After training, Ming Yu went with Fu Hua to buy breakfast.
Seeing that Ming Yu had bought enough breakfast for seven people, Fu Hua asked in surprise, "Ming Yu, are you buying this much?"
"Yeah." Ming Yu nodded, lifting the breakfast in his hand to explain. "I'm getting some for Kiana and the others too. We're all temporarily staying at Ms. Himeko's apartment, and since I happened to be up early, I just bought their shares as well."
"But you've bought enough for seven people. Isn't that a bit too much for five?" Fu Hua asked quizzically, pushing up the glasses on her nose.
"Er..." Ming Yu shrugged helplessly. "Kiana has a... rather healthy appetite~"
A smile couldn't help but touch Fu Hua's lips upon hearing Ming Yu's explanation.
Ming Yu's thoughts turned, and he asked, "Class Monitor Fu Hua, do you live alone?"
Fu Hua nodded, saying, "It's quieter alone."
"Is that so," Ming Yu muttered. As the guardian of Shenzhou, Fu Hua had weathered the long river of time alone. As ages passed and the world changed, looking back, only her shadow kept her company. Such a life must be incredibly lonely. Thinking of this, Ming Yu did his best to put on a bright smile and said, "If you don't mind, Class Monitor Fu Hua, you're welcome to come over for a meal sometime. Mei's cooking is delicious, five-star chef level, you know! Plus, it's more lively with more people."
Looking at the boy's cheerful smile, Fu Hua's heart stirred slightly. She had been about to refuse, but for some reason, she found herself nodding in agreement.
"Then it's a deal! You have to come when you have time!" Ming Yu was very happy to get Fu Hua's consent. No matter what mission Fu Hua was on, he found it hard to harbor any animosity towards her.
As soon as he returned to the dorm, Ming Yu saw Kiana sprawled listlessly on the table. Bronya sat to the side, hugging a HOMU doll, while Mei was on the sofa, reading a magazine.
Seeing Ming Yu enter, Kiana's energy instantly returned. She jumped up excitedly, ran to Ming Yu's side, and eagerly took the breakfast from his hands, all the while complaining, "What took you so long? It's been ages, I'm starving!"
Ming Yu smiled helplessly and pointed to the breakfast in her hands. "That's why I specifically brought you a triple portion. Fresh milk and bread straight from the oven. I got so many strange looks carrying all this by myself on the way here."
Smelling the sweet aroma of the bread, Bronya's eyes suddenly opened. Murmuring "Bronya booting up," she took her portion of the breakfast.
Mei put down her magazine, helped Ming Yu set the breakfast out, and said to him, "You've worked hard today."
"It was nothing." Ming Yu shook his head, looked around, and asked, "Is Ms. Himeko not up yet?"
Mei nodded. "I'll go get her. I wasn't sure when you'd be back, so I didn't wake her."
"Okay." Ming Yu understood. Waking Himeko was crucial because, in just this short amount of time, Kiana was already on her second portion. If Himeko didn't hurry, her share would probably end up in Kiana's stomach too.
When Himeko finally dragged herself downstairs, she was still complaining about things like "Why isn't Mei cooking?", leaving Mei to smile wryly on the side.
Ming Yu had to step in and explain, "I went to the training grounds in the dormitory area today and just bought breakfast on my way back. We should let Mei rest once in a while, too."
"Oh, quite the diligent one, aren't you," Himeko praised, taking a bite of bread.
Glancing at the nearly dry sweat stains on Ming Yu's clothes, Himeko said casually, "You trained quite seriously this morning."
Ming Yu recalled the morning's events and couldn't help but shiver. "It was alright. I ran into Fu Hua at the training grounds and worked out with her." First, it was half an hour of horse stance. Then, at Ming Yu's strong request to see the Inch-Heart Fist Technique, he was unilaterally thrashed by Fu Hua. She called it deepening his impression to facilitate future training. It was strange, though. Despite taking many hits during practice, Ming Yu didn't feel anything wrong with his body afterward. This could only be attributed to Fu Hua's high degree of control over her power, which filled Ming Yu's heart with envy.
"Oh?" At the mention of Fu Hua, Himeko looked up. Gazing at Ming Yu's slightly sweaty face, she said, "Fu Hua, huh? She's very impressive. Although she's a Valkyrie trainee, she's already passed the A-rank Valkyrie assessment and has even completed seven B-rank missions and two A-rank missions. She's a role model for all of you. You should train hard with her."
At the mention of Fu Hua's achievements, Mei and the other two felt a wave of helplessness. It was as if everyone was diligently preparing for their college entrance exams, only to find out someone had already finished all their university courses and even gotten their degree. It was just too incredible. If being an A-rank Valkyrie was just impressive, then A-rank missions were on another level. Those could feature enemies on par with Emperor-class Honkai Beasts. Although theoretically, an A-rank Valkyrie and an Emperor-class Honkai Beast were on the same level, it often took a squad of veteran A-rank Valkyries to have a chance at defeating one. Even if Fu Hua completed the A-rank missions with others, it still showed that her strength was extraordinary, even among A-rank Valkyries.
Only Ming Yu smiled faintly to himself. A-rank Valkyrie was just the tip of the iceberg of Fu Hua's power. In her prime, she could be considered the strongest person on the planet, capable of stopping even a complete Herrscher. But due to special reasons, Fu Hua had lost that power and was now lying low in St. Freya on a special mission. Mission aside, however, Fu Hua was a truly reliable person. Because of her uniform, which was so different in style from the other students', she was often mistaken for a teacher by unfamiliar students, and she would patiently answer their questions, rarely refusing.
Hearing that Fu Hua was an A-rank Valkyrie, even Himeko praised her endlessly. Kiana took a large bite of her white bread, chewed it forcefully, and said viciously, "Hmph, so what if she's an A-rank Valkyrie? If I work hard, I'll reach that level in no time. When I do, I'll make Principal Theresa tell me everything about my stinky old man!"
"Kiana is a big dummy. You clearly just got your butt kicked yesterday," Bronya mercilessly exposed the fact that Kiana had been thrashed by Himeko the day before.
"Yesterday I was just... just..." Kiana thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a reason. In the end, she could only glare at Bronya and say, "Hmph, I will definitely become an A-rank Valkyrie!"
"Alright, we all believe you'll become an A-rank Valkyrie. Now hurry up and eat your breakfast," Mei stepped forward to persuade her.
Looking at the defiant Kiana before him, Ming Yu's mind was suddenly filled with the shadow of that world-scorning queen and the scenes from "The Final Lesson." He opened his mouth and said, "Yes, you will definitely become the strongest Valkyrie!"
Receiving affirmation from two people in a row, Kiana's mood instantly brightened. She smiled and said, "Hehe, you two have good taste."
Himeko, who had been burying her head in her breakfast, heard Ming Yu's words and looked up at him, a thoughtful light flashing in her eyes.
After finishing breakfast, Ming Yu took a quick shower and changed out of his sweat-soaked clothes. After all, he still had classes to attend, and being sticky all over was uncomfortable.
Under Himeko's watchful eyes, the four of them set off for the academic building, beginning their day.