assigned to the Chiyou investigation. Siegfried, who had been secretly protecting Kiana, rushed over to join his old buddy on the mission as soon as he heard Ryoma was out.

"Come on, Ryoma. Calm down, will you?"

"Calm down? Siegfried, how do you expect me to stay calm?!"

"Jeez, your daughter found a boyfriend. It's not the end of the world. I heard the kid's great. As her dad, shouldn't you be happy?"

Siegfried clapped Ryoma on the shoulder. The latter's eye twitched as he gritted his teeth.

"Siegfried, easy for you to say. What if Kiana got a boyfriend? Would you still be saying this crap?"

"No, I'd shoot the guy with Judgment of Shamash. Hmph! Touch my daughter? Eat a flaming blade first!"

"Tch! And you call me overprotective? Ugh… how did it come to this…"

Ryoma looked up at the sky, his face full of anguish.

It had only been a few months since Cocolia's scheme landed him in prison. But now that he was out and catching up on the news, the world felt completely different.

His daughter Mei had become the Herrscher of Thunder—while maintaining her humanity like Welt—and had joined St. Freya Academy as a Valkyrie.

Cocolia, the one who set him up, was now dead.

But most importantly… Mei had a boyfriend.

And apparently, it was that boyfriend who stopped the Nagazora Honkai Eruption, saved Mei, and dealt with Cocolia.

Raiden Ryoma: (I was only in jail for a short while—how did I miss so much of the plot?! Just how far has that kid gone with Mei? Don't tell me… they've held hands already?! Nooo! That's too much!)

Welt: (Uh… held hands? Ryoma, if you'd been released any later, you'd probably be hugging a grandson by now.)

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