If the morning's academic exams were Hell for Kiana, then the afternoon's practical combat assessment was her Heaven.
Mechanical training drones, modeled after Chariot-class Honkai Beasts, stomped heavily across the training grounds. Valkyrie cadets, organized into squads, engaged the lifelike mechanical beasts. While the academic exams tested a Valkyrie's breadth of knowledge for special situations, the practical combat assessment tested their most fundamental duty: fighting the Honkai and its creations.
A portable heavy cannon, mounted on Project Bunny's right arm, roared to life, engulfing the colossal beast's head in fire. The billowing smoke temporarily blinded it. At the same time, a sharp glint of a blade flashed past the Chariot-class's right forelimb, severing it completely.
The massive beast, having lost its balance, collapsed to the ground, momentarily paralyzed.
"Now's my time to shine!" Kiana burst through the dissipating smoke, leaping high into the air with a roaring chainsword. She brought it down heavily on the simulated Chariot-class's head.
The high-speed teeth tore through the beast's outer plating, shredded its internal metal framework and cables, and split it in two from the head down. With Kiana's final strike, the Chariot-class target on the training ground ceased all function.
"90 points. Your squad's coordination was excellent. But Kiana, your moves are too flashy. The Chariot-class's weak point is the Core connected to the back of its brain. The optimal solution is to leap up and pierce its head directly."
Himeko watched the trio finish off the giant beast, gave them their score, and pointed out their shortcomings.
"Ugh... Himeko, why don't you say something about the Class Monitor's team..."
BOOM!
In the training ground to Kiana's squad's left, a Valkyrie in a blue training uniform hammered a training drone of the same model into the concrete floor with a series of punches. Black smoke and electrical sparks erupted from the machine, making it look like it might explode at any moment.
BOOM!
And in the next moment, an explosion did occur—though not in Fu Hua's area. To their right, a golden-haired girl and a purple-haired girl stood over another training drone, which had already been reduced to scrap metal, critiquing their handiwork.
"This thing is way too fragile. I only hit it with one sword strike..." Kyuusyou commented, looking at the completely wrecked remains.
"And it's so light, too? I just punched it in the jaw, and it actually went airborne?" Snow added with a nod. A squad of logistics personnel rushed past them, carrying fire extinguishers and water hoses to douse the flames on the wreckage.
"..."
"You three! Don't you know how expensive these training drones are to repair?!" Himeko's roar echoed across the combat training ground.
"My deepest apologies, Teacher Himeko. It was my error," Fu Hua said, bowing her head sincerely beside Himeko. The other two, however, had different reactions.
"How dare they charge so much for something this flimsy?" Kyuusyou pouted, starting to point fingers and accuse the procurement department of embezzling funds.
"I know the Headmaster often buys strange things that strain the Academy's budget... but for it to go airborne from a single punch? Isn't the material cost-cutting on this thing a bit extreme...?" Snow questioned, implying the R&D and manufacturing departments had cut corners.
"...Is it possible—and I'm just spitballing here—that the two of you are just ridiculously strong?!" Himeko's eye twitched as she voiced her suspicion about the two girls before her.
"..."
The two turned their heads in unison.
In the other training grounds, Valkyries were locked in struggles with their training drones. A few of the more agile ones had climbed onto the drones' heads, ready to reenact scenes from Monster Hunter. As for the Valkyries training for non-combat, administrative roles... they were the ones being hunted by the monsters.
Turning back, the two exchanged a look, seemingly confirming something. They then faced Himeko again and declared in perfect unison:
"Absolutely not!!!"
No way, they thought. One muscle-brained gorilla like Kiana is enough for this Academy. We're not joining her.
"Search your consciences and think again!" Himeko snapped, exasperated.
"...I'll cover all the costs for today's exam damages," Snow offered, presenting a condition the red-haired Valkyrie simply couldn't refuse.
...Silence.
"...You know, you're right. I need to have a word with Theresa. The quality of this batch of training drones is just abysmal." Like a Sichuan opera performer changing masks, Himeko's furious expression vanished instantly, replaced by one of profound empathy as she nodded at Kyuusyou and Snow.
"We'll be off, then? Just send me the bill tomorrow." Snow glanced at the wreckage, her eyes catching something. She grabbed Kyuusyou's hand and began to pull her away.
"Mhm, mhm, take care," Himeko replied with a beaming smile.
"Goodbye, Teacher Himeko!" The blonde and purple-haired girls broke into a sprint, vanishing from Himeko's sight in an instant.
"Goodbye! Be careful on your way!" Himeko cheerfully waved after the two who had fled the scene at light speed, completely oblivious to anything amiss.
In the training ground to her right, the wreckage of the training drone lay where it had fallen. Someone would come to clean it up after the exams were over...
But beneath the wreckage, on the ground trampled by Snow and Kyuusyou, cracks began to appear, spreading wider and wider...
When Murata Himeko finally turned her gaze back to the training ground, the ground gave way. Ravaged by the Great Sword's heavy blows, the monstrous stomping, and the drone's explosion, the surface finally collapsed, revealing the tip of St. Freya's underground drainage system.
"..." The red-haired Valkyrie felt her blood pressure spike. Her vision went black, and she fainted.
"Himeko! Teacher Himeko!"
-
That night, Murata Himeko's demonic figure paced back and forth at the dormitory entrance, awaiting the return of certain individuals.
Meanwhile, atop a distant skyscraper, her targets were peering down at her through binoculars.
"What's the situation?" Kyuusyou asked her silent companion, who was still glued to the binoculars.
"Looks like we're not getting back home tonight," Snow said, shrugging as she watched Himeko's contorted, teeth-grinding expression through the lenses. "Not unless we can get our hands on a whole case of booze to knock her out."
"But you said you'd cover all the expenses..."
"That doesn't change the fact that we've probably at least doubled Himeko's blood pressure..."
"So we're just supposed to freeze up here?" Kyuusyou shivered as a cold gust of wind swept across the rooftop.
"No. We're going to a coffee shop in the commercial district."
"Huh?"
"While alcohol isn't banned at the academy, we're still underage."
"So?"
"So, we can use a... strange back door. It's an Italian-style coffee shop, and Italian coffee shops usually sell more than just coffee—"
"They often serve alcoholic drinks, especially coffee cocktails... And I happen to have a passing acquaintance with the owner."
"We might be able to get some good stuff from her... Or would you rather spend the whole night up here drinking the wind?" Snow shrugged at her companion.
"Who the hell wants to drink cold wind all night? Let's go now!"
-
"So, you two managed to piss off Himeko, huh?" Aria watched the pair before her with a thoughtful expression.
"I think it was just an accident... Who knew that spot was right over a hollow drainage system?" Snow and Kyuusyou replied sheepishly.
"Hmm... Is it possible—and I'm just spitballing here—that the two of you are a little too strong?" The mature, blue-haired woman posed the exact same question Murata Himeko had.
"On that point alone... absolutely impossible!" The two girls were in perfect agreement.
"Pfft... Alright, I'll stop teasing you. I've got plenty of good stuff stashed away, but the price..."
"Price is no object!" The blonde girl once again produced the plain, unassuming black card.
"...Looks like you're not as simple as you seem, Little Snow. Not that it matters to a retired Valkyrie like me." Taking the card, Aria swiped it, then bent down and pulled two exquisite bottles of whiskey from under the counter, pushing them toward the girls.
The refined, amber liquid swirled within the bottles, glowing beautifully under the light. This is good stuff, Snow judged, observing the clear liquid.
"Alright, alright, it's getting late, and I need to close up. You two have to go face Himeko, don't you? Get going," Aria said, waving her hand to shoo them out.
"Thanks, Big Sis Aria!" Each girl grabbed a bottle and headed for the door.
"Mm-hmm, remember to come back and visit!"