Following a brief instruction from Durandal, Hua and Carole—who had been right in the middle of class—were led into the office adjacent to the archives, looking utterly bewildered.
Inside the room sat only Durandal and Himeko; the rest of the group remained in the archives next door.
Finding themselves face-to-face with a girl who looked to be their own age and a mature young woman, Hua and Carole felt their confusion deepen.
The two students weren't exactly friends yet, but Carole's personality preceded her.
On the walk over, she had already struck up a conversation with Hua, prying for details about why they'd been summoned and making herself right at home.
"Hua, who do you think they are?" Carole whispered. "Think they're talent scouts? Don't tell me some agency scouted us and we're about to debut as an idol duo?"
Hua: "..."
She truly found Carole a difficult person to handle. Idols? One look at the sharp, disciplined aura radiating from Durandal and Himeko told her that was impossible.
For some reason, looking at Durandal gave Hua a faint sense of familiarity. She quickly realized where it came from.
It wasn't because they had met before—that was impossible—but rather because there were so many parts of Durandal that felt like a reflection of herself. It was like looking into a mirror, which naturally felt familiar.
However, there was one glaring difference: the girl before her lacked Hua's sense of aimlessness. Her eyes were filled with nothing but unwavering resolve.
Though Carole had been whispering, the office wasn't large; Durandal and Himeko heard every word. Himeko shot Durandal a look that clearly asked: Is this really who you picked?
Durandal cleared her throat, about to speak, only to catch Himeko's next look: You didn't actually come here to scout idols for Eden, did you?
It was a mystery how Himeko could convey so much with a single glance, or how Durandal managed to catch her drift so perfectly. Regardless, the mere mention of idols gave Durandal a headache.
Eden's business ventures were indeed up and running—advertising agencies, record labels, talent firms, fashion houses, you name it. Many of these branches required brand ambassadors.
While Eden could handle most of it herself, there were certain roles she couldn't fill. For instance, the advertising branch had taken on a branding project for Schicksal, which included a requirement for a public face of the organization.
And the person Eden had her eye on was none other than Elysia.
In her heart, Durandal knew Elysia was a perfect fit. But... well, it wasn't a mystery; she knew exactly why.
Out of pure selfishness, she didn't want to see the day where Elysia became the "dream girl" of millions of teenagers.
Back when they were at Chiba Academy (Durandal had already graduated early alongside Kevyn and Sakura), Elysia had been incredibly popular with the students.
Could Durandal honestly say she'd been completely unfazed back then?
If she had been, she wouldn't have accepted that duel with the Kendo Club President, making such a bold statement in front of everyone before soundly defeating him.
Perhaps, subconsciously, she had been staking her claim on Elysia even then.
Of course, those weren't the kind of thoughts one could air out in public. After hearing Eden's proposal, Durandal hadn't agreed or disagreed; she simply told Eden to talk to Elysia herself.
She had no idea how far those negotiations had progressed. Perhaps by the time she finished this business trip and returned to Nagazora, she would have to accept the reality that Elysia had become "famous."
After all, Durandal had total faith in Eden's efficiency and Elysia's natural charm.
Shaking her head to clear the distracting thoughts, Durandal gave Himeko a helpless look before turning to the two students.
"Hua, Carole, I apologize for pulling you out of class. Let me introduce myself. I am Durandal, and this is Himeko. We aren't talent scouts; we represent two different organizations."
"I can't reveal too much right now. All I can say is that for the next few months, the security of Sapphire City will be the joint responsibility of our respective organizations. We are here to recruit capable personnel. We called you here because you meet our criteria, and we want to see if you have any interest in joining us."
"The security of Sapphire City?" Carole's eyes widened as a thought struck her.
"No wonder Dad keeps calling me to ask what Mom's up to, and she keeps making excuses about being busy with work. Mom's a career soldier, so 'work' usually means fighting."
"Does that mean a war is coming to Sapphire? Who are we fighting? Nagazora? No, no, they're partner cities. Then... Haiyuan City? But that's so far away. Don't tell me it's aliens?!"
Hua, Durandal, & Himeko: Stare.
Under the collective weight of their silent gazes, Carole finally snapped out of it. She stuck out her tongue sheepishly. "Sorry! I just got a little excited."
Excited?
Well, that was exactly the kind of reaction you'd expect from someone Carole's age with her personality.
In fact, even if Durandal laid out the truth of the Honkai and the impending doom of the world, Carole probably wouldn't feel much of a crisis.
She was just like the Valkyries of the Far East Branch fifty thousand years in the future—those who knew their mission but kept their spirits high.
Durandal didn't see that mindset as a bad thing.
As long as Carole could step up and take responsibility when it mattered, just like her future successors, Durandal didn't mind Schicksal having another optimist. In fact, she welcomed it.
"Um, may I ask a few questions?" Hua spoke up after Carole's apology.
"Go ahead," Durandal nodded. Even setting aside her knowledge of Hua's "future," the girl's background in a martial arts dojo had given her exceptional physical conditioning from a young age.
She definitely wanted to bring her into Schicksal.
"First, you said you can't say much, but surely the names of your organizations aren't a secret?"
Hua's upbringing and martial arts training made it difficult for her to blend into new environments, which was why she had few friends at school.
She wasn't naturally antisocial, and the fact that she was in Class A proved her intelligence. It was no surprise she could look Durandal in the eye and ask such a pointed question.
"You're right, there's no harm in telling you that," Durandal replied. "I am from Schicksal. Himeko here is from Fire Moth."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.