Chapter 132: Kiana's Scheme
"Kiana, how on earth did you manage to get a zero even when the paper was filled with writing? According to my general knowledge, even if the answers are wrong, a decent teacher would at least give some points for effort. Mr. Welt doesn't seem like an unreasonable person."
Xin Yu was a little curious. After all, in his impression, Kiana had an extremely deep understanding of exams from her future self, and her luck wasn't bad either. A score like this shouldn't have been possible. To put it another way, even if you answered randomly, relying on luck to guess a few multiple-choice questions correctly would get you more points than she did by just putting a card on the ground and stomping on it.
Kiana looked away somewhat awkwardly, then said in a very soft voice, "That… At the time, I was writing and writing, and then I fell asleep… When I woke up later, it was almost time to hand in the paper. The handwriting at the end was a bit messy…"
"A bit… messy?"
Welt, who had only taken a few steps, suddenly stopped. He then reached into the briefcase under his arm and took out a test paper.
With that, Xin Yu saw a test paper partially soaked in what looked like water. The handwriting on the front part of the test paper was still somewhat normal, but the characters towards the end looked like a doctor's scrawl.
"Student Kiana Kaslana, is this what you meant by 'a bit messy'?" Welt pushed up the glasses on his face and said, seriously yet sternly, "I know that some of you Valkyries think cultural studies are useless. After all, everyone is going to take up arms and fight Honkai beasts and those death-servitors infected by Honkai. So, some of you think being illiterate doesn't matter, as long as you can understand orders and operate your weapons."
"But learning is not simply a process of acquiring knowledge. Perhaps the knowledge you learn will not be of any use in battle, but the process of learning itself serves a sufficient training purpose. Mathematics can improve your logical thinking skills, language can enhance your understanding and expression, and history tells you how people in the past progressed step by step, how many mistakes they made, and how many lessons we can learn from them."
"Correct your attitude towards learning, Student Kiana. If you truly want to become a warrior who can protect others, you must first understand why you are protecting them, and what this battle will ultimately bring to others or to yourself."
"Don't wait until you are trapped in a predicament, confused and lost, before you think of trying to find answers."
After Kiana heard this, she nodded seriously. If it were before, Kiana would indeed think that these cultural lessons were useless and wouldn't listen properly. But now, with the memories of her future self, Kiana also understood a principle: her own knowledge reserves were insufficient. Even if she possessed the power of the Herrscher of the End, she ultimately couldn't control and utilize it well.
Xin Yu watched Welt's departing figure and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He hadn't expected the young Mr. Welt to be such a good teacher. No wonder he became the "parent" figure of the Astral Express crew.
"Kiana, he truly is a good teacher. You must study hard and not let down this teacher's earnest advice."
"Xin Yu, I have a curious question: what's your academic level?"
"…..Err… I… I seem to have graduated from university?" Xin Yu vaguely felt a drop of cold sweat trickle down his forehead. If he were to talk about the self who had lost his memories before transmigration, whose knowledge reserves were equivalent to that of a university student, then the current self, who had lost most of his past memories, might struggle even with a middle school exam… No, even passing a primary school exam would be a problem.
Kiana looked at Xin Yu's somewhat embarrassed expression, and the smile on her face gradually turned into one that was somewhat lacking in kindness.
"Xin Yu, you heard what Mr. Welt said just now, didn't you? Studying is a very important thing! You don't even seem to have graduated from high school, do you? Are you planning to become a degenerate student who watches others study hard while you yourself indulge in idleness?"
"Young man, you wouldn't want to set a bad example for your girlfriend, would you?"
Xin Yu looked at the somewhat black-bellied Kiana, finally swallowed, and revealed a helpless smile.
"Alright, if I can't do it myself, then I have no right to persuade others. Kiana, I will also be a good student and study diligently. In exchange, you must also study seriously. We will supervise each other."
"Pinky swear! You have to promise me you won't leave before the course ends~ And how will I know if you're studying well elsewhere? You have to study with me."
Xin Yu looked at the smiling Kiana before him with some surprise.
Could this be her true objective?
That's right, she was the one who initiated the meeting with Mr. Welt. She had stayed at this school for a while; how could she not know what Mr. Welt would say after seeing her?
In other words, it was all planned by her. She used studying as an excuse to forcibly keep him by her side.
"This really caught me off guard. I didn't expect you to resort to such a scheme."
"Otherwise, you might leave very soon, right? Xin Yu, as you said yourself, you've never had much time. We are the same. So why don't you stop and rest for a while yourself?" Kiana reached out and held Xin Yu's face, looking seriously into his eyes, into those pitch-black, abyss-like pupils.
"You should also stop and rest for a while. The world hasn't reached the point where it will be immediately destroyed if you leave. Humanity hasn't reached the point of extinction without you. No matter when, you will always have things you want to do."
"But now, please stop for a good while. Temporarily forget the power you possess, temporarily forget the burden and responsibility you've placed on yourself. Be an ordinary student, study ordinarily, interact ordinarily with your friends, your lover, and live an ordinary day."
"Go and re-experience an ordinary life, and then transform this experience into a cornerstone for your own growth, allowing yourself to walk your path more firmly and better."
"So, I beg you, stop for a while, okay?"
Xin Yu looked at the pleading in Kiana's eyes and instantly couldn't bring himself to refuse.
"Alright, I promise you."
"Pinky swear!"
"Alright, pinky swear."
Their little fingers linked together, forming a tangible bridge, and the warmth of each other was transmitted into their hearts through the contact.