{Date: 10/12 - Wednesday}
{Time: 12:40 PM}
The lunch period ended, all of the Valkyrias who didn't have afternoon class began to either head to the plaza to hang out or went back to their dorms. I walked Orika to the entrance of the academy, stopping right at the gates.
"Well...this is where we part ways for now..~ I hope you enjoy your first class with Orishi..." Orika said, turning to face me with a soft smile.
"Thank you...I hope so too. See you after class," I said, gently caressing her cheek.
Orika nodded, shuddering at my touch, feeling her body tingle just at the slightest caress. She slowly leaned into my touch, letting out a soft sigh of comfort and security before finally parting ways with me. She gave me a wave, watching as I turned back toward the building.
I smiled to myself, unable to help the fact that I was also very attracted to Orika like she was for me. With a surge of energy, I began to jog into the building and up the stairs to the B Rank floor.
I hurried toward Orishi's class, making my way inside and noticed Yumeji, Kikyo, and Saito in the class chatting while they waited for the class to start. Before I could walk toward them, I heard someone call my name, turning to see Orishi sitting at her desk.
Orishi watched me approach her and smiled at me, standing up. "Glad you could make it. I'm sure you'd do great in here. You can take your seat with the girls, we're gonna be learning Advanced History today."
I nodded at Orishi with a smile. "Okay, and thank you once again for giving me this opportunity to be in your class."
Orishi smiled at me, placing a hand in her hip. "You're welcome, girl. You have a lot of potential, it's about time we add another Valk to our ranks that's actually ready for battle~"
I gave her a bow then made my way toward my seat beside Yumeji, Kikyo, and Saito. I took my seat and smiled at the three. "Hey, girls."
Yumeji turned toward me and gasped, beaming an excited smile at me. "Hey!~ You're actually here!~"
Kikyo smiled at me as well, leaning forward against the table with a hum. "I know you're gonna like it here~ This is the start of your real journey and don't worry, we'll fill you in."
Saito nodded, a soft smile playing on her lips. "Correction: Kikyo and Saito will... Yumejidiot doesn't take notes and wonders why her Knowledge Rank is a D."
Yumeji scoffed at Saito, rolling her eyes. "I'm like mega smart, I don't need to take notes if I can just remember it. Plus it's not like I'm some super computer like you that can just retain information."
"Ooh...burn," Genesis said, giggling softly at Yumeji's retort.
"Kikyo, Hisu, did you hear something? Saito may need to recalibrate her audio receptors," Saito said, completely ignoring Yumeji's retort.
Kikyo let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. "You two are always going at it..~ Look, we are all a team here. Sure, Yumeji might be a total slacker but her elite physique makes up for it. You lack the proper physique despite your attributes to keep up in a one on one with Yumeji, but your elite IQ makes up for that. We all compliment each other..~"
Yumeji and Saito looked at each other then smiled, knowing they did compliment each other greatly. I smiled at the way Kikyo put the two back at bay before a roasting battle commenced. Before long, the bell rang, a few other of Orishi's students entered the class and Orishi began to start her lesson.
"Alright, ladies!~ I'm glad you all could make it to the class today. Today, we have a new Valkyria joining us in the afternoons! Hisumi, if you could stand and come up to the front of the class to introduce yourself and your main goal?" Orishi announced, smiling at me and held her arms under her chest.
I stood up from my seat, walking to the front of the class and looked around, noticing all eyes were on me. Unlike the first day I showed up at St. Fraskia, I was more confident and more sure of myself.
"My name is Hisumi Nomura and my main goal is...to kill Judgement's commander Hazuki Ishida," I said, my tone firm and absolute with my introduction.
Yumeji, Kikyo, and Saito nodded at me with a smile on their faces. Suddenly, a loud laugh was heard in the back of the class, catching all of our attentions. I looked at the back, noticing two girls sitting next to each other, twins to be exactly.
"Kill the Commander? What an ambition, but you should know better than us that a task like that is nearly impossible," The girls said, smirking at me with her cute little fang exposed.
The girl that spoke had flamingo pink hair and thick eyebrows of the same color. Her big, cyan eyes were highlighted by a pink eyeliner and her oval pupils were white in the middle and have neon pink borders. She had a spiral, white-pink horn on the right side of her head and a long, mostly white tail. At the end of her tail was a pink gripper with 3 claws, which she could use to carry various items like her weapon.
"Cherry, you shouldn't underestimate her. Her Spirit Energy feels strong plus she has a Stigma. Awakened at that taken the faint glow it has. I believe she can..." The second girl began then yawned. "...achieve that goal as well..."
The second girl had long, pale mint hair, periwinkle-blue eyes with lighter pupils and fair skin. Her big, lavender eyes were highlighted by a blue eyeliner and her oval pupils were white in the middle and have neon blue borders. She had a spiral, black-blue horn on the left side of her head and a long, mostly black tail. At the end of her tail was a blue gripper with 3 claws, which she could also use to carry various items like her weapon.
"You know that isn't true Berry. We were saved from Judgement after being experimented on and we couldn't even blink at the Commander, let alone her subordinates..." Cherry scoffed at her twin sister.
I glanced at Orishi, raising an eyebrow at her. "Who are those two?"
"The Gemini Twins. Cherry Gemina and Berry Gemina. Those two just became B Ranks this past Promotion Exams. They were saved from Judgement by the old Student Council that graduated four years ago. They share your goal, end Judgement," Orishi answered, glancing at me.
I looked back at Cherry and Berry, noticing Genesis had scanned them for their information.
{Cherry's Attributes}
Name: Cherry Gemina
Age: 18
Rank: B
Power Level: 2,909
Valk Type: Attack
Elemental Affinity: Fire
Preferred Weapon: Greatsword
DMG: 6,925
Burst DMG: 2,199
Survivability: 2,510
Support: 812
Spirit Control: 2,101
{Berry's Attributes}
Name: Berry Gemina
Age: 18
Rank: B
Power Level: 2,893
Valk Type: Support/Tank
Elemental Affinity: Ice
Preferred Weapon: Greatsword
DMG: 910
Burst DMG: 2,005
Survivability: 5,300
Support: 4,150
Spirit Control: 2,100
I stared at Cherry and Berry for a moment then closed my eyes, moving my shoulder slightly. I began walking to my seat next to Saito, sitting down and settling in then let out a soft breath. "Alright, let's get started."
Orishi smiled at me then nodded, holding her pointer to the board. "Right now, we are going through remedials and we are on Valkyria History. Let's begin."
Yumeji sighed and slouched in her seat with a soft groan. "Yep, Kikyo...wake me up when this is over."
"Of course, Yumejidiot is already going to sleep...D Rank Knowledge," Saito scoffed, side eyeing Yumeji.
"Beep boop boop..." Yumeji said sarcastically, crossing her arms and closed her eyes.
The rest of us chuckled softly at their interaction then Orishi snapped her fingers, getting our attention once again.
"Let us begin now..~ You do still want to go through our Mock Battles right? The student council will be watching with Liao Ru and Misao. I think Yusa and Sayoko will be overseeing as well," Orishi informed, placing a hand on her hip with a smile on her face.
Yumeji sighed and sat up in her seat. "I guess I'll pay attention since Onee-Sayori will be overseeing. I won't hear the end of it if I don't get one answer right."
Orishi nodded then pointed at her board once more, clicking to the next slide. "Today we will be refreshing on the Origins of a Valkyria. Uhm... let's see. Kikyo, who was one of the Original Valkyries?"
Kikyo began to think since it's been a while they've been over Valkyria History. She sat up in her seat, coming up with an answer. "Wasn't it a girl named Kyoki from the Sacred Realm? She worked with August right when he was training to become the Hero of Origin?"
"You would be correct. In the story of the Sunken Realm, Chaos had managed to truly destroy the Zodiac Temples that protected one of the four cores of the Human Realm, August had to go on a mission to perfect his Hero Form," Orishi said then pointed at an image of Kyoki.
"Kyoki, one of the three Valkyrias of Origin. The Valkyria of Lightning. When you think of Valkyrias, you think of her, the Epitome of a Valkyria. Rank EX-SS, the strongest a Valkrian Goddess can become," Orishi taught, looking around the class and noticed my hand was up then pointed at me.
"Uhm... I'm still kinda new to this Valkyria thing and I'm not this far into the Advanced History. I guess what I'm trying to ask is, why is she so important other than being an image?" I asked, tilting my head to the side a bit.
"Tch..." Cherry scoffed, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat. "Honorary B Rank and you're not B Rank in Knowledge?"
"What? I've barely even been a Valkyria for a month yet," I said, looking back at Cherry with a raised eyebrow.
"Alright, settle down. It's not an unreasonable question to ask taken we've all questioned it. The reason she's so important is because she and her two sisters worked with August long and hard to defeat Chaos," Orishi began, crossing her arms.
"Kyoki was the most tactical of the three, always being the Voice of Reason for her sisters. Toisa was always the analytical one being the Valkyria of Ice, always being the Perceptive Eye for her sisters. Finally, Jimeyu was always the brave one being the Valkyria of Fire, always being the Burning Spirit for her sisters," Orishi continued, looking at the board of the three Valkyrias of Origin.
I stared at the board, taking a good look at the three women in the slide. I tilted my head a bit, noticing they looked insanely familiar. Glancing over at Saito, Kikyo, and Yumeji, I could see the uncanny resemblance. They looked just like Kyoki, Toisa, and Jimeyu.
"Those three have three Blessed Vows that every Valkyria must obtain to be known as a True Guardian, a True Valkyria. All Valkyrias must Vow to always be the Voice of Reason for their sistren and their people. They must Vow to always have a Perceptive Eye for their sistren and their people," Orishi began, turning to face each of us.
Orishi took a moment to look at each and everyone of us with passion. "And finally, you must Vow to always be that Undying, Unwavering Burning Spirit for your sistren, and yourself."
We met her intense gaze, each of us looking amongst each other and giving each other nods. At this moment, despite my rivals, I felt a strong sisterhood form. For the first time, I felt like I truly belonged here. I now had people I could depend on.
"Anyways, let us continue," Orishi said, smiling at us and continued her lesson.
Orishi continued to teach the class, going over different points of history of the Valkyrias and the stories. She asked for us to answer questions at a few points during the lesson to make sure we were paying attention, specifically to Yumeji.
Soon, the bell rang for afternoon classes finished, ending the lesson. I looked around and broke out of my trance, noticing everyone getting their things together to leave the classroom.
"Welp, Big Sis, see you at the Mock Battle arena!" Yumeji said, immediately darting out of the class.
Kikyo grunted as she noticed Yumeji bolting out of the class. "W-Wait, hold on!"
"And there she goes," Orishi giggled softly, turning off the screen of her board. "Well, I'll see you all at the arena."
Saito shook her head then hovered over her seat, the hand of her robot companion manifested under her to sit on. "Saito will wait for you, Hisumi."
I smiled at Saito then stood up from my seat. I gathered my bag then followed Saito out of the class. I began chatting with her as I walked beside her, making small talk with her as we made our way to the Mock Battle Arena.
"Hey!" A voice called from behind us.
Saito and I stopped, turning around to see Cherry and Berry catching up to us. We glanced at each other then back at Cherry. Cherry stopped in front of us, crossing her arms and looked me up and down.
"Welcome to B Rank Rookie. I shouldn't even be congratulating you since all of your achievements so far were simply hand outs," She said sassily, popping out her hip slightly to take on a dominant stance.
I glanced at Saito again then turned my gaze toward Cherry again. "Handouts? What do you mean? I was saved from Judgement by Yumeji and Kikyo. I mean...."
"And? We were saved by Elite Valkyrias from Judgement, but somehow you think you deserve special favors for it? Oh, I think I know what it is...Mommy gave you that power right?" Cherry laughed, flipping her hair then looked me up and down.
"'Honorary'...You don't even have the Rank and you stand here thinking you earned it. The rest of us grinded to be here! Worked our asses off to make it to the top, and you come here and get B Rank in a month as a D Rank," Cherry scoffed, scowling at me with a judgmental eye.
We all stared at Cherry for a bit, her words lingering in the air. I glanced at Saito, noticing her glance at me. Berry lowered her head, slowly shaking it.
"Geez, what's stuck up her ass other than her tail?" Genesis said, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
I lowered my head, holding in my laughter. 'You did not just ask that...'
Saito shook her head, covering her face with her hand. For a moment, her usual demeanor cracked, a smirk playing on her face as she heard what Genesis asked. Berry bit her lip, closing her eyes and couldn't help but to smile.
Cherry heard all three of us snickering, the sounds making her more heated by the second. "Tch, your little Talking Valkydex thinks this is funny? Alright...Hisumi Nomura! I challenge you to an Offical Mock Battle!"
I looked at Cherry then smirked at her, calming myself down. "Fine by me! Seems like you're more jealous of me than anything...but I don't mind showing you what makes me unique!"
Cherry scoffed, pushing her way past me, bumping my shoulder. "Whatever. Berry, let's go!"
Berry gathered herself then bowed toward me, hurrying behind her sister. Saito and I glanced at the two, a smirk still playing on my face.
"Hisumi, Saito wouldn't underestimate her. Sure, you can now endure The Queen, but as a Valkyria, Cherry has more experience. However, Saito believes in you," Saito said, glancing at me.
I looked at Saito with a smile, nodding at her. "Thank you, Saito..~ I'll keep your words in mind."
With that, the two of us headed toward the Mock Battle Arena. Though Saito's words hung in my head, I couldn't wash the excitement of battling against Cherry and see what a real Mock Battle was like.