After returning to St. Freya in the Northern Hemisphere, the temperature plummeted. Winter had already arrived.
Kiana leaned against the airship window, staring blankly at the snowflakes drifting outside.
Mei patted her from behind. "What's wrong, Kiana?"
Only then did Kiana snap out of it. "It's nothing, Mei. I was just thinking that New Year's is almost here, and I'll get to eat lots of delicious food again. I'm kind of happy!"
Mei covered her forehead. "You still love eating that much, huh? Is that inherited from the Kaslana Family too?"
"Actually..." Kiana hesitated, but in the end, she said nothing.
It'd be great if that stinky old man could spend New Year's with me this time. Those were the words she kept hidden in her heart.
Nearby, Xing stood atop Judah, his eyes shining as he watched the snowy scenery outside. As someone from 2022, when the greenhouse effect had intensified, he had not seen snow this heavy in a long time! He wondered whether he might see the scene his grandfather had told him about in this world—ice frozen three feet deep.
Theresa had originally wanted to throw a grand welcome party for him and Wendy, but the sudden snowfall forced it indoors, greatly limiting its scale. Even so, it could not dampen her enthusiasm.
Thus, in St. Freya's auditorium, Wendy and Xing stood awkwardly onstage while Theresa's praise flowed endlessly beside them. One had once been her most outstanding student, while the other was her illegiti—her current most outstanding student. She had to make this look as impressive as possible!
As she faced the Valkyries below, who were gazing at her with blazing eyes—several of whom she knew—Wendy, already easily embarrassed, nearly fainted on the spot.
As for Xing, he had originally wanted to switch Yae