Kiana started to panic. Mei couldn't be fooled by Ye Feng.
Mei blinked, a little puzzled, but seeing how serious Kiana was, she couldn't help but ask, "Did Ye Feng lie? What did he lie about?"
On one hand, there was Ye Feng, whom she had just met. On the other was Kiana. If their words conflicted, Mei would naturally be more inclined to believe Kiana.
However, the little tuna started to stammer.
"Ah, well...?"
The little tuna's brain spun.
Kiana had been present for the entire conversation. If she had to point out how he had deceived Mei... it seemed he really hadn't.
"...It's not a question of whether he lied or not."
"Then what is it?"
"Uhm..."
Kiana opened her mouth but was at a loss for words.
Seeing this, Mei felt relieved. Her father had once told her that, most of the time, one shouldn't blindly trust only their subjective feelings, but also absorb the opinions of others.
At the very least, both she and Kiana currently found Ye Feng's words believable, and that was enough.
Beep beep beep!
The communication terminal of the Far East Branch chimed, and Theresa's portrait appeared.
"Congratulations. You have both successfully passed the exam and have been promoted to B-rank Valkyries. The official notice was supposed to be released next semester, but since you're all here anyway, I figured I'd share the good news early. Oh, right, you'll receive a survey in your inboxes shortly. If you have any requests for your Valkyrie battlesuits, you can submit them. Alright, that's all, I have other matters to attend to. Remember to submit the survey to the academic system by noon tomorrow."
Beep.
The screen flashed, and Theresa's portrait vanished.
Kiana and Mei looked at each other.
"That's wonderful, Kiana! We're finally B-rank Valkyries!"
"Yeah!"
"Bronya should have received the notification too. We have to celebrate properly today."
The previous topic had been interrupted, and since Mei showed no intention of bringing it up again, Kiana certainly wasn't going to.
After all, the matter of her being bent over into a complete mess was still too embarrassing to talk about.
In any case, she still had a week to drop hints and warn Mei indirectly.
Besides, she would be there too, so she could keep an eye on Ye Feng.
And there was the bet. If she won, she could demand that Ye Feng not lay a hand on Mei.
The little tuna clenched her fists slightly. This is a match I absolutely must win!
◇
"The little tuna actually became a B-rank Valkyrie so quickly. That's really impressive."
Faced with Ye Feng's praise, Kiana lifted her chin.
"Hmph, who do you think I am? I, Kiana Kaslana, am going to become the strongest Valkyrie!"
"Mhm, if it's you, little tuna, I'm sure you can do it."
Ye Feng's earnest expression made Kiana pause for a moment.
Kiana had always said things like that, but everyone else just treated it as a joke—even though she usually said it in a half-joking way herself.
But Kiana was serious.
"Do you really think so?"
"Didn't I tell you? I know everything about you. Kiana will definitely become the strongest Valkyrie in the future. That's a fact, without a doubt."
"Hmph, I guess you have some good judgment. But..."
The little tuna looked at Ye Feng suspiciously. "Aren't you going to do anything?"
He called her to the bedroom just to chat?
No, he was definitely plotting something much bigger!
"Let's get started already. With the competition." Kiana said with a pout.
"Look at you, getting impatient again."
Ye Feng pulled Kiana over to the vanity mirror. "Sit down first."
"What on earth are you planning?"
Kiana turned her head, looking at Ye Feng with uneasy eyes.
"Relax. Just sit down."
Kiana felt a pair of thick, strong hands press down on her shoulders. The force wasn't great, but as he pushed her downwards, Kiana found she couldn't resist.
"Did you put some kind of status effect on me again?"
"Nope. I keep my word. I absolutely won't do that this week."
"Hmph... who knows."
Kiana grumbled, but her body obediently sat down.
The little tuna sat primly and restlessly, her white hair cascading down.
Her hair was exceptionally soft, like the finest silk. In the dimly lit room with its warm color palette, it flowed down like a striking waterfall of silver-white.
Ye Feng stood behind Kiana, arranging her hair.
Kiana had no idea what was going on.
"What are you doing?"
Ye Feng picked up a lock of her hair and began to wind it. "Can't you tell? I'm combing your hair."
"??"
"Don't move, or it won't look good."
"..."
Kiana looked in the mirror and quieted down, allowing Ye Feng to work on her from behind.
"You seem pretty skilled at this. Just how many girls have you done this for?"
"You're the first, Kiana."
"?"
"You don't believe me? I've told you, I won't lie to you. Though, I used to practice on dolls."
"Practice combing hair? You have some strange hobbies."
"Alright, it's done. Take a look, what do you think?"
"It's very pretty. As expected of me, I look good in any hairstyle."
Kiana stared into the mirror, glancing left and right. She saw that her original twin braids had been replaced with twin tails. At the base of each tail, her hair was tied up into a bun with a red ribbon, and the ends were also tied with red strings, giving her a more playful and adorable look.
"You seem detestable on the surface, but I never thought you'd have this kind of thoughtful side."
Kiana's sapphire eyes gazed at the mirror, at the image of herself sitting obediently at the vanity with a gentle, refined man standing behind her.
This scene... not only was it not repulsive, it actually looked quite pleasant?
After all, for as long as Kiana could remember, she never had a mother, only a drunken father who dragged her around.
Although he later pulled himself together, he could never make up for a mother's tenderness.
And having her hair done like this... it felt very much like an interaction between a mother and daughter.
To her shame, Kiana actually felt a sense of warmth.
"This is much more interesting than just 'changing outfits'. Alright, little tuna, lie down on the vanity."
"Huh?"
"I'm going to drive now."
"..."
Kiana gritted her teeth in frustration. Did he really have to say something like that at a time like this?
Ye Feng pressed down on Kiana's back, pushing her forward. Suddenly, the door was pushed open.
Kiana thought it was Mei looking for her and jumped in shock. She turned her head to see a nun dressed in an outfit that was both holy and sexy.
She stood frozen in the doorway, staring fixedly in their direction.
"My apologies. It seems I've come at a bad time."
Ye Feng waved at her. "No, Mama Aponia, you've come at just the right time. Care to join?"
Aponia shook her head. "I won't disturb you."
With that, she backed out of the room and closed the door.