Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

It didn't take long for Lingyi to determine the direction of her thinking and begin to make plans quietly.

To be honest, this place hasn't changed much from before.

Chris, meanwhile, looked around boredly at this place that she once knew so well.

This is where the summer festival was held when she lived here. Here, she and Rei toured all the events of the summer festival and even watched the beautiful fireworks at the end.

Those were the happiest times of her life before the great changes that happened to her, leaving an indelible impression on her mind. That's why this is the first place she thinks of when she thinks about going on a date.

[I remember there was a goldfish scooping stall over there. Haha, looking back now, the cashier was basically giving away money, not wanting the owner to lose too much.]

I tried the takoyaki and apple candy snack again later, but it never tasted the same as before. I don't really understand why.

What impressed me most was the fireworks display back then, but I haven't participated in any since, and I've never seen anything like it again.

Recalling those times, Chris couldn't help but smile slightly.

It wasn't just because of the beauty of the so-called summer festival celebrations, but also because it was the last time she could completely relax and play with the people she liked.

Moved by the scene, Chris subconsciously wanted to look at the surroundings more, even though many areas had been rebuilt from ruins due to the previous battle.

"Hmm, that one over there... I remember, that was a rare occasion where she made a mistake, and we finally managed to find a rooftop as a make-up spot to watch the fireworks."

[Nothing has changed at all. It's really lucky that the surrounding area is so badly damaged. Ah, speaking of which, that place was once used as a base by Zero...]

Subconsciously glancing around, Chris noticed some small buildings that stood out from the crowd.

The reason it stands out from the crowd is that, with that side as the dividing line, this side is a dilapidated ruin, while that side seems to be completely untouched by any damage.

【etc?】

Looking at the building, a faint glimmer of light suddenly flashed through Chris's mind, and some thoughts streaked across her thoughts like shooting stars.

"Chris, I've roughly figured it out, but I still need to confirm one last time, Chris, you don't have any symptoms like pollen allergies, right?"

Before Chris could figure it out, her thoughts were interrupted by Lingyi, and the faint inspiration she had just had vanished.

"Hmm... Oh, no, so where are we going?"

Without thinking too much, Chris replied, following Zero's steps, not quite understanding why the other person suddenly asked this question.

"You'll find out when you get to Chris. For now, let's do some preparations. By the way, Chris, can you make bento boxes now? Or do you prefer fast food? Are your taste preferences still the same as before?"

Without saying much, Lingyi kept the pace and then inquired about Chris's situation and preferences.

"I have tried cooking a little, since I live alone now and my tastes haven't changed much. So, do you need to cook for a date?"

Nodding, Chris briefly explained her situation and asked, puzzled.

"I understand. Then there's no problem. Chris, you should have a pretty good experience this time. So, come with me."

Without answering Chris's question, after learning about her situation, Lingyi wore a gentle smile that made Chris feel a little uneasy.

"Can you please stop wearing that annoying smile? It's so unlike you..."

Having witnessed what Zero was truly happy about, Chris felt extremely uncomfortable with this somewhat insincere smile.

"A date should be fun, otherwise it's not a date."

Lingyi covered her lips with her index finger, tilted her head slightly, and smiled.

"I don't need you to accommodate me like this."

Seeing this scene, Chris, who was almost furious, strongly expressed her demands.

"Alright, Chris, you have quite a lot of demands. Well then, let's go prepare it first."

After a brief discussion, at Chris's insistence, Zero put away her formulaic fake smile and returned to her usual self.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Open Eyes

Today the weather is fine and the sky is clear.

In this kind of weather, at this kind of time, and in this kind of place, one should certainly do what is appropriate for this moment.

"The weather is good, and there has been no rain or strong winds recently. Considering the flow of people... we have water, snacks, and bento boxes, and we have also prepared insect repellent."

Everything was ready; it didn't take much effort. Lingyi in the entryway had prepared and packed most of the necessary items.

"What are you going to do? Looking at these tools, are you going camping or something?"

Seeing Chris standing in the entryway carrying large and small bags of clothes, dressed in breathable outdoor clothing, she couldn't help but ask Chris with some doubt why she had prepared so many outdoor items.

"It's a kind of camping trip. You'll find out exactly where we're going when you get there, Chris... Hmm, let me see. Have you put the first-aid kit and other supplies in there? Hmm, are they already in there?"

After stuffing the luggage into a suitcase, Lingyi didn't answer Chris's question directly, and continued with the final check of the items.

"Sister Lingyi, are you going out with Sister Chris?"

While Rei was preparing, Tsukuyomi stepped forward and asked Rei why she was doing this.

"Because I promised before... Oh, speaking of which, it seems we've run out of food in the fridge. Wait a minute, Chris, I'll go get some more from nearby."

As she answered Tsukuyomi's question, Zero also remembered that she had used up all the ingredients in the refrigerator while preparing bento boxes.

Immediately, Lingyi sat down on the steps of the entrance hall, took off her clean indoor shoes, and slipped her shapely little feet, which were wrapped in very delicate black stockings, into her sports sandals.

Then, he quickly left the entrance hall, leaving Chris and Tsukuyomi waiting there.

"Sister Chris, may I ask you a question?"

Watching Zero's slightly hurried departure, Tsukuyomi pondered for a moment, remembering a question she hadn't been able to answer before. She then looked up and curiously asked Chris.

"Oh, sure, what would you like to ask?"

Chris didn't care much about the question about Tsukuyomi's tone. After all, as a companion, it was just a small question that she couldn't answer, so she agreed to Tsukuyomi's question.

"I want to know, just a few days ago, did Sister Chris do something to Sister Lingyi? I saw strange marks on Sister Lingyi's body, they looked something like..."

However, the question that Tsukuyomi then asked made Chris want to kill herself for having just agreed.

A dozen minutes later...

"I'm back. The vegetables and meat are still pretty fresh. Hmm, Chris, why is your face so red? Why is it red here too?"

Not long after, he opened the door and returned to the entrance hall carrying a plastic bag of odds and ends. As soon as he entered, he saw two people with different degrees of redness on their faces and was a little puzzled.

"Sister Lingyi, so the reason you have that mark on your neck is because you and Sister Chris did... that kind of thing?"

With a flushed face, Tsukuyomi muttered to herself, her calm expression tinged with panic.

It seemed as if she had received some knowledge beyond her current worldview, and she became strange and flustered, so much so that she did not notice Lingyi's return at all.

"Ha, Chris, what did you say to Tiao while I was gone?"

Zero didn't understand why Tsukuyomi's tone had suddenly changed like this, and looked questioningly at Chris, whose ear tips were still pink and who was most likely the culprit.

"No...it's nothing serious, it's not what I wanted to say, it's just that she insisted on asking, and I promised to answer her question. Oh no, hurry up and let's go, aren't we on a date?"

Chris, who hurriedly picked up the suitcase that Lingyi had packed, closed her eyes and dared not look at it for long, and pushed Lingyi out of the entrance hall, saying this.

"Hmm, okay?"

Since Chris didn't want to say more, Zero decided to leave it at that.

We walked all the way outside, where a white sidecar motorcycle with a sidecar attached to the right was parked. It also had some light blue, technologically advanced hexagonal decorations.

"Chris, move that box over here and put it on the sidecar."

She got into the driver's seat of the motorcycle, inserted the key, and the engine started up. Lingyi gestured to Chris to put the suitcase in the sidecar.

"Oh... heave-hoo, whew, so heavy, Lingyi, what did you stuff in there?"

By this time, Chris had somewhat recovered from the embarrassment she had just felt, and obediently pulled her suitcase over and placed it on the sidecar.

"Some necessities, necessary to improve the experience, well, all prepared, come on up, Chris."

Replying to Chris, and after thinking it over, realized she didn't need anything, Zero patted the back seat to indicate that she was not missing anything.

"Ah, umm... I understand."

Chris realized what was about to happen. The driver's seat was empty, and the sidecar was for luggage, so her seat was obviously in the back.

This action itself wasn't anything special, but for Chris, it was clearly not.

He walked over slowly and straddled the back seat.

To maintain her balance, Chris naturally hugged Zero's waist and buried her face in Zero's back, which she could still feel tightly against through the fabric.

Then, I caught a faint fragrance, but I couldn't tell if it was the smell of shampoo or shower gel.

“Chris… there’s no need to hold me so tightly. I’ll try to drive more steadily. Oh, right, here, put on your helmet, although it’s unlikely to have an accident.”

Feeling the hands binding her lower abdomen and the full, soft flesh pressed against her body, Lingyi paused for a moment, then casually reminded the other person.

Immediately, while putting on his own helmet, he handed one to Chris to put on as well.

"Um......"

With a soft reproach, she reluctantly let go of her hand, took the helmet, and put it on with little enthusiasm, as it would block her senses.

"Forehead……"

He could somewhat sense what she was thinking, but to avoid an awkward silence, Zero Soapy had no choice but to start the motorcycle first.

The motorcycle started, the wind swept past me, and a slight swaying sensation came from below. Judging from the driving skills alone, Lingyi's driving skills were indeed quite good, and there was no need to grip the handlebars too tightly.

However, it is quite obvious.

He nervously wrapped his arms around Lingyi's particularly slender and soft waist, casually placing his hands crossed over her soft and elastic lower abdomen.

The white-haired girl knew very well that this action was not simply for stabilizing her body, and that her reasons for doing so were far more impure.

[Damn it, it's just a clone, why does it have to feel so realistic? I can't resist this sensation at all. It's all her fault... Ugh, this is awful, it's all my fault.]

Various thoughts popped into Kexin's mind.

She was aware of what she was doing, but she couldn't resist the act, couldn't resist the feeling of holding this once very close friend in her arms.

She had never felt the other person's body temperature for so long and quietly before. If she could, she would even want time to stand still at this moment, frozen in this peaceful instant.

"Yes, we've arrived."

Time passed, the sun dipped past noon, and under the warm sunlight, the motorcycle came to a stop.

Smelling the fragrance of the earth and savoring the fresh air, Chris realized that they seemed to have left the bustling city and arrived at some deserted suburb.

"So, what is it...?"

After taking off her helmet and letting her eyes adjust to the bright environment, Chris saw where Zero had brought her.

The clear blue sky was cloudless, and warm sunlight streamed down from above.

New buds sprout from the trees all over the mountains, where delicate pink cherry blossoms bloom.

As the myriad fragrances waft in the breeze, the pink and white petals fall onto your fingertips.

This is a beautiful natural landscape; if you happen to pass by, its charm is enough to make most pedestrians stop and linger for a long time.

Are you satisfied?

A questioning voice came from the side, asking Chris how satisfied she was with the view before her.

"Well, it's alright... no, it's very good, extremely exciting."

As Chris looked away from the scenery, she was about to offer her assessment, but then she changed her mind because she had seen something.

Lingyi, who had already taken off her helmet, was gently combing her disheveled hair with her fingers.

A gentle breeze swept past her, causing her beautiful platinum blonde hair to sway lightly in the wind, while sunlight streamed down her side, making her fair skin glow with an alluring luster.

Blue sky, bright sun, cherry blossoms, gentle breeze, young girl.

All these elements were harmoniously combined, creating an ethereal and beautiful scene that made Chris feel as if she were still in a dream she had experienced countless times before.

"That's good. As long as you're happy, Chris, it saves me the trouble of looking for other dating locations."

Seeing Chris happy, Lingyi was relieved of some worries. She had originally thought she would have to find several more places to satisfy her, but she didn't expect that the first place would satisfy Chris.

"Wait a moment, I'll prepare the things I need for camping. It won't take too long, and I'll try my best to satisfy you."

Having confirmed Chris's idea, Zero didn't say much. She bent down and started rummaging through the suitcase in the side compartment, intending to complete the date according to the pre-arranged procedure.

“…”

Pulling herself out of her daze, Lingyi's calm words brought Chris back to reality.

Watching Lingyi intently rummaging through her luggage, and seeing her seemingly oblivious to her surroundings, an idea suddenly popped into Chris's mind.