The enrollment and employment procedures weren't complicated. By the time Theresa, having successfully escaped the crowd, scurried back to the Headmaster's office in a disheveled state, the other two had already arrived ahead of her. They had finished filling out their application forms and were waiting for the Headmaster's return to stamp the two thin sheets of paper.
"You two! How could you just abandon your Headmaster and run off like that?! Is that any way to act?! Is that even reasonable?!"
"If you hadn't gotten carried away, jumped onto a chair, and started shouting—completely ignoring the fact that the cafeteria was packed during lunch break... then yes, it would have been quite unreasonable," Himeko said, feigning a serious review of the situation before delivering her verdict.
"Himeko, you—!"
"From a purely rational standpoint—indeed," Snow added, nodding gravely from Himeko's side.
"Gah! You're infuriating me!" Theresa fumed, pulling out a stamp and furiously stamping both application reports. Then she immediately waved her hands to shoo them away.
"Here, stamped! Take these to the Logistics Department to pick up your student uniform and teaching assistant's outfit. Oh, and since you're officially an A-rank Valkyrie, you can apply to Headquarters for custom-made armor and weapons, just like Himeko."
"You can even customize the appearance! Speaking of which, Himeko has a Valkyrie armor set that looks like an evening gown. She's always wearing it to go out and flirt with guys..."
"Ahem! Ahem! Ahem!" Himeko coughed violently.
"Just send me the application when you're ready. I'll approve it and forward it to Headquarters' R&D Department. Now! Your Headmaster is angry! Both of you, get out of my sight! Immediately! Right now!" Having finished with official business, Theresa switched back to grudge mode.
The two standing before the Headmaster exchanged a glance and wisely chose to retreat through the door.
"Phew—they're finally gone... Time to read my new Homu manga!" Watching Himeko and Snow exit, Theresa let out a long sigh of relief, then excitedly opened a hidden compartment under her desk.
Inside was a manga with a strange yellow rabbit doll on the cover.
"Homu's Great Adventure Issue 114, Global Limited Collector's Edition! Yes!"
-
"By the way... where am I supposed to live? Should I go back and ask Theresa?" Snow suddenly remembered something and turned to Murata Himeko beside her.
"Oh, that. The Headmaster mentioned it earlier. You'll be staying with me," Himeko said after a moment's thought. "I just don't know if you can handle the other handfuls living there."
"Handfuls? You mean Kiana and the others?"
"Exactly. Kiana and the others." Himeko began to list each of their quirks.
"Kiana is the classic example of someone who's lazy and gluttonous. She won't get out of bed unless you literally rip her blanket off."
"Raiden Mei, on the other hand, is a responsible and reassuring girl. She takes care of all the cleaning and cooking at home. But... you know, she's the vessel for the Third Herrscher."
"Bronya is also a pretty low-maintenance kid, aside from her habit of staying up all night playing video games. Her only real flaw is that she's so mature for her age it's a little heartbreaking."
"And while she's usually well-behaved, when she and Kiana get together... what's that Shenzhou idiom again?"
"...'Enemies are bound to meet on a narrow road'?"
"Yes, yes! That's the one!" Himeko nodded emphatically.
"Then there's Houraiji Kyuusyou... Hiss... I don't even know what to make of her," Himeko said, sucking in a breath. "While your background is at least traceable, that girl is a complete enigma."
"She mostly stays cooped up in her room, only coming out for meals. She doesn't talk much, though she occasionally plays online games with Bronya. Her gaming skills are impressive—she's the only one here who can consistently go toe-to-toe with Bronya."
"What's more, her knowledge of and aptitude for Honkai-related subjects are unnaturally high. Before they enrolled, I gave them a placement exam. Aside from a few history questions, she got nearly everything right."
"No... it's not just that her aptitude is high. It's more like she already knew everything..." Himeko trailed off, a flicker of unease crossing her face as she recalled the details.
"You arrived late, so you missed her sparring match with Fu Hua. She's nowhere near as weak as Kiana and the others claim. There are very few people at the Academy who can hold their own against Fu Hua like that, and almost none of them are students."
"So you're saying Kyuusyou doesn't talk much, her combat skills are completely different from what they were in Nagazora City, and her understanding of Honkai is abnormally high?"
"That's right. If Bronya hadn't said she'd never seen her among Anti-Entropy's members, I would have suspected she was one of their Executors. After all, there are plenty of Executors known for their combat prowess."
As a transmigrator, her abnormally high understanding and knowledge of Honkai would make sense...
But sparring with Fu Hua? As a Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie, no matter how much Fu Hua held back, someone without at least A-rank strength shouldn't be able to fight her to a standstill.
And quiet, reserved, yet incredibly powerful? That doesn't match my previous impression of her at all. It's more like...
...Kyuusyou from Fire Moth? Snow suddenly had a thought and turned to Himeko.
"Himeko, you said Kyuusyou fought Fu Hua to a standstill... I can tell Fu Hua is a martial artist who specializes in hand-to-hand combat... What about Kyuusyou?"
"Kyuusyou... Hmm, based on her movements, she seems to specialize in dual-wielding close-combat weapons and Great Swords. I can vouch for the Great Sword part—I'm an expert with that kind of weapon, and I can recognize the stances she uses."
"But I'm not sure about the dual-wielding. Maybe you should ask Fu Hua? After all, she's the one who sparred with Kyuusyou." Himeko shrugged.
"Mm, I'll ask her when I get the chance." Snow nodded and sank back into her thoughts.
Great Sword, dual-wielding bladed weapons... Most likely dual long daggers... It really is Kyuusyou from Fire Moth...
No, I need to actually talk to her before I can be sure. Jumping to conclusions now is pointless.
"Hey! Hey! Snow, what are you thinking about?" Himeko waved her hand in front of the blonde girl's face, snapping her back to reality.
"Ah, nothing. Just thinking about what life will be like from now on..."
"Tch, fine, don't tell me. Always so secretive. Anyway, we're running out of bedrooms at home, so you'll be sharing a room with Kyuusyou! Two mysterious girls, a perfect match."
"Uh... I don't mind." Snow shrugged again.
"But what about Kyuusyou? Himeko, you haven't asked for her opinion yet, have you...?"
"This is my house! Do those little brats dare to have an opinion?!" Himeko pumped her fist, perfectly demonstrating what it means to be the master of the house (not really).
"Alright, we're here. Mei should be making lunch right now. Thanks to Kiana's bottomless stomach, we always make way too much food, so there's more than enough for you."
"Uh... aren't you worried about wasting food?"
"Darling, you need to trust in the Kaslana family's capabilities..."
Is there something off about this "Kaslana family capability"???