C25 Rosaria Has Her Eyes on You!

In the pitch-black night, a silvery figure stealthily dashed out of the villa and headed deep into the forest, undetected.

Our protagonist, Miss Mu, was the one sneaking out under the cover of darkness. She had planned to test the Character Card for Raiden Mei tonight.

The thought of transforming into a new Valkyrja filled Mu Jin with such excitement that sleep eluded her.

Moreover, Eula and the others had been sound asleep ever since they ate the pie she made. Ai and Paimon had the lion's share, and Mu Jin had watched them gleefully cramming it into each other's mouths.

Making friends like Ai was truly wonderful (tearfully).

But it made her wonder, did her star-gazing pie also have a soporific effect?

Maybe she should try it herself someday.

When the time felt right, Mu Jin halted beneath a tree. Clutching the Character Card, her heart racing with anticipation, she pressed 'use' without a second thought.

A loud 'boom' echoed as smoke billowed from beneath her feet.

What the heck? Is this what happens when you transform? But wasn't that smoke a bit too much? Cough, cough, cough!

"Cough, cough..." Mu Jin, covering her mouth and nose, waved her hands, unable to see anything in the thick fog.

Hmm, why does my chest feel so heavy... and why does the world seem so much taller?

Is the transformation complete?

"Warning: A protection mechanism has been activated due to an onlooker nearby," announced the system's icy voice, snapping Mu Jin back to reality.

As a level A Valkyrja, her senses were now incredibly sharp, a sensation unknown to those with level B Domain Equipment like Bai Lian.

To be on the safe side, she drew the blue-grade weapon she had obtained that day, the Demon Blade Rain Village.

An ice-blue katana materialized in her grasp.

She was tempted to use the Water Fairy Type II to teach the hidden onlooker a lesson about adulthood, but times had changed, and Mei wasn't a dual-pistol character. That experiment would have to wait until she reverted to Mu Jin.

As the smoke cleared, Mu Jin's eyes settled on the figure harboring hostility towards her.

"Excuse me, sir, do you require something from me?"

"I was merely curious about who managed to best the Honorary Knight. I certainly didn't anticipate this; I really have no desire to work overtime... Ugh."

Emerging leisurely from the shadows was a woman sporting a black and white nun's headscarf, her short red hair, and overly pale skin accentuated by the dark circles under her eyes. She was clad in a modified nun's habit paired with fishnet stockings, a cigarette dangling from her lips, and a long spear in hand.

"Spill it, what's your business here? If not, be warned, my spear isn't known for its mercy."

Wow, that's an unmistakable threat...

Mu Jin ran her tongue over her molars, racking her brain for a plausible excuse to pacify the nun before her: "I'm simply here to find someone."

"Hmm? But why search for someone in the dead of night, armed at that? Young lady, you could at least come up with a believable story," she scoffed, eyeing the girl who gripped her weapon with determination.

She bore a striking resemblance to someone from Liyue or perhaps Inazuma, definitely not a native of Mondstadt.

Despite her adeptness with the weapon, could she be one of those sheltered young misses?

Ding! Rosaria's opinion of you is at a mere 5%, pegging you as a little rascal who can't even tell a convincing lie. Caution is advised.

Rosaria took a long drag of her cigarette, exhaling a plume of smoke before casually flicking the still-lit butt to the ground and snuffing it out with her high heel.

Witnessing her fluid motions and hearing the system's icy voiceover, Mu Jin's gaze hardened. Was a confrontation inevitable?

An icy sensation surged unexpectedly, prompting Mu Jin to instinctively draw her Demon Blade Rain Village and evade the incoming thrust.

This successful dodge appeared to have set something off.

Time... had halted.

"Could this be... a rift in space-time?"

While Kiana was also capable of initiating such a fracture, it lasted only a second, barely enough time to hastily avoid an attack.

Mu Jin surveyed the now static surroundings with a mix of wonder and resolve. No, this was the moment to resolve the conflict!

There was no joy in hiding.

Three seconds passed, and time around her resumed its flow.

Watching Mu Jin deftly evade the attack, Rosaria's demeanor shifted to one of earnest focus.

The clash of spear against katana resonated through the depths of the deserted forest, a symphony of steel.

Mu Jin was reacting almost purely on instinct, her body's innate reflexes guiding her counterattacks and defenses.

Despite being a level A Valkyrja, her practical combat experience was nonexistent.

She knew she had to build it up gradually.

Across from her, Rosaria was also feeling the strain, breathing heavily as she observed the intensely focused young girl.

She seemed to always conjure up bizarre methods to sidestep her assaults, then turn the tables to strike at her vulnerabilities...

But what puzzled Rosaria most was a peculiar sense of temporal distortion.

An unexplained pause in time...

Narrowing her eyes, Rosaria's excitement grew, and she licked her lips with anticipation.

This bout of overtime was proving to be quite enjoyable.

Suddenly, Mu Jin felt the primal gaze of a predator upon her, and her grip tightened instinctively around the hilt of the Demon Blade Rain Village.

Yet, the system's dispassionate, robotic tone provided her with an odd sense of security.

Ding! Susano-o was fully charged.