After returning to the dorm, Raiden Mei prepared dinner for three at an astonishing speed.
The bell pepper curry omurice looked, smelled, and tasted delicious enough to make anyone drool.
If Ye Li had been there, he surely would have said, "The Herrscher of Consumption truly lives up to her name."
At the sight of the fragrant dinner, Kiana shouted, "I can't take it anymore!" and immediately began stuffing her face.
Bronya, beside her, repeatedly looked at her in disdain. "How rude. Mei worked so hard to cook for you, and you can't even say thank you?"
"I did! Eating the food Mei made is the greatest thanks I can give her!"
(I did! Finishing Mei's cooking is the greatest thanks I can give her.)
Kiana answered Bronya while puffing out her cheeks and continuing to eat.
"All right~ Stop arguing, you two. Let's eat together~"
Watching the two bicker, Raiden Mei gently tried to mediate.
After dinner, in the dorm living room.
The three, full and satisfied, sat on the sofa chatting.
Ding-dong~
Just then, three familiar special-follow notification sounds rang out at once.
After a brief silence, the three of them each pulled out their phones.
"Ai-chan uploaded another video?!"
Kiana said delightedly, "Hehe~ I can't wait to admire this lady's heroic bearing in the video!"
"By heroic bearing, do you mean blowing up your own side's plane at the start and refusing orders until your teammates got hurt?"
Looking at Kiana's smug expression, Bronya immediately mocked her.
"You!" Kiana slammed the table in frustration. "That's still better than someone who betrayed us!"
"You!" This time, it was Bronya's turn to slam the table in frustration. "Being controlled by someone else can't be called betrayal! I had no choice!"
Watching the two descend into another argument, Raiden Mei felt her head start to ache.
"All right~ Stop fighting!"
Though she did not speak loudly, Raiden Mei quickly calmed them both down.
"I have a suggestion. Since we're all interested in this video, why don't we project it onto the screen and watch it together~?"
After some simple setup, the video officially began.
The story picked up where the previous episode had ended.
After a brief holiday, St. Freya Academy became lively once more.
According to the message left by the Moonlight Throne, all four Herrscher Gems had to be gathered to activate the battleship.
Thus, after careful consideration, Principal Theresa decided to head first to the Oceania Branch in New Zealand to retrieve the Gem of Desire stored there.
To ensure the operation's success, St. Freya Academy also dispatched many Valkyries.
But unlike the previous operation in Canghai City, Himeko did not send every Valkyrie to the scene at all costs.
Instead, she only sent The Big Three of Valkyries led by Kiana, along with Ye Li and the others who had returned from Schicksal Headquarters to provide support, to the New Zealand Branch.
The others remained aboard the Hyperion battleship in case of emergencies.
After the Hyperion arrived in New Zealand, Kiana and the others received a communication from Himeko.
"Lieutenant Kiana, you should have arrived in New Zealand by now, correct?"
"Reporting to Himeko, we've arrived safely!" Kiana replied energetically.
"It's Major Himeko... Forget it." Himeko held back the urge to correct Kiana and continued, "Since you have arrived safely, I'll now formally explain the mission objective..."
"Oh, Himeko, I know, I know. We're retrieving the Gem of Desire from the Oceania Branch~" Kiana interrupted. "But Himeko, I have a question. What exactly is this Gem of Desire?"
Before Himeko could lose her temper, Ye Li spoke first. "Kiana, you know about the Second Honkai Outbreak fourteen years ago, right?"
"I know, I know. We learned about it in our textbooks." Kiana said excitedly.
"Kiana, you have a very good memory. Fourteen years ago, Schicksal obtained three high-concentration Honkai Crystals, and one of them was called the Gem of Desire."
Ye Li explained, "Then, three years ago, Schicksal used the Gem of Desire in a classified research program. They hoped to develop weaponry capable of rivaling a Herrscher through the gem, but unfortunately, the research failed. The Gem of Desire was then kept at the Atlantic Branch."
"Oh~ I see. So we're just going to the Oceania Branch to retrieve the gem? That sounds way too easy!"
"Lieutenant Kiana, this operation is not as simple as you imagine."
Suppressing her anger, Himeko said, "First, let me tell you some bad news.
Just one day ago, a powerful Honkai outbreak suddenly occurred in New Zealand. The area is now filled with zombies and Honkai Beasts, and the Oceania Branch has been completely paralyzed.
The Gem of Desire was also lost when the Honkai outbreak occurred."
"Fortunately, the Hyperion's detector can locate the Gem of Desire.
So next, I will guide you in retrieving that gem."
After a round of fighting, the group followed the guidance and arrived at the detector's indicated location.
But looking at the devastated buildings around them, Raiden Mei asked in confusion, "According to the detector's coordinates, it should be here. But why can't we see anything?"
Just then, Bronya suddenly spoke. "Mei, please wait. The life detector shows a life sign not far from us."
Following the direction Bronya indicated, the group soon discovered a girl in a wheelchair, surrounded by several Honkai Beasts.
"This is bad, that girl is in danger!"
Raiden Mei rushed forward as soon as she spoke, with the others close behind.
After swiftly taking care of the Honkai Beasts, the Valkyries successfully gathered around the frail girl in the wheelchair and asked about her condition.
But what they failed to notice was that, although the girl in the wheelchair appeared to be surrounded by Honkai Beasts, she showed no signs of fear at all.
The real world----
Seeing this, Kiana said in relief, "Good thing we got there in time. Otherwise, how could a girl with impaired legs have escaped the encirclement of those Honkai Beasts? I don't even dare think about the outcome."
But Bronya had a different opinion.
"I have a question. Even a fully able-bodied adult could not claim they could escape while surrounded by so many Honkai Beasts. How did a young girl manage to hold on until now?"
Kiana curled her lip disdainfully.
"Bronya, you just don't get it! It's like in movies and novels. When an important character faces a life-or-death crisis, the protagonist always arrives to save the day."
Bronya had wanted to argue, but the fast-paced plot left her no time to be distracted.
In the video, just as the group successfully rescued the girl in the wheelchair, Himeko's communication came through.
"Looks like you found the target."
"The target? But what we found was clearly... Major Himeko, do you mean..." Raiden Mei said in disbelief.
"That's right. According to information just sent by the Oceania Branch, the girl before you is the Gem of Desire."
When Himeko mentioned the Gem of Desire, a trace of hatred suddenly flashed through the wheelchair-bound girl's eyes, only to disappear just as quickly.
Then the girl in the wheelchair spoke. "Um... My name is Wendy."
The real world----
When the bard drinking in the tavern saw the girl in the wheelchair in the video, he froze completely.
The wineglass in his hand also fell to the floor with a clatter beyond his control.
"Although her appearance is different, and her gender is different too, I can't help feeling that girl is my opposite-sex counterpart."
After briefly putting himself in her shoes, Venti quickly accepted the premise.
"You know, you're absolutely right..."
"I actually look pretty good in women's clothes, eh-heh~"
Before you continue