bayedsolid Chapter 373 The Ownership of the Bat Leads to...
Chapter 373 The Ownership of the Bat Leads to...
If the "food poisoning incident" brought any "benefits" to Qiong, it was that he became famous.
However, compared to the other "advantage," Sora wasn't concerned about becoming famous. More than the rumors about Rita, which were hard to define as positive or negative, Sora cared about the sick leave he and Rita had received together—perhaps the maid didn't care and even wanted to end it early, but for Sora, it was the best opportunity to skip the final exams at St. Freya!
After confirming that everything was an accident, Qiong, who has an extraordinary ability to recover, had calmed down after two days—and now he was happily lying in the hospital bed in Xingmei's place.
Xing's checkup is over, and now it's time to figure out what to do with her. But before that, Qiong plans to figure out how to spend her vacation first—once all her exams are finished, he'll end her sick leave and take Xing to St. Freya. Having skipped all the exams, he'll have a perfect vacation!
Well, as long as Himeko and Anna don't catch me and make me work on the Hyperion...
Ahem, anyway! Mr. Sora, the patient, no longer has to worry about annoying revision or being forced into pre-study mode after a long period of not studying. He also doesn't have to worry about falling into despair like a certain white fluffy dumpling when he looks at the test paper with a blank mind, and then having to retake the test again after school starts. This leads to a vicious cycle of despair. Just imagining Kiana scratching her head over the test or asking Bronya for help or even being dragged to study by Himeko, Sora can't help but bury his face in the comic book that he just asked Hoshi to buy and let out a sly chuckle that even Hoshi thinks is cunning.
"Brother, what are you laughing at?"
"nothing."
Qiong looked up at Xing Shi, who was looking at her with concern, and put away her comics and put on a serious face. In front of her younger sister, it was best to be a little more serious and authoritative, otherwise she would lose her authority and be unable to control her sister.
"Well... I just thought of something funny. By the way, were you playing a game just now? What were you playing? And where did you get your phone?"
Xing blinked, seemingly having been fooled by her brother's awkward attempt to change the subject.
"It was sent to me by Destiny. The game is called 'Kallen Fantasy.' Susana recommended it to me. She said that the stronger the Valkyrie, the faster her reaction speed, and the better she plays the game..."
This is true in most cases, but if you achieve a score higher than Bishop Otto, the Bishop will not hesitate to bestow a title upon you—like Cecilia Schariac, the strongest Valkyrie in Destiny before.
Want to come together?
"No, you can continue."
Qiong nodded seriously, trying his best to maintain the persona of a "reliable older brother" - the previous accident had almost shattered Xing's dignified filter towards him, and now he had to try his best to maintain the remaining dignity of an older brother... Speaking of which, what would a good older brother usually say in this situation?
"However, you should take a break. You're also a patient, and you need to protect your eyesight. You need to rest after playing for a while... Don't become an internet addict like my friends Silver Wolf and Bronya, who can't live without games."
crunch--
Before he could finish his "brotherly admonition," and before Xing could respond with either compliance or resistance, the ward door was pushed open.
"Which one?"
Xing put down her phone and stood up to face the visitor—she'd gotten used to it these past few days. Those who came back were either there to check on things or to visit.
Needless to say, the doctors in charge of the examination, as well as the Valkyries who came to visit, all had their own ulterior motives: at first, Xing, unaware of the situation, foolishly brought people in, watching them try to extract personal information and Qiong's phone number from her and Qiong through various "non-traditional treatment methods" and "psychological counseling".
But later, Xing gradually realized the problem and figured out a way to deal with it: holding a baseball bat, she would stand in the doorway with a cold face and not say a word. In about ten seconds, most of the guys who were interested in Qiong but felt guilty would leave on their own. Unless they were acquaintances, doctors, or people with a particularly good eye who thought she was the "older sister" rather than the "younger sister", she, the gatekeeper, would not let anyone in.
"Rita?"
"Greetings, Miss Xing."
Standing outside the door was Rita Losweather, whose expression remained unchanged for ages. She was dressed in what appeared to be a Victorian-era maid's outfit, holding a stack of bound documents, and a subtle, enigmatic smile playing on her lips.
"Is Qiong there?"
"He's here. Is something the matter?"
"Qiong-kun, it seems you've recovered quite well. That's wonderful."
"Um, it's really just so-so? I can barely even get out of bed now!"
Rita remained noncommittal about what Qiong said. She simply placed the documents on the bedside table.
"What is this?"
As Qiong watched Rita place the stack of documents on his bedside table, the comic book next to him suddenly lost its appeal: the top one's cover prominently displayed the title "St. Freya Academy Final Exam Syllabus and Mock Tests"...
Qiong had a sudden feeling that something was very wrong.
"I'm sorry, it's all Rita's fault."
Rita bowed slightly, her tone very sincere... Yeah, right!
"If it weren't for Rita's oversight, you wouldn't have come to Schicksal headquarters, nor would you be lying in a hospital bed and missing your school. So Rita specifically informed Lady Theresa about this matter, requested and compiled these materials, hoping to help you pass your make-up exams smoothly next semester."
"A makeup exam?!"
Qiong stared at the stack of documents, his head buzzing. He had been happily anticipating skipping the exams and enjoying a perfect vacation! What?! There's such a thing as a make-up exam?
She's an A-rank Valkyrie! An A-rank Valkyrie! Why does she still need to take the exam?!
"Yes, a makeup exam. According to Lady Theresa, St. Freya's exams have already begun, and even if you embark on your journey home now, you won't have time to take it. So, naturally, you'll have to wait until next semester—"
"Miss Rita, I'm an A-rank Valkyrie, super powerful! I don't need to take any exams at all."
Qiong tried to struggle, but only received a helpless smile from Rita.
"If you were a Valkyrie from headquarters, you wouldn't need to take the exam... but since you belong to the Far East Branch, that's Lady Theresa's rule! Don't worry, Rita will help you. The difficulty of these questions increases gradually, and there are detailed solutions at the end—"
Before Rita could finish speaking, Qiong flipped to the last page of the document—it was hilarious; there were no reference answers at all.
"And the answer?"
"Think independently, Qiong-kun, Rita has already torn it up."
Qiong: ...
"During the holidays, Rita, who's just as bored as you, will be checking on your studies every day—don't look like that, my knowledge far surpasses yours. Considering the lessons you've missed, my team specifically instructed me to provide you with some 'within my capabilities' academic tutoring while I'm recovering!"
It's hard to say whether Rita was seeking revenge or genuinely wanted to help him with his studies, but either way, the outcome made little difference.
Qiong lay sprawled on the bed, his face buried in a comic book, lamenting that his wonderful vacation had ended before it even began, and now he even had to deal with the supervision of a maid during his studies—Rita was standing smiling beside the bed, seemingly waiting for him to begin his studies.
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Qiong did indeed successfully dodge the final exams, but she was met with something even more terrifying—a "bedside mock exam" that was tailor-made for her by the strongest, most beautiful, and most cunning maid in Destiny, and she couldn't escape it. Simply put, Rita was acting as both teacher, examiner, and exam room inspector.
No, since you're in this situation, can't you just get the past exam papers and include them in your score?
Forced to study under Rita's gentle surveillance, Sora felt extremely uncomfortable.
Rita stayed in the ward, even brewing herself some black tea and sitting there sipping it elegantly, occasionally appearing behind him to symbolically tap him with a small ruler she'd somehow acquired...
"Sora-kun, don't get distracted~ Otherwise, Rita-sensei might punish the naughty child!"
You're treating Xing to tea and desserts so he'll study harder, right? Isn't that just plain messing with him?
If it were just that, it wouldn't be so bad. But who knows if it was intentional? Rita's black stockings were swaying in front of him because of the angle (was she trying to tease him?). He, a true gentleman, tried his best not to look at the Herrscher of Darkness, forcing himself to focus on the topic he didn't want to write about and the game played by the Starry Sky—but how to put it? Humans are always curious and yearning for beautiful and unknown things, with a little bit of a desire to explore...
Well, okay. Actually, he was quite restrained, because he constantly reminded himself of an intellectual proverb: Curiosity killed Avi.
If Durandal hadn't offered to teach him how to use a lance as an apology that afternoon, he probably would have spent the entire afternoon in the shadow of Rita, who was using Theresa's makeshift exam notice as an excuse...
But this can't go on any longer! Is this petty-minded Sister Ta deliberately messing with him? Is she trying to torture him mentally since she can't beat him or kill him with poison? Is she planning to see him make a fool of himself?
He'd made up his mind. He'd head back to St. Freya as soon as possible. Going back now would mean missing the cultural exams, but he should still be able to catch the practical training. He'd rather have a study session and hot pot with Kiana to prepare for the make-up exams than study under Rita's inexplicable supervision!
"Xiaoxing, let's leave tomorrow."
After nightfall, Qiong informed Xing of his decision.
"Tomorrow? Brother, are you alright?"
Qiong bit her lip, unable to bear looking directly into Xing's eyes—she couldn't possibly say that he was actually unharmed except for that initial attack, could she?
"Don't worry, your brother isn't a weak person! I'm almost fully recovered, I could easily take on two Ritas!"
Xing hesitated for a moment, then nodded—it was fine, she felt a little uncomfortable seeing Durandal now. However, out of consideration for her younger sister, she still mentioned it.
"Alright then, brother, you must take care of yourself. Don't try to run away just because Rita is chasing after you and you're under too much pressure from studying, even if you're not fully recovered."
Qiong paused for a moment, then smiled and patted Xing's head.
"I just missed Mei... Yes, that's it! I couldn't stand the pressure of studying? Hahaha, nonsense, I love studying the most! I don't have anything else here, but I have plenty of study materials! Where did you hear that I was afraid of Rita putting too much pressure on me to study?"
“That’s what Yalvit told me when you were learning to shoot.”
Alvitt... I can't keep this cheap master. If my authority collapses in the future, she, Old Alvitt, will be absolutely unforgivable.
Forcibly banishing everyone else from his mind, Qiong smiled at Xing once again: Since you've decided to leave, you should inform Lao Yang, Theresa, or even Otto, and pack your bags. He doesn't have much luggage, but...
Qiong's gaze fell on her precious baseball bat, which she hadn't touched for three or four days.
"Little Star, look what this is!"
Qiong mysteriously pulled a lollipop out from behind her back and waved it in front of Xing's eyes.
"It's candy! Do you want some?"
"Of course!"
Hoshi's previously calm face instantly lit up with a look of surprise—after all, they were just children, and a piece of candy could make them happy, especially since it was candy given to them by their closest friend, Sora.
Xing couldn't wait to tear open the packaging and put it in her mouth. Seeing Xing eating the candy, Qiong also reached out her hand to Xing.
"Is the candy delicious?"
"Mmm, so delicious!"
"Give me back that baseball bat."
"Well?"
Xing's mind didn't quite catch on for a moment. With the candy in her mouth, she mumbled "Hmm?" Her golden eyes were filled with confusion, clearly not understanding the connection between the candy and the baseball bat.