At that moment, Raiden Mei was still unaware that her family was preparing for a second upgrade.
If she had known they were discussing how to create beings with the same level of authority as the Will of the Honkai, she would have started packing her bags and moving out of their little villa immediately.
Mei had no idea that Dr. Tesla's "reproductive urge" had reached the absolute peak of the current era.
Miss Raiden Mei, at least for now, had no interest in romance. It's hard to expect a girl who has been through so much misfortune to even consider matters of the heart.
Besides, the people who rescued her didn't go through the kind of grueling trials, life-and-death separations, or shared hardships you'd find in a traditional novel.
For Raiden Mei, this entire period felt like a dream.
One day, she was the noble Miss Raiden, surrounded by her entourage; the next, her father was in jail. The day after that, everyone turned on her. The day after that, she was kidnapped by a tentacle monster. The day after that, she was turned into a pony. The day after that, the world had completely changed and her father was rescued, and then she found out what he had done to her...
It was a testament to her strength that Raiden Mei hadn't had a complete mental breakdown on the spot.
The entire affair had been a whirlwind of dramatic ups and downs.
If Mei hadn't decided that she shouldn't just drift through life like this—or at the very least, that she should live a little longer to experience the beauty of the world and meet some wonderful people—she would probably be preparing to become a nun right now.
Fortunately, St. Freya High School did not disappoint. It really was a good place.
'So this is where Fu Hua was at the beginning? I didn't expect the social environment to be even better than I imagined. I wonder what the original St. Freya was like.'
Raiden Mei regretted not being able to see the original St. Freya High School. She'd heard that the Schicksal Overseer had specifically given it to Principal Theresa; otherwise, it would have been impossible to secure such a scenic location.
However, the St. Freya within Academy City was a scaled-down version of the original. That was one downside of Academy City—the land prices seemed a bit steep.
She looked up at the sky again. The floating Schicksal HQ was hidden by a camouflage screen, making its exact location impossible to pinpoint.
After Ana's introduction, Theresa had welcomed her very warmly and then let her wander around the campus on her own. It seemed Theresa was very confident in the educational atmosphere she had cultivated.
It was currently afternoon, and many students had already finished their cultural classes for the day. There were also various clubs here.
Raiden Mei decided to check them out, hoping to find a place that suited her.
Bronya didn't need these classes, as she was already learning far ahead. Kiana had crammed everything into two months. Only she, the unlucky young lady, had to continue her education.
Raiden Mei briefly considered asking Mr. Noldrei to help her with a knowledge infusion. It seemed she was gradually starting to accept the benefits of these extraordinary experiences.
'It seems there's no special kendo club here. Is it because they specialize in teaching Valkyrie combat? Or did they just not set one up after moving to a new location?'
She searched for a long time but couldn't find a kendo club. She figured that for these Valkyries, kendo was probably something they all dabbled in. With a Valkyrie's physical strength, conventional kendo couldn't fully unleash their power.
Having figured that out, Raiden Mei moved on to find the next club.
Soon, a curious club sign appeared before her eyes.
"Service... Service Club?! Why is there something like this in a Valkyrie school?!"
A myriad of wicked thoughts flashed through Raiden Mei's mind. Things like Taimanin, some water park, After-School OO Club, a maid cafe, Twilight Sparkle doujins... (Mei and Twilight Sparkle share the same Japanese voice actress, Miyuki Sawashiro.)
Wait, did she get sidetracked somewhere?
"Excuse me, miss, could you please move aside?"
Yukinoshita Yukino thought there was something a little off about the woman in front of her. She was wearing an outside school uniform, and her expression had cycled through a rainbow of colors while staring at her club's sign.
"Oh, right. Sorry, I'll get out of your way," Raiden Mei said, nodding apologetically as she made way for Yukinoshita Yukino.
To her astonishment, this refined and beautiful girl opened the door to the Service Club.
Raiden Mei peeked inside and felt a pang of disappointment.
None of the tools her imagination had conjured were there. She had wasted all that time standing there, thinking for nothing.
Yukinoshita Yukino clearly noticed the well-mannered young lady's curiosity about her club. "Are you... a student from another school?" she asked.
"No, I'm planning to transfer to St. Freya. I was just checking out the club activities in advance," Raiden Mei explained, only then remembering she was still wearing her Chiba Academy uniform.
"Transferring?" Yukinoshita Yukino was surprised. She knew how much clout was needed to transfer into a Valkyrie school. As the daughter of a minor local council member, she had only been able to get into a normal school in Academy City. If not for a stroke of luck, she would never have ended up in a place like St. Freya.
"Since you'll be a classmate in the future, please come in and sit for a while. I don't have any club members yet. I'm... still in the process of recruiting."
Yukinoshita Yukino's words piqued Raiden Mei's curiosity. "Is this some kind of home economics club?" she asked, confused.
"..."
Yukino wondered if she had chosen the wrong name for her club. She felt a strong urge to change it. Never mind the mortified look on your face a moment ago, how did you jump to home economics?
'Do I look like a housewife?'
Yukinoshita Yukino looked down at her own attire, then at Raiden Mei...
'This one, on the other hand, looks much more like a housewife.'
"This is my future power... no, my ideal club," Yukinoshita Yukino corrected herself. She felt it was too soon to call it "power."
"This..." Raiden Mei took a closer look and saw that it was just a messy, empty classroom. They didn't even have any housekeeping tools ready.
This made Mei's hands itch. She smiled and said, "What a coincidence. Since I'm here, let me help you clean this place up. I'll go find a teacher and get some tools. I'll... be right back. We can talk about your ideals later."
With that, she ran off to find a teacher and get some cleaning supplies.
Three black lines appeared on Yukinoshita Yukino's forehead.
'You really are a housewife! Why are you so damn good at this?!'