One found it satisfying, while the other probably thought it rolled off the tongue. Either way, the scene was rather adorable.
The next morning—
Otto planned to check on the other experiment subject, K423, today.
However, the moment he entered K423's room, she greeted him with a "dog head," leaving him stunned for quite a while.
Even after returning to his laboratory, Otto was still bewildered.
K423 was different from True Kiana and K422. She was, in every sense, a blank slate, so he naturally had not arranged any brainwashing lessons for her.
In fact, if he placed a book in front of K423, she would probably be more likely to eat it.
So what had he missed? The second word K423 had learned after "mom" was actually "dog head." Where had she even learned that word?
Even if Otto pulled out all his hair, he still could not figure it out.
It was not as if he had not considered K422's brainwave synchronization. But even if K422 could communicate remotely with True Kiana and K423, neither True Kiana nor K422 could possibly have encountered that term.
The most crucial part was that K423 had shouted "dog head" with particular delight.
Otto had nowhere to direct his anger even if he wanted to get mad.
Come, Your Oolong Tea
Although he did not know what had happened to K423, such a minor matter would not affect his plans.
"I just wonder how good K422's talent for combat is... She is Cecilia and Siegfried's child, after all. She should not be too terrible."
Of course, if she really was too terrible, Otto had other methods.
He refused to believe that increasing the training intensity would not turn a piece of trash into an S-rank Valkyrie.
"The only available team at the moment seems to be the Assault Team. The Assault Team's captain, Ragna Rodbrok, is exceptionally capable. An A-rank Valkyrie should be more than enough to teach K422."
Leaning heavily against the back of his leather chair, Otto casually brought up the Assault Team's files.
Schicksal had not yet developed standard Valkyrie Armor. Or rather, while the combat uniforms currently used by Valkyries were made with fabric that provided protection against Honkai Energy, they were still far from deserving the name "armor."
The Assault Team naturally used the relatively practical Arctic Combat Suit currently available. However, due to team rules, every member used a Heavy Greatsword as her weapon.
"Oh? A new member? No wonder they applied to return to headquarters for rest."
Otto glanced at the girl who had just joined Schicksal, the corners of his lips rising slightly.
"Then the Assault Team it is."
Otto opened his communicator and gave Amber an order.
Upon receiving the order, Amber immediately contacted the Assault Team, which was operating in the Far East.
Seeing the woman dressed as a maid appear on the communications screen, Amber was briefly taken aback.
"Lord Amber?"
"Captain Ragna Rodbrok, the Assault Team's application has been approved. A Valkyrie squad has already been arranged to take over your duties. The Assault Team may return to headquarters today."
"Really? That's wonderful!"
The maid-dressed woman began dancing with joy.
"Lord Amber, you have no idea. Honkai incidents are especially frequent in the Far East. One second, we have just cleared out a batch of Honkai Beasts, and the next, another batch is born. They do not even give us time to eat or sleep."
The woman clearly wanted to complain about the Far East. The branch here was developing slowly, while there were damnably many Honkai Beasts. Although the alcohol here was quite good, she naturally would not mention that at a time like this.
If she got caught drinking on duty, her hard-earned vacation back at headquarters might be canceled.
They had been fighting continuously for three months. Their weapons and Arctic Combat Suits were severely damaged. If they continued fighting, the suits would no longer provide any protection, and their weapons would be unable to shatter the Honkai Beasts' shells.
"Captain Ragna, remain on standby at the branch for now and wait for the replacement Valkyrie squad to arrive."
Amber unilaterally ended the communication.
If there was any Valkyrie squad in the world that had it the hardest, it was naturally the Assault Team currently stationed in the Far East.
Every Valkyrie squad sent to replace them in the Far East complained about it.
Of course, any Valkyrie squad capable of complaining was naturally quite strong.
A Valkyrie squad composed of B-rank Valkyries would find it difficult to survive in a region like the Far East, where Honkai outbreaks were so frequent.
Several Valkyrie squads from Schicksal had already perished in this place.
Meanwhile, the Assault Team members did not care that Amber had ended the communication unilaterally.
The thought that their vacation had been approved made them burst into cheers.
The Assault Team's newcomer was naturally baffled by their reaction, her face filled with confusion.
Especially because of the captain's contrast. The captain she knew was usually gentle, warming every team member like the mild sunshine.
It really was the alcohol's fault.
The newcomer could not help covering her forehead.
Thinking of how the captain had guzzled down two large bottles of vodka just minutes ago, she was extremely worried that the captain had made a drunken scene through the screen.
After all, the woman on the other end of the communications screen looked like a secretary serving an important leader.
"Everyone, drink!!!"
At that moment, the maid-dressed woman raised a newly opened bottle of vodka and shouted.
"Ohhh, Captain, I love you!"
"To Captain Ragna!!"
"Captain! I like you!!"
"I want to wash the railway!!"
Watching the team members raise their bottles one after another, the Assault Team newcomer developed an even worse headache.
They were all drunks.
No wonder none of them could find partners.
When they were sober, they all spoke nicely and were beautiful too.
But after drinking, what a disgrace they became.
Ragna guzzled down more than half a bottle, wiped her mouth in satisfaction, then noticed the newcomer standing to the side. "Newbie, why aren't you drinking?"
The newcomer who had been called out shook her head. "I'll pass. I don't like drinking."
In truth, she did not like drunks, nor did she like alcohol.
"Alcohol is good stuff. Sometimes it warms your body, and sometimes it helps you forget your troubles. Come on, finish a bottle too."
Reeking of alcohol, Ragna wrapped her arms around the newcomer, clearly preparing to put on a show of teasing the newbie.
The other team members also began egging her on.
"C-Captain?"
"What do you eat to grow this big? Damn it, one hand can't even hold them!" Ragna's hands naturally did not behave themselves as she hugged the newcomer, though the heavy sensation beneath her palms still made her a little jealous.
"You're obviously such a shut-in, so why is your figure this outrageous?!"
"Exactly, exactly! Cowgirl newbie, why is your figure this outrageous?!"
"Big Sis Ragna, she's even more impressive once she takes her clothes off."
"Then strip her!!"
"Strip her! Strip her!!"
After a bottle of vodka, any semblance of reason had long since evaporated.
With such a soft, tender newcomer perfect for teasing, they naturally would not let her off.
They had experienced this sort of thing themselves. Now that it was their turn to be the seniors, they were naturally full of enthusiasm.
Still, there were limits to how far they teased newcomers. They knew not to go too far, since teasing the new girl was only meant to build rapport.
The newcomer's face turned bright red. She struggled twice with all her strength but still could not escape the drunk captain's embrace.
When the drunk captain's hands became increasingly indecent and she even intended to strip her, the newcomer finally screamed, "Stop it, you drunk!!"
As she spoke, she did not forget to smash the back of her head hard into the other's face.
Of course, Schicksal's Valkyries had all been enhanced. The newcomer, who had yet to undergo augmentation surgery, was only an ordinary person, and the result was that she hurt her own head.
That blow sobered Ragna up quite a bit.
Though the impact felt little different from a mosquito bite to her, it made the newcomer's resistance unmistakably clear. Ragna immediately apologized seriously. "Sorry, I went too far."
Seeing even the captain apologize and back down, the team members who had just been egging her on also gathered around the newcomer to apologize.
Seeing how sincerely they apologized, the newcomer felt rather helpless.
She did not want to ruin the mood either, but she truly could not let this group keep fooling around like this.
After all, there were several couples in this team. Yes, couples where both sides were women.
Accidentally getting involved in a lesbian relationship would be one thing.
But if she inadvertently became Xiao San and ruined someone else's relationship, that would be a far greater sin.
Although their drunken behavior was simply unbearable to watch, they were all gentle and considerate seniors when sober.
After learning what she had gone through, they had immediately recruited her into the Assault Team without another word.
And because they worried about her mental state after suffering such upheaval, someone was always nearby to keep an eye on her.
She truly liked these people.
Except for when they drank.
"Captain, you've had too much to drink!"
"Haha, don't worry about it. I can hold my liquor. Since you don't want alcohol, have something else instead."
Having released the newcomer, Ragna naturally continued fooling around with the other team members.
Just because this newbie did not like being teased did not mean they would exclude her from having fun.
"Then I'll have Oolong Tea."
"Fine, get the newbie a cup of Oolong Tea!"
"Coming right up, one cup of Oolong Tea!"
The woman who usually acted like every team member's big sister poured more than half a cup of vodka into a glass, then added some whiskey.
Mm, the liquid in the cup really did turn exactly the same color as Oolong Tea.
"..."
"Here, your Oolong Tea."
Big Sister spoke to her in her usual gentle tone.
Thinking back to when she had first joined the Assault Team, whenever she had nightmares, it was always this gentle big sister who stayed by her bedside. At that moment, tears could not help falling from her eyes.
"This isn't the same Oolong Tea I remember."
This team of drunks was absolutely awful.
The newcomer naturally refused to drink such Oolong Tea and could only choose to eat some food instead. It had to be said that every member of the team was a good cook.
"Wait, something's happening..."
Ragna, who was about to finish another bottle of vodka, heard the alarm.
"Girls, another batch of Honkai Beasts has appeared!"
"Ura!!"
"What do you mean, Ura? We're not Russians."
"But I'm half Russian. Ura~"
Watching them rush out one after another with Heavy Greatswords in hand, the newcomer could only smile wryly.
Before you continue