Third Floor, Reception Room.
"So cruel... truly cruel..."
Sniffling sobs came from the sofa.
Kanon Kanase glanced at Eriri, who was slumped over the armrest, weeping quietly, then turned to Yukino Yukinoshita:
"Is it really all right to leave Eriri-san like this?"
"She's been this way ever since Honjo-san brought her back..."
"Even if you say that, she refuses help, so there's nothing I can do."
Yukinoshita replied calmly while holding a cup of tea, her eyes on the light novel in her hands:
"When she returned, I already asked what happened. But she insisted nothing was wrong and refused to answer. In this situation, I can only wait for her to calm down on her own."
After speaking, Yukinoshita glanced towards the door.
Just then, Megumi Kato entered carrying a stack of documents:
"Senior Yukino, these are the incident reports from Kyoto and the latest batch of Abyss Artefacts sealed in the Hidden Management Zone from Northern Europe. Should we process them now?"
"Leave them there for now."
Yukinoshita sighed at the sight of the files:
"Another new batch... It seems Northern Europe isn't peaceful either."
Noticing Kanon's puzzled look, Yukinoshita explained:
"New batches of sealed Abyss Artefacts mean at least one Abyss Descent-related incident occurred. While departments usually gain something from exploring Abyss Descents, the risks are considerable."
"Let's hope the Operations Department in Northern Europe suffered minimal losses this time. Otherwise, the European branch will have another headache with personnel arrangements."
"I see." Kanon finally understood why Yukinoshita said Northern Europe was unsettled.
"So cruel..."
Another murmur came from the sofa.
Curious, Megumi approached Eriri and asked:
"What's wrong with Eriri-san? Didn't she go with the Director for her promotion earlier?"
"I asked Nia Honjo. She confirmed Eriri did participate in the promotion."
Yukinoshita took a sip of tea, her expression subtle:
"As promotion material."
"Eh?"
Both Megumi and Kanon froze, staring at Eriri with strange expressions.
As promotion material?
"So, the Director dragged Eriri down to the Hidden Management Zone earlier to use her as material?
What kind of suffering is this...
Just then, Eriri finally reacted upon hearing this. She turned her head and said with full resentment:
"He could've just extracted the materials, but why did it have to be done that way?"
"What way?"
Both Yukino Yukinoshita and Megumi Kato looked puzzled.
Hearing this, Eriri immediately clamped her mouth shut upon realising she'd let something slip, her face turning red:
"N-no, it's nothing. I didn't say anything."
Yukinoshita gave her a somewhat exasperated look. "Saying that will only make people more curious, you know?"
"So, did the Director bully Eriri? Hmm, why doesn't that surprise me at all?" Megumi said calmly.
"Eriri-san, you must stay strong!" Kanon Kanase cautiously cheered her on.
"You all don't understand anything!!" Eriri grumbled before turning away and muttering, "Just a bunch of little girls in the end. How could you possibly comprehend my suffering!!"
"I can't let that comment slide," Yukinoshita said calmly.
Megumi looked curious. "Eriri-san always says the most irritating things when people show concern for her. Is it a talent?"
Yukinoshita then asked coolly, "So you're still not going to explain anything? Even though we're comrades?"
Hearing this, Eriri complained resentfully yet evasively:
"That guy specifically had Teacher Natsuki bring me back from the funeral. I thought he was going to make me a Class holder... But then he dragged me downstairs, did some things to me, just to draw three tubes of blood as raw materials..."
"The worst part? After taking it, he just said my promotion would have to wait until next time!!"
"That man is absolutely despicable!!"
Yukinoshita glanced at her before frowning slightly:
"I get the feeling you're omitting something crucial - the real reason you're so angry."
"Still not planning to tell me the truth?"
Hearing this, Megumi Kato quickly interjected, "Senior Yukino, if Eriri-san doesn't want to say, perhaps we shouldn't push her."
"I see..." Yukino Yukinoshita pondered this before dropping the matter and changing the subject. "So, has that La Folia-sama succeeded then?"
Yet this question provoked an even stronger reaction from Eriri, who practically shouted without thinking:
"Don't mention that shameless woman to me!!"
As she spoke, Eriri grabbed a nearby sofa cushion and pressed it over her head, burying her face beneath it while muttering:
"What kind of princess is she?! She looks so pure on the surface, but she's clearly a wanton woman inside... no, she's a seductive fox, a lewd raccoon..."
Hearing this, Yukino turned with a strange expression towards Kanon Kanase and Megumi, asking:
"Was there something particularly provocative in what I just said?"
Megumi replied in her gentle voice:
"Perhaps for Eriri-san, the name La Folia itself is the provocative element?"
Kanon looked bewildered at the other two:
"Did La Folia-sama do something terribly wrong to Eriri-san?"
As the three exchanged puzzled glances, the door suddenly swung open, revealing an energetic La Folia popping in:
"Good afternoon, everyone~!!"
"It's only 10:30, so it's not quite afternoon yet?"
Yukino responded, then gave La Folia - who was glowing with happiness, her eyes brimming with delight - a peculiar look before glancing at the resentful aura surrounding Eriri. The contrast was striking:
"So, was the promotion successful?"
"It was!"
La Folia stepped forward, eyed the water jug on the glass table, and without hesitation poured herself a cup, before downing three in quick succession:
"Ahhh~~ hydration complete. That really left me parched~"
After stretching her neck, she continued:
"According to Shu-kun, once I've mastered my current Class abilities, I can consider advancing to Hero Rank."
Then she turned, scanning the room until she spotted Eriri on the sofa, immediately calling out:
"Eriri!! Shu-kun says you should rest properly now - get a full seven and a half hours of sleep before going to see him!!"
Eriri jerked her head up at this, face flushed with shock:
"Hah? He's still not satisfied?"
"Eh?"
La Folia blinked, then burst out laughing, waving her hand:
"Not that thing~ It's about your promotion. He wants you well-rested to adjust your condition~"
"Eh?" Eriri froze, then, noticing everyone staring at her in surprise, immediately turned crimson and buried her face again, mumbling:
"I get it, I'll sleep now!"
"I'm sleeping, don't disturb me!"
Observing this, La Folia turned to Yukino in confusion:
"Isn't she going back to rest in the fifth-floor dormitory? Weren't rooms prepared there?"
"That's not important." Yukino shook her head, then fixed La Folia with a look. "What's important is - when you said 'not that thing', what thing exactly were you referring to? Could you tell me the reason?"
"This one..."
La Folia's eyes darted before she leaned close to Yukino Yukinoshita and whispered:
"Then I'll secretly tell you... Kanon and Megumi can come closer too if they want~"
Hearing this, Megumi Kato and Kanon Kanase, driven by curiosity, moved closer.
"Actually, it's this... this... and that..."
...
Third-floor corridor.
Luo Shu, now dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt, wiped his freshly dried hair while stretching his neck:
"The safety of the Spirit Sorcerer Class seems decent. Next, we just need La Folia to teach Eriri the Soul Summoning Art in the Dream Simulation Chamber. Once she learns to use it, we can attempt her promotion."
"I have a feeling Eriri will learn very slowly... After all, she doesn't seem particularly bright... Or is that just me?"
Muttering to himself, Luo Shu pushed open the door to the third-floor reception room, only to find a grinning La Folia and a group of girls bowing their heads in silence, as if contemplating life.
"Hmm?"
Luo Shu voiced his confusion with a questioning tone:
"Did something happen?"
Hearing his voice, Yukino Yukinoshita raised her gaze to look at him, forcing a smile as she said:
"Director, if possible in the future, could you maintain a safe distance of 3 metres—no, 10 metres—from me?"
"???"
Luo Shu blinked, then gave La Folia a strange look before replying to Yukino:
"Wouldn't it be better for you to maintain that safe distance yourself?"
"But before we talk about safe distances, could you hand over the messages Chisato and the others sent me?"
Yukino Yukinoshita responded as calmly as possible:
"If you can persuade Her Highness La Folia to stop transforming into my appearance, then I'll agree to hand them over."
Luo Shu scratched his head, looking troubled:
"But what if she's already done it? And it's not just you—she's transformed into Megumi and Kanon too, you know?"
Yukino Yukinoshita: "???"
Megumi Kato: "???"
Kanon Kanase: "?!!"
Instantly, the reception room plunged into dead silence.