"Get in. The people from the Schicksal Branch should be arriving soon. If we have to explain everything to them, we might not make it to St. Freya today."
Wende pulled the car up beside the trio and rolled down the window. Wendy, sitting in the passenger seat, gave the three girls a small, smiling wave.
"Uh... oh."
Kiana, completely dumbfounded, looked around at the wreckage-strewn scene, an expression of utter confusion on her face. After a moment's thought, she opened the car door and got in.
"Something feels off."
Mei pressed a hand to her forehead, her gaze toward Wende filled with puzzlement, but she followed Kiana into the car.
"..."
Bronya said nothing. Her instincts told her that even if she asked, Wende wouldn't tell her what had happened. On the contrary, he would probably just invent a mountain of nonsense to fool her...
It was better not to ask. They would deal with it once they reached St. Freya.
After the Titan Mechs were dealt with, the road to the Schicksal Oceania airfield suddenly became exceptionally clear. There were hardly any other vehicles in front of them. Perhaps the noise from the battle was so intense that it scared all the civilians away?
Then again, given the temperament of the people of Oceania, shouldn't they be flocking over to have a curious look?
Wende had no idea, but finishing this move early was a good thing. Speaking of which... where did that cookie of his go? He was starting to feel the urge to feed it to Cocolia.
Did she think she could just snatch Wendy away as easily as before? Sorry, she's under my protection now.
He reached over and sentimentally patted Wendy's little head. Feeling her slightly quizzical gaze, Wende smiled faintly.
Mm... Wendy is still the most well-behaved one!
Recalling that rebellious, father-charging daughter of his, Wende began to lament how vast the difference between people could be.
If Stelle were as cute, sweet, and obedient as Wendy, would he have to worry so much?
And then there was March. If only her thought processes weren't so bizarre... Sigh, he shouldn't think about it anymore. If he kept thinking, he wouldn't want to go back.
Ten minutes later, Wende drove the car to the vicinity of the Schicksal Oceania Branch's airship port. Thanks to Theresa's arrangements, they had green lights all the way. The group quickly unloaded their belongings from the car. The airship had already arrived...
Pushing Wendy's wheelchair, Wende looked at the person who had come to greet them with some surprise. Why is she here?
"You must be Mr. Wende? I am Rita Rossweisse. I am in charge of receiving you for your trip to St. Freya Academy."
Rita, dressed in a maid outfit, gave Wende a perfect, formal curtsy and explained her purpose.
Wende didn't say much, merely giving Rita a slight nod before pushing Wendy onto the airship...
What would Pom-Pom look like in a maid outfit?
The thought suddenly popped into Wende's head, and he couldn't help but picture the scene...
"Goshujin-sama, would you care for some juice, pom!"
Cringe~
Wende couldn't help but shiver. No, that was a terrible idea. He couldn't keep thinking these weird things, or he'd really be assimilated!
And thus, the March 7th Virus had begun to show signs of human-to-human transmission.
Seeing that Wende was ignoring her, Rita showed no sign of displeasure. She just watched his retreating back thoughtfully, then went to help the trio with their luggage.
Since this Mr. Wende will be staying at St. Freya Academy, we have plenty of time. Arousing his suspicions now will only put him on guard.
This was Rita's thought process, and also her mission for this trip.
That's right, it was a mission personally issued by Otto: stay at St. Freya Academy and observe this Mr. Wende's movements, to see if he was a...
"Threat."
Or perhaps...
"Hope."
---o---
"Are you nervous?"
In the airship's passenger cabin, Wende sat down beside Wendy and asked softly, noticing her gaze fixed on the view outside the window.
"Mm... a little."
Wendy nodded slightly, her eyes still on the world outside. She watched as the airship slowly lifted off the ground, watched the Oceania Branch base grow smaller and smaller, until it finally disappeared...
She had left... left the place that had tormented her for three long years. She could finally go home... right?
Wendy's gaze shifted to Wende, her cyan eyes full of dependence.
Perhaps she had found a new home, hadn't she?
To her now, wherever Wende was, that was home. He was the one who had brought her that single, untouchable yet attainable ray of hope in the endlessly suffocating abyss, and had pulled her out of the water...
If it weren't for Wende... then... she probably would have become the very thing she hated most, right?
That whispering voice in her ear had vanished on its own after Wende came into her life. For the past eight days, she had been able to sleep soundly every night.
---o---
"Yes, Principal. We will arrive at St. Freya Academy at 1 PM. Although there were some delays, it's not a major issue overall. In addition, Bronya... would like to report another matter to you..."
In another cabin on the airship, Bronya was giving her mission report to Theresa, who was far away in the Far East. The mission to retrieve the Gem of Desire in Oceania had been a success, but the details were quite intriguing.
For example, why did Anti-Entropy's people ambush them? And more importantly... what was Wende's true identity...
If he really was the Wende from the game, then what was his purpose in coming to this world?
If he wasn't, then who was he?
A series of difficult questions was thrown at Theresa. And on top of that, Schicksal HQ had dispatched a special investigator to St. Freya Academy...
Although she and Rita were old acquaintances, this...
Sigh, it was best to wait until they arrived...
In the Principal's office, after listening to Bronya's report, Theresa silently looked over at Himeko. She had wanted to ask her about this Wende, but to her surprise...
Himeko was blushing as she watched last night's preview video, and the screen was currently showing the five-star Wende's showcase...
"Hey, Himeko, don't tell me you're swooning over him?"
Theresa's expression instantly became peculiar. She quietly snuck up behind Himeko and, while she was still immersed in Wende's character demo, suddenly popped up from behind her, speaking in an accusatory tone.
"Ah? What are you talking about? How could I possibly be swooning?"
Himeko quickly turned off the video on her phone, her expression highly unnatural as she awkwardly retorted.
"Really?"
Theresa knitted her small brow and slowly leaned closer to Himeko, her sky-blue eyes filled with scrutiny.
"Really~"
Himeko playfully pinched Theresa's little cheek, looking utterly helpless.
"Mmm↑↓~ I told you not to pinch my face! You must maintain respect for the Principal!"
"Alright, alright. Our Principal is just so majestic."