"Big Sis Mei!"
"It's been a long time, Bronya. Have you been well? And hello to you too, little Bronie."
"It's Mei-Mama!"
"Yes, yes, it's Mei-Mama."
...Déjà vu?
I almost reflexively corrected my daughter, but then I realized I had heard her say something very similar before. I racked my brain trying to remember exactly when that was, but the memory remained fuzzy. I eventually gave up when I realized everyone was staring at me.
"Anyway, how long has it been? It feels like forever."
"It's been nearly a year, Captain. It's only natural it feels that way."
"Ah, actually, I'm not the Captain anymore. You can just call me by my name."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I've called you that for so long that it just slips out unconsciously."
Mei-senpai scratched her cheek, looking a bit embarrassed. I told her she could just call me whatever felt most comfortable. To be honest, there are still plenty of people, including Mei-senpai, who find it more natural to call me 'Captain' than my actual name.
~♪
"Excuse me for a moment."
My wife's phone began to ring. Checking the ID on the screen, her expression crumpled into a visible scowl. She set our daughter down from her lap and hurried into the bedroom to take the call.
Seeing her mother leave, my daughter immediately climbed onto my lap, leaning her back against me and tilting her head back. She was demanding headpats. I couldn't help but grin as I began stroking her hair. A few moments later, Bronya emerged from the room looking troubled.
"Kiana says she needs help moving some luggage."
"Ah, I'll go then."
As I started to stand up, Bronya placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and shook her head.
"No, I will go. If it's Big Sis Mei... you should stay and entertain her while I'm gone. Bronie—"
"I want to go too!"
"Bronie... we aren't going there to play. You'll have to behave yourself. Do you still want to come?"
"Yes!"
At her energetic reply, Bronya let out a resigned sigh and took her into the room to change. I watched the heartwarming scene and followed them to the entrance hall.
After helping our daughter with her shoes, Bronya pulled her own sneakers from the rack. She turned to look at me, our eyes meeting for a brief second before she suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into a kiss.
"Oh my."
"Kyah~!"
Mei-senpai quickly covered her eyes, and my daughter—heaven knows where she learned this—let out a playful shriek and followed suit. Though, I couldn't help but notice both of them were peeking through the gaps in their fingers. Is there even a point in covering your eyes if you're going to watch anyway?
Well, when your wife initiates a display of affection, it would be a disqualification as a man not to reciprocate. I pulled her close, my arm supporting her slender waist as I deepened the kiss. I kept it decent enough for the audience, though—this wasn't the time or place for anything more intense.
"Phew..."
"...Are you satisfied?" I asked softly.
Bronya hesitated for a moment before nodding. Definitely not satisfied. I could see the heat lingering in her eyes, so I gave her a small smile and caressed her cheek. I felt the same way, after all.
Hidden from the others' view, I tapped a quick message in Morse code onto her cheek with my fingertip. Her eyes widened, and a genuine smile bloomed on her face as she tapped a signal back. Ah, tonight is certainly something to look forward to.
After seeing the two of them off, I headed back inside with Mei-senpai.
"By the way, is Kiana-chan moving back to this area?"
"Yes, she said she'll be staying here starting today."
"Is that so? Just to clarify... when you say 'staying here,' do you mean in this house?"
"? Ah, yes. That's right."
"Hmm~ I see. Kiana-chan has already made her move then."
I felt a strange prickle of unease at Mei-senpai's cryptic comment. What was that? It felt as if she was implying something far more chaotic than Kiana simply moving in was about to happen. However, that intuition didn't last long, likely because it had been so long since we'd had a proper chat. We spent a long time catching up on recent events.
"I heard that Adam joined your squad recently, Mei-senpai."
"Yes. Come to think of it, didn't you say Adam was your cousin?"
"Yeah. I was shocked when I ran into him at St. Freya Academy a while back. He seemed just as surprised to see me there."
I really was caught off guard. Who would have guessed my cousin Adam was the same Adam destined to be the protagonist of 'A Post-Honkai Odyssey'? Even though we were cousins, I hadn't seen him since we were kids; our reunion at St. Freya was the first time I saw him as a young man. Looking at his face, which perfectly matched the one from the game, I wondered how I hadn't realized it sooner.
"Has he mentioned anything about me?"
"Hmm~ I haven't really heard Adam talk about his family much. Though he seems perfectly happy to talk about himself, especially when his junior, Carole, is involved."
"Hmm... Senpai, there weren't any other male students at the school until he graduated, right?"
"None."
Ah, then I can take a guess. Historically, it's rare for anyone other than women to become Valkyries because men typically exhibit a severe rejection response to Honkai energy. Unless they possess a genetically inherited Stigmata, fighting the Honkai is nearly impossible for them. While male Valkyries appear naturally on extremely rare occasions, I was told I was the first, and Adam was the second. (In the original timeline, Adam was the first, though.)
Regardless, such a rare existence draws a lot of unwanted attention. Just walking down the hall turns heads. Rumors spread like wildfire, and your private life can become public knowledge in the blink of an eye. You become hyper-aware of your every action. I avoided talking about my family unless I was with comrades I trusted implicitly, mainly to keep my family out of the spotlight. People loved to make up wild rumors about my birth, my history, and my personality.
"So, Senpai, how is Squad 3 doing lately?"
"Hmm. To put it simply, it's like watching you and Kiana-chan back in the old days."
"Me and Kiana? Man, I suddenly feel sorry for Adam."
Kiana was such a troublemaker back then; I can only imagine the headache he's dealing with.
"...Well, if that's how you want to see it, I won't stop you."
Mei-senpai gave me a dry, awkward smile. What was that reaction? It was like she was saying I wasn't much better than Kiana. I always thought I lived a pretty disciplined life compared to her. In fact, everyone usually said Bronya was the one who went overboard with the schemes. I do recall my Auntie looking at me with dead eyes when I mentioned that before... Wait, was I actually that bad? Surely not.
"So, what's the real reason for your visit today?"
"Eh? I just came to say hello since it's been so long."
"You didn't come all this way just for a greeting, did you?"
"...Hehe, you catch on quick. It seems Bronya-chan didn't notice."
Of course I noticed. She had been glancing at the clock since she arrived, and her constant fidgeting with her bag betrayed her anxiety. She clearly wanted something. All that talk about the past was just her trying to soften me up. Besides, if she just wanted to say hello, she would have offered to help Bronya and Kiana instead of staying here.
"Actually, you're right. I do have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
"I want you to become the Deputy Leader of Squad 3."
"Deputy Leader?"
The Deputy Leader lives a normal life but takes command if something happens to the Squad Leader. It's the practical Number Two position of the unit. You can't just hand that title to anyone; it requires significant power and a decorated record. It also needs approval from the Overseer—my Auntie. That's actually how my wife holds the title of Second Deputy Leader. She works at E.T. Studio, the game company Lord Welt founded, but she deploys as a Valkyrie whenever the Overseer commands or the situation demands it.
"I don't mind, but if my ship is called to action, that takes priority. Are you okay with that?"
"Yes. If the ship is deploying, it means we're in a state of emergency anyway, so that should be the priority."
"Hmm... Alright then. I'll accept."
Since Mei-senpai is a Herrscher, I doubted she'd be out of commission often enough for the Deputy to take over. Even if her Herrscher powers are currently suppressed, her sheer experience is formidable.
"Thank you. Could you sign your name here?"
"Sure. Oh, I just sign here?"
"Actually, a seal would be better."
"My seal should be around here somewhere. Hold on... Ah, found it. I just press it here, right?"
"Yes, and then one more time on this paper."
"Got it. But, Mei-senpai..."
"Yes?"
"No matter how I look at it, this second paper says 'Marriage Registration Form,' not 'Deputy Leader Commission.'"
"Tch... Oh, I'm sorry. I must have handed that to you by mistake. Silly me~"
Wait. Did she just click her tongue? That was definitely no mistake.