"Kiana, wake up!—"
In the morning, under the urging of her energetic roommates, Kiana sat up drowsily in bed.
Rubbing her eyes and shaking her head, she habitually tapped a few times in the air.
"I'd like a glass of orange juice, two baguettes, and an apple, please."
After tapping for a while, she realized there was no holographic interface in front of her—nor did the ever-helpful Angeloid come to dress her or prepare her breakfast.
"Huh? Is the system malfunctioning?..."
"Are you still half-asleep? You don't have a fever, do you?"
Durandal came over and touched Kiana's forehead.
"Mm..."
That was when she finally remembered—this was St. Freya Academy, not the space station.
Everything here had to be done by herself. There was no Cecilia or Angeloid looking after her every need.
"Breakfast's ready, come eat."
Mei called out warmly to her.
Everyone was being especially kind to the new classmate.
"Oh?!... Thank you!"
Although the food wasn't quite as good as what the Angeloids made, Kiana found it nice to eat together with others her age.
After breakfast, they hurried to class to start the day's lessons.
"The basic curriculum for Valkyries includes biology, history, geography, and physics. In addition, cosmology is a mandatory core subject."
"I'll be your instructor."
Himeko Murata stood at the front of the classroom.
As the youngest doctor in interstellar propulsion dynamics, Schicksal had invited her to teach at St. Freya not only to train Valkyries but also to conduct research.
"At present, our ships use Honkai energy as their power source. The construction of interplanetary vessels is still underway..."
"The basic principle of Honkai-energy propulsion is..."
"Ohh..."
The complex equations on the board left most of the Valkyries completely dazed.
Aside from Bronya, who was the smartest among them, everyone else looked like their brains were about to short-circuit.
Interstellar mapping, gravitational relationships with spacetime, stellar coordinate triangulation—it was all far more complicated than regular physics or math.
"This is so hard... Are we seriously going to be tested on this?!"
Mei and Durandal scratched their heads. They couldn't even read the star charts properly—the three-dimensional galactic maps carried far more information than any two-dimensional map.
"Hm? That's easy."
Kiana didn't think it was difficult at all.
Having grown up surrounded by shipgirls and the Commander, she had spent countless hours aboard the Eternal Snowfall or other vessels.
"You can actually understand this?"
Himeko looked at the new girl in surprise.
"Mm-hm. Isn't this just a simple reactionless spacecraft?"
"Also, if you want to travel between star systems, you'll need an FTL engine, right? Crossing systems at sub-light speed is way too slow."
"Honkai-energy reactors are convenient, but their output stability isn't as good as dark-matter reactors. Maintenance is also much more troublesome..."
Kiana replied earnestly, analyzing based on her own experience, leaving Himeko completely dumbfounded.
FTL? Dark-matter reactors? What in the world?!
The theories she mentioned sounded like pure fantasy—yet the logic was sound, and the reasoning self-consistent. Some of these ideas were easily centuries ahead of Earth's current science.
"You can even read star charts?" Himeko asked again.
"Yes, Miss Himeko. You marked the position of the second planet in the Alpha Centauri system incorrectly. It's a trinary star system, so the stellar orbits affect the planets' trajectories."
Kiana answered seriously.
"..."
Himeko checked her calculations and realized Kiana was absolutely right.
A genius.
She had just met a super genius.
"How do you even know all this?" Bronya whispered curiously.
"Hmm... I used to fly there on a ship to look around," Kiana said after thinking for a moment.
"Ohhh, you mean remote-controlled model ships? Those are really expensive..."
Durandal's eyes lit up with excitement.
"You actually have one? Can I see it?"
"Model?..."
Kiana scratched her head. The spaceship Setsuna had casually made for her really was meant as a toy.
"Mm, yes, but it can only travel a few dozen light-years. It doesn't even have warp capability."
"I left it at home. When I get the chance, I'll take you all for a ride."
"?"
"What? A few dozen light-years?..."
...
After the theoretical lessons ended, the afternoon session was devoted to Valkyrie combat training.
"Alright, alright, the practical lessons will be taught by me~"
A young woman with long gray-blue hair tied into a ponytail by a black ribbon stood before the class, lining the students up on the training grounds.
She wore a tracksuit top, a white-trimmed short skirt, and black arm sleeves—her face both pretty and composed.
"I'm Shigure Kira, an A-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal. Lady Theresa invited me here to serve as your combat instructor."
"Wow—!"
The students exclaimed in admiration.
To have a battle-hardened A-rank Valkyrie as their instructor proved how seriously Schicksal took St. Freya's education.
Yet, Shigure Kira's demeanor was less that of a warrior and more of an idol.
"Ahem, before we begin training, I have a question for everyone," Kira said, clearing her throat.
"Why do you want to become Valkyries?"
"Hmm?..."
The students murmured among themselves.
"To fight against the Honkai! To protect humanity!"
Durandal stepped forward, answering with determination.
"To become stronger, to protect myself and those I care about," Mei said after some thought.
The others followed suit, giving similar answers—each motivated by noble ideals of defending Earth and humanity from Honkai Beasts and Herrschers.
Kira nodded, clearly satisfied, before turning to Kiana.
"And you? You're the new transfer student, right? Why do you want to be a Valkyrie?"
"I..."
Kiana thought for a moment.
"I want to rely on my own strength—to become an excellent S-rank Valkyrie, go up to the sky, and visit my mom and dad. I'll tell them I've grown up and surprise them."
"Ah..."
Kira froze.
The whole training field fell silent.
"This child..."
To go to the sky and see her parents through her own strength...
From Kiana's words, the teacher and students instantly imagined a tragic past.
She must have lost her parents in a Honkai disaster, and now she wanted to grow stronger to make up for that loss.
"I see..."
Kira noticed Bronya and Mei subtly signaling her to play along. She immediately understood.
They couldn't break the child's illusion—they had to encourage and support her.
"Alright, then. Becoming an S-rank Valkyrie isn't easy, but keep working hard. Your parents will be proud of you in the heavens."
She patted Kiana's shoulder gently.
"Mm!"
Kiana nodded earnestly and looked up at the sky.
"They're always watching me—I know it."
"Don't dwell on the past; look toward the future. Your journey has just begun. Enjoy your life at the academy, and one day, you'll have the power to save others."
Kira's voice was warm and full of encouragement.
"I understand! I'll become a Valkyrie they can be proud of!"
Kiana said confidently.
The two of them were clearly on completely different wavelengths—yet neither noticed.
"Someday, I'll take you all to meet him."
"You'll take us...?!"
Some students exchanged glances, whispering in confusion.
But thinking it over, they figured she was just a dreamy, imaginative girl—and that was fine.
Several of the girls, moved by Kiana's cheerful determination, couldn't help but shed tears.
Even the usually stoic Bronya's expression softened, and she decided she would look after Kiana from now on.
After being moved for quite some time,
the group finally began their combat training.
"The most important skill for a Valkyrie is learning to harness Honkai energy," Kira explained. "Since you've all been admitted, that means your Honkai adaptability is above average. I'll teach you how to use it effectively in battle..."
Shigure Kira snapped her fingers, and her assistant released several low-level Honkai Beasts.
The trainee Valkyries immediately grew excited, eager to test their strength.
"Hm?"
Kira noticed that Kiana's hands were empty.
"Oh, right—you're the new student. You don't have a weapon yet. What kind of armament would you like to use?"
"Do you have any Divine Keys?"
"Pfft—"
"That's something only S-rank Valkyries and above can use. Ordinary students don't have the ability to wield a Divine Key."
Kira felt a headache coming on.
"The academy provides standard weapons for students—both melee and ranged. If you prefer modern weaponry, we have those too. Choose whichever suits you."
She motioned for Kiana to follow her.
"...So basic," Kiana muttered under her breath.
She thought Schicksal's issued weapons weren't even as good as the mass-produced ones the Angeloids used.
Suddenly, she remembered the times aboard the space station when she saw the Herrscher of Sentience and others sparring—summoning weapons from thin air.
"Hmm... what's the strongest kind of weapon again?..."
She closed her eyes, channeling Honkai energy.
Memories from her time on the space station flashed through her mind. On an interstellar scale, what counted as the ultimate weapon?...
Cecilia's Black Abyss White Flower? No, not that.
Judas' Oath? Still not it.
Then—an idea struck her.
The Herrscher of the Void's core within her resonated, and Honkai energy condensed in her hands.
Shhh—
"Huh?!"
Shigure Kira was startled. Creating a weapon out of pure Honkai energy was beyond belief.
When she looked closely, she saw strange constructs forming around Kiana.
They were composed of crimson-black Honkai energy—miniature turrets, bridges, missile pods, and other intricate structures.
They were exquisitely detailed, resembling tiny model warships.
"What... is this?" Kira asked in amazement.
"It's ship rigging—it's really powerful! Um... though, it looks like I can't use it properly. The cannons won't fire."
Kiana looked genuinely disappointed.
"If only I were a shipgirl too..."
"What? What even is that supposed to mean?..."
—
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