"You've really caused me a lot of trouble, Kallen."
Inaba Tsukiyo and Kallen stood face to face. After they left that special space, Inaba Tsukiyo didn't wake up but appeared with Kallen in the place where they first met.
Recalling Kallen and Otto's conversation just now, Inaba Tsukiyo said to the embarrassed Kallen.
"I'm sorry, Tsukiyo. It's just... if I don't say some things, I can't feel at ease."
"Including your final hope that Otto wouldn't become your enemy, was that also something you planned to say? You're truly cruel."
Kallen was definitely not so foolish as to miss Otto's intention of not wanting to be her enemy. When Kallen was a Valkyrie in Schicksal, Otto had always protected Kallen, keeping her from contacting the darkness within Schicksal.
It's just, Otto ultimately failed. That day, Kallen still discovered the darkness hidden within the church, conducting various cruel experiments on humans.
"Actually, I think highly of Otto. Unlike you, I admire Otto's character—his willingness to sacrifice everything for the person he loves most."
"...Mm, I know. From your protection of that child named Bronya, it's clear that you are very similar to Otto. However, you are different from Otto; you just haven't noticed it yet."
Inaba Tsukiyo was very similar to Otto, but Inaba Tsukiyo would not go to such a crazy extent as Otto.
Inaba Tsukiyo herself hadn't realized this; only Kallen saw it clearly. Although she was very dishonest verbally, she was still a very gentle person inwardly.
Inaba Tsukiyo didn't catch Kallen's meaning. She was just curious: did Kallen really not see Otto's feelings for her?
Whether it was his help in her daily life or in missions, these meticulous aspects all revealed Otto's subtle feelings for Kallen.
After all, which Boy's changing room had so many girls' clothes, and these clothes all fit Kallen's figure?
"Uh... don't look at me like that, I'm not an idiot. How could I not see Otto's little intentions?"
Kallen, feeling a bit awkward under Inaba Tsukiyo's gaze, turned away and scratched her cheek, somewhat embarrassed. She truly understood Otto's feelings for her.
Whether it was the marriage arranged by the Apocalypse Family and the Kaslana Family between her and Otto, or Otto's behavior, these all clearly showed Otto's feelings for her.
It's just... it's just... "I really don't have that kind of feeling for Otto that could be called love. If I had to make a comparison, it's like that feeling of close friendship between girls."
"...Then your only beloved is Sakura, right? Because when you fainted back then, Sakura, having no other choice, fed you water mouth-to-mouth, making you feel emotions you had never experienced before?"
Although she had long known Kallen's true feelings for Otto, hearing it from the person herself had a truly different destructive power.
For some reason, Inaba Tsukiyo could see Otto's handsome face adorned with many green hats, so many that one had to look up and still couldn't see them all clearly.
Sir Otto... keep it up.
"Wuwu~ Anyway... anyway! You're not really in a position to criticize me either! Even if I like Sakura, don't you still have Victorica? You two eventually got married and lived together for decades."
In Inaba Tsukiyo's memories, Kallen had seen the memory of Inaba Tsukiyo and Victorica living together.
Although most of the scenes were perceived by Inaba Tsukiyo through her sensory abilities, the everyday conversations between the two made Kallen very envious.
"Using this reason to change the subject? Never mind, even though I know you're doing it on purpose, it doesn't matter. Anyway... I've fought for it, so I have no regrets about my past life."
It's just, Inaba Tsukiyo believed that after this incident, Otto would definitely investigate it. Once he discovered that she possessed Kallen's Stigmata, she would definitely become Otto's target.
'This really... you've caused me a lot of trouble, Kallen.'
Her consciousness faded again, and when Inaba Tsukiyo regained it, she could feel someone standing beside her.
"Wuwu..."
Moving her body, Inaba Tsukiyo climbed out of bed, and then she was hugged.
"Tsukiyo-chan! You're finally awake! Bronya... Bronya, I thought..."
Bronya was truly panicked. She hadn't felt much when she didn't see Inaba Tsukiyo in the database earlier.
As the creator of the helmet, as long as she gave the command, the consciousness of anyone who entered the database could return. But when she and Kiana returned to reality, Inaba Tsukiyo still hadn't woken up.
She waited for a very long time, but Inaba Tsukiyo didn't wake up. A completely panicked Bronya found Theresa, briefly explained what had happened, and then they waited together for Inaba Tsukiyo to awaken.
If... if Inaba Tsukiyo couldn't wake up, then all of this would be her fault. At that point, she would never forgive herself.
"It's okay, Bronya. I... haven't I returned? Moreover, I have to thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to see what this world looks like."
Inaba Tsukiyo stroked Bronya's head and briefly told Bronya about the scenes she had seen in the database.
However, she didn't mention becoming Kallen. She only spoke about the memories she had seen during the birth of Honkai.
As for why she was trapped in the database in the end, that was something she would absolutely never say. She couldn't possibly tell them that she had been discovered by Otto and then invited for tea, could she?
Hearing what Inaba Tsukiyo had been able to see with her own eyes this time, Bronya looked at Inaba Tsukiyo with some joy. Allowing Inaba Tsukiyo to see was a dream she had always had, and she hadn't expected it to actually come true.
After simply comforting Bronya, Inaba Tsukiyo intended to get up, but she still lacked strength. Her legs gave out, and she began to fall to the ground.
But just as Inaba Tsukiyo was falling, a nimble figure quickly supported her.
"Tsukiyo-chan, are you okay?"
"...Thank you."
Inaba Tsukiyo thanked her, slowly stood up from the ground, stretched her body, and looked at Kiana not far away.
"I haven't asked you all, how is this study assignment going? Did she study history properly? If you're still not confident, I can help, you know."
As she spoke, a half-smile appeared on her face, but it was this smile that almost made Kiana cry in fear.
Although she had just fought Honkai with her ancestor, she hadn't forgotten Inaba Tsukiyo's previous teaching methods.
She had just collected Mei's photo album and those torn photos.
"No! No! I think I've already memorized it! I'll definitely pass the make-up exam next time! Believe me!"
"That won't do. You know that the next make-up exam is crucial for you to successfully become a Valkyrie. If you accidentally fail, that would be too unlucky. So... let me help you review. Don't worry, whether it's history or other subjects, I can help you review. I guarantee you'll pass this exam well."
As she spoke, Inaba Tsukiyo walked towards Kiana step by step. Facing Inaba Tsukiyo's approach, Kiana kept backing away. The two moved forward, one in front and one behind, until Kiana bumped into a wall and had no more room to retreat. Only then did she look at Inaba Tsukiyo with a terrified expression.
Just as Kiana was about to run towards the door, a slender hand grabbed her arm. Turning around, she found Inaba Tsukiyo had already come up behind her, her crimson pupils staring intently at her.
Theresa, behind them, looked at Kiana and Inaba Tsukiyo with some confusion. She still wanted to ask Inaba Tsukiyo what exactly had happened in the database of Schicksal, and why she had suddenly changed like this?
"It's like this, Director Theresa."
Bronya briefly explained Inaba Tsukiyo's teaching methods. Hearing that Inaba Tsukiyo would tear up Kiana's important photos every time Kiana answered a question incorrectly, she looked at Kiana with some sympathy.
However... Theresa didn't have such concerns. After all, her important documents were all safely stored on her computer. Even if the latest `hoom adventure` was torn up, she wouldn't feel bad.
She had already torn up countless comic books with her ultimate move, Manji Kai, and these books were all torn by herself.
It's just... although she didn't feel bad about these torn comic books, every time she slacked off in the office and a secretary or someone else came in, she had to tear up a comic book and then buy a new one.
Even though she was Otto's favorite Granddaughter, and no one dared to withhold Theresa's salary, Theresa's method of reading a book and then tearing it up meant her meager salary couldn't keep up.
In the end, Kiana was still dragged away by Inaba Tsukiyo. This time, besides Inaba Tsukiyo, Bronya, Theresa, and Raiden Mei all came along.
This time, Kiana had to retake not only history but also all other subjects. It was too much to ask Inaba Tsukiyo to help with so many subjects alone, so the others had to come and help.
However, this was truly hard on Kiana. Not only was Kiana's computer sealed, but besides attending classes during the day, she also had to endure make-up lessons from the others back in the dorm. This left her with no choice but to sleep during class.
If she dared to sleep during the make-up lessons, what awaited Kiana was Inaba Tsukiyo's special bitter melon juice. It wasn't the freshly squeezed kind, but a concentrated bitter melon juice several times stronger.
Theresa quite liked this concentrated bitter melon juice, but Kiana was different. After taking one sip, she tried to run to the toilet.
But she was stopped by Inaba Tsukiyo, who restrained her with martial arts, making her completely unable to move freely. She could only swallow the bitter melon juice in her mouth alive.
Although Raiden Mei felt very sorry, such days continued until the make-up exam ended.
The moment Kiana walked out of the exam room after the make-up exam, she suddenly knelt on the ground, startling Raiden Mei and the others who were waiting for her outside.
Kiana looked up, her eyes full of tears, at the approaching Raiden Mei, and shouted,
"Finally... liberated."
Then, her eyes rolled back, and she directly fainted.
-----------------------
To read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can follow and support me on Patreon.
I'll be posting early chapters there so you can always stay ahead and never miss any new content.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"