In the blink of an eye, Saturday had arrived.
At the temporary office of the Flame-Chasers organization, Durandal waited for Sakura to arrive.
As usual, Connie, sharp as ever, promptly presented the prepared Honkai-related materials that had long been ready.
In the meeting room, it was still Durandal and Elysia acting as the interviewers.
Of course, their role wasn't to assess whether the candidate could join the Flame-Chasers organization, but rather to persuade them to join.
By the way, Kevyn had arrived early as well. Durandal simply handed her a training video and sent her off to the training room.
As for the video's content—it was none other than the Kaslana Gun-Kata.
Talk about a descendant from fifty thousand years in the future returning to the distant past to teach the ancestor their own inherited craft.
Back in the meeting room.
After patiently waiting for Sakura to finish reviewing the materials, Durandal smoothly extended the invitation:
"Miss Sakura, how about it—would you like to join our organization, fight the Honkai together, and fight for all that's beautiful in this world?"
Faced with Durandal's sincere offer, Sakura fell silent.
To be honest, if Sakura were alone in this world, she wouldn't have minded either way.
But the problem was—she wasn't alone.
Unless absolutely forced, she didn't want to tread along dangerous edges, leaving her younger sister alone at home, trapped in constant worry.
Just as Sakura was about to refuse, Durandal's voice reached her.
"Miss Sakura, you have a younger sister named Rin, currently attending elementary school at Chiba Academy, correct?"
"You investigated me?"
Sakura's voice rose slightly, laced with a thread of anger.
"Please, stay calm."
Durandal raised a hand, then gently pressed it down.
Seeing that Sakura, though still angry, hadn't stormed out, she continued, "The Flame-Chasers organization naturally conducts background checks on potential members—it's standard procedure."
"Rest assured, we don't resort to coercing people by threatening their families."
This time, Durandal wasn't lying. While she had long known about Rin, the Flame-Chasers had indeed carried out their own investigation beforehand.
Every future member would undergo the same process before joining.
This was one of the adjustments made as the Flame-Chasers organization gradually became more structured.
Doing so also helped lower any suspicion surrounding Durandal herself.
Hearing this, Sakura's expression softened slightly, though her tone remained stiff.
"I'd like to know—if I refuse to join the Flame-Chasers, what reason would you use to persuade me?"
Durandal thought for a moment, then spoke plainly:
"Truthfully, under the threat of the Honkai, people like you only have two choices. The first is right before you—join the Flame-Chasers. The second would be to join the organization mentioned in the materials I just gave you: Fire Moth."
"Why isn't there a third option?"
Sakura murmured, "All I want is a simple life with my sister. Is that wrong?"
"Do you believe that yourself?"
Durandal pointed at the materials Sakura had set aside.
"Faced with the Honkai threat, if you don't join the Flame-Chasers or Fire Moth, then for ordinary people, there's only despair waiting. As for whether the outcome is the Honkai descending or a timely rescue…"
Durandal shook her head, leaving the rest unsaid.
Sakura's expression grew grim.
After a long moment of internal struggle, Sakura looked at Durandal and asked, "If I join the Flame-Chasers, will you protect my sister Rin during Honkai outbreaks?"
"Actually, your sister could join us as well."
Seeing Sakura about to speak, Durandal made a stopping gesture.
"Don't rush to object. You might not be aware, but currently, there's a member in our organization who only recently learned to speak. She joined alongside her parents. Miss Sakura, think about it—why would you join the Flame-Chasers?"
Why?
Naturally, to live peacefully with her sister.
To do that, she needed strength, and she needed the Flame-Chasers.
Wait…
Sakura suddenly realized something and murmured, "The fundamental reason for joining the Flame-Chasers is to gain protection. Whether it's gaining strength through you all or having you protect my sister—it's all the same. In that case…"
She trailed off.
In that case, why not let Rin join too?
That way, as a member of the Flame-Chasers, Rin wouldn't just gain the strength to protect herself—she'd also have the organization's shelter.
No, no…
Sakura pushed the thought aside for now.
She looked at Durandal.
"Alright, I agree to join the Flame-Chasers. But my sister won't—not for now. I'll see with my own eyes whether you're trustworthy. Until I reach a conclusion, I won't let my sister take that risk."
Hearing this, Durandal nodded and didn't press further.
The reason she suggested Rin join was precisely because of Rin's original fate.
If Rin, aside from being the Twelfth Herrscher, could also become an outstanding warrior in her own right—might the outcome for both sisters have been different?
However, this conversation with Sakura confirmed something for Durandal.
Perhaps, in the original timeline, Sakura hadn't necessarily wanted to shelter Rin like a flower in a greenhouse either.
She might have even considered having Rin join Fire Moth.
But as someone who joined Cocoon and repeatedly raised her blade against humanity—how could Sakura let her sister go through the same?
It was Cocoon—it was Fire Moth—that Sakura didn't trust.
And what about the Flame-Chasers?
Durandal was confident that one day, Sakura would voluntarily ask for Rin to join.
At the same time, the Gnius's reward arrived as promised.
[Static... crackle...]
Honestly, every time she heard that sound, Durandal felt like taking the Gnius out and giving it a couple of taps, to see if the signal would improve.
It reminded her of the old antenna-era televisions—when the signal was bad, a couple of taps usually did the trick.
[Detected that the Savior has organized fifteen individuals to combat the Honkai together, bringing the final success one step closer.]
[Reward granted: Ninth Divine Key • Devouring Key • Cosmic Harmony (Star of Eden). Please select the reward's delivery location.]
Durandal noted that her room was turning into a veritable Divine Key gallery from the game.
The Cosmic Harmony naturally joined the previously delivered Judgment of Shamash, both deposited inside her wardrobe.
"Congratulations on becoming a member of the Flame-Chasers."
Durandal extended her hand. After a moment's hesitation, Sakura shook it briefly.
Then, Durandal repeated her earlier tactic: "Here's a training video. It covers a swordsmanship style called the Hokuto Ittoryu. You can head to the training room next door and study it carefully."
--+--