"Hmm... So, you two, just how much of a handful is this Herrscher of Sentience?"
Pushing up the red-framed glasses that were part of her original body, Fu Hua looked at the white-haired duo before her. They seemed utterly unfazed, not the least bit intimidated by the Herrscher of Sentience.
"Well... she uses your body and shouts in a wildly theatrical voice, 'I shall reverse all creation!'" Imhotep said uncertainly, rubbing her chin with her index finger.
"And! And—" Kiana chimed in, remembering something else and launching into an exaggerated performance.
"The times have changed! We no longer have to play other roles—we can be ourselves! Our true selves—!"
"This is the complete Jingwei, the complete Fu Hua, the complete... ME!!!"
Watching the duo perform so vividly in her living room, Fu Hua's fists clenched—
"Kiana, we are returning to Schicksal—now! Immediately! Right this instant!"
The immortal who had guarded Shenzhou for millennia suddenly felt a nerve snap.
"Huh? Why? Class Monitor, aren't you going to deal with Arc City anymore?"
"...This blight upon my reputation... must be eradicated—"
Fu Hua's voice was firm and resolute, leaving no room for the Knight Miss to question.
"No way—"
Kiana's response once again completely defied Fu Hua's expectations.
"Why?"
Fu Hua glared at the white-haired fluffball before her, exasperated. You little brat, Kiana, you just want to see me humiliated, don't you???
"Huh? It's not that I want to see you humiliated, Class Monitor... I'm more interested in seeing Otto suffer—"
As if reading Fu Hua's mind, Kiana hastily explained, hoping to avoid the wrath of a fist backed by fifty thousand years of martial arts.
"?"
Fu Hua's expression turned to one of confusion.
"What does this have to do with Otto?"
"That Schicksal Overseer seems to be planning to apologize to you in person after you wake up—and as for that Senti..."
Kiana shot Fu Hua a look that screamed, You're so screwed. That one holds a grudge.
"She remembers Otto shooting her and screwing her over multiple times... As the saying goes, 'A newborn calf fears no tiger.' Since this newborn Herrscher Consciousness sees herself as Shenzhou's Azure Empyrea, there's no way she'd take that kind of insult lying down."
"She'll roll up her sleeves, and in a flash, BAM! BAM!—she'll land two massive slaps right on that Schicksal Overseer's head, shattering his Soulium body. Then she'll smash the Schicksal Floating Island to pieces and swagger off to hang out with her old buddy from fifty thousand years ago, Kevin Kaslana."
Imhotep took over from Kiana, laying out all the chaos the Demon Child Herrscher was about to unleash for Fu Hua.
"So... you two just want to watch Otto get beaten up?"
Fu Hua glared at the pair, exasperated.
"Well, you're not wrong. Who doesn't want to see Otto get beaten up? Don't you, Class Monitor?"
"..."
Fu Hua fell into deep thought.
"Fair enough... That's not a bad idea."
Lost in thought, Fu Hua nodded, for now setting aside the impulse to return to Schicksal and beat up the unborn, underage Herrscher.
"Besides, you'll get your chance to discipline that brat sooner or later, Class Monitor. It's not like you can't beat her—no need to rush it," Kiana said, waving her hand dismissively. She implied that if needed, they could all gang up on her later. After all, disciplining a brat was something the whole world could agree on.
"Fine, I'll go along with your plan. These past few days have certainly been eye-opening—"
"Parallel world counterparts, beings that only existed in Doctor Mei's theories, seen with my own eyes... And a traveler who can roam the Sea of Quanta freely..."
Fu Hua glanced at the two "Ritas" bustling in the kitchen and Bronie mixing various cocktails, sighing in amazement. Then, her attention shifted to the blonde traveler curled up on a sofa in the living room...
"But this traveler from the Sea of Quanta... why does she look so much like...?"
"Why does everyone have to comment on this body? Even a being who can roam the Sea of Quanta freely has limitations—"
"When I enter a world on the Imaginary Tree, I have to find a vessel. And Miss Fu Hua, you don't need to say 'looks like'... This is Otto's Soulium host body. The female version."
"..."
Fu Hua fell silent.
"Speaking of which, Class Monitor, you were by Otto's side for so long... Have you never seen this before?"
"I have seen his bodies before... but they were always modeled after other people's appearances... This is the first time I've seen one based on his own."
Fu Hua searched her memories for a moment, confirmed she had never encountered such an Otto clone, and explained to the others.
"So, this is a limited-edition, special-release piece of black history!"
Imhotep suddenly grew excited, having extracted this crucial detail from Fu Hua's words. Hundreds of literally "father-scamming" bad ideas flooded her mind.
"Theoretically... yes, that's correct."
Prompted by Imhotep, Fu Hua and Kiana also snapped to attention. Well, well, well... we've finally got our hands on that bastard's blackmail material...
"In that case, Lord Captain..."
Imhotep, Fu Hua, and Kiana turned to the blonde, blue-eyed beauty before them, their gazes dripping with malicious intent.
"Hey, let's talk this out calmly... Don't look at me like that, you're making me nervous..."
Sensing that something terrible was about to happen, the Captain clutched the blanket she'd been sleeping in on the sofa, looking like a damsel about to be violated.
"Ah... Calmly, of course—it's nothing much, just wanted to discuss a few things with you..."
"...What things?"
"How about you try on a few bikinis? Maybe a naked apron? We'll snap a few photos and mail them over to Schicksal HQ—"
Imhotep nodded, seeking the Captain's opinion.
"Oh, yes, yes! And we should post them on the public Schicksal Valkyrie forum!"
Kiana, suddenly struck by inspiration, grew wildly excited. Mr. Overseer, you wouldn't want your dark past exposed on the Schicksal forums, now would you? .jpg
"...I don't suppose I have any way to refuse, do I?"
Miss Captain rolled her eyes at the three girls, who seemed to have already made up their minds.
"Whatever. It's a free body anyway—I don't care. Worst case, I'll just go freeload another one. I'm a master freeloader, after all."
The Captain squeezed her eyes shut, emptied her mind, and thought, Screw it, let's just get this over with.
And so, the Troublemaker Quartet reached a full consensus.
-
"Achoo!!!"
In the Schicksal Overseer's Office, Overseer Otto—who had just discovered his dark past was missing and inaccessible—let out a violent sneeze. He immediately began to suspect that his old friend Joyce, the one who had recently landed two solid punches on him, had stolen his dark past.