"Sora, you're back!"
Seeing Sora return carrying someone, Lala quickly ran over.
"Yeah… and I brought back a friend of yours," Sora said with a smile, placing Run on the sofa and patting Lala's head.
"Huh… Run-chan! It's Run-chan! Run-chan came to Earth too!"
With her striking ice-blue hair and cute face, Lala instantly recognized Run, her expression a mix of surprise and joy.
"Run-chan, wake up! Wake up! Time to get up!"
She shook Run's body, calling out to her. The simple-minded Lala didn't even wonder why Run was blushing and unconscious. Even if she knew, she probably wouldn't care.
"Nngh, where is this…"
With a soft moan, Run slowly opened her eyes.
"Great! Run-chan is awake! Long time no see, Run-chan!" Lala said with a bright, flawless smile, her hands clasped together.
"Long time no see, Lala."
Her head still a little foggy, Run sat up and rubbed her forehead, replying subconsciously. But then, she froze.
"Wha—Lala?!!!!!"
Utterly shocked, the girl shot to her feet.
"Mmm-hmm, it's me! I missed you, Run-chan," Lala said with a happy nod, then hugged her, nuzzling her affectionately.
"Nngh… Let go! Let go! Why… why are you here, Lala?!"
Nearly suffocated by the thoughtless and strong Lala, Run finally struggled free, her face a mask of shock and surprise.
Though the two of them had been childhood friends with a complicated relationship, Run was not good at dealing with Lala. And in a way, the simple and cheerful Lala, who never seemed to have a care in the world, and Run, who looked pitiful on the outside but was a bit of a little devil on the inside, were natural enemies.
"Heehee… You don't know yet, Run-chan? I'm engaged now! This is the home of me and my husband, Sora!" Lala said with a giggle, puffing out her chest with a hint of pride.
"Engaged… Your home… Sora?"
Stunned, Run already knew Lala was engaged. That other guy had rushed all the way to Earth because of that news. But what she never expected was that Lala's fiancé was Sora!
She couldn't forget the feeling of her body, mind, and soul being released when she kissed him. In that moment, she knew she had fallen in love. But—
The first boy she had ever liked in her life was Lala's fiancé!
Looking at Lala's pure and sunny smile, Run gritted her teeth, finding it incredibly annoying. It was always like this, ever since they were children. Everything she liked would be taken and broken by this girl, Lala. And this time, she had even beaten her to the boy she liked!
Damn you, Lala! Damn you! Were you sent by the heavens just to oppose me?!
"Alright, you two can catch up later. You must be hungry. Let's eat first," Sora said, interrupting them. Knowing their complicated history, he shook his head and spoke up.
"Run-chan, Sora's cooking is the best in the entire universe! You have to try it!"
The mention of food got Lala even more excited. She grabbed Run's hand and pulled her towards the dining table, which was already laden with delicious dishes.
Pouting and still annoyed, Run was indeed very hungry. Her cute little nose caught the alluring scent, and her eyes lit up as she started to drool.
"Time to eat!"
"Mmm… So good! This is so good! Is all the food on Earth this amazing?"
"Heehee… It's delicious, right? Though the food on Earth is pretty good, Sora's cooking is the absolute best!"
…
At the table, the starving Run forgot all about her ladylike manners. Having never eaten anything so delicious, she was practically wolfing it down. Lala was no better. Only Sora ate elegantly, savoring his food and occasionally feeding a bite to the little pet in his arms.
"Um… who is this little girl? She looks kind of familiar," Run finally managed to ask between bites, looking at the cute, familiar-looking loli in Sora's arms.
"Oh, that's Rhea," Lala replied without pausing her meal.
"So it's Rhe…"
It took a moment for it to register. When it finally did, Run froze.
"Ha… haha… Lala, you're joking, right? You must be joking to scare me, right?" Run asked with a stiff smile, as if trying to hold something back.
"No, I'm not. That's Rhea. She came to Earth to test Sora on behalf of Mother, but she was defeated by him. The loser Rhea is now Sora's little pet."
Lala's thoughtless reply struck Run like a bolt from the blue.
That invincible Valkyrie, Lady Rhea, lost to Sora and became his little pet?!
Oh my god, how is that possible!!!
"Hmph, you're that girl from Planet Memorze, aren't you? Brought to the royal palace as Princess Lala's playmate. The one who turns into a useless little boy whenever she sneezes. Mmph…" the proud Valkyrie said, lifting her noble little head coolly, only to be cut off as Sora stuffed a piece of food into her mouth.
She glared at him hatefully, but soon, her eyes narrowed in enjoyment as she savored the delicious food.
"La-La-Lady Rhea!"
Now completely convinced, Run shivered, dropping her chopsticks. She quickly stood up and bowed repeatedly to Rhea.
Though she looked like a harmless, cute little loli now, Run didn't dare to be disrespectful. The image of the Strongest Valkyrie, who struck fear into the hearts of countless enemies, was deeply ingrained in her mind. Her fear and reverence for her were almost instinctual.
No wonder she looked familiar. Run never imagined the terrifying Lady Rhea would be here. She hadn't heard anything about it.
If she had known this great lady was here, neither she nor Ren would have dared to come to Earth, not even if they were beaten to death.
It wasn't Run's fault. Zastin and the Devilukean soldiers had kept the battle between Rhea and Sora a tightly guarded secret. As the Strongest Valkyrie, Rhea was like a sharp sword that deterred countless races, a vital symbol of Deviluke's rule over the galaxy.
If other planets found out that their Strongest Valkyrie had been defeated by a human, it would undoubtedly encourage those with ill intentions to make a move, potentially causing chaos throughout the entire galaxy.
"Alright, Run, you don't have to be afraid of her. She's my little pet. As long as I, her master, am here, she can never bully you," Sora said with a smile, rubbing Rhea's head to comfort the nervous Run.
"Sora…"
Looking at the invincible and proud Lady Rhea in her mind, who now looked hateful but powerless in front of Sora, Run couldn't believe her eyes.
But it was all real. The proud, cold, and powerful Lady Rhea had lost and become Sora's little pet.
Worshipping the strong is a common instinct among all creatures. Though Run had suspected Sora was strong, she never imagined he would be this strong, strong enough to defeat the undefeated Lady Rhea!
Her heart was filled with endless shock and surprise, but what she felt even more was an almost fanatical love and adoration for Sora…
She felt a little dizzy. From then on, when Sora told her to sit, she sat. When he told her to eat, she ate. When he told her to take a bath, she obediently went into the bathroom.
No matter what he asked, she would do it with a cute and earnest diligence, as if following his orders was following the truth itself, which gave her an unusual sense of peace.
"Run, this is your room. You can stay here with us from now on."
"It's getting late. You should get some rest," Sora said with a smile, pointing to the room next to his and Lala's bedroom.
"Mmm…"
With an obedient nod, Run went into the room and closed the door.
"Hmph, she's completely mesmerized by you. It looks like your harem is about to get another member," the loli Rhea's voice came, cold and sarcastic.
"Of course. She is one of the girls I have chosen," Sora replied without any pretense. He picked up Rhea and continued with a wicked grin, "And once your body recovers, master will make you one of them too."
Gritting her teeth, an uncontrollable blush appeared on the Valkyrie's cold and cute face. Knowing that no matter what she said now, she couldn't get the upper hand with this demon, she stubbornly turned her head away.
Though he knew this Valkyrie was still strongly resisting him, Sora just smiled, unconcerned. From the moment she fell into his hands, her fate was sealed.
"Sora, I'm done with my bath!" Lala's voice came as she bounced out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel.
"Mmm, then let's go to bed."
A smirk on his lips, Sora wrapped an arm around Lala's waist, picked up Rhea, and walked towards their shared bedroom…