Chapter 168: Why Else Would I Call You a Genius?
Mei set her chopsticks down, her gaze lingering on the empty doorway where Kiana had just vanished. A faint crease formed between her brows. "Kiana seems to be running off to the training grounds every spare moment lately. Could... something have happened?" she murmured, her voice laced with a gentle, lingering worry.
"Her?" Himeko chuckled, leaning back in her chair. "Isn't it just because Rovel already applied for his Schicksal knight armor? She is incredibly envious. Now she wants to fast-track her promotion to a B-rank Valkyrie so she can go out on field missions too."
Himeko lifted her bowl, taking a slow, deliberate sip of the hot soup. A look of absolute bliss washed over her features, melting away the usual strictness of a seasoned commander. "Mei, your cooking has improved yet again. I will definitely need another bowl!"
Himeko understood her student perfectly. Kiana's sudden burst of motivation was nothing more than a fleeting, three-minute passion. If anyone doubted that, they only needed to slide a written test paper across her desk to watch her true, slacking colors instantly reveal themselves.
"It is probably because you did not let her go down to Jiuyou last time," Rovel chimed in, lazily swirling the tea in his cup. "She has been harboring this little grudge for a while now. She wants to grind hard in secret during the break and then completely amaze everyone with her progress. It is fine. This manic energy will fade in a couple of days." He shrugged, entirely unbothered. It was a common human trait to suddenly work oneself to the bone for two days on a whim, only to slack off twice as hard the moment the initial adrenaline wore off.
Rovel set his cup down, shifting his gaze toward the red-haired commander. "By the way, Himeko... besides the regular assessment every September, is there really no other way for them to be promoted to official Valkyries early?"
Himeko paused, her spoon hovering in mid-air. She shot him a sharp, knowing sideways glance, instantly seeing right through his casual facade. "You little brat. You were just pretending to agree with me while secretly trying to fish for intel on Kiana's behalf, weren't you?"
"No way," Rovel replied smoothly, flashing a bright, slightly fawning smile. "In Sister Himeko's eyes, am I really such a calculating person?" He kept his expression perfectly innocent. Sure enough, Himeko was a top graduate from Caltech. A mind that sharp was not going to be fooled by a simple conversational pivot.
Himeko reached over, her lips curving into a sweet smile as she ruthlessly pinched Rovel's cheek. A second later, her expression dropped into a mask of absolute authority. "There is no such method. You are just a rare exception. You kids need to honestly wait for the September assessment and put in the hard work like everyone else."
Finishing the last drop of her soup, Himeko stood up. She stretched her arms above her head, letting out a satisfied sigh before turning on her heel and leaving the dining room.
"As expected, it is not that easy to pry information out of Himeko," Rovel muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. This was proving to be a rather difficult puzzle. Himeko's underlying motive was obvious. She simply did not want her students joining the brutal fight against the Honkai this early in their lives. Even if a secret shortcut existed, she would take that knowledge to the grave rather than hand it over.
"According to Bronya's calculations, the probability of Rovel obtaining the required information from Major Himeko using a honey trap is exactly 98.77 percent," Bronya stated, her voice a flat, deadpan monotone as she floated slightly above her chair. "It is a highly feasible tactical option."
"Absolutely not!" Mei gasped, her cheeks flushing. She reached across the table, grabbing Bronya's soft cheeks with both hands and rubbing them vigorously to shake the absurd idea out of the girl's head.
"How about I actually give it a try?" Rovel asked tentatively, a teasing glint in his eye.
"You will try?" Mei's hands stopped moving. She slowly turned her head toward him, her dark eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. The chilling subtext in her soft voice made it abundantly clear that this was not an invitation for him to test his luck.
"Never mind," Rovel coughed, quickly raising his hands in surrender. "Maybe I will go bother Theresa and see if I can squeeze some news out of her instead." He could feel Mei's ethereal, unpredictable killing intent radiating across the table. A cold shiver ran down his spine, prompting him to instantly choose a safer route.
"Right, Bronya, I am going to need some bait," Rovel requested, turning his attention back to the silver-haired girl. As everyone in their inner circle knew, the esteemed Headmaster Theresa was a massive Homu fanatic, just like Bronya. Naturally, Theresa firmly believed she was hiding this childish obsession perfectly.
The 'bait' Rovel required was, without a doubt, premium Homu manga or rare merchandise.
"...Bronya's collection is extremely precious," Bronya replied, her gray eyes widening slightly as she clutched an invisible treasure to her chest. "It cannot be given away casually." She instinctively wanted to refuse the outrageous demand.
"Then it looks like I have no choice but to use Houtarou as bait." Rovel reached into his pocket, pulling out a plush, deep-purple Homu variant. He dangled it by its long ears, waving it slowly back and forth in front of Bronya's face.
Bronya's gaze locked onto the purple plushie, her eyes tracking its every movement like a predator watching prey. Once he had thoroughly whetted her appetite, Rovel swiftly tucked the toy back out of sight. "You would not want your grand collection to be forever missing a Houtarou, would you?"
The unspoken threat hung heavily in the air. If Bronya did not want this ultra-rare collectible to end up sitting on Theresa's desk, she had better obediently hand over some top-tier bargaining chips.
"...Despicable Rovel," Bronya hissed, glaring at him with fierce, unblinking intensity. "To actually use a hostage to threaten Bronya. You are utterly shameless."
Despite her harsh words, she had no counterattack. She reluctantly floated back to her room, returning a moment later clutching a pristine set of treasured manga volumes. "This is the limited edition print of 'Homu's Adventure: Snowfield Encounter.' Bronya only possesses two complete sets of this run..."
She stared down at the glossy covers with genuine heartache, her fingers trembling slightly before she finally shoved them into Rovel's waiting hands. One could not catch a wolf without sacrificing a bit of meat. She mentally huffed. Once she managed to snatch that Houtarou from his grasp, she would never allow herself to be blackmailed by him again.
"Thanks!" Rovel grinned, carefully tucking the precious volumes under his arm. "Kiana will not forget your noble sacrifice." With his ammunition secured, he turned and headed straight toward Theresa's office.
"Ah... I am definitely going to take a long nap today," Theresa yawned loudly, stretching her small arms as she prepared to abandon her towering stacks of paperwork. She pulled the heavy oak door open, only to bump face-first into Rovel's chest the very second she stepped out.
"Headmaster, I have something important to discuss with you," Rovel stated, staring down at the petite principal with an incredibly serious expression.
"Something to discuss? Something to discuss?!" Theresa instantly perked up, her blue eyes widening in sudden panic. At this specific time of day... was the dreaded moment finally arriving?
Her mind raced back to the reckless promise she had made him days ago. As compensation for a particular gift, she had granted Rovel the exclusive right to take a nap with her. Terrified of the awkward implications, Theresa had stubbornly forced herself to stay awake, skipping her beloved afternoon naps for several days in a row.
Since he had not come to collect his reward, she assumed he had merely been joking. Her guard had gradually lowered. She completely failed to anticipate being cornered by him right outside her own sanctuary.
A bright, furious blush exploded across Theresa's cheeks, painting her face a deep crimson. But she was the Headmaster of St. Freya Academy. How could she possibly set a terrible example by breaking a promise to one of her own students?
"Headmaster, what is wrong?" Rovel tilted his head, genuinely puzzled by her erratic reaction. Had Himeko already spoken to Theresa? Had the staff collectively decided to keep the students entirely in the dark?
But filtered through Theresa's panicked mind, those innocent words morphed into something entirely different. 'Headmaster, what is wrong? Did we not agree to take a nap together? How can you possibly go back on your word?'
Theresa grabbed the sides of her head, her mind spinning in chaotic circles. After a long, agonizing moment of internal debate, she finally made up her mind. It was just taking a simple nap together, right? It was not like anything scandalous was actually going to happen. If Rovel dared to get handsy or try anything funny, she would simply summon the Oath of Judah and smash his dog head into the floorboards. Yes, that was a flawless contingency plan.
Seeing the petite Headmaster remain completely silent, Rovel assumed she was desperately trying to formulate an excuse to refuse his request for information. He could not help but feel a wave of disappointment. Just as he sighed and turned to leave, small fingers suddenly clamped around his wrist.
"You absolutely must not tell anyone else about this!" Theresa hissed, her tone deadly serious as she glared up at him.
Rovel blinked. 'So she is afraid I will tell the other girls, which would lead the rest of the student Valkyries to try and bribe their way into early assessments too?' he thought. It made perfect sense. "...Do not worry. My lips are completely sealed," Rovel promised, nodding with equal gravity.
Theresa yanked him down the corridor, acting like a covert operative behind enemy lines. She was extremely cautious, dragging him behind pillars and into empty alcoves the second she spotted another student or staff member. Rovel stumbled along, utterly dazed by the theatrical display. They were just going to discuss the early assessment protocols. Was there really a need to act like fugitive spies? Could she not just tell him the rules in her office?
Before he knew it, Rovel was dragged all the way to Theresa's private residence and shoved directly into her bedroom. Theresa marched over to her large bed, hauling a massive, human-sized Homu plushie right down the center to act as a fluffy barricade. She pointed a trembling finger at him. "You sleep on that side, and I will sleep on this side. You absolutely cannot cross the plushie line! Otherwise... humph!"
To emphasize her threat, Theresa summoned the Oath of Judah, slamming the massive golden cross down right by her bedside. Its terrifying, immense weight made the reinforced floorboards tremble violently beneath their feet.
Staring at the giant cross and the divided bed, the gears in Rovel's head finally clicked into place. So Theresa actually thought he had hunted her down just to cash in on that nap promise? A slow, amused smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth. What an absolutely beautiful misunderstanding.
As an upstanding, principled gentleman, how could Rovel possibly allow such a grievous misunderstanding to persist and trouble his dear Headmaster's conscience?
"I understand completely," Rovel said smoothly, stepping toward his designated side of the mattress. "Do not worry, Theresa. I definitely will not cross the line."
This way, there would be no misunderstanding at all. After all, the absolute best way to eliminate a false assumption was to simply make it a reality.
Why else would he consider himself a tactical genius? Settling onto the soft sheets, Rovel mentally gave himself a triumphant thumbs up for his quick wit.
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