Skipping Class and Running into Walter

Watching Fu Hua and Teacher Himeko rack their brains, Kiana raised a hand and pointed at the surveillance equipment nearby. "Come to think of it, aren't there cameras outside the Gymnasium? Wouldn't checking them tell us where Xina went?"

Teacher Himeko & Fu Hua: "..." Damn it, Kiana had actually spotted the blind spot...

"Eh, did I say something wrong?" Kiana asked cautiously.

"No, you didn't." Teacher Himeko awkwardly rubbed her chin, then got to her feet. "I'll go check the surveillance footage now. Fu Hua, stay here and cover the class."

"Alright, I understand." Fu Hua nodded slightly and watched Teacher Himeko disappear through the Gymnasium doors.

While Teacher Himeko searched all over St. Freya through the surveillance footage for traces of Xina, Xina herself wandered aimlessly around the St. Freya campus with Kiana's hand-drawn map in hand.

"This is... the Library?" Following the markings on the map, Xina arrived before a building with the heavy style of a medieval church.

Xina looked at the uniquely styled building before hesitating for only a moment, then passed through the revolving glass doors and entered the Library, which was steeped in an atmosphere of study.

"Whoa... so many books!" Xina looked around. As far as the eye could see, there were raw wooden bookshelves neatly lined with books.

Planning to pick out a few good books from the Library to read, Xina ventured deeper inside. But as she walked, her expression changed.

Her gaze fixed on the man sitting at the librarian's desk, wearing a fitted white shirt and rimless black glasses. She thought to herself:

Is St. Freya really a Valkyrie academy and not a Herrscher academy? Of the four Herrschers who have appeared so far, aside from the Second Herrscher, whose fate is unknown, I can see the other three here!

But... didn't that Impostor say the First Herrscher was the one in charge of Anti-Entropy? Why would someone at the top give up being the Anti-Entropy Leader and come to St. Freya instead? There's a conspiracy! There has to be a conspiracy!

Xina regarded the man sitting immovably at the Library's management desk with thirty percent curiosity, thirty percent surprise, thirty percent shock, and ten percent indifference.

After all... she was very interested in the traitor who had enraged that "god" so much!

As she was thinking, Walter, who had been seated at the Library's management desk all this time, also noticed the unusual gaze from nearby. He pushed up his glasses and looked toward its source—it was a pale girl dressed in sportswear. Judging by her slender body, it seemed as though a slightly stronger gust of wind could blow her away.

Can someone this frail even be a Valkyrie? Otto really is inhuman!

Walter thought as he looked at Xina's slight figure.

"Student, is there anything you need help with?" Walter stood and waved toward Xina, who was standing beside the bookshelves.

Xina was slightly taken aback at being called out so suddenly, but quickly recovered. She gave Walter an embarrassed smile, then dragged her heavy feet over to the Library's management desk.

"I'm looking for a book, but there are too many books here, and I haven't been able to find it..."

Facing the renowned First Herrscher, Xina showed not the slightest impropriety. Instead, she naturally sought help from him like any ordinary student.

"Looking for a book? Could you tell me its title? Maybe I can help!"

Walter asked softly. At that moment, he truly seemed like nothing more than an ordinary teacher.

"Uh... Stray Birds!" Xina blurted out, because it was probably the only book in Teacher Himeko's villa besides comics and textbooks...

"Tagore's Stray Birds? It truly is a fine book. An old friend of mine also liked it very much."

"Found it. It's on Shelf B-13." Walter fell silent for a moment, then tapped a few times on the electronic display before him and helped Xina locate the book's general position in the Library.

"Thank you, Teacher. You've really helped me out."

Having learned where Stray Birds was, Xina had no intention of saying anything more. After politely thanking him, she prepared to leave.

Bang!!

But... unfortunately, Teacher Himeko had already found Xina's location and arrived in a towering rage.

The moment Xina turned around, she saw Teacher Himeko shove open the door and march straight toward her.

"Oh ho, I'm done for!"

Watching Teacher Himeko draw closer and closer, Xina swallowed hard. Instinctively, she wanted to flee, but... if she ran at a time like this, wouldn't that just add to her crimes?

So should she run or not...

Xina gave it a brief thought before finally deciding to accept the cruel reality:

Forget it, I won't run. Teacher Himeko isn't going to pull out her greatsword and chop me up anyway. At worst, she'll scold me! I've been beaten and scolded so many times since I was little; one more time won't make a difference!

With that thought, Xina seemed to gain a little confidence. She lowered her head and silently stood where she was, waiting for Teacher Himeko to arrive.

Who would have thought... after the furious Teacher Himeko reached Xina, she did not grab her by the ear and berate her like Xina had expected.

On the contrary, despite her face clearly spelling out anger, Teacher Himeko did not say a single harsh word. She merely ruffled Xina's hair into a bird's nest with her hand, then said:

"Xina, I thought about it on the way here. Making someone with such a tiny frame train physical fitness with Fu Hua really is asking too much of you. From now on... let's forget about it."

"Eh?!" Xina raised her head in astonishment and looked eagerly at Teacher Himeko, who did not seem all that angry. She could not help muttering inwardly:

What's going on? Shouldn't you be furious, criticize me harshly, chew me out, and then order me to copy the textbook ten or twenty times?

Why is there not only no punishment, but a reward too?

"Eh, Teacher Himeko, is this your student?"

Walter, who had been standing nearby all along, curiously watched the pair before finally asking.

Damn it, she had been so focused on talking to Xina that she had forgotten there was someone else here.

Teacher Himeko's eye twitched almost imperceptibly as she realized it belatedly. She turned sideways to look at Walter and teased softly, "Oh, so it's Teacher Walter! Your vacation has gone on quite a while. Covering your classes has cost me what little free time I had."

"Hehehe, then I really am sorry about that." Walter gave a dry laugh and began chatting with Teacher Himeko.

Xina, who had been ignored at the side, listened as Teacher Himeko and Walter discussed work-related matters, and instantly froze in place.

Wait, this Walter is our history teacher? Teacher Himeko was the substitute teacher for the previous history classes?

That means... a Herrscher is teaching Herrschers at a Valkyrie academy? What kind of hellish joke is this?!