"It seems that, perhaps, probably... I'm not really sure how to handle this."
Ragna swung her iron pipe and struck the Knight-class Honkai Beast in front of her once more.
Even with all her strength, she failed to make the Honkai Beast in front of her stop for an instant, while the iron pipe she held in her hand was severely deformed.
"This is very troublesome..."
Ragna sighed to herself and began to change her attack pattern.
Although she did not possess a greatsword capable of delivering a fatal blow, the light steel pipe allowed her to better utilize her agility.
If her stamina bar were infinite, Ragna felt she could outmaneuver this Knight-class opponent for her entire life, though her stamina was not.
(I hope Himeko arrives soon...)
Ragna employed dance-like steps to face the Honkai Beast in front of her, and even had time to glance at the short, grayish-gold-haired girl.
(She's much cuter than Himeko. Honestly, Himeko must have been corrupted by her older teammates, right? I shouldn't have let them hang out.)
Ragna calmly dodged the attacks of the Knight-class Honkai Beasts while her thoughts wandered.
(Hey... stop looking at me, find somewhere to hide!)
Ragna wanted to raise her voice and warn the short, grayish-gold-haired girl, who was huddled and looking in her direction, to hide quickly.
However, she feared this would cause the Honkai Beast in front of her to change targets, so she had to give up.
After all, her attacks couldn't penetrate the defenses, and if the Honkai Beast really had its sights set on the girl, she had no viable solution.
Fortunately, Ragna's worries did not last long.
"Captain! Here I am! Get out of the way!"
Himeko appeared in Ragna's field of vision, brandishing Hrangnir, and was heading towards her at an extremely fast speed.
"Hrangnir's thrusters..."
Ragna heard the sound of the car speeding and silently calculated the distance between herself and Himeko.
Then she counted down and suddenly stepped back.
Bang--!
Although Himeko's movement was a "slash," the small booster on the Hrangnir's blade made it look like a "hit."
No need to search further, that Knight-class Honkai Beast is definitely dead, no doubt about it...
But speaking of which, is Hrangnir's booster really that powerful?
After all, that was the weapon that had originally been prepared for her, and she had naturally touched it a couple of times.
She remembered that the propulsion capacity was not enough to move a person at such a speed, right?
"Phew...! That's it, Captain, are you okay?"
After driving away the Knight-class Honkai Beast with a single sword blow, Himeko sighed in relief, looked at Ragna, and at the same time, untied the Serpent King Greatsword from her back and handed it to Ragna.
"I'm fine, after all, the Honkai energy intensity is not high."
Ragna tossed the deformed steel pipe she had in her hand.
"By the way, did you see any other Honkai Beasts on the way?"
"We destroyed a tank and two assault vehicles on the way. According to command, it seems there is another assault vehicle that ran out of the building."
"I killed it."
Ragna added.
"That's all... Phew, what a scare!"
Himeko's lips curved slightly into a smile.
"Then, it seems there is nothing left, we can conclude the matter."
"That's all for today... Himeko, you can continue to carry my sword."
Ragna hadn't forgotten that there was a young victim at the flower shop.
"¡...!"
"Don't be shy!"
Ragna looked with a smile at the petite girl in front of her.
"In moments like these, why don't you turn to your big sister?"
Ragna affectionately hugged the girl in front of her.
"Himeko, how far are we from the safe zone?"
"In a straight line, it takes about two or three minutes."
The real danger zone is actually the building the Honkai Beasts escaped from; this area is already considered low risk.
Ragna nodded and carried the short, grayish-gold-haired girl out of the safe zone.
"Is your Captain a bit of a lolicon?"
There is a strange confusing feeling here... ahem, a criminal aura.
"Don't think the Captain is like you, okay?"
"Like me?" Tian Shi asked indignantly.
"First, I'm not a lolicon. Second, my feelings toward lolis are only courteous and respectful; that is, I care about them. In fact, I really like older sisters."
"Hehe..."
Himeko smiled disdainfully,
"Keep making excuses, I'm listening."
"By the way, how did you like the weapon I modified for you? It's okay, right?"
"It suits you very well, I didn't know you had this ability," Himeko said, touching the blade of Hrangnir.
"It's just a small modification to the power of the small thruster. Those researchers were a bit rough with the settings of this thruster... Never mind, let's get back to your Captain."
Tian Shi sighed in relief after avoiding the topic of lolicons.
Speaking of that, the saying "feelings must be expressed, but with decorum"... sounds familiar.
It's Rita, right?
In that instant, he suddenly understood what was happening with the cruel irony of fate.
"I must have been infected by Rita, right?"
"He who approaches vermillion is stained red, and he who approaches ink is stained black." The ancients were right!
...
"Yes, we are safe here."
Ragna put the girl down from her arms.
"There is still a risk of further collapse at the scene, so don't get too close."
"Ah... that..."
The girl, trembling, finally spoke her first words in front of Ragna.
"Mmm? Is the young master worried about the flowers?"
Ragna guessed it, observing the girl's reserved expression.
After all, the flower shop was quite large, and it was understandable that people would worry about such things after having lost something.
"I believe the insurance company will compensate you handsomely, so there is nothing to worry about."
"No, this is not it..."
The girl became somewhat anxious upon hearing Ragna's words, but still could not speed up her speech.
"That... that... is..."
"Huh?"
"Thank you."
Given Ragna's doubts, the girl could only articulate this sentence.
"You're welcome," Ragna said with a smile.
"If the young master wishes to express her gratitude, why doesn't she visit my store tomorrow? Here is my business card."
Luckily, Himeko is not here.
As Ragna reflected on this, she handed over the business card she had in her hand.
"Some uncles may be coming to pick you up soon; don't be afraid, they are all good people."
After saying that, Ragna led the girl to the bench.
Just then, Himeko arrived.
This time, Ragna took the sword from Himeko and bid her farewell with a gesture.
...
"By the way, Captain, what did you put in that child's hand?"
After confirming again that the area was safe, Himeko suddenly asked her Captain a question.
"What?"
Ragna asked, apparently realizing what was happening a little late.
"I saw it, Captain, you slipped a small card into that child's hand."
Himeko is now beginning to wonder if her Captain is really a lolicon.
Although she initially dismissed Tian Shi's words as nonsense, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that something didn't add up.
The title "Little Master" is truly... well, a bit cheesy, although it perfectly suits the Captain's attire.
"Honestly, Captain, you seem to be only like this with children, right?"
"Because, Himeko, the things you will face in the future are not learned with kindness alone," Ragna said with a smile.
"But don't worry, it's just a business card. Tell the girl she can come to me if she needs anything."
"Do you think I have peculiar tastes?"
"Yes."
"Huh? Where... where?"
Ragna was slightly nervous.
"You have a maid fetish; you wear a maid outfit all the time..."
"I already said this is social practice! A very serious social practice!"
Ragna, somewhat annoyed and embarrassed, gently tapped Himeko's head.
"When I was a counselor at the orphanage, I dressed very formally."
"Mmm... okay."
Himeko stretched.
"Forget it, all this hassle has ruined my day. Captain, are you still going to do your social practice?"
"No, after all this, I don't have to work today anymore. Let's go back and have dinner together. I should reflect on my laziness of the past few days... From now on, I'd better carry my weapons with me when I go out."
"Could we request a smaller weapon? A longsword, for example..."
"Let's use a violin case as a temporary solution."
"The violin case is so small..."
Her weapons are huge swords! Huge swords as tall as a person! Not short katanas!
"Then let's build a coffin; after all, there are always more solutions than problems."
"Ha..."
...
The next day
"By the way, are you sure the Captain is here?"
Himeko looked up at the sign in front of her, her face reflecting disbelief.
"I'm sure, you didn't see that card well yesterday, but I saw it perfectly; it was the business card, an advertisement card."
"No... isn't this a bit far-fetched? The team leader would be working here... uh, I mean, doing social practice?"
...
ABYSSANGEL (Fallen Angel)
The name alone might give naughty children the wrong idea, but in reality, this is... Himeko hid behind a tree, observing the different maids walking inside through the glass.
"Well, it's not actually that far-fetched."
"This is a Maid Café!"
Although our Captain's attire fits perfectly here, wouldn't it be more appropriate for her personality to fit volunteering in places like nursing homes or kindergartens?
"That's a stereotype," Tian Shi replied.
"If I hadn't told you, would you have been able to guess that I was very much a homebody before?"
"..."
Where should she start criticizing Tian Shi's words?
"I knew it when I realized you were a maid lover and a lolicon."
"Waaah... Your slanders really hurt me!"
"Ha! In other words, you were the one who asked me to bring the camera today, right?"
Himeko looked at Tian Shi.
"I did it to capture a beautiful moment."
Tian Shi remained unperturbed; no matter what happened, he had to record the Lolita's SSR status so he could use it later to dominate the evil woman.
"I feel like I'm being an accomplice to evil," Himeko muttered, but she didn't move an inch.
"Although the fact that the Captain works at a maid café is somewhat shocking, once her mind starts to wander, she suddenly finds it quite amusing."
It is better to let her die than to prevent her from participating in something so interesting.
"Alright, Tian... ahem, that girl is here, you can follow her."
Just then, Tian Shi saw Lolita holding a large bouquet of flowers, looking nervous.
Speaking of which... should this form of Rita be called Lolita?
"Okay!"
Himeko strutted out from behind the tree.
"Ah! That red-haired older sister from yesterday..."
Loli Rita noticed Himeko immediately.
"Did you also come for coffee?"
As she asked the question, Himeko naturally pushed the door open and entered.
"This..."
Rita hesitated, not knowing what to say; only now did she realize that she didn't know the name of the maid who had saved her the day before!
But the red-haired older sister had already opened the door, and Rita mustered up the courage and slipped inside before the door closed.
"Mmm... this store doesn't seem very big inside."
The store is small, which means you can see most things at a glance, like a command Captain turning to the side, preparing to "escape."
Unfortunately, just as Ragna was about to run to the break room, she bumped into her colleague.
"Asura, the new master and a young master are greeting you. Are they acquaintances?"
"Ah... um... yes"
Young master?
Ragna looked around and saw the little girl next to Himeko shyly waving her hand.
We can't let that child be sad...
But Himeko found out that I worked at a maid café!
What unbearable suffering!
A dignified A-rank Schicksal Valkyrie, Captain of the Valkyrie Assault Team and combat instructor directly under headquarters, actually works at a maid café... If others find out, her life as a Valkyrie will be over, right?
"Good morning, masters. What would you like to order?"
Ragna tried to force a smile.
"Mmm! Thank you very much for saving me yesterday! This is just a small token of my appreciation! I think sunflowers would look great on you!"
Rita mustered her courage and handed over the bouquet; only then did Himeko and Tian Shi realize that the bouquet contained sunflowers.
It must be said that Rita has very good floral arrangement skills; even Tian Shi and Himeko, who know almost nothing about floral arrangements, can appreciate their beauty.
No wonder Rita once said that if she retired, she would open a flower shop again...
Oh my God, what beauty!
The bouquet of flowers that Rita handed her eased Ragna's anxiety about being "ruined."
"Would you like a cappuccino? It's on me."
Rita nodded timidly.
"What about me? What about me?"
Himeko raised her hand at that moment.
"Miss Asura, do you have any recommendations for me?"
"Get out of here!" Ragna wanted to say that, but she was unable to curse in front of her subordinates or Rita.
"Do you want a cappuccino?"
"Is Miss Asura inviting me?"
"Don't call me that! I'm extremely embarrassed when someone I know calls me that!"