Rita seemed to sense something. She turned to look over, and when their gazes met, her eyes lit up again.
The word "cold and glamorous" was a little too mature for the current "Bai Yan," but that was exactly how she felt.
Seriously, I'm liking this face more and more.
Bai Yan blinked and tilted her head in confusion.
Is Sister Tazi this happy to see me cross-dressing?
Tsk!
Being appointed as her assistant was not what Bai Yan wanted. A regular guy just wanted to stay alive and coast through life.
Only after getting to know Rita did he realize that there were things more important in this world than coasting through life.
—Making the people who stopped him from coasting through life disappear.
Unfortunately, he could not beat her, so he could only comply.
Although St. Freya's teaching system was extremely lax, the requirement to maintain his disguise without slipping up twenty-four hours a day made up for that nicely.
Had the workload gone down? It had indeed.
Rita could not read minds and had no way of knowing what Bai Yan was thinking, but she did notice his head tilt.
That only made her more satisfied.
At the same time, she felt a little regretful: she could not go to St. Freya with them.
Otherwise, it was hard to imagine how quickly things would progress—no, she had to be reserved.
Rita withdrew her gaze and calmed herself slightly.
By the way, the alias "Bai Yan" was a homophone for "Bai Yan," and Ragna had chosen it. Her reasoning was that even if someone accidentally called the wrong name, they could pass it off as a slip of the tongue.
According to the newly created fake records, "Bai Yan" was Bai Yan's younger sister, who had been separated from him for many years and only recently found.
Before they knew it, the two had returned to where Otto was.
"Teacher Ragna has something urgent to deal with, so I will be taking over for the time being."
Otto had only just noticed the newly arrived girl when Rita spoke first.
Otto shifted his gaze away and nodded to show that he understood. Then he said, "It seems we no longer need to worry about Bai Yan being exposed—at least, that is what I think. This disguise is truly astonishing."
Rita nodded slightly. "Since the Bishop is satisfied, may we begin testing its specific effects?"
"Who have you prepared as the subject?"
"Miss Anna of the Snow Lotus Squad."
Rita said slowly, "Based on the target's characteristics, I believe Miss Anna would make an excellent reference case."
Bai Yan discreetly glanced at his female superior to his left and muttered inwardly, Because of the Saniate bloodline? Then Dumb Goose would be the best candidate. If you dragged her and Kiana in for a paternity test, it might even conclude that they were biologically related.
Rita's plan was to find an excuse to transfer Anna back to headquarters, then create an opportunity for the two to meet and observe them in order to reach a conclusion.
However, things were often not that simple.
Just as Otto was about to approve her proposal, an "uninvited guest" entered the room with Ragna, chatting and laughing.
She was tall, and her long curls shone like the Golden Fleece from myth.
The moment Durandal entered, she was drawn to the Ice Blue Long Dress. Her gaze swept across Bai Yan's face, and she froze for a moment before realizing that the other person was not someone she knew. She then nodded slightly in greeting.
She looked at Rita again, but Rita had no intention of explaining anything. She merely smiled and greeted her.
Durandal had originally intended to ignore those details and get down to business, but for some reason, she kept feeling that something was off. Her gaze involuntarily drifted toward Bai Yan.
She's so pretty—no, she feels strangely familiar. Is it just my imagination?
"Did the mission go smoothly, Bianca?" Otto asked casually.
"—Everything went smoothly." Durandal came back to her senses.
Throughout the entire report, Dumb Goose's attention was somewhat absent. She kept getting distracted.
Bai Yan quietly watched the scene. Rita's flickering gaze, Ragna's meaningful smile, Otto's lazy demeanor—he took them all in.
Once the report was over, Durandal finally turned to face Bai Yan. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Have we... met somewhere before?"
Her eyes burned as though she were searching for an answer.
Bai Yan thought that if she recognized him, she might instinctively show her displeasure and accuse him of deliberately avoiding her all these years.
Thinking back to their eventual parting of ways, the old him would have chosen to reason with her, saying things like how they simply had different roles in fighting Honkai.
But at this moment, it felt as though something was blocking him. It was merely an association, one he could not voice.
The girl in the Ice Blue Long Dress merely folded her hands and bowed slightly. The gesture was somewhat similar to Rita's, though her attitude was even more respectful.
He said clearly, "Lady Durandal—"
The moment those words left his mouth, Bai Yan finally realized that there was already a sorrowful, thick barrier between them.
He continued in his disguised voice, "I'm very happy that Lady Durandal took the initiative to speak with me, but what you just said had a rather retro feel to it—this is our first meeting. My name is Bai Yan. I'm from Shenzhou."
Dumb Goose realized that what she had just said really did sound like some outdated pickup line.
She could not help feeling a little embarrassed, brushing back her curls in an attempt to ease the awkwardness.
Ragna gave Rita a look.
Rita lowered her eyelids slightly, as though agreeing with some point Ragna had made.
(Ragna: I feel like little Bianca is kind of interested.)
(Rita: Indeed.)
Durandal's embarrassment quickly faded, and her attention returned to the sense of familiarity she felt toward the girl in the Ice Blue Long Dress.
"I'm sorry. It's just that you resemble one of my... friends."
"Lady Durandal's friend? Could she also be a powerful Valkyrie?"
Bai Yan blinked with feigned curiosity, as though she harbored some sort of admiration, and as though merely resembling such a person made her proud.
Dumb Goose's gaze darkened. Then the resentment buried somewhere deep in her heart rose and spread.
Bai Yan!
Two whole years! He had deliberately avoided me for two whole years!
Powerful?
Perhaps that guy had extraordinary talent. Even if he was not as strong as her, he was certainly no weaker than Rita.
But he was a slacker. For the sake of enjoyment, he willingly let himself degenerate and even deliberately wasted his talent for combat.
At least right now, Bai Yan had nothing to do with the words "powerful."
"Not at all." Durandal composed herself slightly and shook her head calmly. "That person is completely helpless in a fight. He's very smart, but has absolutely no ambition."
Bai Yan's expression changed abruptly. He took two steps back, keeping a distant gap between himself and the blonde girl.
"Uh, I wasn't talking about you."
"I know," Bai Yan said coldly.
"..."
When someone truly despised you from the bottom of their heart, they did not lash out with cruel words. They simply said nothing.
"That's not what I meant!"
"No. A frail woman like me and Lady Durandal are people from entirely different worlds. I was disrespectful just now. My apologies."
As he spoke, Bai Yan bowed slightly, then took another step back and looked away, refusing to communicate.
Durandal looked to Rita for help, but Rita wore an expression that said she was powerless to do anything.
Then she looked at Ragna.
At that moment, Dumb Goose noticed that her teacher's expression was rather strange, as though she were trying to hold something back.
Ragna shook her head slightly to indicate that she could not help, but the corner of her mouth betrayed her true feelings.
"Teacher Ragna, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. Everything is normal."
Durandal looked at her suspiciously. Instinctively, she felt that something was wrong, but when she remembered that this was her teacher, she suppressed her doubts.
"Lady Rita," Bai Yan suddenly spoke up, his tone a little stiff, as though he were still angry. "I'll go make preparations first."
"All right, Xiao Yan. I'll be there shortly."
Bai Yan clicked away in her little leather shoes, leaving Durandal staring helplessly at the exit, at a complete loss.
"...Rita, is she angry?"
Ragna turned her head away, unable to bear watching any longer.
Rita revealed a complicated smile. "Xiao Yan is merely a little shy and does not know how to face you, Lady Durandal. There is no need to worry."
"Is that so?"
"Pfft—"
Durandal turned toward the sound.
Ragna had already regained control of her expression. She blinked and looked at Durandal openly.
Teacher and student exchanged looks, somehow communicating while also not communicating at all.
Though the atmosphere felt strange, Durandal was not someone who liked to dwell on things. She simply tossed the odd details aside.
"Then I'll go work out. You all carry on—Bishop, I'll be heading down first."
"Sure, sure. Go ahead, Bianca."
"Mm."
She nodded slightly to Rita and Ragna before leaving.
"Pfft, hahaha—"
Ragna suddenly stopped laughing.
Durandal poked her head back in and scanned the room suspiciously, seemingly searching for the source of the sound.
"What is it, little Bianca?"
Little Bianca shook her head and vanished through the doorway again, still looking puzzled.
Ragna waited for several seconds, then tiptoed over to the door.
She poked her head out.
A pair of eyes filled her view.
"...Little Bianca, do you need something else? Did you forget something?"
"N-No, nothing. Maybe I saw wrong. I'm leaving now."
"Okay."
After confirming that her most formidable student had finally left, Ragna let out a sigh of relief.
Only then did Bai Yan appear again.
"She's gone?"
"...Yes. She's really gone this time."
Bai Yan sighed in relief, patting down the wrinkled skirt and smoothing her slightly messy hair.
"How did I do just now?"
Ragna was momentarily speechless.
Bai Yan looked completely serious, wearing an utterly practical expression.
Professional.
Before you continue