On the new day, when Evan arrived at Kiana's side as promised to keep her company, the girl was, not unexpectedly, distracted. She had lost the patience to study seriously.
"After the exam is over, I'm going to sleep in super late, then eat a super huge meal, and find a fun place to play for a whole day!"
She was already starting to imagine the future.
"Sure, I won't stop you. After all, if you fail the history exam, you'll be spending your entire break buried in books and test papers. It's only human nature to want to play one last time before that."
"Wow, don't have so little faith in me!"
Kiana protested angrily, but she also understood the deeper meaning in Evan's words. She puffed up her cheeks and looked at him.
"If I pass the history exam, you have to come out and play with me!"
"Okay. I'll ask Teacher Welt to expedite things. The results should be out within half an hour after the exam ends. If everything goes smoothly, you'll finish the exam in the morning, we'll all have lunch together at noon, and the afternoon will be completely free for relaxation. Mei, Himeko, and Bronya have all helped you a lot these past few days, so you should thank them properly."
"Of course I'll thank Mei properly! She makes snacks for me every night. But Bronya and Himeko..."
Kiana was about halfway through her rebuttal when Evan tapped her head, interrupting her.
"Without Bronya's help earlier, we wouldn't have been able to enter the virtual reality in the Schicksal database at all. And Himeko has been responsible for buying groceries and drinks for the past few days. Do you think the snacks you ate fell from the sky? Just because you didn't see others' efforts doesn't mean they didn't do anything, Idiot Kiana."
"Calling me idiot again, and hitting my head again! Even if I were super smart, you'd knock me stupid, you Baddie Evan!"
Just as Evan and Kiana forgot their original agreement to study and started chatting casually, Evan's phone rang.
The call was from Theresa.
"Hello?"
"Evan, come to my office. I have something to discuss with you."
Theresa's voice coming from the phone made Evan shift his gaze to Kiana beside him. He had promised Kiana he would stay with her all day today. Now...
"I will definitely pass the makeup exam. For the time being, Baddie Evan should go find the Principal. While you're at it, think carefully about the itinerary after the exam tomorrow. No one will disturb us then, right? Not even Mei. Hmm, I'll go out and play with Mei alone another time later."
Before this, Evan hadn't expected Kiana to be so sensible.
"Don't worry. I'll make a detailed plan. Once I'm done with Theresa's business, I'll come back to keep you company. At the very least, we can definitely have dinner together."
Evan patted Kiana's head—hoping this action, unlike the knock, would increase her wisdom—and then walked quickly toward the Principal's office.
Watching Evan leave, Kiana felt a bit down.
It wasn't for a shallow reason like Evan not being able to accompany her. Rather, Kiana felt that she was truly weak.
They had arrived at St. Freya Academy at the same time, yet she was still worrying about passing a makeup exam, while Evan had not only passed his exams but seemed to have started helping her aunt, the Principal, solve problems.
Kiana didn't think her aunt was giving Evan any special treatment. They had met for the first time back in Nagazora City. In terms of relationship, she and Theresa were the actual relatives.
It must be because Evan's ability is strong enough...
Hmph! As long as it's something this young lady wants to do, there's nothing I can't do! I will definitely pass this history exam!
Kiana calmed her mood and began to study seriously.
On the other side, various thoughts flowed through Evan's mind as he walked continuously.
Did some complication arise with the previously established plan? It should only be at the first step—selling Honkai Inhibitor Devices to various cities in the Far East. Could those cities want to refuse the deal?
It shouldn't be. That would be neither reasonable nor logical.
While Evan was frowning in thought, he arrived at his destination.
"You're here."
Seeing Evan enter, Theresa greeted him briefly, then wasted no words. She pushed the tablet in her hand toward him. The lit screen displayed a photo.
A beautiful girl with ash-blond short hair covering her left eye and wine-red pupils. There was a mole at the corner of her right eye, adding a touch of elegance and intellectual charm.
"Mhm, very beautiful."
After seriously examining the girl—who was actually not unfamiliar to him—Evan gave Theresa his evaluation with a straight face.
Infuriated, Theresa slammed her hand on the desk, causing the well-made, presumably sturdy office desk to emit a sorrowful sound.
"I didn't ask you to check if she was beautiful!"
"So, why did you call me over? You didn't say anything and just shoved a photo of a beautiful girl at me. Aside from praising her beauty, what else could I say?"
After being interrupted by Evan like this, Theresa's originally solemn mood faded a lot. Not knowing if this was Evan's true intention, she didn't dwell on it and introduced the person.
"This is the envoy Schicksal is about to send: Rita Rossweisse. According to Schicksal, she is coming in the capacity of a maid."
Evan waited for a while but didn't hear Theresa's follow-up. Seeing the look in her eyes waiting for him to speak, he had to say:
"Coming as a maid to take care of you? As expected of the granddaughter of the Schicksal Overseer. You really are doted on."
"On the surface, yes. But Grandfather doesn't do things without a target. Furthermore, Rita Rossweisse is actually an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal. To be more precise, she is one of Schicksal's strongest combatants. Her trip here cannot possibly be just to check on my living conditions and take care of me, as Grandfather claimed."
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