"This pure love warrior is fully satisfied."
"Let me guess, you're lying on your bed squirming like a worm right now, aren't you?"
"Hey, person upstairs, can you remove the surveillance camera from my room?"
"OMG, everyone, do you get it?! This is a confession!!!"
In St. Freya Academy, Kiana was idly scrolling through the forum and noticed that almost the entire feed was flooded with posts about Bronya and Seele.
The screen was filled with discussions like "I'm so obsessed I'm dizzy" and "I'm losing my mind over this ship."
"Mr. Yang, Miss Himeko, Bronya, Seele... They've all appeared in the Celestial Screen." Kiana lay sprawled across Mei's desk, playing with the strands of hair that draped over the edge. "Mei, when will you show up in the Celestial Screen?"
"I'm also curious about when you'll appear, Kiana," Mei replied with a gentle smile.
"Mei's cooking is amazing, so her alternate self must be great at it too." As Kiana spoke, her gaze accidentally drifted back to the Celestial Screen in the sky—where she saw Seele and Bronya being all lovey-dovey. She immediately shook her head.
"Wait, Seele and Bronya's alternate selves have completely different personalities and statuses... Even their appearances are vastly different. Maybe Mei's alternate self is the exact opposite—a big sister who can't cook at all?"
Mei lightly tapped Kiana's forehead. "Kiana, if you really appeared in the alternate world shown in the Celestial Screen, what would you want to do the most?"
"Of course, it'd be to find you, Mei," Kiana said without hesitation, blinking her eyes. "No matter which world I'm in, I want to be with Mei!"
"Ding-dong—"
Just as the clock struck twelve, Kiana's stomach growled right on cue. The girl hopped up from her chair with a "Heave-ho!" and hurriedly declared, "It's lunchtime, Mei! I'll go heat up our bentos!"
Without giving Mei even a second to react, Kiana vanished from the classroom.
Watching the empty seat and the still-swaying door behind her, Mei slowly stood up and walked to the window, pushing it open.
The warm midday breeze tousled her purple hair, making this usually serious and composed Valkyrie acutely aware of something—compared to Seele in the Celestial Screen, her own face was burning just as fiercely.
"Um... Mei, are you still pairing up with Kiana for this afternoon's training?"
Mei turned her head slightly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear to cover her flushed cheek.
"...Yes."
——
[After a good night's sleep, Stelle wakes up feeling refreshed.]
[Leaving the hotel, she finds March 7th and Dan Heng waiting for her at the entrance—apparently, they've been up for a while.]
[The three of them go to discuss their next steps with Wildfire. After meeting Oleg, the first part of the plan is for Sampo to lead them to the Overworld. But when discussing the second step, Dan Heng finally notices that Bronya isn't present.]
[Seele explains that Bronya has already returned to the Overworld—some things must be resolved by her alone.]
[However, before leaving, she left a letter stating that if anything were to happen to her, they could seek help from the Landau siblings—Serval and Gepard.]
["Serval... Oh, so she's Gepard's sister!" March 7th's eyes widen in surprise, but upon reflection... their signature blond hair does match.]
[Stelle suddenly says, "Maybe 'sister' refers to Gepard?"]
[March 7th: "???"]
"Hahaha, Stelle's focus is so weird!"
"What's weird about it? How dare you assume Gepard's gender?"
"Yeah, in the U.S., Gepard could even identify as a Walmart shopping bag."
"??? So... this is St. Freya Academy, right?"
"By U.S. standards, even if you're biologically male, as long as you identify as female mentally, you can become a 'Valkyrie'~"
"...!!! Stop it, person above! I'm getting goosebumps!"
——
[The scene shifts back to the Overworld, where Bronya heads straight to Qlipoth Fort.]
["Mother, I've returned."]
[Pushing open the office door, the moment she sees her mother, Bronya immediately notices how much more haggard Cocolia looks. Yet, the moment their eyes meet, the dullness in Cocolia's gaze instantly brightens.]
["Bronya! I thought... I thought I'd lost you." Cocolia's lips tremble slightly. "Where have you been? Are you hurt? I'll call Sebastian right away—"]
["No, that's not necessary! I don't really want to see Sebastian right now. I'm sorry, Mother..."]
[Feeling her mother's warmth, Bronya's previously steeled resolve crumbles in an instant. She can't help but wonder—could all of this just be a misunderstanding?]
["I'm fine, really. I traveled all around the Underworld, fought in a few battles, but I managed."]
["The Underworld?" Cocolia's expression darkens instantly. After a brief silence, her previously emotional tone turns cold. "Then report to me what you saw, Supreme Guardian Bronya."]
"The way her expression changes so fast—what a wicked woman! Wicked woman! Wicked woman!" Denji yelled while watching the Celestial Screen.
"Denji, you're so damn loud!" Power hurled an empty milk carton at his head. "If you keep calling her a wicked woman, I'll ban you from watching! I'll gouge your eyeballs out!!"
"Hmm..."
Denji, who had been rowdy just moments ago, suddenly fell silent. Propping his chin on one hand, he stared intently at a certain prominent feature of Cocolia that was as eye-catching as a giant watermelon.
Compared to a certain padding demon...
Sure, his eyes could regenerate if he drank blood, but missing out on Cocolia in the Celestial Screen would be too much of a loss.
Even if Cocolia was a wicked woman, her figure was seriously hot.
Separate things are separate... Say what you will, but watching was non-negotiable—in this regard, he was a true pragmatist.
"If changing expressions fast makes someone a wicked woman, then I'm the best woman in the world—no, demon!" Power suddenly declared. "When I say I'll crush someone's balls, I mean it! No take-backs, no lies!"
"Denji, tell me I'm right!!"
Ignoring Power's noisy ranting, Denji turned his gaze toward the unwashed dishes still piled in the kitchen.
The half-eaten bread on the plate was slathered with butter and jam. The frosting on the cupcake had been licked clean, leaving only the soft, coffee-colored sponge.
The coffee in the mug... had been dumped out like swill.
—All of this was part of the breakfast that woman had promised him not long ago.
"I almost forgot... The best woman in the world is definitely Makima."
Without a shred of hesitation, Denji stated it with absolute certainty.