Chapter 184: Alert
"So, how did it go, Class Monitor?" Rovel asked, leaning back slightly as he looked over at Fu Hua. "The A-rank Valkyrie assessment shouldn't have been too much of a hurdle for you, right?"
Fu Hua adjusted her red-framed glasses, her expression as placid as a still lake. "There were very few candidates participating in the A-rank assessment on my side—just a handful, really. Because of that, the results were processed quickly." She offered a modest nod. "I passed by a stroke of luck."
"Wait, seriously?!" Kiana leaned across the table, her blue eyes sparkling with unfiltered excitement. "Does that mean... Class Monitor, you're already an official A-rank Valkyrie?!"
"I suppose you could say that," Fu Hua replied, her tone perfectly even.
"Wow..." Kiana let out a long breath, her shoulders slumping just a fraction as a clear wave of envy washed over her features. To reach A-rank was a massive milestone, one she was still striving toward.
"It's getting rather late," Wendy chimed in. She offered the group a soft, welcoming smile, her voice as gentle and refreshing as a spring breeze. "Why don't I take everyone out to get something to eat? My treat."
Rovel blinked, shooting the green-haired girl a look of pure surprise. Gentle? Reserved? She certainly hadn't been acting this sweet and demure when she was talking to him in private just a little while ago. Who would have thought the seemingly innocent Wendy had such a starkly different second side to her personality?
Catching Rovel's incredulous stare out of the corner of her eye, Wendy maintained her sweet smile. However, she slowly raised one hand, subtly clenching her fist. A faint, menacing crack of knuckles echoed beneath the table.
Message received. Rovel decisively snapped his gaze away, suddenly finding the ceiling architecture incredibly fascinating.
The group soon arrived at a bustling local restaurant, quickly ordering a lavish spread that covered the entire table. Kiana wasted no time, happily stuffing her cheeks like a starving chipmunk. Yet, amidst the feast, both Rovel and Wendy barely touched their chopsticks, their bowls remaining completely clean.
Kiana paused mid-bite, a piece of fried chicken dangling from her lips. She looked back and forth between the two of them in confusion. "Are you guys not gonna eat?"
"Ah..." Wendy lowered her head, her gaze dropping to her lap as a faint, involuntary blush crept across her cheeks. "Rovel and I already ate outside just a moment ago... we're actually very full."
Mei paused, her chopsticks hovering over a plate of greens. She shot Wendy an inexplicable glance. Was it just her imagination, or did that sound incredibly suggestive? Why did it feel like there was a hidden, intimate subtext to Wendy's words?
She shook her head slightly, dismissing the thought. Rovel and Wendy had only just met today. No matter how capable Rovel was at charming people, it was absolutely impossible for anything that fast to have happened between them. Right?
Slowly setting her mind at ease, Mei picked up a leafy green vegetable, bringing it to her lips and chewing it with careful, measured bites.
Once the meal concluded, the group decided to call it a night. Since Kiana and the others needed to be in peak condition for tomorrow's combat assessment, staying out late was out of the question. They escorted Wendy back to her residence first, bidding her goodnight before making their way back to the temporary lodgings Himeko had arranged for them in advance.
However, just before they parted ways, Bronya's sharp gray eyes caught a subtle detail. Wendy's gaze was practically glued to Rovel's back, her emerald eyes swimming with a deep, unmistakable reluctance to part.
Bronya tilted her head, a rare flicker of genuine curiosity breaking through her usual stoic demeanor. Just what on earth had Rovel done to win her over so completely in such a short amount of time?
Hours later, in the dead of night, the silence of Wendy's room was broken only by her soft breathing. Down on her leg, the Gem of Desire pulsed, emitting a faint, eerie glowing light in the darkness. Shifting in her sleep, a soft, longing murmur escaped her lips. "Rovel..."
The next morning arrived with the pale light of dawn. Kiana was up unusually early—or rather, judging by the dark circles under her eyes, she hadn't slept much at all. The looming anxiety over her upcoming assessment results had clearly kept her tossing and turning all night.
"The results aren't even announced until eight o'clock. Why are you up so early?" Rovel asked, pausing his handheld game console and looking up at the disheveled white-haired girl in confusion.
Kiana crossed her arms, pouting as she glared at him. "Aren't you exactly the same? Getting up at the crack of dawn just to play video games."
"I didn't 'get up early,'" Rovel replied, feeling a bit speechless. "I was waiting for Himeko to get back last night, and ended up staying out here to take care of her all night."
Thanks to the continuous nourishment from the Blood of Taiyi, Himeko's deteriorating body was gradually returning to its absolute peak. Even the severe cellular damage caused by her artificial stigmata was slowly being repaired. Just a few days ago, she had solemnly promised Rovel that she would start cutting back on her drinking. Yet, last night, she had completely thrown that promise out the window, engaging in a fierce drinking contest with Captain Clark until she drank herself completely unconscious.
Captain Clark was certainly a character in her own right. Despite being heavily intoxicated herself, she had somehow managed to carry the dead-weight Himeko all the way back to the dorms. Of course, the moment she crossed the threshold, Clark had collapsed onto the floor—but not before throwing up all over the entryway.
When Clark finally woke up from her drunken stupor early this morning, she had immediately received some sort of emergency mission dispatch. She had rushed out the door in a frantic hurry, leaving no clue as to where she was actually going.
"Anyway, the Class Monitor already made breakfast. It's over there." Rovel pointed a thumb toward the dining table. "Since you're up, you should eat something."
Kiana slumped down onto the sofa right next to him, leaning her weight against his arm. "Help me adjust my body first... I didn't sleep well at all last night."
Rovel sighed softly. "Then you'd better sleep for a little while longer." He reached out, gently placing his hand on the crown of her head and stroking her soft white hair. Using his unique synchronization abilities, he subtly regulated her melatonin levels. Almost instantly, Kiana felt an overwhelming heaviness drag at her eyelids. Within seconds, her breathing evened out, and she fell fast asleep, her head resting heavily against Rovel's shoulder.
A quick glance at the clock showed it was only six-thirty in the morning. The written results wouldn't be posted until eight, and the physical combat assessment wouldn't officially kick off until nine. While Rovel could easily use his system to force Kiana's physical stats back to their peak state, artificial adjustments could never truly replace the restorative benefits of natural, deep sleep.
Fu Hua was currently out for her morning martial arts routine. According to her strict philosophy, the morning was the most vital time of the day for cultivation, and a change of scenery was no excuse to slack off.
Beside him, Kiana's chest rose and fell in a steady, peaceful rhythm. Stripped of her usual loud and boisterous energy, she actually looked incredibly cute while asleep—curled up softly against him like a docile little cat.
Shifting his posture carefully so as not to wake her, Rovel laid Kiana flat along the length of the sofa, guiding her head to rest comfortably on his thigh so she could use it as a makeshift pillow.
Not long after, Bronya emerged from her room. Her dull gray eyes immediately locked onto the cozy scene playing out on the living room sofa. Yet, she merely offered a passing glance. There were no ripples of jealousy in her heart; if anything, the sight of the usually energetic Kiana drooling slightly on Rovel's leg made her want to laugh.
About half an hour later, the door to Mei's bedroom slowly creaked open.
"Hmm? Rovel?" Mei blinked, looking pleasantly surprised to see him already sitting out in the living area. Rovel simply offered a quiet wave of his hand in greeting, gesturing for her to keep her voice down.
Realizing he wasn't speaking, Mei walked over to get a closer look. A soft smile touched her lips when she discovered Kiana resting peacefully on Rovel's lap. She hesitated for a brief moment, pondering whether she should wake her friend, but ultimately decided against it. The dark bags under Kiana's eyes were proof enough that she had suffered through a restless night.
Kiana had previously bragged to Mei about this specific, convenient ability of Rovel's. Mei, being highly self-disciplined with her sleep schedule, had never found a need for it. Kiana, on the other hand, often buckled under academic and combat pressure, frequently relying on Rovel to help regulate her melatonin secretion so she could slip into a deep, restorative sleep and quickly recover her lost energy.
A short while later, the front door opened and Fu Hua stepped inside. However, the usual calm aura surrounding the Class Monitor was gone; her brows were knit tightly together in a severe frown.
"What's wrong?" Rovel asked, his tone dropping to a serious whisper. Judging by her grim expression—and factoring in the classic laws of being a protagonist—had some massive incident just triggered? Combined with Captain Clark's frantic, emergency departure earlier this morning... it was highly likely.
"I am not entirely sure of the details," Fu Hua replied, her voice taut with tension. "But the entire Oceania Branch has just been locked down. The base has entered a state of maximum alert. We might not be able to leave the premises for the time being."
"Lockdown?" Bronya and Mei echoed in unison, both girls freezing in stunned surprise.
"I couldn't get a clear answer on what specifically triggered it," Fu Hua continued, crossing her arms. "But the security personnel seem to be frantically searching for something. Or, perhaps... looking for someone."
Hearing this, Rovel lowered his head, his mind racing through the possibilities. An emergency severe enough to force the entire Oceania Branch into a sudden, panicked lockdown...
His eyes widened slightly as a chilling thought crossed his mind. Could it be... that Wendy had gone missing?
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