Seeing Kiana like this, Bronya decided not to bother explaining further.
After all, as the ancients said, never argue with a fool.
Otherwise, the fool will drag your intelligence down to their level and then beat you with their superior skills at that level.
"Hey, hey, hey, Bronya, what's with that eye roll? Are you looking down on me?"
"Bronya thinks you don't need to ask. It's already quite obvious."
Glaring at Kiana, Bronya left using her Project Bunny.
That's right—due to her leg issues, the academy had specially allowed her to use Project Bunny to move around.
"Ah, my lovely and beautiful girls, may I join you~?."
"Sure, sure! I was just about to go get some ice cream. Want to come?"
Kiana didn't refuse and nodded in agreement.
She completely failed to notice the slightly resentful look in Mei's eyes.
But Elysia noticed. She walked past Kiana and linked arms with Mei like a close friend.
"Oh my, Kiana, look. You were so focused on inviting me for ice cream that you forgot about Mei. She's a bit upset now. Hurry up and comfort her~?."
"No, I'm not."
Having her thoughts exposed, Mei blushed and immediately denied it.
But Kiana's emotional intelligence wasn't low. She quickly realized what was happening.
She felt guilty for having forgotten about Mei earlier.
So she grabbed Mei's other arm and started acting coquettishly.
"Mei, come with me to get ice cream, okay? Please, please~."
"Fine, but we have to be quick. There's only 20 minutes between classes."
"Yay! I knew Mei loves me the most."
Seeing that Mei was no longer giving her that resentful look, Kiana knew the issue was resolved.
She then gave Elysia a grateful look.
Completely unaware that this pink-haired girl was also taking advantage of the situation to get closer to Mei.
"Mei, Mei, your hands are so soft, just like mine. But it's a shame I can't use makeup—my skin is naturally like this and can't be changed."
"...What?"
Hearing this, Mei almost blurted out whether Elysia was showing off.
But seeing Elysia's sincere expression, she couldn't bring herself to ask.
She decided to treat it as Elysia simply stating a fact without any intention of boasting.
"..."
Bronya watched everything silently, feeling like an outsider.
Soon, the four of them bought ice cream. Mei got taro flavor, Elysia chose strawberry, Kiana picked vanilla, and Bronya went for blueberry.
After finishing their ice cream and throwing the wrappers in the trash, they returned to their seats and chatted idly.
Meanwhile, Fu Hua, who had just returned from a mission, saw the pink-haired girl and thought she must be dreaming.
After rubbing her eyes a few times and confirming it was indeed Elysia, Fu Hua was dumbfounded.
Oh, great. You were the ones who insisted on sticking to the script, and now you're the first to break it.
"Ah, isn't this Hua? Long time no see. So you've become a Valkyrie here. What's your rank?"
"...A-rank."
Faced with Elysia's enthusiastic approach, Fu Hua took a step back, unsure how to react.
Seeing Fu Hua step back, Elysia pretended to tear up, rubbing her eyes.
"Wuwuwu, Hua, you've changed. We used to get along so well, but now you're avoiding me. You won't even let me hug you."
"...Sigh, fine."
Fu Hua now realized that this Elysia was indeed the one they all knew.
After all, Vill-V had told everyone except one person.
Oh, guess who, Chang Yuan? Who do you think wasn't told this secret?
Seeing Fu Hua open her arms, Elysia immediately dropped her act and hugged her.
"Hua, you know too, right?"
Whispering into Fu Hua's ear, Elysia asked softly.
"...Yes, Dr. Vill-V told everyone except Chang Yuan."
"That's good. As long as he doesn't know~?."
Thinking about it, Elysia felt this was karma.
Just as Kiana had been kept in the dark, so had Chang Yuan.
Both of them had decisions they needed to make.
One had to be kept in the dark to grow stronger and defeat the Honkai.
The other had to witness the world with her, so she could eventually stay with him forever in her new identity.
Both were kept in the dark.
"So why are you breaking the script again?"
"Eh, watching from the sidelines isn't as fun as experiencing it firsthand, right?"
"...That's very much like you."
Fu Hua sighed, knowing Elysia's obsession with the Herrschers of this era.
In the previous civilization, Elysia had been alone, with only herself as a companion. It had been a lonely existence.
Now, in this new era, with beings similar to her—her own creations—how could she resist the urge to see them up close?
"Hey, this classmate, I haven't seen you before. What's your name?"
Kiana popped up between the two, looking at Fu Hua with curiosity.
"I'm the class monitor and also an A-rank Valkyrie. I'm usually away on missions, so you haven't seen me in class. My name is Fu Hua."
"Wow, an A-rank Valkyrie! That's so cool, even though we're the same age."
Kiana looked at Fu Hua with admiration.
Fu Hua, feeling a bit embarrassed under such a gaze, turned her face away.
If you counted her actual age, she could be considered an ancient ancestor.
"Ahem, students, please return to your seats. Next, I'll introduce your new teacher, who will be your martial arts instructor."
At that moment, Himeko walked in wearing a sharp teacher's outfit, tapping the blackboard with a pointer to get everyone's attention.