After learning that World Serpent had been eliminated—
Otto, the Overseer of Schicksal, was still brewing an even more terrifying plan
While the Hyperion chose to head toward the territory of another anti-Honkai organization: Anti-Entropy.
There, the crew successfully reunited with Raiden Mei and the others, who had previously split off on a separate mission.
With that, nearly all of the Valkyries from St. Freya Academy were back together. Just one person remained to complete the reunion.
And that final missing person was none other than the one who would soon become the center of Kagura's attention—Fu Hua.
But before that...
————————————————————————
Two Days Later – Hyperion Cafeteria
Before diving deeper into the investigation regarding Schicksal, Kagura settled into life aboard the Hyperion.
During dinner time, she hummed a cheerful tune as she made her way to the ship's cafeteria, rubbing her hands together in anticipation.
She couldn't wait to finally try the legendary cooking of Mei-senpai—the woman hailed as the number one wife candidate aboard the Hyperion, and the unofficial chef in charge of both lunch and dinner!
Also...
As everyone knew, the Hyperion was home to all sorts of beautiful girls.
Based on all known intel, there didn't seem to be a single men's restroom on the entire ship.
Which, frankly, made perfect sense.
If there were no men on board, why would there be a need for a men's bathroom?
On that note, it stood to reason that the rumored "new captain" of the future was probably going to be a woman too.
After all, hiring a female captain would be way cheaper than remodeling the entire Hyperion just to install a men's restroom.
Anyway, back to the point...
Since the Hyperion was home to such a wide array of cute girls, weird things were bound to happen from time to time.
Even just walking into the cafeteria could result in emotional damage for single girls like Kagura.
For example…
"Seele, close your eyes and open your mouth~"
"Ahhh~"
Seele leaned obediently against Bronya's side, eyes closed and mouth wide open.
"Mmm… Huh? This tastes…"
Surprise flashed across the blue-haired girl's face. "It's so sweet and fragrant! What is it, Bronya onee-chan?"
"That's a piece of cake I stole from Kiana."
Bronya answered with a perfectly straight face and absolutely no guilt. "Well? Tasty?"
"Mm-hmm! Super yummy! Thanks, Bronya onee-chan!"
Seele's cheeks flushed with happiness.
She gave a content nod and nuzzled against Bronya's shoulder.
"It's so wonderful, being able to stay by your side like this, Bronya onee-chan."
"I feel the same way, Seele," Bronya said, smiling gently. "Bronya finally found you again. Now we can stay together—forever."
'Ahh! That's so sweet it hurts!'
Kagura, fed a full serving of metaphorical dog food, could only shake her head in mock despair.
"Ugh… I haven't even eaten yet, but I'm already full from secondhand sugar. As expected of the Hyperion—truly a paradise of yuri energy…"
"Hey! Rozaliya! Get back here! Did you steal my cake?!"
Just as Kagura was lamenting her fate, Kiana's angry voice rang out behind her.
Turning around, Kagura saw Kiana chasing after a small pink-haired girl named Rozaliya, yelling accusations while the latter darted around trying to escape.
Kiana's complaints were… colorful, to say the least.
"Kids with a criminal record don't even need an investigation to be guilty!"
"Who else would steal someone's cake for no reason?!"
"That cake was made by Mei! She spent the entire afternoon baking it just to celebrate our reunion!"
And, of course, "Don't even try to deny it! You're running, which means you're guilty!"
"Ugh! Kiana, you big dummy!"
At that moment, a blue-haired little girl about the same size as Rozaliya stepped in front of Kiana.
"Rozaliya didn't steal your cake. She stole mine. There's no way she'd have the brainpower to steal a second one before even finishing the first."
Expressionless, Liliya delivered the truth with cold precision. "Besides, Mom always says: if you eat Kiana's cake, you'll end up just as dumb as she is."
"Exactly! I only stole Liliya's cake!" Rozaliya stuck out her tongue from behind her sister's back. "Rozaliya would never eat Kiana's cake! Rozaliya doesn't want to become a dummy like Kiana!"
"Y-You two…!"
Kiana stood frozen, cheeks puffed out in frustration as she glared at the sisters. "I am NOT a dummy!"
"Idiot Kiana is clearly just making excuses," Liliya replied, still as deadpan as ever. "She doesn't even know who actually stole her cake, yet she claims she's not dumb."
Compared to the bubbly, excitable pink-haired Rozaliya, the blue-haired Liliya was clearly the cooler, more composed one. And, without a doubt, a lot smarter too.
"Ughhh…"
Kiana could only puff out her cheeks even more, drowning in injustice with no outlet for her grievance.
"Hmph! You got lucky this time!"
After a long pause, Kiana huffed, stomped her foot, and shouted, "Ughhh! So annoying! Whatever, I'm just gonna go ask Mei for another slice of cake! And this time, none of you are allowed to touch it!"
With that, under the gaze of the twin little girls Rozaliya and Liliya, Kiana spun on her heel and stormed off.
Rozaliya, naturally, couldn't resist pulling another funny face as a parting shot.
"Hey, Rozaliya…"
"Hm? What's up, Lili…ya?"
"Did you… steal my cake?"
"Eh?! N-No I didn't!"
"Oh please, you literally just admitted it earlier!"
"W-Well… I mean, can it really be called 'stealing' if it's a big sister eating her little sister's dessert…?"
…
"Sigh… these sisters really do get along so well…"
Kagura let out another sigh. "Unlike me… all alone with no one to even bicker with…"
With that thought, she quietly grabbed a few of her favorite dishes, then went to sit alone in the corner of the cafeteria, preparing to have her lonely little dinner…
"Yo, Kagura."
A familiar voice called out as Himeko plopped down in the seat across from her, tray in hand.
"What's with the long face?" she asked, resting her chin in one hand while swirling a glass of red wine in the other. "Don't tell me Mei's cooking didn't suit your taste?"
She gave Kagura a wink. "That'd be strange—everyone loves her food, after all."
"Huh? No, it's not that…" Caught off guard, Kagura fumbled for a reply. "Mei's cooking is really delicious…"
"Aww, I'm glad to hear that!" Himeko said, chuckling as she reached out and ruffled Kagura's hair. "If the food wasn't the problem, I wouldn't have known how to help you."
"…It's nothing serious. I just… got a little homesick, that's all."
Of course, she couldn't exactly tell Himeko that she was sulking because everyone else seemed so close and happy, while she was stuck eating alone.
"You're always welcome to treat this place like home, Miss Kagura. Everyone here's really easy to get along with."
Mei appeared with a plate in hand and a warm smile. "Here—you didn't get your slice earlier, so I saved you a piece of cake. Since everyone else gets one, you should too!"
"Mmm… Thank you, Miss Mei." Kagura blinked in surprise at Mei's kindness. "I thought I was just a guest, so…"
"Come on! That's way too formal!"
Suddenly, Theresa popped up from under the table beside Kagura's. "You're on my ship now, which means we're already family!
Don't go calling yourself just a guest. And hey, you're the one who saved both Himeko and Kiana—you're practically a hero!"
"Oi, Principal, this is my ship." Himeko puffed out her cheeks in mock protest. "When did the Hyperion become property of St. Freya Academy?"
"Hehe~★" Theresa struck a practiced cute pose. "Don't sweat the details! I'm too adorable for you to argue with anyway!"
"Mei! There you are!"
Kiana suddenly burst in, following the scent of cake like a bloodhound. She immediately latched onto Mei's arm.
"MeiMeiMei! Someone stole my cake! It's gone! Make me another slice, pleeease!"
"Ah—well, that's… a little tricky." Mei scratched her head awkwardly. "The last slice… I just gave it to Miss Kagura."
"What?! No way!"
Kiana turned wide, pleading eyes toward Kagura… then slowly to the slice of cake in front of her.
"Um… Kagura…?"
"Mmm, alright, alright. Let's split it in half," Kagura offered with a small smile. "That way, we both get to enjoy Mei's cake, right?"
"Yesss! Thank you thank you!" Kiana eagerly grabbed a spoon and fork, beaming. "That's perfect! Let's do that!"
"Liliya! Emergency!"
Rozaliya peeked her head out from behind Kagura and gasped dramatically. "Idiot Kiana just tricked her way into getting cake from Miss Kagura!
This defies all logic! How can a dumb-dumb be rewarded with dessert?!"
"…Rozaliya, you already had cake."
Liliya's deadpan response didn't seem to register with her excitable sister…
"Miss Kagura, thank you for helping Bronya bring Seele back."
Bronya herself now stepped up with a quiet nod, taking a seat nearby.
"Seele is Bronya's best friend. So… really, thank you."
Before she even realized it, Kagura found herself surrounded by beautiful girls and Valkyries from every corner of the Hyperion.
She wasn't alone.
In fact… she'd become something like the heart of this place. A friend whom everyone cared for deeply.
The cafeteria buzzed with laughter, playful teasing, and warm conversations. The girls chatted and chased one another, like a big, happy family.
'Mmm…'
'This feeling… isn't bad at all.'
And if there were still mysteries ahead to uncover… then she would move forward with them—together.
Miss Fu Hua, wait for us.
Now that things have come this far, the Hyperion wouldn't be complete without you.
I'll join your friends—and bring back our serious, kind-hearted class monitor too.