By noon, Anna Schariac was still busy.
Although she had just finished her morning training, she had been called upon by the leader of the Far East Branch, to which she belonged, to run an errand.
Her task was to deliver two meals to two distinguished guests from Headquarters.
This struck the young Anna as a little odd.
She was currently a B-rank Valkyrie and could even challenge for the A-rank position within the next two years. Although she couldn't compare to the Lord Durandal she so admired, her talent was still above most in Schicksal. In the future, she even had a chance to become a new S-rank Valkyrie.
So why would the Branch Leader have her deliver meals?
It wasn't that Anna was resistant to the task, just that it was strange.
She recalled the complex gaze of her Branch Leader, who had always taken good care of her. It was like that of a parent watching their fledgling eagle take flight for the first time, an expression holding both reluctance and joy.
The Branch Leader had introduced one of the guests to her: a veteran A-rank Valkyrie. According to the Branch Leader, this woman had once saved her back when she was still a B-rank.
This filled Anna with a sense of solemn respect, dispelling any hint of dissatisfaction.
Thanks to her good upbringing, Anna deeply respected the Valkyries who had always stood on the front lines of the battle against the Honkai, and she dreamed of one day becoming just like them.
It would be even better if she could fight side-by-side with Lord Durandal.
Anna was Durandal's number one fan.
However, the problem lay with the other person.
The Branch Leader hadn't told Anna anything about this person's identity. Over the past few days at the base, Anna had heard rumors about someone from Headquarters who had arrived and hadn't left their room since, and only the Branch Leader had ever seen them.
There were even rumors that in the presence of this individual, even the Branch Leader had to bow her head respectfully.
And the Branch Leader had told Anna that it was this very person who had specifically requested her to deliver the meal.
Could it be a family member coming to visit?
But I'm doing just fine here in the Far East Branch.
Her mind filled with wild thoughts, Anna carried the two meals to a door—the room of the veteran A-rank Valkyrie.
She stepped forward and knocked.
"Reporting! B-rank Valkyrie Anna Schariac, here to deliver your meal!"
After pressing the doorbell, Anna announced loudly.
However, there was no response.
Finding it strange, Anna repeated herself, louder this time.
Still, no one answered.
"Excuse me! I'm coming in!"
After multiple unanswered calls, Anna grew worried that something might have happened inside. She announced her intentions and pushed the door open.
"Stay away from him."
"Get close to him."
"Stay away from him."
"Get close to him."
"Stay away from him..."
Directly across from the door, a girl who looked to be only seventeen or eighteen sat at a table. Her flawless, snow-white face was set in a serious and earnest expression. She had long, grayish-blue hair and wore a personally modified Valkyrie uniform.
Beneath her intelligent-looking red-framed glasses, her azure-blue eyes were fixed intently on a flower in her hand.
"Get close to him."
"Stay away from him."
"Get close to him."
With every petal she plucked, the gray-haired girl muttered the words.
And the table before her was littered with scattered petals.
Anna looked at Fu Hua, a little surprised. According to the Branch Leader, the woman should be even older than her, and the Branch Leader was already approaching thirty.
Yet the girl before her looked so young.
But it was only a mild surprise.
After all, in the neighboring Far East Branch, there was a Branch Leader who looked like a small child.
Fu Hua plucked off petal after petal, until her fingers finally paused on the very last one.
"Get close to him..."
Fu Hua gently plucked the final petal, then stared at it blankly.
As if guided by fate, it was the same answer for the fifth flower in a row.
Lightly biting her lower lip, Fu Hua thought of the fifty thousand years of companionship in the illusion. By Otto's side, she had never once felt lonely.
The overwhelming happiness she felt on Taixu Mountain had not been fake.
The countless times their fingers intertwined, the countless times their lips met, the countless times they held each other close—none of it was fake.
Fu Hua knew very well that Otto was someone who could walk alongside her until the very end.
But should she really trust him?
Fu Hua felt lost. She clutched the crimson petal tightly, the misty depths of her eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions.
Pouting her cherry lips, Fu Hua slowly brought her mouth towards the petal.
"Um, h-hello?"
At that moment, Fu Hua suddenly heard a voice. Her hand trembled, and she subconsciously stuffed the petal into her mouth.
Like a naughty child caught doing something she shouldn't.
She swallowed the petal whole.
It was a little bitter, just like the bitterness she felt when facing Otto.
Fu Hua turned her head to the side and saw a chestnut-haired girl wearing a black beret standing at the door, a tray in her hands.
"Reporting. I am Anna Schariac, a B-rank Valkyrie from the Far East Branch, here to deliver your meal."
"I knocked several times just now but received no response. I was worried there might have been an accident, so I came straight in."
Anna stood up straight, speaking with youthful energy.
Anna Schariac?
Oh, so she's from one of Otto's lickspittle families.
"Mm. I am A-rank Valkyrie Fu Hua."
Fu Hua stood up. With a single wave of her hand over the table—so fast Anna couldn't even see it—all the flower petals vanished.
As expected of an A-rank Valkyrie!
"I can take it from here." Fu Hua's expression remained unchanged, still serious and earnest. She walked up to Anna and took the tray from her.
She had completely forgotten about eating.
She couldn't help it; she had more important things on her mind.
"Right," Anna replied. However, being the extrovert she was, she added, "You were doing a flower divination just now, weren't you? I hear they're very accurate."
Fu Hua's eyelid twitched. She suspected this girl might have been sent by Otto.
"No."
Fu Hua said it without her face reddening or her heart skipping a beat.
In front of others, she maintained her usual taciturn appearance.
"Okay then. Sorry to bother you. I'll go deliver the other meal now."
Anna said, remembering she still had to deliver food to the other person from Headquarters.
Seeing that Anna was about to leave, Fu Hua knew she was going to deliver Otto's food. She opened her mouth. For a split second, she considered offering to take it to him herself.
But she really didn't know how to face him.
After Anna left the room, Fu Hua leaned her back against the door and stared at her right hand. She had eaten that last petal.
Fu Hua raised her hand, her fingers gently pressing against her own lips.
"Otto."
She whispered the name of the man on her mind.
"Can I trust you?"
She asked softly.
"If I can trust you..."
Fu Hua didn't finish her sentence.
But, she suddenly felt...
Fu Shi was a good name.
---o---