Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

Although the reason sounds a bit far-fetched, I haven't thought too much about the future.

"Um—speaking of which, when you say Zero, are you referring to that... golden flash?"

Clearing her throat, Chris, still somewhat shaken, followed Zero's instructions.

"Ah... I forgot, when Lingyi saves people, she doesn't say much. Yes, that's right, the person who saved us, her name is Lingyi."

When Chris asked this question, Future paused for a moment, then seemed to realize something and said this.

"Oh, I see. So her name is Lingyi. I didn't know that before, hahaha."

Chris smiled somewhat reluctantly, then silently raised her hand to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.

That was terrifying! They almost got caught.

Wiping away cold sweat, Chris roared inwardly, "Who knew that after getting through the most tense moment, a verbal trap would follow?"

[It's not likely to expose you. Even if Chris makes a mistake, it will only mean I have to put in more effort to make your identity believable when I cover it up later.]

As Chris roared, Zero spoke telepathically.

However, to prevent my work from multiplying too much, I still suggest that Chris remain vigilant.

Of course, I will keep an eye on it and remind you what to say when appropriate.

Lingyi then added using telepathy.

【…All right.】

"Speaking of which, how did you know her name was Lingyi in the future?"

While answering Zero in her mind, Chris naturally asked Himeko Mirai, and to be honest, she felt that she had gotten used to this dual-track operation.

“Okay… Just as Chris thought, actually, after I was rescued by Zero, I saw her in other places.”

"Future said with a somewhat forlorn expression."

"..…ah?"

Chris showed a genuine look of surprise.

She thought it would be good enough to be able to explore some of Zero's past through shady websites, but she never expected that there was a Zero who had actually come into contact with the past, less than a meter away from her.

"So how did you two meet?"

Chris asked reflexively.

"..."

After Chris asked this question, for some reason, the black-haired girl in front of her seemed to have a conflicted expression.

"future?"

Chris was puzzled by the way the future looked at her with a furrowed lip and a frown.

“I’m sorry, Christina, I promised I couldn’t say. I know it might be impolite, since you’ve already told me about your situation, Christina, but… I’m sorry.”

After some internal struggle, this is what he said in the future.

"Is that so? Okay then."

Although Chris wanted to continue investigating, she was worried that saying too much would arouse suspicion, so she didn't say much in the end.

"Thank you. Speaking of which, we were just talking about games, weren't we? Although I can't say too much about it, I can still give Christina some tips on how to beat the game."

After ending the previous topic, in order to ease the awkward atmosphere, Future offered to help Chris get started with the mobile game.

"Great! I've almost finished downloading it. Tell me how to play the game later."

Now that she no longer needed to go to great lengths to disguise herself and investigate, Chris relaxed and changed the subject in a more relaxed tone.

It seems I don't need to focus too much on this for now. I'll concentrate on my own things, starting with this website...

Lingyi also breathed a slight sigh of relief, then shifted her attention away from Chris and continued doing her own things.

P.S. Rehabilitation begins.

P.S. Goodnight, I'll get up early tomorrow to continue coding.

Chapter 2, meaning; 8 years old, you are in the group, chat for ten chapters, leave.

"Well then, we have other things to attend to, so we'll be leaving now."

"Okay, take care."

After this conversation, Zero and Chris set off to leave Lydian Music Academy.

The necessary equipment was installed while Chris was in class, so there's no need to stay at the enemy base, which is currently in high danger.

So, after the previous class, Lingyi left Lydian Music Academy with Chris, who had been chatting enthusiastically with her deskmate for the entire class and completely ignored the teacher's blood pressure.

[Next, we need to decide on a plan based on the situation. Tomorrow... no, let's say the day after tomorrow, to allow some time to avoid arousing their suspicion.]

After leaving Lydian and completing the basic setup of the surveillance, Lingyi began to think about the arrangements for the next two days.

Although she encountered some unexpected mishaps in Lydian that made her feel a little unhappy, one thing at a time, the most important thing now is to fulfill her promise to Finney.

Therefore, Lingyi temporarily suppressed those unpleasant feelings, planning to eliminate the root cause of those unpleasant feelings later when she had the opportunity, whether by physical means or online methods.

[It's necessary to stage some attacks the day after tomorrow to test the Second Section's sensitivity and see what level of attention would attract their interest.]

Lingyi said this.

Although sufficient facilities have been set up near the enemy's base, some other intelligence cannot be obtained by these facilities alone. They must be combined with other plans to obtain a comprehensive intelligence.

If it's too sensitive, you can try using a certain amount of feints to attract their attention and exhaust their energy. If it's not too sensitive, you can try to find loopholes in their setup by looking at less sensitive areas.

Lingyi then thought of alternative plans from two perspectives, as was her habit.

Okay, that's settled for the work the day after tomorrow... But if that's the case, what should I do during my free time the following day? Is there anything else I need to do?

[By the way, I should go and study how to use Solomon's Staff. If I can master this relic, it should make things much easier for me later on.]

With that thought in mind, Lingyi ended her thinking phase and entered the action phase.

No matter how much you think about it in your mind, you still have to put it into action in the end. You can't neglect either aspect.

"Phew, let's go back first. There's still a lot of work to do, and I can't rest yet."

Once Lingyi entered the operational phase, her first plan was to hurry back to her family's base and complete the previously planned trap setup.

"Wait a minute, where is Christina?!"

But just then, Lingyi suddenly noticed a small problem: Chris, who had been following her, had mysteriously disappeared while she was thinking.

"..."

Without any unnecessary movements, Lingyi brought up the Zero Zone Airspace System on her tablet and quickly located Chris's figure through it.

"Christina, don't use your phone while walking."

Immediately, Lingyi rushed forward and grabbed the shoulder of the white-haired girl who had been so engrossed in her phone that she had strayed off course and was about to bump into a roadside lamppost.

"Hmm"

When Lingyi touched Chris's shoulder, Chris suddenly panicked and frantically tried to turn off her phone screen.

"Christina, what are you doing?"

Seeing Chris's flustered movements, Zero asked.

"Um, no, it's nothing. I was just a little engrossed in reading comics. It's nothing serious."

After recovering from the inexplicable shock, Chris said this, her eyes somewhat unfocused.

"Is that so? Okay, Christina, remember to pay more attention to the road next time. Although comics can make people happy, it would be bad if they led to tragedy. It's not good if joy turned into sorrow."

Pointing to the telephone pole in front of Chris, Lingyi said calmly.

"Don't worry, I'll be more careful next time, and it won't happen again."

Looking at the white pillar standing in front of her, Chris felt a lingering fear, but also a sense of relief. She was glad that Lingyi hadn't asked too many questions; what she had just seen was not something she could show to Lingyi.

[And I understand that you may have never been exposed to any art related to human aesthetics before, so it's inevitable that you'll have some vague curiosity about human aesthetics after first encountering this kind of hormone-filled audio-visual content.]

However, I still hope you can control your desires as soon as possible and not let this state affect your future actions.

However, at that moment, Zero's voice rang in Chris's mind, explaining the science to her.

"..…ah?"

Upon hearing the voice in her heart, Chris's face froze.

[Wait, wait, wait—Zui, how did you know what I was looking at!?]

The next moment, Chris's face turned bright red, like a boiled crab, steaming up from its surface.

Ah yes, what really captivated Chris's attention just now was that shady website she had previously despised (on the surface).

Don't make such a fuss. Didn't you share that website with me? Since that's the case, of course I know what you've been looking at.

With his black clothes and gray hair, he revealed his true form to the world. 2? Lin Eryi 3 Zero Ba” Lingyi said to himself naturally.

So, isn't my doujinshi really good, Chris-chan...?

Then, Zero added to Chris in her mind, in a slightly resentful tone.

[Well, it would be a lie to say it's not good... But don't worry, Zero, I can tell the difference between fan art and reality, so I won't have any strange opinions about you!]

Listening to Lingyi's tone, Chris made this promise. Although it wasn't obvious on the surface, she could sense that Lingyi wasn't in a good mood when she talked about this.

Don't be so nervous. I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just a little uneasy about what's happening to me.

In response to Chris's assurance, Lingyi immediately explained in a calm manner, making Chris feel as if her emotional fluctuations just now were an illusion.

[Besides, Chris, you don't need to make such useless promises.]

I understand perfectly well that it's perfectly normal for someone encountering something like this for the first time to have some strange thoughts, so I won't get angry about it. Yes, that's right, I won't.

Lingyi remained calm, and that was all she could say.

Yes, I understand.

Chris nodded inwardly, realizing that her feeling just now was definitely not an illusion, and that Zero really cared about this matter.

P.S. Goodnight, Calvin.

Chapter Forty-One: Heartfelt Words

It's good that you understand.

Upon hearing Chris's inner voice, Zero ended the conversation.

[Phew-Na Lingyi, I'll turn off communication now if there's nothing else.]

Seeing that Lingyi was no longer talking about those embarrassing things, Chris breathed a sigh of relief and then planned to turn off the telepathic communication.

She feared that the uncontrollable wild thoughts that arose after reading something that made her heart race might be transmitted to Lingyi through telepathy.

[If you wish, you can turn it off. After all, we're about to go back, and there aren't any scenarios today where we need to rely on telepathy.]

Lingyi thought about it for a moment, considered what she would do next, and then said she had no objection.

【Oh, okay---wait, Lingyi, what did you say? Go back? But there's still plenty of time. Aren't we just going to go back like this without doing something else?】

Hearing Zero's words, Chris, who was about to close the telepathic communication, asked in confusion.

It's only four o'clock now. Lingyi, didn't you say you were going on a "date" this afternoon? But there's still a long time before the afternoon ends.

Chris then asked.

Well, I won't explain the specific reasons. I have my own plans, and it has nothing to do with you, Chris. You don't need to worry about it too much.

Faced with Chris's confusion, Zero didn't directly answer the specific reason, but instead said this.

Why? Is there something you can't tell me?

Faced with Zero's riddle, Chris asked directly.

It's not that I can't tell you. The reason I went back early was because of a minor, but not major, accident at work. Explaining it in detail is complicated, but if you're curious, Chris, I can send you my log later.

Seeing the puzzled look on the white-haired girl's face, Lingyi thought for a moment and finally said this.

Besides, going back early is equivalent to ending this meaningless work sooner. For you, it means you can get rid of these constraints and relax sooner, and for me, it means I can have more time to arrange other work.

Zero then added, in an attempt to persuade Chris.

Okay, I understand.