Theresa sat at a stall in the snack street, her head slightly lowered, her small hands restlessly clasped together as she rubbed her slender fingers.
There were far too many passersby here, which made her a little nervous.
At that moment, Lierre walked over holding two boxes of takoyaki. She placed one on the table in front of Theresa and sat down beside her.
"Everyone at St. Freya Academy already knows about our relationship. As the saying goes, a man with many debts doesn't worry about one more; it doesn't make much difference whether one more person knows or one less. Besides, we have Otto backing us up. Even if someone posts about us online, they won't be able to stir up much trouble. So don't worry too much—let's just live our own lives."
By now, was there anyone at St. Freya who didn't know she had successfully wooed Theresa? It had even reached the point where, after meeting the parents, they were ready to talk about marriage.
She was currently hailed by the entire Far East Branch as a living legend, the savior of the Valkyries, and the successor to the future Overseer of Schicksal!
At first, some had indeed doubted Theresa's judgment, saying it was a bit too reckless for her to jokingly find a girl who also couldn't grow tall and had an utterly ordinary life history to spend the rest of her life with.
Consequently, Lierre had been privately dubbed the "Queen of Freeloaders" by some.
However, after those Valkyries with artificial Stigmas used the Panacea to repair their genetic defects—naturally awakening Stigmas that adapted to their bodies—she successfully shed that title.
Now, in the eyes of most, Lierre had become the second-in-command of the Far East Branch and St. Freya Academy.
"You make it sound easy. Regardless of how mature, steady, and reliable I usually am in my work, I still get shy when facing this sort of thing!" Theresa gave Lierre a sharp glare.
"Pfft... By 'mature and steady,' you don't mean slacking off to read manga at work or throwing a tantrum because you don't want to take your medicine when you're sick, do you?"
Lierre couldn't help but laugh.
Theresa was indeed reliable during critical moments, but her usual behavior was really no different from that of a willful child.
After all, Otto protected her far too well—so well that as long as Otto didn't die, Theresa would never truly grow up.
"Slander! That is absolute slander! And who exactly told you that? Was it Himeko?!"
Seeing her dark history ruthlessly exposed, Theresa's face instantly turned bright red, and she hurriedly denied it with stubborn pride.
A drone, quietly perched on a tree branch and disguised as a ladybug, took in everything below.
Around the corner not far behind, Kiana and the others each wore earpieces, looking down at the real-time footage on their phones.
Murata Himeko covered her face in exasperation.
Stupid Theresa, aren't you just admitting it by saying that?
Staring at her phone, Kiana grumbled dissatisfactorily, "It's so frustrating to watch. If I were Theresa, I would have gone up and clung to Lierre's arm by now. They're sitting together but keeping such a distance!"
Up until now, not only had there been zero progress, they weren't even holding hands. It made her so anxious she wanted to go in and take over for them.
Even as someone who had never been in a relationship, she was better at flirting than these two!
"There are a lot of strangers here, after all. They're too embarrassed to do anything overly intimate in public."
Raiden Mei took a bite of a freshly bought skewer from a paper bag, her brow furrowing slightly.
It wasn't as delicious as Lierre's cooking.
"But they've already known each other for so long. Why are they still as easily embarrassed as an ordinary couple? No, I have to go up and give them a hand!"
With that, Kiana stepped out with her long legs, her two long white braids swaying gently behind her like weeping willow branches.
"Eh? Kiana, wait a moment..."
"Mei, let her go. If we let those two develop on their own, our trip today might be for nothing."
Murata Himeko called Raiden Mei back, watching Kiana's departing back with a smile in her eyes.
Go for it! If all goes well, Theresa's future happiness depends on you!
"It's good to let Kiana try. Perhaps with her support, Lierre and Theresa's date today will go even more smoothly."
Cecilia walked over to Raiden Mei, her cyan eyes quietly watching the direction Kiana had gone.
Just then, Cheng Lixue walked over with a serious expression. "Senior Cecilia, Mr. Joyce has discovered some suspicious individuals within his monitoring range."
It was impossible for the Far East Branch not to have spies from other factions. Lierre had been performing so brilliantly at St. Freya Academy recently that intelligence regarding her was inevitably leaked.
Furthermore, Lierre hadn't asked Cecilia, Cheng Lixue, or Joyce to specifically hide themselves. In her words: There is no logic in guarding against a thief for a thousand days.
If someone came to attack, they would just fight back. If they found they couldn't win, running away wasn't shameful either; they would just bide their time until the day they could make a comeback and fight back then.
Because of this, the intelligence on the three of them was not classified, which led to other factions receiving news of the "Miracle" of the resurrection of the dead.
Then there was the Panacea Lierre had produced. Its efficacy was something anyone would be moved by; after all, who wouldn't want a healthy body?
When Murata Himeko, whose lifespan was nearly depleted, recovered her health and returned to her peak strength after taking the Panacea, it was predestined that every Valkyrie in Schicksal with an artificial Stigma would go wild for it.
If Lierre weren't officially Otto's future "grandson-in-law," the Far East Branch might have already gone behind Theresa's back to contact Schicksal Headquarters to move against Lierre.
Thus, Lierre being targeted was an absolute certainty. Even if she stayed hidden in St. Freya Academy, people would eventually come knocking.
Lierre and Theresa's date today had only moved that process forward by a few days. Even if they hadn't gone on a date, Lierre would have taken Kiana and the others to the amusement park today; the small St. Freya Academy couldn't keep her contained.
"The tree craves peace, but the wind will not subside. What must come will come eventually."
A flash of determination crossed Cecilia's eyes, and she said to Raiden Mei and Murata Himeko, "Excuse me for a moment. If I don't return in time, tell Kiana not to worry about me."
"Do you need help?"
"I'm willing to lend a hand too!"
Murata Himeko and Raiden Mei keenly sensed that something was wrong and wanted to contribute their modest strength.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but to avoid being lured away by the enemy, you must remain here."
Cecilia looked at the two of them and said, "Theresa was once an S-rank Valkyrie. With the two of you assisting her, it will be enough to handle even formidable enemies. It's safer this way."