In Honkai with Tom Cat

At Li Huan's suggestion, the three girls set off to get their own clothes. It was indeed more appropriate for them to handle this themselves rather than having a big man like him pick out clothes for them.

Before they left, Li Huan handed the magnet that Tom had used to Kiana.

"If she causes trouble," Li Huan glanced at Bronya, "use this to deal with her."

Kiana took the magnet and said, "Although it looks kind of silly... I understand."

As the three left, Li Huan's expression subtly changed.

"Finally, they're gone."

Li Huan had intentionally left their clothes behind to create an opportunity for himself to be alone. Otherwise, he could have just grabbed a few sets of school uniforms.

He shifted his attention to a specific place—the last remaining bus.

"Tom, come here."

Li Huan called out, but after a while, Tom did not respond at all.

"?"

He turned to the spot where Tom had been and saw a cat comfortably lounging inside a box, with a piece of cake in one paw and a sausage in the other, blissfully eating snacks.

Well, taking a break already, huh?

Li Huan considered making Tom work, but then thought better of it. After all, Tom was quite tired today, and since there was no immediate rush, a rest seemed fair.

With that thought, Li Huan sat down on the ground and called out to the empty space in front of him.

"System, come out."

With no one around, he could communicate directly with the system.

[I'm here. What's the matter?]

The system's voice appeared beside Li Huan.

"I'm almost ready to leave Thousand Feathers Academy… but I'm still a bit troubled about what path I should take next."

[What else can you do? With Tom by your side, why worry so much? Just go wherever you want and do whatever you want in this world.]

"What if one day, Tom and I are separated?"

Li Huan interrupted the system, speaking seriously, "Let's make an assumption. If due to some unforeseen circumstances, Tom and I get separated, and I'm left alone, what should I do?"

"Tom might be invincible, but I'm not. I can't rely on Tom forever. Sooner or later, something might happen that prevents us from being in the same place, and I can't just stand still."

[I see.] The system's tone, which was almost always sarcastic, turned serious. [You have indeed thought about these issues.]

"My ultimate goal is to live until I can die comfortably. Before that, I need to survive and make use of everything available."

Li Huan said these words with a serious and solemn expression, "For now, the best way to stay alive is to follow the plot."

If he remembered correctly, in the "Honkai Impact 3" manga, the trio that escaped Thousand Feathers Academy soon received help from the Saint Freya Academy's Immeasurable Tower, and went to Kiana's aunt, Teresa.

If he could catch a ride with that, and head to Saint Freya Academy, he could probably live safely with Tom's help.

That's why he had suggested bringing Bronya into the team.

Did he not know that Bronya was essentially an accomplice in causing the deaths of nearly ninety to ninety-nine percent of Nagazora City's population? Perhaps it wouldn't matter if he took her out here; Kiana and Mei wouldn't stop him.

However, Li Huan knew Bronya was one of the main characters in this game, and taking her out here could trigger a chain of butterfly effects.

The worst outcome would be that he would have to face the consequences intended for Bronya. He'd rather let her handle it herself.

Of course, a bigger reason was that Li Huan wasn't a bloodthirsty person. If he could avoid killing, he preferred not to kill.

Otherwise, he would have already taken out Bronya and claimed the Project Bunny for himself, just like traditional self-serving transmigrators.

To ensure the plan went smoothly, he needed to enhance his own abilities first and secure his survival chances.

Li Huan's status panel began to move automatically, and soon, the character panel appeared before him.

[From my perspective, you currently have two paths to choose from. Let's start with the first one.]

[Here's your current panel. Excluding Tom, your attack power is pitifully low.]

[Looking at your equipment, the Hope Blossom sneakers, Tom's sweater, and the Illusion Hammer basically ensure you can run fast, not die, and give enemies various debuffs. As for skills, Shenzhou Ancient Martial Arts, Dream Jump, and Bare-Handed Blade Catch—all except the last one—don't deal any damage to enemies.]

"I've already thought of that, which is why I'm struggling with what to do."

[But think from another angle: Why does it have to be about having strong attack power?]

The system spoke earnestly, [With your current status, aren't you already a very competent and powerful taunting tank and debuffer?]

"It does seem that way…"

[You have all the necessary skills. Given this, why not set aside attack power for now and focus on this path instead?]

Li Huan stroked his chin and began to think seriously.

"What you're saying makes sense… Attack power isn't that important… but I still feel a bit reluctant."

[Why the reluctance? It's not like you'll be stuck in this role forever. I said, it's just a temporary path.]

The system responded calmly, [Once you acquire better skills and equipment in the future, you can always change your strategy and explore other paths.]

"Hmm, you're right."

[Of course, there's another path to consider.]

The system continued, [You might consider becoming a dedicated summoner and let your minions help you in battle.]

"Are you suggesting summoning funny characters like Tom to help me fight? That's actually a good idea."

[However, honestly, I don't recommend that path due to several issues.]

"What issues?"

[Mainly the cost. You'll need to spend a lot of joy points to purchase funny characters.]

"Eh? Can't I just draw from a lottery to get characters?"

Unexpectedly, the system said very seriously, [Unless you can fix the range of works, I strongly advise against drawing for funny characters.]

"Why not?"

[Wait a moment.]

After the system said this, the display in front of Li Huan shifted to the shop, and after several screens, an item description appeared before him.

[Rare Quality Minion: Peter Griffin]

[Attributes: Average]

[Skills: Born Fool, Harbinger of Disaster, Immortality]

[Description: The protagonist of the comedic work "Family Guy," depicted as a standard American obese middle-aged man with a chin like a jewel, characterized by selfishness and a disregard for others' feelings or lives, like a man-child. To put it simply, he's a complete and utter fool.]

[PS: This minion has a severe ability to cause disasters and can easily get the master into various troubles, potentially causing extreme physical, mental, and psychological trauma. Unless you're feeling reckless or have no other choice, highly not recommended.]

"This…" After reading the system's description, Li Huan frowned, "What is this nonsense?"

[Not all funny characters are as safe as Tom.] The system warned seriously, [Not all comedic works are age-appropriate. There are many restricted comedic works like South Park, Rick and Morty, and the Family Guy you just saw... I have a record of all of them.]

[In such a vast pool, if you draw a lottery, you're likely to end up with characters like Peter or even worse. That's why I don't recommend drawing for summoning characters.]

"I understand…"

[Let's put that topic aside.] The system coughed a few times. [Next, I'll recommend some useful things for you to learn.]

"Then… I'll leave it to you."

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