Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

"Hmm... what happened?"

Just as Kohinata Mirai was struggling with this, she seemed to sense the movement, and the girl who was lying on the ground propped herself up and turned around.

"Um, hello, Miss Zero, I was a little worried because I saw you lying on the ground."

As Kohinata Mii said this, she also saw Zero's appearance at this moment.

His clothes were covered in dust, his expression was listless, and the pupil of his single eye revealed an indescribable stillness, completely unlike the lively eyes he had seen before.

"Ah, you are... Hinata. Oh, did you trigger Automatic Defense?"

As Kohinata Mirai scrutinizes Rei, Rei, under the influence of a listless debuff, recognizes Kohinata Mirai's identity.

"Miss Lingyi, do you still recognize me?"

Kohinata Mirai was filled with surprise, having initially thought the other party...

"It's alright. My memory is pretty good, I rarely forget things, so I still remember."

When asked by Kohinata Mirai, Rei remained expressionless and answered as follows.

"Alright, Flashblade, come back. She's not the enemy."

After answering, Zero saw that the Flash Blade was still floating in the air, so he said this to the floating blade.

Then, as if it understood her meaning, the blade that was hanging in the air obediently circled and flew back to the guitar bag on her back, and Lingyi also fastened the buckle that had been knocked open.

"Um, why is Miss Lingyi lying on the ground like this? Is she injured somewhere?"

Watching Lingyi's actions, Kohinata Yinling Seven Deaths 7 Temple Dance Mirai said with a little concern.

"It has nothing to do with you."

However, Lingyi didn't seem very willing to answer.

After saying that, she picked up her guitar case, turned in another direction, and prepared to leave.

"and many more."

Seeing that Rei was about to leave, Kohinata Mirai subconsciously stepped forward and grabbed her hand.

If I had made a different choice at that moment, things might have turned out differently. However, I made a choice that led things in such a terrible direction.

While recounting this story, the following thought involuntarily popped into Kohinata Mirai's mind.

However, there are no "what ifs" in life, and I ultimately chose to do it that way.

"You... alright, Hinata, is there anything else?"

Lingyi didn't really want to continue, but her hand was being held and it was a little hard to break free, so she responded a little.

My body started moving on its own. Why am I doing this?

However, Kohinata Mirai, who acted on impulse, has not yet figured out why she did it.

"Um, um... Miss Lingyi, could you help me take these things home? I'm a little tired because I've walked a long way."

In the end, Kohinata Mirai could only come up with this excuse, which was almost certain to be rejected.

【Ugh, what am I doing? I've already received so much help, and now I have to do this again.】

Kohinata Mirai's mind was in turmoil.

"I'll take you back to your house. Hmm, it does seem to be quite a distance from here. Okay, I'll help you."

Lingyi pondered for a moment, her emerald green eyes fixed on the girl before her, and said this.

"Ah, I'm sorry, it really was me... Sigh, Ms. Zero agreed?"

Kohinata Mirai, who thought she would be rejected, showed a slight surprise on her face when she heard what Rei said.

"It's just that I'm very free right now."

Lingyi said this, then, ignoring the hand being held, she walked a few steps to the bag full of ingredients and picked it up.

"Alright, let's go, Hinata, I'll take this back to your house for you."

Then, Lingyi, carrying the bag, walked forward.

"okay."

Seeing Rei's actions, Kohinata Mirai was inspired by her behavior and followed suit.

[Is it just my imagination? I feel like Lingyi's mood seemed a little more cheerful after receiving my request?]

As they walked back, Kohinata Mirai looked at the girl she was holding onto and had this thought in her mind.

"Um, Miss Zero..."

Kohinata Mirai wanted to find some topics to talk about on the road.

"..."

Lingyi didn't say anything.

"Ok."

Understanding the other person's thoughts, Kohinata Mirai also fell silent.

Soon, the long journey passed in the blink of an eye. At that time, Lingyi silently escorted Xiaoyin Muji to her doorstep.

"Okay, is that enough? I'm leaving now."

Upon arriving at her doorstep, Lingyi casually put down the groceries bag and turned to leave.

"Um, thank you very much. But, I was wondering if Miss Zero has had dinner yet?"

Kohinata Mirai didn't take it immediately, but asked this question instead.

"I... have already eaten."

Upon hearing Kohinata Mirai's question, Rei looked away and said somewhat absentmindedly.

Glug...

Then, the physiological reaction from their abdomen reached the ears of the two people who were standing a little close together, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

"Well, in that case, if Miss Lingyi doesn't mind, would you like to come to my house for a small meal?"

Realizing what had happened, Kohinata Mirai made this suggestion, breaking the awkward atmosphere.

"Forget it, I didn't do anything serious. I can eat by myself. I'm leaving now."

However, when faced with Kohinata Mirai's kindness, Rei's expression became somewhat evasive, as if she wanted to turn around and leave.

[Is this not acceptable? No, that's not right. If we put it another way...]

Kohinata Mirai pondered, recalling the emotional changes she had observed before.

"Is this not even a small thing? Whether before or now, Miss Lingyi has helped me a lot. If I can't repay her, I will... well, I'll be a little sad."

Kohinata Mirai changed her wording to a request.

"Ugh... Okay, I understand. I'll just eat a little and leave right away. After that, we'll be even, and you don't need to worry about me anymore."

After Kohinata Mirai said that, Rei's face showed a slight struggle, and in the end she gave up on refuting it.

"Yes, I'll talk to my mom when I go in, and she'll do more."

With this in mind, Kohinata Mirai pulled the hesitant Rei into her home.

After that, it's a matter of course and doesn't need much explanation.

Kohinata Mirai first told her parents about Rei, and her parents readily agreed. Then they asked about Rei's tastes, and finally, at her insistence, they brought Rei, whom she was not familiar with, to the table.

"Is this alright? I... I'll be going now."

After dinner, Lingyi awkwardly declined the hospitality of the two adults and got up to leave.

"Lingyi, I wanted to ask, do you currently have a place to live?"

Just as Lingyi was about to leave, Kohinata Mirai, who had been watching her closely, spoke with concern, omitting some of her titles in her words.

"Ah, there are still some."

Feeling the care from the other person, Lingyi replied immediately and then prepared to leave right away.

"What kind of place is that? I'd like to know. I don't want to lose you, Lingyi, in the future. Can you tell me?"

After a moment's consideration, Kohinata Mirai quickly pressed for details.

"Gulp... Ah, no, I'm still looking for a place to live. I don't have a fixed place to stay yet."

Upon hearing what Kohinata Mirai said, Rei hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she explained her current situation.

"Nowhere to stay...is that so?"

A simple answer, however, led Kohinata Mirai to have many unpleasant speculations.

Does "nowhere to stay" mean that Lingyi doesn't live nearby, or does it mean, even worse, that Lingyi has nowhere to go back to?

As Kohinata Mirai thought about it, an indescribable emotion welled up in her heart at that moment.

"Those spare clothes, I think..."

Then, fueled by her own speculation, Kohinata Mirai's certain idea became even stronger, leading her to take new action.

"No, you don't want to, and I don't need to. Goodbye."

As Lingyi said this, she seemed to have sensed Kohinata's future plans, and a hint of unease appeared on her face. After saying this, she quickly turned and left.

"Wait, Zero."

Seeing Rei's posture, Kohinata Mirai, who had already determined that something was wrong, wanted to stop her. However, Rei's movements were precise and swift, and she quickly picked up her guitar case and came to the door.

Then, she stopped at the door.

Wow

On a sweltering summer night, the unchanging sky was accompanied by howling thunder and lightning, and then a mournful downpour of icy rain.

"It's not a big problem... It's just a little rain. You can just bear with it for a bit or dry your clothes with alchemy later."

Watching the water droplets cascade down like a waterfall, Lingyi remained silent for a moment before walking resolutely towards the door.

"Wait, Zero."

However, because of this brief hesitation, the girl who had just been left behind rushed to Lingyi's side and stopped her from leaving.

"Kohinata, is there anything else?"

Feeling this ridiculously light but seemingly more grippy than the anchor she possessed, Lingyi turned around and asked.

"Um…"

[If you offer something out of goodwill, Rei will probably refuse. In that case...]

Although it was brief, Kohinata Mirai had already noticed the problem in Rei's heart.

"Um, Lingyi, could you teach me some lessons? I'm having some trouble with my studies lately."

Regardless of whether it's difficult or not, it's better if it's more difficult. Only with such a request can we hold onto Lingyi's footsteps in the present moment.

".All right."

Looking at the torrential rain outside, Lingyi seemed to be considering it, or perhaps she was feeling helpless, before agreeing to Kohinata Mirai's request.

P.S. Oops, I fell asleep while typing.

P.S. Anyway, good morning.

Chapter 116 Getting to Know

What happened afterward became perfectly logical.

"Lingyi, do you want to change your clothes? If you're going to be teaching, you can't wear these dirty clothes."

"I'll be making that suggestion in the future," she suggested with a smile.

"There's no need to do that."

Lingyi spoke with a slight resistance, appearing somewhat wary.

"Please, I'm a bit of a germaphobe, and girls should be kept clean, so please do this for my sake, okay?"

Let's continue.

"Well... okay."