The group continued to observe the gagged puppet. The blue-gray puppet now thrashed with increased force, struggling against Rita's hold.
"So, Miss Rita, why did you gag her...?" Mei asked, her gaze fixed on the puppet's furious little face.
"Because this little one bites, Mei," Theresa interjected before Rita could answer. The white-haired nun nervously touched her hand, as if recalling her experience of being bitten by Bella at the Airport.
"Bite?" Raiden Mei's expression was puzzled as she curiously examined the puppet before her. She reached out her hand—
"Miss Rita, may I loosen its gag?"
"Of course, Miss Mei... but please wait a moment..."
With inhuman speed, Rita shoved the puppet into Mei's hands and swiftly activated her Valkyrie Battlesuit.
Finally freed from Rita's iron grip, the puppet let out a howl the moment Mei removed the gag from its mouth and immediately began wrestling with the fully armored Rita outside the door.
"...Uh, did I do something wrong?" Mei stared blankly at the handkerchief in her hand.
"Quickly! Stop that reckless little thing before Himeko's garden gets destroyed again!" Theresa grabbed the Oath of Judah and rushed out the door, as if recalling a certain dear friend's furious expression upon returning home.
"Aaaah! I'm going to zap you!"
After enduring relentless torment, Bella finally broke free. Her entire body crackled with lightning, ready to paralyze the smiling Valkyrie before her.
"Ah, if you damage the garden... what do you think your mistress will do...?"
Watching the miniature plasma ball forming before her, the maid calmly offered the puppet girl a "kind" reminder.
"..."
The blue-white plasma vanished. Under the maid's "gentle" and "friendly" prompting, Bella seemed to remember something.
The puppet girl shakily twisted her head back and forth, her eyes landing on Kiana, who stood glowering in the doorway.
"...Snow sent me this dangerous thing... Does she want me to be 'passed on' sooner rather than later?"
The white-haired girl glared at the floating Bella, her face a mask of exasperation.
"Miss Rita, you should return this thing to that Blonde Monster!"
Kiana's words snapped Bella's composure completely.
The puppet's gray-blue eyes lost focus, turning utterly hollow. The floating puppet seemed to lose power, plummeting to the ground.
"Master doesn't want Bella anymore... Bella is a useless child..."
The pale gray puppet slumped to the ground, muttering to herself.
"Is Bella going to be taken back and disassembled? Is Bella going to die...?"
The little puppet's unconscious murmurs prompted the others who had rushed over to poke Kiana's side.
"Idiot Kiana, did you say something really harsh? She was created by Sister Snow... a life born for you."
Mei, ever more direct, scooped the puppet up from the ground and gently stroked the puppet girl's hair, offering silent comfort.
"This much I can guarantee, Miss Kiana," Rita interjected from the side.
"Lady Snow instructed that this 'Armed Puppet' will never harm you, Miss Kiana."
"...She was born because of you, Kiana. The very meaning of her existence lies in pursuing that white-haired girl—"
"Flying across the Snowfield, over mountains, across star-strewn seas, and through mortal realms... Even until the very end, if she falls and can no longer fly, when she dies clutching her memories... all she'll wish for is to hear her master call her name one last time—call her 'Bella'."
"These are Lady Snow's exact words when she entrusted Bella to me. Miss Kiana, I cannot take her back. When Lady Snow handed her over, she never considered the possibility of reclaiming her."
"If you truly don't want her, Schicksal will have no choice but to destroy her. You've seen how dangerous this child can be without proper supervision."
Having delivered this lengthy explanation, Rita turned to Kiana, awaiting her response. The remaining members of the group also looked anxiously at the white-haired girl.
"Fine, fine! I'll take her! Your name is Bella, right?" Under the intense gaze of the group, Kiana reluctantly accepted the tiny puppet, taking her from Mei's hands and holding her close.
"I am Bella, an Armed Puppet, a unique individual born because of you." Bella shed her gray pallor, revealing a radiant smile as she recited the self-introduction Lady Snow had instructed her to give upon their departure.
"Alright... you'll be my sidekick from now on. Don't you dare cause me any trouble, got it?!"
"No problem, M-Miss... Kiana!"
[All according to keikaku...]
Spy Note- Keikaku means plan
Kiana, who was holding Bella, Bella, who was burying her face against the Queen's chest, and Rita, who was wearing a polite smile, all thought the same thing simultaneously.
Seeing Bella, who had regained her vitality and was now laughing through her tears, the others exchanged knowing smiles.
"But the garden..." Theresa glanced at the garden, which had suffered further damage during Bella and Rita's scuffle, and scratched her head.
"Please leave the garden's upkeep to me, Lady Theresa," Rita volunteered, sensing Theresa's concern.
"Ah... Rita, you..."
"Since the garden's damage was partly my fault, I should take responsibility for restoring it," the Valkyrie said, nodding at Theresa before turning to search for tools in a corner of the garden.
"Then... I'll help too!" Kiana shouted, chasing after Rita as she walked away.
"Stupid Kiana actually volunteering to help... Bronya thinks today must be April Fool's Day..."
Watching Kiana rush off to assist Rita in tidying the garden, Bronya tilted her head, a hint of disbelief in her expression.
"At least she won't have to face her math homework for a while... Though when she focuses, she's actually quite smart."
Kyuusyou shrugged, revealing something that stunned everyone:
"I checked her homework just now. She got almost everything right—at least everything we taught her."
"Bronya feels like she's been transported to another world... This must be some alternate reality..."( ᗜ ˰ ᗜ )
Spy-( ᗜ ˰ ᗜ )
Spy From future- missing 91 and 116 chaps fixed. sry a slight timer error.