Kiana had failed six theory subjects, barely scraping by in the others.
But through a week of meticulous, patient, and affectionate tutoring, Angel successfully helped Kiana barely pass all her subjects in the first round of retakes.
“Himeko, Himeko, have some takoyaki!”
Angel clung to Himeko’s arm, reaching up with a bamboo skewer holding a steaming hot little ball.
Himeko was browsing a city guide on her phone.
She tilted her head slightly, parted her lightly glossed crimson lips, and bit into the ball.
“Hiss…
hot, hot, hot!”
“The shop owner said they’re best when they’re hot!”
“They are good, I’ll give you that…
But what exactly did you do to that kid?
Passing all her retakes miraculously is one thing, but she’s ended up like this?”
Himeko covered her mouth with her phone, glancing back with a smile in her enchanting eyes as she savored the flavor.
Angel glanced toward Kiana.
The usually energetic, goofy girl was now half-draped over a worried Raiden Mei, radiating a limp, exhausted frailty, with none of the holiday spirit about her.
Angel popped a takoyaki into her mouth and answered in a soft, obedient tone:
“Just normal tutoring, Himeko.”
“Normal my ass!
I put up with the chains, scissors, and machine guns, but you actually drove a tank after me!
And you didn’t even know how to brake!”
Kiana caught Angel’s innocent, sincere reply and exploded, pointing at her while adding a few colorful expletives.
Angel sighed and skewered the last takoyaki, bringing it to Kiana’s lips.
“There was no helping it, Kiana.
I’m only fourteen.
I don’t have a driver’s license.
I could only barely operate the tank using the manual after borrowing it.
It’s perfectly normal to be bad at braking.”
“You actually have the nerve to explain that?
‘Perfectly normal to be bad at braking’ my ass!
If you don’t know how to drive, don’t drive a tank!
Were you trying to kill me!?
Also, the takoyaki is good.
Thanks.”
Kiana tugged at Angel’s cheeks, ranting furiously while gratefully eating the takoyaki.
Angel reached back and tugged at Kiana’s soft, squishy cheeks.
“How else was I supposed to cram all that exam material into your empty, sluggish brain?
You should be thanking me!”
“Shameless!
You were just torturing me so you could go out with Auntie Himeko!
No loyalty, no conscience!
I’ve decided.
I’m sharing a room with Auntie Himeko tonight.
That’ll piss you off!”
“WHAT?
You dare steal Himeko from me?”
Angel was shocked.
Her usually expressionless face showed visible signs of panic.
Everyone knew how shameless Kiana was during her Paramecium phase.
She could spout lines like “I wanna drink Mei’s milk~” without batting an eye.
If she set her sights on Himeko, that would be a disaster.
“Hmph!
Scared now, you stinky Angel?”
“Let’s duel!
We’ll settle this once and for all; the winner takes all!”
“Hah!
Don’t think just because you beat me in the assessment you’re all that.
Exams and life-or-death fights are completely different.
Want me to spank your ass black and blue?”
“Stupid paramecium!
Today I’ll…”
POW!
POW!
Himeko landed a punch on each of their heads, forcibly silencing the two girls who were about to start brawling in the middle of the street.
She planted her hands on her hips and glared down at them.
“Behave yourselves out here!
And don’t drag me into your personal grudges.
Also…
at least call me Himeko-sensei!”
POW!
Kiana got an extra punch for using the disrespectful nickname.
“Honestly, I’m only twenty-four.
Why do you have to call me ‘auntie’?
Where am I old?
Where?
Tell me, Kiana!”
The more Himeko spoke, the angrier she got.
She grabbed Kiana’s ear and demanded with a fake smile.
Her overwhelming aura made Raiden Mei, who had been about to plead for mercy, take two steps back and silently ignore Kiana’s terrified, pleading gaze.
Only Angel’s eyes lit up.
She grabbed Himeko’s pale, smooth arm, nuzzled against it, and said sweetly:
“Himeko, even if you’re ten years older than me, I’ll always love you the most!”
“…You love nothing!
I’m starting to miss the shy, introverted you!”
Himeko didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
She karate-chopped Angel on the head.
Angel stuck out her tongue, then continued clinging to Himeko’s arm, basking in her alluring fragrance.
Being introverted was just to fit her character background, and Angel really wasn’t a social butterfly anyway, so it wasn’t a lie.
Himeko, even if you find out the truth one day, I hope you won’t blame me.
Amen!
…
“ACHOO!”
In the Bear Country, the snow-covered Kosovos Mountains.
An Angel in a thick white coat rubbed her nose, lying motionless under the snow.
Herrschers and humans were different creatures.
Their bodies were more stable, resilient, and virtually without weak points.
But Angel, as a Herrscher of Dominance, was one of the few exceptions.
Her body was more of a puppet driven by authority than a vessel housing life and power.
So she didn’t have a true Herrscher body with absolute immunity.
Excessive damage could destroy it, and, for example, she could still catch a cold in freezing weather.
“ACHOO!!!”
Angel wiped her nose with a handful of snow, her red, frozen nose twitching uncomfortably.
Still, most of her body remained buried in the snow, motionless.
“Damn it.
Why is the St.
Freya Angel getting to cuddle with Himeko, and the heiress Angel enjoying hot springs and maid service, while I’m stuck here freezing my ass off?”
Don’t complain.
The stakeout is working.
According to the heiress’s intel, Anti-Entropy forces should be taking notice of this area soon.
Hold on for Cocolia’s authority.
You can do it!
Once we get her body, you can have first dibs.
Those big, round melons.
Aren’t you tempted?
“Shut up!
I’m pretty sure you’re all being perverts, and I have evidence!”
Angel rolled her eyes, frustrated by her other selves’ snide remarks.
In the valley below, a group of three to four hundred Honkai beasts had gathered.
Most were Knight-class and Ballista-class, with a few reaching Chariot-class.
Their sturdy bone armor and massive bodies could easily destroy a major city if left unchecked in an area without Anti-Entropy or Schicksal garrisons.
Based on information the heiress had gathered through business dealings, the local Anti-Entropy forces regularly patrolled and cleared Honkai beast threats in the area.
So Angel had come early to search for a herd.
Thanks to the Herrscher’s innate connection to Honkai beasts, she had found this valley and had been lying in wait for two days and two nights.
Suddenly, her unburied ear twitched.
A silent smile curled at the corner of her mouth.
Here they come!
Angel stared wide-eyed at the valley entrance.
Dark-blue Titans climbed to high positions, forming a line.
Their shoulders shifted, deploying heavy cannons.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
CRASH!!!
A wave of heat melted the snow and swept through the valley.
The entire valley floor was covered in scorched earth and molten rock.
However, the faster beasts and those capable of flight broke through the dust, charging at the silent, sturdy Titans.
A war of steel and monsters had begun.
Cannons roared in succession.
The sounds of mechanical explosions and beasts being torn apart rang out without pause.
Angel lay motionless at a higher vantage point, watching silently until the Titans had exterminated the herd and dragged away the remains of their “comrades.”
“Tch.
Looks like I picked a herd that was too big.
They deployed a Titan legion directly, leaving no human corpses.
No opportunity this time.”
Angel sighed silently.
She sensed other Honkai beasts in the area and decided to try her luck at the next battlefield.
This region was Anti-Entropy territory, but it wasn’t their North American headquarters.
Their disposable funds and resources were limited.
So were their Titans.
They couldn’t rely entirely on Titans to clear wild Honkai beasts forever.
Eventually, human forces would be deployed, and human corpses would be left behind.
Angel waited patiently until the Titans had completely disappeared from view, lingering on the Titan wrecks with a mix of longing and eagerness.
Titans, mechs.
To a certain extent, they were also puppets.
And puppets fell within the domain of the authority of Dominance.
They could potentially become Angel’s clones.
The problem was that Titans were packed with too much black tech.
Who knew what kind of network they were connected to?
If the conversion process alerted Anti-Entropy’s network, that would be a disaster.
“First, I’ll take Cocolia.
She’s a leader of the radical faction.
She definitely knows the inner workings of the Titans and has sufficient authority.
Then I can try to dominate the Titans…”
With hope for the future, Angel rose and left the mountain slope.