And So, Rita Found Her Path to the Future, and Himeko Untied the Knot in Her Heart

It's better to let her die than to let her not get involved in something so interesting.

"Alright, Li... cough, that little girl is here, you can follow her."

Just then, Liu Bai saw Lolita holding a large bouquet of flowers, looking nervous.

Speaking of which... should this form of Rita be called Lolita or Rita?

"OK".

Himeko swaggered out from behind the tree.

"Ah! That red-haired older sister from yesterday..."

Lolita spotted Himeko immediately.

"Are you here for a maid café too?"

As Himeko asked the question, Himeko casually pushed the door open and entered.

"This..." Lolita hesitated, unsure of what to say—she only realized now that she didn't know the name of the maid who had saved her yesterday!

But the red-haired older sister had already opened the door, and Lolita mustered up her courage and slipped inside before the door was closed.

"Hmm... this shop doesn't look very big from the inside."

The store is small, which means that you can take in most of the sights at a glance—such as a commando captain turning to the side, preparing to "escape."

Unfortunately, just as Ragna was about to run to the break room, he bumped into his colleague.

"Aslaug, the new master and the young master are waving at you. Are they acquaintances?"

"Ah... um... yes, right?"

Little master?

Ragna glanced around and spotted the little girl next to Himeko waving timidly at him.

We can't let that child be sad...

But Himeko found out that I was working at a maid café!

What unbearable suffering this is!

A Schicksal A-rank Valkyrie of Destiny, captain of the Valkyrie Assault Team, and combat instructor directly under headquarters, is actually working at a maid café... If others find out about this, her life as Valkyrie will be over, right?

"Good morning, masters. What would you like to order?" Ragna tried to put on a smile.

"Um! Thank you for saving me yesterday! This is just a small token of my appreciation! I think sunflowers would suit you perfectly!"

Lolita mustered her courage and handed over the bouquet—only then did Himeko and Liu Bai realize that the bouquet contained sunflowers.

It must be said that Rita's flower-arranging skills are quite good; even Liu Bai and Himeko, who know almost nothing about flower arranging, can appreciate the beauty of it.

No wonder Rita once said that if she retired, she would reopen a flower shop...

"Oh my, it's so beautiful!"

The bouquet of flowers that Lolita handed over eased Ragna's anxiety about being "ruined."

"Would you like a cappuccino? It's on me."

Rita nodded timidly.

"What about me? What about me?" Himeko raised her hand at this moment. "Miss Aslaug, do you have any recommendations for me?"

"Get out of here!"— Ragna wanted to say, but he couldn't bring himself to swear in front of his juniors or children.

"... Would the same cappuccino be fine?"

"Is Miss Aslaug treating us?"

Don't call me by that name! It's so embarrassing for someone I know to call me that!

Chapter 194 And so, Rita found her path to the future, and Himeko resolved her inner conflicts.

"What's wrong, Miss Aslaug?"

Himeko looked at her captain with a teasing expression.

Although it seemed a bit unbelievable at first, it now seems... extra interesting.

Is there some difficulty in finding out?

"... No, no."

Ragna forced a smile and gave a stiff reply.

"It's just a cappuccino, of course."

Himeko, I'll remember this grudge!

"Please wait a moment..."

"Thank you! Your coffee is delicious!"

Lolita relaxed at this point and revealed a slightly more lively side.

"I'm very pleased to receive your praise, young master." Ragna smiled politely.

However, an untimely voice rang out from the side.

"Hmm... it doesn't feel as good as Captain Ragna's coffee. It seems you still have room for improvement, Miss Aslaug."

Himeko, you brat, don't you want to live a normal life anymore?!

I'm not as good as myself, am I?

You're finished!

"Um... you don't need to call me 'little master' anymore... although I know it's part of the service, it's... but it makes me feel a little embarrassed..."

Lolita blushed slightly.

"My name is Rita Rossweisse! You, you can just call me Rita!"

"Rita ...what a lovely name. My name is Ragna, Ragna Rodbrok. Nice to meet you."

"Huh? That Aslaug..." Lolita's little face showed confusion, "And the name Ragna..."

"In layman's terms, it's a stage name~" Ragna said with a smile, reaching out to pinch Himeko's ear. "Because they said the name Ragna is too fierce, so they suggested changing it to the related Aslaug."

Aslaug, daughter of Sigurd and Brunhilde in mythology, and wife of the Norse legendary hero Ragnar Lodbrok—Ragnar is another translation of Ragna.

I have to admit, this name is quite cute.

"Ragna ...that great Norse hero?" Despite her young age, Rita possessed a remarkably solid knowledge base.

"That's right, it's Ragna." Ragna smiled. "My mother wanted to raise me to be a warrior since I was little—that's why she gave me such a strange name. It just so happens that my family name is Rod Block... Of course, it might not be a coincidence."

"You...your mother?" Lolita paused, "I thought this was something the father should do..."

"Haha, what can I do when my mother happens to be a Valkyrie? There's nothing I can do about it, isn't there?"

Ragna smiled wryly, and Himeko listened intently—this was the first time she had heard her captain talk about her situation.

But then again... is it really appropriate to call a little girl a "Valkyrie"?

"Valkyrie? Could it be that idol-like person from the Schicksal...?"

"No, we're not idols, we're real soldiers. Fighting against natural disasters like yesterday's Honkai is our duty." Ragna patted Rita's head.

Himeko patted Ragna's other hand, which was still twisting his ear... Had their captain said too much?

Compared to Valkyrie, a semi-public profession, Honkai is something you can't just talk about carelessly, right?

"Ah! I see! No wonder you had a way to fight that monster!"

Lolita's face showed an expression of admiration, but the next moment confusion appeared on her face.

"Wait a minute... then if that's the case... why would Valkyrie work at a coffee shop?"

"Yes, for gods and demons~~"

"Stop with the weird talk." Ragna exerted a little force, immediately causing Himeko to beg for mercy.

"And it's this kind of thing... um..." Rita looked at Ragna and the maid shop, unsure how to describe it.

"Haha... please excuse my poor performance. This is a social practice I applied for, which lasts for two weeks and ends tomorrow."

Keep making things up.

Himeko secretly grumbled, but with her ears in her captain's hands, it was best not to be too presumptuous.

"Is that so...? Hmm... I understand the social practice."

Lolita nodded, somewhat disappointed.

Ah... this inexplicable sense of guilt...

Ragna quickly changed the subject. "By the way, young master, do you know what advantages a service provider has when interacting with people?"

"Advantage?" Lolita paused, a thoughtful look on her face. "... Could it be stealing intelligence?"

In a way, it's no wonder Rita was able to think of this so quickly.

"Haha, we Valkyrie aren't special agents, so we don't really have the opportunity to do that kind of work."

Ragna waved his hand.

Unfortunately, Rita in the future will receive training in assassination and special operations.

A long time ago—perhaps not so long in real time—during a heart-to-heart talk, Rita said somewhat dejectedly, "Being a maid is probably the only thing I have in common with Lord Ragna."

Liu Bai once again experienced the cruel irony of fate.

"However... well, your line of thinking is actually correct in some ways—as service providers, we have a greater chance of coming into contact with 'real people'."

"... Does that mean the guests won't pretend anything to the service staff...?" Lolita for a moment and answered with some understanding.

"Your comprehension is excellent."

Ragna praised Rita.

"Many people in this world are used to living under one mask after another—especially in this humid country."

A smile appeared on Ragna's face.

"They often say that human relationships are like porcupines; they huddle together for warmth, but they also prick each other because they are too close."

Ragna's analogy is indeed very famous.

"However, when you put yourself in a very humble position and it is 'obvious' that you will not cause harm to others, the human instinct to defend against its own kind will unconsciously weaken, and you will find it easier to listen to the voices of others and the true thoughts of people in society."

It's roughly like how people in ancient times would go to the shopkeeper to ask for information, right?

Liu Bai roughly understood by now.

This summary is indeed quite philosophical, but... it's "obvious" that it won't harm others?

To be honest, this obvious point is really the essence.

To be honest, both of them have a very high safety rating.

Rita is a typical two-faced maid, only showing her true feelings to a select few, and she might turn on strangers at any time... Well, let's mourn for Mr. Gray Serpent's body, whose eyeballs have been gouged out.

Ragna... Ragna is much better—provided you haven't seen Ragna wielding his greatsword like a berserker.

"I feel like I'm witnessing a kind of passing down..."

Looking at the young florist girl absorbing experience from the maid, Liu Bai couldn't help but sigh.

This guy is making comments about some random thing again.

Himeko glanced at Liu Bai, shrugged, and freed her ear from her captain's grasp.

"In that case, how about we take a picture?"

Was this addressed to Liu Bai or the captain?

Himeko smiled.

"Huh?"

Ragna, who was imparting maid-like experience to Rita, was taken aback.