Imhotep, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a sandwich in the other, watched with great interest as Kyuusyou unilaterally subjected Cioara to a Devil May Cry-style beatdown.
"Whoa... what are you two doing?"
Irene and Rita, having finished their other tasks, walked in carrying a lavish breakfast.
"There were plenty of ingredients in the kitchen, but no one seemed to be using them, so we used them all for breakfast... Won't you all join us?"
Irene smiled sweetly at Imhotep, who was enjoying the show; at Kyuusyou, who was pummeling Raven; and at Raven herself, who looked utterly wronged and wanted to explain but didn't know how.
"Besides, I imagine you all have a lot to talk about, right? Let's just call it a little morning tea party, shall we?"
-
"So, Lady Snow, why haven't you returned to Schicksal?"
At the tea party, Rita was the first to turn her gaze to the center of the gathering: Imhotep.
"Snow? Never heard of her~ Have you two mistaken me for someone else—"
Imhotep flatly denied the question, her expression screaming, You've got the wrong person.
"Really, Miss Imhotep? When you came out this morning calling for Miss Irene, you looked exactly like you did when you were a child~"
Rita seemed determined not to let the white-haired girl, who was currently savoring Shenzhou's specialty breakfast, off the hook.
"...?"
"What does your search for Snow have to do with me, Imhotep—!"
Startled, Imhotep blurted out a ridiculous retort.
"Miss, you're getting flustered."
Seeing the girl's defensive outburst, Kyuusyou seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire.
"Not at all~"
"No, you are. You're even thinking about kicking us out—"
Facing the ever-smiling Imhotep, Lady Kyuusyou decided to push her luck.
"Not at all~"
Imhotep maintained her sweet, unwavering smile.
"I see... I get it now! My dear Snow has vanished into the Sea of Quanta. Well then, I'm off to teach Little Ninti and Little Sirin how to smoke, drink, get perms, and play mahjong—"
"..."
Silence descended upon the room.
"Little one, are you angry?"
Irene watched the silent Imhotep with curiosity.
"Not at all—!"
"It seems Snow really has disappeared..."
Kyuusyou nodded in sudden realization, striking her right fist into her left palm with an expression of epiphany.
"Then I'm off to find a new love—"
"My beautiful Miss Imhotep, may I have the honor of taking you as my wife? Our love will be eternal~"
Houraiji Kyuusyou produced a red rose from nowhere, holding it between her teeth as she gazed affectionately at the angelic girl before her, seemingly ready to forget her old flame on the spot.
"You..."
"Very well, I accept—And... Miss Houraiji Kyuusyou, please remember the words you've just spoken..."
"Your love for me—Imhotep, the Young Sovereign of World Serpent... will be eternal—"
The angelic girl's light, airy words sent a wave of unreality through the others present. Meanwhile, a dreadful premonition instantly crept over Houraiji Kyuusyou, who had only intended to flirt.
"Gwaah—"
Watching the sweetly smiling Imhotep, Kyuusyou let out a strange, ominous sound.
"Well... I mean, Miss Imhotep... Do you happen to know Snow Apocalypse?"
Sweat pouring down her face, the purple-haired girl began a desperate struggle after sensing the impending doom.
The Great Savior won't die here!
"Snow Apocalypse... Of course I know her. Why wouldn't I—"
"She's my other half, after all~ My dearest love, Miss Houraiji Kyuusyou."
Imhotep pressed herself against the purple-haired Valkyrie, sniffing Kyuusyou's scent like a serpent flicking its tongue. The intimate scene failed to evoke any romantic fantasies in either the participant or the onlookers.
As the one involved, Kyuusyou's legs trembled so violently she looked ready to flee. She was already regretting her impulsive decision to flirt with the girl before her. Meanwhile, the onlookers, Irene and Rita, simultaneously covered their mouths to stifle their laughter.
Cioara's expression grew even more gleeful. Madam Raven, who had been brutally beaten earlier, now gloated as she watched Kyuusyou, who seemed on the verge of facing "domestic violence." Her face screamed, Serves you right for bullying me! Payback's here!
"Uh... um... what do you mean by 'your other half'?"
It seemed the Savior Lord wasn't ready to give up just yet.
"Other half? It's like how Sirin is Kiana, but Kiana isn't necessarily Sirin~"
You looked so pathetic when you proposed, but you look so damn cool struggling for your life now.
The mischievous Imhotep watched as Houraiji Kyuusyou's expression shifted from shock and disbelief to the desperate fantasy of If I kill myself now, can I trigger Eternal Regression and reload from a previous save? Then, Imhotep delivered the final, fatal question:
"So... my dearest partner—do you prefer Snow Apocalypse, the golden me—"
"Or Imhotep... the silver me~?"
"I just remembered I left something on the EOS... Wait here, I'll go get it... Gwaah—"
"Darling, you haven't answered my question yet~ Hehehe."
Kyuusyou spun around to flee, but a pair of hands clamped down on her, holding her fast. The purple-haired girl's face stiffened. She forced herself to turn her head, only to find the other girl pressed completely against her back, her face leaning in close to Kyuusyou's right cheek.
"So, did you find the golden Snow, or the silver Imhotep—?"
...Death follows all things like a shadow, and even the God of Apocalypse, who commands death and time, is no exception. In Houraiji Kyuusyou's eyes, the white-haired girl behind her was no longer her wife, no longer a beautiful maiden of the Apocalypse family—she was a soul-reaping demon in a black cloak, scythe in hand.
"Um... can we switch to a different question...?"
"Sure... Imhotep and Snow Apocalypse both fall into a river—which one do you save first?!"
"...Can we try another one?"
On the verge of tears, Kyuusyou shot a pleading look at the onlookers. But they, seeing the young lady behind Kyuusyou—the one who would feed anyone who dared interfere to the Kevin kept in the Sea of Quanta—collectively took a step back, silently declaring they were powerless to help.
"Alright—"
"When the golden one and the white one are fighting—which side will you help?!"
"Just kill me already—!"