Honkai Impact 3rd: Will Of The Universe

(S2.2) - Scars

St. Freya 

Squad V Dorm

0730 hrs

The entire bed shook violently as the boy who was sound asleep suddenly jolted awake, his heart hammering against his ribs. The culprit was a digital alarm clock on his nightstand, which had been blaring a shrill, merciless electronic beep for at least five straight minutes.

"Ow, ow, ow... My head," he groaned, burying his face into his palms as a sharp, pulsing migraine throbbed right behind his eyes.

Squinting against the sudden movement, the student glanced toward the window. He immediately winced, getting instantly blinded by the bright, unobstructed sunlight pouring through the glass panes.

"Already morning, huh?"

He blinked blearily, rubbing his temples as his disorganized thoughts slowly began to piece themselves back together. His mind was completely foggy, mostly because his entire evening yesterday had been utterly hijacked. He had been forced to deal with a notoriously annoying drunkard who flat-out refused to go home, dragging him along for hours to satisfy whatever ridiculous whims popped into her alcohol-soaked brain.

Shaking off the lingering lethargy, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and walked over to the bathroom mirror. Standing before his reflection, the face looking back at him was unmistakably Shiro's sharp, defined features framed by a messy mane of white hair, though currently ruined by a ridiculous case of bedhead.

He picked up a brush, quickly taming the wild strands of hair into something presentable, before tossing it aside. Moving with practiced efficiency, he stripped out of his sleepwear and pulled on his usual,  academy uniform, smoothing down the fabric of the collar.

Giving his reflection a firm, reassuring nod to lock his focus in place, he opened the door and went downstairs, his footsteps echoing softly in the quiet house as he made his way straight toward the kitchen.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, the familiar hum of the television greeted him. Kiana was sprawled out comfortably on the couch, her eyes absolutely glued to the screen. A single piece of toasted bread hung loosely from her mouth, and she chewed on it slowly, without a single care in the world.

"Oh, morr-ning Shiro," she mumbled, her greeting completely muffled by the toast.

"I don't have time for your jabs right now, Kiana," he muttered, running a hand through his hair as he walked past the living room.

"Always the serious type," Kiana huffed, finally taking a massive bite and swallowing the rest of the toast in one go.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes playfully and headed straight into the kitchen, where the savory, comforting aroma of a home-cooked meal filled the air.

Mei was standing by the stove, gracefully preparing breakfast for the dorm.

"Morning, Mei. Sorry you had to do all of this on your own today," he apologized, stepping up beside her and feeling a twinge of guilt for waking up late.

The gentle Valkyrie simply turned to him and shook her head, offering a warm, reassuring smile. "It's quite alright, Shiro-kun. Knowing Himeko-sensei's... addiction, it really couldn't be helped. You had your hands full last night."

"Could you do me a favor and wake Bronya-chan up?" Mei asked, turning a dial on the stove to simmer. "She might have pulled another all-nighter playing video games."

"Roger that, Thunder Queen," Shiro replied smoothly, tossing her a playful, military-style salute as he turned on his heel.

Mei immediately pouted, her cheeks dusting with a faint blush as he walked away. "I told you not to call me that!" she called out after him, though her voice carried no real anger.