As a man, it was only natural to show a certain level of gallantry. Even though Murata Himeko, an A-Rank Valkyrie, was undoubtedly a powerhouse within St. Freya Academy and faced no danger, Hua Yi still escorted her back to her residence.
It was already late at night, but the other residents of Himeko's home showed no signs of going to bed.
Kiana was still studying hard, struggling to get a passing grade in history. Raiden Mei was preparing a late-night snack for her. Having accidentally witnessed the midnight tryst between Himeko and Hua Yi earlierand having been forcibly kissed herselfthe young girl's heart had yet to settle. Every time she thought about what had happened, her face flushed crimson.
As for Bronya, she had already completed her promise as Metal Gear Bronya and was currently tackling an ultra-high difficulty dungeon in the game "Honkai Kingdom" with her online friends. Staying up late to play games was her daily routine, yet she managed to maintain excellent grades, having ranked third in the academy shortly after arriving.
Kiana found this completely incomprehensible.
The girls, each with their own thoughts, saw Himeko return home. When they moved to greet her, their moods shifted instantly.
"Why are your eyes so red, Himeko? Did Hua Yi do something bad to you? Did he make you cry?"
Even Kiana, who wasn't one for noticing details, saw Himeko's swollen eyes. As she asked, she shot a suspicious glance at Hua Yi.
This guy actually managed to make Himeko cry this hard? What on earth did he do?
Bronya and Raiden Mei also looked toward Hua Yi, their gazes filled with surprise and inquiry.
Hua Yi hadn't expected this development. He never imagined that a polite escort home would lead to such a massive misunderstanding. A man sending a woman home in the middle of the night, only for the woman to clearly have had a massive crying fitit certainly invited speculation.
If it weren't for the fact that Hua Yi's previous actions had built a high level of trust with Mei and the others, he probably would have been treated like a rogue who had harassed Himeko. Himeko had always been so mature, steady, and reliable, yet now she was crying like this with swollen eyes. Just how much of a "heinous crime" had Hua Yi committed?
"That... I just tripped and fell..."
Feeling the weight of the girls' meaningful gazes, Himeko realized how easily the situation could be misinterpreted. She tried to find an excuse to brush it off. However, having just experienced a massive emotional upheaval, her mind was a bit sluggish, and she actually tried to claim she cried because she tripped.
She really is just a child, Hua Yi thought.
He couldn't help but cover his face. Knowing that Himeko didn't want the truth to be known, he tried to come up with an excuse that wasn't quite as full of holes.
"Himeko asked me to have a drink with her earlier. She accidentally broke a wine bottle, and some of the alcohol splashed into her eyes. Cough... that's all it was."
While this explanation was also full of gaps, Raiden Mei and Bronya were smart enough to see them and decided not to press further. As for Kiana
"Huh? Himeko, you ended up like this because of that? That's way too hilarious! Hahaha..."
Tortured by the mountain of books and the sea of study, Kiana found a bit of amusement in life. she couldn't help but laugh mockingly, before quickly stifling it.
She shot a cautious look at Himeko, afraid that her teacher would hold a grudge and find a chance to retaliate later. Nowadays, Kiana feared nothingexcept for a teacher giving her extra homework.
However, to Kiana's surprise, Himeko actually smiled back at her. Beside her, Bronya and Raiden Mei were smiling too.
It was the look one gives to a simpleton.
Hua Yi struggled to maintain a serious expression. "By the way, Kiana, you've been studying for quite a while. Have you made any progress?"
"Uh... I just finished reading one history book."
Siegfried had only taught Kiana basic and practical knowledge. While she wasn't completely ignorant, she did have many gaps. In the subject of history, she probably needed to finish nearly ten books.
Each one wasn't very thick, and reading them like stories was easy enough. However, memorizing the detailsthe causes, processes, and results of events, not to mention irregular dates, numbers of people involved, and damages causedwas a headache for anyone.
If Kiana hadn't been shocked by Kallen's performance in the virtual reality simulation earlier, she wouldn't have had this much patience.
Hearing the girl's answer, Hua Yi was slightly surprised. "You've already finished one? That's pretty fast. How about I quiz you? Consider it a way to check your progress."
"Eh?! Maybe let's not..."
Kiana showed a significant amount of resistance, but Hua Yi didn't back down. He wasn't trying to make things difficult for her, but if he didn't gauge her progress, there was no telling if she would pass the makeup exam.
"If you don't show significant improvement during the retake, your holiday will be occupied by extra lessons, you know? Speaking of which, the holidays have technically started. Students who don't need retakes are living a life of leisurelike Bronya, who can play games until late at night. Doesn't that make you jealous?"
To say she wasn't jealous would be a lie. Kiana puffed out her cheeks. Though she was annoyed, she had no way to argue.
At that moment, Bronya added fuel to the fire with an expressionless face. "Bronya believes this situation will persist for a long time. By the time the holidays are over, the idiot Kiana should be used to spending her entire break in remedial classes."
"That's not going to happen!" Kiana shouted angrily. She then grabbed Hua Yi and pulled him toward the study, closing the door behind them.
"Since Hua Yi wants to quiz me, the rest of you aren't allowed to peek. Otherwise, I'll get distracted, and I won't be able to remember what I've learned. Go do your own things!"
Hearing these logical words, Hua Yi was somewhat surprised. He wasn't surprised by Kiana's organizational skills, but rather that she had managed to find such an airtight excuse this time.
In the end, Kiana simply didn't want to lose face in front of the others. She likely hadn't remembered much of the information in that book; the time had been far too short.
Hua Yi had already prepared himself mentally. How much would Kiana have mastered? Fifty percent? Thirty? Maybe even less than thirty?
While Kiana wasn't a true idiot, this girl who hated using her brain was certainly a handful.
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