"Hmm…"
Within the Core, a drowsy Sirin cracked her eyes open.
"What is it, Kiana…? Didn't you already finish your exams? Or did the results come out? If you didn't beat the average this time, begging me won't help, you know?"
"It's neither of those, Sirin! It's something much more serious!"
Kiana frantically shook Sirin's groggy consciousness.
"Some people from Oceania arrived today, and one of them is the Fourth Herrscher, Wendy! She said… she said that Lynelle is someone who could become her wife!"
"?"
Sirin: O.O
"What's going on?!"
At that moment, too stunned to think straight, Kiana—who was inside the Core explaining the whole situation to Sirin—failed to notice that her physical body in the outside world had completely frozen up.
"Oh no…"
Beside her, Bronya facepalmed.
"That idiot Kiana's brain must've crashed… She's usually the one clinging to Lynelle the most, and now she's falling apart at the worst possible moment…"
Manipulated by some unseen hand that Customer Service Kiana-chan couldn't perceive, although Bronya and Mei hadn't yet tasted romance like Kiana had, they had still inherited a portion of the affection from the first timeline.
Just as the shocked trio was about to set aside their internal conflicts and form an alliance, Bronya realized their ace, Kiana, seemed to have gone offline.
On the other side, seeing Kiana's reaction sent a jolt through Wendy's heart.
Wait, could she be…?
She knew Lynelle had quite a few close female friends at St. Freya, and the one she was closest to was a certain white-haired girl. But she'd never actually learned that white-haired girl's name.
When Kiana introduced herself earlier, Wendy hadn't felt suspicious at all.
After all, everyone in the Kaslana family had white hair—it wasn't like she hadn't met any before.
Thanks to the superior genes of the Kaslana Bloodline, it was normal for them to be stronger than their peers.
But seeing Kiana now, looking like a 'defeated pup'…
Could it really be… such a coincidence?
Just then, Kiana, who had been hanging her head in defeat moments before, suddenly lifted her gaze. A faint golden glint flickered in her deep blue eyes.
"You just said… you simply found someone you like, right?"
"Uh, y-yes…"
For some reason, meeting that golden gleam in Kiana's eyes made Wendy's confidence waver.
Maybe it was because the Gem of Desire within Wendy had once been under Sirin's control, or perhaps it was the overwhelming 'queenly' aura radiating from Sirin.
Regardless, the green-haired girl in the wheelchair couldn't quite figure out the reason at the moment.
"In that case… I won't let you have Lynelle!"
"O.O?"
Wendy was a bit baffled by this sudden declaration of war in the name of love.
I never said I wanted to have Lynelle all to myself!
This misunderstanding stemmed from the difference in their backgrounds.
Unlike Wendy, who had received education and influence from three different environments—Headquarters, St. Freya, and Oceania—both Sirin and Kiana were Valkyries who had entered the field through unconventional paths.
As mentioned before, due to the high casualty rate among Valkyrie squads, and with most of these girls being at an age where their hearts were easily stirred, the atmosphere within the Valkyrie ranks was quite open-minded.
Especially among those who 'kept it within the family,' it wasn't uncommon for every member of a small Valkyrie team to share complicated, ambiguous relationships with one another.
So, Wendy didn't feel a particularly strong desire to monopolize Lynelle.
Besides, having studied the history of the Second Eruption, she knew that with Senior Cecilia alive, it wasn't entirely impossible for Sirin to have been revived through some strange means.
But… not wanting to monopolize her didn't mean Wendy wouldn't feel jealous.
Especially when faced with a direct challenge—if she backed down now, wouldn't she always be at a disadvantage later?
Being 'pinned' by Lynelle occasionally was just a bit of playful spice, but when it came to others, Wendy still had her own small pride.
So…
"Oh? So you're the white-haired ball Lynelle mentioned? Hmph… Then I'm afraid I must inform you, you're already several steps behind me."
"Behind? The bond between Lynelle and me is something you could never surpass! Back then, Lynelle and I…"
Sirin suddenly faltered.
Still groggy from just waking up, after taking over Kiana's body, she'd momentarily forgotten this was Kiana's form.
That meant, to avoid exposing herself, she couldn't mention those life-and-death experiences she'd shared with Lynelle during the Second Eruption.
"Back then what?"
Wendy tilted her head.
"The night before Lynelle left, she held me all night to comfort me!"
Smack—
Behind Kiana, Mei and Bronya simultaneously covered their faces.
"Oh, so it was just a farewell hug."
Wendy nodded. "And what about the night before that?"
"You…?"
Seeing Kiana (Sirin) puff up like an angry kitten, Wendy flashed a mischievous grin.
"Lynelle and I, every single night…"
"Kiana, Mei, Bronya?"
Just then, a Valkyrie dressed in efficient attire appeared beside the four of them.
"Squad Leader Fu Hua?"
"Mm, so this is where you were… Kiana, Principal Theresa wants you to come see her right away. She's been waiting for quite a while."
Fu Hua seemed completely oblivious to the strange atmosphere and directly motioned for Kiana to follow her.
"What? Why now…? Whatever."
Sirin was taken aback for a moment, pouted in frustration, then withdrew back into Kiana's mental space.
Regarding Wendy, it wasn't like Lynelle was gone forever—they could deal with it later. But if she took control to meet Theresa, there was a risk of exposure.
Besides, due to the lack of Honkai energy, she could only take over for a limited time each day.
"Ah, interrupted…"
Watching the three hurry off, Wendy couldn't help but sigh and turned to leave as well.
"I might've gotten a little carried away just now… Hope I didn't cause any trouble for Lynelle."
Soon, only Fu Hua remained on the spot.
Or rather… 'Fu Hua' as impersonated by Wraith.
'Wendy appears to be in conflict with three key individuals at St. Freya Academy, and the reason for the conflict seems to be their shared affection for a girl named Lynelle… Summarized as: a war of love.'
Quickly jotting the information down on paper, the lady known as Wraith—who had only appeared in the comics until now—let out a sigh.
"Honestly, I'm an A-rank Valkyrie from the Central Intelligence Department, capable of temporarily acting as the head of intelligence, a veteran who can instantly mimic anyone."
"Why has the Overseer assigned me to collect this kind of gossip…? And he specifically insisted on using only pen and paper, forbidding any electronic records except for special channels to upload to HQ."
"It's not like I've offended the old man recently, have I…?"
Shaking her head in exasperation, deeply feeling the hardships of the service industry, Wraith carefully tucked the note into the deep cleft of her chest.
"Whatever, I'll just send the intel back later… The life of a working girl is truly tough."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.