As the storm cleared the dust, the Herrscher who commanded the gale reappeared before everyone's eyes. Her radiant, cheerful face surveyed the crowd in the workshop.
Ninti's expression, however, was far less radiant than the Herrscher's. The golden-haired girl's face crumpled into a grumpy frown—she glared at the green-haired monster who was yelling and clamoring for a fight with some blonde boss lady.
"Huh? You wouldn't happen to be that old lady's daughter, would you?"
Wendy, who had been shouting and hollering for quite a while, noticed Ninti dragging Bronya toward the exit, trying to slip away unnoticed under the trembling gazes of the crowd.
"...?"
Ninti turned her head, her face twisted into a "cat butt" pout, and frantically shook her head to deny the Herrscher's question.
"But you look so much like her... Why don't you come play with me?"
"?"
Upon hearing this, the "cat butt" expression vanished from Ninti's face, replaced by a look that screamed What the hell?! Why?!
"No way!"
Ninti flatly refused the Herrscher's invitation. She was in a hurry to get Bronya, whom she had knocked unconscious, to the Medical Department on the Nibelungen. Naturally, she had no time to play games with this Herrscher.
"Hmm... Is it because of the unconscious Valkyrie you're carrying? I remember her name—Bronya, right?"
"You're planning to send her to that Aerial Battleship out there, aren't you? Right?! I'll help you get there. Just play with me afterward, okay?!"
Before Ninti could refuse, Wendy flashed forward, pressing her face against Ninti's. Teal wind lifted the two girls into the air, then hurtled them toward the distant battleship, leaving only Ninti's panicked scream in its wake—
"Goddamn it!"
The remaining ME Corp staff exchanged bewildered glances until Cocolia's voice snapped them back to attention—
"What are you all doing?! Schicksal's warships are at our doorstep! Get the Godfather Mecha activated now!"
"Uh, but Lady Cocolia, the mecha isn't fully assembled yet?"
"Only the legs are incomplete! The torso, equipped with weapons, is finished! Hurry and start it up! Do you want Schicksal to dismantle ME Corp?!"
"Ah, yes, Lady Cocolia!"
The group rushed toward the Godfather Mecha, scrambling to follow orders.
-
Before the Nibelungen's radar could even react, a cyan blur swooped onto the warship's deck, carrying an unconscious Bronya and a pale-faced Ninti, who looked ready to vomit at any moment.
"Theresa! I've come to negotiate!" Happy Wendy, her playful mood soaring, shouted toward the bridge, quoting a line from a movie she'd barely watched.
...Silence hung in the air, the awkwardness thick enough to hear the cawing of imaginary crows.
"Ahem... what conditions do you propose?" Theresa, who had been drinking water on the bridge and had nearly choked from Wendy's sudden shout, finally regained her composure and addressed Wendy through the warship's intercom.
"I brought back your Bronya! You can pick her up right now! In exchange, I want unlimited ice cream and movies—!"
"Oh, and! I want her to play with me!"
Wendy pointed gleefully at Ninti, who was desperately trying to suppress her motion sickness-induced nausea while dragging Bronya away discreetly. The expression on Ninti's face, singled out again, wasn't just colorful; it was a kaleidoscope of emotions.
The golden-haired girl resolutely followed her instincts, flipping Wendy the middle finger before heaving over the side of the deck.
"...Fine, we agree!"
After a moment's hesitation, Theresa decisively "sold out" Ninti. After silently apologizing to Ninti, the Headmaster addressed Wendy with the Far East Branch's conditions.
"But you must report to St. Freya Academy and return to the academy dorms every night. No staying out late or causing trouble for others!"
"Emmmm... Okay!" Wendy lowered her head to consider briefly, then readily agreed.
"One more thing—you have two personalities, right? What happened to the original one?" Theresa asked, voicing the question most concerning to the Far East Branch members.
"Going 'home' every night... Hmm, not impossible. I agree." Happy Wendy nodded, accepting the condition.
"As for the other me... Emmmm..."
"What happened to her?!" The tension on the bridge tightened.
"Uh... To put it in your terms, she's been simping hard? No, that's not quite right... Anyway, she's been chanting the name of the white-haired Valkyrie, Kiana, and handed me control of our body. Hey, why don't you ask Miss Kiana if she's interested in being a playgirl or a player?"
Wendy scratched her head and flew straight to the observation window outside the bridge, waving at the people inside. She seemed to be searching for the white-haired knight who had flirted and fled. Soon, Wendy spotted her target and waved excitedly at Kiana. Kiana, the named target of this hit-and-run flirting, awkwardly returned the wave.
"Ah... my rival for Lady Kiana's affection... must be eliminated! Eliminated! I was here first—!"
Bella, the miniature doll who had been offline for ages, suddenly reappeared, popping out from behind Kiana. She glared at Wendy through the window, seeing her as a rival.
"Bella, calm down..."
Kiana, knowing the doll's origins, wiped away nonexistent cold sweat and glanced discreetly at Mei beside her. Good, Mei isn't reacting—at least not yet...
"Let's bring Ninti and Bronya back first... One of them fainted, and the other seems to be suffering from motion sickness after Wendy's high-speed flight."
Kiana subtly shifted the conversation, pointing out the predicament of the two girls on deck. Simon Riley, reminded of the situation, suddenly realized—
"Quick! Bring Bronya back and get her to the Medical Department's ICU. She must have been mind-controlled by Cocolia and forced to fight Ninti. If I had to guess, Ninti probably used the directional EMP pulse from her Valkyrie Battlesuit to fry the control chip."
"I heard Boss Snow mention that chip before—it's implanted near the brain!"
Alerted by Simon Lailey's reminder, Theresa and her group hurried off the bridge, preparing to retrieve Bronya and Ninti.
Shortly after Theresa's group left, the radar officer reported to Simon that Bronya's vital signs had flatlined.
"Commander Simon! ME Corp is showing a high-intensity Honkai energy reaction. Based on the wavelength characteristics, Anti-Entropy members seem to have activated the Gem of Desire!"
"...Damn it!"