No matter whether one waited with anticipation, anxiety, or any other feeling, time flowed as usual, and the next day still arrived.
Riiing.
At six in the morning, the alarm clock jolted Kiana awake. It was a bit early, of course, but the girl's constitution was stronger than that of ordinary people, so she wasn't so sleepy that she couldn't get up. Kiana opened her clear blue eyes—and then saw the flame-like long hair of the person beside her pillow.
Tch, isn't this supposed to be my room?
"Why are you sleeping here?!"
Saying that, Kiana matched it with action—she kicked Himeko Murata off the bed in a flustered mix of shame and anger.
"Ahem, I got drunk last night and, like always, randomly picked a room to sleep in. You know how it is. Before you all moved in, every room here was mine. I'm just not used to it yet. Sorry, sorry."
Himeko looked a bit embarrassed and apologized earnestly.
Kiana, still not over it, glared.
"How drunk do you have to be to get the bedroom wrong? Good thing we didn't let Evan live here before, or you might've wandered into his room!"
Himeko imagined that scenario for a second, and her gaze suddenly went a little distant.
"That… wouldn't be that bad, actually."
"Tch, you shameless woman! You've barely known Evan for how long, and you're already eyeing him?!"
As Kiana loudly berated Himeko, Bronya appeared at the door.
"Kiana, be quiet."
A pillow followed soon after. Bronya showed Kiana no mercy at all; it looked like she'd been woken up by Kiana's yelling.
"Did you not see I'm the victim here? And don't throw pillows at my head, it'll make me dumber!"
"Bronya judges that there is no room for your IQ to drop any further."
That blunt statement almost made Kiana jump up in rage. Just as she was about to throw herself fully into a quarrel with Bronya, Raiden Mei walked over wearing an apron.
"Don't argue. Go wash up. Breakfast will be ready soon, and Evan will be coming too. We agreed before: we all eat together, then go to school together."
"Mm."
The tense atmosphere vanished instantly. Whether it was Mei's personal charm, or the fact that Evan was about to come and no one wanted him to see them disheveled and bickering, was hard to say.
After changing out of pajamas and into the St. Freya Academy uniform, Kiana brushed her teeth and glanced sideways at Himeko doing her own wash-up nearby, mumbling through the toothbrush:
"So why is Mei the one making breakfast? Aren't you the one who's supposed to be taking care of us, Himeko?"
"So all you're wondering about is who's making breakfast, not whether you should try cooking yourself? That's so you, Kiana."
Himeko rinsed her face with cold water, then continued:
"I'm not good at cooking. You wouldn't like what I make. So we leave that to Mei, who's better at it. As for other things—like if a battle breaks out—I'll take care of you, Kiana."
"If there's a fight, I'll be charging in at the front. I don't need anyone taking care of me!"
After saying that, Kiana added, a bit unwillingly:
"And I will get stronger as fast as I can!"
She knew that if she stayed as she was, she really couldn't protect anyone when facing a truly strong enemy. Kiana had at least that much self-awareness.
Her declaration made Himeko tilt her head slightly to look at her.
"You're more self-aware than I thought. Work hard. You really do have talent—at least in combat."
The girls got up at six. After a bit of washing and dressing, it was already six-thirty when the doorbell rang.
It was, unsurprisingly, Evan arriving for breakfast as planned. Kiana ran over enthusiastically to open the door. Seeing Evan in the specially made male uniform of St. Freya Academy, looking quite different from before, her eyes lit up.
"You actually look pretty handsome like this."
"Thanks for the compliment. You look very pretty too, Kiana."
St. Freya's girls' uniform combined aesthetics and practicality: besides the special gloves and boots designed to aid in combat and provide protection, there was also the exquisite pairing of short skirt and over-the-knee socks. Looking at Kiana in uniform—both cute like a schoolgirl and dashing like a warrior—Evan didn't hold back his praise.
Kiana grinned smugly, feeling her whole state rise to a new high after being praised.
"Alright, come eat. If the food gets cold, it won't taste as good."
Raiden Mei didn't show any strange reaction to Evan and Kiana's interaction and simply called them to the table.
Himeko, Bronya, Raiden Mei, Kiana, and Evan—five people sat together, making the living room lively and warm.
"St. Freya Academy doesn't have homeroom teachers like other schools do. If you had to name one, Principal Theresa is technically your homeroom teacher, since there's only one class. But she has a lot of work to handle, and so do I. The one actually handling daily class matters is the class monitor, Fu Hua. She's a student like you. I've already asked her to look after you a bit. If you have any questions, you can go to her."
"Class monitor? I know, that's the strongest one in the class, right?"
Kiana's eyes sparkled. She clearly had an idea.
Himeko smiled.
"Fu Hua is the best student in the class. She's already an A‑rank Valkyrie—same rank as me."
If I can beat this Fu Hua, doesn't that prove I can be an A‑rank Valkyrie too?
Then I'll set a small goal: beat Fu Hua.
Kiana had made up her mind.
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