A Thousand-Person Ruler's Personal Opinion

Her playful action of blowing bubbles made the steam in front of Tachibana Yuki even thicker, obscuring her gaze towards the pavilion.

Then, pretending to be oblivious, she leaned lazily by the pool and muttered, "Cocolia's commission... maybe I can postpone it for a couple more days? Ugh, so annoying. I don't even know what kind of personalities they have. The only information I could find about Raiden Mei was that she used to be an unapproachable ice queen. My arms and legs are so small..."

"What did Cocolia ask you to do?"

"It's nothing much, just..."

Tachibana Yuki pinched her soft arm and replied casually, but suddenly turned her head mid-sentence.

She saw a petite girl with a cold expression, floating expressionlessly on the water. Two black bows on either side of her head tied up two elegant curly spirals. Large purple gem earrings dangled from her ears, but the most striking feature was the pair of slender legs in exoskeletons beneath her short skirt – cyberpunk, emotionless loli, it was our beloved Little Bronya.

"Uh, good evening. Want to join me for a soak?"

Tachibana Yuki pinched her arm and said dazedly.

Although she had long sensed Bronya's covert observation, the sudden close-up encounter still stunned her with Bronya's exquisite cuteness.

Bronya calmly observed Tachibana Yuki's expression, slightly surprised by her dazed and cute reaction, but still said with an unreadable face:

"Apologies for the intrusion, but Bronya is curious about Cocolia's plan. If you don't mind, please tell Bronya what orders Cocolia gave you."

"Oh, that. It's nothing much, she just asked me to give you this communicator... By the way, can Valkyries fly? That's amazing!"

Tachibana Yuki said, carefully reaching out her hand to tentatively touch the water surface beneath Bronya.

Of course, she touched nothing.

So her expression became even more amazed, and she gazed at Bronya with sparkling eyes.

'By the way, we haven't even seen the Heavy Cannon Rabbit yet!'

'Standby - Heavy Cannon Rabbit 19C!'

'Standby Awakening - Reason Motorcycle!'

'Requiem - Herrscher of Reason!'

'I'm so high~~!'

Bronya shifted her gaze slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Although rationally she believed Tachibana Yuki was merely marveling at her abilities, an inexplicable intuition told Bronya it was more than that.

"Ahem! Cocolia only asked you to deliver the communicator? Are you sure?"

"Right, and there was one more thing. She said she knows you don't want to contact her, but you should at least find time to contact your sisters at home. They miss you a lot, something like that."

"I... understand. Is there really no other plan?"

Bronya paused, her usually calm eyes involuntarily softening slightly.

Indeed, she felt she had almost broken ties with Cocolia and was unwilling to initiate contact. But Rosaliya, Liliya, and Anqi were different. Even if there had been minor conflicts before, they were now like sisters. Breaking ties with Cocolia didn't mean giving up on her other family members.

Tachibana Yuki poured warm water onto her arm, moisturizing her fair skin, and said with ease and composure:

"I already told you, I came here mainly of my own volition, and it has little to do with Cocolia. Of course, I did ask for her opinion beforehand. In the end, she just told me to hand over the communicator to you, and that's all."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"I hope that what happened in Changkong City doesn't happen again."

"Hm?"

Bronya's pupils contracted.

And Tachibana Yuki leaned against the pool, playing with her hands in the water, and sighed deeply.

"Alas! The Far East region has a population of 130 million. Until a few years ago, it was the world's second-largest economy. This narrow island nation possesses a vast amount of globally recognized talent, finance, technology, logistics, and other resources. So, how fortunate we were to be favored by both Anti-Entropy and Schicksal... Then, Changkong City was destroyed, and tens of millions of citizens suffered unbearable calamities. Where do you think the problem lies, Miss Bronya?"

"..."

Bronya was speechless.

The direct cause of Changkong City's fall was Raiden Mei awakening as the Herrscher of Thunder.

But the root cause lay in Cocolia's series of actions, and Bronya had played a part in them.

Bronya didn't know the exact depth of this sin, but she knew it was a debt she could never repay in her lifetime.

And this debt also included Anqi, who now trusted and was close to her.

Bronya's eyes flickered, then dimmed. She simply clenched her fist silently.

Tachibana Yuki observed her reaction, her own feelings complex and indescribable, but she prioritized her mission of establishing her persona and continued:

"Anti-Entropy's main forces were out of reach, and Schicksal's branches were isolated overseas. The Far East, which seemed to have dual protection, was actually just a meat pig that no one cared about! The two major organizations only wanted our manpower, resources, and finances. Neither of them ever truly protected us! The disaster in Changkong City must not happen again. This country cannot afford it, and neither can its citizens. For that, I must take action!"

"... Then do you know that the Changkong City incident was actually related to Cocolia?"

Bronya said with a heavy gaze.

Hearing this, she thought that Tachibana Yuki before her was probably a good person.

And Cocolia, in Bronya's opinion, was a rather cruel person. It would be best for Tachibana Yuki to be on guard, otherwise, it wouldn't be strange if she were harmed one day.

Tachibana Yuki smiled upon hearing this, then shook her head bitterly:

"How could I not know? Although I am far from qualified to know the plans of these big figures, the Tachibana Family is, after all, Cocolia's head subordinate in the Far East. Around the time of the Changkong City incident, we were able to observe some of Cocolia's actions."

"If you're unhappy with Cocolia and that's why you've come to St. Freya, you'd better be prepared. Cocolia... honestly, she's very dangerous."

"Perhaps you should look over there."

In response to Bronya's kind advice, Tachibana Yuki pointed to an empty space beside them.

Bronya followed her gaze and saw the outline of a giant mecha emerge.

"Although Cocolia isn't in the Far East, her eyes and guns are always with me. If you badmouth her in front of this thing, Cocolia will hear it, Miss Bronya."

"That's the truth, and I'd say the same to anyone else. But if a Titan is accompanying you, it means Cocolia has truly acknowledged you... but why? Does she have some ulterior motive?"

Bronya furrowed her delicate brows, growing more suspicious and wary.

The last time Cocolia plotted something, she destroyed Changkong City and turned them all into unforgivable villains. So this time, allowing Tachibana Yuki to interact with St. Freya must also be part of some grand scheme, right? Is she targeting Headmaster Theresa, or is she still harboring ill intentions towards Mei?

Bronya couldn't figure it out, only feeling a heavy weight in her heart.

Tachibana Yuki savored Bronya's conflicted and suspicious reaction. Although her expression didn't change much, the shifting colors in her gray eyes were incredibly amusing.

Such a cruel sense of humor!

Shut up! I'm not doing anything bad, can't I just enjoy this?

Sigh, I guess teasing little girls really is addictive.

Little ducky~ so cute~~

Tachibana Yuki cupped her face with both hands, took a deep breath, and revealed a satisfied smile.

Regarding the missing twenty-seventh chapter, well, I don't think I need to explain. Everyone knows why. In short, everything marked in red has been deleted, and it should pass the review. As for anything else, I don't know what else to say. I wish everyone good health. 5

Chapter Thirty-Five: Tachibana Yuki, Who Worries About the Nation and Its People

Bronya eventually left in a daze before Tachibana Yuki's eyes, carrying the communicator that Tachibana Yuki had given her, along with a heart full of doubts and a heavy mood.

Afterward, Tachibana Yuki spread her arms and leisurely crossed her legs underwater.

Beautiful attendants with wine flocked around her, pouring drinks and attending to her. Tachibana Yuki closed her eyes, a faint curve on her lips, like an ancient monarch of extravagant indulgence.

Meanwhile, in Himeko's room, Anqi took out her phone in front of Himeko and Theresa and searched for information about Tachibana Yuki.

"Hey, little shut-in, are you interested in that person?"

Theresa, wearing a white miniskirt, was lying on the tatami bed, her fair legs dangling lazily from beneath her pink pumpkin shorts.

Anqi glanced at her sideways before continuing to scroll through news on her phone.

"I remember her. This person has done a lot to help the victims in Changkong City... Yes, there are many news articles about it. If I weren't at St. Freya, I could have received her aid too."

"She's a good person, I guess."

Anqi murmured, offering her assessment.

As one of the victims of Changkong City, her kind words for the philanthropist helping the city were normal. However, for Theresa and Himeko, who thought they were hiding the truth, these were hardly light words.

Theresa's expression stiffened for a moment, then she cheerfully leaned closer to Anqi, looking at her phone, and said, "Oh, it seems to be true. Maybe she really is a good person."

"Headmaster, will I really only become an S-rank Valkyrie after graduation?"

"Not necessarily. If you perform exceptionally well and complete a few significant missions, it's possible to advance early. After all, we haven't had a genius Valkyrie become S-rank before graduation at St. Freya... Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"Once I reach S-rank, I can apply to unlock the classified files of Changkong City and find out what happened there, right?"

Anqi put down her phone, her purple eyes, like glazed glass, staring directly at Theresa.

Theresa's heart skipped a beat.

How could she answer this?

What should she do? Seeing Anqi's persistence and trust made her guilt deepen!

Fortunately, Himeko approached at the right moment, placing her hand on Anqi's head with a speechless expression.

"You little brat, you're aiming too high! Do you know what level S-rank is? Your teacher here fought countless battles and crawled out of hell multiple times to achieve that S-rank! For over ninety percent of Valkyries, B-rank is the absolute ceiling, it's not that easy!"

"Himeko, you talk too much. I'm a genius, I'll definitely be much faster than Himeko!"

"Hiyah, you little brat, you dare talk back to me? Watch out for my Dragon Drill!"

Himeko feigned anger, encircling Anqi's small head with her arm and drilling her fists into her temples on both sides.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch! Himeko, I hate you!"

"You little imp, if you keep making noise, I won't let you sleep with me tonight!"

They bickered, but gradually, smiles appeared on their faces.

After playing around for a while, they simply lay down on the tatami, naturally embracing each other.

Himeko held Anqi's small body, the smile on her face gradually fading. Anqi snuggled into Himeko's embrace, her hands secretly clenching.

This child trusts me so much, and yet I...

"Himeko-nee trusted me so much, yet I..."

That night, the two, filled with guilt, held each other tightly in their sleep.

The next morning, Bronya had a private talk with Himeko and Theresa, laying out all her doubts and speculations.

"In conclusion, Bronya believes Tachibana Yuki might not have approached us with malicious intent. However, Bronya cannot guess what Mother Cocolia is thinking, so we must be careful, especially regarding Mei-nee's safety."

As she spoke, Bronya unconsciously reached up to touch the back of her head, her eyes growing somber.

Cocolia used a brain chip to help Bronya control her exoskeleton, allowing her disabled legs to possess greater mobility than normal people when needed. But at the same time, it also allowed her to directly control Bronya's body when necessary.

During the Changkong City incident, Bronya had been controlled in this manner to carry out missions.

Bronya was very sure that if Cocolia planned to implement any further schemes, she would control her again.

"Don't worry, the Far East is our territory after all, it's not that easy to act recklessly. Changkong City was a matter of information asymmetry; now, she can't do as she pleases anymore."

"Yes, Bronya trusts Teacher Himeko, and trusts everyone else too."

"That's right, don't be afraid. Go ahead and have your vacation, children should act like children! As for other matters, we adults are here to worry about them!"

Himeko pinched Bronya's cheek and playfully sent her away.

Afterward, Himeko looked at Theresa, who was frowning in thought.

"Have the Hyperion hover above the city, and prepare the Crimson Impulse as well."

"Eh? Is that necessary? Aren't I still here? Are you afraid that vixen can produce power to rival an S-rank?"

"Just in case, it's always good to be prepared to fight the Herrscher of Thunder again."

"Since you say so, fine. It's just a bit of fuel cost anyway, consider it insurance."

Theresa sent the order to the academy.