Life at St. Freya Academy was always filled with laughter and warmth. Even if the students' cheerful voices were like a delicate sugar coating over a bitter poison called "fighting the Honkai," it was still a fleeting sweetness.
However, in starkpurel contrast to the laughter echoing outside, the atmosphere inside Himeko's dormitory villa was tense. The group stared at the kitchen in deep thought.
Kyuusyou looked at Snow, gesturing that she had never cooked before. Snow rolled her eyes, retorting that she only knew how to make coffee. "Don't expect me to blow up the kitchen," she warned, "especially when the academy's budget is already stretched thin."
Their gazes then turned to Ninti. Ninti confidently took on the responsibility of preparing lunch, only to nearly chop the cutting board and countertop to pieces while chopping vegetables. The others dragged her out of the kitchen, ending her culinary ambitions.
Finally, their eyes fell on the last person in the villa: Headmaster Theresa Apocalypse.
Theresa felt the weight of their expectant gazes pressing down on her.
"—Mei, when are you guys coming back?!" the Headmaster wailed in the kitchen, on the verge of collapse.
"Forget it," Kyuusyou interrupted Theresa's wishful thinking while washing vegetables nearby. "Kiana, Mei, and the Class Monitor went with Major Himeko to Shenzhou two days ago to investigate the Chiyou ruins... they won't be back anytime soon."
"But I only know how to make bitter melon dishes! I don't mind, but will you eat them?!" Theresa snapped, glaring at the "kitchen demolition duo" loafing around in the living room, then threw out her trump card:
"From a purely rational standpoint, bitter melon is rich in dietary fiber, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and other essential nutrients. It has cooling properties, reduces heatiness, and lowers blood pressure. It's a... um..." Snow's impromptu science lesson was abruptly cut off by Ninti, who clamped a hand over her guardian's endlessly rambling mouth.
The golden-haired, purple-eyed girl shook her head frantically at Theresa, her eyes wide with terror, as if recalling some unbearable memory.
"Mmmph... Ninti doesn't like bitter melon?" Snow asked, slightly bewildered, as she disentangled herself from her adopted daughter's grip.
Ninti nodded vigorously, her side ponytail swinging with such force it left a blur in the air.
"I see..."
The four fell into another deadlock. One couldn't cook at all, another specialized solely in bitter melon dishes, and the remaining two could turn any kitchen into a Syrian warzone.
The four Valkyries present—women who could chase down and defeat Herrschers—were utterly stumped by this humble kitchen.
"The kitchen... is our greatest enemy," Ninti declared solemnly, gazing at the chopped-up cutting board in the trash and the countertop scored with knife marks.
The others nodded in enthusiastic agreement.
"So, let's eat out?" Kyuusyou suggested a new plan, and Ninti and Theresa's eyes lit up.
"Where? The commercial district?"
"Going to terrorize Miss Aria again, are we?" Snow said, watching the suddenly lively group beside her and shrugging helplessly.
"Then let's go!" Theresa declared, hoisting the Oath of Judah and kicking open the door.
"Do you really need to bring the Oath of Judah just for a meal?" Kyuusyou asked, eyeing the massive cross on Theresa's back.
"The Oath of Judah Launch Platform is like this, you know," Snow shrugged.
Theresa, who had been leading the way, suddenly stopped, her eyes blazing with murderous intent as she glared back at them.
"Explain yourselves... what the hell is a 'Oath of Judah Launch Platform'?"
"Oath of Judah Launch Platform—full designation: Key of Binding: Oath of Judah humanoid transport and launch device. This term refers to Theresa Apocalypse, the S-rank Valkyrie of the Schicksal Far East Branch."
As Snow recited this academic explanation with perfect seriousness, she bolted toward the door at top speed.
"Oh, you dare mock me, the Headmaster of St. Freya Academy?! Snow, don't you run away!" Enraged beyond measure, Theresa's movement speed increased by a staggering 1000%!
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"So, this is the reason you two troublemakers have been tearing things up all the way to my shop's doorstep?!"
The gentle blue-haired Big Sister had completely lost her composed demeanor. With her left hand, she gripped the 1.68-meter Snow by the collar, while her right hand hoisted up the mere 1.45-meter Theresa. Leveraging her imposing 1.82-meter height advantage, she lifted the pair off the ground, forcing them to meet her gaze.
Look me in the eye, you little bastards!
The suspended duo simultaneously averted their eyes, whistling off-key as if oblivious to the situation.
-
Outside the cafe, a long trench stretched from afar, ending right at the entrance. The golden Oath of Judah lay buried in the shattered marble pavement, exposing an underground water pipe. With a construction sign and makeshift barricades, it would look just like an N-phase urban drainage system construction site.
Kyuusyou, leading Ninti by the hand, strolled leisurely along the trench smashed open by Judah. Arriving late, she surveyed the "construction site" before offering a sharp critique: "I thought we came out to eat precisely to avoid blowing up the kitchen and further straining the already meager academy budget." She glanced at Ninti, who nodded earnestly beside her.
"So not only did we fail to save money, we've ended up spending way more...?" Kyuusyou looked back at the two girls being dragged by Aria, now caught in the Store Manager's furious, spit-flecked rant.
"Good afternoon, Store Manager Aria," Kyuusyou greeted her, bracing herself to rescue the two from the Manager's impending wrath.
Meanwhile, Ninti, her eyes lighting up upon noticing the three cats inside the cafe, immediately went into stealth mode, creeping toward the unsuspecting felines.
"Good afternoon, Kyuusyou! Here for lunch?" Aria greeted the purple-haired girl as she entered the café, swiftly dropping the ferocious expression and adopting her usual gentle and refined demeanor. She set down the two women she had been holding.
Behind the Store Manager's back, the two women who had endured a face-washing by her spittle for so long flashed Kyuusyou a thumbs-up.
If you knew this would happen, why did one of you deliberately run so slowly while the other kept plowing through everything with the Oath of Judah?! Kyuusyou roared inwardly.
"Ahem, ahem... Aria, I'll send people to repair the damage to the commercial district immediately!" Theresa, finally released and able to breathe properly, quickly assured her.
"I'll cover the economic losses from the days the repairs force us to close..." Snow added, pulling several tissues from a nearby table and handing them to the Headmaster. The two women grabbed the tissues and roughly wiped their faces.
"That's more like it. I'll spare you for now... Hmm? What a cute child!" Aria's attention was drawn to the corner of the café where Ninti was playing happily with the cats.
Three kittens, each with distinct features, were currently clustered around Ninti. One perched on her head, another clung to her shoulder, and the last nestled in her arms.
The girl's purple eyes narrowed into slits as she nuzzled the kitten in her arms, her face radiating blissful contentment.
"That girl over there is Ninti, the newest member of Snow's Valkyrie Squad," Theresa explained to Aria, glancing at the blonde girl who seemed hopelessly immersed in the kittens' gentle embrace.
"She's the most popular person with the cats I've ever seen in this cafe... Oh right, you're here for lunch, aren't you? What would you like to order?" Aria watched Ninti's affectionate interactions with the cats, suddenly feeling a pang of anxiety—as if her own beloved cats were about to be whisked away.
"Whatever's fine," Kyuusyou shrugged nonchalantly. "Just give us each a serving of today's recommended dishes and drinks from your menu."
"I'll have bitter melon juice!" Theresa interjected, a sudden craving striking her.
"Alright, find a table and settle in. And please, no more causing trouble in my cafe, okay?" Aria nodded with a bright smile, her usual composed demeanor restored. Humming a cheerful tune, she began preparing their lunch.
-
Just as the four were enjoying their lunch, chaos erupted within the Intelligence Department of St. Freya Academy's Far East Branch.
"Report! Honkai energy levels are surging along the Shenzhou coast! They've reached critical levels!"
"Report! We've received a request for backup from Major Himeko's Valkyrie Squad!"
"Satellite surveillance has detected massive Honkai energy activity deep beneath the sea off the Shenzhou coast!"
"Feedback from Major Himeko's field team confirms the large-scale Honkai reaction along the Shenzhou coast is due to Chiyou, a Judgment-class Honkai Beast!"
A brief silence fell over the room. For these new-generation Valkyries, born after the Second Eruption, the awakening of a Judgment-class Honkai Beast felt both distant and terrifying.
"What are you waiting for?! Where are the Headmaster and Miss Snow?! The Shenzhou Branch has requested immediate support from S-rank Valkyries and the Divine Authority Squad!" The first Valkyrie to react broke the silence, and the building once again erupted in frantic activity.
"The Hyperion is fully armed and ready for immediate deployment!"
"Intelligence has been relayed to Headquarters! Reinforcement forces are mobilizing!"
"Massive Anti-Entropy aerial forces have been detected approaching the Shenzhou coastal region!"
Within the Intelligence Department, the sudden surge of distress calls and intelligence reports sent the Valkyries' afternoon-relaxed nerves snapping back to full alert.
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Same deal this week folks. Reach top 4 on powerstones at the end of the week and I double uploads!