Chapter 126: Rita Comes to Inspect
St. Freya Academy · Airport
Irene yawned and turned to look at Theresa. "Why did you drag me over here so early in the morning? You even dragged Himeko along."
"What else could it be?" Theresa stood with her hands on her hips, looking at Irene. "Rita is arriving soon. As the A-Rank Valkyries of our St. Freya Academy, you and Himeko definitely have to come and welcome her."
"Then why didn't you drag the Class Monitor over?" Irene yawned. She had been up all night with Wendy. Fooling Wendy really hadn't left her with much time to rest.
Now she was slightly sleepy. Of course, the results were gratifying. Judging from the lines between the text, the outcome was outstanding.
"Fu Hua is just a student." Theresa kept her hands on her hips. "Of course it wouldn't be appropriate for her to come. Only you two can come. Besides, Fu Hua has classes to attend later."
"I also have classes to attend later, Theresa." Himeko looked at her with half-lidded eyes. "Sigh, whatever. Since we're already here... It's just physical education anyway, Fu Hua should be able to cover for me."
"Alright, you two, stop complaining. You're already here." Theresa looked at the two who practically had 'I don't want to work' written all over their faces, feeling somewhat helpless.
"That's an S-Rank Valkyrie, and one directly under Headquarters at that. Perk up a bit! Our future funding depends on her."
Although Theresa and Irene knew Rita's visit was fishy, Himeko didn't. Moreover, on the surface, Rita really was here for an inspection, which tied into their upcoming funding.
If nothing else, they at least had to keep up appearances.
"Yes, yes, I know." After yawning a few more times, Himeko finally stood up. Right at that moment, the sound of something approaching came from the sky above.
"She's here." Irene watched the gradually descending aircraft. After letting out one last yawn, she placed her hand over her chest. With a flash of lightning, Irene's spirits noticeably lifted.
The aircraft quickly landed. Rita, wearing her classic maid outfit, stepped out gracefully. Seeing Theresa, Irene, and Himeko waiting to welcome her, she bowed slightly.
"Good day, Lady Theresa." A bright smile hung on Rita's face as she looked at Theresa, before rising and turning to Irene and Himeko.
"And Miss Irene and Miss Himeko."
"Hello, Miss Rita," Irene greeted her amicably, while Himeko gave a much more casual and boisterous greeting.
After smiling at the two, Rita focused most of her attention on Theresa. After mentally comparing their heights, the smile on Rita's face became even more genuine.
Lady Theresa was as cute as ever. But what a pity, she wouldn't be able to interact with Lady Theresa frequently this time. What a shame.
Theresa suddenly shivered all over and looked around in confusion. That feeling just now... was she about to be in some kind of danger?
"Does Grandpa—I mean, Lord Overseer, have any instructions for this visit?" After a fruitless search of her surroundings, Theresa focused her attention back on Rita.
"Lord Overseer doesn't have any specific orders. He merely hopes that I can take a look at how St. Freya Academy is currently operating." Rita looked at Theresa with a smile.
"However, I heard that Lady Theresa is planning to incorporate the Memorial Arena system into the Valkyrie assessments?"
"Mhm, yes. What about it?" Theresa tilted her head. "I submitted a report about this matter, and it was approved."
"Please rest assured, Rita isn't here to say anything against this matter." Rita smiled. After all, the Memorial Arena system was gradually being distributed to various branches.
"It's a good thing that Principal Theresa can take the lead and incorporate the Memorial Arena system into the assessment standards."
"That's good then." Theresa patted her completely flat chest. "Then, is there anything Rita needs me to take you to see?"
"Hmm, why don't we go take a look at the Memorial Arena system Lady Theresa has prepared?" A smile crept onto Rita's face, while Irene shot Rita a sidelong glance at this moment.
Through the people-reading skills she had learned from Pardo, combined with the help of the Bodhi imprint, Irene was absolutely certain that Rita was definitely not thinking about anything good right now.
Or rather, Rita's visit this time wasn't for anything good to begin with.
And in Irene's mind, Little Corruption's voice echoed:[Miss Rita, huh. I do have some impression of her. How should I put it... on the surface, she's very calculating, but in her heart, she's surprisingly pure.]
[That is, assuming you are on the same side.] Wendy, who had also interacted with Rita, chimed in at the same time. In her world line, she and Rita had nothing good to talk about.
After all, if it hadn't been for Rita, that incident with Kiana later on wouldn't have happened.
[She's just like a rose. She looks beautiful, but she might just prick you. Irene, you have to be careful.]
[Don't worry, I know.] Of course Irene knew that the current Rita couldn't be trusted. When on the same side, Rita was undoubtedly a trustworthy, omnipotent maid.
But unfortunately, that was a matter for the future. Right now, Rita stood on Otto's side.
"In that case, let's go this way." Theresa nodded and took the lead. Himeko looked left and right, noticing that Rita's attention didn't seem to be on her.
Himeko had never been good at hosting anyway, so she simply spoke up, saying that if she still had a class to teach, she would take her leave first.
Just as Theresa was about to say something, Rita spoke first: "Of course. Since Miss Himeko has matters to attend to, please go ahead."
Seeing Rita say this, Theresa couldn't very well keep Himeko behind. After all, judging by her look, Himeko completely didn't want to stay here, so Theresa also nodded.
Having Irene was enough. If Himeko had kept refusing to step down from the frontlines, Theresa actually would have wondered if she should just kick Himeko into retirement.
She had finally managed to pull Himeko back from the brink of death caused by constant Stigmata corruption. Plus, as an old friend, Theresa truly hoped Himeko could live a good life.
Irene walked beside Rita. Naturally, she wasn't planning on leaving with Himeko. She still intended to ask Rita a few questions. "I didn't expect Overseer Otto to value our Valkyrie assessment this time so highly."
"Lord Overseer has always cared about Lady Theresa." Rita still wore a faint smile on her face. "Therefore, the quality and strength of the Valkyries here is also a matter that Headquarters needs to care about."
"Furthermore, St. Freya Academy now has a new A-Rank Valkyrie like Miss Irene, which is a combat force very much worth paying attention to."
"I heard that Miss Irene reached the level of an A-Rank Valkyrie as soon as she joined St. Freya Academy. This kind of speed truly makes Rita curious."
"Haha, Miss Rita, you think too highly of me." Irene chuckled a few times. "It was just a coincidence. Someone like Miss Rita, who reached the rank of S-Rank Valkyrie at such a young age, is the truly impressive one."
"It was merely good luck." Rita looked at Irene with a smile. "I believe that if Miss Irene continues to develop in the future, you should be able to reach this position as well."
"Then I'll borrow Miss Rita's auspicious words." After nodding, Irene changed the subject and continued to ask, "Speaking of which, I wonder if Miss Rita has received any orders regarding that battleship."
"Indeed I have, but it was merely an order for me to ask if there are any further research materials." Rita nodded without dodging the question. This was also one of the excuses Otto had prepared for her in advance.
"After all, the origin of this battleship is very strange, so my trip here is also partly because of that battleship. I recall the materials mentioned the battleship is called the Moonlight Throne?"
"Mhm, the Moonlight Throne." Irene nodded. "As for that battleship, we are still researching it. Regarding this point, Principal Theresa should know more."
Hearing Irene kick the ball to her, Theresa's expression stiffened, but she also knew that as an A-Rank Valkyrie, Irene indeed shouldn't say too much, so she had no choice but to speak up.
"I remember the Oceania Branch currently holds the Storm of Desire, which is the Gem of Desire, mentioned in the system? I heard they are doing some kind of research. I wonder if there has been any special progress?"
"We aren't too clear about this matter either." Rita shook her head. "After all, that is a secret research project of the branch, and they haven't reported back."
"However, Lady Theresa can ask for Lord Overseer's opinion later."
"Alright." For a moment, Theresa didn't know how to refuse the inquiry, so she could only hastily drop the subject. The three of them walked silently into the training ground.
After demonstrating a few prepared templates, Rita nodded with what looked like an appreciative expression. She leaned gently against the operation console, appearing as if she wanted to get a closer look at the Honkai Beasts generated on the training ground.
But in Irene's mind, Little Corruption suddenly spoke up:[She put something into the system. Hmm, it's aimed at Kiana. Do you need me to turn it off?]
Although Rita acted very covertly, in front of the Herrscher of Corruption, messing with the system was literally like turning on a spotlight in the dark—it couldn't possibly be any more obvious.
Of course, Rita's movements couldn't escape Irene either. Her eyes had already been tempered by Pardo's techniques. Rita's stealthy actions were indeed very strong, but compared to Pardo, Rita's sleight of hand was still lacking a bit.
[Stop her? Why should we stop her?] Irene shook her head. It was just a probe anyway; it wasn't like she could actually do anything to Kiana.
Moreover, the biggest problem, the Queen, had already been tamed by her, and domesticated into the Spring Spirit. How could Rita's little tricks have any effect?
Since that was the case, why not let them think their plan had succeeded? Hiding their own goals within their plan wouldn't be a bad idea, would it?
"It seems there is no need for Rita to offer any suggestions?" After confirming the tampered program was installed, Rita withdrew her gaze. She was confident her actions wouldn't be discovered by Irene or Theresa.
"Shall we go see other places next?"
"Of course, this way."
By now, the night had deepened, and the entire St. Freya Academy had quieted down somewhat, though there were still a few hard-working Valkyries continuing their training on the athletic field.
In Himeko's villa, Theresa was lying on the bed with her head resting on Irene's thighs, looking utterly exhausted. After all, the higher-ups had come to inspect, and as the branch director, she had to at least put on a hard-working attitude.
Otherwise, it would be hard to ask for next month's funding. Especially since Rita had come with ill intentions this time, Theresa hadn't dared to relax at all.
"Ugh, this is so troublesome. What exactly is Grandpa trying to do by doing this?" Theresa lay on Irene's lap, staring at the ceiling. "With things like this, I can't even relax."
"But didn't you handle it very well today?" Irene stroked Theresa's head. "Rita didn't catch any of your minor mistakes, did she?"
"It's me, after all. As long as I get serious, I'm still very impressive." Theresa nodded. "Speaking of which, is it really okay to let Rita stay out of our line of sight?"
"What does it matter? Rita won't do anything extra anyway." Irene shrugged. Rita was the classic type of person who would do as little as possible. As long as the task was completed, she wouldn't cause extra trouble.
She had already planted what she needed to test in the system, so naturally, she wouldn't go off doing other things.
"You're the boss." Theresa nodded wearily. "Sigh, I hope Rita won't actually investigate anything for real."
"Alright, well, at least your work for today is done." Irene gently stroked Theresa's head. "Just relax properly now."
Theresa nuzzled deeper into Irene's embrace. "So, what are you thinking? The annual Valkyrie assessment is in just two days."
"What else can we do? We'll just do what we need to do. She's just here to inspect the work, don't be so nervous." Irene hugged Theresa and lay down.
"If the enemy doesn't move, we don't move. If you panic first, the other side will see through your flaws."
"That's true." Theresa frowned, still somewhat worried in her heart. "But knowing that Rita is here to do other things, how could I possibly relax?"
"Don't worry, you have me. I will protect you." Irene stroked Theresa's head. "Right now, we just need to act like everything is normal. There's nothing for us to be tense about."
"After all, we don't know anything, do we? Or could it be, Theresa, that you have some little secret that Lord Overseer absolutely cannot discover~"
"...I suppose I do." Theresa rolled to the side, lying next to Irene. "But I haven't figured out what to do yet."
"No matter what decision you make, I will support you." Irene stroked Theresa's head, conveniently turning off the room's lights via the switch next to the bed.
"But right now~ it's time to sleep."
"Okay, okay, okay..."
Theresa stuffed herself next to Irene, curling her body up and pressing tightly against her.
"Honestly." Irene held Theresa in her arms, slightly adjusting her posture. "It's not like I'll suddenly disappear while you're sleeping, sticking so close to me..."
"...Mind your own business."
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