"Dinner is ready! Dinner is ready!"
Ragna, who had somehow put on a maid outfit, was banging a spoon against a stainless steel pot.
"Himeko! Is everything ready on your end?"
"All ready," Himeko said as she came out with a plate.
"There are a few more dishes left; it's not much, but it will be enough for everyone to have a taste."
Thanks to Himeko's lack of knowledge regarding ingredient proportions, she prepared much more dough and filling than a single person could handle, and by sheer luck, it turned out well.
"I'll help you serve it."
Ragna and Himeko worked together, and soon eight or nine plates of dumplings were served.
The other Valkyries on the team also prepared their own dishes, and even though someone had borrowed an especially large table, it was already quite full.
"Bring another table."
"Hey, Captain, where's the wine? Is there no wine tonight?"
Some of the Valkyries looked around and then asked Ragna.
"Don't even think about corrupting Himeko!"
Ragna hit the speaker on the head with a spoon.
"There are only non-alcoholic drinks; take them or leave them."
"Oh, Captain, how partial you are!..."
"Himeko, would you like to have a drink with your superior?... Ah, right, you're not of age yet."
She retracted immediately as she suddenly remembered that, shrugging shyly.
"I think it's better if Himeko doesn't see you seniors behaving like this when you're drunk, regardless of whether she's an adult or not... Alright, is everyone here? Let's eat!"
"Cheers!"
"Oh! Cheers!"
"Let's try Himeko's food first," Ragna said, having just finished her drink.
She first looked at the dumplings, immediately picked one up, and put it in her mouth.
"..."
"How is it, Captain?"
Himeko watched expectantly as Ragna tasted her dumplings.
"Mmm..."
Ragna's face flushed slightly after tasting the dumpling.
"It's delicious, it has a very distinct personal touch and is unforgettable with just one bite."
(How much chili does this have? Do you put this kind of chili in such quantity?)
"Hmph ~~"
Himeko gave Tian Shi a provocative look.
Tian Shi: Your Captain is such a good person.
"Speaking of that..."
Ragna captured Himeko's attention again.
"Himeko, you are from the Far East, right? Is this something that was done... a unique practice of the Far East?"
"No, I figured it out on my own."
"Ah... um, no wonder..."
"No wonder?"
"Oh, no, I mean it's very good."
Ragna quickly gulped down a sip of her drink.
"By the way, what did you put in it? It tasted like pork... and... chiles?"
"Mexican chiles... I know this ingredient very well, I bought a bag when I was in college and used them to cook every day back then."
Himeko described the situation with great enthusiasm, while Tian Shi silently used his Troublemaker ability to refill Ragna's drink.
"How is it? Isn't it delicious?"
"It has a truly unique flavor, everyone should try it."
Ragna simply couldn't bear to crush Himeko's confidence.
(Huh? Did Himeko just serve me water?)
Ragna looked at her cup with confusion, but then, determined not to suffer alone, she quickly called out to the others.
"Food that even the Captain praised? Let me try it... Damn it, this is... ahem, ahem, I mean this... ahem, ahem, water, give me a glass of water!"
"...?"
Himeko felt uneasy when the other person, inexplicably, shed tears and tried to find water.
At the same time, the other party's reaction aroused even more curiosity.
"I'll try too... Pff!"
"Wow... is this a chili wrapped in dough?!"
"Murder? Is this an attempted murder?"
"Although I only took one bite, I'm already worried about how I'll feel tomorrow..."
The words of the others finally made Himeko realize that something was wrong.
"Mmm... could it be... really bad?"
"Bad? Not really..."
The seniors, seeing Himeko's confidence, didn't want to directly discourage her, so they exchanged glances.
(What should I do? I can't just say it's bad, can I? Himeko looks quite disappointed.)
(If you don't say anything bad, you can eat these dumplings yourself; tomorrow I'll contact a proctologist for you.)
(If I remember correctly, Himeko is a doctoral student at Caltech... It seems that even high achievers have things they are not good at.)
(Huh... does no one think these dumplings would go perfectly accompanied by alcoholic beverages?)
Everyone silently looked at the person who had suggested pairing the food with alcohol.
I have to say that spicy flavor... is it really perfect to combine with alcohol?
But the Captain had already said that it would not be allowed this time...
"Captain, I suggest we go to the logistics department and get two cases of beer."
"Didn't I already say that today...? Well, go and come back soon."
Seeing that her teammates were considering offering the dumplings to her as a form of "filial piety," Ragna finally gave in.
If I eat too much of this, tomorrow I'll have to go to the proctology department!
"Also, since there are so many of us, remember to bring a few extra cases, the usual amount."
Once the mindset succumbs, it is much easier to stumble again.
"Captain, did I do a really bad job?"
"I think so," Tian Shi interjected from the side, receiving a glare from Himeko in return.
"Mmm... everything was quite good, except that it was too spicy."
Ragna tactfully said:
"Perhaps... there's no need to put so much chili in the dumplings. I remember the seniors saying that there used to be a veteran at headquarters who was very good at cooking spicy food, but unfortunately, we don't know where she is now."
"I understand," Himeko said, nodding with mixed feelings and deciding to try to find that veteran when she had the chance.
"Also, things might get a little chaotic later, so bear with me, Himeko."
Ragna watched the team members go out to get beer and warned Himeko.
"Chaotic? Could the seniors get drunk and behave wildly?"
"After all, the pressure of being a Valkyrie is immense... If someone gets too rowdy, just punch them."
"I've never seen my seniors when they're drunk before," Himeko said, sounding quite curious.
"It's a pretty chaotic experience... but I really can't say anything about it."
Ragna sighed in frustration.
"Don't worry, I'll help you clean up when we're done... By the way, do you have any valuables in your living room? If you do, quickly put them away so they don't get dirty later."
"Is it really necessary to go that far?"
"Yes, of course, don't underestimate the workload of a Valkyrie throughout the year, but since you've never been on a mission, it's normal that you don't understand."
"Could you give me more details, Captain?" Himeko asked, quite curious.
"Specifically... most of the time the missions are relatively easy, like dealing with a small collapse point in a certain place, or with Anti-Entropy's mechanical force crossing the border in a specific area. These are the easiest missions; of course, normal Valkyries will also have missions to act as bodyguards for important figures, but we don't usually do those important jobs."
"And what about the most dangerous ones?"
"The most dangerous thing is the large amount of Honkai that appear."
"Whether in a city or a deep mountain forest, they represent a great danger. In cities, it is necessary to evacuate civilians, while in deep mountains and forests, exploration is difficult and subsequent support is problematic. Furthermore, the Honkai Beasts that appear in these situations are not weak; the great variety of Honkai Beasts poses a very complex problem for any army."
Ragna seemed to remember a battle, and a worried expression appeared on her face.
"However, we have been lucky these last few years, as no Emperor-class Honkai Beast has appeared. In the past, when Emperor-class Honkai Beasts appeared, they usually annihilated the entire team... Of course, that's not the biggest problem."
"Isn't that the biggest problem?"
Himeko was shocked.
Was this an incident that annihilated the team and was not considered a problem?
"The real problem is... well, it's not appropriate to talk about this now," Ragna said, waving her hand with a slightly sad expression.
For these Valkyries, the greatest source of pressure is actually the sacrifice of their comrades... but Ragna felt that she didn't need to tell Himeko.
"Captain! The beer is here! Want a can?"
"Give me a can."
A few cans... well, more than a dozen cans.
After each person drank more than a dozen cans of liquor, the atmosphere in the room completely heated up.
Apart from those young Valkyries who carelessly threw their clothes around, no one cared that Himeko was still underage.
"Come on, Himeko, how about a can?!"
A veteran greeted Himeko.
"Let's toast!"
"The seniors are really... lively."
"I knew that gathering such a large group of people couldn't be a good thing."
"When did you say that?" Himeko looked at Tian Shi.
"But... it really is as chaotic as the Captain said... You can't look away."
Her senior teammates had already thrown their clothes all over the floor and were practically one step away from being completely honest with each other; Himeko was not going to allow Tian Shi to "behave like a hooligan" there.
"What do you take me for?... I would never be interested in drunk people; in fact, I quite dislike the smell of alcohol."
"Uh... the truth is, I imagined you were the type of person who would accept anyone... glug glug..."
"Himeko, what are you holding in your hand?"
"It's a wheat drink the Captain gave me," Himeko said naturally.
"I have to say it's pretty good."
"Why don't you say this is Oolong tea?"
Tian Shi's eyelids twitched.
You don't even know what this "wheat drink" is in this context?
Don't settle for whatever Ragna gives you! And Ragna, weren't you against Himeko drinking?
"Oolong tea...? Are you referring to the cup in front of the Captain?"
Himeko tilted her head and pointed to Ragna, who was still dressed as a maid but sitting in a chair with an expressionless face, and the dark liquid that was half full in front of Ragna; well, a large cup of about 500 milliliters.
Are you seeing things? Why does it look like the liquid level in the cup is slowly going down?
"Is that evaporating, damn it?"
"I never thought I would see something like flammable Oolong tea in my life," Tian Shi murmured, rubbing his forehead.
Well, there's nothing more to say; Ragna was already drunk, although her excellent drinking manners made her look stunned.
"Aren't they drinking beer? I remember that flammable Oolong tea is vodka with whiskey..."
To put it more directly, drinking half a large cup of this is equivalent to about 5 ounces, even if it's not a full cup.
Hopefully, it's diluted vodka, not distilled vodka...
"Oolong tea is Oolong tea... Tian Shi, you're talking very strangely," Himeko waved her hand, puzzled.
"I think you could try lighting it with a lighter."
Tian Shi couldn't take it anymore.
"Lighter?"
Himeko tilted her head, looked at the half-full cup of Oolong tea in front of Ragna, and then...
She reached out, brought it to her lips, tilted her head back, and drank it all.
"Isn't it something very important?"
Himeko shook the cup in front of her with a silly smile on her face.
"Did you change your name to 'Don Draper'?"
Tian Shi's lips twitched.
"I told you to light it with a lighter, not to... Hey, Himeko, were you already drunk before?"
Tian Shi finally realized what was happening.
But how could Himeko answer Tian Shi's question now? Even if she wasn't drunk before, she certainly is now.
"Oh no, this is a total disaster!"
No matter how much they planned, they never expected the traitor to be Ragna, although Ragna also seemed to have been tricked.
In other words... no one can stop these people now, right?
"Cheers! Tian Shi, don't just stand there! Take off your clothes! Drink!"
Himeko simply took off her blouse and threw it aside.
"And there's another one, sir! Come on! Drink!"
"Wow! How cool! Himeko! Do you want to go rowing...?"
Bang--!
The guy who was about to suggest playing rock-paper-scissors suddenly collapsed on the table.
Tian Shi forced a blank smile; although no one could stop him, ghosts still existed.
Do you really think my level 10 ghostly presence is just a show?
I will take down any of you Valkyries who are drunk and completely helpless!
"Is it morning yet?"
Ragna slowly opened her eyes and instinctively covered her head.
"Ugh... my head hurts so much. Did I drink that much last night? I think I only had two cans of beer..."
"But you drank half a cup of flammable Oolong tea; diluted vodka is over 40 proof, and distilled vodka is the real 'water of life', alright?"
Seeing Ragna's state of unconsciousness, Tian Shi was sure that those who had given their Captain a bottle of 96% rectified vodka were responsible.
"Ah... right, I also have to help Himeko tidy up her room, these girls must have left her room a mess... wait, has Himeko already finished tidying up?"
As Ragna's headache gradually subsided, she was a little surprised to find herself lying in bed, with more than a dozen barely dressed "corpses" scattered randomly across the bed and the entire floor of the room.
In a sense, a picture of hell.
However, Ragna has clearly adapted to this.
"They are truly crazy... Speaking of which, Himeko... wait, how is it that even Himeko is lying here?"