Himeko · Lesson One (Continued)

"My Gun Kata is really good! Even Honkai Beast are no match for me."

"Uh-huh."

Himeko nodded perfunctorily, which infuriated Kiana.

"Would you like some porridge? You must be starving after sleeping all day."

Himeko served a bowl of meat porridge that smelled incredibly tempting.

"Although a certain authoritarian boss forced me to make porridge the way he did, I think it should be able to make it for a child like you."

"Who do you think you are?"

Liu Bai looked annoyed. "You're twenty years old already, how come you still don't have any self-awareness about your cooking skills?"

Himeko shrugged, completely ignoring Liu Bai's words.

"Who, who would drink this suspicious porridge!"

Although Himeko's attitude was calm, Kiana's eyes were full of vigilance.

"You must have kidnapped me while Dad was away, right?"

Kiana recalled the last scene in her memory, which solidified her belief.

"Fine, if you won't drink it, I will."

Himeko yawned, then picked up a spoon and sipped her porridge. If Theresa and Ragna hadn't had important business to attend to, she wouldn't have bothered taking care of the girl.

However, no matter what, Principal Theresa is more suitable to take care of than herself... well, that little dwarf doesn't really look like the type to take care of people.

Guh...

Looking at the fragrant meat porridge, Kiana's stomach rumbled loudly.

After all, back in Eastern Siberia, her and Siegfried's living conditions were relatively harsh. Although they weren't exactly ignorant... faced with the reality of being hungry for seventeen hours, Kiana's stomach shamefully gave in.

"Want some?"

Himeko scooped up a spoonful of meat porridge and, with "malice," slowly drew a circle in front of Kiana's eyes.

(Damn it! This young lady will not give in to such tricks!)

Kiana's small face showed a somewhat pitiful yet defiant expression.

"I won't eat it! I said I won't eat it, and I mean it! Take it away!"

"Okay, there's still some in the pot, but you're not allowed to steal any."

After slurping down a bowl of meat porridge, Himeko gave a special reminder.

The pot... there's still something in the pot?

"You... you're going out?"

"Do you think I have the time to fool around with a little girl like you?"

Himeko showed an indifferent expression.

"Adults are all very busy—just like your dad who sent you here."

Himeko quickly washed the dishes.

"Stay in your room properly. If you run outside and get lost, no one will care about you."

Whom do you look down on?!

Kiana retorted loudly, clearly annoyed, but Himeko turned and left without looking back.

"... What was that old woman's attitude like?"

Watching Himeko walk away, Kiana couldn't help but angrily curse—for Kiana right now, the words "old woman" were probably the most vicious words she could think of.

Himeko had just turned the corner, stumbled.

"Yeah, I'm twenty now. Before I knew it, I was almost thirty."

Liu Bai teased.

"...If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute." Himeko's face twitched.

Old woman, huh... I've got it.

At the same time, Himeko silently made a mental note about Kiana.

And then there's Liu Bai! He's only twenty and he's already considered almost thirty? Your standard for almost thirty is way too advanced!

The perspective shifts back to Kiana.

"My dad brought me here..."

Kiana sat on the bed, muttering to herself.

"Ouch... why does the back of my head hurt so much?"

Kiana belatedly realized the new "injuries" on her body.

"As expected! Those guys kidnapped me! Why would Dad send me to a place like this?"

Run away! We absolutely have to escape from this "St. Freya Academy"!

Then go find your dad!

Guh~~~

Just as Kiana was expressing her ambitious goals, her stomach conveniently reminded her of Kiana current predicament.

... I'm so hungry.

Kiana, no matter what, is physiologically and psychologically equivalent to a twelve-year-old girl.

For a young girl, this is a crucial time for growth, and she hasn't eaten for almost a month, plus Sirin has also expended some energy.

Kiana now feels like she could eat three bowls... no! Five bowls of rice!

That pot of porridge...

When food was mentioned, Kiana's gaze naturally turned to the most delicious-smelling food present.

Kiana couldn't understand how that woman named Himeko could make such delicious porridge.

This person's cooking skills seem to be better than my dad's.

It definitely contains one of those weird things from Dad's old stories, right?

No! Absolutely not!

"... There should be other food in this kind of place."

At her age, Kiana was still quite young and had plenty of survival experience and strong mobility. She immediately changed her target and began rummaging through the room.

"Is she trying to find something else to eat in the room?"

Himeko closely monitored Kiana's every move through a hidden surveillance camera in the room.

"What kind of good food does that headmaster have in his room?"

That's right, that's Theresa's room—there aren't many clean rooms in the academy right now, so considering the relationship, it's best to put Kiana in Theresa's room.

"I saw some bitter melon, bitter melon candy, cotton candy and the like before."

Theresa's favorite food is rather strange... well, bitter melon. Other than that, she's no different from any other little girl—although Theresa is no longer a little girl.

"Momordica charantia?"

Himeko's expression turned strange in an instant.

What girl would keep bitter melon in her bedroom?

"Your expression tells me you're thinking about something bad."

Looking at Himeko's expression, Liu Bai remarked, "Theresa is still just... um... a young girl, and if bitter melon comes into contact with skin or mucous membranes, the consequences can be severe."

"Who would think about that kind of thing!"

Himeko replied, her face flushed.

Why does this guy always try to read minds in places like this?!

"Although you may not have realized it yourself, you just showed the same single woman expression as your predecessors."

"The name 'leftover woman expression' is too abstract."

Himeko patted her face.

Did I really just resemble my seniors?

"Well, I didn't expect that Principal Theresa would like to eat bitter melon... This girl might have to suffer a little."

"Waaah... This ugly-cute bunny... isn't it the HOMU that Dad mentioned? How come there are a bunch of these things in this room?"

Kiana squeezed the HOMU doll in her hand with a strange expression.

"Although it's kind of cute, cuteness can't put food on the table."

Kiana threw the HOMU doll onto the bed with a disappointed look—she would have preferred a live rabbit to appear before her.

She's quite good at catching rabbits.

Kiana then rummaged through the room and found a bag of green candies in a cabinet under the bed.

"A bright green... apple-flavored candy?"

Kiana actually felt a little guilty about opening the bag of candy directly, but when she took the bag out, she found that it had already been opened.

"... Won't I get caught if I eat one?"

Kiana, feeling a little guilty, peeled open a piece of candy.

"No, no! They're the thieves! I'm a victim of kidnapping, what's wrong with eating a piece of candy?"

Kiana's expression was a little strange after she put the candy in her mouth.

"Hmm... it doesn't seem to be apple candy, this is... I've never had it before."

Kiana reluctantly put the candy bag away and stuffed it back in, and at the same time she noticed a bag full of long green strips.

It's definitely not candied apple.

Kiana smelled a faint odor and asked, then was disappointed again.

After tidying up the cabinet, I continued looking for food.

However, Theresa's room wasn't very big, and after searching around, Kiana only found some cotton candy.

... This thing can't possibly be full, can it?

Guh ————~~

Kiana blushed and covered her stomach.

The time spent rummaging through drawers and cabinets further exacerbated Kiana's physical exhaustion.

To put it simply, I'm even hungrier.

Against this backdrop, the aroma of the meat porridge in the pot becomes even more enticing.

"Should we... should we go out and find something to eat?"

There were windows in this room, and Kiana had glanced out a few times before. All she saw were unfamiliar buildings and girls who seemed to be a little older than her coming and going.

With so many people, it's clearly not a good idea to just run away.

"That guy already ate it, so it shouldn't have been poisoned, right?"

Kiana was trying to convince her brain—or rather, her stomach was trying to convince her brain.

"Besides, food doesn't taste good when it gets cold... glug."

Before she knew it, Kiana had a trail of drool at the corner of her mouth.

"I need to eat my fill to have the strength to run away! I'll just have one bite! Just one bite!"

... Then, when I came to my senses, there was only a little bit of porridge left in the pot.

"... He came back to life."