Yet... a minute passed. Sirin had thought she would die, but she realized she did not seem to feel the slightest pain.
She opened her large golden eyes in confusion and saw only... Himeko's face less than a foot away from hers. That enormous greatsword... had not struck her, but was behind her.
"..."
Sirin stared blankly at Himeko before her. She did not understand... why had Himeko not killed her?
Then... Himeko suddenly reached out and gently placed a hand on her cheek. Feeling the warmth of Himeko's hand brought Sirin back to her senses.
"What exactly are you trying to do?!"
Without a second thought, Sirin slapped Himeko's hand away. She completely could not understand what Himeko was trying to do. Sirin had gone for the kill, yet Himeko had actually held back.
"Be my daughter, Sirin!"
Himeko withdrew her greatsword. Her golden eyes fixed on Sirin, filled with earnestness.
"What..."
"Are you joking? Are you trying to humiliate me?!"
Rather than making Sirin happy, Himeko's words made her feel as though Himeko was deliberately humiliating her, making her even angrier...
"I'm not joking. Be my daughter!"
Himeko let go of her greatsword and, before Sirin's shocked eyes... directly opened her arms and pulled her into an embrace. One hand held Sirin's back, while the other gently rested on the back of her head.
"..."
Held in Himeko's arms, Sirin's eyes widened considerably. She had not expected things to turn out like this.
This Valkyrie... was not an enemy, but wanted to be her "mom"?
Sirin's gaze suddenly calmed somewhat. However... the words those adults had said to her resurfaced in her mind once more, along with... the painful deaths of her friends, one after another.
Sirin had personally buried every one of those friends. Those adults... had