Chapter 911: Kaluoer

Heimu shifted his gaze from Hua's face to a sleepy orange cat napping by the roadside ahead.

The cat was lying on a cardboard box at the convenience store entrance, its belly exposed, its tail flicking on and off, showing none of the alertness a stray cat should have.

Hua spoke again.

This time her tone carried a faint hint of anticipation, probably because the very topic of the home visit made her nervous, nervous enough that she subconsciously filled the silence with extra information.

"Teacher. My father's pickled radish is delicious. Last time—"

She suddenly stopped, then resumed, speaking a bit faster than before, "Last time we had guests over, father pickled a whole vat, and the guests took two jars home when they left. But his health is poor now, so I won't let him tinker in the kitchen any more."

"... pickled radish."

Heimu repeated the three words, his tone carrying an indefinable nuance.

"Yes. Thin slices of white radish, seasoned with soy sauce, sugar, and a pinch of Sichuan pepper. Father says the pepper is a recipe passed down from his master's master, though I think it was just bought at the market, but he always explains it so earnestly—"

When Hua mentioned her father, her speech unintentionally quickened, and she suddenly realized she might have said too much, her ears reddening.

She lowered her head, brushed the hair at her ears with her hand, and her voice softened, "... I'm sorry, teacher, you said this was a home visit, and I've been talking about irrelevant things."

"Nothing is irrelevant. I want to hear all of it."

As Heimu's words fell, a muffled thud suddenly echoed from the nearby alley.

It sounded like something heavy struck a metal trash can, followed by a girl's voice, sharp and urgent, laced with obvious anger.

"Stay away from me! I told you to back off—!"

Heimu halted, his right foot suspended midair before it could touch down.

She turned her head toward the alley, her dark‑purple eyes narrowing slightly.

Before she could analyze the source, a gray‑blue afterimage streaked past her right side, moving so fast that the wind lifting her hair's ends swirled left in several arcs.

She glanced sideways; where Hua had just stood were only two faint white shoe prints pressed into the tiles.

"... Hmm?"

Heimu planted his right foot, hands still in his pockets, tilted his head, and looked toward the depth of the alley.

His eyebrows lifted slightly.

Immediately, a rapid series of sounds rang out from the alley.

Then everything fell silent.

When Heimu reached the alley entrance, he saw this scene:

At the far end of the alley, against the wall, a short‑haired white‑haired girl sat on the ground, her back against the wall, one leg straight, the other bent, a deep‑blue coat tied at the waist with a crooked bow that hung on the floor, and a large yellow bow at the collar stained with ash.

Her warm golden eyes were wide open, the sockets slightly reddened, lips moving as she struggled to steady her breathing; her wheat‑colored skin bore a few gray smudges, and a slender wound on her right forearm was still oozing blood.

Standing before her was Hua.

The gray‑blue low ponytail had been flung behind her shoulder by the recent motion, and the hem of her school uniform skirt still swayed gently from the sudden stop.

She leaned forward slightly, extending one hand toward the white‑haired girl, palm up, a standard friendly "hand over, let me pull you up" gesture.

Her expression had shifted from the focused stare at the alley entrance to gentle concern.

On the ground behind Hua lay scattered fragments.

The fragments varied in size; the larger ones were as wide as a basin, the smaller only the size of a fingernail.

Their surfaces were gray‑white, resembling the pattern of a creature's shell, edges jagged, as if violently shattered from within by extreme force.

Some fragments still bore faint purple luminescent markings, fading at a visible rate.

Heimu stared at the pile of fragments for two seconds.

Collapse Beast.

In the picture book Hua's Adventure Record, these creatures are the standard cannon fodder Hua faces in the cyber‑retro city; they disappear within three pages of a combo, serving mainly to highlight the protagonist's combat prowess and dashing stance.

Heimu shifted his gaze from the fragments back to the white‑haired girl.

If he recalled correctly, this girl should be Kaluoer, Hua's partner in the Collapse Worldview, a bright‑hearted, energetic girl.

In the original Plot line, she and Hua share a deep bond.

But in this Painted World, they clearly do not know each other yet.

Because Hua is asking about the other's injuries in a completely formulaic tone: "Are you okay? Can you stand? Does anything hurt especially?"

If they already knew each other, Kaluoer's personality would have her shouting "Hua, you're so cool!" while leaping up, not leaning against the wall, struggling to steady her trembling breath.

Heimu stood at the alley entrance, hands in his pockets, not hurrying to approach.

She decided to first see what would happen next.

Since this is a Plot arrangement of the Painted World, her best strategy is to follow the storyline, making minimal tweaks at key Nodes to achieve her goal.

Kaluoer inhaled deeply, her warm golden eyes finally refocusing after the earlier terror.

She looked at the girl before her, whose expression was as calmly composed as someone who just helped a classmate pick up a dropped pen, then glanced at the still‑smoldering Collapse Beast fragments on the ground, finally looked back at Hua, opened and closed her mouth, emitting a highly uncertain syllable.

"... You... just now... that pile of things... one punch each?"

"Three punches."

Hua corrected her, voice still steady, "The first punch shattered the head shell of the one on the left. The second punch repelled the one that charged head‑on. The third punch struck the core of the first one. Their weak point is the core, not the head."

"Three punches!"

Kaluoer repeated the number, her voice shifting from earlier terror to admiring excitement, a brilliant grin spreading, "Sister, you're so cool! I thought I'd be done for in this alley today, but you swooped down and swiped three times, blasting all these ugly things! Which school are you from? A martial arts school? Special forces? Retired mercenary?!"

Hua slightly furrowed her brow.

Faced with Kaluoer's rapid‑fire questions, she chose the most pragmatic approach: first tend to her wound.

She pulled a clean handkerchief from her school uniform pocket, crouched, and gently but steadily pressed it onto the bleeding wound on Kaluoer's arm.

Kaluoer inhaled sharply as the handkerchief touched the wound, grimaced for a moment, then instantly regained her radiant smile.

"You go ahead and handle it; this little cut isn't serious—"

Kaluoer tried to stand to prove she was fine, but as soon as she moved her arm, Hua expertly pressed it back down.

"The wound is still bleeding."

Hua's tone remained that calm, matter‑of‑fact manner, but their voice now carried a barely perceptible worry, "We need to go to the hospital. At least we have to disinfect and bandage it."

"No, really, it's fine! When I used to train in martial arts I was always falling and getting banged up; this little wound heals in two days. Hey, wait, wait, don't pull me—I can really walk on my own—"

Kaluoer tried to struggle twice under Hua's support, but Hua's strength was clearly far greater than she had expected. When lifting her, one hand cradled her waist and the other steadied her shoulder, the movement clean and decisive, leaving her no room to refuse.

After positioning Kaluoer, Hua turned and gave a deep bow to Heimu, who was standing at the alley entrance.

The angle of the bow, contrasted with her school uniform still dusted with Collapse Beast ash, created a sort of irresistible contrast.

"Teacher, I'm sorry. Could the home‑visit be postponed a little? I'll take her to the hospital first and be right back."