That Same Day. Schicksal HQ
At Schicksal HQ, Otto set down the controller in his hands and closed the game application on the screen.
Then, he turned around with a smile and was met with Amber's utterly speechless expression.
"Lord Otto, you still have a great deal of work to finish."
Amber, who was watching Otto, let out a soft sigh.
"If you would, please take a moment to handle these documents that require your approval."
"Alright, alright, Amber, don't be so serious."
After opening a light screen, Otto began processing the files while speaking to Amber.
"You know as well as I do that after I modified Schicksal's operational model, it's become a semi-automated organization."
"Yes, but even so, you still have work that needs to be done."
Amber's resolve didn't waver in the slightest at Otto's words. She spoke to him with the utmost seriousness.
"Furthermore, the intelligence you previously instructed me to handle has indeed been 'delivered' into the hands of Anti-Entropy's upper echelons."
"Ha, that boy Joachim will surely see through my intentions once he learns of this. But..."
"So what?"
At that moment, Otto thought back to what he had done and said to Amber with a light chuckle.
"There's no need to pay too much attention to this matter. In any case, my only real intention this time was to create a stage for K423 and her companions to 'deepen their bonds'."
In the eyes of others, Otto's semi-public release of the news that 'Kiana, Mei, and the others are about to be dispatched to Jiuyou' was surely part of some grand scheme.
But in reality, Otto himself didn't have many thoughts on the matter.
Right now, aside from finding the Thousand Worlds which he desperately sought, his greatest wish was to see the bonds between K423 and those around her grow deeper and deeper.
Only then, when Otto completed the next phase of his plan in the future, would K423 be able to feel an even more profound 'love'.
As for anything else, that was all incidental.
Siegfried might show up, Cocolia might show up, but what did that have to do with Otto?
At most, after ensuring K423's survival and her progression along the path he envisioned, he might casually see if there were any other opportunities to be had.
Besides, for this mission, because Siegfried might appear, Otto did not plan on sending Durandal.
He had already sent Durandal away on another task. Fu Hua had to lead the team as the public-facing captain for this mission, and Theresa would be on standby outside with the Hyperion. That meant the only person under Otto's command with the strength to participate in this operation was...
"Lord Otto, you were looking for me. Do you have a new mission to assign?"
...Naturally, it was Schicksal's model worker, Rita, who had just appeared on the light screen after Otto contacted her.
"Mm, there's a problem over in Shenzhou's Jiuyou region. Shenzhou feels they require our assistance. As a reliable ally of Shenzhou, Schicksal certainly cannot ignore the problems they are about to face."
"I see."
Listening to Otto's words, Rita simply responded softly before saying nothing more, waiting for Otto's subsequent instructions.
Faced with such an obedient subordinate, Otto smiled and continued speaking to Rita.
"Of course, this mission has already been assigned to the Far East Branch. Theresa is even preparing to deploy the Hyperion. Normally, I believe the Far East Branch alone should be able to resolve this incident."
"Unfortunately, I've just received some intelligence—Anti-Entropy is also preparing to intervene in this operation."
"You must understand, Cocolia, one of Anti-Entropy's Executors, has previously instigated a large-scale Honkai Eruption in an attempt to create a Herrscher."
"Once someone like that enters Jiuyou, I have serious doubts about whether she will, for her own purposes, undo the seal that the hero of Shenzhou, Ji Lin, placed upon the Judgment-class Honkai Beast [Chiyou]."
Lord Bishop Otto's words were flawless. And based on the intelligence he presented, this mission did indeed require a powerful Honkai Energy warrior to monitor Cocolia's movements.
*But Lord Otto, isn't the real reason Cocolia is preparing to raid Shenzhou because you're sending Raiden Mei there?*
Though this conjecture formed in Rita's mind, the expression on her face dared not show the slightest hint of it.
Conjecture was one thing, but some thoughts were best left as thoughts.
In terms of status, she was indeed one of the top five combatants in Schicksal, but in the end, no matter how strong she was, she was just a high-level tool in Otto's hands.
Her parents lived under Otto's surveillance.
If Rita behaved obediently, her parents would live better lives than ordinary people under Schicksal's protection.
But if Rita ever lost her value, or showed Otto an emotion she shouldn't...
Then what would happen to her parents was anyone's guess.
"I understand. I will prepare for this mission with the utmost seriousness."
"Ah, then I'll be counting on you this time, Rita. However—your participation in this mission must be kept secret from Durandal and Leo Ash."
"After all, I hope Leo Ash can get sufficient training. And as for Durandal... Siegfried Kaslana is highly likely to appear in Jiuyou. With that said, do you understand?"
*Mr. Siegfried... I see. No wonder Lord Bishop Otto doesn't want Lady Durandal to participate in this mission with me.*
*After all, Siegfried is Lady Durandal's biological father. If Lady Durandal were to meet Mr. Siegfried without any preparation, it's truly hard to say how she would react.*
"In that case, I have a question."
Rita looked at Otto and asked a question whose answer she wasn't particularly concerned about, but still wanted to know.
"What attitude should I adopt towards Mr. Siegfried?"
"Attitude? Just treat him normally."
As if he had heard something strange, Otto looked at Rita with a hint of surprise.
"Have you forgotten that I've already rescinded the arrest warrant for Siegfried within Schicksal? He is now merely the former head of the Kaslana family who is 'temporarily away from Schicksal'. When you see him, you can chat with him if you like, or ignore him if you prefer. It's up to you."
"Of course, if you can persuade him to return to Schicksal, or get him to hand over the Judgment of Shamash, I will record it as a great merit for you. But..."
At that, Otto glanced at Rita and shook his head helplessly.
"Rita, you are an important subordinate of mine. If possible, I hope you will make your personal safety the top priority on this mission."
*I knew it. Lord Bishop Otto has no intention of moving against Mr. Siegfried this time... No, it could even be said that he just needs someone to ensure K423's safety.*
*Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent me to Jiuyou alone.*
"Understood."
Seeing Rita give him a slight bow, Otto knew he had said everything that needed to be said.
As a warrior, Rita's qualities were, one could say, the peak of what a mortal could achieve.
But as 'Otto's subordinate', Rita was a subordinate who had a good head on her shoulders, knew her place, and worked tirelessly without complaint.
Her combat power being a little lacking didn't matter; the missions Otto assigned her were generally well within her capabilities.
On the contrary, Rita's own considerable intelligence and personality truly made things worry-free for Otto.
"Oh, right. Your birthday is in a few days, Rita."
As if remembering something, Otto sent a file to Rita.
"Consider this my birthday gift to you. A happy early birthday."
"Thank you, Lord Otto."
On the other side of the light screen, Rita opened the file and saw images of her own Pantheon-class weapon, [Skadi of Eternal Frost].
No, this was no longer Skadi of Eternal Frost.
Looking at the name mentioned at the end of the file, Rita committed it to memory.
*Skadi of Celestial Frost...*
*—Is this the new power I am about to obtain?*
*Sigh, even if Skadi has undergone a PRI-ARM breakthrough by Lord Bishop Otto, my own strength as its wielder is still too insufficient.*
*No matter how much my equipment is updated, I can't keep up with Lady Durandal's pace.*
*And what's more, after obtaining his Stigmata, Leo continues to grow stronger.*
*Clearly, I was the one protecting them at the start, but now...*
*Why did things turn out this way?*
......
March 15, 2014
After completing the monthly tests at St. Freya High School, Leo Ash asked Theresa for a day's leave and made a special trip back to his 'home'.
March 15th was Rita Rossweisse's birthday.
Leo Ash had no idea what the past 'Leo Ash' did or didn't do on Rita's birthday, but now...
*Sigh, the Acting Method.*
*Sigh, the Avenger.*
He had now roughly figured out his public persona in the eyes of others.
To everyone else, Leo Ash was an Avenger who, while disguised as an ordinary person, harbored a deep hatred for the Honkai and sought revenge against it.
Under that premise, it was perfectly normal for Leo Ash to take some ordinary actions.
Those who didn't notice anything would think it was just a normal little brother celebrating his big sister's birthday.
Those who did notice would naturally think that Leo Ash himself was putting on an act again.
As for whether proactively approaching Rita, who knew him well, would expose the fact that he wasn't the original—Leo Ash could only say that was overthinking it.
When ordinary people encounter a drastic change in a loved one's personality, they become confused and search for reasons, but how many would suspect something to the extent of 'Wow, has he been possessed?'
Rather than continue to be suspected in the future, Leo Ash felt it was better to take the initiative and reinforce the image he had in Rita's and Durandal's minds.
Although Theresa didn't want to get close to Rita and also felt that Durandal was difficult to get along with, it wasn't as if the two of them didn't know any other Valkyries at the Far East Branch.
Both of them were Valkyries with close ties to Ragna, and Murata Himeko happened to be the last member of the Ragna squad.
If Rita truly cared about Leo Ash, she would surely contact Himeko, a member of the Ragna squad, in private to learn about Leo Ash's current situation.
And when Rita realized that Leo Ash was the same at St. Freya High School as he was in front of them, even if Rita was a quick-witted and intelligent person, she would be subtly influenced, deepening the image of 'an Avenger pretending to be an ordinary person' in her mind.
As for what would happen later, Leo Ash's mind wasn't sharp enough to calculate that far into the future.
Right now, he just wanted to resolve the potential doubts in Rita's and Durandal's hearts, and use this method to eliminate some of the troubles he might face in the future.
Taking out the key he had on him when he first transmigrated, Leo Ash arrived at the small house where the three of them lived.
But just as Leo Ash was about to use the key to open the door, the door in front of him was opened from the inside.
"It really is you, Leo."
After opening the door, Durandal looked at the calm-faced Leo Ash and revealed a relieved smile.
"I thought you..."
"What could be more important than celebrating Sis Rita's birthday?"
After lightly patting Durandal's shoulder, Leo Ash, having changed his shoes, walked into the house.
"My, my, Second Lieutenant Ash."
Rita, who was preparing food in the kitchen, turned around with a smile and slowly walked towards Leo Ash.
"You haven't contacted me on your own initiative at all during this time. I was starting to think you had forgotten this day."
At this moment, Rita was undoubtedly smiling.
But both Leo Ash and Durandal, looking at the smile on Rita's face, knew very well...
—The current Rita was definitely angry.
[Oh, angry? Faced with this woman's tantrum, your heart instantly blazes with fury.]
*It's not quite that serious. After all, in a sense, I'm the one at fault right now.*
[When it comes down to it, you've been out there working hard, and you just didn't call home for a while. It's not a big deal at all!]
*No, no, if I really had a family, not calling home for almost a month is indeed not great.*
[This woman has no idea how hard you're working out there! As your adoptive sister, she's not being considerate of you at all!]
*Actually, she has it pretty tough too.*
[Faced with such an unreasonable woman, your course of action is, of course—]
*Is of course?*
*Forget it. You're in prank mode right now, so your suggestions have zero reference value.*
With that thought, Leo Ash took out a gift and handed it to Rita, then calmly bowed his head in apology.
"I'm sorry, Sis. I didn't mean it."
"Ooh, a gift? Being a Second Lieutenant really changes things."
Lightly snatching the gift from Leo Ash's hands, Rita approached him with an even more dangerous smile.
"No, perhaps it's not that being a Second Lieutenant changed things, but that you were like this all along."
"Leo, just when did you learn such a despicable thing as deceiving girls? Me, Lady Durandal... you had us both completely fooled."
Tossing the gift casually onto the dining table, Rita's face, now close to Leo Ash's, finally revealed a trace of anger that could no longer be restrained or concealed.
"I really thought you had moved on from that day, but now..."
"—Is getting revenge on the Honkai really that important to you?"
*Ah, that expression. She's really angry.*
*The persona is definitely holding up well, but this...*
*Waking up every day to deceive people.*
*If moral standards could be quantified, I bet I'd see my morality score steadily declining every morning.*
*But if I don't act, a lot of things just don't make sense.*
*Even a drastic change in personality needs a sufficient catalyst. As for changing my persona... it's not time for that yet, at least.*
"What's wrong, cat got your tongue?"
After signaling to Durandal behind Leo Ash not to intervene, Rita kept her eyes fixed on him, waiting for him to say something.
Faced with this, Leo Ash thought for a moment, then a look of guilt suddenly appeared on his face as he spoke to Rita.
"I'm sorry, Sis. But I have to say, you're really overthinking things."
"It's my fault for not calling you in time, but the main reason is..."
"The main reason is?"
Seeing the guilt and embarrassment on Leo Ash's face, Rita suddenly felt that something was not quite right.
*Hmm, wait a minute. That.*
*Major Himeko told me that Leo went out with Lady Fu Hua.*
*Although Major Himeko also told me there wasn't that kind of atmosphere between them, but still... could it be...*
*Could it be that Leo and Lady Fu Hua are making progress in that department???*
To be honest, if Leo Ash were to get close to other girls at St. Freya High School, or even fool around, Rita wouldn't feel the slightest bit of resistance; she'd even be a little relieved.
*The pig my family raised isn't thinking about charging into the slaughterhouse every day, but has learned to secretly root for cabbages instead. This is a good thing.*
But now, if Leo Ash's ambiguous partner was Fu Hua, then the situation was not quite right.
As a Valkyrie who knew a part of Fu Hua's background, Rita certainly knew that an A-rank from the Far East Branch was not qualified to use Godsbane Armor and a Pantheon-class weapon.
Even Otto himself directly referred to Fu Hua as an old friend.
If even Otto considered Fu Hua an old friend, could this woman possibly be a young maiden?
Of course, Rita didn't think that Fu Hua being Otto's 'old friend' meant she was a bad person.
In fact, many people had dealings with Otto, and quite a few of them were good people. In Rita's eyes, Fu Hua was one of them.
But the problem was, from Rita's perspective, Leo Ash and Fu Hua were just... a bit unsuitable.
If Leo Ash had truly developed feelings for Fu Hua, even setting aside the age issue, Rita would find it a huge headache.
Fu Hua was called an old friend by Otto, but at the end of the day, she was also one of Otto's collaborators.
Rita didn't want Leo Ash to get further involved in 'that plan', and on that premise, she naturally didn't want Leo Ash to have excessive contact with Fu Hua.
Moreover, in Rita's view, Fu Hua was not good with words and was the type of fighter who was single-mindedly dedicated to fighting the Honkai.
Could a reticent fighter, upon meeting an Avenger, really turn his twisted views around?
That was too difficult.
In fact, Rita believed that not only would Fu Hua fail to be a help in changing Leo Ash's views, she might even become a catalyst pushing him further down a dead-end path.
If Fu Hua were just an ordinary A-rank, Rita wouldn't have this concern.
But Fu Hua was essentially Schicksal's fourth S-rank Valkyrie now, which meant the dangers she had to face were far greater than those of an ordinary A-rank Valkyrie.
Rita didn't want to think about such discourteous things, but if the two developed feelings and Fu Hua suddenly had an accident during a mission, Leo Ash's Avenger attributes would only skyrocket.
And if she was just overthinking it—that would mean Leo Ash hadn't fallen for any other girl, and he was still the same person who wanted to exact revenge on the Honkai.
Change meant going down the wrong path; not changing meant continuing to charge towards a dead end.
Although Rita was only a nineteen-year-old girl, right now she truly felt that having a troublesome brat in the family was such a headache.
"Um, Sis?"
Seeing the expression completely vanish from Rita's face, Leo Ash waved a hand in front of her.
"Are you okay?"
*Whoa, I haven't even started my performance yet. It was just one expression, how did you manage to imagine at least five hundred words of backstory?*
"Ahem, Leo."
Realizing that her bratty little brother seemed to have gone down a new crooked path, Rita immediately adjusted her expression and suddenly said to Leo Ash with a smile.
"Sister was just joking with you. You didn't really think I'd care about such a small thing, did you?"
"Of course not."
*No, a change this sudden is even more terrifying.*
Watching Rita cheerfully unwrap the gift he brought her, Leo Ash couldn't help but feel a little creeped out.
When he was acting in front of others before, Leo Ash hadn't felt anything was wrong.
But now, in front of the people 'closest' to him, he realized the meaning of the phrase 'love makes one foolish'.
It was precisely because Rita cared about him that she had thought of so many things after he showed just one expression.
[Knowing your adoptive sister's thoughts, you can only chuckle lightly and remark that your sister still doesn't understand her little brother.]
*Well, she certainly doesn't understand me.*
[She actually thinks you'd be tied down to Fu Hua? What a joke! A real man can't give up an entire lush forest for a single old tree!]
*Setting aside the bizarre 'old tree' metaphor, I think—you don't understand me either, you damn system!*
[Hey, isn't that obvious, my un-cute Host? We've only known each other for a month.]
[After only knowing each other for a month, if this System claimed to completely understand you, think about it yourself: would you scoff at it, or would you just believe it?]
*Fair enough.*
"Ooh, this thing."
Looking at the Q-version keychain of Theresa, Rita smiled at Leo Ash.
"Alright, you're completely forgiven. But, aren't you forgetting to say something?"
Finding a chair and sitting down, Leo Ash said to Rita with great seriousness.
"Happy birthday, Sis."
"Hmph, you two."
Seeing the strange tension between them finally dissipate, Durandal finally spoke up, exasperated.
"If you have something to say, just say it directly. Making the atmosphere so tense while forcing smiles, you two were scaring me to death."
Looking at Durandal's exasperated expression, Leo Ash said with perfect composure.
"Bianka, you're overthinking things."
"That's right, Lady Durandal is indeed overthinking things. After all..."
Looking at the two before her, Rita gave them a smile of pure relief.
"Just having you two back here safely is enough to make me happy."
After saying this, Rita lifted the lid in the center of the dining table, revealing the cake on the platter to them.
After lighting the nineteen candles one by one, Rita closed her eyes for a few seconds, then suddenly opened them to look at the two, asking with great dissatisfaction.
"Where's the birthday song?"
"We just saw how serious you were, we didn't want to interrupt—I didn't say anything!"
After getting glared at by Rita, Leo Ash quickly nudged Durandal in the lower ribs with his elbow, signaling her to follow his lead.
Under Leo Ash's guidance, the two hastily performed a rendition of the birthday song and watched as Rita blew out the candles.
In the time that followed, the three of them did not delve any deeper into those uncomfortable topics.
Even Durandal was very good at reading the room, choosing to avoid those subjects and instead chatting with them about their recent daily lives.
Under these circumstances, the three of them spent a pleasant time together.
However, after the meal was over, Rita, in a rare move, placed the dishes in the dishwasher instead of washing them by hand, and walked towards Leo Ash, who had already left the table.
"Leo, your leave should be for more than just today, right?"
"Ah, I'm returning to the Far East Branch tomorrow morning."
Sitting on the sofa, Leo Ash instinctively shrank back as Rita suddenly moved closer.
"Sis, don't be like this. I really won't do anything reckless."
*Sigh, I haven't even said anything, and you're already saying things like this.*
*Doesn't that just prove you have a guilty conscience?*
*Leo, you're really a handful.*
"Alright, alright, I'm not the type to nag."
Walking up to Leo Ash, Rita suddenly took his hand and forcefully pulled him up from the sofa.
"Sister knows that you have many excellent girls around you at the Far East Branch."
"You're a big boy now. Sooner or later, you'll fall in love with another girl, and then you'll start to find your sister increasingly nagging and superfluous."
*Whoa, don't be like that.*
Seeing tears suddenly start to well up in Rita's eyes, Leo Ash felt extremely uncomfortable all over.
"Well... I think... it probably hasn't reached that point yet—and besides, I've only been away from home for a month, why are you acting like a mother seeing her daughter off to be married!"
"Oh, is that so?"
Upon hearing Leo Ash's strange analogy, a sly glint of a smile suddenly appeared in Rita's tear-filled eyes.
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you. But Leo, since you've already chosen to walk this path, there's something Sister must tell you."
"To get promoted within Schicksal, being able to fight isn't enough. At the very least, you must learn the most basic social etiquette."
"Promotion isn't just about fighting Honkai Beasts; it also involves your interpersonal relationships within the organization."
"So..."
"So?"
Leading him by the hand to the center of the living room, Rita smiled at Leo Ash and said.
"Let Lady Durandal be the audience. You, right here, will dance with me."
"After all, due to women's advantages in these areas, the proportion of women among Schicksal's top brass and high-ranking Valkyries is quite large."
"In the future, if you attend one of those high-level social balls and don't even know how to dance a basic waltz, how embarrassing would that be?"
"Huh?"
Seeing Leo Ash's frantic, pleading gaze, Durandal asked with some confusion.
"Rita, is that really a thing? Why do I remember that as we were getting promoted, we never really participated in that kind of..."
"That's because we completed that special mission, and because you, Lady Durandal, are far too powerful."
At that moment, Rita, in a very rare move, chose to interrupt Durandal's words rudely.
"Our promotion speed was fast, but that doesn't mean Leo can be as fast as us."
"No, I think being promoted directly from a junior agent to a B-rank Knight isn't exactly slow..."
"Are you saying you're already satisfied with your current promotion speed?"
Hearing Leo Ash's rebuttal, Rita suddenly nodded in satisfaction.
"It's good that you're so easily satisfied, Leo. In that case, I'll go and request Lord Bishop Otto to transfer you from the Far East Branch back to HQ."
"I'll dance."
At that moment, Leo Ash said to Rita with a deadpan expression.
"I'll dance, alright?"
"That's my good little brother."
After receiving Leo Ash's affirmative answer, Rita guided his other hand, pulling it and placing it on her back, near the base of her left arm.
At the same time, Rita positioned the hand she was already holding in the proper waltz posture and began to guide Leo Ash on how to move according to the standard dance steps.
Watching the stiff-bodied Leo Ash and the smiling Rita, Durandal, as the audience, felt that this was truly too difficult for Leo Ash right now.
She wasn't a fool; how could she not see that Leo Ash was as stiff as a board and clearly did not want to dance at all.
But right now—even though Durandal saw it, it didn't mean she had a solution.
Having been with Rita for several years, Durandal had long noticed during their time together that Rita had been restless and uneasy.
It didn't need to be said who was the cause of it; everyone knew.
So now that Leo Ash was back, whether Rita's actions were genuinely for his own good or a way to punish him a little through this special method, Durandal could only think that Leo Ash deserved it.
And speaking of which, it was just a dance. Why was Leo Ash's body so stiff?
Isn't a little physical contact between family members perfectly normal?
*That guy, Leo Ash... ever since he went to Nagazora City, I feel like he's changed so much.*
.......
St. Freya High School. Himeko's Home
After the exams were over, Leo Ash took a leave of absence and temporarily disappeared from everyone's sight.
And after Leo Ash went home, Kiana, for some reason, felt an increasing sense of irritation in her heart.
Leo Ash had clearly distanced himself from Fu Hua.
And from Kiana's perspective, there was clearly no such atmosphere between Fu Hua and Leo Ash.
Clearly...
—None of this had anything to do with her.
But annoyance was annoyance. Even after repeating all sorts of arguments to herself ten thousand times in her mind, Kiana still felt that the irritation in her heart could not be erased.
And because of this distraction, Kiana actually only ate one bowl of rice tonight, and under the astonished gazes of everyone, she returned to her room.
"Argh... ARRRGGGHHH! This is so damn annoying!"
Throwing herself onto the bed, Kiana hugged her pillow and began to roll around manically.
She really couldn't understand why she had become like this.
Even in the past, when her father Siegfried left her without a word, abandoning her in the snowfields, Kiana had never felt so agitated.
After rolling around for a long time, Kiana finally stopped her meaningless actions, listlessly, and stared up at the ceiling.
*I've gotten weaker.*
*Before, I felt like even without that stinky old man, I'd definitely be fine on my own.*
*But after meeting Senior, I've actually started to fret over such inconsequential things.*
*And what's more, in the entire dorm, this situation is clearly only happening to me.*
"Kiana, are you asleep?"
In the midst of her troubles, Kiana suddenly heard a knock from the door.
*That voice, it's Mei.*
*Hah, my behavior was too abnormal. It's not strange at all that Mei and the others noticed.*
"Nope, you can come right in, Mei."
After the door to the room opened, Kiana saw, as expected, the expression called 'worry' on her friend Raiden Mei's face.
"You were not yourself today. Did you do poorly on the exams?"
"No, this exam... I should at least pass, I think."
*This time, it wasn't a confident statement.*
*Kiana is really not okay.*
Watching her friend, Mei walked over to the side of Kiana's bed and sat down, gazing at Kiana's face, then suddenly fell silent.
Kiana, who was starting to feel unnerved by Mei's staring, suddenly found her gaze unconsciously darting away.
"Wh-what is it?"
"I knew it. Your strange behavior today has something to do with when you went out a few days ago, doesn't it?"
Sighing softly, Mei spoke to Kiana with a helpless tone.
"Kiana, we're comrades. If something is on your mind, there's no need to hide it."
"Can you tell me what exactly happened after you went out that day?"
*What exactly happened that day...*
Recalling the blood-stained bedsheet, Kiana's face instantly turned red, making it even harder to speak.
After Kiana returned that day, she was so out of it that Bronya immediately came to find her.
[Sister Kiana, you seem very unwell.]
[The Bronya chose to give you that information to help you, but seeing you like this, the Bronya feels like she might have harmed you instead.]
[What exactly did you see? Can you tell the Bronya? The Bronya doesn't want to see Sister Kiana get expelled from the school over some inexplicable matter.]
After hearing Bronya's words, Kiana slowly told Bronya about the blood-stained bedsheet she had seen.
As it turned out, Bronya's expression at the time, after hearing what Kiana told her, became incredibly strange.
Then, Bronya had directly opened a certain G-initialed search engine website, clicked on a site, and gave Kiana a lesson.
[According to the amount of bleeding Sister Kiana described, it is clearly not the amount that should occur during a couple's first union.]
[Sister Kiana, to think you would show such a near-tears expression over something like this. The Bronya is very disappointed in you.]
[I heard that high schools in the Far East are supposed to have health classes. Sister Kiana, could it be that you were sleeping through those in regular high school as well?]
At the time, hearing those words, Kiana really wanted to shout things like [So what if you know this stuff!] [So what if you're good at studying!].
But in the end, she held it in.
After all, upon reflection, Kiana came to understand two things.
She really was too stupid.
Also, Bronya really was amazing when it came to knowledge.
She was clearly the youngest in the dorm, yet at a time like this, she was able to objectively and calmly use the knowledge in her head to make Kiana recognize the embarrassing reality that [Kiana Kaslana was making a fuss over nothing].
But just because that matter was over, it didn't mean Kiana was completely at ease.
Even if, under Bronya's explanation, she knew the bedsheet was most likely a misunderstanding, but...
—The atmosphere between Fu Hua and Leo Ash still made Kiana too uneasy.
Their rapport was too perfect, so perfect that even if their expressions didn't change, others would think they were acquaintances of many years.
Now, with Mei coming to ask questions, what could Kiana do?
Was she supposed to tell Mei...
—*'I just don't want to see Senior Leo and Class Rep Fu Hua get too close!'*... her true feelings?
...