Walking around the corner, Flandre caught sight of Remilia waiting in the hallway alongside the rest of the Scarlet Devil Mansion's residents.
A radiant smile instantly lit up her face. "Sister!"
Pouncing directly into Remilia's arms, Flandre nuzzled her cheek against her elder sister's like an affectionate kitten.
Remilia reached out, gently stroking Flandre's silky hair. "You did a splendid job today."
"You saw, Sister?" Flandre blinked in surprise. She remembered glancing toward the viewing gallery during the procedure, but she hadn't spotted her sister's figure—only clusters of attending physicians coming and going.
Remilia pointed toward a subtle surveillance camera mounted on the corridor ceiling. "Do not forget, there are ubiquitous monitoring devices throughout Rhodes Island, and the operating theater has several. Besides, we are not medical personnel, so there was no need for us to crowd those crucial observation posts reserved for the doctors."
Flandre nodded in understanding as the two fell into step, walking together down the passageway.
"Sakuya prepared some delicious treats for you," Remilia added smoothly. "Let us head back and eat first."
Flandre happily hugged Remilia's arm tightly. "Sister is the best!"
"Hmph, as long as you know it!" Remilia huffed playfully. "Come along, then."
Taking Flandre by the hand, Remilia led her toward their guest quarters.
Shortly after they arrived, Sakuya Izayoi served a freshly prepared meal. Flandre happily munched on her special small cake, proudly recounting every detail of how precise and steady her movements had been at the operating table.
Remilia sat beside her, offering steady praise throughout. "My, that is truly impressive. Flandre really is marvelous. Our Flandre is the absolute strongest."
This overwhelming wave of emotional validation made Flandre practically puff up with pride. Once her stomach was full, she curled up contentedly in Remilia's arms and quickly drifted off to sleep.
When Flandre opened her eyes the following day, it was already nearly noon.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she climbed out of bed and found a bowl of pudding resting on the small table, topped with a handwritten note. The message stated that Remilia and the others had stepped out for the morning, instructing Flandre to go out and enjoy herself after waking up and finishing her snack.
Smiling bright, Flandre grabbed her pudding and trotted out of the room.
She hadn't walked far down the quiet corridor before a familiar figure appeared around the corner.
"Mr. Scout!" Flandre called out, waving her hand.
Scout turned at the sound of her voice, his face breaking into a warm smile upon seeing who it was. "Flandre, good morning."
Flandre looked at him, then glanced down the empty corridor. "Are you waiting for someone, Mr. Scout?"
Scout waved his hand in denial. "No, I was actually waiting for you."
"Waiting for me?" Flandre pointed a finger at her own nose.
Scout reached into his tactical vest and pulled out a palm-sized trinket resembling a traditional Teru Teru Bozu weather doll. "Thank you for saving Whitesmith yesterday. I know you don't lack for anything, so I crafted this little trinket myself. I hope you like it."
Flandre reached out to accept the gift, examining the small craft before offering Scout a cheerful nod. "I like it very much! Thank you, Mr. Scout."
Seeing her accept the token so readily, Scout let out a relieved laugh. "I'm glad you like it... Well, I should head off now."
Flandre tilted her head, sizing up the seasoned marksman before her. "Mr. Scout, do you like Whitesmith?"
Hearing her direct question, Scout's face flushed a vivid, beet red. "I—It's just because she is an important partner to me and to Rhodes Island..."
Observing his flustered, hesitant stammer, Flandre pressed on innocently. "So you don't like her?"
"Of course not! It's just, I mean... Uh, my squad is calling me on the comms, I must take my leave first!" Scout hurriedly tapped his tactical headset as if engaging in an urgent transmission, then spun on his heel and beat a hasty retreat down the hall.
Flandre tilted her head in utter confusion. She certainly hadn't heard a single chime from his equipment, and she had clearly seen that Scout's headset unit was switched completely off. Why did he have to lie to her?
Just as Scout vanished around the bend, another head peeked out from behind a nearby structural pillar.
Recognizing Amiya, Flandre raised her hand in greeting.
Amiya walked over, glancing down the hall where Scout had fled. "Flandre, you really are quite mischievous!" she chuckled softly, taking Flandre's hand.
"Eh?" Flandre blinked in bewilderment.
"Flandre, you are still young, so you don't quite understand these complex matters yet," Amiya smiled softly, squeezing her hand. "But thank you anyway. Since there are no scheduled lessons today, let's go play outside together!"
With that, Amiya pulled Flandre along toward the lower decks.
"Isn't 'outside' supposed to be upstairs?" Flandre asked in confusion after noticing they were descending level by level.
"We are stepping outside of the landship itself, not onto the upper deck, so naturally we go down to the lower exit ramps," Amiya explained.
"Outside the vessel? Is that really okay?!" Flandre's eyes sparkled with instant surprise.
"Of course! There is a broad river flowing not far from our main landship where Rhodes Island is currently conducting routine water replenishment operations," Amiya reassured her. "Our field Operators have already thoroughly swept the surrounding terrain—there is no danger, so everyone planned a short outdoor outing."
Hearing Amiya's words, Flandre's expression grew a bit conflicted. She genuinely wanted to play outside, but spending time right next to a body of water made her feel instinctively uncomfortable.
Sensing her hesitation, Amiya quickly clarified, "We aren't going near the water itself—just to a lush grassy clearing a short distance from the bank."
Reassured by Amiya's promise, Flandre reluctantly agreed.
The two girls stepped through the massive boarding ramps of Rhodes Island, squinting up at the bright, clear sky.
It was currently the transitional season between late summer and early autumn; beneath the unshielded afternoon sun, the heat remained quite potent. Although the wide lawn was vibrant and green, no one wanted to play directly under the blazing sun, so most of the staff and children had gathered under the cool shade of the adjacent woodland.
Noticing Amiya and Flandre approaching, the Operator standing at the head of the gathering raised a hand in friendly greeting.
Flandre recognized him immediately—he was the squad leader who had led the tactical support team for Sharp after she had wiped out the swarm of Rift Beasts earlier.
"That is Mr. Stormeye," Amiya introduced warmly at her side. "He is also an Elite Operator of Rhodes Island. His marksmanship is exceptionally brilliant, and he specializes in long-range reconnaissance."
Only now did Flandre connect his face with the famous archer from the legendary Four Kings of tactical operations. It wasn't that she had deliberately failed to recognize him before; rather, there were quite a few white-haired Sarkaz Operators aboard Rhodes Island, and since he hadn't formally introduced himself during their chaotic battle, she had simply assumed he was a standard field operative.
"Hello, Mr. Stormeye," Flandre greeted politely, extending her hand.
"Good day, Miss Flandre," Stormeye replied with a warm smile, shaking her hand respectfully. "You are a magnificent benefactor to Rhodes Island. Though you have only been aboard for a few days, you have already aided us tremendously. Thank you very much for your hard work during yesterday's operation as well."