Disclaimer: I do not own Honkai Impact 3rd
Please be sure to read the author's note, because there's a very, VERY, nice surprise there, but other than that…
Enjoy!
There were many ways that I envisioned my summer vacation in my hometown might've gone with the 5th and 6th Valkyrja Squads. Yet it came off as no surprise to me when Sora, Layla, and Kiana learned that a nice beach was not so far from my hometown, with it only being an hour trip from where we were staying, and demanded that we all go.
To their joy there weren't any disagreements from anyone as the idea of a beach trip right before we returned back to St. Freya Academy sounded pretty good.
Even Durandal, Rita, and Midori, who I learned were also on their own vacation time, agreed to join us.
After a nice little retreat in the rural town that I grew up in, could there be any better way to end it than with a beach trip?
I mean it couldn't be summer vacation without one after all.
So after we all agreed to head to the beach on our final day of vacation the next thing we did was that we all went shopping for some swimsuits. I and Keji had paired up, since we were the only two males in the group, while everyone else grouped up to buy their respective swimsuits.
I still had my old swim trunks that I could wear but Kiana had all but begged me to buy a new one, for the sake of this beach trip, so I begrudgingly went along with Keji to buy a new set of trunks.
In my mind I didn't think too much about the beach trip. I mean I wasn't blind to the fact that I was going to the beach with a bunch of my friends which most, if not all of them, were attractive ladies that could turn heads wherever they went but it wasn't like I was going to go fight a Herrscher in my swimming trunks.
Which for the record, considering my track record with the unexpected happening, could have possibly happened.
Barring that slight concern I was optimistic about the trip. Getting to spend a great day at the beach with your friends, what more could you ask more in life?
But I soon quickly realized how gravely I miscalculated how this beach trip was going to go.
Case in point, there I was sitting on a beach towel, with a big umbrella looming over as it protected me from the sun's intense rays. However, that was the least of my concerns as I stared at the person lying face down in front of me, my hands shaking as I mentally processed what I had just heard from them…
While I held on to a bottle of sunscreen that they had given me.
"Haruto?" Mei looked at me with her dark blue eyes, something within them had alarm bells frantically ringing in my head, as she untied the string on the top piece of her swimsuit. Letting the dark blue fabric of the string fall from her back and exposing her entire back to me.
"Y-You can start now."
I gulped nervously as I tried to steady my hands to not show how nervous I currently was from hearing her.
How in the hell had I ended up in this situation?!
[16 hours earlier…]
"So how about this Mei-senpai?" Kiana grinned as she showed Mei the white bikini that was on the hanger she was holding.
"It's very…" Mei's cheeks turned red as she tried not to think how much skin it would show when worn. "It suits you very well Kiana-chan."
"It sure does!" The Kaslana grinned as she looked at the two piece bikini that she was holding. It was white just like her hair with frills on the bottom piece. The white haired Valkyrie could just imagine how it would look on her young slender body, of all the heads that she would turn at the beach.
And hopefully a certain redhead's as well.
The Valkryja duo were currently browsing for swimwear that they would wear to their trip to the beach to commemorate their first vacation as students of St. Freya Academy. They were in a store inside the very same mall complex where the dark purple haired teenager had previously bought some supplies for Haruto's birthday celebration.
They also weren't the only ones in the store as all the females of the 5th and 6th Valkyrja Squads, including Durandal, Rita and Midori, were currently browsing the racks of what the store had to offer them. Haruto and Keji were off in another store as this store only sold bikinis and other swimwear that females could use.
Which was how Mei found herself being Kiana's judge of what swimsuits she should and should not wear.
"It's perfect!" Kiana gushed as she raised the white bikini up to the sky, making it look like she was praising God for allowing her to find it in this store. "I know Haru-senpai is going to like it!"
"I'm sure that he will," Mei assured her, careful not to reveal what she was really feeling about the words her friend had just said.
"You bet!" The white haired girl smiled before hugging the swimwear close to her body. "Alright Mei-senpai I'm going to go buy this bikini but I'll be quick so I can help you find your swimsuit!" And with that the valkyrie in training turned on her heel and rushed to the cashier, leaving Mei alone to browse for a swimsuit on her own.
Turning to face the racks of various swimsuits the dark purple haired valkyrie in training looked at the many choices she had. They were all of quality and make, that was undeniable, but any choices that the ex-heiress would've been happy had her feeling…unsatisfied.
As if there was something crucial missing in them, that they all failed to give her what she was looking for.
Or rather they all lacked something that would impress a certain knight in training.
The moment her mind made that connection Mei could feel her entire face flush in embarrassment. "What have I become? A hopeless maiden in love?" She internally bemoaned as she covered her face with her hands.
It had only been three days since Haruto's birthday celebration, where she had made an internal confession regarding her feelings towards him. Thinking about the final moments of that night had the dark purple haired girl's heart begin to beat just thinking about what she felt after making that internal confession.
It never failed to bring a smile to her face.
She never thought the day would come where she would fall in love with someone, especially after the events of Nagazora. She believed that she would be denied such a simple, but powerful emotion ever since she had turned into the Herrscher of Thunder.
Yet here she was, hopelessly and utterly falling in love with Haruto Nakamura. Ever since she had made that internal confession her heart could not help but rapidly beat whenever her was nearby. Even a mere mention of his name had the same effect on her.
She was glad that she had fallen in love with him, for he was essentially her knight in shining armor and could think of no one else better to fall in love with.
Slowly walking through the aisles of the store, Mei searched for the 'perfect' swimsuit yet nothing seemed to be what she was looking for. She had already passed multiple choices that she would've loved to wear yet none of them seemed to do the trick of making a great impression.
She resisted the urge to sigh as she backtracked her steps, heading over to the swimsuit that she liked the most. It was fine, she was sure that this swimsuit would do nicely and that Haruto would appreciate it. It was just a simple beach trip with friends, not the end of the world.
"Are you sure that you want to be taking this so lightly?" The words of the Herrscher of Thunder flashed through her mind before she grabbed the hangar of the swimsuit that she had chosen, stopping her in her tracks. "Kiana is aiming to impress, and we both know that it's only a matter of time till Durandal joins the fray."
Calming herself before she reacted rashly, Mei serenely responded to the Herrscher persona. She would not fall for its tricks, not this time. "It's not like-!"
"How will you feel when Haruto has eyes only for either two of them?"
And just like that Mei froze. The mental image of Haruto being taken by either of those two girls immediately stomped out any thoughts of acting rationally from existence. The thought that this could all be an elaborate plot from the Herrscher to sow seeds of doubt in her friends had crossed her mind but that was the least of her worries as the Valkyrie in training could feel her hands clench, but not of anger.
But of determination.
A fire had been lit inside the ex-heiress, one that burned brighter and stronger than anything she had felt before. Without even realizing it her hand had retracted from the swimsuit she had previously thought adequate enough and her body began to move on autopilot as it scanned through the racks of swimsuit with laser focus and precision.
And in no time did Mei Raiden find the perfect swimsuit.
"Mei-senpai I'm back!" Kiana announced as she walked up to Mei, whose back was turned towards her, as she held a plastic bag containing her purchase. "What kind of swimsuit are you going to-!"
Having heard her arrival the dark purple haired teenager turned around to greet the Kaslana, inadvertently showing what swimsuit she had picked out for herself.
"Mei-senpai?!" Kiana immediately cried out, her cheeks growing red at the sight of what her squadmate was holding. "That swimsuit?! A-Are you sure that you want to-,"
There was no way that her sweet and innocent Mei-senpai was considering that swimsuit, it was something that not even she dared to think to wear to the beach. It had everything a woman would want in a swimsuit. It was elegant, sexy, stunning, but most importantly…
It was so bold!
"Yes Kiana-chan," Mei assured, her dark blue eyes seemingly electrified, as she smiled confidently at her friend before looking at the swimsuit that she was holding on to.
"This will be my swimsuit."
[Day Of The Beach Trip]
"The beach!" Layla, who was clad in a dark green and black two piece swimsuit and had a scuba set headgear strapped to the side of her head, smiled as she closed her eyes and soaked in everything that the beach had to offer her. "Oh beautiful beach, crystal azure waters, pleasant sand, oh how I've missed you all!" She happily yelled out as the rest of us walked up to join her.
"Race you to the water Layla nee-san!" Sora, who was wearing a light fuschia child sized swimsuit, yelled as she ran past the sniper.
"Sora-san!" Mashu, who was wearing a modest white one piece swimsuit and a large beach hat on her head, cried out as she held out a bottle of sunscreen for the child. "You need to put sunscreen on before you get a sun-"
"You're on!" Before she could finish Layla Gunnhildr interrupted, grinning as chased after the child, the two racing the other on the nice warm sand of the beach to see who could get to the beach first.
"Not you too Layla-san!"
"I can't remember the last time I've been to the beach, no less for a vacation as well." Himeko, who was rocking a red and orange two piece swimsuit that highlighted her body's features, commented as she rested the sun red sunglasses that she had been wearing on top of her head
"Indeed," Fu Hua, who was wearing a rather modest gray blue two piece swimsuit, commented as she let the breeze of the sea freely run through her hair. "The sight of the sea puts one's soul to ease."
"Yeah," Keji, who was wearing a normal set of green swim trunks, added as he lowered some of the gear that we brought for our stay at the beach on the sand. "All of your worries just seemingly melt away"
"Seems we're not the only ones who thought a beach trip was a great idea," I, who was wearing red swimming trunks that matched the color of my hair, mused as I saw that other people had also decided to spend their day at the beach today. It was mostly families and groups of friends that were enjoying the beach but I could see some couples that were no doubt enjoying each other's company alongside the beach.
The public wouldn't be too much of a problem as we were quite lucky enough to find a spot to set up at, with it being fairly far from the main areas of the beach which gave us a certain degree of privacy.
"Haru-senpai!" I heard Kiana call out to me as I placed down some of the beach supplies that I had been carrying on my shoulder.
Turning around I greeted the approaching Kaslana with a smile. "Yes Kiana?" I asked her.
The white haired girl soon adopted a coy smile on her face before she motioned to the white two piece bikini with frills that she was wearing. "How do you like my swimsuit~?"
Her words had me looking at what she was wearing and made me realize the grave situation that I was in. Here I was, one of the only two males in this group, surrounded by beautiful women all wearing swimsuits that were very flattering for their bodies. Not to mention that they were all prettier than most models that you would see on commercials.
And while I wasn't like some people who would love the eye candy, I was only human at the end of the day.
Immediately my cheeks flushed as I quickly averted my eyes, trying to not seem like a creepy pervert to Kiana. "O-Oh I-I think it-,"
However before I could give her an answer to her question a voice swiftly cut in. "Haruto?" I heard Mei as she approached us.
I was overjoyed at the distraction that my dark purple haired friend's arrival provided me, granting me the opportunity to dodge Kiana's question. "Yes Mei!" I eagerly turned to face her. "How can I…"
Yet just as it seems I dodged a bullet, I jumped right into the path of a bigger one.
Turning to face Mei she was wearing if not the boldest swimsuit that I had ever seen. It was
a black swimsuit that just looked absolutely perfect on her, from the way it was embroidered to be pleasing to the eye even down to how it hugged her curves snuggly.
It was as if this was designed to be worn by her and her alone.
I nervously gulped when I realized that the two piece swimsuit was tight enough to emphasize...certain parts of her body that shall not be named.
My voice trailing off must've been more evidence enough to her that I had my breath taken away, quite literally, by her appearance as she shyly averted her gaze from me. "H-H-How do you like my swimsuit?" She shyly asked me.
"I-I-It…" It was then I finally realized just how screwed I was in this beach trip. "It looks good on you." Was all I could say as I averted my gaze, my cheeks the reddest they've ever been in my life.
All the while everyone was giving Mei various looks of surprise and shock over her choice of swimsuit, not expecting the shy valkyrie in training to choose something so bold.
None more than Kiana Kaslana as she stared at the two people she treasured most with wide eyes and an open mouth.
Within the confines of the white haired girl's mind a very important meeting was being carried out at a roundtable. Five figures of authority were currently seated, each one representing an important function of the person known as Kiana Kaslana, as they looked at a screen that was currently showing what Kiana was seeing.
Which as of this moment was the sight of the two equally flustered faces of Haruto and Mei.
Such a meeting between these figures does not happen easily, only in times of great looming disaster was such a thing possible.
Like right now.
"Order! Order!" At the head of the roundtable, a chibi Kiana was smacking a gavel on a table in an attempt to quell the chaos that was happening around her. This chibi persona embodied Kiana's rationality, her common sense, and was wearing an outfit befitting a judge, even wearing a mustache to go with the appearance.
"Order?! It's obvious what's going on!" To the left of the judge was another chibi Kiana, this one wearing a horned helmet with the attire of a viking. This one embodied Kiana's aggressiveness, the one to call for combat. "Mei-senpai has become a rival!"
"Correlation does not mean causation," A chibi Kiana with glasses argued from the opposite side of the warrior. This Kiana embodied the white haired girl's intellect. Wearing a white lab coat and a pair of glasses that even had the swirls on the lens, it truly casted the image of a scientist. "It is not strange for a friend to ask if something looks good on your body. For all we know this could be just a friendly opinion"
"Except when they're dressed like that!" The chibi warrior argued as she motioned to Mei's current outfit on the screen. Alarm bells had been rung inside the Kaslana's mindscape at the first sight of the dark purple haired teenager's choice of swimsuit.
And seeing how she and a certain red haired teenager were currently acting, it would not be strange to say that it seemed like the end times were coming for Kiana.
"It is obvious that she is only asking for his opinion." Chibi scientist Kiana retorted calmly as she smugly crossed her arms over her chest.
"B-But what if she's right?" Sitting on the right of the scientist was another chibi Kiana, this one without any clothes that would immediately discern what she embodied. That was not a problem as one look at her teary blue eyes showed that she embodied Kiana's sadness, her fear of the worst happening. "Does that mean Haruto won't be with us anymore?"
"Like hell it well," Warrior Kiana hotly assured as she slammed her hands down on the roundtable, shaking it with the force behind it. "Not even God himself will deny Haruto from us!"
That got a general agreement out of the five chibi Kianas. It was without doubt that the Nakamura held a very special place in their hearts and that they would not give him up without a fight. However they were in a conundrum due to the fact that the person who they were arguing about also held special place in their hearts
"B-But w-what about Mei-senpai?" Sad Kiana asked, drawing silence from the rest of her peers from her question. That was something that no one had an answer for.
"W-We'll figure something out." Warrior Kiana shakily offered, a far cry from her usual bombastic, confident self.
"But I thought we were of the same mind that we would share them equally" And finally the last person at the roundtable spoke up, drawing all eyes on her. This chibi Kiana was the same as the sad one, where she wore the same basic clothes as her which meant that it was initially difficult to see what she was meant to represent. However, just like her counterpart observing her laid back behavior, with how she casually plopped her feet up on the roundtable, it was enough to say that she represented Kiana's carefreeness, her chill, almost lazy, attitude to many things. "It seems like that's the easiest way."
That prompted an argument to ignite between the five of them as they argued whether or not they would share Haruto with other people or did they make an exception for Mei Raiden.
"Enough!" Judge Kiana suddenly shouted as she slammed her gavel onto the roundtable, getting silence from everyone else. "We will get nowhere if we keep debating this. There's only one way to prove this theory."
Curious to what their rational counterpart had to offer, the four other embodiments of Kiana Kaslana watched as the judge pointed her gavel at the screen that they were watching what was occurring in the outside world.
"We test it out!"
As I attempted to wrap my head around what the hell was happening right now, Kiana suddenly gave a loud whine that had all of us turning to face her in surprise for her outburst.
"Mou!" The white haired girl whined before she looked at me with a pout, her hands on her hips. "You can't just say it looks good! That doesn't make a girl feel special!"
In turn I gave her an incredulous stare of disbelief, my mind hopelessly lost at what she was doing now. "I-I'm sorry?"
"You would never hate me right Haru-senpai?" She asked as she walked up to me and looked up at me with an innocent look in her eyes.
"Y-Yeah but what are you talking-" I asked confusedly only to get interrupted once more.
"So what part of my swimsuit do you like?" Kiana bluntly asked as she motioned to her body, which drew a strangled cough out of me. I stared in disbelief at the white haired girl, wondering why the hell she was doing this in the first place…
And why were my cheeks seemingly a volcano right now!
"N-No!" But before I could give her a response, something that would've been along the lines of some kind of deflection so I didn't have to answer her question, Mei suddenly butted into our conversation with absolutely no warning. "He can't answer that!"
My exasperated look of shock shifted over from Kiana to Mei, my attempts to rationalize what was happening had long been abandoned, while the white haired girl gave her squadmate a raised brow. "And why not Mei-senpai?
"Because…because it's improper!" The dark purple haired girl argued which signaled the two beginning to go back and forth about what and wasn't allowed, with me standing in the middle confused as hell.
All the while everyone else was watching what was happening in various degrees of amusement. "Damm Haruto," Keji whistled, impressed with what his green eyes were seeing. "I'm pretty sure most people would do anything to be in your spot right now."
"This is great," Layla grinned, who had long come back from racing Sora and was now currently enjoying what was happening, and was snapping photos with her phone.
Mashu was staring at the conversation with wide eyes whilst covering Sora's eyes, hoping to spare the child from what was happening, but judging from how fuschia eyes were currently peering at the scene through the cracks of the shielder's fingers she was unsuccessful in that regard.
"Indeed," Was all that Bronya commented as she too had her phone out taking photos of this conversation, mirroring her fellow video game enthusiast's actions.
I was more than aware of what everyone else was doing and as I looked to them, specifically my aunt, I silently pleaded for her assistance in getting me out of this situation.
Unfortunately instead of getting help Himeko merely smirked before sticking her tongue out in amusement. "Consider this payback," She mouthed to me which had me immediately recognize that this was revenge for her being on the receiving end of my mother's wrath when we had first visited.
Which left me alone to somehow get out of this situation.
But just as it seems that all hope was lost, a miracle was delivered in the form of a certain blond S-Rank Valkyrie arriving on the scene.
"I hope we aren't late?" Durandal says as she, Rita, and Midori made their presence known. The blond Valkyrie, who was wearing a blue and green halter top, was completely unaware of the situation that was happening before her.
And I wanted it to stay like that. "Not at all!" I blurted out in assurance, hoping that their unannounced arrival would be what was needed to forget about this situation. "You're just in time." That seemed to do the trick as Mei and Kiana let go of their conversation, no doubt not wanting the strongest Valkyrie to see them in such an embarrassing situation.
Though if I had looked back at them I would've seen them make the silent agreement that they were not done yet.
"I see," The S-Rank Valkyrie mused with a small smile before turning her attention to the beach, her blue eyes taking in the sight of the azure waves. "I must admit that this is a first for me, going to the beach with others."
"Then we just have to make this day one to never forget then!" Sora shouted as she jumped up and down in excitement with a huge smile.
"Indeed," Rita, who was wearing a frilly one piece suit that looked oddly similar to a maid's uniform, voiced her agreement for the child's words. "Such memories are hard to come by."
"I'm just glad I got to go to the beach," Midori remarked as she placed a hand above her eyes to lessen the sun's rays and eyed the clear blue skies. "Moments like these are hard to come by."
"Well then what are you waiting for?!" Kiana shouted before she pointed to the beach's inviting waves. "Let's get to it!"
Those words were the seeming catalyst that was required for us to commence the official start of our beach vacation day. All of us assisted in setting up the main 'camp' area with all that we needed and once it was moderately set up we began to enjoy what the beach had to offer us.
Kiana, Layla, and Sora wasted absolutely no time racing each other to the beach while Mashu, Mei, and Midori were much calmer in their approach as they walked to the waters behind them. Soon the five of them were enjoying the cold soothing embrace of the azure waters, relishing in the escape from the hot weather.
Himeko picked a spot on the beach to sunbathe on, spreading a beach towel out and putting her shades back on before letting the rays of the sun to wash over her.
Fu Hua and Bronya merely decided to set up two beach chairs close to my aunt, placed an umbrella between the both of them, and just silently took in the view. Well that was mostly Fu Hua as the petite video gamer brought out one of her numerous gaming devices and quickly lost herself in it.
Which left me, Keji, Rita, and Durandal to finish setting up the camp area. It was nothing too much to handle, with the only things that we needed to finish setting up was a canopy tent to cover us and a grill that we would use for some barbecue later in the day.
The Maid of Schicksal had surprisingly struck up a conversation with Keji, asking him how he had gotten to become the combat operator in training for the 6th Valkyrja Squad. A part of me was worried about Rita talking with my friend even though this day was meant to be a day of relaxation.
You could never be sure with someone who could hide their emotions and intentions as well as Rita Rossweisse.
But to my surprise after Keji had mentioned that he was Marie's half brother the light gray haired S-Rank Valkyrie's eye lit up in recognition of the name. Apparently the two were friends when the black haired scientist used to be a part of one of the Overseer's team before the Pudding Scientist had recruited her for the Yggdrasil Advanced Engineering Corps.
Looks like my worry was just me being paranoid.
While they talked I struck up a small conversation with Bianka, with the blond Valkyrie asking me what exactly one would do on a beach trip such as this one. It was kind of sad that she had been genuine about having never been on this sort of trip with friends but I was more than happy to give her a rundown of it all.
It was sort of admirable in its own sad way. It spoke volumes of just how dedicated she was as the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, at the expense of her social life.
Something that I hoped this trip would change.
After we had finished setting up the camp Keji and I raced each other to the beach before cannonballing ourselves into the water. The girls that were currently in the water had no idea of our presence and would be in for the scare of their life when a giant splash of water from our cannonball took them by surprise.
The two of us laughed as we resurfaced, completely unaware of the looks we were getting from the girls.
"Keji?" Midori's deathly calm voice had the two of us turning around to see the dangerous looks from Midori, Mei, Kiana, Sora, Layla, and Mashu. One was scary enough to be on the receiving end but all six of them were a whole terrifying thing altogether, especially when some of their hair was covering the front of their faces.
"Y-Yes Midori?" My brown haired brother in all but blood nervously asked, more than knowing what that type of tone promised.
"Swim," Was all she said in return.
"H-Huh?!"
"I said…" The black haired Valkyrie moved the hair from out front of her face, revealing her green eyes that were now seemingly glowed red. The way that she was staring at the combat operator looked as if he had just committed the gravest offense towards her.
"Swim,"
That was all Keji needed to hear before he turned in the opposite direction and began to swim away as if his life depended on it, which it most certainly did. A few seconds later Midori bursted into the water in pursuit of him.
If I had to describe the scene it was like watching a poor seal get hunted by a great white shark. Keji was by no means a bad swimmer but the chess enthusiast had nothing on Midori's Valkyrie strength. Eventually the gap between them was swiftly crossed and before my friend could plead for mercy he was swiftly taken underwater by her.
I laughed out loud at my friend's predicament, completely unaware of the fact that I was not out of danger yet.
"Oh Haruto~," A shiver raced down the back of my neck as I slowly turned around and saw the sweet smile on Mei's face, which was mirrored on the faces of Kiana, Layla, Sora, and even sweet innocent Mashu was joining them.
"Ah," I spoke, realizing that I was in the same boat as Keji, maybe even a much more dangerous one considering that I was dealing with five people as opposed to one. I could attempt to try and swim away but I had a feeling that would end very poorly, as it did for my friend.
So I did the only option I had available to me.
"...Mercy?"
In response Kiana merely laughed at my question as if it was the funniest joke that she had ever heard before seemingly disappearing under the water. I wasn't given much time to think about that act too much before I felt a hand on my left foot. It didn't take me too long to realize what was about to happen to me.
"Ah hello darkness my old friend," Was all I could think before I was pulled under the waves of the sea by Kiana.
Thankfully Kiana wasn't actually trying to drown me, more on the lines of giving me a good scare, and it didn't take long for her to let go of me and allow me to swim back to the surface to get some air.
But instead of getting air the moment I resurfaced I got a mouthful of salty water, courtesy of everyone else who were lying in wait for me to come back to splash water on me. They were crafty, I'll give them that.
After gagging the salt water out of my throat I quickly went on the counter offensive, splashing water on them and it quickly turned into a water splashing battle royale between all of us.
Eventually Midori and Keji joined us, with the latter looking like he had just been thrown in a blender and had barely come out unscathed. Midori on the other hand was positively beaming, sparkles seemingly manifesting themself around her as if she had just had the most therapeutic massage ever.
But it was quickly replaced by a look of dread as she looked behind us, a look that was quickly mirrored by Keji.
"Haruto watch-!" My friend tried to warm me but alas he was too slow as before I could even ask the two of them what had gotten them so scared there was a loud splash before my entire world was covered in water.
After what felt like getting hit by a tsunami I quickly resurfaced, trying to catch my breath from unexpectedly going under the water. Sparing a quick glance I could see that the others had been caught off guard by the sudden splash as well.
And what might that cause have been?
I turned in the direction of where the splash had originated from and to my surprise to see Bianka in the water with us, a pleased smile on her face as she looked back to Rita, who was approaching the water a few steps behind her captain.
"Did I do that right Rita?" She innocently asked with a tilt of her head.
"Yes Durandal-sama," The maid responded with a smile as she dipped her feet into the water, though did not join us in the water. "Splendid form as well, might I add."
"Durandal-sama's cannonball was very effective," Bronya remarked as she and Fu Hua finally approached us, wanting to join the rest of us in the water.
"A cannonball?" I remarked with a bit of dread in my tone. That had felt less of a cannonball and more like an actual cannonball being fired into the water for crying out loud. Pushing that aside we resumed enjoying what the ocean had to offer us, playing some games or just lounging lazily on the water's surface.
Eventually some of us began to feel a bit exhausted from all the swimming and retired back to the campsite to rest. Mashu and Fu Hua decided to stay longer in the water, feeling no problem staying in it for a bit longer. Kiana was still going strong and had decided this was a great opportunity to challenge Bianka to swimming races and the S-Rank Valkyrie was more than happy to oblige.
Though if you asked me the blond Valkyrie probably saw this more as training then as a friendly race.
Layla and Bronya had left to go and rent a jet ski of all things from the nearby boardwalk. Sora wanted to build a sandcastle and had enlisted the help of Midori and Keji to assist in constructing it. Rita and Himeko had decided that it was the perfect time to start grilling some food for lunch.
"Haruto?" I turned around to see Mei holding a bag with a beach towel in it with one hand and an umbrella on the other hand.
"Yes Mei?" I asked.
"Could you help me set this umbrella up?" She asked me and I quickly nodded to her request, following behind her as she picked a spot that wasn't far from where the main campsite was to set up. While I set up the umbrella Mei laid out a beach towel that she could rest on.
It didn't take long for me to get the umbrella nicely planted into the sand and was ready to get back to the campsite and ask my aunt if she needed help with anything.
However before I could leave Mei's voice stopped me in my tracks. "H-Haruto?"
"Yes Mei?" I turned around, noticing that the dark purple haired girl's cheeks were flushed red and was currently looking away from me. To further add on her peculiar behavior she was holding something behind her back, making me worried something bad had happened.
"Mei?" I softly asked as I took a step forward to her, wondering what had happened.
The Valkyrja in training looked up at me and without saying a word handed me what she was holding behind her back.
Which just so happened to be a bottle of sunscreen.
I stared at the bottle for what felt like an eternity before looking up at her, my mind slowly picking up what she needed my help
"C-C-Could you put some m-more sunscreen on my back?" She asked me as she averted her eyes from me once more.
And me being the rational person I was I internally screamed the most appropriate response to such a request.
"EH?!"
[Back to the present time]
Okay you could do this, you can do this, this is nothing.
You're Haruto Nakamura for crying out loud.
You've faced scarier than this, this will be a walk in the park compared to them. You've fought beings who could shrug off bullets and rockets like if they were nothing. Hell the fate of the world is practically on your shoulders and you've handled that fine up to now.
This is putting sunscreen on a friend, a very attractive one at that, on a spot that she can't reach alone.
Simple enough right?
"You can start now Haruto," Mei's words brought me out of my internal attempt to calm myself down. Looking at her laid form and her naked back facing me, any courage that I might've mustered up had flown out the window.
Yeah I was so screwed.
Just nodding at her with an assuring smile, which was the exact opposite I was feeling on the inside, I opened the bottle of sunscreen and applied some of it to my hands before moving closer to Mei. Looking at her bare back and realizing that I was indeed about to do this and that it wasn't a dream, I placed my hands on Mei's back.
Soft.
That was the immediate thing that I noticed about Mei's back the moment my hands made contact with her skin. Her skin was super soft, like silky smooth. I couldn't help but marvel at how nice it was to touch and-!
My cheeks immediately grew flushed as I stopped myself from finishing that thought, though the damage had already been done. I couldn't be thinking about such impure thoughts about my friend, especially in the position that I was currently in right now!
Yet despite my mental affirmation of having control over my hands, my hands could not help but lightly squeeze the skin of Mei's back, much to my horror…
And to Mei's appreciation.
"Mmmm," She moaned approvingly, and though it may have been as loud as a faint whisper, with how close I was to her I had most definitely heard that from her.
"M-Mei?" I asked as I looked at the back of her head incredulously, not expecting such a response from her out of all people.
"I'm okay," She assured me, not at all finding what she had just said to be a problem whatsoever as she turned her head and looked at me with her eyes. For a brief moment I could've sworn that they were glowing with a dark purple hue but I just chalked it up to my mind playing games with me due to the situation that I somehow found myself in.
"Please Haruto, continue," She said in a tone that had alarm bells ringing in my head, yet despite that I somehow nodded to her before I continued placing sunscreen on her back.
It felt like an eternity had passed by as I placed the sun protective lotion on her back, doing my damndest to keep a calm attitude throughout it all. Trying so hard to not do anything unwanted to her, whilst also trying to not get any flustered
By the time I had finished placing the sunscreen on her back my entire face probably matched the hue of my hair.
"I-I-Is that it Mei?" I asked as I withdrew my arms away from her back, silently hoping that I could be released from my task.
It looked like my hopes would be answered as she nodded her covered face up and down. "Y-Yes Haruto, t-thank you for putting sunscreen on my back."
"N-No problem," I replied as I stood up from my spot and quickly left, my pace brisk as I moved to join Keji doing whatever he was doing at the moment. I didn't care what he was doing, I just needed something to distract my mind after what had just happened to me.
Unknown to me as I walked away from the umbrella, Mei moved her head, revealing the bright red blush present on her face as she mentally processed what she had just done. She didn't know where she got the idea for Haruto to put sunscreen on her back, even she was surprised when she had voiced her request to him.
But yet…
It felt very, very…nice.
The dark purple haired girl brought her hands up to her rapidly reddening face, equal parts happy for what happened to her and flustered at just how bold she had been.
Unbeknownst to both the red haired knight and dark purple haired valkyrie, someone had been watching that entire event from start to finish with a light frown on her face.
As Rita Rossweisse watched Haruto leave the umbrella where Mei was under, a small frown was on her lips as she mentally recounted what had gone on under the umbrella's cover.
To think that Mei Raiden could be so bold was…worrying to say the least, especially as it interfered with an important plan that the maid had.
"Is something wrong Rita?" Durandal asked as she flipped a burger patty over on the grill, noticing the frown that was on her vice captain's face.
"Ah nothing to worry about Durandal-sama," The S-Rank Valkyrie smiled in assurance. "Just a passing thought." The blond captain of the Immortal Blades merely nodded in turn before returning her attention back to flipping the burgers on the grill, not noticing the look that she was getting from the light brown haired woman.
Certainly the Maid of Schicksal was in a predicament, she had nothing to work with whilst her opponents had everything they needed for victory. But she wasn't deterred, not in the slightest. You weren't an S-Rank Valkyrie if you couldn't turn a situation where the odds were heavily stacked against your favor.
Especially when it pertained to your Captain's happiness and helping her find her heart's true feelings about a certain red haired teenager.
.
.
.
Yes Rita Rossweisse was indeed playing matchmaker for Durandal, and who else could it be that she was matching her blonde haired captain than none other than the mysterious Haruto Nakamura.
Now many might believe Rita to be presumptuous for trying to match the revered S-Rank Valkyrie with the knight in training and that she shouldn't meddle in the affairs. Even with being her vice captain that was not enough justification for such a breach in trust and privacy.
However what most people didn't know about the blond Valkyrie was that she could be overly…dense about certain things, especially matters of the heart. While Rita saw that as a very charming characteristic of Durandal, it didn't help so much when it came to things like love.
Did her Captain truly have feelings for Haruto? Not even she could answer that question, the only one who knew that was Durandal herself and even then she probably wouldn't recognize the feeling right away.
But the Schicksal maid knew that Haruto was someone that could not be replaced in the blonde Valkyrie's heart.
You would have to be a fool to not see the drastic change in the S-Rank Valkyrie's behavior after the 6th Valkyrja had joined them for one of their routine training exercises. The blonde woman would have never admitted it but she smiled much more often than she used to, and more often than not was in a better mood than she usually would be.
That was not accounting for the fact that should you even mention Haruto Nakamura in any way shape or form her mood would skyrocket, seemingly unable to be brought down without the gravest of news.
And that effect was only magnified when she was anywhere nearby him. When she had mentioned that she had needed to visit St. Freya Academy for a mission, the blonde S-Rank Valkyrie had asked if she could join, which was something that did not happen often. The maid was very close to refusing her request, stating that she did not need to come with…
Only to see the hopeful expression on her face. It was small, almost nonexistent, but having worked alongside her for so long she knew to pick out the small changes in her Captain.
For the past month Rita had seen Durandal much happier than she had in the years that she had known her for.
And while a part of her resented Haruto for bringing this change within her without much difficulty, it did little to change the fact that she was happy that her Captain was smiling much more often.
So if she had to play matchmaker to nudge the dense S-Rank Valkyrie in the right direction to recognize her feelings then that was what was going to accomplish.
But approaching this sort of problem was something that Rita hadn't managed to wrap her head around yet, if anything she was stuck in a conundrum. Normally as matchmaker putting the two people you were trying to match in situations together normally did the trick but Durandal wasn't versed in matters like these and trying to force it to the point where she could would have grave consequences.
She however couldn't just sit idly by and hope things naturally would play out in her favor. The light brown haired Valkyrie saw the looks that Mei and Kiana had given to Haruto and knew what it meant, it was fairly obvious to someone as observant as her.
Yet the Kaslana was the one that she expected to be the most trouble, with Mei being the less braver when it came to confrontation yet she was experiencing a complete reversal of those roles. A conviction must've taken hold in the dark purple haired teenager's heart in the recent days, evident by her current swimsuit that would even have her hesitate to wear.
So that left the maid question of how to proceed with this…
As she pondered her dark pink eyes instinctively followed Haruto as after talking with the brother of Marie he had begun to make his way over to the pier, probably to go and buy something to bring back. There was nothing suspicious about that.
What was suspicious was having walked past a crowd of people, a teenager around Haruto's age eyes widened at the sight of him. She stopped in place as she stared at Haruto's retreating form before silently following after him.
The Maid of Schicksal couldn't help but raise her brow at the sight of that, before a small smile grew on her lips.
Yes this would do quite nicely.
"Durandal-sama? I believe that Haruto-sama might need your assistance with something. You can leave the grill to me, please follow after him."
Durandal Bianka Ataegina did not know why Rita had sent her after Haruto. Surely if he needed assistance he would've brought someone to assist him right?
But her vice captain had not led her astray before, and so she would trust her judgment without question.
So that's how she found herself walking down the boardwalk of the beach, trying to find where the red haired teenager had gone. She had only been given the vague hint that he was off to purchase something and that he wouldn't have gone far.
This wasn't something that she couldn't handle, just a minor contrivance that she had to deal with. After all, Haruto's hair made him stick out like a sore thumb in this kind of crowd.
As the S-Rank Valkyrie moved through the crowd, trying to spot any hint of red within the sea of people, she noticed that she was getting strange looks from the people around her as they passed by her.
Was she wearing something strange? That couldn't be possible as she had consulted Rita about what to wear to the beach, knowing full well that she had little to no experience in trips like these.
Perhaps they were admiring the clothes that her vice captain had picked for her. The blue and green halter she was currently wearing was said to catch the attention of people and judging by the looks that she was getting, that statement was ringing true for her.
Little did she know it was her natural appearance that had people gawking at her rather than her clothes, it was as if an angel decided to descend from the heavens and have a nice day at the beach.
A few minutes of wandering had passed and Bianka could not help but wonder if she really was lost. She considered turning back, maybe ask around if they had seen someone matching Haruto's appearance.
Yet luck happened to be on her side today as when she had turned a corner she spotted the red headed knight standing in front of a shop. Smile blossoming on her face, the blond Valkyrie opened her mouth to make her presence known…
Only for her voice to die down in her throat as at the same time an unfamiliar brown haired teenager made her presence known.
"Is that you Haruto?" She asked as she approached the red haired teenager from behind, prompting him to turn around to face her.
For a second confusion was written on Haruto's face as he tried to see if he remembered the person standing in front of him. "Oh it's you!" He cried out a second later as his hazel eyes widened in recognition. "I didn't recognize you for a moment."
The girl in front of him was clearly pleased by the fact that he still recognized her. "It has certainly been a while. I didn't think I would be seeing you after you transferred over to Chiba Academy."
Upon speaking of the academy the unknown stranger's eyes widened in remembrance of where exactly Chiba Academy was located at. "Oh my gosh I just remembered what happened in Nagazora. Are you okay?!"
"Yeah, I'm alright." He was quick to assure her. "If it wasn't for Anti-Entropy then I wouldn't be here today."
"That's good," She smiled in relief. From her hiding spot Bianka watched as the two seeming friends caught up with each other, not at all moving from her spot.
"Anyway, have you been working out?" She looked at Haruto's body, which had nicely filled out ever since he had become a knight in training. The S-Rank Valkyrie did not understand her fellow Valkyries' when it came to the appeal of muscles but she found no problem in admitting that Haruto had filled out nicely.
"Kind of had nothing to do for a while and training did help me get some things off my mind."
"I can tell," She touched his forming abs. "A real nice set you have going on here."
"Huh? U-Uh thanks I guess-,"
Whatever he was going to say was interrupted as unexpectedly the brown haired girl in front of him closed the distance between them, hugging his arm with her body. "Remember Lizzy and the rest of my friends? Well we're on a little beach trip, just us gals y'know, and I'm sure we could show you a really good time~"
Staring at what just happened in front of her Bianka felt an unknown feeling wash over her. She should've been angry at the fact that Haruto was growing increasingly uncomfortable with what was happening to him and that his privacy had been breached, but yet what she was currently feeling paled in comparison to that.
Like a hurricane of fury was just straining to be let loose.
Unknowingly to the S-Rank Valkyrie she had subconsciously tightened her fist, so much so that her knuckles were turning white. Neither did she notice the dark expression that had grown on her face as she continued to look at the scene happening in front of her.
Passerbyers quickly noticed the rapid shift in her mood and decided to steer as far away as they could from her. Muscled jocks who had made the decision to try and pick her up made the wisest decision of their life by deciding their lives were not worth risking over one woman.
And without even realizing it the S-Rank Valkyrie already had begun to march her way towards the duo, each step filled with determination and resolve.
"Forgive me," She interrupted, getting looks of surprise at her sudden appearance. "Haruto has something he needs to do that requires his immediate attention." And without skipping a beat she grabbed Haruto's wrist and began to drag him out of the situation.
"H-Huh?! Who the hell are-!" The girl tried to argue against this course of action however a quick snap of Bianka's head and a glare sent in her direction quickly dissuaded her from arguing with her any further.
As the S-Rank Valkyrie dragged the poor knight in training behind her, her mind was a whirlwind of unknown thoughts and emotions. What was she experiencing? She had never felt such strong emotions before and she couldn't process what they were supposed to mean.
Why did she feel this inescapable urge to go to battle right now? Even in spars or missions did not invoke such a strong urge to break something yet at the mere sight of someone holding onto Haruto's body had made her feel like this.
Was she sick? She didn't feel hot or lethargic in any way yet that was the only rational explanation that could explain what she was feeling at the moment.
Was she being influenced? No that couldn't be, she had rigorously trained her mind like her body so that it would take very heavy mental manipulation in order to affect her and at the moment she could feel no such thing.
Yet if it was any of those explanations what was happening to her? She'd have to consult Rita on this but how could she describe what she was feeling? This strange burning urge within her to lay waste to that stranger and to-!
"...Bianka? Bianka!"
In her contemplation the S-Rank Valkyrie had completely shut the world around her out, only snapping back to reality by Haruto's loud voice. "Huh? Is something the matter?" She asked as she stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him.
"Your grip on my hand is a bit…" He winced as he looked down to where her hand was still holding onto him. "Tight." He finished.
Looking down, the blond woman realized that she was holding onto his wrist with so much force that the blood flow was being cut off and beginning to turn the skin pale.
"Ah forgive me!" Immediately Bianka let go of her grip on Haruto, her face flushed in embarrassment at her actions. "I wasn't paying attention when I should have."
"It's nothing." Haruto dismissed it with a smile as he worked on getting blood circulating in his hand again. "If anything I should be thanking you since you got me out of that sticky situation."
"Was that person an old classmate of yours?" She asked, having heard the familiarity the two had with each other.
"Yeah she was," The red haired teenager confirmed with a nod. "She was one of my old classmates that I was sort of close to before I moved to Nagazora and I kind of wasn't prepared to meet any of them here again. If it weren't for you I wouldn't know what I would have said to her."
"It is of no worries," She assured him, careful to not reveal what her intervention had done to her. "I did as any friend would have done at that moment."
He smiled at her response, which in turn made her smile in return. What was it about his smile that could make her smile, regardless of what she had been feeling at that moment? Another thing she would have to ask Rita about.
"I was originally looking for some shaved ice to buy but I couldn't find any stores that sold any and I don't think I'll find one that does anytime soon. Should we head back together then?" He asked her and she didn't even need to think about a response to answer him with.
"If you would have me." She responded back.
The two then made their way back to where everyone else was, making light talk along the way. It didn't take them long to return back to the campsite where everyone was present and enjoying lunch.
Before either of them could say anything Kiana began to drag Haruto, excitingly telling him of all that had to eat and offering her personal recommendations. A few seconds later Mei walked up to them, a spare plate of food in her hand for Haruto which he quickly thanked her for.
Watching the two girls interact so naturally with the red haired teenager brought a smile to her lips.
But yet…
Ba-dump
Ba-dump
Seeing them interact with him in such an intimate way brought back those unknown emotions from before and she resisted the urge to frown from experiencing this once more.
Just what was happening to her?
It was a little past noon and we were all sitting around at the campsite, taking a little bit of time to recuperate and gather our energy back until Kiana voiced an activity that we could all do next.
"How about a game of volleyball?" Kiana asked, making everyone look at each other and finding out that they didn't mind a game of volleyball. If anything they we all looked kind of excited to throw down in a volleyball game.
"We should have a prize!" Layla shouted, already getting into it.
"A prize would make the game much more competitive." Fu Hua added, seemingly in agreement with her fellow squadmate.
"But what would the prize be?" Keji asked. After all if the prize wasn't that desired then it wouldn't drive the contestants to try their hardest.
Luckily, or in my unluckily as I would soon find out, Sora just grinned as she began to rummage through the bag that she had brought with her, seemingly prepared for this sort of situation.
"Haruto's baby photos." Was all she said.
I quickly spat out the drink that I was drinking as I looked at the child with wide eyes as she brought out the familiar sights of my baby photos. "H-H-How the hell do you have that?!"
The fuschia haired child just ignored me as she began to showcase to everyone else but a taste of the plethora of photos that she had with her. "Oh there's this nice one when he's in the crib sucking on a pacifier. Or maybe what about this one where he's taking his first steps and-!
"That's enough of that!" I quickly interrupted, my cheeks red as I looked at the photos that Sora was showing everyone. I knew they were genuine because I recognized them from my mother's personal photo collection, which meant I had now had a pretty good idea on how Sora got these photos.
Dang you okasan!
Meanwhile back in the Nakamura household Hana had a sweet smile on her face. "I just know something beautiful is happening to our son right now." She said to herself as she sat on the couch, enjoying her free day.
On her lap Kuro just looked up at the Nakamura matriarch with a raised brow. The black feline had all but refused to go with everyone else to the beach, after all water and cats didn't mix so well. So she decided to spend the day lounging lazily about with the Nakamura parents.
However after spending a few hours with Hana Nakamura, there was one thing that she learned about the mother.
That she could be a very frightening human when she wanted to.
Back at the beach I looked at everyone with pleading eyes, trying to convince them that my baby photos were not a worthy prize for volleyball games. "You don't honestly believe that my baby photos are enough to-!"
"Let's do it!" Kiana shouted, her blue eyes blazing with determination.
"Would be interesting." Was all Bronya commented, a small smile on her face.
"An opportunity for some great teasing material and a great time?" Himeko laughed before grinning. "Count me in."
"It would be great if everyone joined." Mashu joined in.
"Yeah we could do teams and everything," Midori was getting into the idea as well.
"It would be a great bonding exercise for all of us," Bianka supplanted and I knew that if she was on board with such a plan then there was very little that I could do to try and convince everyone else not to go along.
So all I did was sigh in defeat before immediately racing my mind on how I was going to win this volleyball tournament and spare myself the embarrassment that was my baby photos being passed aroun.
"The Bronya counts there to be enough people for teams of two." The petite gray haired girl informed everyone after doing a quick headcount which prompted everyone to quickly pair off into duos.
It didn't take long for duos to form and the end result wasn't all that surprising.
Himeko and Fu Hua
Rita and Durandal
Haruto and Keji
Layla and Mashu
Kiana and Mei
Midori and Bronya
And to round it all off Sora would be the referee of the matches, even though she had no idea how to be one for a volleyball game. It was fine considering that this was meant to be a lighthearted game between friends and not actually meant to be taken seriously.
That would ultimately be changed by the final round but even in the first round you could tell that some were taking this more seriously than others.
Case in point after we shuffled up the slips of papers that had each team written on them to determine who would be facing off against who. With the odd number of teams we had it was decided that whoever won between the duos of Rita and Durandal and Fu Hua and Himeko would automatically be placed in the finals because of how ridiculously strong they were as Valkyries..
We had banned the use of our Valkyrie powers since that would be overkill and would help level the playing field a little bit but Durandal's innate strength alone was more than enough to beat fifty men so it really wasn't that effective.
Still I was quite confident that I and Keji could get to the finals, and as we looked at our opponents on the opposite side of the volleyball field that we had made for this tournament I was feeling pretty optimistic of our chances.
"No hard feelings right Mei?" I asked as I stared down the duo of Kiana and Mei, our first opponents.
"Of course not," She assured me as Kiana had the ball in her hands, just waiting for the moment the game began. One could tell she wanted to win with how determined her blue eyes were and how she clutched the ball in her hands.
"I can't help but ask if you could throw this game for me," I asked her. "I can't exactly let those photos get out now can I."
"I can respect your determination however there's a problem with that." Mei started out which had me hopeful that she would agree to 'lose' this volleyball game to me. That quickly changed when her eyes narrowed and they seemingly changed from their usual dark blue to a dark purple instead.
"I want those photos too."
Needless to say that Keji and I were absolutely destroyed by them. I would have liked to say that it was a very close match and that we had made them work very hard for their victory, with our victory having been inevitable but their combined teamwork had won them the day.
But if I said that then I would be a liar.
Sitting on the sidelines while I nursed my bruised pride due to the fact that we had been the first ones to get eliminated I still had a smile on my face. It had been really fun playing volleyball with everyone and even though we lost in the very beginning I still had a good time.
The next match between the duos of Layla and Mashu and Midori and Bronya was equally exhilarating to watch with it being a close match between them. Mashu's stalwart defense and Layla's pinpoint accuracy with the ball was equally matched by Bronya's scary ability to seemingly predict where the ball would go and Midori's all around strength in the game.
In the end however it had been Bronya's scary accuracy and speed as a spiker that had won it for her team, which had been very surprising to see the petite girl jump up so high to spike the ball over the net.
Next came the match between Fu Hua and Himeko's team and Durandal and Rita's team. It goes without saying that the amount of strength that went behind each strike of the volleyball could even put the best professional teams to shame.
And while my squad leader and aunt put up a great fight, they ultimately came short against the combined might of the two S-Rank Valkyries of Schicksal. This meant that whoever won in the match between Kiana and Mei vs. Bronya and Midori would have to contend with the fearsome duo that was Durandal and Rita.
The match between those two teams ended with Kiana and Mei emerging victorious which meant that they would clash with the captains of the Immortal Blades in the finale of our volleyball tournament, with the prize being my baby photos of all things.
"Forgive me Durandal-san," Mei's face was the very definition of serious as she stared down the S-Rank Valkyrie on the opposite side of the field. "But I must win this match."
"I applaud your valor Mei-san, however know that I will not be handing you a victory so easily," The blonde woman cooly replied as she crossed her arms, her expression similar to the one you find on her face during a mission.
"That's okay because me and Mei-senpai are gonna win this!" Shouted Kiana as she cracked her knuckles, a grin wanting blood on her face.
"It is so nice to see such bravery in the younger generations." Rita calmly retorted as she held the volleyball in her hands, though a look at the smile on her face showed that she was also serious about this match. "However it is the responsibility of the older generation to teach the new how wholly wrong they are." Was what she said before she served the ball, commencing the final match of the tournament.
If I had to sum it up how it went in one word the word I would use would be chaos.
From the get go it felt like I was watching a volleyball match straight out of Haikyuu. The amount of coordination in both teams was astounding to see.
"Mei-senpai set me up!"
"Kiana-chan go!"
"Rita!"
"I'll set you up Durandal-sama."
All the while we the spectators watched this seeming volleyball battle of the century with jaws dropped and wide eyes. Somewhere after the midpoint they began to use their valkyrie strength, kind of breaking the rule that we had set up in the beginning of all of this but by now no one really cared that much.
The result? Four rounds later with neither team claiming victory and the sand field was absolutely destroyed. Holes of varying sizes littered the area, caused by firing the volleyballs at speeds that could potentially pierce the metal hulls of battleships.
"Shall we call this a draw?" Durandal commented as she saw just how heated their volleyball match had gotten. The blond Valkyrie had enough within her to keep going but taking a look at the opposite team said otherwise.
"Y-Yes please," Was all that Kiana managed to say before she fell on the sand, her chest heaving to try and get as much oxygen into her body as possible. It had taken everything within her to even match the revered S-Rank Valkyrie and even then she could tell that she was not taking this seriously as she had been.
"I-I'm fine with that as well," Mei panted as she added her two cents in. Sweat dripped down her face as she tried to calm her breathing down. It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that had been the most physically laborious activity that she had done so far in her life, and that was including Valkyrie training.
"A fine conclusion for a great match," Rita commented, showing slight signs of fatigue but otherwise looked fine.
"It was!" Sora shouted her agreement. "You guys were all like…" And she then proceeded to animate how their volleyball match had gone with various explosions and exaggerations of certain actions they had done.
"But how will we determine a winner?" Mashu asked curiously.
"I mean we could just not," I said, still hoping that I could get my baby photos to not get spread. "I'm sure that-"
"What if we just separate them among the four of you?" Fu Hua suggested, smashing my hope into a billion pieces.
"That sounds good."
"If Durandal-sama agrees then I see no problem with it."
"Yahoo we still get Haru-senpai's baby photos!"
"Yes that will work with me as well,"
"Dangit," I moaned in sadness as I saw Sora began to distribute my baby photos evenly amongst the four Valkyries. Great, now they had suitable teasing materials of me now and I didn't know how I was going to deal with this development now.
"Hey chin up Haruto," Keji assured me as he walked up to me and threw his arm around my shoulder. "I'm sure any dude would do anything to be in your position right now."
"Remind me to ask Marie-san if she has any baby photos of you lying around."
"H-Huh! That's breaking the bro code man!"
"You started it."
"Why you-!"
"Ask some for in my stead as well Haruto."|
"Of course Midori,"
"Not you as well!"
"Oh my god Haru-senpai looks so cute in this onesie!"
"Bwahahaha is that my nephew wearing a dragon costume for Halloween?"
"Does Haruto-san still have that Homu Doll? The Bronya shall trade you for it."
"Is that his first day of school?! The Captain looks so cute!"
"So cute…"
"M-Mei-san!? Your nose is bleeding!"
"Cute…"
"Durandal-sama your mouth is open,"
"Look at what you've done Sora-san. Was this your plan from the start?"
"I don't know what you're talking about Fu Hua nee-chan,"
After getting teased for what felt like an eternity, the sun finally began to set on the beach. It was decided that this was a great time to pack up and head back home, considering the fact that the very next day we had to get back to St. Freya.
Yet before that we had one more important thing to do.
"Okay Rita a little bit to your left…all right perfect! And Mashu squeeze a little bit closer to me and then we're good!"
Currently we were all grouped up, staring at our reflection in Layla's phone as she angled it to get everyone in the frame. It wouldn't be a memorable beach trip if we didn't have a photo to commerize it.
"Okay let me just angle this damn stick and we're golden," The black and green haired sniper muttered to herself as she did her best to angle the selfie stick her phone was attached to. After all, her arm would have to be super long in order to get a photo of 13 people.
"Alright got it!" She shouted. "Everyone say cheese!"
We all smiled as she quickly snapped the photo of all us, cementing the trip we just had. Looking at all of our reflections I knew without a doubt that I was going to frame it and put it up somewhere in the dorm room.
A reminder of the good times we had here and a promise to have many other trips like these.
...
However what I didn't realize was that we wouldn't get together like this for a very long time.
Nothing much happened after we returned from the beach as we were all dead tired and we had to turn in early anyway due to the fact that we had to leave the very next morning.
After saying goodbye to my parents, and promising that I would visit much more often, we all boarded the train back to St. Freya Academy. We didn't need to worry about catching a flight or anything because the trainline was fortunately directly connected to Souka City.
When we got back to the academy we said our goodbyes to Durandal, Rita, and Midori who had to catch a transport back to the main Schicksal headquarters. Promises were exchanged that we would do something like this once more in the near future before they left.
We weren't given much of a reprieve after that as immediately after we had to head back to the dorms with all our luggage. From having to catch an early train, to non stop traveling, everyone was dead tired and ready to just pass out.
Suffice to say that the moment we got back to the dorms the moment my head touched my bed I passed out so hard, not even bothering to try and unpack my luggage. And judging by the fact that I had woken up in the middle of the night without anyone else waking me up that the rest of my squad had done the same.
I debated doing something productive seeing how falling asleep again would be difficult but throwing a glance at an asleep Kuro made me think differently. I wanted everyone to enjoy our last day of summer vacation and didn't want to wake them up accidentally so I opted to get a cup of water before turning in for the night once more.
Yawning, I opened my room's door before making my way to the kitchen, noticing that everyone else's door was closed shut.
Walking to the kitchen I filled myself a cup of water and took a gulp of it before I made my way back to my room. As I did so I idly noted all the photos that we had out in the living room. There weren't many of them, there were three at the moment, but that was to be expected considering that they were all squad photos and there hadn't been much opportunity to have done so.
The very first photo we had was during the aftermath from our first mission, all of us bruised but nonetheless smiling in the cave where we vanquished that honkai angel. The second photo we had was our most recent trip to the beach, and the last one we had was Einstein leaning stoically on a wall, looking at me expectedly with her cyan eyes…
.
.
.
EH?!
"Pwaahh!" I spat out the water in my mouth as my eyes did a double take, realizing that Einstein was actually indeed leaning on the wall of the 6th Valkryja Squad's living room.
My reaction elicited a small smile from the Anti-Entropy scientist. "It is good to see that you are well Haruto."
"Einstein-san?!" I frantically looked back to the rooms, hoping that no one had woken up from my outburst. "What are you doing here? This is a highly dangerous place for you to be in right now!" I whispered to her, all traces of sleep gone from me.
In turn the Anti-Entropy leader simply nodded. "Indeed it is but circumstances have forced my hand."
Her words had me abruptly stop cold in my tracks as I looked at her with a cautious look, not liking what she meant by that. "...circumstances?
She nodded gravely before she told me why exactly she was here in the dorm room.
"St. Freya Academy is about to be attacked by Cocolia."
All was calm around St. Freya Academy…
Until the outer defenses of the academy ground got deactivated. Starting from the outside anything electronic began to shut off as the phenomenon worked its way towards the middle where the main academy building was.
Lamp posts, alarm systems, defenses, everything electronic based was affected.
And within minutes the power to the main building was turned off as well, leaving the entirety of the main headquarters of the East St. Freya Branch defenseless.
From one of the reactor control rooms that was responsible for St. Freya's power supply the saboteur had a small smile on her face as she watched the fruits of her labor from the room's many terminals. On the floor around her were the dead bodies of the poor technicians who had received a rude late night awakening from her arrival.
"My, my," The Herrscher of Sentience mock lamented as she saw that the entirety of St. Freya's defenses had been deactivated. "How quickly this fortress turned into a coffin."
Her smile quickly turned to a small grin when on another screen she could see the feedback of the academy's outer perimeter, which were now showing the rapidly approaching forms of Cocolia's forces.
That happened to also consist of some of the World Serpent's forces as well.
Turning her attention back to the main monitor of the reactor control room the saboteur watched as the lights of the main St. Freya Academy building turn back on as alarms began to blare out, no doubt aware of what was happening to them. Her small grin quickly morphed into an excited grin, like that of a child's in a candy shop, as she began to imagine the chaos that was soon about to unfold.
"This is where the fun begins."
The iconic beach chapter, where plot is non-existent and its fan service galore. How did you all like the 'fan service' I gave to the three girls? Originally it was going to be more Mei focused yet I decided that I should include the three girls instead.
I admit that thinking of Kiana's little spotlight was hard at first but came to me when I was watching All Routes Lead To Doom and the rest is history.
Felt that this was a great place to begin Bianka's romance. It will be super slow for her, considering that she's the latest character to join and thus has the least screen time but it has to start somewhere right?
Especially when you consider what Mei did in this chapter XD.
And of course you guys know I love my cliffhangers…was there any surprise there?
I'm semi back to this story in that a normal update schedule isn't probably feasible due to school and how that is important first but I'll try to make it consistent again. Not to mention I have my pokemon fic that I write on the side so there's that.
Now unto the big announcement if you're reading this on the computer or app you might've seen a glimpse of it on the cover image of the story…
BUT MY COMMISSION FOR THIS STORY FINALLY GOT FINISHED!
I COMMISSIONED THE TALENTED ARTIST KLEFNIR(Kursed_Tea on Twitter) FOR THIS PIECE AND THOUGH THE WAIT WAS LONG IT IMMENSELY PAID OFF. PLEASE FOLLOW THEM ON TWITTER AS THEY ARE A PHENOMENAL HONKAI ARTIST AND DESERVE ALL THE SUPPORT.
IF YOU WANT TO SEE IT JUST CHECK OUT MY BIO(BECAUSE THIS PLACE HATES LINKS)
I'm not sure if I'll have more commissioned pieces but I wanted at least one for this fic and I'm happy that this is the starting one.
Welp that's all for this chapter. If you enjoyed it, drop a fav/follow/kudos as they really help me out with creating great chapters. Reviews are deeply appreciated, they're the biggest motivation to keep writing, and if you have a question or a really interesting theory I am more than happy to reply. Please be patient if I don't respond to you super fast. Even if I don't respond to your comment for whatever reason, know that I read each and every one of them! PMing me is the best way for me to respond to your questions.
Peace!