Several days later…
"Good morning, Himeko."
After waking up, seeing Himeko stirring awake beside her, Raiden Ei softly greeted her.
She had already been staying at St. Freya Academy for six days.
One more day, and this current transformation period would end. She couldn't help wondering who she would become next.
Ei found herself genuinely curious.
Still, the biggest disappointment for her was that during these past few days, Theresa had never once come to her saying she felt uncomfortable somewhere or anything like that~
"Mmm… Morning, Ei~"
Like always, Himeko had fallen asleep drunk last night, then somehow crawled into Ei's bed without realizing it. Her clothes had long since come off too. Sitting up, she stretched lazily.
"You should put some clothes on, Himeko."
Walking to the window, Ei didn't open it immediately. Instead, she turned sideways and spoke softly.
"You really should fix that habit of stripping naked whenever you get drunk."
"Ah, well… I got used to sleeping alone before. Sorry about that, Ei~"
Himeko didn't care in the slightest about being completely exposed.
And Ei, calm as ever on the surface, was thoroughly enjoying the view.
Those were probably the biggest boobs in all of St. Freya Academy.
Soft, full, practically sinful.
Whew~
Absolutely incredible~
Her gaze openly rested on Himeko's chest, and naturally Himeko noticed. A teasing smile crept onto her face as she glanced over.
"What's wrong, Ei? Interested?"
Leaning back slightly, Himeko supported herself with her pale hands against the bed. Her legs folded naturally beneath her in a relaxed kneeling pose.
Her fair skin glowed creamy white beneath the morning sunlight spilling in from outside the window, enough to make anyone's imagination run wild.
What a waste not to put that body to work.
Inside her head, Ei was practically chanting sutras at full speed to maintain composure, but outwardly her expression remained perfectly calm, even slightly puzzled.
"Himeko's body… really is different from ordinary people."
"Oh?" Himeko raised a brow, amusement deepening in her eyes.
She didn't mind Ei looking at her body at all. In Himeko's eyes, Ei didn't understand these things anyway.
Besides, Ei was also a woman.
"How is it different?"
"Your muscle lines are smooth, and your explosive strength is impressive, yet you still retain feminine softness."
Ei's gaze boldly swept across Himeko's body bit by bit, from her chest down to her legs, admiration gradually appearing in her eyes.
"I think… by human standards, your body is nearly perfect."
"Hahahahaha~"
Himeko burst into laughter at the compliment.
"You've got good taste, Ei. But~"
She looked at Ei mischievously.
"Want to… study it more deeply?"
Ei met Himeko's eyes, her heartbeat skipping half a beat.
Wait.
What exactly did Himeko mean by that?
To Ei, this sounded dangerously close to an open invitation for adults-only activities.
"Study what?"
Putting on an innocent expression, she walked over to the bed.
"Study…"
Himeko lifted her hand, fingertips lightly touching Ei's collarbone before slowly sliding downward.
The motion was full of suggestive intimacy, yet Ei didn't dare move at all, simply letting Himeko do as she pleased.
Being passive wasn't bad either~
No, forget "not bad"—this was amazing!!!
Ei quietly grew more excited inside, even wondering if she should cooperate with Himeko later.
"The human body."
Himeko looked at Ei with appreciation, fingertips tracing the resilient softness of her skin.
"You said you're a puppet… so aren't you curious what a real human feels like?"
"A real human?"
Ei looked at Himeko, confusion thickening in her eyes.
"That's right."
The smile on Himeko's face deepened.
Her hand rested on Ei's chest, feeling the softness, warmth, and heartbeat beneath it.
Should I take my clothes off too?
Ei honestly didn't mind doing something enjoyable first thing in the morning.
"Here. Feel it."
Himeko took Ei's hand and generously placed it on her chest. Warm softness pressed against her palm, along with a strong, powerful heartbeat.
"Can you feel it?"
Hearing Himeko's question, Ei fell silent for a moment before boldly giving it a squeeze.
"Mnh—?"
"What am I supposed to feel?" Ei asked with genuine confusion after Himeko let out a muffled sound.
"Haaah… your focus is all wrong."
Himeko sighed helplessly, though her gaze remained gentle.
"Feel a human heartbeat."
"Ei, I don't know how you'll rule Inazuma after you return someday, but I hope… while you're here, you can try learning what it means to truly be alive."
A heartbeat didn't only exist for survival.
It could beat for other things.
Other people.
Or even… for everything you hold dear.
"..."
Ei stared at Himeko.
Bathed in the warm sunlight pouring through the window, the smile on Himeko's face looked unbelievably gentle and comforting.
For a brief instant, it felt as though someone had cast a purification spell directly on Ei's soul.
She really is desperately trying to teach me how to live as a human.
Ei's gaze trembled slightly before she nodded.
"I understand."
"Mhm~"
Seeing that flicker of emotion finally appear on Ei's face, Himeko couldn't help smiling happily. She knew Ei had truly listened.
"Himeko."
"Mm?"
"You're a good person."
Without hesitation, Raiden Ei handed Himeko a full-fledged "good person" card.
And she meant it sincerely.
Because in Ei's eyes right now, Himeko was a saint in every possible sense.
Reluctantly, she withdrew her hand.
"I understand now. I'll try to find out… what my heart is truly beating for."
"Mhm~"
Himeko nodded in satisfaction. Though when Ei's warm palm left her chest, the sudden coolness still left behind a strange tingling sensation.
"But for now, we should get up~"
Watching Himeko stretch once more, proudly displaying her gorgeous figure, Ei silently gave a thumbs-up in her heart.
And after everyone gathered together for breakfast…
At the dining table, Himeko—now dressed, though wearing only a black lace bra on top paired with shorts—let out a light sigh and looked toward Kiana.
"Kiana, your test scores this time were honestly terrible."
"Hm?"
Ei's ears perked up instantly.
"So next week, you'll be taking a makeup exam."
"A makeup exam?"
"That's right. One week from now."
Listening to Himeko and Kiana's conversation, Ei finally confirmed the current point in the timeline.
Hmm…
So this was shortly after Kiana and the others had first enrolled at St. Freya Academy—their first academic exam, not the Valkyrie rank test from the game.
"Seriously, there's got to be a limit to how dumb you can be. Totally flat-chested and brainless."
Himeko scolded Kiana with a dark expression while Mei nervously began discussing the makeup exam with her.
"Mmm…"
Thinking about something almost completely unrelated to herself, Ei fell into thought.
If she remembered correctly, this was when everyone helped tutor Kiana, accidentally accessed Schicksal's internal database, and encountered the AI version of Kallen.
Unfortunately…
It seemed like she was running out of time.
--+--