# Homu Rescue Operation (Part 1)

It was 2 PM. The trio was walking along Highway T20, fleeing Nagazora City. Kiana led the way while Mei followed behind, holding Bronya's hand.

Midway through their journey, Mei suddenly realized Bronya's hand had slipped free.

"Bronya, what's wrong?"

Mei turned back to ask, seeing Bronya alone behind her, squeezing the ears of her stuffed animal.

"Ah, she must be hungry! Greedy little thing, we just had lunch. Hey, Mei-senpai, I want hamburger patties for dinner!" Kiana stopped and ran back.

"I think you're just hungry yourself..." Mei ignored Kiana, who had a bit of drool trickling from the corner of her mouth. She leaned closer to Bronya, bending down so she could hear her clearly.

"Hm..."

"Hm?"

"Hm... it... it's dying..."

Bronya's voice trembled slightly.

"You mean this stuffed animal? Let me take a look~"

Mei took the stuffed animal named "Homu" from Bronya's hands. There was a tear on the right ear—probably from getting caught during a fight. The wound wasn't too big, only about 2 centimeters long.

"The ear's torn a bit, but it's okay. With some needle and thread, we can fix it~"

"Really?"

"Mhm, let's go back to the school and look for some. I remember the home economics classroom should have sewing supplies."

Mei smiled and placed Homu back into Bronya's arms. It seemed Bronya had a childlike side too—after all, she was only a 14-year-old girl.

"Hey! Wait! The academy is swarming with assassins right now! Going back is suicide! It's just a stuffed animal—we can just throw it away and buy a new one!"

"No way!"

Bronya exclaimed, her large eyes widening as she glared at Kiana.

"Whoa! I get it! Don't glare at me like that~"

Seeing Bronya's expression so serious for the first time, Kiana instinctively took a step back.

"Bronya, where did this doll come from?" Mei asked.

Bronya hugged Homu and pondered for a moment.

"...Bronya doesn't remember, but whether it's during training or rest, Homu has always been by my side. So Homu is something very special—I absolutely can't throw it away."

"Seems like Homu is Bronya's most important friend~" Mei nodded.

"Friend? Meaning unclear."

"Well~ You'll understand someday~"

Mei gently stroked Bronya's hair, and Bronya silently moved closer to Mei's body.

"I know a shortcut to the academy. Let's hurry!"

"Hey! Wait up! I'm not about to throw away my youth for a stuffed animal!"

The moment Kiana finished speaking, Mei turned and glared at her fiercely. Such pure innocence—how could Kiana not understand? It was truly heartbreaking!

"Kiana, think about it—this doll has been with Bronya since childhood. Now that it's broken, don't you want to fix it? This isn't just a mission to save Homu-chan, it's about salvaging those pure memories from our girlhood!"

"H-hold on! Why are we suddenly talking about memories from our girlhood?!"

"Sigh... Kiana, you just wouldn't understand."

"Hey! I'm only 16! Don't make me sound like some old lady!"

"Then didn't you have memories like that in your childhood? Like an important toy you got from your family?"

"Of course I did..."

Mei's words struck a nerve with Kiana, who painfully recalled the gifts her father had given her in the past.

"Kiana, this is your birthday present. Be sure to take good care of it." Her father's face flashed through her mind, and she could almost hear his voice.

"Got it!" Kiana finally recalled her childhood and exclaimed excitedly, "The M617 revolver!"

"Why a pistol?!" Mei nearly stumbled backward.

Suddenly, an image flashed unconsciously in her mind: a young Kiana, clad in simple military fatigues, training in harsh conditions!

A look of pity spread across Mei's face.

"Mei-senpai... What's wrong?"

"Kiana... I misunderstood you... To fight against the Honkai, Kiana trained relentlessly, tempering her will and skills, but she lost the happiness a girl her age should have... I'm sorry."

Mei placed one hand on Kiana's shoulder while covering her mouth with the other, tears welling up in her eyes as she wept, her gaze filled with profound compassion.

This sudden display left Kiana utterly bewildered.

"It's... it's fine. As long as you understand. Now, let's focus on how to escape Changkong City." Kiana said.

Though she didn't understand the full story, it was a relief that Mei had abandoned the dangerous idea of returning to the academy.

"No! Kiana! We absolutely must fix this doll!"

"Huh!?"

"This isn't just about protecting Bronya's innocence—it's about retrieving your own precious memories from your youth!"

"My memories aren't precious at all! We should focus on protecting precious lives from the Honkai!"

"Kiana, this is for your own good. Though it pains me to resort to force... Bronya!"

"Yes, Sister."

"Whoa!? What are you doing?!"

At Mei's command, Bronya summoned a massive mecha, grabbed Kiana, and hoisted her onto her shoulder. Though Kiana struggled fiercely, she couldn't resist the mecha's strength and was carried away.

"Help me!! Put me down!!"

Kiana's cry pierced the heavens, launching an operation to rescue the maiden's pure memories. What awaited them—a horrifying academy infected by the Honkai, or a stage where hope and love converged?

"Operation Homu Rescue, Commence!"

# Homu Rescue Operation (Part 2)

“This is the place!”

Mei pushed open the door to the home economics classroom, where objects were scattered haphazardly on the floor.

"Phew~ We've finally arrived... Ahh~ It's been completely destroyed..."

Kiana followed Mei into the classroom.

"Let's look for it first."

"Got it! Bronya, give me Homu-chan~"

Mei took the doll from Bronya and began to mend it using the needle and thread she had found under the desk.

"Mei-neechan is amazing, she even knows how to repair Homu."

"Hehe, it's nothing special, just some simple needlework."

Bronya, standing to the side, looked on with anticipation, watching intently as the needle and thread pierced the doll's wounds, like a little rabbit.

Seeing Mei and Bronya completely absorbed in their own world, Kiana suddenly felt a surge of jealousy.

"Mei-senpai! Let me do it!"

"Huh!? Sure, I guess… I didn’t expect Kiana to know how to do needlework."

"Of course I can do something this simple! Give me the doll now."

Mei handed the doll and needle and thread to Kiana. Kiana picked up the doll, examined it briefly, and then quickly began to sew up the damaged area.

A moment later, Kiana stopped what she was doing and smiled with satisfaction.

"All done! Here you go~"

Kiana handed the doll to Mei, whose expression became complicated as she looked at the patch Kiana had made.

"...Well, how should I put it, the thread is coming undone here, and the fabric is pink, isn't Homu supposed to be yellow?"

"Ugh! Don't worry about the details~ Anyway, it's sewn up nicely!"

Kiana maintained a smug expression despite Mei's questioning.

"Kiana..."

"Wow~ Bronya, don't be upset. Let me fix it up for you~"

Seeing Bronya's gloomy expression, Mei quickly stepped forward to help her out.

"This color doesn't belong to Homu-chan~ It belongs to Homu's crush, Homuei-chan!"

"Why!?"

Kiana and Mei both exclaimed in surprise.

"Bronya thinks it's necessary to explain the story of Homu-chan to Kiana and her older sister."

"Ha..." Two more exclamations came almost simultaneously.

"Homu-chan is a delinquent at Hoho Elementary School, and yellow represents her rebellious nature. However, although Homu-chan looks bad, she is actually a very kind-hearted child."

Homu-chan has always had a crush on Homuei-chan, the school beauty of Houhou Elementary School, but Homu-chan's fierce appearance always leads to misunderstandings from Homuei-chan, making it impossible for him to express his feelings..."

Bronya was enthusiastically telling the story of Homu. Mei and Kiana had never seen Bronya talk about something so intently before, and they didn't even have a chance to interrupt.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the window, and Mei hurriedly ran to the window to check what was happening. Sure enough, the assassins, following their scent, had already surrounded them.

"We've been discovered by assassins! Everyone, get your weapons ready for battle!"

Kiana and Mei quickly got into battle mode, but Bronya was still going on and on about the story of Homuei-chan...

"To express her feelings, Homu-chan traveled over mountains and across treacherous demon caves to reach a nearby village in search of the mysterious Shiny Cake, because it was Homuei-chan's favorite food. She had only eaten it once when she was a child, but its exquisite taste has remained unforgettable to this day..."

"This is not the time to talk about this!"

Clang!

With the sound of shattering glass, a group of assassins burst through the window and flooded into the home economics classroom, instantly turning the small space into a scene of carnage.

Mei provided cover for Kiana's assault, shooting down the assassins one by one outside the classroom. Kiana, in turn, led the charge, using a baseball bat to knock down the assassins who rushed into the classroom. However, due to the sheer number of assassins, Kiana's defensive line was gradually compressed.

"Bronya! Come quick, help me!"

Kiana shouted and kicked away the attacking assassins, but after a long time, she still didn't hear Bronya's response. Kiana turned around and found Bronya still in the same spot, recounting the story from before.

"Unexpectedly, Homuei-chan's fiancé, Houku-chan, colluded with other bad guys from the elementary school to attack Homu-chan. At the critical moment, the mysterious masked warrior, Hou Knight, appeared, and a great battle is about to break out..."

"Huh!? It's not finished yet... And wasn't that a love story?! Why did it suddenly turn into a tokusatsu show!?"

"It seems Bronya really likes Homu-chan~"

Mei also stopped providing support and began to listen to Bronya's story with great interest.

"Can't you guys deal with these assassins properly?!" Kiana cried out in despair.

"Finally...finally...it's all resolved..."

As a result, only Kiana took on the responsibility of fighting against the assassins. However, when Kiana walked into the classroom panting, the scene in front of her finally made her collapse to the ground.

Bronya was telling the story of Homu like a radio, while Mei unknowingly moved a stool and sat down next to her. When she saw Kiana return, Mei waved to her and asked her to sit down next to her.

"The Great Adventure of Homu-chan is currently serialized in 'Girls' Squat' up to chapter 350 and is about to enter the climax of the plot. However, it seems that the author's city was destroyed and his current fate is unknown, so the series has been temporarily suspended."

"That's really bad news..."

Mei listened and shared her thoughts, and seeing this harmonious scene, Kiana couldn't help but wonder what all her efforts had been for...

"That concludes Homuei-chan's brief introduction. So, this pink color is Homuei-chan's color, please don't get it wrong. Kiana, do you understand the importance of this?"

"Hmm... Ah! I understand!"

Kiana, who had been standing there in a daze, finally snapped out of it. She didn't immediately understand Bronya's question, but in order to get Bronya to end the conversation quickly, Kiana quickly pretended to understand.

"Bronya is skeptical. To make sure Kiana really knows Homu-chan's background, let me ask you a question. I already mentioned it in my previous explanation. What's the name of the eldest daughter of Homu-chan's rival, Homu-chan's fiancé, Homu-chan's uncle?"

"Who would know about something like that!?"

"It seems Big Sister wasn't listening carefully after all. Her name is Houna-chan, and she's a key character in the plot, having a crush on Homu-chan. Bronya thinks it's necessary to explain Homu-chan's story to Kiana-neechan again. Homu-chan is a delinquent at Houhou Elementary School, and yellow represents her rebellious nature..."

Bronya began to retell the story from the beginning again, this time with a more detailed narration so that Kiana could understand its true meaning.

"I get it! I’ll change it to yellow, okay? Please stop talking about it!"

Kiana finally couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed the doll from Bronya's hand and started mending it again.

"Well, all in all, the Homu Rescue Operation can be considered a success!"

Mei showed a relieved expression.

The empty classroom seemed to have returned to its usual warm and cozy atmosphere, and Homu-chan's body now bore a noticeable patch...