Not long after Xiao Ran sat down, Sheryl came over and led him to another table, where Saki, Makina, Rena, Freya, Mirage—the only female member of Delta Squad—and a blue-haired young man, Hayate Immelman, were seated.
After Xiao Ran joined them, every girl present except Saki and Hayate stood up and bowed in greeting. Even Freya, who had failed to recognize Xiao Ran earlier, rose stiffly with a nervous expression. "L-L-Lord Xiao Ran..."
Sheryl lightly tapped Freya on the head, then inexplicably shot Xiao Ran a glare, leaving him both amused and helpless. "You were the one who called me over. Now that they're nervous, you're blaming me for it?"
Sheryl rolled her eyes at Xiao Ran, then said gently to Freya, "Freya, you're an official member of Valkyrie now. You can't get nervous so easily."
Freya looked at Sheryl in a daze. "B-B-But, Miss Sheryl, this is Lord Xiao Ran."
Xiao Ran chuckled, shook his head, and said to Moses and Miyoshi Meiya, who were standing beside him, "You two should go relax as well. I'll be fine here."
Moses nodded with a smile and led Miyoshi Meiya toward the seat where Xiao Ran had been sitting earlier. Once Xiao Ran had taken his seat, Sheryl pulled the still-dazed Freya down beside her.
Mirage, Rena, Makina, and Hayate all gave Freya strange looks. Hayate had no idea who Xiao Ran was at present; he could only tell that Sheryl and Xiao Ran shared a very special relationship. Rena, Makina, and Mirage had met Xiao Ran before, though Mirage had never directly interacted with him. Still, none of them had been as nervous as Freya was.
Hayate sat beside Freya, with Sheryl on Freya's other side. After glancing at Xiao Ran, Hayate lightly nudged Freya with his elbow and asked