Anqi's Promotion to B-Rank / Anqi the Caring Classmate

Whether to find an opportunity to meet and place the Gem directly into her hands, or... make other plans?

Anqi rubbed her chin, hesitating in the darkness.

Chapter 23: Anqi's Promotion to B-Rank

Bang!

A month passed quickly as St. Freya Anqi continued recovering from her injuries after removing the bandages.

Neko cha...

Collapsing Fist, ten percent!

Boom!

The young maiden's dainty body, outlined to perfection by a tight white combat suit, streaked across the training ground like a cannonball.

That didn't matter, though; we'll skip that for now.

Anyway, this period was just filled with trivial daily routines. Aside from establishing her undisputed dominance in science subjects through two monthly exams, Anqi didn't gain much else—after all, the various advancements made within the Theater space couldn't exactly be explained to people.

I refuse to believe it! How could I, Kiana, possibly lose to a freshman who hasn't taken a combat class in two months? Ah, yikes!

Foolish and mindless, you've already lost your composure. Step down, Kiana!

Boom!

Ahem, please continue to ignore the above background noise; they were all trivial matters.

However, after holing up in her room for a long time, Anqi had finally truly integrated into that warm environment. Even though Teacher Himeko remained her absolute favorite, she had also instinctively learned how to mock Kiana's intelligence, praise Mei's cooking, and watch Honkai Kingdom animations together with Bronya.

By the way, she had also become familiar with Theresa.

With a lineup like this, if you asked a casual player who wasn't very familiar with the plot, wouldn't everyone believe Anqi was part of the main character group?

Do you only know how to dodge... Urk!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Before Kiana could finish her harsh words, she was closed in upon from the side by Anqi, who was as agile as a cheetah, followed by a series of completely unparryable counter-attacks.

Kiana...

Raiden Mei covered her mouth with both hands, letting out a trembling, horrified cry.

As Kiana's best friend, how could Raiden Mei stand by and watch her suffer such torment?

Raiden Mei gritted her teeth and clenched both fists with determination.

Then she closed her eyes.

At the same time, Himeko and several Valkyrie instructors held evaluation sheets, nodding one after another at Anqi's performance.

Mm, her movements are extremely standard. Judging from her force and timing, she has truly mastered basic body arts and integrated them, rather than merely grasping the stances.

Indeed, for a reserve, this standard can be called perfect. And this set of black armor—is it called Hunter's Strike Suit - Phantom? It perfectly exploits her advantages in speed and figure. Looks like another genius Valkyrie has appeared.

Teacher Himeko, congratulations. It looks like this year's top student is locked in, and this suit of armor will be hers!

I heard this child was personally brought up by you, so you must have special teaching techniques. When will you have time to teach us? To be honest, the kids in our class this year... sigh, each generation is worse than the last!

Hahaha! Cut the nonsense, it's purely because she herself worked hard. Anqi had already mastered basic body arts before her suspension, and during her recuperation, she frequently consulted me on combat issues. With a performance like this, her self-discipline and talent are far more important. There's no need for me to teach you, but we can go grab a few drinks together tonight, hahaha!

The teachers laughed merrily and flattered one another, joyfully watching Anqi's performance while also watching Kiana get beaten up.

At that moment, Kiana took a heavy blow, flying high up into the air. Dizzy and furious, without considering anything else, she just wanted to unleash a big move first.

Ahhh! Neko cha...

Opening!

Boom!

Right above the flying Kiana, Anqi's figure abruptly appeared.

With a kick like a heavy axe chopping down, Anqi instantly smashed Kiana into the ground.

Then Anqi landed, instantly charging back into the dust kicked up by Kiana's impact.

Collapsing Fist, twenty percent!

Boom!!

The shockwave of the punch swept forth like a fierce gale, instantly dispersing the dust that had obscured their vision.

Reflected in the eyes of the onlookers was a scene where Anqi's petite fist paused right in front of Kiana's stiff-faced little visage—a completely clear-cut outcome.

Comprehensive evaluation: Anqi is excellent, Kiana... fails. Himeko tallied the scores and said lazily.

Anqi lowered her fist, which had been frozen in front of Kiana, turned toward Himeko, and expressionlessly flashed a peace sign.

Kiana dropped limply to her knees in a seiza posture, the entire bug turning completely gray. Theory class grade: failing. Practical combat class grade: failing... I refuse to go to make-up classes anymore, ahhhh!

Himeko gave Anqi a thumbs-up, then glanced at the wailing Kiana, shaking her head and sighing—how should she put it? Although she looked quite pitiful, recalling her behavior of dozing off in theory class and frequently zoning out in combat class, Himeko found it impossible to feel any sympathy at all.

Anqi's scores across all subjects are exceptionally outstanding. Although her enrollment time is short and her mission experience is lacking, her comprehensive performance is enough to qualify her as a B-Rank Valkyrie. I announce that Valkyrie Anqi is officially promoted to B-Rank, and she simultaneously gains the right to use Hunter's Strike Suit - Phantom.

As for Kiana... remember to return the Valkyrie Ranger to the Equipment Department after class. You are not yet qualified to possess it.

Next group, Raiden Mei versus Fu Hua. Will both students please confirm that your armor is properly equipped? If there are no issues, get ready to begin.

Himeko officially announced the results, giving Anqi a meaningful look along the way.

Anqi instantly understood, reaching out to grab Kiana by the back of her collar and dragging her toward the sidelines.

As she passed Raiden Mei, who was walking onto the arena, Anqi clearly caught the other girl's deeply worried expression.

Don't worry, I'll take care of Kiana. Good luck, Sister Mei, defeat that guy!

Anqi encouraged her with a deadpan, earnest expression.

Of course, she knew Raiden Mei definitely couldn't beat Fu Hua; never mind using Impulse Gear - Crimson Impulse, she couldn't win even if she unlocked the Gem of Conquest and turned into the Herrscher of Thunder.

However, who could blame Fu Hua for never coming to see Anqi all these days, leaving their relationship without the slightest bit of progress?

With their hostile settings still intact, coupled with the fact that Raiden Mei had taken such good care of Anqi recently, Anqi naturally had no choice but to cheer for her.

Raiden Mei forced a smile. One look told you that, more than her semester exam grades, she wanted to rush over and comfort Kiana.

Mm, thanks for your encouragement. Anyway, congratulations first, Anqi. We'll talk about the rest when I get back, see you later.

Raiden Mei patted Anqi's little head. While concerned about Kiana, she wouldn't overlook Anqi's dazzling performance.

The three of them brushed past one another.

Anqi dragged the dejected Kiana to the edge of the field.

Kiana lay flat on her back, staring blankly up at the sky with lifeless eyes.

Anqi crouched down, extending slender fingers to poke her soft, squishy cheeks.

Kiana, are you dying?

Get lost! Considering I even gave you my last chicken drumstick last night, is this how you treat me today?

There's nothing we can do about that. I, Anqi, am super powerful!

Anqi lifted her little chin, flexing both arms upward to mimic bulging biceps. Although there were no prominent muscles, her vain posture made her smugness crystal clear.

Kiana glared at her angrily, then helplessly sat up, focusing her full attention on the battle between Raiden Mei and Fu Hua.

Angry words aside, having been defeated by Anqi—who had been suspended from combat classes for two months—Kiana knew she only had herself to blame for not living up to expectations.

Sigh, at this rate, when on earth will I ever become an S-Rank Valkyrie...

Kiana lamented. Without reaching B-Rank, she couldn't advance toward S-Rank; without reaching S-Rank, she couldn't demand the whereabouts of that stinky old man from Auntie. The utter confidence she had when she bragged to Auntie back then had now been slapped across the face who knows how many times.

Life was truly so difficult!

Seeing Kiana's depressed state, Anqi felt a bit bad as well, but being an elite student was a favorable foundation for her next move, and she truly couldn't accept losing to a slacker like Kiana. Therefore, Anqi could only climb onto Kiana's back, gently stroking her head to express her comfort.

Chapter 24: Anqi the Caring Classmate

Raiden Mei unsurprisingly lost to Fu Hua.

However, unlike Kiana, who had been flustered from start to finish, Raiden Mei—calm and possessing solid fundamentals—displayed a fairly good standard, thus earning a relatively ideal evaluation.

In the end, she officially graduated from being a reserve to a C-Rank Valkyrie.

This assessment was the first formal evaluation for the current batch of freshmen. Those with outstanding performances would be promoted from reserves to official Valkyries, receiving corresponding ranks based on their showings; those with poor performances naturally remained reserves, with no choice but to wait for next semester's exams.

After a whole day of testing, roughly half of the students secured promotion qualifications. Although the vast majority were promoted to D-Rank, compared to the multiple-fold increase in various treatments over being a reserve, it was already enough to make them cheer with joy.

Among them, the most outstanding performers were undoubtedly Fu Hua and Anqi.

Both possessed exceptionally stellar grades across all subjects, earning B-Ranks upon their very first evaluation, and were recognized by the instructors as top seed candidates who could soon be promoted to a-rank. Furthermore, compared to Fu Hua, who had training foundations prior to enrollment, Anqi—who had only enrolled two months ago and missed most of her practical combat courses—was considered to possess even greater potential.

Additionally, it was worth noting that unlike most students, Bronya's talents leaned more toward mechanics, heavy weaponry, and professional hacking capabilities, so her assessment wasn't conducted in the training room, but rather in the Virtual Training Room. Therefore, it wasn't until they regrouped in the evening that everyone learned she had attained a C-Rank Valkyrie evaluation.

Raiden Mei at C-Rank, Bronya at C-Rank, and Anqi at B-Rank. Their corresponding evaluation results would subsequently be submitted all the way to headquarters for the official record, after which they would officially embark on the path of Schicksal Valkyries.

Wuu wuu wuu...

A certain white-haired slacker hung onto Raiden Mei on the walk back, crying incessantly.

Mei-senpai aside, even Bronya and Anqi passed, so why am I the only one who failed?! Moreover, I still have to take make-up exams for the theory classes I failed, I refuse! Wuu wuu wuu!

Anqi licked the ice cream Himeko had just rewarded her with, listening to Kiana's tearful complaints.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, she looked at Kiana with a resolute gaze.

Don't be afraid, I'll help you!

Anqi patted Kiana's shoulder, speaking with utmost solemnity as though bearing some extremely important mission.

Kiana tilted her head in utter confusion, then resumed crying against Raiden Mei.

That evening, as Kiana patted her roundly stuffed belly and lay dead on the sofa, Anqi trotted downstairs in her pink little cotton slippers, holding up a tightly formatted schedule.

What is this?

Kiana's schedule for the coming week.

Eh?

Don't worry, I'll make sure you pass all of them during this weekend's first make-up exams.

Anqi handed the schedule to Kiana, placing her hands on her hips and proudly puffing out her chest.

Kiana sat up and looked at the schedule.

Wake up at 5:00 AM, morning reading at 6:00, first subject starts at 8:00... lasting all the way until 7:00 PM!? Have you lost your mind?

It's just my usual daily schedule, you'll get used to it a little. Don't be afraid, whether it's theory or combat, I've already organized the key exam outlines. I'll accompany and guide Kiana the entire way to ensure Kiana successfully passes the first make-up exams and then enjoys the vacation with us!

Anqi pulled a stack of materials about twenty centimeters thick from behind her back, gazing at Kiana with a firm and confident look.

You're the main character, the hope of humanity, you need to pull yourself together!

Kiana looked at the schedule, her fair and delicate hand trembling slightly, before she collapsed back down, rolled her eyes, and declared:

I refuse to do it! After finally getting a month-long vacation, I want to sleep in naturally every day!

Clang!

With one hand, Anqi pinched Kiana's braided pigtails, while holding a pair of scissors in the other, reflecting a sharp, chilling silver light under the light.

Himeko said that once you pass your make-up exams, she'll take us all out to play... If Kiana fails her first make-up exams and ruins Himeko and me going out to play, I'll shave Kiana's head bald.

Anqi said expressionlessly in a gloomy tone.

Admiring Teacher Himeko's going-out attire, eating things with Teacher Himeko, and strolling around town with Teacher Himeko—how could such an important and wonderful matter be delayed by Kiana failing her make-up exams?

That's right, this was the primary factor behind Anqi's sudden surge of motivation.

Kiana shivered on the sofa, breaking out in cold sweat under Anqi's completely humorless, icy gaze as she stared at her captured braids.

You... Mei-senpai, save me!

Kiana cried out for help to Raiden Mei, who was walking out of the kitchen after finishing the dishes.

Raiden Mei untied her apron, pondered for a moment, closed her clear, pretty light-purple eyes in helpless resignation, and sighed: