After the earlier commotion, Rita and Kyuusyou had both confirmed their suspicions: the white-haired, angel-like girl who had just turned left into the washroom without even lifting her head was likely a certain Young Mistress Apocalypse, currently on the run from her duties.
Though Rita couldn't fathom why she would appear at a known World Serpent base, let alone be so familiar with someone who was clearly a World Serpent executive, she recognized the girl's words all too well.
Back then, a half-asleep Miss Snow would call Rita's name in the exact same tone every morning—though at the time, Rita hadn't realized the young mistress was calling her "Irene." It seemed the long-held mystery in her heart was finally about to be solved.
"So, the 'Miss Irene' Lady Snow always spoke of is a real person after all..."
Rita glanced toward the VIP room, from which another set of footsteps could now be heard. That must be the real Miss Irene. The usually calm and composed maid couldn't suppress the intense curiosity on her face as she stared fixedly at the VIP room's entrance.
"...Hello?"
The second woman emerging from the Heliopolis Life Sciences VIP room left the other three stunned. Rita had her suspicions, but seeing a woman with a face identical to her own still left her momentarily speechless. Kyuusyou, meanwhile, wondered why this person would appear in the Intrinsic Universe.
As for Raven, still dangling in Kyuusyou's grasp, she had been too engrossed in teasing Little Sirin on the bar's second floor yesterday to notice the unexpected visitors downstairs.
"Uh, Miss Rita... are you two... long-lost sisters?"
The staring contest between the four was finally broken by the comedic Raven, still held aloft by Kyuusyou. She looked curiously between the Valkyrie beside her and the woman at the VIP room entrance, who was dressed like a witch from a fantasy tale.
"No... I'm an only child. I have no sisters."
Rita decisively shook her head, dismissing the Black Dodo's guess. With a mix of caution and curiosity, she turned her gaze to the witch-like woman before her.
"Good day, ma'am. You must be the Miss Irene that Lady Snow mentioned, correct?"
"Ah, and you must be Miss Rita and Miss Kyuusyou?"
Irene sized up the two Valkyries before her, seemingly recognizing their origins.
"Yes, Little Snow told me about you both... If you don't mind, why don't you come into the VIP room and rest for a bit? As you heard, I still need to prepare breakfast for Little Snow."
Irene gestured invitingly to the two women.
Kyuusyou and Rita exchanged a brief glance. Kyuusyou nodded, while Rita's eyes suddenly lit up with competitive fire as she looked at Irene, her doppelgänger.
"Miss Irene, if you don't mind, please allow me, Rita, to assist you..."
"By all means—"
The witch-like woman graciously agreed.
Meanwhile, Kyuusyou watched with an expression that screamed, This is gonna be good! I love watching women fight! as the two entered a nearby kitchenette, ready to begin some kind of culinary showdown.
"Um, excuse me..."
"Great S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal... can I go now?"
Hauled all the way into the VIP reception hall, Cioara broke out in a cold sweat. She twisted her head to look back at Houraiji Kyuusyou, who was dangling her by the scruff of her neck. Her eyes screamed with a desperate plea for survival.
"Do you really think... you can escape?" Kyuusyou retorted bluntly to the Black Dodo.
"...At least put me down, then! Aren't your arms getting tired from carrying me like this, Your Highness? Besides, I'm not some cat..."
"True—World Serpent's actual cat is currently acting like a total goofball, mooching food and drinks off the Immortal Blades Valkyries on the Schicksal HQ Floating Island. Stan, wasn't it?"
"When are you guys going to settle the bill for that Siamese cat's food?"
"...Stan? Who's Stan? Never heard of him—what does a pet picked up by Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie Durandal have to do with us at World Serpent? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"
"No money! And you can't have my life either—"
Cioara adopted a brazen attitude, as if to say, "Yeah, I'm trash. What are you gonna do about it?"
"...?"
"I'll sell your big-breasted, wide-hipped ass to a brothel to recoup my losses! That cat of yours in World Serpent eats better than some people. It's gained at least a few pounds in the past few months. Some of the weaker Valkyries in the Immortal Blades' administrative staff could barely even lift it."
"...Ha?"
"That damn cat eats better than me?!"
"So, esteemed Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie—are you interested in adopting a cat? It might be a bit on the large side... and eat a bit much..."
"And it can talk, right?" Kyuusyou's mouth twitched as she stared at the utterly shameless Raven.
"But I, Houraiji Kyuusyou, prefer puppies—"
"Then are you interested in adopting a..."
"No! Get lost! Schicksal doesn't traffic people."
"Besides, with your fair, delicate skin, your complexion isn't even right—"
"You're clearly not the type who can be bought off with watermelon and fried chicken. Scram, scram, scram."
Finally feeling her arm ache from holding her, Kyuusyou casually tossed the disgraceful figure onto a pile of clothes left on the sofa by a previous overnight guest and ignored her.
The disgraced World Serpent executive, now thrown onto the sofa, was more than happy to escape the glare of the resentful calamity beside her. She curled up in the pile of clothes, playing dead.
-
"Hum hum hum~"
Imhotep, humming a little tune after washing up, pushed open the door to the VIP room. The refreshed, white-haired girl had barely stepped inside when she saw Houraiji Kyuusyou, the purple-haired Valkyrie, looking like a resentful wife, and...
"Which pervert is sniffing my discarded clothes...?"
"Hey, you nameless pervert... beautiful girls don't have a natural scent, so snap out of it! If you smell anything, it's just shower gel and perfume..."
She marched over and dragged Raven out from under the pile of clothes. Hearing Imhotep's words, Raven subconsciously grabbed a piece of clothing from the pile and sniffed it...
Instantly, Miss Raven, having just committed a truly perverted act, shuddered violently... suddenly feeling her life was once again in mortal danger...
"What the hell are you doing?!?!"
Her face turning green with rage, Houraiji Kyuusyou lunged forward and once again hoisted the perpetually unlucky woman into the air.
As Cioara realized exactly what she was holding, her mind completely shut down.
"Abba abba...?"
"Die—!!!"