Valkyria Saga

{Date: 9/15 - Thursday}

{Time: 7:35 AM}

The next day rolled around, the soft glow of the morning sun casting a beautiful glow within the room, but that wasn't what woke me up from my slumber. The sound of Saito's fingers clacking upon her keyboard was like an annoying alarm clock, more annoying actually.

I groaned softly and rolled over onto my back, grabbing my phone off the night stand then looked at the time. I sighed softly, lowering my phone then looked at Saito, who was sitting at her computer, working on something.

"Uhm, do you mind? I'm trying to get some beauty sleep and I can't sleep with you slamming your fingers on the keyboard like you're mad at it," I said, rubbing my eyes, my tone sounding annoyed and less patient.

Saito kept looking at her screen, typing on her keyboard and had herself hooked up to it as she was changing her settings from Idol to Valkyria. "Negative. Saito is not even typing that hard. Maybe your hearing is too good."

I groaned softly and pushed myself out of bed then walked over toward Saito to see what she was doing. "What are you doing anyway..?"

"Saito is downloading her saved attributes from when she was last a student at St. Fraskia. Saito saved these stats so when she returns, she wouldn't be weaker due to lack of training," Saito answered, watching the download bar slowly increase.

{Download Complete!}

{Saito's Attributes}

Name: Saito Hirai

Age: 18

Rank: B

Power Level: 3,386

Valk Type: Support

Elemental Affinity: Gravity

Preferred Weapon: Cannons

DMG: 3,120

Burst DMG: 4,000

Survivability: 2,400

Support: 4,120

Spirit Control: 3,291

'Damn, she's strong as hell. Then again she's a B Rank who's been at this longer than me. Only at the age of 18 too...' I thought, looking at the screen on her computer.

"Completed. Notice: Saito will now get ready for classes. Request: Join Saito in getting ready. Saito can not reach her back and can not risk getting Bunny Avenger wet," Saito said, unplugging herself from her computer.

"Wait what? You want me to join you in the bath?" I asked, a blush creeping onto my heated cheeks.

Saito stood up and looked at me, her expression her usual deadpan look. She nodded, holding her arms at her sides. "Yes. Saito wants you to join her in the bath. We are both women correct? It's not that weird, Saito doesn't think so anyway. We can talk about Detective Pamu while getting ready."

I rubbed the back of my head and closed my eyes, letting out a soft sigh. "Mmm...fine, I suppose..."

{Bond with Saito increased.}

Saito smiled at me, nodding then walked to her dresser to get a fresh pair of undergarments and her uniform. "Saito will meet you in the bathroom."

I walked away, noticing a digital heart and a plus symbol above her head. I wiped my eyes then blinked a few times, watching as Saito walked into the bathroom. 'What the hell was that? Why am I seeing holographic interfaces like I'm in some type of game? And...that Friendship increase notification was weird also...don't tell me I have a System...'

I shrugged my shoulders and shook my head, trying to forget the strange occurrences that were happening and walked toward my dresser. I grabbed a pair of undergarments and my uniform as well, heading to the bathroom.

Once I made it inside, I noticed Saito undressing and couldn't help but to blush as I looked at her. As soon as I took a step inside, I noticed a few holographic interfaces appear in front of me, causing me to stumble slightly.

{Heart to Heart Sequence Activated.}

{Goal: Raise Saito's Mood from Neutral to Happy.}

Bond Meter: 6%

Status: Friends

Saito's Mood: Neutral

'What in the Sovereigns' loving Realms is this? Okay this just solidifies it. I have a System...they are making it very clear, but this many interfaces is crazy. I can barely see anything...' I thought as I walked toward the tub.

Saito looked at me, sitting patiently in the water as she waited for me. "Are you coming Hisumi?"

"I'm coming, don't worry," I said, getting undressed and felt more embarrassed as I was getting undressed for Saito.

Once I was fully undressed, I finally got into the tub, Saito scooting forward to make room for me. I took a soft breath, calming my nerves and began to get ready to help Saito clean herself.

I began to lather the scrubber with soap then begwb to slowly scrub up and down Saito's back with it, washing her back as she washed her front. I knew I had only a limited time to increase Saito's Mood so I wanted to the make most of this Heart to Heart moment.

"So uhm... I'm a bit curious about you, Saito. Yumeji and Kikyo told me that...you used to be experimented on when you were younger. Is that true?" I asked softly, continuing to wash her back.

Saito closed her eyes and let out a soft exhale. "It is true that Saito was experimented on when she was younger. Saito was made to be a perfect agent for an organization named the Demon Order. Saito was made to be a war machine until Professor Orishi saved Saito..."

I could connect with Saito on that level since I was used to being experimented on as well. I finished scrubbing her back and cleared my throat slightly. "I can relate to that...being from Judgement myself, I know what it's like to be used..."

{Saito's Mood: Curious}

"You're from Judgement?" Saito asked, looking back at me from over her shoulder.

"Yeah. Judgement is all I've ever known until now. I was being tested on constantly ever since I was a child, being used for experiments and enhancements I never wanted, just so I could be a perfect agent to them. Then I was betrayed, by my own Commander, someone I saw as my mother figure and my mentor," I said, confiding my past with Saito.

Saito turned around in the tub, the sounds of the water slushing underneath her filling the bathroom. She could see the hurt on my face, something clicking inside her as a bit of empathy filled her heart. "I can understand you...I know what it's like to be used as well, but that's is what made me more grateful to be a Valkyria. I finally have a place I can truly call home..."

I glanced up at Saito, surprised that she wasn't speaking to me in third person. She seemed more human than robotic now, more empathetic than logical. "Saito..."

Saito smiled at me, gently placing her hand on my shoulder. "Just give being a Valkyria a chance. It saved me from being a puppet all my life. You can also escape being a puppet..."

I smiled at Saito and letting out a soft sigh, her words touching me more than I would love to admit. Instead of me making Saito happy, she ended up making me happy. "Thank you, Saito...I really appreciate that."

{Bond with Saito increased.}

Saito smiled at me and turned back around, her back facing me again. Just like that, she shifted back into her robotic mind, returning to her logical persona. "Let us switch topics now, like to talking about Detective Pamu. Saito really loves that show."

I smiled at Saito and couldn't help but to let out a soft snicker and laugh. "Alright... let's discuss your love for Detective Pamu."

{Saito's Mood: Happy}

{Goal Complete!}

{Reward: Team Resonance with Saito increased.}

The two of us began talking about Detective Pamu while washing each other, Saito doing her best to try to get me into the fandom. I did like the show, but could barely understand the plot since I only started watching it with her yesterday.

After finishing our bath, I felt as if I was closer to Saito more than ever since Saito had two plus symbols beside the Heart icon above her head. We began to get dressed together, helping each other clasping our bras and buttoning up each other's blazers.

"There..." I said softly, finishing trying her blue and white bows upon her pigtails.

{Bond with Saito greatly increased.}

Saito looked at herself in the mirror and smiled at herself. "Thank you. Saito is ready for class now."

I nodded and began to follow Saito out of the bathroom. "Let's meet up with Yumeji and Kikyo."

{Heart to Heart Sequence Successful!}

Yumeji yawned lightly as she sat on the arm of the couch, scrolling on her phone as she and Kikyo waited for me and Saito. Once she heard footsteps approaching from down the hall, she looked up from her phone and smiled at us, humming softly.

"Yeesh, you two sure took your sweet time getting ready," Yumeji said, standing up from the arm of the couch then placed her phone in her pocket.

"Apology: We are sorry for taking a while. Saito and Hisumi lost track of time talking about Detective Pamu," Saito said, her gaze meeting Yumeji's directly.

Kikyo giggled softly and turned off the TV, standing up from the couch. "It's fine. We would've been early to classes anyway, buy Liao Ru did want us to get there early so she can talk about our new training schedule after this week since Orishi will be helping Alice teach her class."

"Oh yeah, Big Sis does help Alice teach her class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Ugh...that only means more torture from Liao Ru and her strict regiment," Yumeji sighed, lowering her head a bit.

Saito smiled at Yumeji, hovering off the floor and toward the door. "Let us not waist more time then. Saito is ready to take on the training today."

With that, the four of us left the dorms and began to walk to the campus together, Saito having her robot companion carry her in its giant hand. Once we made it to the campus, Yumeji, Kikyo, and Saito parted ways from me to head toward Liao Ru's training area while I walked toward the Academy's Battle Area on my own.

{Time: 8:30 AM}

I finally made it to the Battle Area, looking around and noticing the class was being held outside today in the training grounds. As I scanned the area, I noticed Alice and Orishi talking with one another on the sidelines, and Orika in the distance sitting alone, my steps quickening to approach her.

"Good morning, Orika," I said, smiling at her as I sat down beside her on the ground.

Orika looked over at me, smiling happily. "Oh..! Good morning, Hisumi..~"

{Orika's Mood: Happy}

"So today's the day we learn about Spirit Control huh? What have you all been learning so far if we're just now learning about Spirit Energy?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"We've been learning about the History of Valkyrias, Ranking and Power Levels, Elemental Affinities, Combat Levels, Weapon Types, Valk Types, and Battlesuits. There's a lot more, but that's the premise..." Orika answered, looking through her notebook and let out a soft exhale. "And it's all gonna be on this upcoming test..."

I looked down at Orika's notebook with her, seeing all of the notes she's been taken over the last few weeks. I stared at Orika for a moment, noticing her body glowing a light blue and her stats appearing beside her.

{Orika's Attributes}

Name: Orika Chiba

Age: 18

Rank: D

Power Level: 53

Valk Type: Support

Elemental Affinity: Ice

Preferred Weapon: Crosses

DMG: 45

Burst DMG: 40

Survivability: 80

Support: 90

Spirit Control: 10

'Huh...so for her to reach max power level as D Rank which is 100, her stats must all reach 100. She has really good Survivability and Support for her rank and her Support is nearly maxed out too. So she has done some training on her own time it seems,' I thought, reading through her attributes.

The bell finally rang, signalling the start of the class. Alice and Orishi walked from the sidelines onto the main grounds and began their lesson. With a clearing of Orishi's throat, her presence commanded attention from everyone nearly immediately.

Orishi smiled at everyone, crossing her arms underneath her chest. "Alright, everyone! Good morning, and I hope you all are well rested because it's time for you all to finally learn to harness and control Spirit Energy! As you know, my name is Orishi Ashikaga, Mentor of the B Rank Valks, and I will be teaching you all about how to harness Spirit Energy."

The students glanced at each other, every one of them excited to finally be able to learn how to control their Spirit Energy. Orishi clapped her hands, getting back everyone's attention.

"Alright, let's get back on track ladies~ I get you're all excited, but this will take serious dedication, focus, and attention!" Orishi said, placing her hands on her hips and smiled at us. "Alright, to awaken your Spirit Energy, you would need to awaken your soul. Concentrate and let your natural energy flow around your body. Allow me to demonstrate."

Orishi closed her eyes, awakening her spirit and allowing her spirit to channel energy all around her body, hitting every energy point smoothly. Suddenly, her Spirit Energy began to surround her body, surprising most of the students.

"And just like that, you have Spirit Energy. Right now we're learning to harness it, once I see each of you with Spirit Energy around your body, we will get into the actual lesson of Spirit Control," Orishi said, taking a step back to let us try to conjure our Spirit Energy.

Orika looked around the training grounds, watching as each of her peers tried to awaken their energy. She looked at me, noticing I wasn't trying to awaken my energy. "Hisumi?"

"Don't worry about me, Orika..~ You just go ahead and try to awaken it. I'll be keeping watch of you," I said, smiling at Orika with my arms crossed.

{Bond with Orika slightly increased.}

Orika nodded, turning her head to concentrate then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She closed her eyes, focusing on awakening her Spirit within. She grunted softly, scrunching her eyes and balled her hands into fists tightly.

I placed my hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "Orika, you're forcing it too much. You're not gonna be able to awaken your energy of you force it. Your Spirit is like your vessel, it works with you. Your Spirit is like a natural energy source, you just need to let it flow..."

Orika stared at me and watched as I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. She watched me channel my Spirit Energy, my Spirit Energy flowing around my body powerfully, surprising everyone around me.

Alice rose an eyebrow and glanced at Orishi, noticing her smirk. "Orishi, who exactly is Hisumi? Her potential expands higher than a D Rank. She has a B Rank Power level."

Orishi chuckled softly and crossed her arms as she stared at me. "Someone with a whole lot of potential, that's who Hisumi is. All she needs is a little discipline and she will be ready to go."

I grunted as I began to calm myself down, taking deep breaths and exhaling, allowing my energy to calmly flow around me. I did have some control over my Spirit Energy although It's only as good as the average C Rank's ability to control it.

{Spirit Control Increase: 500 -> 504}

Orika looked at me with awe, impressed by my ability to control my powerful aura, gasping softly. "That was so amazing..!"

I opened my eyes, looking at my hands and noticed my energy wasn't volatile, or at the very least not as volatile as it used to be. My energy was just more controlled than truly calm.

"And that ladies is a prime example of Spirit Control," Orishi said, sounding proud of me and walked forward. "Channelling your Spirit Energy may seem hard right now, but it's controlling your energy that brings the true challenge. When controlling you must stay calm and collected, using breathing exercises and mental techniques to calm your volatile aura."

Orika glanced at Orishi then looked back at me, feeling more determined than every to finally be able to conjure her energy and control it. She looked around the training grounds, watching everyone put extra effort into conjuring their Spirit Energy.

Orika began to try again at summoning her Spirit Energy, taking a deep breath then exhaled. She began to awaken her Spirit within, using her desire to be stronger to fuel her spirit. Soon, her Spirit had awoken, slowly channelling energy through her veins and energy points then finally her Spirit Energy surrounded her body.

"Orika...you're doing it!" I said excitedly, smiling at her.

Orika opened her eyes, gasping lightly as she noticed her energy around her body. "I'm really doing it!"

Orishi smiled as she began to watch each student awaken their energy and nodded, crossing her arms with a proud grin. "Look at each of you learning so fast. Future heroes in the making! Alright, now let's begin the lesson of Spirit Control. Hisumi, you can sit this one back."

I nodded and began to just spectate the class as Orishi began to teach everyone about how to control their energy. I couldn't help but to feel excited for Orika as she was now one step closer to her goal.