As mentioned before, Himeko and Ren are both very important people to Kiana, so she placed considerable importance on this meeting.
Introducing her most respected teacher to Ren also signified sharing her personal relationships with him without reservation.
However, Kiana, having built herself up mentally and plucked up the courage to push open the door, was met with the sight of her teacher, completely wasted, slumped on the sofa. In that instant, Kiana felt that all her previous nervousness had been utterly self-indulgent.
Staring at her drunken teacher, Kiana remained silent, her face darkening as she walked to Himeko's side. She grabbed Himeko's shoulder through her pajamas and shook her forcefully a couple of times.
"Himeko-Sensei!"
The sound of a girl's voice, suppressing anger, reached Himeko's ears as she was sleeping soundly. She finally reacted, groggily reaching out a hand, instinctively grabbing for the wine bottle on the coffee table.
However, Kiana snatched the bottle away. Himeko groped around a few times, finding nothing, and mumbled instinctively, "Eden, is there any more wine?"
"No! There! Isn't!"
The voice was awfully familiar. But Himeko showed no sign of opening her eyes, reeking of alcohol as she rolled over, smacking her lips and muttering to herself, "Why does it sound like Kiana's voice?"
Two seconds later, as if thinking of something, she chuckled to herself, "Eden, let me tell you, my student is amazing now, not only has she become a super strong Herrscher, but she might even snag that kid soon…"
Kiana, who was trying to wake Himeko up again, froze at her mumbling, a blush unconsciously creeping onto her face. She instinctively glanced at Ren and saw that he was busy tidying up the room full of wine bottles, not paying attention to this side, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She didn't know why she felt a sense of embarrassment. Ever since she and Himeko met, Himeko had always said inexplicable things, making her feel really awkward.
"Himeko-Sensei, just how much did you drink?" Sighing inwardly, Kiana looked at Himeko's wine-reddened face and simply copied the move Himeko used to wake her up in class back at St. Freya, reaching out and cupping Himeko's face in her hands, giving it a good rub.
"Mmmph, mmmph."
Clearly, this vigorous action was very effective. Himeko, who had been completely out of it, was quickly roused by this rubbing and opened her bleary eyes. She tilted her head back, pushing herself up from her slumped position, and struggled free from Kiana's grasp.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she met a pair of blue eyes just inches away. Himeko was stunned for a couple of seconds before finally snapping out of her daze.
"Kiana, when did you get back? Teacher missed you so much!" The blank look on her face instantly transformed into surprise. As soon as Himeko finished speaking, ignoring the girl's protests, she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into a hug. Like petting a cat, she rubbed her chin against Kiana's head.
Caught off guard, Kiana lost her balance and was dragged onto the sofa by Himeko.
The soft pajamas slipped off her shoulder due to their movements, revealing a large expanse of skin. Her soft chest pressed against Kiana's cheek, squishing into a peculiar shape.
Being hugged tightly, Kiana felt a little breathless, but afraid of hurting Himeko, she didn't dare to struggle too hard and could only let her act crazy for now.
While Himeko was making a fuss, Eden, who was passed out on the other half of the sofa, also woke up groggily.
However, compared to Himeko, Eden was much more refined. She simply raised a finger to press against her forehead, sitting up straight with a flushed face. Soon, however, she seemed to notice something and her gaze landed on Ren who was cleaning up.
Eden was a Puppet of the Spirit of the Sheep. After being given new life by Ren, she retained her original self. Eden's experiences before becoming a puppet were a hell even more terrifying than nightmares. Therefore, after being reborn, although Ren had not imposed any commandments on her, she was even more loyal than Himeko. Even a suicidal order, she would carry out without hesitation.
The moment she woke up, she sensed Ren's presence, but since she hadn't received any instructions, she was happy to watch Himeko make a fool of herself.
"Get a grip, Himeko!" Being suddenly attacked, Kiana even forgot to call her 'teacher'. She adjusted her posture, reaching her hands under Himeko's waist and forcefully pulling her face away from Himeko's chest.
"Eh, is Kiana becoming distant with Teacher? Teacher will be sad."
Drunken Himeko and normal Himeko were completely different people, something Kiana had witnessed countless times at St. Freya. She wasn't surprised at all by Himeko's drinking habits.
But now was not the time for drunken antics. The impression she wanted Himeko to give Ren was definitely not that of a drunken, crazy, older woman.
Freeing herself, Kiana reached out to straighten Himeko's collar and buttoned up her pajamas, ensuring no sensitive areas were exposed before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"Hmm?" After all the commotion, Himeko finally sobered up a bit. Being a Valkyrie, the effects of ordinary alcohol could be quickly dispelled by circulating Honkai energy.
"It really is you, huh? I thought I was dreaming because I was drunk." Looking at the angry Kiana, a sober Himeko smiled awkwardly, then slapped her forehead as if she just remembered something, ready to change the subject.
"Right, weren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon with Ren? Why are you back so soon?"
"Ms. Himeko, stop talking nonsense, there's no honeymoon, and we're not that kind of relationship!" Kiana was a bit exasperated. She had originally wanted Ms. Himeko to leave a good impression on Ren, but now it seemed completely ruined.
"Besides, it's not just me who's back this time."
"Not just you?" Himeko was taken aback, suddenly thinking of a possibility. She stiffly twisted her neck and looked behind her.
Ren, who was putting the wine bottles into a crate, wiped the sweat from his forehead and placed a large bag of trash into the temporary bin outside the door.
Noticing Himeko's gaze, Ren gave a very kind smile.
However, looking at this smile, Himeko felt a chill run down her spine and sobered up completely.
Although Ren had never explicitly expressed his opposition, Himeko, as his puppet, was essentially an employee of the company boss.
Himeko didn't know if badmouthing the boss in front of him would get her fired from the company, but she knew that being given the cold shoulder in the future was probably unavoidable.
"Ahahaha, so that's how it is, I, I'll tidy up right away, Kiana, wait for me." After saying that, Himeko demonstrated the mobility of an A-rank Valkyrie and rushed into the bathroom at top speed, turning on the faucet to start cleaning the wine stains and drool from her face.
Left behind, Kiana sighed helplessly. It seemed that the first impression she had hoped for was completely out of the question. She picked up Himeko's discarded jacket and nodded in greeting to Eden on the sofa.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Eden."
"Hello there, Kiana." Eden's voice was gentle and melodious, like a murmuring stream in a warm spring breeze. Her movements were elegant, and even in a drunken state, she carried the aura of a star.
"Uh, if possible, could you please try to restrain my teacher's drinking a bit in the future? Her drinking habits are really… terrible."
Eden naturally agreed readily, nodding to indicate that she had taken it to heart.
Then Kiana watched as Eden took out a bottle of high-end red wine from her bosom, poured it into her wine glass, and took a small sip.
Isn't your drinking problem even worse than Himeko's?
It seemed that wanting these two to quit drinking was just wishful thinking.
"Ms. Kiana, rather than waiting here, why not go and explain things to your friend first? After all, it's only proper hospitality." Eden raised her wine glass, gesturing towards Ren's direction.