"Evan, where did you run off to? I was starving to death!"
Returning to his dormitory, Evan was faced with Kiana's complaining. Hearing her wail, Evan sighed helplessly.
"Didn't I give you living expenses? You're not telling me you used it all up, are you?"
"Uh... I didn't use it all."
"If you didn't use it all, why didn't you buy something to eat yourself?"
Evan's question seemed a bit sharp for Kiana, and the girl's expression stiffened. Just as she was thinking of a way to muddle through, Evan suddenly took a step closer and looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze.
"You weren't hoping I would eat dinner with you, were you? A girl alone in an empty dormitory building, silently enduring loneliness and solitude, having to solve breakfast and lunch by herself, thinking that only at dinner could she enjoy a meal with her sweetheart. Is that what you were thinking?"
Originally, Evan said this mostly as a joke, since Kiana, in his impression, was not such a sentimental type at all. But then—
"It's not that dramatic!"
Although Kiana retorted crisply, her slightly flushed face made her denial unconvincing. Evan carefully recalled what he had said, momentarily unsure if Kiana's affection for him had reached the level of a "sweetheart" or if she simply disliked the lonely atmosphere of the dormitory and craved company.
Either way, it gave Evan a deeper understanding of Kiana; she didn't seem as heartless as he had imagined.
"Speaking of which, I happen to be a bit hungry, so let's go out together..."
Knock, knock, knock.
Just then, there was a knock on the door of the dormitory building.
The originally damaged main door had been repaired some time ago. Now, standing outside was a beautiful woman who could crush Kiana in terms of figure completely and without suspense.
"Did I disturb you?"
Seeing the young man and woman so close to each other, Himeko Murata maintained her manners, but she felt a sting in her heart.
As a principled woman who was unwilling to join the yuri faction, Himeko Murata was now almost thirty... ahem, Miss Himeko had already wasted a lot of time, yet she had always been alone. Seeing the man and woman in front of her who seemed to be a couple, she, as a single dog, took tons of damage.
"No, I was just inviting someone to dinner."
Although Evan recognized the beautiful woman the moment she appeared, he pretended not to know her.
"May I ask who you are?"
"Himeko Murata. I was entrusted by Principal Theresa to deliver some things to Kiana."
Hearing Himeko's words, Kiana's eyes lit up.
"Did Aunt Theresa prepare a gift for me?"
Aunt?
Principal Theresa actually had such a big niece? White hair and blue eyes—they did have very common physical characteristics. But the Principal's age...
Speaking of which, when she first became a Schicksal Valkyrie, she had heard of Theresa's name. At that time, Theresa was already a very powerful Valkyrie, undoubtedly a senior. After so many years, it wasn't too exaggerated for Theresa to have a niece as big as Kiana. The problem was, how had she managed to stay looking like a little kid all these years? Eternal youth? How envious...
But what about the childishness Principal Theresa showed at times? Malicious selling of cuteness? It didn't seem like it. Could it be that the price of eternal youth was paying with a part of one's intelligence?
In a short time, Himeko thought of many things that would be enough for Theresa to turn hostile if she knew. Then, meeting Kiana's expectant eyes and looking at Evan, Himeko quickly had an idea.
"There are two gifts in total. But I haven't eaten dinner either. I came all this way; you should show some appreciation, right?"
"What does 'show some appreciation' mean?"
Kiana looked ignorant.
Seeing that the girl's expression didn't seem fake, Himeko felt that her previous thoughts about Principal Theresa might be wrong. It wasn't that she paid with part of her intelligence for eternal youth; it seemed that the brains of this family weren't very good.
"Showing appreciation means treating this beautiful lady to a meal."
It was Evan who gave the answer.
Kiana looked enlightened.
"Okay, then let's go to that restaurant from last time. Aunt Himeko, you..."
The girl was cut off halfway through her sentence by Himeko Murata, whose face had turned black.
"Calling me 'Aunt' makes me sound old, you know? You should call me Miss Himeko, just like this handsome boy with good eyesight."
A woman's most taboo topic was age. As time passed, this taboo would only deepen. Kiana had touched this taboo. That Himeko could still maintain a stiff smile was already giving Principal Theresa face.
Although she felt the form of address wasn't a big deal, sensing the air that suddenly seemed to have weight and the invisible resentment radiating from Himeko Murata in front of her, Kiana knew she should make a wise choice.
"Uh... Miss Himeko, let's hurry and go eat."
Ten minutes later.
Seeing yet another unfamiliar woman appear beside Evan, the restaurant owner was somewhat used to it.
First the gentle Raiden Mei, then the lively Kiana, and now a mature and sexy woman. This boy really had broad love interests.
Himeko also noticed the restaurant owner's gaze shifting back and forth between her and Evan. Considering herself in the role of an older sister, she didn't take the initiative to explain the misunderstanding. Instead, filled with curiosity, she began to fish for information from Kiana.
Why did Principal Theresa have such a big niece? Were they really blood relatives?
All the questions boiled down to curiosity about Theresa's age. Although she considered her own age a taboo, Himeko Murata was very curious about Theresa's.
The Principal's consistent behavior usually made Himeko almost ignore the age issue. If the answer she got really matched what she thought, Himeko felt she should discuss with Theresa how women could maintain their beauty.
...Or maybe she didn't need to care too much, after all, she didn't have much time left.
Himeko Murata, who had been smiling relaxedly while communicating with a guileless girl like Kiana, had her eyes dim imperceptibly for a moment.
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