After obediently staying in the hospital for three days, Ming Yu fled as if escaping.
After suffering the torment of the Kaslana curse on the first day, Ming Yu no longer dared to eat any food Kiana brought. Even Bronya received his cold glares for a long time. The so-called soldier's pride only meant cutting the food into uniform sizes; in the crucial step of cooking, the Kaslana name was still the most powerful curse in the Honkai world.
Fortunately, Mei's test concluded that evening. The result was as everyone had expected: the Herrscher personality had behaved itself, and Rita, representing the headquarters, approved Theresa's handling of the Third Herrscher.
After learning what Kiana had done, the gentle and kind Mei consciously took the blame for her good friend. She prepared a sumptuous dinner for Ming Yu to express her apologies and also took over the supply of his three meals during his hospital stay. Although the hospital at St. Freya also provided three meals a day, such bland food clearly couldn't compare to Mei's five-star cuisine.
Ever since moving out of Himeko's apartment, Ming Yu had been too embarrassed to always freeload off Mei's cooking; after all, his skin wasn't as thick as a certain oversized loli's. Being able to eat food prepared by Mei again could be considered one of the few perks of his hospital stay.
At the same time, after consultation, everyone unanimously passed the "Several Regulations Prohibiting Kiana Kaslana from Entering the Kitchen," officially designating the kitchen as a forbidden zone for Kiana.
Things wouldn't have escalated to this point, but after seeing Ming Yu collapse from poisoning, Kiana was stimulated by something and insisted on making a delicious meal to prove her culinary skills.
Moreover, she insisted on designating Ming Yu as the sole taste-tester to clear her name in the "Ming Yu Food Poisoning Incident."
Although Kiana's determination to master cooking was admirable, since his own life was at stake, Ming Yu certainly didn't dare to be reckless.
After all, this was a curse imposed upon the Kaslanas by the will of the world, a supreme power of the mystical side. Its principles were simply not something science could decipher, so Ming Yu naturally wouldn't believe that Kiana could break it with her own power.
It's also worth mentioning that Fu Hua visited once, but it was just to simply confirm the situation with Abyss Flower, and she also praised Ming Yu's performance in the Valkyrie Rank-Up Exam.
Although Ming Yu's performance was quite good for an ordinary person, for Fu Hua, who knew his true strength, it wasn't particularly stunning. But considering the burden of the Divine Key on him, his handling of the situation was barely acceptable in her eyes.
After encouraging Ming Yu a bit, Fu Hua didn't stay long. As one of the few A-rank Valkyries in the Far East Branch, she was qualified to participate in the evaluation of the exam, and a certain Principal who was good at exploiting her employees certainly wouldn't let such a capable hand go.
So during this period, Fu Hua's tasks were quite heavy. The fact that she could find time to visit Ming Yu already showed great concern. Could Ming Yu really expect her to be like the main trio?
Accompanied by Hiyokumaru, Ming Yu finally returned to the small home he hadn't seen in a long time. Although he had only been away for a few days, a lot had happened in that time.
After the events with the Divine Key and the Valkyrie exam, he could be considered a member of the Far East Branch.
Although according to Schicksal's administrative divisions, St. Freya was a Valkyrie training base of the Far East Branch and should be listed as a combat unit of the Far East Branch, due to Theresa's personal philosophy, the Far East Branch's control over St. Freya was not strong.
And the reason Theresa served as Principal was also to limit the Far East Branch. Otherwise, as the supreme commander of the Far East Branch, would she be so bored as to become the leader of a subordinate department?
This was all out of the Principal's love for those girls, definitely not because it was easier to slack off at St. Freya.
Looking at the still somewhat simple house, Ming Yu couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion. This would be his home for at least the next two years.
Perhaps, even longer.
Although the only two tenants of this place were right beside him, Ming Yu still loudly said to the empty living room, "I'm home!"
Hiyokumaru glanced strangely at the young man beside her, a flicker of confusion in her azure eyes, but she still mimicked Ming Yu and said softly, "I'm home too."
...
"Hahaha... I'm dying of laughter! I never thought, Ming Yu, that you would end up..."
A white-haired girl clutched her stomach, laughing without any sense of decorum, tears of mirth welling up in the corners of her eyes.
"Kiana~"
The long, black-haired girl beside her chided affectionately, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve into a slight smile, the amusement in her eyes almost overflowing.
Bronya, who usually liked to oppose Kiana, for once didn't make any sarcastic remarks. She just silently lowered her head and played her game, but her slightly trembling hands revealed her owner's far-from-calm state of mind.
"You guys... sigh! Laugh if you want, but is it really okay to be so blatant about it?"
Sighing, Ming Yu said with a sense of resignation.
Hearing Ming Yu give up on himself, Kiana became even more unrestrained. Even Mei no longer held back, covering her mouth to chuckle lightly. Even the deadpan Bronya's lips twitched uncontrollably.
Looking at the clearly printed words "B-rank Valkyrie" on his ID, even though he had seen it so many times, Ming Yu still couldn't help but want to find a hole to crawl into.
It was clearly stated that the Valkyrie units also had the position of "Knight," so how did it end up like this?
According to Theresa, the "Knight" position was mainly established for the Kaslana family. But due to Siegfried's defection, the Kaslanas had gradually fallen from grace in Schicksal, and the position of "Knight" had naturally been abolished for a long time.
This reason was very plausible, but it would have been more convincing if the Principal could have suppressed her laughter while explaining.
It had been five days since the exam ended. The list of those who passed had long been announced, and even the new Valkyries' IDs were now ready. And Ming Yu, leaning on the great support of Theresa, naturally received his ID at the first opportunity.
Seeing that Ming Yu had gotten his ID, the ever-curious Kiana wanted to borrow it for a look to see what it was like.
Although Ming Yu really wanted to hide it, such things couldn't be hidden forever. As soon as they asked Theresa, the Principal would definitely sell him out without a second thought.
After much reluctance, Ming Yu finally handed over the embarrassing ID. The result, naturally, was...
"That's enough, you guys. It's not that funny!"
Seeing that Kiana and the others still wouldn't stop, Hiyokumaru said with some seriousness.
In her view, whether it was a Valkyrie or a MANTIS, it was just a way for civilization to distinguish those with special abilities. The title itself didn't mean anything.
Yes, it was definitely not because she knew about this beforehand and had already had her fill of laughter.