The matter of Ming Yu and the other three enrolling in St. Freya High School was thus happily decided. With Theresa, the Principal, blatantly pulling strings for them, they were fast-tracked through the entire process.
This just goes to show how important it is to have the right connections. Looking at the excited Kiana, Ming Yu was already considering whether he should take a more 'roundabout path' to success. After all, at St. Freya and the Far East Branch, Theresa was the strongest backer one could have, and Kiana was the one with that strongest backer. It was thanks to Kiana that Ming Yu and the others enjoyed this fast-tracked treatment; otherwise, the ever-busy Principal would have just casually pawned them off on Himeko.
But then he looked at his own still-latent System and shook his head. *At least I'm a cheater, too,* he thought. Though his cheat might not be better than Mei's Gem of Conquest right now, and might not compare to Bronya's future Herrscher of Reason core or Kiana's Herrscher of the Void, it was still a cheat. Silently shedding a tear of regret in his heart, Ming Yu accepted the tragic fact that his cheat was inferior to others'.
As St. Freya encouraged individuality, students were allowed to add their favorite elements to their school uniforms.
When it came time to design the uniforms, Kiana pulled Mei away with a grin. The moment Ming Yu saw that sly smile, he knew Kiana was definitely planning matching outfits. Valkyrie Ranger and Valkyrie Bladestrike, huh? He was actually looking forward to seeing them.
"So, what style do you two want?" Theresa asked, looking at Ming Yu and Bronya before her.
Bronya tilted her head and thought for a moment, her delicate brows furrowed tightly as if she were contemplating a major problem. After a while, Bronya shook her head and said, "Bronya has no particular favorite style."
"Oh? Is that so?" Theresa looked at Bronya's figure, which was so similar to her own, and said excitedly, "Then let me help you."
As she spoke, Theresa took out a drawing pencil from a shrunken and unfolded Judah and began to sketch rapidly. In no time, a set of clothes was drawn. It was the Valkyrie Chariot outfit; its mechanical style matched well with Bronya's Project Bunny.
This outfit could be considered Theresa's first gift to Bronya. She hoped that this girl from Anti-Entropy could also live happily here and feel like she had a 'home'.
Ming Yu had also decided on his uniform. He based it on his memory of the Valkyrie Accipiter battlesuit, which resembled a Qing Dynasty magua. It would be good for both daily wear and training.
Theresa glanced at it and said thoughtfully, "This is rather similar to Fu Hua's. You people from Shenzhou have similar tastes. By the way, Fu Hua is a powerful A-rank Valkyrie."
Ming Yu nodded, though he didn't quite agree in his heart. *A-rank Valkyrie is just a cover. The Celestial Phoenix's story runs much deeper than that.*
On the other side, Kiana, whose cunning plan had succeeded, returned with a blushing Mei. Theresa looked at the forms they submitted, an expression of "I get it" on her face, but she didn't say anything.
"Alright, alright, since the uniforms are all chosen, you'll get the finished products in a few days. You can start classes tomorrow. Now, I'll take you to buy supplies," Theresa announced.
Since they had arrived in a completely new place, the four of them had many things to purchase. Daily necessities had to be bought anew, and they needed to buy new clothes. Ming Yu's current clothes were still ones he had 'borrowed' from a clothing store in Nagazora.
St. Freya was located on a beautiful artificial island, but it wasn't far from the city. Thanks to the city on the island and its popularity, food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all convenient. So, the group just walked to the commercial district outside the school. This disappointed Ming Yu, who had wanted to see Theresa's car. Given that Theresa looked too short to reach the pedals of a normal car, Ming Yu had always suspected that a certain doting, blonde-haired grandfather would have prepared a custom-made vehicle for her. Unfortunately, he couldn't verify this for now.
When they reached the shopping street, Ming Yu separated from the girls. After all, many of the things he needed to buy were different from theirs, and the girls also needed to buy some private items. At this moment, Ming Yu could feel the pressure of being a boy at St. Freya.
No matter what, St. Freya was an institution for training Valkyries. Due to the presence of faculty and logistics staff, male students weren't non-existent, but they were certainly rare. While there might be many nerds in the science department and other places, in a class aimed at training Valkyries, given the generally low Honkai Energy resistance of males, he would probably be the only boy.
Thinking about his future life, Ming Yu felt a heavy pressure. The future suddenly seemed bleak.
Having finished buying his necessities early, Ming Yu went to the agreed-upon meeting spot to wait. Fortunately, Theresa had considered their financial situation and had set up an account for each of them, with a monthly allowance deposited. This saved Ming Yu from worrying about money. Otherwise, he might have become a transmigrator who died because of money, bringing shame upon his fellow transmigrators. While waiting, Ming Yu finally realized how long it took for girls to shop and secretly resolved never to go on random shopping trips with Kiana and the others again.
After a long wait, Theresa and the other three appeared in his line of sight. Perhaps due to her Kaslana bloodline, Kiana's physical constitution was extraordinary, so she carried the most things. Mei and Theresa carried a few small bags. As for Bronya, with the help of Project Bunny, she was empty-handed, earning her occasional glares from Kiana.
"You guys are so slow~" Ming Yu couldn't help but complain.
"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting," Mei said with an apologetic smile.
"You were the one who was too fast. This young lady still has a lot of things she hasn't bought yet," Kiana said, waving the bags in her hands and pretending to be nonchalant, though with a look of dissatisfaction.
"Kiana is a big idiot!" Bronya mocked with a deadpan expression.
"Alright, since we've bought everything, let's head back quickly," Theresa announced, concluding the matter.
Ming Yu nodded and helped Kiana with some of her load. Only after taking the bags did he realize just how much strength was packed into Kiana's seemingly slender body; she was carrying so much and acting as if it were nothing.
Seeing the slight change in Ming Yu's expression, Mei glared at the still-smirking Kiana and offered to help. Ming Yu shook his head. He had to see through the trouble he had started. Fortunately, it wasn't a very long walk.
Ming Yu glanced at Theresa and asked, feigning nonchalance, "Principal, there aren't many boys at St. Freya, are there?"
Theresa looked at Ming Yu with a mischievous smile. "Of course. This is a school for training Valkyries, after all. And in the class you'll be going to, you're the only boy~
You'd better be on your best behavior~
Ming Yu's face instantly darkened. Even though he had expected it, confirming it still felt bad. His future was looking dim.
Kiana, however, asked with curiosity, "Auntie, can Ming Yu become a Valkyrie too?" She deliberately emphasized the "Valkyrie" part.
Theresa nodded. "Of course. Although males generally have lower Honkai Energy resistance, there are still a few special males with excellent resistance. They can naturally join the Valkyrie forces. Just like your old man, Siegfried. But they won't be called 'Valkyries', of course."
Hearing this, Ming Yu felt relieved, but Kiana had a look of regret. *What kind of strange things are you thinking?!* Ming Yu roared internally.
Out of consideration, all four of them were to live in Himeko's apartment.
Kiana was very satisfied with being able to be with Mei; it would have been even better if they could share a room, but the sufficient number of rooms in Himeko's apartment shattered her fantasy. Bronya also expressed that she was happy to be with everyone, and one could see the joy in the eyes of the girl who couldn't show expressions. Ming Yu didn't object either. Whether it was for surveillance or protection, it was a good start for him, proof that he was integrating into St. Freya.
Walking through St. Freya, the dusk sunlight stretched everyone's shadows long and far.