A silver-white aerial transport ship landed at St. Freya Academy's airfield. Rita descended the ramp from the warship, where Theresa had been waiting for her arrival.
The diminutive Headmaster looked up at the gray-gold-haired Valkyrie before her, greeting her with a trembling voice. Theresa sensed a primal, instinctive suppression emanating from the maid before her.
"Welcome to St. Freya Academy, Far East Branch, Rita."
"Thank you for your warm welcome, Lady Theresa..."
"And might I add, it's been too long, Lady Theresa. You're still as adorable as ever..."
Rita smiled sweetly, her gaze fixed on the petite white-haired girl before her. Theresa immediately felt as if she were facing a formidable enemy. Desperate to divert the Valkyrie's attention, Theresa's little brain raced to come up with a distraction.
Then, the white-haired girl noticed the medium-sized humanoid doll tucked under the maid's arm.
"Huh... what's Rita holding? A doll?"
The Headmaster stood on tiptoe and poked the Bella Doll's face with her finger. Blue veins bulged visibly on the gray-blue doll's face. Just as Theresa was about to poke it again, Bella opened its mouth and bit her finger.
"Agh! This doll bites!"
Theresa shrieked in pain, her cries echoing through the airport. She swung her arm wildly, trying to shake off the doll clamped stubbornly to her finger, but Bella only tightened her grip with each violent swing.
"That's enough, Miss Bella. Please release Lady Theresa."
Rita watched Theresa flail wildly, even threatening to roll on the ground. To preserve what little dignity the Headmaster had left, she firmly intervened.
Hearing Rita's request, the doll finally released its bite, hovering in the air and glaring at the impudent intruder who had poked and prodded it.
"Hiss... Rita, where did you get this feisty little thing? Is it some new creation from the Schicksal Headquarters Laboratory?"
Theresa rubbed her sore finger, glaring back at the doll before her, refusing to back down.
Watching Theresa huff at the Bella Doll, Rita smiled gently and explained to the white-haired "young girl":
"Lady Theresa, this is a gift from Lady Snow to Miss Kiana. According to Lady Snow's explanation, it's an Armed Puppet crafted from Honkai Beast materials, combined with technology from the previous era's human civilization."
"Lady Snow's note mentioned that these Armed Puppets have very distinct personalities. Your actions earlier must have offended her."
Rita's flawless, smiling face and her words left no room for doubt or suspicion. Without much thought, Theresa quickly accepted Rita's explanation and turned to look at the blue-gray puppet girl.
"Cute little thing, I'm sorry!"
Theresa apologized to the puppet girl, now safely back in Rita's hands, before looking back at Rita.
"Since this is a gift for Kiana, I'll take you to the Valkyrie dorms first, Rita. Kiana should be there now."
"And Rita, you said Snow gave this to her? Can you tell me what Snow's been up to lately...?"
"She hasn't returned since her trip to Europe last year. Even Kyuusyou and the others say they don't know..."
"As for Grandpa... it must be one of his schemes keeping her tied up, right?! Rita, do you know anything about this?!"
"Oh, and Rita, why do you call Snow 'Lady' too?"
Theresa's rapid-fire questions didn't fluster Rita. The gray-gold-haired maid maintained her serene smile, tightening her grip on the troublesome Bella Doll, and calmly explained to Theresa:
"This is indeed a gift from Lady Snow to Miss Kiana—but even Overseer Otto doesn't know what Lady Snow is currently doing, let alone myself..."
Rita shook her head, indicating she didn't know the current whereabouts of the blonde girl in question.
"Ah, so even Grandpa doesn't know... Then Rita, you must know where Snow is now, right? After all, she entrusted you to deliver the gift. And Rita, you still haven't explained why you refer to Snow with the honorific 'Lady Snow'?"
Theresa's curiosity seemed insatiable as she pressed the maid for more answers.
"Um... Lady Snow is currently... not in this world, I believe..."
The maid's words momentarily froze Theresa's thoughts, then sent her into a state of intense alarm.
"Rita, explain yourself! What do you mean 'not in this world'?!"
The Headmaster's expression was agitated, her voice filled with urgency.
"Lady Theresa, you misunderstand... Lady Snow is simply... temporarily not in this world, in the literal sense. Overseer Otto theorizes that she has traveled to a different dimension within the Sea of Quanta. She should return soon."
Rita watched Theresa, who was flustered, with a touch of resignation.
"The Sea of Quanta...? A place I've never heard of. But as long as she's safe, that's all that matters..."
Theresa patted her meager chest and let out a long sigh.
"This Armed Puppet, according to Lady Snow, was also found in a World Bubble within the Sea of Quanta..." Rita continued, her face betraying no emotion as she spun her tale. Her grip on Bella tightened, the Blue-gray doll desperately wishing the two would hurry to the Valkyrie dormitory so it could escape her clutches.
"Finally... as for why I refer to Lady Snow as 'My Lady'... Lady Theresa, you know better than anyone, don't you?"
The maid offered a composed smile.
"Snow... Oh, right, she must be the adopted daughter—or perhaps even the biological daughter—of a Cardinal, correct? In that case, Rita, you know who she really is, don't you?"
The Headmaster's gossip-loving heart began to burn fiercely, only to be instantly extinguished by Rita, her maid.
"I apologize, Lady Theresa. At that gentleman's request, Rita cannot reveal his identity."
The Valkyrie shook her head, refusing to answer Theresa's question.
"Eh? Rita already promised him not to tell?"
"Hmm... well, never mind then. Breaking promises isn't a good habit after all..."
Theresa shook her head in slight disappointment, but quickly regained her energy. The two had already entered St. Freya Academy's dormitory area.
"The building ahead is the one! Rita, let's hurry!"
"As you wish, Lady Theresa."