Project Bunny—I'm Sorry, Boss Bronya!

"So warm... Bronya can feel Elias' power through this armor and Project Bunny. It's a strength that brings peace of mind."

Bronya nestled into Elias' arms, basking in the joy of this newfound strength. His Herrscher powers, now flowing through Project Bunny, had become her own.

Just as he had said—it was like he had made himself into Bronya's Herrscher Core, turning her into a Herrscher of Reason as well.

"Thank you, Papa Elias."

The old habit slipped out again. In moments of heightened emotion beyond reason's control, Bronya would instinctively revert to that familiar form of address.

She reached out and patted Project Bunny's mechanical head, her expressionless little face now blooming with a beautiful smile.

Up until just now, Bronya had felt anxious. She realized she might have become the weakest member of the dorm.

Since enrolling, even White Seele had shown clear progress—Dark Seele, even more so.

And Kiana, who should have been at the bottom of the list?

Putting aside academic performance, the paramecium had recently improved drastically in combat. Her natural brute strength, when applied with skill, had her approaching the threshold of an A-rank Valkyrie.

Though currently still ranked B, her poor exam scores even risked dropping her to C-rank.

"Bronya will use this power to work hard. One day, Bronya will be just like Mei-sis... someone who can be useful to Elias!"

"Uh, that's really not necessary. I just want to make sure you're safe. Also... I just wanted to see how pretty you could be."

Elias pinched her adorably small cheek, then played with her silver-gray turbine curls.

Bronya obediently leaned into his chest. She thought: he was still the same as always.

Always too kind, always overprotective. He didn't want danger to come near them.

But for her, it was the same.

Today, during the standoff with Otto, aside from Mei, Fu Hua, and Theresa, every other girl in the dorm who couldn't be there as Elias' bodyguard had felt incredibly frustrated.

Bronya was no exception.

In that moment, she had truly craved power!

The kind of power that could obliterate anyone who threatened Elias, who made him frown—all in one shot!

She didn't want to be the girl who could only sit in the dorm and wait nervously, muttering "I can't do anything."

(Whether you expect me to fight or not, Bronya has already decided to fight to protect you. If a Valkyrie is one who fights to protect all that is beautiful... then to me, you are the most beautiful thing in this world.)

Born on the Siberian tundra, Bronya had learned to pull the trigger before she ever learned to hold a fork.

She was never the kind of princess who needed protecting—Bronya was the knight who protected those she loved.

"Speaking of, since we're doing this... might as well go all the way. Project Bunny, I'd been meaning to give you a proper body. Now's a perfect chance."

Elias tapped Project Bunny on the head.

"???"

The mech, which couldn't yet speak outside of its ultimate attack lines, tilted its head in confusion.

But in the next instant, the power of the Herrscher of Rebirth activated. White flowers bloomed, and a petite body began to take shape.

It was no larger than Bronya's Honkai bunny doll. Unlike the massive mech, this new body emphasized cuteness and miniaturization—a living, breathing entity.

With the same silver-gray hair and blue eyes as Bronya, Elias even crafted a pair of adorable bunny ears based on her name—exactly like her weaponized doll form in the game.

"Power standing by! Thank you, Lord Elias, for giving me this body! Project Bunny, ready for action at any time!"

Speaking in a young girl's electronic voice, the newly-bodied Project Bunny gave Elias a perfect salute. The admiration and eagerness in her eyes were completely undisguised.

No one would have guessed that this was the same powerful, intimidating quantum mech from moments ago.

"Project Bunny, you gained sentience?"

Dark Seele, now at the front, stared in disbelief.

"Ahem! Esteemed Dark Seele, I've always had self-awareness! I just couldn't speak in mech mode. Hehe~ Once again, thank you, Lord Elias, for granting me such a cute body! Project Bunny praises your greatness!"

"...So this is her real personality?"

Everyone stared blankly as Project Bunny, now resembling a loyal pet, clung tightly to Elias' leg and nuzzled up to him.

Bronya's eyes lit up, and she walked over in delight. She gently picked up the girl-sized Project Bunny, curiously examining her new form.

She instinctively ruffled the carefully-crafted bunny ears, and then laughed.

"Hehe~ Bunny, you're so cute now."

"Hey, Bronya! Don't just mess with my ears like that! I couldn't say it before, but now that I finally can... can you please stop making me grind your games for you?!"

Project Bunny pointed dramatically at Bronya.

"And also! Stop browsing those kinds of websites through my terminal! I understand your feelings for Lord Elias, but every time I have to clean out the virus spam, I cry inside—wu wu wu wu!!"

Before she could finish, Bronya gently but firmly covered her mouth.

With a blush creeping across her cheeks, Bronya gave a strained smile.

"Looks like you've forgotten something, Bunny. Even though you've gone from mechanical to biological, your access permissions are still mine. That means you can't disobey my commands."

"!!!"

"In the name of Bronya Zaychik, I hereby order the self-formatting protocol of Project Bunny 19c to..."

"I'm so sorry, Boss Bronya! I was out of line! Please don't format me!"

Just moments ago, she had been smug and sassy.

Now, Project Bunny was prostrating herself on the floor, banging her head against the tiles three times, hands clasped in teary desperation.

"Bronya still prefers your initially defiant attitude. Why not go back to that?"

"You must be joking, Boss Bronya! When was I ever defiant? I've always been your loyal, humble, and adorable Project Bunny 19c! Truly, sincerely asking for forgiveness!"

"Alright then. As punishment, help Bronya farm all the materials needed to max level and max talent these ten new characters across seven gacha game accounts... within one day."

Pfft—! Project Bunny almost coughed up blood. Her still-intact liver ached in protest.

Everyone watched this absurd exchange between the two. Companion? Subordinate? No one could say for sure.

"Alright, Bronya, don't bully Bunny too much. Grinding the accounts yourself is more satisfying, isn't it?"

Elias took Project Bunny back into his arms, admiring his handiwork.

"Well, if Elias says so... I suppose that's fine."

"Uuu... thank you, Lord Elias!"

"No problem. From now on, Bunny, you're a member of this dorm—this family. Be sure to get along with everyone."

"Ahhh~ I have drifted through life, never finding my true master. If you will have me, Lord Elias, Bunny shall pledge myself as your sworn daughter!"

Project Bunny dropped to one knee, raising her hands in salute, as though ready to defect from Bronya.

Bronya hadn't expected her upgraded Project Bunny 19c to have such a personality. She sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead.

But from Seele's angle, the corners of Bronya's mouth were clearly lifted in a smile.

In truth, Bronya treasured Project Bunny deeply. She had long hoped that the mech could one day gain self-awareness, to be more than just a cold machine. Now, thanks to Elias, that wish had come true.

They could finally communicate as equals.

Bronya was genuinely, deeply happy.

Rita: "..."

It seemed Elias had relaxed his guard toward everyone who moved into the dorm—to the point of forgetting that there was still a nominal Schicksal spy in their midst.

"He transformed a machine into a living being... created a body from nothing... Is this also the Herrscher of Reason's power? No, that white flower... it looked like Abyss Flower... Could it be that Lord Elias is also the Herrscher of Death?!"

Rita stared at Elias in shock.

Who would have thought that this man, aside from being an unusual Herrscher via the Key of Blankness, was himself an actual Herrscher!

Now it all made sense. His closeness to Anti-Entropy... it must have been because Herrscher of Reason Welt had passed the Gem of Serenity to Elias long ago!

(What do I do? I should report this to the Overseer immediately. But...)

"Hmm? Oh shoot, I almost forgot you're not entirely one of us yet, Rita."

(I'm doomed. Lady Durandal, I am so sorry. It seems today is the day I die.)

Because of her shaken demeanor, she'd drawn attention. All eyes now turned toward the maid.

Rita broke into a cold sweat, then calmly closed her eyes, ready to accept her fate.

"What are you thinking? No one's going to kill you."

Elias flicked Rita on the forehead.

"Eh?"

"That said, some safety measures are necessary. I hope you understand. Fu Hua, she's yours."

Paying no mind to Rita's confused expression, Fu Hua nodded and walked over, holding a crimson feather in her hand.

"Is that... Fenghuang Down?"

"Correct, Miss Rita. Sorry, but to prevent information leaks, I'll need to modify your consciousness. If Elias allows it in the future, I'll help restore it."

"Ugh... alright, I understand..."

Rita gave a bitter smile and accepted her fate.

Fenghuang Down, created from the Herrscher of Sentience's core in the Previous Era, allowed manipulation of brain signals—to induce hallucinations, or even rewrite thoughts.

Half a minute later, when Rita opened her eyes again, her gaze toward Elias was filled only with devotion. Those wine-red eyes now glimmered with fervor—even little hearts seemed to float in them.

It was as if a devout nun were beholding her god. No—more like a yandere maid obsessing over her one true master.

Elias felt something was off. As expected of the Herrscher of Desire—Rita's expression now was way too dangerous.

"Fu Hua, what exactly did you change in her mind? Is this normal?"

"Umm... sorry, my hand slipped. I accidentally replaced all the important people in her memory with your face. I'll undo that and revise it properly now."

Fu Hua sheepishly began correcting the programming.

"Oh... oh, okay..."

Elias blinked, wondering how he had managed to slip like that. Now, he found himself incredibly curious about the powers of the Herrscher of Sentience, and especially the Fenghuang Down.

He was seriously tempted to dig out the Previous Era Herrscher Core of Sentience from Fenghuang Down and socket it into the Key of Blankness—there seemed to be endless dangerous new possibilities.

A few minutes later, Rita's consciousness had been restored.

She looked around in confusion, tilting her head.

"Lord Elias, did something happen?"

"Ah, no. Nothing happened at all."

"Alright then. If there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to command me. I'll go help prepare dinner. And Miss Bronya, please keep an eye on your bunny pet. Make sure it doesn't hop into the kitchen to steal carrots."

Rita knelt down and patted Project Bunny on the head.

"Uh... Okay, Bronya understands."

From her reaction, everyone immediately understood that Fu Hua had altered Rita's memory to view Project Bunny as a pet rabbit—and erased her memory of what she'd just witnessed.

The terrifying capability of Fenghuang Down had the group collectively swallowing hard. Everyone silently thanked fate that it was in the hands of someone as honorable and restrained as Fu Hua.

Because no matter how strong your fists might be, a human brain remains fragile. Herrschers were no exception.

Even the six-core Sirin of the original timeline had fallen under Fu Hua's control thanks to Fenghuang Down.

"Ah~ If only I had that kind of power..."

Kiana suddenly sighed with envy.

"Kiana, don't even think about it..."

"But then Mei would help me with homework every day, Elias would cook for me, and Bronya could never beat me in games again!"

"...You're hopeless!" xN

The girls all looked at her speechlessly. It was so typical of the paramecium to have such low-tier ambitions. If any of them had that kind of power...

Bronya, Mei, Himeko, Dark Seele, and the others all turned their gaze toward a certain white-haired boy. Their minds instinctively filled with imagery that made their breaths quicken.

Elias: (Huh? Why do I suddenly feel a chill? Damn it, some rogue must be plotting against me!)

...

Later that night, Rita proved her worth as the fourth master of the kitchen with a magnificent dinner. She even volunteered to do the dishes afterward.

Truly an elite maid—no one could match her feminine prowess.

As night fell.

Elias yawned and returned to his bedroom. Feeling content over the day's victories and contemplating his next move, he noticed his blanket was bulging.

"Hm? Mei? Or Himeko?"

That was his first thought—but he quickly dismissed it. Neither Mei nor Himeko would do something so adorably sneaky. And the size wasn't right either.

Curious as if opening a mystery box, Elias lifted the blanket.

There he found an adorable Bronya, warming up his bed.

"Duck, I don't believe for a second that you got the wrong room."

"..."

Realizing she'd been caught, Bronya sat up and stared directly at him.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a pure glow on the girl's delicate figure. She looked like a heavenly angel.

"Bronya has thought long and hard... and still doesn't know how to properly repay Elias."

She took a deep breath and, as if steeling herself, continued.

The Valkyrie dorm was becoming more and more crowded. If she didn't act soon, there might never be another chance.

Tonight, she was going all in.

"No matter what form it takes, I'll be happy. Your feelings alone make me very happy," Elias said, effortlessly pulling her into his embrace.

Yet, the usually obedient Bronya shook her head and firmly disagreed.

"Just feelings aren't enough. Elias, you've given me so much—so much that even if I gave everything I had, it still wouldn't be enough to repay you."

"Really? Have I done that much?"

"...You're always so clueless."

Bronya smiled wryly as she held his face in her hands.

Her presence here tonight was all the answer he needed.

The girl had made up her mind.

"Even if it's not enough, this is what I can give you right now. So..."

"Elias, will you accept Bronya?"

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