“Lieutenant Colonel Cassandra, what did you say? You—left—Mom—behind?! And Salome, too?!” Having just finished her hushed confession, Lieutenant General Anastasia, previously seated behind her desk, shot to her feet with a sudden, sharp movement, each word she uttered ablaze with scorching fury.
“I’m sorry… truly sorry…” Cassandra murmured, her hands clasped behind her back and her head bowed, appearing on the very brink of tears. “I was utterly helpless then…”
“Never mind,” Lieutenant General Anastasia stated, “I understand your capabilities are limited.” The blonde young woman was clad in a remarkably simple, light green uniform, utterly devoid of ostentatious medals, ornate ribbons, or any other decorative embellishments. Her identity and rank were solely conveyed by the small nameplate pinned to her chest, the stars adorning her epaulets, and the insignia on her military cap. Now fully upright, she stood an imposing two meters tall, towering dramatically over Cassandra’s pitiful one-meter-thirty frame. Before Anastasia, Cassandra resembled a frightened cat, paralyzed and trembling helplessly under the predatory gaze of a leopard.
“Nevertheless, even under these circumstances, allowing Mom to fall back into the hands of the Human Revival Council is an utterly disastrous development.” Anastasia continued, “While multiple captives have indeed confessed that Mom had already clashed with certain high-ranking Council members prior to our uprising—and her sudden disappearance might well have been a defection—the grim reality is that she is now highly likely to resume her cooperation with the Council! You, of all people, understand the extent of her capabilities! Such an alliance could easily re-destabilize the entire war!”
Perhaps fueled by her burgeoning agitation, Anastasia abruptly removed her military cap as she spoke, crushing it into a tight ball within her grasp. It was only then that Ji Bingyao and the others finally noticed a pair of sharp, elongated animal ears, remarkably similar to those of a caracal, emerging from her hair. Moreover, a long, fluffy orange tail trailed distinctly behind her. These striking features, however, had been cleverly obscured by her uniform and cap, rendering them invisible until this very moment.
“I’m sorry… but I truly believe Mom is different now,” Cassandra whispered, “After her journey to the parallel world, she seems to have lost her former memories, transforming into a remarkably… kind person. While Salome initially harbored doubts, even she eventually conceded that the present Mom—”
“Are you still a three-year-old child, for goodness’ sake?!” Anastasia snarled, baring her teeth in a furious display. Like a true feline predator, she possessed a pair of prominent, scimitar-shaped canine teeth that exuded an utterly intimidating presence—a terrifying physiological feature utterly absent from any of the cute, two-dimensional catgirls Ji Bingyao and her companions had ever encountered. “Mom’s acting prowess could effortlessly overshadow even the most celebrated stars of yesteryear! I refuse to believe that someone like her, a person who would readily sell her very soul to the devil, could possess even a glimmer of potential for kindness!”
“Silence!”
Just as Cassandra was on the verge of shrinking into a terrified ball, an unexpected voice abruptly cut short Anastasia’s fiery tirade.
“Who are you?”
“M-my name is Alice Kampmann,” the former lead singer of “Pink FM” stammered, a shiver running through her as she met Anastasia’s fierce glare, yet she bravely held her ground. “I’m Shirley’s love… oh, no, I mean, I’m her best friend, her bandmate, and her classmate from the same year. I can assure you, regardless of whatever Dr. Irmindada, as you refer to her, may have done in the past, the person she is now is the gentlest, kindest, and most considerate girl in the entire world…”
“Foolish.” Anastasia almost instinctively drew a small-caliber officer’s pistol from her holster, then, with a terrifying display of raw strength, crushed it into a pile of mangled components with her bare hand! For a fleeting moment, Alice braced herself, convinced that the gun’s shattered pieces would be hurled in her direction, but mercifully, this did not occur. “Mom has toyed with dozens—no, perhaps hundreds—of people just like you. Do you know? Those who truly understand her say her personality is akin to a truly wicked cat, one whose greatest delight lies in tormenting helpless prey for amusement…”
“So, is that why you were designed to look like a cat?” Alice asked, her hand foolishly reaching out to gently stroke Anastasia’s ear.
“M-meow! Are you an idiot?!” Utterly unprepared for Alice’s unexpected gesture, Anastasia recoiled a full two steps in alarm. “My appearance is solely because Mom wished for me to embody a predator more fully, nothing more. But I assure you, I am not nearly as malicious as she is… at least in non-military spheres, I make every effort not to deceive others.”
“Ah, but Miss Salome harbored similar suspicions about Mom before, yet later…”
“I fear her subsequent predicament is directly linked to her misplaced trust in Mom,” Anastasia scoffed, a cold note in her voice. “How could Salome possibly have been captured? Her inherent abilities dictate that she is, without exception, the least likely person to ever fall captive to an enemy.”
“At that time, all of us retreated to a secure location through the spatial rift she had opened, leaving Mom, who was ensconced within a ‘Huntress’ mech, and Salome to hold the line on the other side, covering our withdrawal…”
“And then? What transpired?”
“Well… we don’t know…” Cassandra confessed, her voice heavy with dejection. “No one witnessed what occurred on the other side of the spatial rift, and then…”
“When a chicken coop is strewn with blood and feathers, even an imbecile should deduce that a weasel has already infiltrated it,” Anastasia declared, tapping Cassandra’s forehead with a pointed finger. “You handed Mom a formidable weapon—one whose use inflicts immense suffering—and then left her with Salome, whose powers were severely depleted… Under such circumstances, it would be a far greater challenge for *nothing* to go wrong. As for what truly transpired, there’s absolutely no need for conjecture…”
“But you possess no concrete evidence to substantiate that ‘something indeed happened’ over there,” Eileen interjected. “Perhaps Salome simply reached her limit of exhaustion at that precise moment?”
“Then every murderer could simply claim their victim coincidentally stumbled onto their weapon!” Anastasia retorted without a moment’s hesitation. “I understand Mom profoundly, and thus I know precisely what course of action we must pursue: allowing her to rejoin forces with the Human Revival Council is an unforgivable risk, and we must initiate decisive action immediately.”
“Wait, you wouldn’t possibly—” Cassandra began, her face betraying a sudden unease.
“I will personally lead a reliable strike team to infiltrate New Ravenna—Mom has undoubtedly gone there. Her laboratories and research projects were historically funded primarily by Helios VI, who governs the city, and his formidable Helios Tech Group,” Anastasia declared with resolute certainty. “My objective is to directly assault Honorius Palace, prioritizing the elimination of Mom. Should the opportunity arise, I will also endeavor to rescue Salome, or, failing that, neutralize Helios VI.”
“Wait, I absolutely forbid you from doing this!” Ji Bingyao exclaimed, stepping forward with determination. “Shirley is not your enemy!”
“No, she most certainly is… in fact, she is an enemy to anyone in this world who simply wishes to live a normal existence. You likely have no idea what kinds of terrifying things Mom was involved in developing in the past,” Anastasia explained, biting her lip and suppressing her immediate anger, perhaps concluding that Ji Bingyao and her companions were merely unfortunate victims of her deception. “For instance, the orbital decoy drones.”
“Wait, Salome mentioned that very device,” interjected one of the group. “She claimed to have used it to lure the parasite army directly to our school’s location…”
“Is that what she claimed? That woman… hmph, she likely fabricated that lie solely to torment Mom, to assert her ability to destroy something Mom holds dear, wouldn’t she? Yet, regrettably, that is not the truth,” Anastasia stated. “While decoy drones do indeed exist, they remain firmly under the control of the Human Revival Council.”
“What?!” Every member of the “Pink FM” band displayed an expression of profound astonishment.
“There’s no need for such surprise. The sole individual we truly seek retribution against is Mom. While Salome typically exhibits profound indifference to the lives of others, she would never intentionally inflict harm. These so-called decoy drones are sophisticated devices mounted on low-orbit satellites, capable of mimicking the communication signals exchanged between otherworldly parasite swarms. Their purpose is to lure these swarms to specific locations, thereby achieving a ‘borrowed knife’ assassination—though, naturally, these parasites are not fools; they progressively learned not to blindly trust suspicious signals. Consequently, not long after their initial invention, the strategic value of these decoy drones began a precipitous decline, ultimately rendering them insignificant.”
Eileen scratched her head in confusion. “Then why did our school…”
“That was most likely merely the work of an automated program configured by the Human Revival Council for their decoy drones,” Anastasia explained. “It appears the Council has equipped satellites with these drones to continuously monitor enemy activities. The moment suspicious communication signals are detected, or significant troop movements are observed, the drones attempt to transmit signals to harass their opponents. In regions like Britain, where direct engagements are infrequent and the parasites haven’t yet grown cunning, this tactic remains quite effective. My estimation is that Cassandra engaged in an excessive amount of communication at that time, inadvertently triggering the decoy drone’s response.”
“That must be it; I am truly sorry…” Cassandra’s head dropped even lower, her voice barely a whisper.
“In summary, our Mom is a truly terrifying individual. Her utter lack of morals and humanity is not her most frightening attribute, nor is the fact that lying and fabricating falsehoods come more naturally to her than breathing. What is genuinely terrifying is her profound ability to leverage her intellect to construct elaborate lies and illusions, thereby crafting a convincing facade of morality and humanity.” Anastasia waved a dismissive hand. “For the sake of the myriad innocent souls in this world, she must receive her just deserts.”
“I… I disagree!” Eileen burst out. “Why must you always resort to such extreme measures?! If you’re unwilling to believe Shirley is a good person, you could at least rescue her first and observe her for a period before forming a definitive conclusion! Such a course of action would incur no loss whatsoever for you…”
“Perhaps,” Anastasia conceded, shaking her head. “But rescuing individuals is far more arduous than merely eliminating them. Even the act of rescuing Salome alone presents a formidable challenge to us, let alone…”
“Then we volunteer to join the operation!” Ji Bingyao immediately interjected, her voice firm. “If you refuse to save her, then we will! Surely, that is acceptable?!”
“Absolutely not,” Anastasia replied firmly. “Cassandra informed me that you are all merely ordinary high school students. I cannot ascertain whether you possess the requisite combat capabilities. Bringing individuals without such abilities into an active operation would only render them a liability.”
“Ha! Are you daring to question the ancestral martial traditions passed down through my Fujiwara Ason Shijō Yurizumi lineage?” Yurizumi loudly challenged. “If you’re so confident, then let us spar—”
“Chūnibyō classmate, please don’t!” Eileen attempted to interject, trying to dissuade her, but Anastasia merely offered a faint smile.
“Very well,” Anastasia declared, “then as you wish, let us indeed spar! The training ground is on the floor above; all of you are welcome to come.”
“Eh?!” Cassandra’s eyes widened in dismay. “You can’t do this; it’s unfair…”
“As long as we can defeat you, we can participate in rescuing Shirley, right? Then fine!” Ji Bingyao affirmed. “Miss Cassandra, don’t stop us! This is a contest of dignity between women! We must win this honorably!”