Honkai: You're telling me this difficulty is from Honkai Impact 3?!

 As the saying goes, the early bird gets the worm…

Shu: "…"

He stared at the ceiling, his room trembling slightly, his mouth open, unsure what to say. Perhaps, "Familiar ceiling?" Or maybe, "You've got to be kidding me."

No, that would be too embarrassing…

He winced, admitting he'd briefly considered it. He sighed, slowly regaining control of his body, starting by moving his eyes.

He turned his head, a flash of gold catching his eye. Otto, in a white lab coat, sat beside his bed, calmly peeling an apple, the long, unbroken peel spiraling downwards.

"You're awake." Otto, sensing his gaze, finished peeling the apple, placing the peel on a nearby tray.

"…Yeah." Shu nodded, his neck stiff, scanning the room for the others.

"No need to look. It's just me," Otto said, expertly slicing the apple into eight pieces, removing the core, and placing it with the peel.

Shu watched, aghast. Didn't Otto realize how precious fruit was? He had to know. He was just being deliberately wasteful.

"Where is everyone?" Shu sat up, his body slowly coming back to life, rubbing his aching head.

"Everyone's safe," Otto replied, placing the sliced apple on a small plate and offering it to Shu.

Shu, taken aback by this unexpected act of consideration, stared at Otto.

"I thought you'd eat them all yourself and then bring me a bowl of plain porridge," he said, picking up a slice. Otto had thoughtfully inserted toothpicks into each slice.

"You have to test it first to make sure it's safe," Otto said, smiling, taking a slice himself, examining it carefully before eating it.

Shu froze, his gaze turning icy. He's using a recovering patient as a poison tester?!

"You…" He gripped the toothpick, ready to rid the world of this menace.

"Shu! You're awake!"

Kiana's booming voice preceded her entrance. Shu quickly placed the toothpick back on the tray, plastering a neutral expression on his face as he greeted her. Come to think of it, the candy Kiana had eaten was probably subject to the same "quality control" as his apple.

Awkward…

Kiana entered, her gaze sweeping over Shu before landing on the plate of apples, transfixed.

"Shu, so glad you're okay…" she said, her eyes glued to the fruit.

Shu sighed, gesturing for her to help herself, while quickly checking his attire. Good, he was clothed, though in an unfamiliar pair of pajamas. Bright yellow, with a Homu motif.

With Shu's permission, Kiana pounced on the apples, stuffing a slice into her mouth.

"Mmm…so sweet!" she exclaimed, a blissful expression on her face.

It's just an apple, is it really that good? Shu stared at her, deadpan.

The others followed Kiana in, crowding the small room. Kiana, Mei, Bronya, Fu Hua, Kallen, Himeko, Theresa…and Otto. Shu scooted over, quickly counting heads, then relaxed.

Everyone was here.

"Right," he said, remembering his instructions. "What about the people from the shelter?" He wondered how many Kiana and the others had managed to bring back. There had been one hundred and forty-seven people. With the biggest threat, Imperator, gone, surely they'd rescued at least a hundred…

"One hundred and forty-three. The list is here." Otto, still calmly sitting beside the bed, picked up a notebook from the nightstand and handed it to Shu.

"Four missing?" That many survivors was more than he'd expected, but the near-perfect number made him focus on the discrepancy.

A heavy silence fell over the room. Even Kiana stopped eating, standing quietly. Seeing their expressions, Shu knew something had happened to those four…he didn't press the issue.

"So, where are they? Otto, what are the arrangements?" He opened the notebook, the four crossed-out names on the first page immediately catching his eye. The thick black lines seemed unnecessarily harsh.

"There's plenty of room on the train. I've allocated three carriages for them. As for the rest…" Otto looked at Shu's grim expression. "I was waiting for you to wake up before making a decision."

"Waiting for me?" Shu looked up, incredulous. "You're sure you were waiting for me?"

Everyone nodded.

Shu's expression turned bewildered. "Wait, I'm not good at this kind of thing!" This was clearly Otto's job! He was just a blunt instrument, a tool. They expected him to come up with a plan?

"Grandpa's considering whether to find a safe place to settle them or incorporate them into your Fire Moth organization," Theresa chimed in from beside the bed.

Shu's jaw dropped. He'd forgotten about that mess…

Fire Moth…it had been a spur-of-the-moment lie. No one had mentioned this whole "leading everyone to safety" scenario.