The comments section all think I'm a really good person.

February 14th, Valentine's Day.

Kita Kiri's original plan was to go on a date with Koizumi Saki, preferably with his newly bought camera, to create some wonderful memories.

But plans can't keep up with changes. Saki Koizumi was pulled away by a phone call for an emergency meeting and probably won't be back for the entire afternoon.

Kita Kirihara: ...Never mind, I'd better focus on what I'm doing right now. While Saki's not around, I'll finish making the chocolates I'm going to send out.

She was also aware of the nature of Koizumi Saki's work, and given the recent shortage of special-grade staff at the tower, it was normal for her lover to be busy.

Disasters don't happen that often, and most supernatural accidents are not caused by a calamity, but by people.

The human heart is more terrifying than ghosts and gods, and far more complex than any calamity that only knows how to kill.

Due to a shortage of manpower and a lot of things to deal with recently, Saki Koizumi only had two extra days of rest at home before being called back for meetings at any time.

Kita Kirihara was melting the chocolate in the bowl over a double boiler, the rich aroma of the chocolate filling his nostrils, when he felt a little bored and stared at the bowl listlessly.

With Saki Koizumi not home, she suddenly felt bored.

So, I took a quick look at what the other active character cards were doing.

Nana Oba got up early in the morning and used the ingredients she bought yesterday to make obligatory chocolates for her companions in the Silver Garden.

As expected of her, isn't she?

Through countless rehearsals, she had already memorized the steps of making chocolate, and her progress was much faster than that of the careless Kita Kirihara; she had already started packaging.

However, a lot of materials were prepared. Apart from the other Silver Garden members who could easily collect the chocolates now, there was still enough for about ten more people.

Nana Ohba was very meticulous; she not only prepared molds of different shapes but also used wrapping paper of different colors.

Eight of them were taken out and set aside. Judging from Nana Ohba's expression, she didn't seem to intend to give them away.

She had just habitually prepared chocolates for her former friends, only to realize later that they were probably not meant to be given away.

After staring blankly at the chocolates for a while, Nana Ohba came to her senses, turned her head away, and stopped paying attention to them.

Meanwhile, Tachibana Hibiki is on the other side.

After waking up, Tachibana Hibiki's condition had improved considerably. Kita Kirihara had spent half the night trying to restore her to her normal state, and she was able to move around freely again.

However, the charred and yellowed patches on her clothes, along with the remaining traces of blood, reminded the viewers in the live stream that the outbreak of fusion syndrome they witnessed yesterday was not a hallucination.

[Hibiki's self-healing ability is amazing. He was almost completely healed last night, but he recovered after just one night's sleep.]

[Perhaps it's a special treatment method from the Silver Garden?]

It's really painful to watch; it makes my scalp tingle.

【Hibiki……My Hibiki……】

Hibiki Tachibana yawned, pushed open the rickety door to her bedroom, and immediately saw a conspicuous black ball of flesh in the living room.

It looked like the egg of some kind of creature, but it was enormous, reaching up to the ceiling and even able to block the cold wind that was pouring in through the large hole in the window.

If you listen carefully, you can hear the beating of a heart. The vibrations even reach Tachibana Hibiki's feet.

It is Kouhashi Chun.

After the attack last night, the live stream camera focused on this spot, except for a brief moment when it switched to the fleeing gray camel, until it finally shut down during private time.

The reason is simple: Jun Furuhashi swallowed the remaining tissue of the gray camel.

Her power was once taken away by the other party, and because of the Shadow Beast's betrayal, the path to the second stage was incomplete.

Yesterday, after Tachibana Hibiki defeated the opponent, Furuhashi Jun rummaged through the remaining tissues and found his Shadow Beast.

After replenishing her lost energy, Miss Furuhashi began her final advancement. She had been enveloped in this ball of flesh for a whole night.

Ms. Chiho Kobayashi had stayed next to this enormous ball of flesh all night, and now she was nodding her head, drowsy, with suspicious glistening water stains at the corners of her mouth.

The sound of Tachibana Hibiki opening the door caught her attention. She turned around and saw that most of the bandages on her body had been removed, revealing her haggard face.

The minor injury she suffered yesterday was nothing to her, and the healing speed was beyond her expectations.

She rubbed her eyes through the blindfold and mumbled, "Good morning, Tachibana."

"Good morning," Hibiki Tachibana replied.

Noticing that Tachibana Hibiki's wounds had healed considerably, Kobayashi Chiho asked with slight surprise, "Are you alright?"

Even for her, that level of injury would take several days to heal.

Hibiki Tachibana only needed one night.

That's outrageous.

"I'm fine, what's wrong with Furuhashi...?" Tachibana Hibiki walked over curiously, stopped in front of the black ball, and looked it over for a moment.

She could see the surging crimson circuits above, rising and falling like blood vessels. Each time blood and energy were pumped in, the liquid inside became thicker and exuded a more dangerous aura.

This thing looks familiar.

Speaking of familiarity, I actually wanted to say it yesterday: the form in which Jun Furuhashi's entire body was covered in black substance looks very similar to my own when I went berserk.

But the outer shell is thicker.

Unbeknownst to her, Hibiki Tachibana's memories of her past became clearer. She even vaguely recalled her berserk form, which she had previously barely remembered.

She seemed to be deep in thought.

Chiho Kobayashi wasn't entirely sure either, but she could roughly guess that Jun Furuhashi was undergoing a power breakthrough, and perhaps after replenishing this missing Shadow Beast, Jun Furuhashi would be able to regain his original consciousness.

She also expressed some regret: "Actually, she's quite cute now."

Putting everything else aside, the last time I saw Jun Furuhashi, who listened to me so obediently, was five years ago.

Once he recovers, all he does is keep trying to amuse himself. It's like he's treating me like a child, which is really annoying.

They often bickered, though most of the time it was Kobayashi Chiho who was doing the talking. Furuhashi Jun was clingy and persistent; if you angered her, she would relentlessly cling to you despite your resistance.

Ugh, so annoying.

Chiho Kobayashi sighed, silently waiting for Jun Furuhashi to hatch, a subtle ache rising in her chest.

I hope he can recover smoothly.

After all, today is a holiday... even though it's Valentine's Day, which has nothing to do with them, holidays should be celebrated happily.

There was a slight pain at the cut of my left little finger.

She suddenly missed her violin.

78. Internal Assessment

The consciousness shifted to another character card who also had to work diligently on Valentine's Day.

'Valentine's Day?'

When Kita Kirihara shifted his attention to find out what the other person was doing, Fate Testarossa Harawin was standing next to Ms. Kobayashi Ryo, who was in charge of internal assessments.

A tall, blonde woman with bloodshot eyes, dressed in a black jacket, calmly followed behind Kobayashi Ryo, who was responsible for introducing her to the Tower of Civilization. She tied her golden, silky blonde hair back with a black ribbon, her right cheek was covered with horrifying burn marks, and she wore an eye patch to conceal her strangely shaped eye sockets.

The left half of her face, still intact and exposed, evokes a sense of regret for the former beauty at just one glance.

Even in her current state, Fate Testarossa Harlawin still possesses a unique charm.

Imperfect, yet possessing beauty.

She looks great in black clothes, which makes her figure appear more upright and capable, and her skin also looks fair.

Kobayashi Ryo's impression of him was that he was "taciturn, but earnest and gentle."

The other party is a rising star among ability users who has recently made a name for herself. Not long ago, she used a beautiful beam cannon to resolve a number of incidents in Shibuya Ward... although she herself seems to call it artillery magic.

Because of his proven track record and exceptional abilities, the company, which is currently in dire need of manpower, naturally wanted to recruit such a promising newcomer.

The other party did not refuse and, after a brief consideration, chose to join.

If the usual registration process is followed, a series of tests, including written tests and ability tests, are required before one can start as a Level 3 Hero and gradually climb the ranks based on performance.

But the abilities that Fate Testarossa Harlawin has demonstrated, and the character that he has shown in private interactions, undoubtedly meet the standards of becoming a hero.

Not to mention that she single-handedly resolved several Level 1 disasters, demonstrating her proven track record.

Therefore, Kobayashi Ryo decided to make an exception and recruit her, and invited Koizumi Saki to have the senior Kami, who could distinguish between good and evil at a glance, analyze this person.

At the same time, there are also two other newcomers who are equally capable and of good character.

Moreover, one of them was an old acquaintance of Kobayashi Ryo.

Fate Testarossa Harawin and Kobayashi Ryo waited in the lounge for the other two to join them for the internal assessment.

It was at this moment that Fate began a mental exchange with Kita Kirihara, who had come over out of boredom to check up on her.

"Valentine's Day is no different from any other day for me," Fate said softly and gently, even on the mind-to-mind communication channel.

Kita Kirihara was pouring melted chocolate into the mold, her hands steady as she multitasked: 'I thought you'd want to spend this day with Nanoha.'

"She's not my Nanoha, you know that," Fate replied calmly, but her emotions were complex. "My Nanoha is dead."

He was killed by his own hands.

Hearing Fate's reply, Kita Kirihara's eyelashes trembled slightly: 'But there's no denying that being with her makes you feel better.'

Emotions are interconnected, and Fate's feelings were laid bare to Kita Kirihara.

'That's not fair to either my Nanoha or her Fate,' Fate said gently.

Kita Kirihara remained silent.

After exchanging a few words with Kita Kirihara in his mind, Fate realized that the other two ability users who were taking the internal assessment at the same time as him had finally arrived on time.

The door was politely pushed open, and the remaining two people finally arrived.

A blonde woman with golden eyes, bearing a face that everyone present recognized, appeared before the two with an apologetic smile. She wore a youthful-looking shirt and jeans, with white sneakers on her feet. Slightly sweaty from the warmth of the tower, she took off her camel-colored coat and held it to her arms.

He looks like a college student who hasn't graduated yet.

However, Fate knew her, and Kobayashi Ryo was clearly very close to her.

After all, the other party was the lover of the long-lost Special Class Hero [Tianjing], and Kobayashi Ryo had known her for a long time.

This is not unexpected.

Surprisingly, how did they end up here?