Tsukinomori's campus was far larger than she had imagined.
Based on Amber's initial assumptions, even for a so-called elite school, they should have been constrained by land use limitations, leading to uneven building sizes and decoration.
But after walking around for real, she found the school grounds were two or three times larger than Shiori's Raizen High.
And Raizen High was no small school.
"The original campus wasn't this big," explained Yashio Rui.
"What you're seeing now is the expanded area. The government cleared nearby residential buildings to make more space for the Valkyrie program."
The campus was vast, but the three of them weren't inspecting every detail.
They simply followed the main road for a loop, with a brief introduction to each building and zone.
Twenty minutes later, the two were led to the Valkyrie program's academic building.
Naturally, the teachers who greeted them were Valkyries.
However, most instructors here excelled in theoretical knowledge but lacked physical prowess. Schicksal had only been formally established a few years prior, so there was no such thing as a retired Valkyrie yet.
"Kiana, and Mei—welcome. I've been waiting for you. And thank you, Yashio-san, for bringing them here."
Standing before them was a woman with flaxen hair tied in a ponytail.
She looked about twenty-five, seemingly having passed her Valkyrie exams not long ago. By appearance alone, she didn't quite fit the image of a teacher or drill instructor.
"You're our teacher?" Amber's expression was puzzled.
"That's right… Please don't give me that 'you don't look stronger than me' look…"
As if expecting this reaction, the flaxen-haired Valkyrie wore an awkward smile but pressed on.
"After all, Tsukinomori is a combined middle and high school… No seasoned veterans would be assigned here."
"Middle and high schoolers are still developing physically—they can't handle intense training, and they're not adults, so field assignments are out of the question. The Valkyrie program only gets serious at the university level."
"My apologies, Sensei. Kiana meant no offense," the black-haired girl spoke up in her defense.
"Ahaha… I just spoke without thinking! Sorry about that, teach… Please don't take it to heart!" Amber quickly added.
"It's fine. Honestly, both Kiana and Mei are already more capable than I am as an instructor. You're both remarkably strong, even without having undergone Stigmata Implantation."
The flaxen-haired Valkyrie wasn't the petty type. Fresh out of training, she hadn't yet absorbed the stiffness of institutional life—she felt more like an upperclassman than a teacher.
"Oh, right! I haven't introduced myself. I'm Kazu Ando. Just call me Ando-sensei."
"Nice to meet you, Ando-sensei."
"She doesn't seem all that reliable, does she?"
"Kiana? (Mildly annoyed)"
"Just kidding…"
Seeing that the student-teacher dynamic was settling fine, Yashio Rui checked the time and excused herself.
"Since the three of you are together now, I'll take my leave. If Kiana or Raiden have any questions or issues, you can come find me at the student council during lunch or after school."
Even though they were the same age (?) , her meticulous demeanor and crisp mannerisms left quite an impression on Amber.
She was practically the archetypal popular senior student council president straight out of a yuri manga.
But considering she was only a first-year in high school, student council president was still a long way off.
"Alright, let's head to the classroom," Ando said, watching Yashio walk away before turning to the two.
Though the Valkyrie program had gained widespread adoption in Japan, it had only been fully implemented for a little over three years—Tsukinomori was actually a bit late to the game.
Despite the Valkyrie zone's large footprint, it felt quite empty.
The spacious academic building housed only about nine hundred students, with no third-years yet—just first-years who enrolled this year and second-years from last year.
Following Ando, the two arrived at her assigned classroom and went through the routine of introducing themselves as a pair.
Compared to the atmosphere among the young ladies outside, this finally felt 'normal' to Amber.
There were no excessive formalities or etiquette.
Though their classmates had seen the videos and reacted with disbelief and admiration toward their combat feats, the fascination was limited to their strength.
Of course, this wasn't meant to disparage the young ladies—their social circles demanded they consider more factors and carefully regulate their words and actions.
But in terms of casual interaction, Amber still preferred this more ordinary atmosphere.
"Kiana, how did you kick away such a huge monster and shatter its skull like that?"
"I saw in the video that you were actually shopping for an instrument when it happened, but you jumped right into rescue work! How could you be so brave right away?"
"Have you and Raiden known each other long? I saw in the video her sword gave off electric sparks—that wasn't special effects, was it? Is it some kind of special weapon?"
"How are you both so strong without having Stigmata Implantation? I'm out of breath just running two kilometers…"
"Are you two secretly magical girls on top of being Valkyries?"
Unlike the young ladies' focus on family background and connections, the curiosity here centered mainly on the duo's combat abilities.
These straightforward, youthfully earnest questions were much easier to handle than the layered, implication-heavy inquiries from the elite circle.
Even so… Amber still wasn't quite comfortable with such fervent attention.
But keeping Kiana's character in mind, Amber put on a silly, slightly smug grin. Being the center of attention clearly pleased her.
"I don't really know why I'm this strong, but my dad always said we Kaslanas are the shield that protects the people. Besides, I've been fighting monsters since I was little! So I don't feel afraid facing any monster."
The girls didn't fully grasp why the Kaslanas were the people's shield, but they recognized it as the white-haired girl's surname.
Hearing she'd been battling monsters since childhood, they grew intensely curious about her past.
At the same time, they felt a wave of respect for this white-haired girl who carried such resolve.
To have been protecting others since she was little… No wonder she's so strong. No—that kind of power rightfully belongs to someone like her.
The black-haired girl offered a polished version of their relationship with a gentle smile.
But at the mention of the electric sword sparks, her expression visibly stiffened. Though she recovered quickly and glossed over it vaguely, the shift was noticeable enough.
No one pressed further, considerately moving past the topic.
When the teacher entered with the ringing bell, peace finally returned around the two.
Meanwhile, the first team to enter the alternate world had already assembled in Tokyo, Japan.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 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.