Collapse, Cross-Dressing Strategy Kiana, Then Chapter 4

Rita seemed to sense something and turned her head, her eyes lighting up as they met.

The word "cold and glamorous" felt a bit too mature for "Bai Yan" at this moment, but that's exactly how she felt.

Really, I'm starting to like this face more and more.

Bai Yan blinked, tilting his head in confusion.

Is Miss Rita so happy to see me cross-dressing?

Tsk!

Being appointed as her assistant wasn't what Bai Yan wanted. He was just an ordinary person who wanted to live a quiet life.

It wasn't until he met Rita that he understood there were things more important than just drifting through life.

—Making the person who stopped him from drifting disappear.

Unfortunately, he couldn't win, so he could only comply.

Although St. Freya's teaching system was very relaxed, the task requirement of maintaining the disguise for 24 hours without slipping up compensated for this point very well.

Had the workload decreased? Yes, it had.

Rita couldn't read minds and couldn't see what Bai Yan was thinking, but she saw the way he tilted his head.

She was even more satisfied.

At the same time, she felt a little regret: she couldn't go to St. Freya with him.

Otherwise, it was hard to imagine how quickly—No, she had to maintain her composure.

Rita withdrew her gaze, calming her heart slightly.

Incidentally, the alias "Bai Yan" sounded similar to "Bai Yan," and it was Ragna who came up with it. Her reasoning was that even if she accidentally mispronounced the name, she could just say it was a slip of the tongue.

According to the newly created fake file, "Bai Yan" is Bai Yan's sister, who was separated for many years and only recently found.

As they looked at each other, the two had already arrived where Otto was again.

"Teacher Ragna has something urgent to attend to and has to leave temporarily, so I will be in charge for now."

As soon as Otto noticed the newly appeared girl, Rita spoke first.

Shifting his gaze, Otto nodded in acknowledgment and then said, "It seems we don't need to worry about Bai Yan being exposed—at least, that's what I think. Such a disguise is truly astonishing."

Rita nodded slightly. "Since Lord Bishop is satisfied, can we proceed with testing the specific effects now?"

"Who is the chosen candidate?"

"The Valkyrie from the Snow Lotus Squad, Miss Anna."

Rita said slowly, "Based on the target's characteristics, I believe Miss Anna is an excellent reference case."

Bai Yan subtly glanced at his female superior to his front left, muttering inwardly: Because of Saniate's bloodline? Then that 'Dumb Goose' would be the best candidate. If you took her to do a paternity test with Kiana, you might even get a result that they're biological siblings.

Rita's plan was to find an excuse to transfer Anna back to headquarters, then create an opportunity for the two of them to interact and observe them to draw conclusions.

However, things often don't go as smoothly as planned.

Just as Otto was about to agree to her plan, an "uninvited guest" entered the room, chatting and laughing with Ragna.

She was tall, with long curly hair that shone like the golden fleece of myth.

Durandal was immediately drawn to the ice-blue long dress upon entering. Her gaze swept across Bai Yan's face, and she paused, only to realize the person wasn't someone she knew, so she gave a slight nod.

She then looked at Rita, who offered no explanation, merely greeting her with a smile.

Durandal had intended to ignore these details and get down to business, but for some reason, she felt something was off, and her gaze involuntarily drifted towards Bai Yan.

So beautiful—no, there's a familiar feeling. Is it an illusion?

"Is the mission going smoothly, Bianca?" Otto asked casually.

"—Everything is going smoothly." Durandal snapped back to reality.

Throughout the entire debriefing, the 'Dumb Goose's' attention was somewhat unfocused, constantly distracted.

Bai Yan quietly observed the scene. He saw Rita's flickering gaze, Ragna's meaningful smile, and Otto's languid demeanor.

After the debriefing, Durandal finally turned to face Bai Yan. After a moment of hesitation, she asked, "Have we, perhaps, met somewhere before?"

Her eyes were sharp, as if searching for an answer.

Bai Yan thought, If she recognized me, she might unconsciously show me a cold shoulder and accuse me of deliberately avoiding her all these years.

Recalling memories, dreams, and finally their parting ways, his past self would have chosen to reason, using rhetoric like "we just had different roles in fighting the Collapse."

But at this moment, he felt as if something was blocking him; it was just a mere association, unable to be spoken aloud.

The girl in the ice-blue long dress simply clasped her hands and bowed slightly, a gesture that bore some resemblance to Rita's, and her attitude was even more respectful.

He clearly stated, "Lord Durandal—"

The moment these words left his mouth, Bai Yan finally realized that a tragic, thick barrier had already formed between them.

He continued to maintain his disguised voice, "I'm very happy that Lord Durandal took the initiative to speak to me, but your previous statement felt quite retro—Nice to meet you, my name is Bai Yan, from Shenzhou."

The 'Dumb Goose' reacted: her previous statement was indeed very much like some cheesy pickup line opener.

She couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, fluffing her curly hair to try and ease the awkwardness.

Ragna gave Rita a look.

The latter's eyelids lowered slightly, as if agreeing with a point the other had made.

(Ragna: I feel like little Bianca is showing some interest.)

(Rita: Indeed.)

Volume 1: Chapter 6: The Beginning of the Clue

Durandal's embarrassment quickly faded, her attention shifting to a sense of familiarity with the girl in the ice-blue dress.

"I'm sorry, it's just that you look a lot like a... friend of mine."

"Lord Durandal's friend? Could she also be a powerful Valkyrie?"

Bai Yan feigned curiosity, blinking her eyes as if she had some sort of admiration, or perhaps felt honored by the similarity.

The "Dumb Goose's" eyes dimmed, and a long-suppressed resentment rose and spread from somewhere deep within her heart.

Bai Yan!

A full two years! Two years of deliberately avoiding her!

Powerful?

Perhaps that guy was exceptionally talented, and even if not as good as her, he was no worse than Rita.

But he was a slacker, content to wallow in self-indulgence for pleasure, even deliberately wasting his combat talent.

At least now, Bai Yan was completely disconnected from the term "powerful."

"Not at all," Durandal replied, calming herself slightly and shaking her head calmly. "She was someone who couldn't even lift a chicken, very smart, but completely unmotivated."

Bai Yan's expression changed drastically, and she took two steps back, maintaining a distant space from the blonde girl.

"Uh, I wasn't talking about you."

"I know," Bai Yan replied coldly.

"..."

When someone truly despises you from the bottom of their heart, they don't lash out with harsh words; they remain silent.

"I didn't mean it like that!"

"No, someone as frail as me is worlds apart from you, Lord Durandal. I was rude just now, I apologize."

With that, Bai Yan bowed slightly, took another step back, and averted her gaze, refusing to communicate.

Durandal looked towards Rita for help, but the latter displayed an expression of "helplessness."

Then she looked at Ragna.

At that moment, the "Dumb Goose" noticed that her teacher's expression was quite peculiar, as if he were holding back something.

Ragna shook his head slightly, indicating he couldn't help, but the corners of his mouth betrayed his true feelings.

"Teacher Ragna, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, everything's fine."

Durandal looked at him suspiciously, instinctively feeling that something was amiss, but she suppressed her doubts, remembering that he was her teacher.

"Lady Rita," Bai Yan suddenly spoke, her tone a bit stiff, as if still angry, "I'm going to prepare now."

"Alright, little Yan, I'll be there in a moment."

Bai Yan left with a "deng deng deng" sound of her small leather shoes, leaving Durandal looking helplessly at the exit, at a loss.

"...Rita, is she... angry?"

Ragna turned his head away, unable to watch any longer.

Rita offered a complex smile. "Little Yan is just a bit shy and doesn't know how to face you, Lord Durandal. You don't need to worry."

"Is that so?"

"Pfft—"

Durandal looked in the direction of the sound.

Ragna had regained control of his expression, blinked, and looked at Durandal calmly.

Teacher and student exchanged glances, a conversation that seemed to happen without any words being spoken.

Although the atmosphere was off, Durandal wasn't one to dwell on things, so she set aside the strange details.

"I'm going to work out then, you guys carry on—Bishop, I'm heading out."

"Alright, alright, Bianca, you go ahead."

"Mm."

She nodded slightly at Rita and Ragna before leaving.

"Pfft, haha—"

Ragna suddenly fell silent.

Durandal poked her head out, scanning the surroundings with confusion, seemingly searching for the source of the sound.

"What is it, Little Bianka?"

Little Bianka shook her head, her expression puzzled, and disappeared from the doorway once more.

Ragna waited a few seconds, then tiptoed to the doorway.

She poked her head out.

A pair of eyes filled her vision.

"...Little Bianka, is there something else? Did you forget something?"

"N-no, nothing. Maybe I saw wrong. I'll be going then."

"Alright."

After confirming that her most capable student had finally left, Ragna breathed a sigh of relief.

It was then that Bai Yan reappeared.

"She's gone?"

"...Yes, she's really gone this time."

Bai Yan let out a sigh of relief, patted the wrinkles on her skirt, and smoothed her slightly messy hair.

"How was my performance just now?"

Ragna was momentarily speechless.

Bai Yan's expression was very serious, completely adopting a pragmatic attitude.

Professional.