"Lady Kaguya reached the restaurant first!"
"It was Yuzuru who was 0.3 seconds faster."
Two girls who looked like sisters, both in appearance and style, boldly announced their arrival.
Though compared to Kaguya's loud proclamation, Yuzuru's voice was merely at a normal conversation level.
"Nonsense! It was clearly I who entered first!"
Hearing Yuzuru's words, Kaguya pouted.
"I observed carefully. I was the one who entered the restaurant first."
Yuzuru's voice was calm, seeming far more persuasive than Kaguya's.
The Yamai Sisters. An average Valkyrie might find them unfamiliar, but the members of the Immortal Blades were different.
As Schicksal's most elite squad, many among them knew of, or had even seen, these two sisters firsthand.
They understood their personalities, so they weren't particularly surprised by their spontaneous squabbling.
What surprised them more was that these two had actually come along as well.
Though Miku's gaze was intense, it wasn't very conspicuous among the crowd of Valkyries. The Yamai sisters didn't notice her stare immediately. Kaguya, acting as if no one else was around, was preparing to accuse Yuzuru with even greater fervor.
"Haven't we already talked about keeping quiet in public places?"
A third voice rang out, making Miku's eyes dart irresistibly back towards the entrance.
Slightly wavy green hair, a face that should have been cute, yet those eyes and her aura lent a charm and allure mismatched with her apparent age.
Her faint, drifting gaze swept past Miku, sending a slight, tingling numbness through her heart.
Was this... the feeling of falling in love?
[It's the feeling of cardiac arrest.]
Dark Amber knew exactly what Miku was thinking, since Amber had already told her all about it.
This was actually perfect timing. She had just completed the final experiment on the airship; the greatest threat in this world no longer really counted as a threat.
Now she had plenty of free time to play around with this playgirl Spirit.
Miku, unaware of all this, simply felt that the girl before her, both in looks and voice, fit perfectly within her 'type'.
Not only did she appear mysterious and dignified, carrying the cool detachment of a researcher, but her features also imparted a certain seductive charm.
She couldn't help but swallow.
"Bishop Mobius!"
Seeing Dark Amber enter, the Valkyries either stood up, nodded, or showed excited expressions, each greeting her in their own way.
But knowing their place, they didn't turn it into some fan meet-and-greet, even though many seemed eager to come over and say a few words. They ultimately restrained themselves.
They didn't know why the Bishop, who hadn't set foot outside Schicksal's floating islands for so long, had suddenly come to this little backwater, and even brought two Spirits with her. But this didn't stop them from feeling a deeper sense of mission, determined to protect Bishop Mobius well.
"Snake Sis! We weren't being noisy."
Kaguya looked at Dark Amber, her face wearing a wary expression that screamed 'don't you dare find some excuse to punish me'.
She couldn't help but be wary. That sentence from Dark Amber just now had made her hair stand on end, even giving her an involuntary shiver.
Something's wrong! Very wrong! How could Snake Sis suddenly speak so gently? She must be upset about something again!
Her statement wasn't exactly a lie, though. Kaguya genuinely believed she hadn't done anything noisy. To her, shouting and yelling didn't count as noise; real noise would involve using spiritual power to toss the whole room into chaos, at the very least!
Just so she could be taken out next time, she had been restraining herself!
Yuzuru's thoughts were actually quite similar, but she had one advantage over Kaguya... she seemed more like a good kid on the surface.
"Yuzuru was not noisy. It was Yaguya who kept shouting loudly."
"Hah!?"
"Alright, settle down."
Dark Amber didn't have much interest in these two right now, having already studied them inside and out.
She only felt like toying with them, cat-and-mouse style, to kill time when she had nothing better to do.
"Mmm..."
Seeing that the other party didn't seem intent on punishment, Kaguya finally dropped her argumentative stance, firmly covered her mouth with a determined look, then whispered to Yuzuru beside her, "Hey, I don't see Bianka anywhere?"
"But Bianka keeps a very regular schedule. She wouldn't oversleep."
Yuzuru nodded, then said, "Possibility: There are two dining halls here."
"She's probably with Rita right now."
Dark Amber said offhandedly, "Now that Rita's awake, she basically takes over managing all her daily needs."
"Then where should we look for her?"
Yuzuru asked.
"I'm here for the first time too. Just ask someone."
Dark Amber randomly pointed at a Valkyrie, then turned and walked towards the serving counter without a backward glance.
The two Spirits, thrilled to finally be out and about, were actually delighted she wasn't coming over to supervise them. They cheerfully went to find someone else.
Taking it all in, Miku curiously asked the older sister figure beside her, "Those two sisters are...?"
"The Wind Spirits, Yamai Kaguya and Yamai Yuzuru."
The older sister, being a veteran of the Immortal Blades, was quite familiar with this. "The more lively one is Yamai Kaguya, the quieter one is Yamai Yuzuru. They are Spirits previously brought to Schicksal by Durandal-sama, just like you."
So they were Spirits, no wonder they were so good-looking!
Because of her own existence, Miku had taken it as an absolute truth that Spirits must be beautiful. She nodded, but then her interest in the two diminished significantly.
After all, being fellow Spirits, Miku wasn't sure if her ability would work on them, or to what extent it would be effective.
If she had met the Yamai sisters before encountering Durandal and the others, Miku wouldn't have cared about any of this—she would have eagerly rushed over to test the waters immediately. But... times have changed.
This Miku is no longer lacking for high-quality beauties around her. And... being Spirits also under the guardianship of that Mobius, this feeling of overlapping attributes left Miku somewhat dissatisfied.
"So? What's your impression of Bishop Mobius?"
The girl across from her asked curiously.
Though she said 'curiously', her demeanor had a hint of showing off, as if she believed Miku's reply would surely satisfy her.
After all, seeing how those two Spirit sisters were happily frolicking about showed they certainly hadn't suffered much.
Their attitude towards Mobius was one of respect and awe, not fear.
Plus, she remembered often hearing about the Yamai sisters causing trouble back at headquarters, indicating their lives were quite comfortable. Being able to cause constant trouble suggested they lived carefree lives without worries.
The girl had once resented this, thinking how could they, who had damaged the human world, live so well—even Valkyries didn't get such treatment.
But as time passed, she had found her own answer. Just as Durandal-sama said, they were warriors, those who carried the fates of others on their shoulders.
How could they live without worries?
And the Spirits... they simply had no choice. Merely by existing, they were dragged into war, forever dealing with life and death—pitiable creatures.
After realizing this, even if she didn't exactly like Spirits, she no longer viewed them through tinted lenses. That's why she could befriend Miku.
Miku's eyes narrowed slightly.
The green-haired girl, after getting her tray, casually found a seat and began eating.
Even though she was a researcher, her entire bearing carried an indescribable upper-class elegance, fueling an even greater interest and desire for conquest within Miku.
Only upon hearing the girl's question did she pull her gaze back, then revealed a smile: "I feel... she seems like someone you'd really want to get close to."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.