Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

Just like the first choice she made, and like the choices she had always made, Chris embraced the delicate blonde girl and gently comforted her.

[I'm...sorry, Chris-chan. I just realized now that we don't have to fight anymore, and we don't have to worry about those terrible gunfire anymore.]

Wiping away her tears, she couldn't stop crying. She didn't resist Chris's embrace, and the blonde girl's emotions gradually calmed down amidst her sobs and hugs.

[Hmm, but compared to that uncomfortable smile and definitely problematic demeanor before, Rei, you seem much better now.]

[I told you, Lingyi, you shouldn't have burdened yourself with so much. If it weren't for me, I don't know how long you would have stayed in that annoying state.]

Looking at the sobbing but genuine girl, Chris, though not entirely understanding, sincerely praised and adorably sought credit from the girl whose eyes still held tears.

[It's a no-brainer, I just hadn't realized it before...]

Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, the blonde girl, whose emotions had gradually stabilized, stubbornly continued her statement, though she didn't quite admit it.

If you ever make that annoying face or say those nasty things again, I will definitely give you a good beating without any hesitation.

Chris didn't care about the girl's unwillingness to admit it; she simply followed her heart and proudly declared.

[Hmm...does that mean, Chris-chan, you're going to keep watching me?]

Wiping away her tears, with a relaxed smile that showed the relief of something that had been weighing on her for so long, Lingyi spoke slowly and jokingly.

Of course, after all, Lingyi, you don't seem like someone to be trusted. If it weren't for me, you don't know how long you would have been suffering.

The white-haired girl nodded, quite certain. She spoke with conviction.

"Is that so? It means, Chris-chan, you'll have to watch over me for the rest of your life, which means you want to marry me in the future?"

Like a hidden agenda revealed at the end of a painting, Lingyi chuckled mischievously and subtly shifted the meaning, making a joke.

[Marriage—well, marriage, well, it's not impossible. To keep an eye on you, Lingyi, who I can't trust, marriage is necessary.]

However, for Chris, who was still unclear about some concepts, she did not realize this concept. She took Zero's hand, whose body was still quite small, and spoke seriously.

【Ah… I, uh, wait, I was just… no, we’re all girls—1】

Seemingly unaware of her joke, Lingyi seemed slightly flustered and wanted to explain, but before she could finish, accompanied by the shattering of the mirror, Chris's memories were reassembled.

Before her stood a shy blonde girl, clutching a disheveled thin blanket, sitting on a soft pink bed, her clothes undisturbed except for stockings and a short skirt.

[Marriage is about doing things that make you comfortable, right? I understand. If it's you, Chris-chan, then I can do it.]

Then, the blonde girl made the very words that Chris had dreamed of.

Chris, completely unaware of anything amiss, embraced the other's soft body, pressed her thin lips against that tender, sensitive spot, and extended her soft tongue.

-----

She held the soft blanket tightly in her arms, woke up, opened her eyes, and looked at the drool stains on the exquisite silk bedding. Recalling the enchanting dream of last night, Chris felt a little uneasy.

"It's that dream again. What's wrong with me? I keep having these dreams every day, even though I know they're all impossible."

Unbuttoning the bedding soaked with bodily fluids, and looking at the bedroom now brightly lit by sunlight, Chris felt somewhat conflicted about her state.

Several days had passed since the defeat. During these days, as if in a fit of pique, Chris completely ignored Zero's clone and used her studies to make herself forget everything.

But in the end, after the year-end exams were over, Chris, who was idle for a while and didn't know what to do, found that she still couldn't let go and still couldn't help wanting it.

"This feeling, do I like her? Do I like Lingyi... Ah, without a doubt, no amount of deception can fool me."

After tormenting herself for so long, no matter how stubborn she was, Chris couldn't deceive her own heart anymore.

She loved Lingyi's earnest expression when they first met, loved Lingyi's tough yet fragile nature, and loved all the beautiful memories of their time together.

She also likes some more superficial things.

I love that bright platinum blonde hair, I love those bright, blinking emerald green eyes, I love that body hidden beneath the skirt and coat that I want to touch, I want... everything.

"But I like her, does she like me?"

However, after clarifying her own answer, another question arose in Chris's mind.

She had been chasing after Lingyi ever since they met again, but no matter how hard she chased, she could not see any hope of shortening the distance between them, as if the distance between them had never changed.

Chris believed that Zero definitely had a place for her in her heart, but if she could, she wanted to be even more greedy and give a more affirmative response instead of endless resistance.

"I don't understand, I just don't get it. Does she even see me? Even if she has some ulterior motive, her clone doesn't live with me..."

As she stood up, Chris looked at the room, which seemed the same as usual but strangely empty today, and a sense of resentment rose in her heart.

Although Chris knew that Zero's purpose in sending her clone over was to achieve the terrible goal of making them forget about her.

However, Chris still wanted to be with her, even if Zero had ulterior motives, even if she was being used, as long as she could go back to the time when they spent together or even go further, she was willing.

"I want just a little more trust, but how... um, is this... the old way?"

With a wandering gaze, Chris got out of bed, opened her wardrobe, and noticed the items she had tucked into the corner of the wardrobe.

It was a terrible-looking prop, but it was very functional and reassuring, a restraint garment made using heretical technology.

After the restraints were removed, Lingyi kept it for herself and has kept it ever since.

"By the way, speaking of which, Lingyi, it seems she still owes me something."

Seeing this, Chris remembered her time with Finney, and then she recalled an unfulfilled promise from a long time ago, but one that still existed.

P.S. Um, I fell asleep while writing this yesterday.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Past and Present

Having survived the trials of the year-end exams, Hibiki Tachibana is now anxiously awaiting the release of her report card in her school dormitory, along with her friend Mirai Kohinata and Rei, who was forcibly dragged there.

"Waaaaah, I passed! Mirai, Rei-chan, did you see that?!"

Seeing the big "pass" next to her score, Tachibana Hibiki let out a long roar, expressing her joy.

After enduring what could only be described as hellish tutoring, Hibiki Tachibana finally achieved a passing grade in her end-of-year exams, which meant she could finally relax during the spring break.

"Congratulations."

Lingyi was also pleased with the result.

In her view, teaching Hibiki Tachibana was no less difficult than developing and researching unorthodox technologies. After all, learning on one's own only requires effort, while teaching also depends on the cooperation of the student being taught.

"Waaaaah, thank you so much, Rei-chan. If it weren't for Rei-chan's hard work, things would be really bad right now."

Overwhelmed with joy, Tachibana Hibiki threw herself at Rei, giving her a strong bear hug to express her gratitude.

"I'm just a support; the key is still your own hard work, Tachibana."

Lingyi said that in order to truly improve her grades, Tachibana Hibiki herself needs to work hard.

"Hmm... Zero, your ranking doesn't look very high?"

On the other hand, looking at the published rankings, Kohinata Mirai noticed that Rei's performance was only hovering in the middle to upper range.

"I don't really want to attract attention, this is enough."

Rei pushed away Tachibana Hibiki, who was clinging to her endlessly, and explained to Kohinata Mirai.

Her attention wasn't on this topic to begin with. After writing a few random notes to avoid failing the year-end exam, she cleared her mind of this area and focused on further shrinking the Light Society's living space.

I don't know if she was pushing too hard, but the alchemists of the Light Society were hiding like cockroaches in the kitchen, and progress was slow. They could only carry out extermination and cleaning little by little.

"So, to celebrate passing the exam smoothly, how about we go out for barbecue?"

Ignoring the fact that she had been pushed away, Hibiki Tachibana quickly shifted her attention to the reward time. After enduring and accumulating for so long, she really wanted to let loose.

"Hibiki just wants to eat barbecue, but... um, I can give it a try. It's been a long time since I've been there. I still have some pocket money left, that's enough. Rei, do you want to come too?"

Seeing the happy Tachibana Hibiki, and considering the remaining amount on her hands, Kohinata Mirai readily agreed, then turned to ask Rei if she wanted to come over together.

"As for me..."

Without thinking too much, Lingyi was ready to agree.

The sound of a door opening interrupted the three's conversation. Turning around, they saw a white-haired girl in red casual clothes standing in the doorway, her face flushed but her eyes resolute.

"Chris?"

Seeing the person who came over and the gaze that was directed at her, Lingyi was a little curious and didn't understand what she was trying to do.

Without saying a word, seemingly having made up her mind, Chris strode forward and grabbed Zero's wrist.

"You promised me something, haven't you forgotten? I haven't received it yet. It's that, um, a date that satisfied me... um, a date!"

With a tone that suggested something very important and difficult to say, Chris struggled and nervously blurted out the method she had come up with in her mind.

"Dating?"

Chris's words made Lingyi pause for a moment. Then, she remembered that there seemed to be such a thing. She had indeed promised the other party.

That was when she was still working for Finney. Due to her own circumstances, she agreed to a deal with Chris that was clearly an unequal treaty: to give Chris a date that would satisfy her.

However, due to the rapid pace of subsequent events, the two did not have time to fulfill their promise before they parted ways. Furthermore, the many other things that happened afterward made her forget about this small matter altogether.

"It's amazing you still remember, Chris. It's been almost a year since that happened. And, I don't really understand what you're trying to achieve through this, Chris?"

Recalling this incident, and considering Chris's current words, Lingyi was somewhat surprised, surprised by the other party's memory and naivety.

It is important to understand that demanding the fulfillment of an agreement requires power. Relying solely on the agreement itself without any power is no different from relying on a piece of waste paper.

This is why she agreed to this seemingly unreasonable treaty at the time; after all, she could define the interpretation of the agreement whenever she wanted.

"Urusai, forget about all that, Zero, do you agree? It's today, are you going or not!"

Chris, in response to Lingyi's confusion, sought the answer to the question with a seemingly reckless and self-destructive attitude tinged with shyness.

She wanted to confirm her feelings for Lingyi and Lingyi's feelings for her, and to confirm what their relationship should be like. Therefore, she thought of a way to verify this by going on a date.

But clearly, Chris forgot one fact: thinking is one thing, doing is another.

"Well..." Rei didn't think much of Chris's slightly abrupt words before looking at Kohinata Mirai and Tachibana Hibiki on the other side of the room and apologizing. "I'm sorry, I probably can't accept your invitation today."

After adopting this attitude, Lingyi's choice was clear: she agreed to Chris's request. After all, it was rare for Chris to be so cooperative, and she certainly wouldn't miss this opportunity that might have a chance to interfere with the other person's memories.

"Hmm, hmm?"

"……I see."

Tachibana Hibiki was still somewhat confused about the current situation, while Kohinata Mirai seemed to understand as if she had been enduring something.

"So, Chris, as you said, I agreed. So what's next? What are your plans?"

Seeing Chris still clutching her wrist, as if she had exhausted all her strength just by saying what she had just said, Zero reminded her.

"A plan... I, of course I have one. Just come with me!"

When asked this by Rei, Chris panicked a little and pulled Rei's hand, walking out of the room, leaving Kohinata Mirai and Tachibana Hibiki looking at each other in the room.

......

With the arrival of spring, although there is still a slight chill in the air, the weather has generally warmed up. As Chris walks on the street surrounded by budding trees, she feels a little anxious, and the reason for her anxiety is the scene in front of her.

"Why is the shopping street under renovation?!"

Chris, who had come here with Lingyi, looked at the construction site surrounded by trucks and cars with some panic. Her already uneasy feeling grew even stronger.

"Of course, you've forgotten the huge thing that the black-haired puppet summoned during the previous battle. The aftershocks of the battle destroyed a lot of buildings, and this half of the street has been under repair ever since."

"Those massive monsters can cause enormous damage to a city just by moving, and with all the things that happened after they took control of the world, this busiest commercial street in the city has not yet reopened."

"So, Chris, did you do any research before making this plan, or was it just a decision made on a whim?"

Faced with Chris's panic, Lingyi slowly and simply explained the reasons for the current situation to Chris, and then delivered the final blow to Chris, who was already gradually turning pale from the blow.

"I... of course I did my research. I followed the same planning method you used to do, using the guidebook I received in the room a few months ago. But I never expected this... Ugh—"

Upon realizing this fact, Yukine Chris crouched down on the ground, her ears turning bright red. She felt extremely ashamed of her failed plan and let out a shameful yet adorable wail.

As Lingyi said, all of this was a decision she made on impulse this morning, without much thought or planning; it was all very casual and presumptuous.

"Well~ that's exactly what you do, Chris-chan. You've never been good at this kind of thing, and that hasn't changed at all."

Seeing Chris's state, Lingyi smiled slightly but then let it go, and then took out her phone from her bag.

"Alright, relax. Since things have come to this, let me help think of something."

"We can't change the fact that existing ideas can't be realized, but we can still think of new ones," Lingyi comforted Chris, and Chris calmed down a bit.

"Hmm... Oh, then I'll leave everything to you, Zero."

After recovering, Chris got up and began to think about what to do next, and soon she came to a conclusion.

It's best to leave things she's not good at to someone who is. Let Lingyi handle everything; she always managed to find something interesting in the past.

"Leave it all to me? Okay, hmm, I've got it. For this season, it really should be..."