One month later
St. Freya Academy, Valkyrie Dormitory
The dormitory, half-destroyed by the First Herrscher's clone, had been fully repaired and renovated in a month, its interior gleaming anew.
Inside the newly renovated dormitory, Snow stared intently at an exquisitely crafted green gift box in her room, while Kyuusyou and Ninti crowded around to observe the cake box-sized present.
The green box was tied with a red satin ribbon, and a greeting card was attached.
[OTTO]
"Ooh, a gift from your dear old dad?" Kyuusyou teased, eyeing the signature on the card with curiosity. "Open it and see what's inside!"
"....Let's read the card first," Snow said, shaking her head and rejecting her companion's impatient suggestion.
[My dearest child, today is your birthday. I've been pondering for a long time and realized something—you've always been the one to ask for gifts. As your father, I've never truly given you a present of my own volition...]
[Finally, I found the Far East Branch's report from last month: you and your squad defeated and captured an entire Anti-Entropy fleet. Ha! You truly are my child with Kallen.]
[I've thought long and hard about what to give you, my child. I hope you like it. It's in the box—go ahead and open it.]
"Hurry, hurry! Can we open it now?" Kyuusyou urged from the side, even more impatient than the birthday girl herself. Ninti's expression also showed curiosity.
"You two are insufferable..." Snow shook her head and began untying the ribbon on the gift box.
As the satin ribbon came undone, the box was opened to reveal—
The very outfit Snow had worn during their virtual reality meeting, now meticulously handcrafted by her own hands: a white women's coat adorned with red and black patterns and commendation ribbons.
The short cape on the right shoulder had been slightly lengthened, and the embroidered Apocalypse Family crest originally there had been replaced with a design resembling the young girl's Stigmata: a single eye, a book, and a sharp sword.
A long, scarf-like black and red ribbon draped from Snow's left shoulder to her waist, paired with tailored white trousers adorned with gold tassels.
"Just an outfit... is that all your old man sent?" Kyuusyou asked, her lips twitching as she examined the contents of the box.
"This is hardly 'just an outfit'..." She stripped off her current clothes and slipped into the ceremonial attire.
[Identity authentication successful.] The medal-shaped ornament on the coat emitted an inexplicable electronic authentication voice.
"Wait, what exactly is this outfit?" Kyuusyou froze, her eyes widening.
[Initiating armor activation sequence.] The girl gently floated off the floor.
"This is a fourth-generation Valkyrie Battlesuit... though it looks more like a ceremonial gown."
"Of course, it does function as a ceremonial gown. Every Schicksal Overseer wears this exact style upon their succession."
"But my father has been in power for over five centuries now... so nobody remembers the suit's true purpose anymore. All those who coveted this ceremonial attire... my dear old dad has outlived them all."
"Holy shit, that's what you call longevity," Kyuusyou grinned, thoroughly amused.
"So, what are the functions of this battlesuit?"
"Uh... I think the only useful one is flight... At least it can provide some cover."
"For others, a battlesuit is a power-up. For you, it's a limiter, right?..."
"Aren't you the same?" Snow shot a glance at Houraiji Kyuusyou, who was teasing her.
"To me, this is just a gorgeous gown with special significance... and it represents one thing." Snow turned to the two beside her.
"...His plan has officially begun. In the near future... he'll toss the Apocalypse family-crested cloak and the Overseer's mantle onto my shoulders, sacrificing himself to change Kallen Kaslana's fate."
The golden-haired Valkyrie strode to the window. Outside, Kiana, Mei, and the others were clustered around Himeko, who had just emerged, heading toward the Valkyrie Dormitory.
"What we need to do is sabotage my dear old dad's ascension and resurrection ceremony, throw him off the blood-soaked earth of the Imaginary Tree—and then resurrect Kallen and those who can only return again if we rewrite history."
"Next comes my favorite part," Houraiji Kyuusyou nodded.
"Now then, count your sins—" Kyuusyou struck a bizarre pose.
"Ah, yes, let's recount the sins of Schicksal Overseer Otto Apocalypse..." Snow's face twitched slightly as she recalled how her own actions back then had been even more reckless than her father's.
I'm sorry, Savior Lord, I wasn't lying—
...Never mind. Dad will draw all the fire, so I have nothing to fear. He'll take ten beatings for every one I get... By the time they're done with him, they'll probably be too exhausted to even touch me. Snow thought recklessly.
"Snow—Kyuusyou—and Ninti—Himeko's back! Hurry downstairs and help prepare the celebration party!"
Theresa and Kiana's energetic voices cut through Snow's mental rampage, snapping her back to reality.
"Coming right now!"
She replied decisively to Theresa and the others downstairs, shoving her earlier thoughts to the back of her mind. The blonde Valkyrie unconsciously stepped onto the windowsill and leaped down.
"You never use the stairs, do you?!"
The same exasperated comment rang out simultaneously from both the room above and the floor below.
"Huh? Next time for sure!" Snow retorted with equal bluntness.
Dare you try that again!
-
That evening, in Murata Himeko's dormitory:
The red-haired Valkyrie leaned back in her chair, gulping down beer with a flushed face.
"Wah-ha! This is the life! In the hospital, I could only drink water—it was so boring!"
She let out a satisfied burp.
"Himeko, for your health, please moderate yourself," Theresa warned from across the room, sipping green bitter melon juice and watching Himeko's binge.
The red-haired Valkyrie retorted with a remark that made Theresa's veins bulge:
"Hmph, so boring. As expected, old people are always so conservative, right, Kiana?"
Himeko turned to the "White-haired Clump" sitting nearby. Kiana was currently gnawing on a white handkerchief, radiating thick jealousy toward the Class Monitor and Ninti.
As Kyuusyou walked past Kiana, she sniffed the air.
"Such a strong smell of jealousy... Where's it coming from?"
-
"Fu Hua, Ninti... Thank you both for risking your lives to save me last time. I don't even know how to properly express my gratitude."
"Here, I made some Shenzhou desserts especially for you today. Try them!"
Mei picked up a pastry with her chopsticks and offered it to Fu Hua's lips. Ninti, a bit clumsy with chopsticks, managed to grab a pastry and pop it into her own mouth.
"Mmm... delicious!" Ninti's eyes narrowed, and she beamed with delight. Suddenly, a white blur shot past her, lunging for the plates and chopsticks in Fu Hua and Mei's hands.
"..."
"Kiana, what are you doing?!"
"That glutton is beyond saving..."