The Male Student (A Honkai Impact 3rd Fanfiction)

Chapter 57: Written

Some time passed. For whatever nor whichever reason, life in St. Freya had been nothing short of eventful, with the passing time of which the world began to recover.

South Korea fully returned to its democratic roots, and while it seems like tensions between the men and women remain present, it leaves an uneasy peace within the country nonetheless. Squad V remained ever cautious, going through their school life as safely as they could, with Max and his mother now apparently adopting a sister/daughter in Benares. However, Kiana had been acting more and more off the longer the days went on. Her greetings were sluggish, and her thoughts seem to always wander elsewhere, even in a focused conversation. Mei simply thought she was probably being anxious of the fact that the final examinations, the one obstacle left to make them become fully fledged Valkyries (and Knights, as insisted by Seere). Max and Sofia however, collectively knew that there was something amiss from that.

Present day, it was mere days before the examination would come to be. A time where they are fully tested of not just their combat  prowess, but their knowledge and know-how in engaging against the Honkai. Even if Max was her son, Sofia was not pulling any punches when it comes with training the young mute blonde.

"SWING HARDER, YA BIG OAF!!"

Max swung the Prototype Archaic over his shoulder and slammed it down onto Sofia's lump of metal she called a 'greatsword'. the clanging sound echoed emptily in the beach, the night sky decorated by sprinkling stars that watch over their efforts, being silent judges to assess the fruits of their labor. Max's left eye glowed an iridescent pink, as it had been for months past. The concept of controlling his Honkai cells were completely lost on him, as he simply did not have such restraint with it. And yet, it never spread so far. He hoped that he could have it last as much as it could, just so that he could live long enough to see himself alive.

As redundant as that sentence may seem, Max truly held on to it, something his friends chose not to question and supported.

"AIN'T HARD ENOUGH!"

Moving her greatsword, Max countered by moving it as well, causing a stalemate of a dynamic sword clash. Max clearly had the strength to push forward, but Sofia was certainly being more tactical in this regard. Quickly gaining the upper hand, Sofia quickly finished the spar by letting go of her 'blade' and went for the uppercut to the mute blonde. Such a punch caused the boy to stagger back, stopping only when he had full control of his footing, and looked back to Sofia while holding his chin, hiding a smirk behind his hand.

"Ya seriously thought ya could beat me with unga bunga energy, son?"

Max nodded quickly. If there was any consolation that she got from his response, it was that he was still mostly himself, despite everything that was thrown at him. His kidnappings, his turn into some sort of Honkai Beast, and especially his torture in the simulations against a virus they knew nothing of, he was certainly someone that was tenacious in his vitality and spirit. It didn't hurt that he was still his ever cheerful self, if not more mature than he ever was. His childish antics were dearly missed, but his current being was far more preferable compared to when he first started. His brashness almost disappeared, only in display at the sight of foods in their group meals. 

Max always took John's beef, and in turn, the two had beef with one another ever since.

Sofia merely sighed, resting her sword upon her shoulder while she watched Max picked up the great sword to hang on his back. Or rather, float on his back. Modern technology is so convenient to use. He looked towards Sofia, before he began his hand gestures. A question.

'Do you think I'll pass the written tests?'

Sofia merely gave a shrug.

"Ya think of somethin', ya find a solution for that thin'. Ain't knowin' till ya try."

Max quickly noticed her shift in accent, as if she gotten a bit more Southern drawl onto her. Perhaps those months of 'honeymoon' with Cocolia got to her. Max knew that it wasn't a honeymoon as they never married, but he knew better than to ask deeper than he should for the details.

"Now Max. If ya think ya can't pass the examinations, I'd be wholly pissed. And ya know what'd I do for that, ain'tcha?"

Sofia slammed the tip of her sword onto the sand, dusts of them flying up but did not stay for long.

'Yeah. I'll study.'

"Good. Ya friends're always around to help ya after all."

Max nodded in approval, a small smile emerged on his face. Slowly, he walked to Sofia and gave her a big hug, one that she reciprocated in kind.

"Don't worry. I love ya too."

-------

". . . . . . ."

Emilia watched over the two from a distance,  with a a rabbit masked personnel beside her, looking down onto the bustling cars attempting to reach home as soon as possible to the reprieve of their home.

"What do you think, Rabbit? He's been polite as of late, so I wanna give him a little more time to squirm before we can take him and the others."

"Now aren't you just being greedy."

"I'm being safe, Rabbit."

"Of course you are. You are still tasked to watch over, remember that. I get the say in this regard and you do not. Not yet."

"Ooooh, tempting me there, aren't you?"

"Silence yourself and temper your teasing."

She rolled her eyes before continue observing the boy, seemingly in a conversation with Sofia with his hands as they walked along the beach.

Perhaps for the past many months of her time in St. Freya, she managed to take a grasp of what the school's structure was and its internal workings. As far as she was concerned, this was for the probability of escaping, and she needed proper preparation to make it work. With the casualties mostly returned to study in St. Freya due to the terrorist act, she managed to talk with many of them, majority of which became unintentional informants for her benefit. With her next plan currently in the works with Rabbit, she wondered what the examination entailed.