Hello there~ It's me, ya boy. It's been a while since I updated this fic but it is still well alive and going! I just suck at multitasking so I have to focus on one story at a time. It's Rita time~

Perfect Camellias

"Rita?!" The girls shouted in unison.

Rita Rossweisse, the envoy from Schicksal Headquarters, Adjudant and second in command of the Immortal Blades.

The Maid of Schicksal.

"Ara, what do we have here?" She asked with a coy smile adorning her soft features.

The moment she noticed the Maid's presence, Himeko hid the notebook behind her back, like an instinctive reflex. She knew Rita since she was a little girl and considering the contents of this journal could easily pull the strings of her heart, Himeko didn't look forward to showing her "mushy" side. Not to her, at least.

"Rita, what are you doing here?" Theresa asked, taking a few steps forward.

"I could ask you the same, Theresa-sama. I didn't find you in your office, so I had to look around." Rita explained, always keeping her gentle and polite tone.

"A-ah, well, I… I was looking for Himeko and found her here." It looked like a kid caught by her mother in the middle of some shenanigans.

"And what businesses would Murata-sensei have in Captain's room?" She turned to the red-haired lady, who perked up as their eyes met. What was up with that tension?

"I was… just helping Fuka to find Kiana. Right?" Himeko answered, turning to the class monitor, who nodded in agreement.

"Correct. Kiana has an awful amount of Math exercises pending."

Kiana cringed again at the reminder. It seems she would not escape from her meeting with destiny. And by destiny, she meant a pile of due homework.

"And I suppose Miss Kaslana was also looking for Captain, am I correct?" Rita said, turning her rosy eyes to the girl.

"Yeah… I wanted to ask Captain if he could help me with my homework." She said, shyly.

"You mean you wanted him to do it for you." Mei pointed out, pinching the girl's ear.

"Ouch, ouch! But Mei-senpai also wanted to send Captain on some errands for dinner, and Bratnya was gonna ask him to buy the limited release of Kallen Fantasy!" Kiana said, pointing an accusing finger at the short, gray-haired girl.

"Ho... so it was a gathering by chance. How curious, everyone gravitated closer to Captain, today~" Rita kept her coy smile, looking at the girls crowding Captain's room. "But, I guess there is some other reason why you are all still here, considering his absence."

The awkward silence was more than enough of an answer to the maid.

"Well, I have spent enough time here. Kiana, I hope to see that work done at my desk." Himeko said, walking past Rita.

"Oh, have a good afternoon, Murata-san, but please, leave the source of entertainment for the girls, hmm?"

Before Himeko could question what she meant, Rita swiftly snatched the book hidden behind the redhead's back.

"What– wait, that's–"

"Captain's personal diary, from what I could hear." She said, inspecting the book in her hands as if it was the most delicate of flowers. Then, the coy smile on her lips widened a little, matching the look she gave to Himeko. "Interesting~"

"F-for how long have you been listening, Rita…?" Theresa dared ask. Depending on the answer, she would need to call upon her World's Number One Cutie powers to guarantee the Maid's lips were sealed shut.

"Hmm, let's see… long enough to know who Miss Astilbes and Miss Dandelion would be." Her answer got Fuka and Theresa in an uncomfortable position.

"But rest assured, Theresa-sama, I won't disclose any of the many, many private things I've listened to, nor the contents of this journal."

"Please, please, please, Rita! You can't tell anyone about– you won't?"

"No."

"Huh."

That was easy. Theresa looked equally surprised and confused, but Fuka had another expression on her face. Suspicion.

"Would you really keep all of this concealed, Miss Rossweisse?"

"Would you not? These are Captain's personal thoughts. It is not my right to share them with everyone." She said, courteous and thoughtful as always. Rita was everything you would expect of a classic maid. And then some.

"Well, you're right on that…" Fuka fixed her glasses while averting her gaze to conceal her face.

"You're saying this, but you're also holding dear to Captain's journal, Rita." Himeko pointed out, with her arms crossed. Both ladies exchanged brief but quite intense looks.

"Certainly, Murata-san. After listening to what he had to say about Theresa-sama, I couldn't help but wonder what Captain-sama thought of me." She had her back to the rest of the girls, so only Himeko could see the slight motions of the Maid, pulling the book closer to her chest.

"Ho, how surprising. I never thought of you as a nosy girl, Rita." Himeko squinted her eyes slightly.

"The feeling is mutual, Murata-san." Rita's smile widened just a little bit more.

The room got quiet for a moment and the tension in the air increased.

"Mei-senpai, I think something is going on," Kiana whispered to the girl next to her.

"Q-quiet, Kiana-chan. Let's not make any assumptions." This had never happened before but Mei had a gut feeling they shouldn't interfere in… whatever was going on right now.

"... Well then, I won't hold you in here any longer. Have a good day, Murata-san~"

"Hah? And what are you going to do then?"

"I was planning to indulge a little in my curiosity and read this book. Of course, with all of the girls, if they share my curiosity, and I think they do~. It's a shame you must go now, but I understand you have a busy schedule–"

"Nah, I think I have a few more minutes to spare," Himeko said, walking past the Maid and sitting next to the girls. "So, what are you waiting for? A formal invitation?"

Rita looked quite surprised with that, but her usual gentle smile returned to her face. If nothing, she looked quite giddy as she sat at the edge of the bed, circled by the girls. Well, as giddy as her polite demeanor allowed one to see.

"Where should I start, hmm? Ah, here~"

Sigh… you know, Journal, sometimes it is hard to not feel like people doubt your capabilities. As if I didn't have enough of that doing it myself… but I digress. Today, we received a notice from Schicksal Headquarters, and we'll have an envoy doing some inspections around the Far East Branch, from the quarters to the shipyard and even in the Valkyrie training at St. Freya. I know it is common to inspect your divisions now and then, but this is just…

Look, the Overseer sent this person personally. Considering Theresa is the Overseer's granddaughter, you would expect him to have more faith in her. But perhaps that's because Theresa looks very young (and often acts her apparent age too). Like, I imagine not everyone in the higher rankings is very fond of Teri– I mean, Theresa running the Far East Branch on her own. St. Freya could also factor in, considering it is a different approach from the default Valkyrie training. Aah… more things to worry about…

"How thoughtful of Captain-sama, worrying like this about Theresa-sama and the general image of the branch."

"Well, I can't say I didn't feel a little nervous when Grandpa said you were coming…" The short nun held a smile but you could see a bead of sweat forming.

Huh, so this is the envoy from SS HQ. Rita Rossweisse.

Journal, I know this is silly of me to ask but have you ever seen an anime maid? Because this is exactly what I looked at today when the ship landed. I know Schicksal has a long history coming from the Middle Age and that we have a lot of iconography and symbolism around. Damn, Theresa uses the classic Nun habit, but come on, she was legit wearing a Victorian Maid dress, with frills, an apron, and even the headband. Yes, it is stylized, but my point still stands. I wonder if she is obligated to wear that at all times. I also wonder if she got the wrong impression of me staring for so long… Regardless, she is here to inspect the place and supervise the girls during the ranking promotion exams. I don't think Miss Rossweisse will stay for more than a month.

. . .

Inadequate. Definition: lacking the quality or quantity required; insufficient for a purpose. Or you can just show a picture of me because that's how I feel right now… sigh. Journal, sometimes I wonder what am I even doing here? Never mind me missing the mark on Miss Rossweisse's stay– oh, right, she asked me to call her Rita– never mind that, she's just in a league of her own when it comes to… well, anything! I really didn't think she would play the role of Maid for real, nor that she would be so good at it! I'm telling you, Journal, this is surreal. Allow me to exemplify this morning.

I got up earlier than usual, got changed, and headed to Hyperion. I wanted to run some tests on the reactors, see if I could optimize them. I had been studying the ship's architecture for a while and well, someone beat me to it. When I arrived there, Ai-chan was already running the test sequences and giving out the metrics. And boy, those metrics! I'm not an expert but I can tell the ship is running with high power efficiency now, all thanks to Rita.

She appeared and greeted me, polite as always. I asked if a technician was fixing the reactors and her answer was: "No, it was just me, Captain-sama". Obviously, I was skeptical about that bold claim, but she quickly proved me wrong when she showed me the numbers. Even AI-chan looked surprised. I asked where she learned how to do that and Rita casually mentioned having read the manuals some time ago. Well, I suppose being from the SS HQ gives her access to a lot of info, but this is just… wow.

But the surprises didn't stop there. Since it was early and I had woken up already, I thought of cleaning the bridge. We have staff to clean the ship, I know, but I like to keep my hands busy, you know? I'd rather avoid being called a slacker by Bronya again… And you guessed it, Rita beat me to it again. I don't know if it was the effect of the lighting in the early morning, but the bridge seemed to sparkle. And then, to complete my embarrassment in the morning, my stomach had to loudly remind me I skipped breakfast. I excused myself to fix something to eat in the kitchen, but Rita offered to make it herself instead. I wanted to refuse but she was very insistent. Like, at some point I felt she would not take a "no" for an answer, so I accepted it.

This brings me to the next amazing thing about Rita: she's an excellent cook. Look, not to dismiss Mei here, as she's very skilled in the kitchen, but… Rita brings cooking to another level. I never thought coffee and pancakes could taste so good in my life. Aah, I'm feeling hungry again just from remembering~

As they read the text, Mei had a small pout on her face. She was aware of Rita's skills, but reading Captain praise the Maid like this stung her pride a little. Not that she disliked Rita for that or anything, it was more like a friendly competition. Heated, at times, but friendly.

"Fufufu, Captain-sama can be so silly at times~ It is most endearing," Rita commented, earning a discreet stare from the redhead next to her. Her memory wandered to many other occasions where she had the pleasure of serving him her cuisine.

"Umm," The young man hesitated. It wasn't like he was going to convince her, anyway. "you know you don't have to cook for me, right, Rita?"

"Officially not, but as a maid, I must see that you're well-fed. Now, if you could be just a little more patient, Captain-sama, dinner will be served in a short while." Rita said, placing a cup of tea in front of him. "Blueberry tea, while you wait."

She couldn't help but smile at the way he shyly thanked her, sipping the warm drink. Ever since she announced her extended stay at St. Freya, Captain has been anything but thoughtful of her. Well, an extended stay was one way to put it. It was more like her new home base was transferred to the Far East Branch, and she would be going back to SS HQ now and then until Durandal moved too. Still, the young man did his best to make sure she was well installed, even though there was nothing he thought of that she didn't do already.

From the very beginning, this young man caught her interest. Not that Rita would allow it to distract her from her mission, but in her free time, she got to observe the curious Captain of Hyperion, and after that first breakfast, she decided to keep on cooking for him whenever it was possible. Mostly because she legit took joy in being useful to everyone around her, but also because something in him amused her.

Back from her inner thoughts, Rita kept reading the book she gently held.

Journal, I can't figure Rita out. Not that I'm an expert in reading people. In fact, I think I might be pretty dense, but until now I more or less understood the girls, you know what I'm saying? Like, Kiana is a lovable goof at times, Mei is super caring, Bronya doesn't show it but she cares about you too. Rita, she… I don't know exactly what her deal is. Hmm, maybe I'm reading too much into it? She calls herself a maid and likes to be helpful, I get, but I still feel something is off.

But not in a wrong, weird way. It's like… there's this mysterious aura around her at all times. It is both mesmerizing and a little intimidating, as if I could never know what her true intentions are. I like to think we got a little closer to each other, at least enough to be called friends. I talk to her quite often, and she keeps cooking for me on occasion. She does so, so much more than just that. Sometimes I really feel like I'm slacking, or taking advantage of her goodwill. But she insists that it is of her own will so… sigh, I'm completely outclassed…

Rita seems to be excellent at anything she does, and she knows how to do a lot of things. I wonder if she doesn't feel tired, even more considering how she behaves and treats everyone. Always so polite and formal, though sometimes she sneaks in a clever joke. She has been helping around a lot ever since she got here, and she was only supposed to oversee things. Hmm, helping is putting it too lightly, Rita excels at it. It's almost scary how she can handle any given task perfectly. Perhaps it has to do with how she was raised… Journal, do you think she grew up in a Maid's School or something? Are those even real?

… why am I talking to you again?

The Maid giggled at Captain's ramblings. It was a soft, almost restricted light laugh, and she made sure to cover her mouth as she did so.

"Well, at least I'm assured I left a remarkable impression of me with Captain-sama."

"Umm, maybe you should rethink your first impression tactics, Rita…" Theresa said, understanding on a personal level how Captain felt. Rita was always diligent and attentive to take care of her. Perhaps too much diligence at it.

Huh, I think I get it now, Journal. Turns out it is much simpler than I expected. Rita, she… she just loves to be helpful. We were chatting the other day, while she served me some cake for an afternoon tea, and she ended talking a little about how she came around Schicksal. Apparently, a Valkyrie rescued her during a minor outbreak, and from that moment she decided to help others as much as she could. Funny enough, the Valkyrie in question was dressed like a maid, and everything falls into place now. Yeah, I knew Rita was an amazing person and a great Valkyrie herself, but this kind of changes how I see her, you know?

Rita takes it as her duty to be helpful, but it is on a personal level. She lives by what she believes, and she does her absolute best at it. Knowing this really made me appreciate her more, Journal. I heard some people talking around the corners, ever since she arrived here. People think she's somewhat too perfect, and her mysterious aura kind of puts them on the edge. I don't know if Rita notices these things, but even if she does, it never showed. She keeps being kind to everyone, and I don't think I have ever seen her in a bad mood.

I… I wish there was a way to show her how much her efforts mean to us. Well, to me, at least. But I don't know that much about her, even after that chat we had. Besides, I don't think I can surprise Rita with anything I can do. "Decent" cooking certainly won't cut it, and even as a maid, she looks like someone from royalty. Sigh, this will take a lot of planning, won't it…? Come on, think about it, what can you do or give to a person like Rita? Someone perfectionist and attentive to the smallest details. Someone polite and of high class… Someone who never seems to take a break… Someone who is always looking beautiful, despite all the work she does…

"... Ara?" Rita spoke softly.

"What is it, Rita? Found something weird about you?" Kiana asked, peeking over the Maid's shoulder.

"No, but… that date here. It brings back some memories~" She pointed at the date Captain had written down. Her mind revived again those memories, as they were clear as day to her. This was a very important day, after all…

"A… date?" The young man said out loud again, just to make sure he didn't mishear it.

"Yes. It's a mission that requires disguising, and a date at the park would be the perfect decoy." Rita explained, keeping that thin smile on her lips.

"But… isn't it a little weird to ask for a birthday gift?" In the end, Captain couldn't decide on anything and decided to be bold and ask Rita what she wanted, on the terms that he would get it to her no matter what. Under a certain budget. So Captain was equally surprised and amused that she would suggest a mission with him as her birthday gift. Her sense of duty apparently knew no bounds.

"Hmm, I don't know, Rita. I've never been on a field mission, and it doesn't feel right to do work as a birthday gift…"

"So Captain-sama will refuse?"

"No, no, no, I'm just saying that… ah, okay. If that's what you want, it can't be helped." He said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Splendid~," she said, clasping her hands together. "Well then, meet me tomorrow at 1 PM in front of the shopping mall, and remember to not use your uniform." The Maid added and left, leaving a confused Captain behind.

The next day, Captain did as she said. He stood at the entrance, looking left and right. Just to be sure, he got there half an hour earlier, but that only made him more anxious as he waited. Precisely at 1 PM, Rita appeared and greeted him, punctual down to the minutes. From there, she dragged him around the vicinity, as if they were really on a date.

They did some shop sighting, spent some time at an arcade, where Captain finally found something Rita didn't do well: playing games. He was sure it was only because she never tried, but was taking any victories he could get. After having some cake at a café nearby, the Maid led them to a local high-street shop. There, she picked a coat for Captain and asked him to pick one for her.

It was hard for him to pick just one, as Rita could easily pull off anything and still look pretty. He didn't say that to her but the thought was constantly in his mind. In the end, he picked a burgundy strapless dress, with some frills here and there, and a small bow in the front. It didn't look too fancy, but it fit her perfectly like it was tailor-made.

With that, they left the shop and walked around as the afternoon ended. The orange tones colored the sky and gave a pleasant feeling as they walked by a park. Rita remembered as if it was yesterday, the way Captain looked around at the other couples, looking like a fish out of water. He asked many times if she was okay with it. She could have asked more, he said, but that would work perfectly for her, she assured the young man. Point is, after spending days in his presence, the Maid found joy in seeing Captain all worked up and embarrassed. It was almost too fun, so much that she worried it would show up in her face and tone of voice.

She didn't mind much if it was him seeing this, though.

Rita could feel his eyes moving on and off her figure, and she wouldn't let this opportunity pass, and so began the teasing about her current looks, and if Captain felt proud of his choice for her. She even did a bold move, hugging his arm while they walked, just to provoke him more and get the answer she wanted from him. His heart was racing and he failed to form sentences. She completely succeeded as Captain's cheeks were as red as his hair, and she got a compliment from him about her dress. What she didn't expect, however, was his other comment that followed.

"I did buy this for you, but it was one of the two dresses you tried, and you obviously liked it. After all, I don't claim to have the best taste… and the thing is, it's mission impossible to make you look bad."

"..."

Rita remembered well how that mission went, more specifically, how she felt when Captain made that comment. She lost a bit of her composure and had to hasten her step, dragging the poor, confused young man along to complete their objective. From that moment she knew for sure: this man has made Rita question certain things about her. Things that until now were fortified by her resolve and sense of duty. And the weirdest part was that… she didn't bother much, in the same way, she didn't bother reading the next lines.

I don't know. Journal. Perhaps I'm being too cocky, but… I think I saw Rita blush today. Like, for a brief moment, she looked… different. It could be something else entirely, or she could have done that for the sole purpose of throwing me off so she can keep on teasing me. She has been doing that a little, recently. Or maybe I'm also reading too much into it. Today was simply a mission... Rita is always the same with everyone, attentive and cordial. I can't see why she would act differently with me.

Or perhaps she does and I just don't notice. I mean, most of the crew still feels a little off-put by her, uh, top service? Some even say she's a hi-tech android sent from the Headquarters and that the Overseer has an army of super-efficient maids at his disposal. While the thought is… intriguing, I have to disagree. Don't get me wrong, Journal, I'm pretty sure the engineering team could come up with something, and the Overseer does look like one of the greatest minds around, but that's beside the point.

My point is: you couldn't have a machine doing what Rita does. Not in the way she does, at least. Whenever Rita is cooking, or cleaning, or organizing things, or recalibrating the shield arrays of Hyperion, for that matter, there's a sensation of warmth. She puts her everything into whatever she's doing and you can "feel" the warmth in that. Wow, that was… incredibly corny. What am I even getting at here…?

She laughed at her mental image of Captain cringing at his own words.

Well, good thing the crew would never read this. They would think I'm crazy. It's like no one sees beyond the image of the Maid of Schicksal. But I think there's more to Rita than someone who simply follows orders. As I said before, she takes joy in being helpful, and I really like that about her. Makes me want to be more helpful too, and maybe, just maybe, repay her in some way, even though I know Rita would never do something and expect to be repaid.

By now you must be expecting me to say which flower would suit Rita, aren't you, Journal? I decided to buy a copy of the book for myself. The lady at the library asked if I was planning on making a garden, but I'm more interested in the meanings. Plus, I never tried gardening in my life, safe for planting beans on wet cotton. I'm not sure I could actually make it work…

As for the chosen flower, it took me a while but I think I found a perfect match. Heh, perfect. Lemme tell you about camellias, Journal.

Camellias have a meaning of Perfection and Excellence. They can also mean Refinement, Faithfulness, Desire, and Passion. That's almost the same as describing Rita, right? And the flower is pretty elegant in the looks too, growing in evergreen shrubs with an abundance of big, showy flowers. Camellias come in many colors, ranging from white, yellow, and pink to reds and purples, with plenty of variations in between.

They're native from China and Japan, and in the latter, it is known as "Tsubaki", and is related to the divine. Oh, did you know that you can make tea with camellias? I wonder if Rita knows how to make it… Who am I kidding? She knows. Rita has a particular liking for tea and afternoon tea time. I wonder if that has anything to do with her being from Manchester…?

One curious thing I found out: Camellias don't have a scent. Rather, they're "conspicuously short on the scent", to quote the book (I wish I had Rita's eloquence). The ones that actually have it are way less showy when they bloom. You know, not as big, fewer petals. I feel like this also fits with Rita's image. Everyone sees the Maid of Schicksal, or maybe they see Schicksal itself when they look at her.

But once you look closer, you find a lot more beauty than just the exterior shows. Elegance, diligence, a true passion for helping others, and above all things, perfection. I don't think there's a better fit I could find for this impressive, multifunctional maid.

Rita gently closed the book, letting it rest in her lap. She closed her eyes for a moment as if letting everything she read sink in.

"Inadequate? No…"

She replayed in her mind the words he used to describe her and noticed the stark contrast with Captain himself.

Elegant. He could be quite gauche and socially awkward at times.

Diligent. While a hard worker, Captain had his moments of laziness.

Perfectionist. He wasn't the best at anything, to be honest. He surely tried his best every time, but the results could vary.

Yet, those were the qualities that caught her attention the most. And he had all of the other qualities he attributed to her. He also loved to help others, even when it was clearly beyond his capacity. This perseverance of his was also something that made Rita have a keen interest in him. No, it wasn't just an "interest". Not anymore.

"Far from inadequate, indeed. I don't think I questioned myself about what I should do in a long, long time. You have already given me... something precious, Captain-sama."

"Eh?! That's it? Captain just showered Rita with compliments!" Kiana said, leaning over Rita's shoulder as she tried to pick the book again, but to no avail.

"It seems like it." Fu Hua said. She couldn't help but smile at the indignant white-haired girl. She considered herself quite skilled, but even the class monitor recognized the maid was on another level when it came to flawless execution.

"It can't be helped, Rita is an excellent cook. She deserves every compliment Captain makes." Theresa had to skid to the side as she felt a faint tingling in her arm and saw some purple sparks coming from Mei.

"Please don't cut yourself short, Mei-san. Your skills are pretty on par with mine, in my humble opinion. Perhaps just lacking a little precision…"

It was a subtle difference between the two that always put Captain in a tough spot when choosing which girl made the best dish.

"Da, the Bronya agrees with subject Rita. Mei-nee sama is an excellent cook."

"Yeah, I have to admit, Rita does make the best bitter melon juice~" Theresa added.

"Would you like some for the afternoon, Theresa-sama?"

"Really?"

While the loli nun got excited at the prospect of fresh-made bitter melon juice, Kiana scratched her head in minor frustration.

"Well, I guess it really can't be helped. But I'm surprised with you, Rita. Captain said all those things about you and didn't even blush or anything. I wouldn't know what to say with all that praise..."

"It's part of my duty, Kiana-san. I take every critic wholeheartedly as it shows me where I should improve; and every compliment too, as it shows what I'm doing right." Rita answered, bowing her head and the girls gave a round of soft claps.

"It's okay, Kiana. Some people show how they really feel through actions. Right, Rita?~" Himeko said, glancing at the maid who once again held dear Captain's diary, bringing it closer to her chest when the redhead made that comment. And if Himeko wasn't mistaken, Rita had a faint blush in her cheeks alright.

"... I agree, Murata-san," Rita made a brief pause to get her composure back. "And I intend to return Captain's appreciation as I fulfill my duty. I ought to meet the image he holds of me."

And she was back to her usual self again. It was but a fluke, a minor slip that would go unnoticed, safe for the red-haired beauty that sat next to her. Perhaps they had more in common than they thought, after all. Handing the book back to Theresa, Rita gracefully got up.

"Now, if you would excuse me for a while."

"Hmm? But weren't you looking for me, Rita?" The nun asked.

"Why yes, but if Theresa-sama allows me, I would like to bring Durandal-sama here too."

"D-Durandal?! But why her? And why here, all of a sudden?" Kiana exclaimed, voicing the thoughts of everyone present.

"I saw that Captain did write a few thoughts about her. Wouldn't it be a little unfair if she was the only one to not know about it? Especially when you all can read about it right now?"

The short white-haired girl fidgetted with her fingers nervously.

"W-we would never… I mean, I did see it while we were reading, but… ah..."

"Rita, didn't you say you wouldn't tell anyone about this?" Fu Hua quickly intervened, also not wanting to have her part in this compromised.

"Fufufu~ I did say it, miss Class Monitor. I was just joking~" As Rita said that, covering the smile in her face with a hand, the other girls let out a collective sigh. Captain was right about the maid sneaking a joke here and there. Granted, certain things were not the best to joke around with.

"Rita, pretty please, don't tell anyone about it. People already think I'm a kid more than I would like..." Theresa said, getting up from her place and passing the book back to Mei. "And you girls, put it back where you found it, and leave Captain's room exactly how you found it."

"I wonder where Captain is, though. We still didn't see him today..." Mei thought out loud.

"Da. Subject Captain's status is MIA since this morning."

"Ah! Maybe he went to the event at the arcade by himself!" Kiana concluded.

"Hmm, it's not like him to leave without telling anyone," Himeko added.

By now, all the girls were standing in a circle, thinking about where the young man could be. Of all the possibilities, they agreed that wherever it was, it was better for them that he wasn't here right now. Otherwise, it would have been much more embarrassing to everyone involved.

"Anyway, we have spent a lot of time in Captain's room already. Mei, please place his Journal where it was exactly the way you girls found it." Said the short nun, with her Principal Authority tone.

Mei nodded and moved to place the book where it belonged, behind the volumes of manga owned by Captain, and hidden from prying eyes, but as she did so, something slipped from the pages. The flipping of pages must have loosened something, a reason for big panic to the Valkyries.

"M-Mei-san, please be more careful!" Fu Hua said as the raven-haired girl quickly kneeled to pick whatever it was that fell. No one here, except perhaps for a certain Maid, wanted Captain to find out that they went through his personal belongings.

Not that they thought he would be mad or anything, but because it would make things… a little awkward.

"I'm being careful! It must have gotten loose while we were reading the pages and… a picture?"

Mei slowly got up, staring intently at the picture in her hand. She stared, and stared, and stared a little more, with a confused look on her face. Then, she looked at Kiana, then back at the picture. Looking at Kiana, and back to the picture.

"Umm, Mei-senpai...? Is everything alright?" Asked the white-haired girl.

She didn't bother at all with Mei looking at her figure with so much interest, but the look on the girl's face made the young Kaslana worried.

"Yeah… I guess? Kiana-chan, have you ever… wore a nun outfit before?" Mei asked, not sure about her question.

"... Is this a request or…?"

"K-Kiana-chan!"

Mei blushed as her friend suddenly got a smug smile crossing her lips. It wasn't the first time Kiana would make these suggestive comments, which would inevitably make Mei mildly flustered. Bronya, on the other hand, would enter on defense mode and shield her dear Mei-nee sama from the clingy white-haired girl.

"Initiate defensive measures. Target: pervy idiotka."

"Oi! Again with this "idiotka" stuff?!"

As the two girls started another argument, Mei sighed in frustration but walked to the short num, who also looked curious about the contents of that picture.

"Principal Theresa, this person here isn't Kiana, right?"

Mei showed the picture and the shortie took it from her hands to inspect closer, Fu Hua and Himeko looked over her shoulders. Theresa looked quite surprised.

"That habit… wait, why does Captain has a picture of Kallen Kaslana in his Journal?"

The mention of her family name instantly got Kiana's attention and she let go of Bronya's hair drills.

"Kallen? Captain has a photo of my ancestor?!" She snapped the picture from Theresa's hand, earning a slap in the back of her head for being too reckless. What would they do if she ripped the picture, Himeko chided her.

"Fufufufu~ It seems things have taken an interesting turn~" Rita laughed lightly and took a seat at Captain's bed again. "So, shall we look further into the secrets of this intriguing book?" She said, offering to take it from Mei's hands.

"I think we have looked enough, Miss Rossweisse..." Fu Hua said, hiding her eyes behind the reflex of her glasses.

"Oh, but we still need to find the page from which this picture fell. Certainly, this will require us to read through it and look for any mentions of Kiana's ancestor."

"Wait, do you think Captain wrote something about Kallen, Rita?" Kiana suddenly got more enthusiastic, joining the Maid and sitting by her side.

Theresa groaned in annoyance. This situation was starting to get out of hand, but she would be lying if she said it didn't make her interested and curious. She had ties to the famous Kaslana bloodline, after all, and the fact that Captain had a picture of Kallen in his personal Journal raised a few other questions.

"~sigh~ We came all the way here already. Might as well see the end of it," Himeko said returning to the beanbag she was sitting on while Rita read about her piece.

With all the girls gathered again, they flipped through the pages, looking for any mentions of the legendary Valkyrie from the past.

"Ah! There, there!" Kiana pointed at the top of the page where the name Kallen Kaslana was written in larger letters. She was clearly excited about this.

"Ahem," The Maid cleared her throat. "Shall we begin?~"

End of Chapter

Uuuh, foreshadowing. As you can see, the next Valkyrie will be Kallen. I took some notes from the reviews and decided how I want to approach Kallen and Sakura, which leads me to the next thing, and I would really like the input of you readers in this: do I time skip to include Seele and the Twins, or do I warp the universe to accommodate them now. And by warping I mean simply making this a bubble universe that diverges more from the main storyline, chronologically speaking. I see that one of the things you guys enjoy about this fic is how "in-character" the Valks are, so I want to keep that in mind.

Well then, thanks for taking your time to read as I go on my one-man crusade to add more Honkai Impact fics on the internet. Hope y'all are having a good time. Stay safe, take care, and until the next update. Bye~