Chapter 198 Extra: A Valentine’s Day Date
February 14, 2014. St. Freya Academy, Valkyrie Dormitory.
Raiden Mei heard some movement. She pushed open Kiana’s door, only to find the room empty, with a half-finished homework assignment left on the desk.
“Honestly, her homework isn’t even done, and Kiana has disappeared again.”
She knew full well that Kiana had just slipped out of the dormitory. She must still be somewhere on campus, hiding from Theresa, Himeko, Fu Hua, and herself. She couldn’t have gotten far that quickly.
St. Freya Academy was vast, and searching blindly wasn’t the answer. Mei’s eyes darted around thoughtfully, and the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
Soon after, Mei walked out of the dormitory carrying a freshly cooked pot of cream stew, heading toward several spots where Kiana often climbed the wall to skip class.
When she reached the southeast corner of St. Freya Academy, Mei heard a rustling sound from the bushes beside her. Immediately after, a single white strand of hair—an ahoge—popped up from within the verdant foliage.
Holding the cream stew, Mei tiptoed around to the back of the bushes.
And there she saw it: a Fishy Cat who roams the moonlit seas, hiding behind the bushes, constantly swallowing saliva and desperately trying to restrain itself.
Kiana saw Mei staring at her with a gentle yet menacing smile, and her face instantly flushed with embarrassment. She slowly rose from behind the bushes and whined at Mei:
“Using delicious food to tempt me… Mei, you’re so mean~~”
Mei replied with fond exasperation:
“Normally at this time, you’d be bounding into the kitchen like a cat to steal a bite. But today you snuck out of the dorm so quickly, I knew you were planning to climb the wall and escape campus again. Now, hurry back for lunch. And this afternoon, you will finish your homework!”
“…Mei, you know there’s team training this afternoon. That homework is just too hard. Even if I worked non-stop, I probably wouldn’t finish it by evening. And if I don’t go, you’d have to find a partner all alone. How lonely would that be? So I thought…”
“…So you decided to sneak out of school first, grab whatever for lunch, and then time your arrival perfectly for training?”
Kiana nodded very honestly.
Mei sighed softly, her tone becoming much gentler.
“You’re right. Bronya isn’t at the academy today, so if I went alone, I really wouldn’t have a partner.”
Kiana’s eyes immediately lit up.
“So Mei, does that mean…?”
Mei answered with firm resolve:
“So I’m skipping training this afternoon, too. I’m staying right here in the dorm to watch you until you finish your homework.”
“Aww~ Mei, how could you do this!”
Though Kiana voiced her displeasure, her body obediently followed Mei back to the dormitory.
“Grrrowl~~”
The moment they stepped inside, the sound of Kiana’s stomach rumbling echoed through the room.
“Let’s eat first. After we eat, you get straight to your homework.”
“Okay…”
Kiana picked up her fork and spoon. After just two bites of the cream stew, her mood instantly brightened.
“Mei’s cooking is still the best. If I could eat your cooking every day, maybe homework wouldn’t seem so scary after all.”
“Oh, really? If you actually manage that, I’ll definitely make you delicious meals every single day.”
After licking the pot completely clean, Kiana wiped her mouth. She didn’t cause any further fuss but genuinely returned to her room to do her homework.
Seeing her suddenly so well-behaved surprised Mei. But when she saw the pot—so clean it didn’t even need washing—and the look of lingering satisfaction on Kiana’s face, Mei couldn’t help but show a troubled expression.
“Sigh… Kiana’s appetite has grown again…”
A little past four in the afternoon, Mei was astonished to find that Kiana had, against all odds, finished her homework. Though Mei had occasionally peeked into her room, Kiana had been so focused she hadn’t even noticed.
“Kiana, you did really well today. What would you like for dinner?”
Hearing this, Kiana’s expression turned slightly bashful.
“Mei… do you know what day it is today?”
“February 14th. So you’re thinking…”
Understanding her implication, Mei’s face flushed a deep shade of red as well.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what I mean. At least for today, I didn’t want Mei to have to worry about me. So tonight…”
Mei smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I’ll keep you company.”
Soon after, the two of them left St. Freya Academy. The food street was bustling as usual, but they noticed many people carrying small, exquisitely wrapped boxes.
“Looks like lots of people got Valentine’s Day gifts. So, Mei… do I get one too?”
Hearing Kiana’s deliberately leading question, Mei laughed.
“Of course. I’ll give it to you when we get back.”
Their hands naturally found each other as they arrived at a particularly lively street corner.
“Participate in pairs! Complete all challenges within the time limit to win the Grand Luxury Prize! Sign-ups are at…”
While the so-called “Grand Luxury Prize” probably wasn’t much, they were just out to have fun anyway. Kiana eagerly pulled Mei toward the registration booth.
Shooting gallery, photo scavenger hunt, goldfish scooping… Kiana’s athletic Valkyrie physique and incredible luck carried them through the tasks with ease.
Soon, only the final challenge remained: a simulated scenario dialogue.
Essentially, it tested what each partner would say to the other in a specific, given situation.
Through a random draw, Mei received the prompt:
[Imagine you are an employee of a certain company. How would you persuade her to come work with you?]
And Kiana drew:
[Imagine she has asked you to work at her company. How would you politely decline?]
Kiana figured something like this would never happen in real life, so she just treated it like an immersive role-playing game.
Under the staff’s guidance, they entered a designated room, each provided with various props.
“Miss Kiana, our corporation offers industry-leading compensation and benefits. With your abilities, we would be prepared to offer you a ‘Special Double Holiday’ arrangement.”
“Special Double Holiday? That doesn’t mean only two days off a month, does it…?”
“‘Special Double Holiday’ naturally means you would have days off on all even-numbered dates of the month.”
Kiana’s eyes widened, and she instinctively gasped.
Seizing the advantage, Mei pressed on.
“Furthermore, upon joining, the company will provide you with a dedicated apartment, located just five minutes from the office… Therefore, please accept our company’s official offer of employment.”
Raiden Mei smoothly slid a piece of paper from the table in front of Kiana. As Kiana glanced at it, her expression completely shifted.
“Mei… you’re… serious?”
Raiden Mei picked up the document and looked at it closely.
Marriage Registration Application Form
“Wait, Kiana, this isn’t…”
Just as both of them were struck with utter embarrassment, a staff member nearby noticed the paper and immediately apologized.
“That is not one of our prepared props. We deeply apologize for this unpleasant experience. Please accept the event prize with our compliments.”
The two of them grabbed the prize and fled the scene, their faces burning red.
Not far away, Enoxia watched the scene unfold, a satisfied smirk curling on her lips.
Back at the dormitory, Kiana suddenly asked:
“Mei… about that game earlier… I mean, before that part…”
Mei nodded.
“If the Honkai is ever defeated, and ME Corp still exists… everything I said back there could actually happen. And if there’s really no extra housing available, you could always just live on the top floor of the ME Corp building… at my place.”
“No wonder you didn’t seem like you were acting at all back there…”
They leaned against each other and stepped outside. In the clear night sky, the moonlight shone with exceptional brilliance.
“Mei… the moon is beautiful tonight, isn’t it?”
