Dudu

Only 50% compatibility remained.

This was like collecting little cards from instant noodle packs—the closer you got to the goal, the more addictive it became.

"Mr. Liu Bai, what are you looking at?"

"I was just thinking that the curve of your back is very beautiful, Miss Rita."

Liu Bai answered calmly. Well, that technically wasn't a lie.

Even if this was only a simulation, he felt like he hadn't seen such a shapely back and slim waist in a long time.

You simply couldn't see those things on Einstein or Tesla... even though his previous hosts had all been shapely mature women.

—Whether it was Aponia or the grown-up Mobius.

In that regard, even Planck, that mature beauty, paled greatly beside those three.

"I shall take that as a compliment, then."

A hint of amusement entered Rita's voice.

Destiny Headquarters was located in Vienna, Austria, so the two of them were still aboard Destiny's special aircraft for transporting Valkyries.

"By the way, what do you think about me taking control of this plane and doing a loop?" Perhaps out of boredom, Liu Bai casually asked.

Having grown accustomed to Tesla's constant chatter, Liu Bai found himself unexpectedly uncomfortable after returning to this polite, respectful dynamic with Rita.

Mm... he had to admit, Tesla was the noisiest person he had ever met.

"Not very highly. I might report you to Bishop Otto."

"...Then forget it."

He was already on Otto's little blacklist. If Otto had a kill list, he might very well be at the very top.

After all, sixty-two years ago, he had smashed Otto's chessboard outright, leaving Otto without even earning compensation for his efforts. Then he had patted himself on the backside and left, disappearing for sixty-two years.

More than half a century without being able to get revenge, unable even to find a trace of the other party...

Anyone would remember something like that for life.

Especially someone like Otto, who could not tolerate even the slightest blemish.

"Ghostly Gentleman, you seem rather afraid of the Bishop?" Rita asked teasingly.

"It isn't fear."

Liu Bai shook his head. "It would be more accurate to say that I don't want to provoke a lunatic full of reason and wisdom."

A lunatic...

Rita was taken aback at first, then revealed an indescribable smile.

Even she had to admit that Liu Bai's evaluation of Otto was spot on.

—A lunatic full of reason and wisdom.

(Perhaps that was why I hadn't reported the Ghostly Gentleman behind me to the Bishop?)

Many of Otto's plans truly made people uneasy. As Otto's black glove, Rita also knew some of his secrets.

For example, the reason Destiny's strongest Valkyrie had defected more than sixty years ago...

Although it had later been proven to be nothing more than a rumor spread by the traitors, still...

Rita shook her head and cast those distracting thoughts from her mind.

"We're almost there... Would you like to visit a video store in Vienna?"

Dudu

The plane landed in Vienna.

Rita had Liu Bai upload the filtered intelligence to Otto through a dedicated network. Then, the two disembarked at Vienna Airport.

Under normal procedures, Rita should have gone to report to Otto. But as an S-Rank Valkyrie, she had the right to be a little willful.

"When you think of Vienna, Ghostly Gentleman, what comes to mind?"

"Uh... the City of Music?"

"That really is an ordinary answer."

"Well, I do have less ordinary thoughts too."

"Oh?"

"Like failing the exam and starting World War II?"

Liu Bai said half-jokingly.

Rita paused, then smiled. It seemed to take her a moment to understand what Liu Bai meant. "...When you put it that way, that is quite an interesting angle."

"Then what does Vienna make you think of, Miss Rita?"

"Destiny Headquarters, of course." Rita chuckled. "Ghostly Gentleman, don't you think that no matter how many titles this city has, none can compare to the words 'Destiny Headquarters'?"

"A cunning answer," Liu Bai remarked.

Rita neither agreed nor disagreed with Liu Bai's words. Then she led him into one of Vienna's side alleys.

"The video store you mentioned... is in an alley?" Liu Bai could not help feeling surprised by Rita's route.

"No, but only the unlicensed video stores are in alleys."

Unlicensed?

Now that had his attention.

"How unlicensed?"

"Hmm..." Rita adopted a thoughtful expression. "A room full of AV?"

"Adult Video or Animal Video?"

Liu Bai remained cautious and did not immediately believe the words of the sly maid before him.

"Of course..." Rita drew out the last word, a mischievous smile appearing on her face. "You guess?"

"..."

Rita moved expertly through Vienna's alleys. Before long, Liu Bai, following behind her, spotted an unmarked store.

"So it's Animal, right?"

Looking at the spotless storefront before him, Liu Bai could not help feeling somewhat disappointed.

No matter how he looked at it, it was different from the kind of video store he had imagined.

Rita smiled and pushed the door open.

"Oh my, isn't this Miss Rita? Why are you here so early? The discs you reserved haven't arrived yet."

The proprietress with wine-red hair took her gaze from the television and greeted her warmly.

"No, I'm not here to pick anything up this time. I'm here to buy discs."

"Oh, that's quite rare. Then please browse as you wish."

After saying that, the proprietress turned her attention back to the television.

...Her service attitude was really lacking.

"This place is..."

"That proprietress is an intelligence broker in Vienna, someone like Gray Serpent—though not everyone has backing like Gray Serpent's."

Rita lowered her voice as she explained.

"She is just an ordinary intelligence broker. The only information she can obtain is information about those rats in the underworld. This store is merely a front, though you can indeed buy some rare discs here."

Ordinary intelligence broker, my ass!

That woman was Planck's ace agent, The Marquise Margarita!

If she was an ordinary intelligence broker, then Gray Serpent was probably the only person in this world qualified to call himself ordinary!

But... had she accepted Welwitschia's modifications too?

When Liu Bai had left, only the scientists had undergone the modifications.

"I'm rather surprised. Even Destiny Headquarters' territory has an underworld?"

Naturally, Liu Bai would not tell Rita about Margarita. He merely changed the subject casually.

Anti-Entropy was doing pretty well these days... Its intelligence network had reached Vienna, and it was even selling goods to Destiny's S-Rank Valkyrie...

"Wherever there are people, there will be conflict. Rats are certainly disgusting, but for some people, their existence is still necessary."

At that, Rita could not help showing a troubled expression. "For a maid, perhaps the greatest torment is seeing filth but being unable to clean it away."

Liu Bai roughly understood. Rita meant that Destiny's upper ranks stood behind these underworld groups.

It seemed Destiny's higher-ups were still as chaotic as they had been more than sixty years ago.

"Speaking of which, Ghostly Gentleman, what kind of animal do you prefer? Are you a cat person, or a dog person?"

"I knew it. It really was Animal Video. That kind of joke is outdated, Miss Rita," Liu Bai said with the air of someone who had seen through it long ago.

"But if I had to name an animal... Dudu?"

"A dodo? No... pfft."

After a brief moment of confusion, Rita seemed to realize the joke and nearly burst into laughter. Fortunately, she quickly covered her mouth.

"Dodo... Mm, dodo birds are quite nice, but unfortunately, dodos are extinct."

Rita was still chuckling behind her hand.

Dudu—this was Durandal's nickname among the other Valkyries. In English slang, it meant "fool." Of course, when used for Durandal, it was a harmless joke without any malicious intent—even Otto approved of the nickname Dudu.

And Dudu also happened to refer to the dodo bird, whose scientific name meant "foolish pigeon."

In short, it was a nickname similar in spirit to silly goose.

Although Rita would not call her friend Dudu herself, when Liu Bai suddenly mentioned the word, Rita immediately recalled her friend's adorably clueless, straightforward personality and behavior.

Though she had received professional training... let her laugh for a while.

"I'm surprised you know that nickname, Ghostly Gentleman."

"It's simply rather widespread among the Valkyries."

Without showing any reaction, Liu Bai shifted the blame onto Destiny's ordinary Valkyries.

"Giving an S-Rank Valkyrie a nickname so casually is truly outrageous. I should drill them properly when I have the time."

"Miss Rita, you should wipe that smile from the corners of your mouth," Liu Bai helpfully reminded her.

"Ahem, I lost my composure."

Rita adjusted her clothes and returned to being that elegant maid.

"So, Ghostly Gentleman, are you a cat person or a dog person?"

"I'm a mature-woman person..."

"Rita, you're back?"

By sheer coincidence, not long after making fun of Durandal, Rita saw Durandal in the headquarters corridor, dressed in a women's bodysuit with a towel around her neck.

Clearly, Destiny's current strongest had just finished training.

Tsk, tsk, that figure...

"Yes, I just completed a mission, Du... Captain."

Oh no. Hearing Dudu earlier had made her think of Durandal, and now seeing Durandal had made her think of Dudu again...

Fortunately, Durandal had not noticed that Rita had nearly let the nickname slip.

No, perhaps if Rita really had said "Dudu," Durandal would instead have asked something like, "Who is Dudu?"