"So, what I'm saying is~" a lazy, mature female voice began. A woman with waist-length red hair tied into a bun lay languidly on a leather sofa, stretching her curvaceous body. Yawning, she reached out and continuously grabbed cookies from the table next to the sofa, munching on them loudly as she spoke.
"Shouldn't you throw away that crappy Honkai detector of yours..." Murata Himeko swallowed the cookie before speaking lazily with half-open eyes.
"You were going on about some Honkai energy reaction in the outskirts of Nagazora City, but I went to check and there was nothing at all..."
The next moment, she picked up another cookie and tossed it into her mouth, making a "crunch, crunch~" sound as she chewed.
"...I admit that was my mistake..." Under the morning sun, the white curtains by the glass window fluttered in the gentle breeze. The loli nun sitting at the desk with her head lowered was trembling slightly, the pen in her hand creaking under her grip.
"But..." Principal Theresa raised her slightly teary face and pointed a delicate finger. "...that's no excuse for you to come to my place and freeload."
"Oh~ I was using my 'Integration Core armor' for a while and it put a bit of a strain on my body, so that big-chested girl in the infirmary told me to rest recently~" Murata Himeko said, rolling her eyes as she tossed a cookie into her mouth.
"Then go rest in your own room!" Theresa shouted.
"I was just afraid of messing up my room and having that girl Mei nag me about it when she gets back..."
"..." Theresa fell silent. She raised a small hand and covered her forehead in resignation. "So, you came here to harass me instead?!..."
"Harass?..." Murata Himeko rolled her eyes. "...No, I wouldn't sexually harass a woman old enough to be my mother. If I'm going to harass someone, it's got to be a cute boy~
"...Alright, I'm done arguing with you." Theresa gave up on the idea of kicking this old-enough-to-be-a-maiden out. She sat up straight again, her eyes slightly lowered.
"...Did you or did you not install a micro-bomb in that girl Raiden Mei's heart?" Theresa asked softly.
"..." Murata Himeko's chewing suddenly paused. She put on a nonchalant expression and said, "Yeah, I did."
"Sigh~... Do you really have to do this?" Theresa was, after all, a bit soft-hearted. If something were to happen to Raiden Mei, her precious niece, Kiana Kaslana, would definitely...
"After all, Raiden Mei is a Herrscher..." Murata Himeko said softly, staring at the cookie in her hand. The cookie, which had been delicious just a moment ago, had suddenly lost its appeal.
Having a Herrscher attending classes with the students at St. Freya High School... if word of this got out... even Principal Theresa would probably be implicated, right?
Moreover, she was a genuine Herrscher. If she were to suddenly go berserk and cause destruction in the academy... the consequences would be unimaginable... She had experienced the power of a Herrscher long ago... it was despairing.
'What can I do about it...' Murata Himeko thought helplessly, closing her eyes.
"Alright..." Theresa ended the topic. She thought for a moment and then said, "We should start preparing for next year's academy competition, right?..."
"You mean the spring academy tournament?" Murata Himeko asked. "The Infinite Abyss, right?"
"That's right... It's time for the Abyss competition that best tests the students' abilities again." Theresa finally broke into a sweet smile. "This will be an important basis for evaluating the children's Valkyrie ranks in the future..."
"The prizes for the competition are ready too, right?" Theresa asked.
"Don't worry, don't worry~ Those geeks at the Saint 7308 Research Institute said they would provide a very good weapon as the first prize~" Murata Himeko said with a wave of her hand, a hint of envy in her tone. With the development of Schicksal and the advancement of human technology, the weapons developed by Saint 7308 were getting better and better... it almost made her want to participate.
"Is that so?..." Theresa asked curiously. "What is it?..."
"Hee hee~" Murata Himeko smiled. Meeting Theresa's curious gaze, she mouthed silently, "..."
"..." Theresa was a little shocked as she watched Murata Himeko slowly mouth the name. "Those geeks are really going all out this time..."
"Yeah, they are... I never had such good equipment back in my day~" Murata Himeko lamented. Suddenly, she slapped her forehead and continued, "It seems those geeks also used the strange snow-white crystal flowers that Schicksal collected from the battlefield during the last Honkai war as materials to forge a batch of reverse-blade swords~ Their power is quite good."
"Is that so? They could be used as prizes for other academy competitions in the future..." Theresa said, counting on her fingers meticulously.
"Mmm..." Murata Himeko agreed. Slowly, she extended her guilty hand towards the last crispy cookie on the plate on the table.
"Hmm?...." Theresa happened to turn her head and saw Himeko about to eat her last snack for the afternoon. She panicked... "Wait!... Himeko, leave the last cookie! I haven't eaten any today!......"
"Ah-oh~" Murata Himeko ate the cookie in one bite under Theresa's despairing gaze, licked her bright red lips mischievously, and said with a smile, "Sorry, I ate it~ At your age, why are you eating sweets? It's bad for your teeth~
"Aaaaargh..... No——" Theresa felt the boat of their friendship had capsized in an instant.
"Eating so many cookies really makes you thirsty~" Himeko said, smacking her lips. She reached out, picked up Theresa's drink next to the dessert box, and took a big gulp....
"Pfft!!" She spat it all out immediately.
"Theresa! When are you going to change your habit of drinking bitter melon juice!" Murata Himeko said angrily, looking at the liquid in the cup.
"Hahaha!~~" Principal Theresa laughed like a child, slumped over her desk. "Silly Himeko, silly Himeko~~"
"..." Murata Himeko gave Theresa a helpless look, then gazed at the bitter melon juice in her hand. The sunlight poured into the principal's office, and a gentle breeze stirred their long hair.
A slight smile appeared at the corner of Himeko's mouth...
(End of Chapter)