Chapter 90

Kotori couldn't find any causal relationship between the two, so she simply turned to Reine beside her and said, "Is there a video recording from that time?"

"Yes, but unfortunately, due to the battle, there is a part of the video that cannot capture the specific situation."

After Muramasa Reine finished speaking, the large screen in front of her began playing the scene from that time. The whole process was indeed as Shiori had said. After the green-haired elf dealt with the AST that surrounded them, the specific details of the situation were lost, and the conversation could only be heard through the earphones.

"You scared me! Seven Deadly Sins, are you alright?"

"See that...?"

"Ah?"

"Don't play dumb! You just saw it, didn't you! Unforgivable... I'm not finished with you!"

"Shiori Itsuka! I will make sure your life is utterly ruined!"

"...ah?"

Their conversation ended there.

Kotori:?

"So... what exactly did you see back then?"

Kotori was also a little confused and could only deduce from the conversation that Shiori had seen something she shouldn't have.

"I didn't see anything!"

Shiori felt even more wronged Dou E: "The dust was so thick back then that I could barely open my eyes and couldn't see anything at all. By the time I could see anything, it was only after the dust had settled."

But this recording was made while the dust was still there.

Kotori's brows furrowed even more, but the information was far too insufficient for her to draw any conclusions... Furthermore, with the conclusion of this meeting, Shiori would undoubtedly find herself surrounded by a host of scheming individuals...

"... In any case, we can only wait and see until that elf makes a move. I'll explain the situation to Yulande later. Speaking of which, wasn't a Spatial Quake warning issued this time? How did the AST have the opportunity to get close to the elf?"

"The Blade of Immortality is blocking DEM, while Yulande is holding off Artemisia and Mana Takamiya all by herself."

Muramasa Reine said, "AST and DEM are not attacking together."

"I see."

Kotori nodded. "Shiori, you should go home first. If you don't cook soon, Tohka will be starving. I'll go home after I finish what I'm doing."

"I see..."

Seeing that Kotori lacked her usual vigor and looked quite tired, Shiori wanted to say something, but in the end she could only nod.

Shiori felt a little sad that her younger sister was always busy and she couldn't help her. She was the one who always took care of Kotori, but now she realized that Kotori had also been worrying about her.

Kotori rubbed her temples and walked out of the command room, dialing Amber's number while alone.

"What happened, Kotori?"

Hearing that steady voice as always, Kotori's tired mood was calmed down a lot, and then she said, "Yulande, there is something I need your help with... It's about Shiori. Of course, it's okay if you can't. I will make the request in a more formal setting later."

This number is a private number, meaning that the two people talking at this moment are not Valkyrie and Commander, but friends who have set aside their positions.

However, Kotori's words subtly revealed that this favor was difficult to do and that it would be hard to avoid the conflicting positions of both sides.

"I'd be happy to help if I can."

Although Amber didn't know what it was about, this was the first time she had seen Kotori lower herself like this, and she felt a little sorry for her.

"After today's encounter with Shiori, the spirit left behind a declaration that 'Shiori will suffer eternal damnation'."

Kotori first explained her concerns before making her request, "Even Ratatoskr can't protect Shiori completely forever. After all, it's impossible to keep Shiori from going out forever. So I wanted to ask if you could protect Shiori."

"But... the same applies to Schicksal."

Amber said, "Unless you restrict a person's social life to a certain range, you can't be absolutely safe whenever you go out."

Whether it's Ratatoskr or Schicksal, they can help Shiori get leave from school, even for a lifetime, but that's just a temporary solution.

"So, I was wondering if you have any Valkyrie friends who are the right age and quite strong..."

Kotori felt her face burning as she said this, and she felt embarrassed. "Sure... the kind where you're always together with Shiori while you're in school... Of course, I'll thank you with the highest-level bodyguard fees."

After all, his words were tantamount to telling the Valkyrie to give up training and waste her time.

To put it more vividly, it's like a small business owner calling a friend in the military and asking if they can send a young, elite soldier to protect his family, allowing that soldier to experience life after retirement during his most crucial period of advancement.

This kind of request is really more suitable for formal occasions and as part of a collaboration.

Kotori couldn't possibly be unaware of this, after all, her words just now clearly indicated that she knew her current request was somewhat... presumptuous.

"Kotori, what happened between you and Ratatoskr?"

Amber frowned and asked.

"There are indeed some things..."

Kotori smiled bitterly. There was no way she could hide the commotion between herself and Möbius from Eliot, the boss. And since her actions were so obvious, it was already a great restraint of Eliot not to directly cause trouble for her. Now he had only taken back her right to negotiate with Schicksal.

After all, she was already subtly leaning towards Schicksal, so she certainly couldn't let someone like herself, who might turn against them at any moment, go to negotiate. What if she silently sent the Fraxinus warship to Schicksal?

Saying before that 'the request will be made in a more formal setting' was just the most optimistic idea.

"I see."

Amber also vaguely realized Kotori's awkward position at this moment, or rather, ever since she made a big mistake after talking to Möbius last time, Kotori's position has been very awkward.

No, even earlier, when Shiori learned about Ratatoskr and clearly expressed her dislike, Kotori was already caught in the middle.

"I will make arrangements. Don't worry, Shiori will be fine."

"... Thanks, Yulande..."

Kotori finally breathed a sigh of relief. To have someone to rely on at a time like this... she really had to thank Shiori for her kind act when she went grocery shopping.

Chapter Fifty-Four: Even the best have their gaps.

'It seems Commander Kotori isn't having an easy time these days.'

Rita, sitting next to Amber, felt a mix of emotions.

It wasn't that Amber had turned on the speakerphone or that she was deliberately eavesdropping; it was simply that as Valkyrie, her five senses were beyond those of ordinary people, and the microphone was less than half a meter away from her, so she could easily hear what was being said.

"Yulande, if needed, I think Origami Second Captain is a very suitable candidate."

After expressing her feelings, Rita didn't hesitate to vote out her rival. This wasn't entirely out of personal motives; in fact, Rita didn't want to see the Valkyrie of Schicksal give up her training time to take on this kind of 'side job'.

But since the blonde girl had already agreed, Rita naturally gave her best choice. "Origami is about the same age as Shiori. As the captain of the second team, she is also very strong. Under your training these past two days, she has made rapid progress. Although she is still struggling to fight against a spirit, she is enough to hold her own."

"In Rita's opinion, Origami Second Captain is undoubtedly the best candidate."

Moreover, it also allows you to vote out your competitor, killing two birds with one stone.

In Rita's mind, Yulande also fits this condition. Although she looks a bit young, it can be explained by her being a late bloomer. But... how could S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal be a babysitter for someone else?

"Origami is indeed a good fit, but I already have someone in mind."

Amber didn't mind Rita hearing this, but she didn't accept Rita's suggestion either.

"Could it be one of the Valkyrie from headquarters?"

Rita was certain that she had carefully compared the entire Blade of Immortality and that no one could be more suitable than Origami.

"Shier Fulei".

Amber's face showed a hint of nostalgia when she said the name.

Although those Remembrance have been faded by Feathered Dust, they are still one's own Remembrance, and it is impossible for them to have no impact at all.

"Shier Fulei ..."

Rita remembered the name and had been incredibly curious about it.

After all, she was one of the Valkyrie alongside herself and Yulande. But unfortunately, Rita had never seen either 'Fu Hua' or 'Shier Fulei' in the files. She even suspected that their existence was just a strategic deterrent and that these two people did not actually exist.

Of course, this curiosity stopped at what mission they were carrying out, without questioning that they were S-rank Valkyrie like herself and Yulande. After all, Rita knew that although the strength of S-rank Valkyrie was at the top in this world, it was not exclusive to Schicksal, Ellen was a clear example.

However, there are differences even among the top players, Yulande, who easily defeated Ellen, is another example.

Those two should be about as strong as I am, which is not hard to believe. At most, they would be about the same as Ellen, but no matter what, they would be nothing compared to Yulande.

Judging from the photos in the file, Shier Fulei does indeed look like a high school student, but that file must be from six years ago... Could it be that she is in a similar situation to Möbius and Yulande, with an age that doesn't match her appearance?

"I didn't expect that Yulande had already met Miss Shier Fulei."

Rita asked curiously, "What kind of person is she?"

"Hmm... She's a somewhat introverted but very strong girl, and also very capable."

After thinking for a moment, Amber said, "But sometimes he can also show a terrifying side."

"Even Yulande finds it terrifying?"

Rita was somewhat surprised. She rarely saw a blonde girl make comments about strength. Whether someone was strong or weak was never her standard for judging a person. In Rita's opinion, this was because the girl herself was the ultimate answer to the word "powerful," so the level of strength lost its meaning in the other person's eyes.

But even someone like Yulande would deliberately mention her powerful strength before revealing her terrifying side.

"That's right."

Amber nodded.

Although I felt a little embarrassed, I guess I'd given another version of myself some work...

She intended Shier's Character Card for Black Amber, and judging from Black Amber's temperament, she could play Möbius fairly well, but Shier would clearly restrict her.

There's no way... Yulande has no reason to suddenly disappear from everyone's sight, but no one would be surprised if Möbius didn't show up for ten or twenty days in a row.

They can't ask Fu Hua to play Shier, because Fu Hua isn't like herself or Black Amber, who was born from her. She doesn't have the habit or hobby of maintaining the Character Card's persona. Rather than having her play the Character Card, it's better to have Fu Hua herself play the role.

But we're not at our wits' end yet, so casually hiring a master would seem a bit like... sponging off one's parents.

In short, Black Amber probably won't be able to maintain Shier's persona forever and will definitely 'release' her emotions frequently, so it's better to give Rita a heads-up first.

"I see."

Rita nodded thoughtfully. "Then I'll go and arrange Shier's enrollment procedures."

"Thank you for your help, Rita."

It's certainly easy and convenient to have someone do everything for you. Although Amber feels a little embarrassed no matter how many times, since Rita is seen as a friend, not a subordinate, refusing such requests would only make Rita unhappy.

After Rita left, Amber told Black Amber what had just happened.

"You're the only one who dares to order me around like this."

Black Amber had a sour expression, but she was actually quite happy inside.

Although she had been busy with Amber's affairs, all of these were her own thoughts and actions. It might sound a bit confusing, but faced with the trouble that Amber had suddenly brought her, Black Amber finally felt a sense of joy at having 'helped Amber '.

Even though playing an introverted girl and acting as a bodyguard was a small fry compared to her own plans and schemes, this request made by Amber herself gave Black Amber a greater sense of accomplishment than everything before combined.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Amber said apologetically, "But in this matter, you are the only one I can entrust with this."

"He has been sitting at the top of power for so long, but his skills in getting things done by asking people for favors have not improved at all."

Black Amber snorted coldly, "It's just being that guy's babysitter for a while, it's not a big deal for me."

"Okay, then I'll leave this to you, my other self."

The long-unheard words, not heard since the last world, finally brought a smile to Black Amber's lips, "I just can't do anything with you."

Chapter 55: Transfer Student Shier

"Shiori! This thing called potato pancakes is so delicious! Especially with ketchup! No... I always feel like anything tastes better with ketchup. Is ketchup the pinnacle of human cuisine?!"

Early in the morning, after placing the prepared breakfast on the table, Shiori watched as Tohka, who had just finished washing up, praised her cooking. Shiori previously stiff expression brightened, and she said with a smile, "It's because you prefer sweet and sour things, Tohka. Ketchup is just a condiment, not a delicacy."

"Hmm... but they're all edible, aren't they? They're all edible, so why is ketchup treated differently?"

"It's not exactly discrimination..."

Shiori didn't know how to explain the difference between food and seasonings, since it was common sense.

"You guys are really energetic, making such a racket so early in the morning."

Kotori's voice came from the stairs, and judging from her tone, she was clearly in Kotori commander mode.

"Kotori, have you not been resting well lately?"