Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

Shirogane Kei's life was relatively uneventful.

Her brother had told her that life in Academy City wasn't as bad as she had imagined, though many things were indeed quite unexpected.

Cocolia was on TV again, spouting some incomprehensible nonsense. One day it was about humanity's progress, the next it was about how Academy City was leading the era.

Despite being a North American, her large chest had given her a strangely widespread fame in the Far East.

But what Cocolia was saying did attract the attention of the Shirogane family, especially the specific date for the opening of Academy City and the detailed regulations she emphasized.

The gist of it was that Academy City would be open during student holidays, and many student-related activities would also be open to the public.

The newly built schools were planning to recruit more teachers from society, and the curriculum would also be displayed for the general public of the Far East.

Shirogane Kei actually knew about the curriculum, especially the parts about power and history.

In the Third Reich's case, it was definitively stated that the Honkai had influenced their leader to start a world war. In the Far East's case, it was a mess humans had created themselves.

This distinction was more than just subtle; it made Shirogane Kei feel it was somewhat inappropriate. Since they were all instigators of war, there was no need to draw such a clear line.

Didn't it make them, the people of the Far East, seem exceptionally... despicable?

Then there were the textbooks about power. Although she didn't know what possessed Academy City to teach students these things...

...Shirogane Kei really didn't know what to say. If the higher-ups of Academy City didn't care about their power relations being written out so transparently, what right did she, a mere middle school girl from the Far East, have to comment?

"Dad, how is my brother doing over there? Is he still sending money home?"

Shirogane Kei remembered her brother always sending money home and worried about his quality of life.

Her father thought for a moment, rummaged through a cabinet in the house, and soon pulled out a thick stack of cash.

"It's all here. Miyuki is amazing... It's hard to believe he earned so much money in such a short time. Isn't Academy City being too generous to students like him? Anyone who didn't know better would think your brother became a host."

"Impossible," Shirogane Kei immediately retorted. "My brother's personality is clearly not suited for being a host. I'm just worried about his life in Academy City. Is he sending most of his income to us?"

Her little face was filled with worry. "I'm worried about his situation there, so I was thinking, should we find some time to go and see him? It's not that far, anyway. And it's been a long time since he's had a good get-together with us."

Her father looked at Cocolia spouting nonsense on the screen, then said after a moment of silence, "Alright, let's go together! We can't keep letting your brother support us like this. We need to go and have a good talk with him."

Ever since Shirogane Miyuki had entered Academy City, the family had never been short of money. Shirogane Kei no longer had to live in a cramped, sparrow-like house.

But as for her brother, she hadn't known his true situation for a long time.

This made her, as his younger sister, very worried. She also worried that his personality might get him bullied in Academy City.

Academy City was full of rich and powerful people, as well as those from shady organizations like Schicksal and Anti-Entropy.

She didn't know if the people from these secret organizations were too... dangerous.

Shirogane Kei's worries were not unfounded.

For example, today, Shirogane Miyuki was in trouble again.

He looked at the cash package in his hand. It had been thrown at his dorm room door like a delivery.

Someone wanted to befriend him, a "famous" researcher, with a large sum of cash. They had left him a very neatly handwritten letter, even saying they didn't want to disturb his life and didn't dare to meet him directly.

If he was interested, he could contact them using the information in the letter.

Shirogane Miyuki sighed and looked at the two girls beside him—one was the younger sister of an important person, and the other was a new friend he had made through a fight.

"This is the third time since Hikigaya left. They're sending more money each time. But I don't need money. Even with my family's debt, I'm confident I can pay it off one day."

"Besides, they're not even looking for me, are they? They got wind from somewhere about my relationship with Hikigaya and are specifically coming to me to see if they can get on his boat."

"Sigh... what a mess..."

Shirogane Miyuki sighed, having gained a new understanding of Hachiman Hikigaya's rocket-like promotion speed.

Just thinking about it, he knew how many people were envious of Hachiman's situation. A mere teenager, sent to open up new frontiers and manage a country with a population of twenty million. It was an incredibly impressive feat, not just in modern times but even in ancient times.

"Shinomiya, these things... could you help me figure out a way to turn them down? Sending money is the most useless thing in Academy City. If they had sent me some Kengan Association points, I might have been a little more tempted."

Shirogane Miyuki shook his head. He figured these people just hadn't changed their way of thinking yet, still believing that the future world was a society purely based on money.

"What a bunch of blind fools. They don't want to put in the effort, and they're afraid of the negative mental effects of the Stigma Battlesuits."

Shinomiya Kaguya didn't refuse. She was indeed quite good at handling these matters. It's just that now, her family had fallen from grace, so she no longer emphasized climbing the social ladder.

Shinomiya Kaguya had been stuck at "Stigma Power, Level Three" for over a year now.

"Not everyone can pass the Stigma Battlesuit assessment. Even among the students, many have to be coached for a long time before they can truly face another, identical version of themselves."

"But, Hachiman was blessed in disguise. Now, even without a Stigma Battlesuit, he has enough power."

"But in the future... it's hard to say..."

Shirogane Miyuki naturally knew that Stigma Battlesuits could be upgraded. If Hachiman Hikigaya didn't have the help of a sufficiently skilled researcher, he would probably be stuck at that level for the rest of his life.

"Komachi, have you talked to your brother about the future?"

Komachi felt a sense of helplessness when Shirogane Miyuki asked this.

"Big Brother Shirogane, ever since he got back, he's been sighing all the time. He's the same when I contact him online. It's impossible to have a proper conversation!"

A look of resignation crossed Shirogane Miyuki's face. "Is he walking on thin ice again?"

"That's right!" Komachi nodded vigorously.

Shirogane Miyuki couldn't help but laugh. "Then he must be close to another promotion..."