Chapter 40: The Night Before
Kenji
"Your enthusiasm is noted, Miss Kaslana," a calm, chillingly polite voice said. "I trust your ability to follow precise instructions will be just as impressive."
Kenji flinched. They had been in Briefing Room 3 for less than a minute, and Kiana had already been verbally dismantled. He watched as his friend's triumphant, battle-ready grin faltered, her boisterous energy snuffed out like a candle in a vacuum.
She mumbled a quiet, "Yes, ma'am," and shuffled back in line, for the first time since he'd met her, looking completely out of her depth.
The room itself didn't help. Unlike Himeko's cluttered classroom or Theresa's cozy, chaotic office, this space was sterile. A single, polished black table sat in the center of the room, surrounded by a few chairs that looked like they were purely for decoration.
The walls were bare and boring, It felt less like a room and more like the inside of a high-tech laboratory, and standing in the center of it all was the head scientist.
Rita Rossweisse.
She stood before them, her posture immaculate, her hands clasped neatly behind her back. A polite, professional smile graced her lips.
Kenji didn't expect that a Valkyrie dressed like a maid could be so terrifying. But even if he was intimidated, a part of him was still happy that he got to meet Rita again.
'She's so cool!'
Her gaze was analytical, sweeping over them not like a teacher sizing up students, but like a master craftsman inspecting her tools. Kenji felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back. This was a whole different level of intimidation.
"Miss Raiden," Rita said, her gaze moving to Mei. "Your academic and combat records are exemplary. I expect you to set a fine example for your team."
Mei inclined her head respectfully, her own composure a quiet match for Rita's. "I will do my best, Miss Rossweisse."
"Miss Zaychik," she continued, her eyes flicking to Bronya. "Your proficiency with our data systems will be a crucial asset on this assignment. I expect your reports to be thorough."
Bronya gave a curt nod, her expression as unreadable as ever.
Finally, her gaze settled on Kenji. It lingered for a moment longer than it had on the others. He felt like he was being scanned, every detail from his file, every rumor whispered in the hallways, being weighed and measured in that single, unnerving glance.
He resisted the urge to fidget.
"And you must be Kenji Aoyama," she said, her tone perfectly neutral, before a soft unnerving smile crept up to her face. "We've already met once before. I have read your file, your progress since joining the academy has been... noteworthy."
'Rita Rossweiss just praised me!'.
"Thank you," was he managed to say.
With a wave of her hand, Rita activated the holographic display. A map of Nagazora flickered to life, but it wasn't a tactical grid filled with Honkai signatures. It was a simple map of the city's residential outskirts, a specific, quiet district highlighted in blue.
"Your first field exercise," she began, "is a Humanitarian Aid & Security Detail."
The silence that followed was filled with confusion. Kenji glanced at Kiana, whose face was a perfect picture of bewilderment.
Rita went on to explain. A convoy of supplies: food, water, and medical kits was being sent to an isolated residential district that had been cut off during the eruption.
Their job was to escort the convoy, set up a distribution point, and assist the civilian survivors. She presented them with supply manifests, population estimates, and civilian management protocols.
Kiana couldn't hold back. "Wait," she blurted out, her earlier caution forgotten in her disbelief. "So we're just... carrying boxes and stuff? That's the mission?"
If Rita was annoyed, then she didn't show it at all on her face. Mei jabbed Kiana on the stomach for her complaints.
Meanwhile, Kenji had different thoughts going through his head. 'I fight my way through a literal apocalypse, become a vigilante, and join a school for super-soldiers. My first mission is... another delivery job. Wow.'
Rita turned her calm, unwavering gaze back to Kiana. Her smile remained, but there was a sudden sharp intensity in her eyes that made the room feel several degrees colder.
"A Valkyrie's duty is to protect humanity, Miss Kaslana," she said, her voice still soft, yet now carrying an edge of steel that cut through the air. "Sometimes, that means fighting many Honkai beasts. Far more often, it means ensuring a traumatized child has a warm blanket and clean water. The lives you are protecting are the same, whether you are holding a weapon or a crate of medical supplies."
She took a step forward, her gaze sweeping over all of them. "Schicksal does not need more brawlers. We need soldiers. Warriors. And a warrior understands that the mission is not always glorious. It is often quiet, thankless, and exhausting. Your evaluation will be based on your discipline, your compassion, and your ability to serve a purpose fitting the title of a Valkyrie."
The room was silent. Kiana looked down at her feet, properly chastised. Even Kenji felt the weight of her words settle over him.
He thought of his nights as the Night Runner. For every flashy fight, there were a dozen small, quiet moments. He understood her point, and he respected it.
Rita's professional smile returned as if the moment of intensity had never happened. "You will prepare your standard field gear. We depart from Hangar 4 at 6 tomorrow morning. I expect you all to be on time."
She gave them a final wink to finish their briefing. "Dismissed~"
And Kiana swiftly dragged everyone else out the room.
/ — /
Kenji
The dorm living room was filled with a strange, focused energy. The sun had long set, leaving the city lights of St. Freya to cast a soft, ambient glow through the windows.
The air hummed with a mix of nervous excitement and quiet determination as the team prepared their gear for tomorrow's departure.
Kiana sat cross-legged on the floor, a cleaning kit spread out before her as she meticulously polished the barrels of her dual pistols. Despite her earlier complaints, she was now completely absorbed in the task, carefully treating her guns like her most prized possession. Still, it didn't stop her grumbling.
"I still can't believe this," she muttered, holding one of her pistols up to the light to inspect it. "Our first real mission, and we're going to be glorified delivery workers. It's so… uncool."
To the side, Kenji made a look of offence at her statement.
Mei, who was methodically packing her things at the dining table, looked over with a patient smile. "It's an important mission, Kiana. Those people have been through a lot. Helping them is just as heroic as fighting a Honkai beast."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Kiana sighed, setting her pistol down. A mischievous grin suddenly spread across her face. "But that doesn't mean we can't make it interesting! I bet I can unload more supply crates than you, Kenji!"
Kenji looked up from the straps of his battlesuit, which he was inspecting for any signs of wear. He raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"
"You know it! Loser buys lunch for a week!"
Before Kenji could accept, Bronya's monotone voice cut in from the couch, her eyes never leaving the datapad in her hands. "Bronya has analyzed the supply manifest and individual crate weights. Based on Kiana's and Kenji's demonstrated physical output and efficiency, Kenji has a 72.4% probability of winning. The challenge is inefficient and the outcome is predictable."
Kiana shot her a glare. "No one asked for your math, Bronya!"
Kenji chuckled, shaking his head as he went back to checking his gear. Bronya butting into the conversation was a pleasant surprise. She had started to warm up to him a little. Though "A little" being a key word as she still avoided him most of the time.
He wondered why that was.
He fell silent as he packed, his thoughts drifting. Nagazora. He was going back. Not as a shadow darting across rooftops, but in broad daylight, wearing the insignia of Schicksal. It felt strange. The city was his home, the place he had fought to protect on his own terms.
Returning as an official trainee felt… different. It was what he wanted, wasn't it? To be part of something bigger? Still, a small part of him felt a little sad at leaving the Night Runner behind.
God he sounded old.
"You're quiet tonight."
Mei's soft voice pulled him from his thoughts. She had finished packing and was now standing beside him, a concerned expression on her face. "Are you okay? About the mission, I mean."
He looked up, offering her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just… thinking." He decided against telling her what was really on his mind. It felt too complicated to explain. "It's just my first official mission. A little nervous, I guess."
Mei's expression softened. "We all are," she said quietly. Of everyone here, Mei's nervousness is the most warranted. After everything with her dad, going into the public must feel terrifying. "But we'll have each other's backs. And above all Rita will be there. We'll be fine."
"Right," Kenji said, his gaze firming with renewed determination. "Everythings gonna be alright."
Kiana, who had been listening in, grinned and threw a balled-up cleaning cloth at him. "Hey! No getting all sentimental without me! We're Team 7! We're gonna be the best team St. Freya has ever seen!"
"The Bronya finds Kiana's statement to be statistically improbable, but not impossible," Bronya added from the couch, a rare hint of something almost like team spirit in her voice.
"Looks like you seem excited yourself, Bronya." He jokingly said. But Bronya suddenly turned her gaze away from him and walked back to her room. Leaving him to wonder if he said something he shouldn't have.
"Ah don't worry about her, she probably just had to do something!" Kiana quickly reassured him. "By the way, I know we're all excited to go out on our first mission, but you look a lot more motivated than us."
Her eyes widened, and she smiled as a teasing glint appeared in her eyes. "Could it be that Kenji here has a thing for maids— Oof!" She couldn't finish her sentence as Kenji sent a pillow smashing into her face.
"Just so you know, I only respect her as a Valkyrie. Get your dirty mind out of the gutter!"
Peeling the pillow off her face, Kiana's smile didn't die down even a little. Kenji suddenly felt he was in danger.
"Are you sure about that? Then how do you explain… This!" She said as she dramatically pulled a poster of Rita from her pocket. It depicted Rita in her usual maid attire, in a battle pose cutting a honkai beast in half with her scythe.
Kenji Paled.
"I found this little thing hung up on your room, are you sure you don't have a thing for—"
"You put that in your pocket?! You could have creased it!" Kenji yelled as he lunged at her. Kiana, who had not been expecting this, screamed in fear as the two fell to the floor and Kenji tried his best to take the poster from Kiana's hands.
All the while Mei just looked at the two with a resigned sigh, and walked towards her room.