[Young Maiden] Fu Hua

I have a feeling you're just stirring things up.

"Alright, alright, let's eat."

After glancing at everyone present, Himeko decisively interrupted their conversation.

"Although tomorrow is a day off, there are some things I need to tell you in advance."

"In about ten days, St. Freya Academy will conduct a phased test."

"We don't need to worry about Lin Yu, who is B-Class knight who was transferred from another department of Schicksal. But Kiana, Mei, Yuno, Bronya, the four of you are different."

Himeko's face turned serious, and she turned her gaze directly to Kiana.

"Himeko... Teacher! Why are you looking at me like that?"

Kiana, feeling extremely uncomfortable under Himeko's intense gaze, spoke up.

"What... what's wrong with me?"

"If the four of you fail the first phase test after entering the school, D-rank Valkyrie will enter the retest phase. If you fail the retest, you will be expelled."

"Mei, Yuno, and Bronya are all fine; they pay attention in class. But you—you've fallen asleep several times in class. Do I need to remind you?"

"I'm a genius"—even if Kiana were completely oblivious to the atmosphere, she wouldn't dare say something like that at this moment.

Falling asleep in class is already disrespectful to the teacher, so to talk back like that is just incredibly stupid.

"If you really have time to worry about these trivial things, you might as well ask them to tutor you. If you still fail the exam..."

At this moment, Himeko let out a sigh, feigning sorrow.

"When the news gets out that 'the daughter of the former Kaslana clan chief has been expelled,' your father and your family will be in deep trouble."

Ahhh, Himeko makes a lot of sense, but...

After stealing a glance at Lin Yu and Fu Hua, who were eating peacefully, Kiana still felt conflicted.

But I still care a lot!

After arriving at the Far East Branch, the first time my senior went out alone with a girl, it wasn't with me!

Damn it, this is terrible...

—Why did things turn out this way? (╯‵□′)╯┻━┻

Chapter 96. [Young Girl] Fu Hua

That night, in Kiana's room

Bronya, who had been forcibly dragged into Kiana's room, looked at Kiana and the other two with utter speechlessness, feeling...

—Lin Yu, what a sinful man.

But right now, she couldn't say much to Kiana.

Everyone knew that Bronya came from Anti-Entropy, but there was no further information from Theresa and Himeko, nor from Bronya herself, so they naturally didn't ask.

When Bronya thought about what her adoptive mother had done to her roommates, she decided it was better to be obedient.

Whether it's to win them over or to atone for her sins, Bronya should find a way to help them accomplish what they want to do.

"Alright, everyone's here. Now, let's begin the strategy meeting!"

After Kiana finished speaking, she looked at the people around her with great embarrassment and found that the others did not actually react much to the fact that Lin Yu and Fu Hua went out together.

"I'm telling you, aren't you curious?"

Seeing the calm yet slightly puzzled expressions on everyone's faces, Kiana tapped the bed in annoyance and said to them.

"Senior Lin Yu and Fu Hua, that bookish Class President, are actually going out together tomorrow—and it was Senior Lin Yu who asked her out!"

"It's... nothing really."

Seeing Kiana's excited expression, Mei cautiously spoke.

"Who Lin Yu invited out is none of his business, let alone the fact that it was just going out together."

Yuno was standing to the side, chimed in.

"Yes, if you can relax a little, it doesn't really matter who you go out with."

Why is everyone so laid-back?

Looking at the calm Bronya and the indifferent Mei Yuno, Kiana began to doubt herself.

Could it be that the one who's acting strange isn't them, but me?

"And Kiana."

Seeing Kiana starting to doubt herself, Mei said with great concern.

"Himeko- sensei is absolutely right. If you want to become Valkyrie, you definitely need to put in some effort in your academic studies."

"Sleeping all day... is indeed not a good idea."

"Ugh, just thinking about this makes me angry."

Kiana, thinking about those lessons, said angrily.

"Why do Valkyrie have to study geography, history, chemistry, biology, and physics?!"

"Do we really need to learn these things to fight the Honkai? Why are you all looking at me like that?"

After being stared at by the three of them as if they were idiots, Kiana suddenly asked anxiously.

"Could it be... that these things are actually useful?"

"Well, let's take myself as an example."

At this moment, Mei pointed to the area near her heart and said to Kiana.

"Sooner or later, I will master the power of the Herrscher of Thunder. And the power of the Herrscher of Thunder is related to electromagnetic force. As the Herrscher of Thunder, physics is indeed useful to me."

"And my abilities are related to biology."

After using her Herrscher power to make a flower bloom in her hand, Yuno placed the flower in front of Kiana and said to Kiana.

"Learning more about biology will help me when releasing plants and developing Herrscher toxins."

"As for Bronya, she also needs to consider some external factors when using weapons, so Bronya has already completed these courses on her own."

"Sister Kiana, Bronya knows you're a practical player. But sometimes... knowledge is still quite important."

At this moment, Bronya's gaze towards Kiana held a hint of helplessness.

"Bronya wanted to become a higher-level Valkyrie as soon as possible, so she specifically went to ask Fu Hua Class President the relevant matters."

"And she told Bronya that after becoming A-rank Valkyrie, she would often have to lead her team as the captain."

"You never know where the next mission will be or what kind of difficulties you will face. Therefore, under this premise, knowledge reserves are even more important for Valkyrie."

"Oh, is that so?"

As Kiana listened to Bronya's explanation, a bead of cold sweat trickled down her forehead.

"It's more important than you think, because we Valkyrie are not only responsible for ourselves, but also for our comrades who carry out missions with us and for the people who need to be protected."

Bronya recalled the information Fu Hua had given her and spoke very seriously.

"Learning is a habit. And after these foundational courses, the courses we take will only become more complex."

"Even if Sister Kiana manages to barely pass the exam this time, if she continues to be so carefree in the future, Brother Lin Yu Sister Kiana and further behind."

"... I... I understand."

Listening to Bronya's words, Kiana felt increasingly guilty.

Kiana, who considered herself a genius, wouldn't have cared about her grades in academic subjects.

But now, after listening to Bronya's analysis and advice, she felt cold sweat breaking out all over her body from worry.

For a moment, she didn't seem to care so much about Lin Yu and Fu Hua traveling together.

"Besides, Sister Kiana, you called everyone here because you wanted to secretly follow Brother Lin Yu and Class President Fu Hua tomorrow to see what they were up to, right?"

"—That's not true!"

Hearing Kiana's denial, Mei and Yuno exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes.

This is an extremely serious case of guilt.

They wouldn't even be able to fool a three-year-old, let alone us.

Meanwhile, Bronya ignored Kiana's denial and continued speaking to Kiana.

"Bronya does not recommend Sister Kiana to take such a reckless approach. Sister Kiana, you have probably forgotten the identities of Class President Fu Hua and Brother Lin Yu."

"As A-rank Valkyrie and a martial artist from Shenzhou, Squad Class President Fu Hua not only has sufficient experience in counter-tracking, but also can detect that someone is following her by relying on a martial artist's powerful perception of the surroundings."

"And Brother Lin Yu is also a special agent of Schicksal. For a mature special agent, counter-surveillance and counter-tracking should be the basics."

"They are both professionals in this field, but Sister Kiana, you..."

Looking at Bronya's perfectly calm eyes, Kiana already knew Bronya's unspoken message.

It's 100% certain they've discovered you. If you secretly follow them, it will only make things awkward for everyone.

"But... but I'm really curious!"

At this moment, Kiana suddenly pleaded with Bronya.

"Bronya, you're so smart, you must have a way, right!"

"Help me, Bronya!"

"If Sister Kiana can promise Bronya to Study Hard, then Bronya will help Sister Kiana fulfill this wish."

"Okay! I promise you!"

After Kiana shouted those words, she immediately covered her mouth in a panic.

"Okay, please remember what you said, Sister Kiana."

"And the solution is actually quite simple. Brother Lin Yu and Class President Fu Hua are the kind of people who are difficult to follow, so we just won't follow them."

After placing the computer she had brought on the desktop, Bronya gently pressed the Enter key and opened a program.

Then, in front of the three of them, Bronya opened this software...

—Surprisingly, images appeared in various parts of the St. Freya Academy Commercial Street!

"There are surveillance cameras all over the Commercial Street. As long as we hack into the surveillance system, we can at least know what Brother Lin Yu and Class President Fu Hua are planning to do, even if we can't see it clearly."

Before today, Kiana always thought that although Bronya had that robot to assist her, she wasn't a particularly powerful warrior because her own strength was only average.

But now, Kiana suddenly realizes that her past thoughts were rather foolish.

Bronya may not be a powerful warrior, but her expertise doesn't lie in direct combat.

In terms of course learning, Bronya not only learned the knowledge in advance, but also found out about the future courses and made a course plan.

From another technical standpoint—she could easily hack into the Commercial Street's surveillance system, so what more needs to be said?

"Bronya, you are so smart."

Looking at the scene before her, Mei said somewhat uneasily.

"But... that's not a good idea. We won't be able to explain it to the headmaster, and besides, what Lin Yu and Class President Fu Hua do is their personal privacy..."

"That's right, so Bronya also hopes that everyone can keep Bronya's secret."

"As for the privacy issue... that is indeed a problem, but Bronya is certain that we are doing this for Brother Lin Yu's sake."

Recalling the intelligence she had recently observed, Bronya spoke to the three of them.

Bronya noticed that Brother Lin Yu has been intentionally or unintentionally avoiding the three of you lately. Judging from the way you look at him, he's probably annoyed by your constant pity for his miserable past.