"Ryn, I've finished processing the materials. Do you need me to..." Cortana held up a high-resolution photo of Kallen and Yae Sakura kissing and mimed putting a hat on her head.
"Enough already. I don't want Schicksal Headquarters flying over St. Freya Academy tomorrow. If we dared send that to Otto, he'd have us killed," Ryn quickly stopped Cortana's dangerous plan. A little teasing was fine, but openly mocking Otto like that would guarantee his demise.
"Oh well... too bad," Cortana said regretfully, putting the photo back into the database.
"We can't just let it go. This is a rare chance to make Otto eat crow," Ryn tapped his fingers on the table, pondering how to let Otto know without getting beaten up in the process.
"Here's what we'll do. Over the next few days, post some everyday photos to my social media feed, visible only to Otto. Then, slowly release the photo of Kallen and Yae Sakura kissing, along with some intimate pictures of me and Kiana, all hidden from Otto's view."
Otto regularly receives the daily photos I secretly take of Theresa. Eventually, he'll notice something amiss with my account and hack into my Moments to secretly observe. That's when he'll discover the photo.
If he finds it himself, even if he gets angry, he won't have any reason to directly confront me~"
"As expected of you. It seems I still have a long way to go. I need to learn from you."
"Study hard, observe closely. Your path is still long!" Ryn brushed his hair back with one hand, a smug expression plastered across his face.
"By the way, Cortana, can you infiltrate Schicksal without being detected right now?"
"It's a bit tricky, but if it's just for minor tasks, they definitely won't notice. You mean..."
Cortana looked at Ryn, and he looked back at her. Then, they both let out sinister cackles.
"Ew~" Judah, who was guarding the door, glanced disdainfully at the master and servant inside.
To encourage students to express their individuality, Theresa allowed the Valkyries of St. Freya Academy to apply for custom designs for their uniforms and Exo-Armor. Kiana, Mei, and Bronya all designed their own unique uniform and armor appearances.
Sparkle, who usually couldn't be bothered with such things, initially had no intention of applying for a custom design. She already had the Exo-Armor "Sabayou," and the standard uniform was perfectly fine for everyday wear. But Mei wouldn't let Sparkle's perfect figure go to waste. She dragged Sparkle into designing a uniform for her, then dragged her to submit the application.
Seeing Mei's eyes gleam with green light after she'd successfully roped Sparkle into this, Ryn quickly waved her off. He really didn't need to go through the hassle of getting a custom design.
Because women generally have far higher Honkai Adaptability than most men, Valkyries are almost exclusively female. Naturally, St. Freya Academy, which trains Valkyries, is an all-girls school.
There were no ready-made uniforms for Ryn to use. If he wanted one, he'd have to get a completely custom-made one. So Ryn chose the same privilege as Welt: freedom of dress! As long as he didn't go too far, he could wear whatever he liked.
It had been over two months since Kiana and the others had arrived at St. Freya Academy, and today their custom-designed uniforms and Exo-Armor finally arrived.
The group was overjoyed to receive their uniforms and immediately rushed to change, their excitement palpable.
Kiana's Valkyrie uniform was a custom-made Ranger type, designed for ranged combat and hit-and-run tactics.
This uniform reduced the protective areas of the original design, focusing only on vital organs, while the rest of her body was covered in a special fiber. It also featured a small cape that could provide necessary concealment when needed.
This design significantly enhanced Kiana's agility but reduced her defense. However, this suited her ranged combat style perfectly.
Though Kiana would have preferred to charge in and throw a few punches, Mei had chosen a close-combat-focused style. To avoid overlapping roles, Kiana opted for the ranged Ranger type.
Mei's uniform was custom-made for the Striker Valkyrie type, specializing in close-quarters combat. Designed to facilitate her swordplay, the uniform was fully armored but crafted from a special material that balanced defense with a degree of flexibility.
Mei's girlish dress made her seem more approachable than the others.
If Mei and Kiana's armor emphasized their individual charm, Bronya's was all about security...
Bronya's uniform was the "Battle Tank." It retained the basic military uniform design but incorporated many mecha elements, making the exo-armor on her legs less conspicuous. This also added a touch of adorable contrast to her petite frame.
But Ryn thought Sparkle's outfit was the best. It was less a uniform and more a suit of armor. It didn't differ much from Sparkle's usual clothes, but it incorporated mecha elements like Bronya's industrial, spiral-like design. Sparkle's armor, the "Crimson Comet," had sleek, modern lines. Most notably, two small, mecha-style horns protruded from her head, making her look especially cute.
"Raiden Mei! Why do I have these little horns on my head?! Ryn, stop touching them, you jerk!"
Sparkle angrily slapped away Ryn's hand, which had been stroking her horns, then charged toward Mei, shouting.
But Mei simply grabbed Sparkle's horns and pinned her to the sofa.
"Hehe, Sparkle's horns are so intriguing! I just want to touch them~" Mei chuckled as she stroked Sparkle's tiny horns, already imagining herself with a pair of her own—they'd be so pretty.
"Ugh... I'm ruined..." Sparkle collapsed into Mei's arms, utterly defeated, and let Mei continue stroking her horns.
"They're so close, it's adorable~" Kallen watched their playful tussle with a smile.
Seeing Kallen's gaze fixed on Mei and Sparkle, Yae Sakura felt a twinge of jealousy.
"Kallen, want to try mine? My fox ears feel pretty good too~"
"Hehe, then I won't be shy~" Kallen slowly turned her head, then suddenly grabbed Yae Sakura's ears and began gently stroking them.
"Y-y-y-ing~" Yae Sakura jumped in surprise, but soon relaxed and let out a contented purr.