"What are you doing? Why did you take a photo? Don't tell me you were lying to me just now?"
Theresa felt a sense of unease as she watched Lierre's series of actions.
Lierre put down her phone and handed the marriage application, which was now useless to her, over to Theresa. "Think of it as a souvenir. Dispose of it however you like. If you're really worried, I suggest burning it."
As soon as she finished speaking, Theresa's hands blurred into a series of afterimages. In a mere three seconds, the paper was shredded into a pile of confetti, more effective than a paper shredder.
Only after confirming there was no possibility of restoration did Theresa finally feel at ease.
If this leaked out, her reputation would be ruined.
The rain outside had stopped by now; the dark clouds had scattered, and warm sunlight streamed into the room through the window.
Lierre noticed Theresa and Kiana staring at her and immediately understood the little thoughts in their hearts.
That's enough teasing; there's no need to keep them hanging anymore.
With a thought, Lierre pulled Cecilia from the past once again.
As the Schariac crest lit up behind her, everyone's attention was drawn toward it.
"It worked!"
Kiana's eyes lit up, and she burst into a joyful smile.
Increasing from three minutes to thirty minutes was a tenfold jump in one go!
Now she could spend much more time with Cecilia!
Under Theresa's gaze, ripples spread across the surface of the pattern. Immediately following that, the figure she thought of day and night emerged from within, holding Abyss Flower.
"Cecilia... is it you?"
Theresa stood up from the sofa and reached out, her hand trembling as she tried to touch the Cecilia standing less than a meter away.
Cecilia grasped her hand first. Facing her closest friend, she softly replied, "I truly never expected we would reunite in this way."
Feeling the warmth of the hand in hers, Theresa felt her throat go dry, and a layer of mist suddenly rose before her eyes.
"Kiana and her friends are watching, so don't cry."
"I'm not. I just have some sand in my eyes."
Theresa wiped her tears with her sleeve, her peripheral vision catching the Abyss Flower in Cecilia's hand.
Even without touching it, she knew it was the real deal; even the Oath of Judah in her pocket was sounding an alarm.
Yet, before coming to Nagazora, she had contacted Durandal and was certain that Abyss Flower was in her possession, with no possibility of it being lost.
Theresa couldn't help but look at Lierre.
Just how did you do it?
Theresa had never let her guard down regarding Lierre from the very beginning.
The reason was simply that Lierre was too mysterious. To be able to summon not only Cecilia but even a Divine Key was somewhat terrifying.
Furthermore, she couldn't see through the other party's true objective at all.
Suddenly, Theresa's expression shifted slightly. She noticed Lierre giving her a mischievous smirk.
Before she could react, she saw Lierre approach Cecilia and hold up her phone.
"Cecilia, look, look! As expected, Theresa and I have made it official!"
On the screen was the photo of the marriage application Lierre had taken earlier. The names of Lierre and Theresa had even been highlighted with red circles using editing software.
"Eh?"
Cecilia was stunned on the spot.
Having grown up as she did, she had seen almost every kind of situation, but she had truly never seen this one.
Too fast!
The rain outside had just stopped—how was it already settled!
Cecilia looked at the red-faced Theresa with an incredibly complex expression. Thinking of her friend's current age, she smiled with relief and offered her sincere blessing: "Congratulations on finding your other half. I wish you both happiness!"
Although Theresa's speed in giving herself away was a bit fast, as long as there was love, it was no problem!
As for girl-on-girl relationships.
Truth be told, Cecilia was more or less used to it. Among the Schicksal Valkyries, there were far too many couples like that.
The defects of artificial Stigmas shortened the lifespans of Valkyries, and because they were always active on the front lines against the Honkai, they essentially had no time to fall in love with men.
But some Valkyries still had certain needs in that area, so it was only natural for them to get involved with the comrades who accompanied them day and night.
"Don't listen to her nonsense! That's really not how it happened! Let me explain!"
Theresa hopped around in anxiety, her face flushed as she talked her head off before finally getting Cecilia to believe in her innocence.
"So that's how it is."
After listening, Cecilia let out a slightly disappointed sigh.
It seemed Theresa was destined to be single for life.
Theresa's eye twitched when she caught the sliver of disappointment in Cecilia's gaze.
"Hehe, Theresa's expression just now was really interesting."
Lierre chuckled merrily from the side.
She simply loved seeing the shy expressions of beautiful girls.
Especially that look of wanting to hit her but having no choice but to endure.
"You—"
Theresa clenched her pink fists in irritation, but for a moment, she didn't dare to move against Lierre.
Deciding that out of sight meant out of mind, she averted her gaze and refused to look at Lierre.
"Mom, Auntie is being bullied so badly by Lierre. Aren't you going to stop her?" Kiana whispered, walking up to Cecilia.
"This time is actually quite tame..."
Cecilia didn't quite agree.
At least this time, Lierre hadn't summoned Kallen to beat Theresa up and then teamed up with Otto to bully her.
In the corner of the sofa, Bronya curled her body up as much as possible to lower her presence.
To have suddenly heard so many secrets that shouldn't be known... Bronya's situation is becoming increasingly dangerous. A single slip could lead to being silenced. I must be careful in the future...
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Seeing Bronya huddled into a ball, Raiden Mei worried she might have caught a cold. She quickly pressed the back of her hand to Bronya's forehead to check her temperature.
"Bronya is fine..."
Bronya's heart sank when she saw Lierre look over.
Thank you for your concern, but please do not show concern for Bronya at a time like this. Bronya still wants to live to see Seele again.
Just then, the ringtone of the phone on Theresa's person rang out.
"?"
Why is Grandpa contacting me now?
Looking at the caller ID on her phone, Theresa couldn't help but feel suspicious.
She looked at Kiana and Cecilia beside her, worried that her grandfather might do something to harm them, so she gritted her teeth and hung up the phone.
Theresa waited quietly for a few minutes. She didn't receive another call from Otto. Instead, Lierre stood up with a beaming smile, put away her phone, and said to everyone:
"A kind soul just sent me a significant amount of pocket money. Come on, my treat—let's go have a feast!"
Otto had indeed transferred one hundred million US dollars into her account.
Theresa: "?"
What kind of "kind soul" would send you money for no reason?