'I feel like I've been inexplicably shuffled off to the logistics department of St. Freya Academy by Theresa.'
Lunelle, who had originally fantasized about becoming a Valkyrie, getting an artificial stigma, and maybe even turning the tables to get a handle on her dear 'Duckie', now felt a bit like just throwing in the towel.
After all, if you're a Valkyrie but can't even get a single stigma installed, what kind of Valkyrie does that make you?
A logistics-grade Valkyrie?
But after a brief moment of disappointment.
Thinking it over afterwards, Lunelle quickly realized that being in logistics might not be a completely bad thing.
As a support staff member, she could naturally stay in the rear and quietly develop herself.
Time to develop covertly was, after all, exactly what she had been lacking most.
If you skipped over the time Lunelle was unconscious.
The current Lunelle had, in just over four short days, gone from an utterly ordinary person to someone who barely, just barely, scraped the bottom threshold of a B-rank Valkyrie.
Even the most cannon-fodder B-rank Valkyrie, even without the combat power boost from a Valkyrie battlesuit, could easily take on ten ordinary people at once.
That meant the current Lunelle, if she walked into some dojo full of ordinary folks from the Far East, could now arrogantly shout, 'I'll take on ten!' Hah!
And besides pure physical combat power, the key thing about Valkyries was that once equipped with a compatible battlesuit, allowing for the efficient use of the Honkai Energy throughout their bodies, a Valkyrie's combat power could multiply several times, even over tenfold, on their original base!
It was just a shame, as Theresa had mentioned in casual conversation.
For a genuine 'dud' like Lunelle who couldn't even receive a stigma transplant, even if she were given a Valkyrie battlesuit, she would completely lack the ability to power it.
After all, the stigma every Valkyrie was born with, or received artificially, was the key medium through which they could flexibly utilize their own Honkai Energy.
A Valkyrie without a stigma, no matter how high her Honkai Energy Adaptability, would ultimately be like a big brute with immense internal strength but no martial techniques—utterly incapable of converting the powerful Honkai Energy stored within into tangible combat power.
So theoretically, even if Lunelle grinded her attributes up to hundreds or even over a thousand points of stamina through continuous simulations!
Any random A-rank Valkyrie with a bit over a hundred points of Honkai Energy Adaptability, even if her stigma was just a run-of-the-mill artificial one, could instantly bridge that seemingly insurmountable attribute gap, as long as she was also equipped with a battlesuit that amplified her power over tenfold.
It was precisely because the world of Honkai could unleash such terrifying power through Valkyries alone, that Schicksal, which rose to prominence by developing Valkyries as its core strength, could firmly hold its position as the world's number one official power on the surface.
Even the so-called arch-rival of Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, started from a foundation of defectors from Schicksal's own North American branch.
And if it weren't for Anti-Entropy having the First Herrscher—who had caused the Overseer Otto no small amount of trouble—
As its leader, making the usually non-all-in, risk-averse Otto somewhat wary, the organization known as Schicksal's public nemesis would probably have been wiped out by Otto's swift and decisive measures long ago.
After explaining the enrollment procedures and basic school rules of St. Freya Academy to Lunelle, Theresa found that even just sharing a room with the adorable little Lunelle gave her an indescribably wonderful feeling.
Even someone like Theresa, who had a special fondness for bitter melon, found herself somewhat reluctant to leave for a moment.
Faced with Theresa's situation—clearly having run out of suitable topics but stubbornly lingering to make small talk—Lunelle could only continue to wear a helpless, smiling face.
After all, in Lunelle's eyes, Theresa was someone who could become her own daughter!
Anyway, she'd just treat this mandatory chat session as her, a teenage 'dad', looking after the emotions of her forty-something-year-old daughter!
Though this combo of a teenage dad and a forty-something kid... was a bit, well, let's say 'abstract', no matter how you looked at it.
But whether Theresa was slacking off too hard or simply because she was, after all, a high-ranking figure, just as she was forcing this awkward conversation, some proper, serious personnel from Schicksal's Far East Branch showed up and promptly dragged Theresa, the branch head with a penchant for slacking, away to do her actual job.
Seeing her silly daughter finally taken away, Lunelle slowly let out a sigh of relief.
Although she could now instantly slip into character, acting like her memory of her 'big wife' Seele, being forced to 'perform' like an idol was something she naturally hoped wouldn't happen too often.
Perhaps because she was out of the most critical danger period, her [Hyper-Recovery] talent, which worked wonders in life-or-death situations, now clearly didn't have the immediate, dramatic effect it did when she was on the brink of death.
'Sigh, the simulation's on cooldown again. Might as well rest a bit.'
Lunelle, already feeling drowsy from her injuries, finally had a chance to rest quietly again.
Though, having accidentally made her 'fat deposits' a bit bigger again during the last simulation, Lunelle was now experiencing how weirdly uncomfortable it felt to wrap a chest binder around larger mounds.
Luckily, her simulator had a sleep-assist function.
So even though the bandages felt rather uncomfortable, falling asleep in an instant was something Lunelle could still manage.
But not long after the big-hearted Lunelle had just drifted off...
A certain duck-like figure, moving with sneaky stealth, had already silently crept up to the door of Lunelle's hospital room.
Although the little duck had been squatting in the Hyperion's hangar until mushrooms practically grew on her before being discovered and subsequently recruited, in terms of specific timing, her recruitment by St. Freya Academy happened over a day before Lunelle regained consciousness.
And one must remember, this little duck was a super hacker capable of even breaking into Schicksal HQ's database given enough time.
So Bronya, who kept real-time tabs on all information related to her precious Seele, naturally intercepted the key news about her beloved Seele regaining consciousness the moment it surfaced.
That's how a certain duck, who had been knocked offline for a while after being sent flying, managed to come sniffing around like a keen-nosed pup the moment she got back online!
Technically, the little duck had arrived on the scene quite some time ago.
Unfortunately, as a newly joined Valkyrie-in-training for Schicksal, she didn't have the same access privileges as Principal Theresa to casually come and go from the critical care wards of a Schicksal hospital.
So when the straightforward approach didn't work, Bronya had to resort to some sneakier methods to try and infiltrate her precious Seele-chan's room.
But just when she'd managed to sneak into the vicinity of the room, she never expected that Principal Theresa had already beaten her to it and monopolized her adorable Seele-chan!
At first, Bronya wasn't in a hurry.
In her mind, someone like Theresa, the highest authority of Schicksal's Far East Branch, must be incredibly busy, swamped with endless tasks every day.
Chatting with her precious Seele-chan was probably just the Principal stealing a rare moment of leisure, squeezing out a tiny bit of time.
So surely, within a few minutes, the Principal would tactfully make herself scarce, right?
But when Theresa, through sheer force of awkward small talk, stubbornly lingered in Seele-chan's room for nearly an hour... even the ever-impassive little duck was starting to lose her cool.
'Why does someone as high-ranking and busy as the Principal have so much time to hog my adorable Seele without seeming the least bit pressed?'
Although Theresa, the busy big shot, sounded like she wasn't in a hurry at all, Bronya was starting to feel like the King of Impatience!
So Bronya stealthily checked Theresa's recent schedule.
Upon discovering that Theresa had a ton of pending tasks yet was lounging around with her adorable Seele-chan as if she had nothing to do, Bronya decisively sent an anonymous tip about Theresa's slacking, even thoughtfully including Theresa's exact location and details on just how idle she was being!
With a Herrscher disaster having just erupted, almost the entire Far East Branch of Schicksal was swamped and overwhelmed.
Seeing their supposedly busiest leader slacking off so blatantly—anyone would find it intolerable!
That's why Theresa, who was in the middle of a chat, was inexplicably 'invited' back by a group of her overworked subordinates.
With Theresa out of the way, Bronya finally got her chance to be alone with her precious Seele!
Though she had to thank Theresa for being so considerate as to break the door to Lunelle's room with the Oath of Judah.
Otherwise, Bronya would have had a much harder time sneaking in!
Turning a corner, Bronya's eyes immediately landed on the figure of her most precious Seele.
"Seele!!!"
Almost instantly, Bronya was at Lunelle's bedside, gazing deeply at the girl before her.
Her little duck-face remained as expressionless as ever, yet somehow radiated a palpable sense of excitement.
Though in terms of elapsed time, only three days had passed since Bronya last saw Lunelle.
For the logically-minded Bronya, this was the first time she truly understood how profound that ancient saying from Shenzhou—'One day apart feels like three seasons'—really was.
Even though that night Bronya couldn't return in time due to circumstances beyond her control, the fact remained that she, as Seele's sister, wasn't there when Seele was hurt!
"It's all Bronya's fault. That night when Seele was injured, Bronya couldn't save her. Bronya is useless. Bronya can't do anything."
Seeing Lunelle lying there in a hospital gown, wrapped in bandages, looking fragile as she recuperated, a deep sense of guilt and remorse welled up in Bronya's heart.
Even now, with her emotional modules damaged, Bronya couldn't even shed a single tear of remorse for Seele, something that should have been simple...
"Huh... It feels like Seele's scent has... become a bit more fragrant than before? And more like the Seele from before?"
Being so close to Lunelle, Bronya keenly sensed that Seele seemed somewhat... more sweet and delectable compared to the day they parted!
"It shouldn't be Bronya's imagination, right? Let's get a little closer and sniff."
Savoring the delightful scent coming from her precious little sister, Bronya grew more certain of her suspicion.
Soon, the whole duck found herself, almost unconsciously, sniffing her way right under Lunelle's covers!
Then, hidden under the covers, the little duck proceeded to take a deep, 'storm-like inhale'!
Sniff sniff~!!!
"Just as Bronya thought! Seele is indeed gradually changing, becoming more and more like the Seele in Bronya's memory."
After a very rigorous fragrance assessment, Bronya, with a slightly flushed duck-face, confirmed her suspicion.
But as she grew more certain that Lunelle was her most beloved Seele-chan, a thought crept into the little duck's mind: her most precious little sister was lying here injured because she saved that big idiot Kiana...
An uncontrollable tinge of sourness, even jealousy, seeped into Bronya's heart at that moment.
Sour!
So sour!
Like she'd just bitten into a lemon!
Remembering how back at the orphanage, it had taken her so much effort to get the innocent, adorable Seele-chan to shyly agree to that important, lifelong promise with her.
And though Bronya had finally found her Seele again—something that should have made her incredibly happy—why was it?
Why was it that after finally finding Seele... not only had Seele forgotten their promise, but it also felt like she no longer belonged to Bronya alone?
Gazing at Seele's serene sleeping face so close before her, Bronya suddenly recalled the night of their reunion.
Seele had only blushed for a moment over that big idiot Kiana's shameless, lewd body.
Yet first thing the next morning, that scumbag Kiana, who clearly had designs on Seele, had already started extending her claws toward Bronya's precious Seele!
She already has Mei-nee-sama! How dare she covet Bronya's Seele!!!
The thought that her Seele might be snatched away by that big idiot Kiana... caused a terrifying possessiveness toward Seele to grow within Bronya, fueled by her jealousy of the dumb Paramecium.
At that moment, Bronya's gaze drifted somewhat uncontrollably, focusing on that touch of cherry pink gracing her Seele's delicate, adorable little face.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.