"Mmm, mmm... Mei's desserts are so good!" Kiana, having successfully stolen the food, cradled her cheeks and chewed happily.
"Ha, everything Mei makes is mine! I won't let the Class Monitor have any—after all, I'm the one who saved Mei, so this dessert is mine too!"
Kiana struck a triumphant pose, one hand on her hip, the other poking Fu Hua's cheek with a finger. From Ninti's perspective, the Class Monitor's forehead veins bulged ominously.
"Back then! Class Monitor fainted after being attacked, right? So technically, I'm the one who saved her!"
"I saved the Class Monitor, an A-rank Valkyrie, and defeated a powerful enemy. Could it be that I've unknowingly reached the strength of an S-rank Valkyrie?"
...Silence.
"I remember from the security footage we reviewed... the intruder had already lost an eye and an arm to Ninti and Fu Hua before you even engaged him," Himeko said, glancing at the smug White-haired Clump.
"And I recall Kiana only managed to win thanks to some Valkyrie Battlesuit with an unknown origin," Fu Hua added, pushing up her glasses. "Please don't be overly confident, or you might end up biting off more than you can chew."
"Huh? Are you planning another one of those helicopter challenges Theresa gave you?" Kyuusyou poked her head out from the kitchen, looking curiously at Kiana. "Which one are you going for this time?"
"...N-no! No way! Ha ha ha..." Under the friendly gazes of the others in the room, the puffed-up White-haired Clump deflated like a punctured balloon.
[A-rank Valkyrie, Fu Hua. You have a new mission.] A notification popped up on Fu Hua's glasses.
The silver-haired Valkyrie stood up, drawing the attention of Theresa across the table.
"Hmm? What kind of mission is it, Fu Hua?" Theresa asked.
"Headmaster, don't worry. It's a simple infiltration and reconnaissance mission, but we need to depart immediately," Fu Hua replied.
"I'm sorry, Mei. I won't be able to finish your carefully prepared snacks," Fu Hua said, placing a hand on Mei's shoulder in apology.
"Don't worry, Class Monitor! I'll eat all the snacks Mei made!" Kiana declared, scooping up pastries from a plate and popping them into her mouth one after another.
"I doubt you'll get the chance to finish them all, Kiana," Fu Hua said with a mischievous smile, a rare expression for the usually stern Class Monitor. "Since it's a simple mission, I can bring a trainee along for observation. I've just selected you. Pack your things and let's depart."
"Huh? Why...? Shouldn't you take Ninti, that little girl, for infiltration and reconnaissance missions?" Kiana asked, pausing with a pastry in her hand.
"For a simple reconnaissance mission, do you think we need two A-rank Valkyries? Or do you think Ninti looks more like a trainee than an A-rank Valkyrie?" Fu Hua countered.
"Think about your pitiful academic credits, Kiana... If you complete the internship mission Fu Hua gave you, you can make up the shortfall!" Snow said gently, sitting nearby with a pastry in hand and looking at the White-haired Clump.
"I think the academy semester is almost over... You wouldn't want to repeat a year, would you?" Himeko added, remembering something and glancing at Kiana.
"So... come with me, Classmate Ki-a-na-!!!"
Fu Hua suddenly appeared behind the White-haired Clump, pushing up her glasses with her left hand and placing her right hand on Kiana's shoulder.
[You feel Fu Hua climbing onto your back, filling you with determination.]
"No! I won't go!" Kiana wailed, being grabbed and dragged across the floor by Fu Hua.
"I want to stay with Mei!" The White-haired Clump grabbed her last lifeline—the door of Himeko's dormitory.
"I won't go—!!!"
Then the door was ripped away, quite literally.
"So this is the Kaslana gorilla... Got it—this will definitely be useful next time," Snow nodded, watching the vanishing door.
"Don't learn such useless things!"
"Headmaster, would this be considered work-related damage? I'd like to apply for dormitory repair funds..." Himeko stared at the spot where her door had vanished, her lips twitching violently.
"Uh... I'm sorry, Major, but last month's maintenance budget has already been overspent... Besides, it's spring now. How about just putting up a curtain for the time being?" Theresa looked at the spot where the door had been pulled away, her expression mirroring Himeko's.
"...Fine. Then let's continue dancing and celebrating!"
-
[Your vacation request and that of your squad has been approved.]
A notification popped up on Snow's wrist device, drawing the attention of the remaining group.
"Hey, Snow, did you guys apply for vacation?" Theresa asked, her curiosity piqued as she looked at the blonde Valkyrie.
"Mm... A-rank Valkyrie Squads get a few days of vacation each year," Snow nodded.
"So, where are you planning to go? Back to Europe?" Theresa pressed, her curiosity piqued.
"Singapore. I hear it's been developing rapidly these past few years." Snow projected a world map onto the wall and tapped a point in Asia.
"I see. So when are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow at noon. Singapore isn't under Schicksal's jurisdiction; it's a neutral country, so we can't take a Schicksal transport ship directly there."
"We'll have to go to the civilian international airport near St. Freya Academy in the morning and catch a flight from there."
Snow picked up a pastry, tossed it into her mouth, and chewed noisily. Before she knew it, the full plate of pastries in front of her was nearly empty.
"Sigh, I wish I could take a vacation too..." Theresa shrank back in her chair, holding a cup of bitter melon juice.
"Forget it, Headmaster," Snow said with a hint of malicious joy. "If you were just an S-rank Valkyrie, you might get a long leave approved. But you're also the Far East Branch Head of Schicksal."
She seems completely oblivious to the kind of year-round, no-rest corporate slave life that awaits her as Schicksal's Overseer.
"Aaaargh! How dare you mock me?! I'm so mad!" Theresa slapped the table, venting her frustration.
"Theresa, if you keep hitting that table, it'll collapse," Himeko said, baring her teeth at the wobbling table. "You planning on replacing it for me?"
"Cough, cough, cough. Fine, I won't hold a grudge. This Headmaster is broad-minded. I'll let it slide this time," Theresa muttered, taking a large gulp of bitter melon juice.
"Anyway, have a pleasant journey! And don't forget to bring back local specialties! Specialties!" Headmaster Theresa emphasized loudly to the golden-haired Valkyrie.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah... Specialties... Got it," Snow nodded perfunctorily.
What special products does Singapore even have? Do you want Honkai Energy Serum or the Serenity Gem?
Her gaze drifted to a magazine on the corner of the table:
"2014 Homu Official Tour Exhibition to be Held in Singapore"
A smaller line of text below read: "Muyue Rendong, author of Homu's Great Adventure, will also hold an autograph session."
Well, well, so that's what you're waiting for... You'd be better off going straight to the Teacher Dormitory and asking Welt Yang directly. After all, the IP is all theirs at Anti-Entropy anyway.
Hmm... wait a minute! Muyue Rendong is Mr. Yang, isn't he...? Tsk, tsk, tsk, this trip to Singapore is going to be quite eventful...