Arts and Sports Duo

"No." Fu Hua shook her head with a serious expression.

That motion was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Kiana.

"Who else in our class is exempt?"

After a long pause, Kiana finally mustered the courage to ask this question.

"I'm the proctor, so I don't have to take the exam. Xina is a new student, so she's exempt. Mei scored full marks last semester, so she's exempt. Bronya is a special student in electronic technology, so she's exempt too!"

Right in front of Kiana, Fu Hua counted off the number of exempt students on her fingers.

With every name Fu Hua reported, Kiana's face paled a shade more.

So, all four students living in the same villa as her were exempt!

Only she had to take the final exam?!

Heavens, what kind of earthly suffering was this!

"Oh! I don't have to take the exam this semester? That's just great!"

Xina, secretly delighted, set down her thermos, her face beaming with a smile called joy, and even little fireworks seemed to sparkle above her head.

The culture class content wasn't a problem for her—she basically knew it all—but... don't forget, the Valkyrie Assessment didn't just test culture class; there was also the dreaded physical fitness class.

Suddenly, Fu Hua's communicator rang. She answered it, and after a few brief replies, her gaze silently shifted from Kiana to Xina.

Xina felt a chill run down her back, an ominous premonition rising from the depths of her heart.

Just as she was about to make a quick getaway, Fu Hua put down her personal communicator and called out to stop Xina.

Fu Hua said, "Xina, don't leave either. Principal Theresa just said that physical fitness doesn't depend on how long you've been enrolled. You're exempt from the culture exam, but you can't avoid the physical fitness test!"

"Ah?!" Xina collapsed to the ground in utter despair, her facial expression vividly and lifelikely illustrating the phrase "as mournful as losing a parent."

As everyone knows, smiles don't disappear; they just transfer to someone else's face.

Seeing the same utterly hopeless little expression on Xina's face that matched her own, Kiana's gloomy mood improved quite a bit.

Though gloating wasn't nice, she really wanted to laugh! Hahahaha!

After tutoring Kiana in culture class, Xina, who was dragged by Fu Hua to study with the excuse of "since you're free, you might as well listen in," had forged a deep tutoring friendship with Kiana.

Walking down the stairs, the two gazed at each other, as if they could see the same unbearable pain in each other's eyes that mirrored their own.

Kiana: Great, culture class is done. I finally made it through today.

Xina: Damn it, Kiana's culture class is over, now it's my turn to suffer!

Led by Fu Hua into the indoor gymnasium, Xina stood on the track and watched helplessly as Fu Hua pulled out an old acquaintance from who knows where—a hemp rope as thick as a girl's wrist—and tied both ends around her and Kiana's waists.

As everyone knows, Kiana wasn't great at memorizing, but she did have some brute strength.

For once, Fu Hua took a lazy way out, handing the arduous task of dragging Xina while running over to the naturally strong Kiana.

What happened after that, we'll never know.

It was only when Himeko returned home after a busy day's work that the first thing she saw was a pair of sisters in hardship sitting on the sofa, their faces seemingly written with the word "haggard."

"Teacher Himeko... can I switch my major to an administrative position? Wuwuwu..." Xina threw herself into Himeko's arms, sobbing and sniffling as she recounted her miserable fate that afternoon—after completing the target laps, Kiana felt she hadn't warmed up enough and actually dragged her for another five laps!

"But... even if you switch to an administrative position, the physical fitness standards for Valkyries are the same..."

"Ah!!"

At that moment, Himeko could even see the spark of hope in Xina's eyes completely extinguish, then transform into... a look of despair.

To be honest, Himeko didn't want to hit Xina with such a cruel truth, but... even for administrative Valkyries, only the practical combat project scores were lowered.

Physical fitness, as a basic subject, had its standards set in stone long ago.

"Just end it all, I'm tired!" Xina wobbled step by step to the sofa and collapsed onto it.

After dinner, Xina held onto the railing, resting after every step, and took a full half hour to climb to the second floor.

Too lazy to even take off her clothes, Xina slowly opened her door and fell weakly onto the bed.

And so, in the agonizing, day-by-day suffering of St. Freya's Arts and Sports Duo, time quickly arrived at the day before the final exam.

"In 1953, during the First Honkai Eruption in Berlin, humanity first discovered that high concentrations of Honkai energy gathering together and forming a core within the human body could give birth to a Herrscher capable of distorting the laws of physics."

"On February 1, 2000, in Siberia, the Herrscher of the Void awakened, and the Second Honkai Eruption became a global disaster..."

At the podium, Himeko was giving the class a pre-exam review: "These two questions are on every semester's test—fifteen points right there. Take it or leave it!"

Below, Xina was leaning her head against the wall to catch up on sleep—she was just too exhausted.

Glancing at the drowsy Kiana and Xina, who hadn't woken up at all, Himeko's brow furrowed again.

"Hey, Kiana?!"

"..." Kiana seemed not to hear, her head still bobbing like a chick pecking at rice.

"..." Himeko was silent for a moment, then changed her tune: "Hey, Kiana, food's ready!"

"Mm... ah, food's ready! I want a chicken leg... ah! Ji, Teacher Himeko!"

Still in her dreams, Kiana heard Himeko's words and shot up like a reflex.

Looking at the dazed Kiana who had just stood up, Himeko sighed. "Sigh, the thought of you fighting against the Honkai for the world makes me feel sorry for it."

"Eh... well..." Kiana wiped her face, just happening to glance at Xina, who was sleeping even more soundly than she had been.

Himeko followed Kiana's gaze and rolled her eyes in exasperation. "You think just because you both sleep in class, you and Xina are the same?"

Seeing Kiana's resentful little look, Himeko took a deep breath, trying to keep her blood pressure from rising. "What, you don't believe me?"

"Xina! Name three forms of Honkai disaster manifestation!"

"Huh? Me? Herrscher, Honkai Beast, Death Stalker..." Xina leaned sloppily against the wall as she stood up, not even opening her eyes, but the correct answer came out of her mouth.

"When and where did the Second Herrscher awaken?" Himeko asked again.

"February 1st, 2000, Siberia, Babylon Tower."

"Describe a Temple-Class Honkai Beast!"

"Temple-Class Honkai Beasts are known as the Herrscher's guardians, with a standard height of 12 meters. Their bodies are roughly humanoid in shape..."