One of the most difficult things in life had to be the act of starting something. It sounded like the kind of shallow slogan you’d hear in a motivital speech, but on some level everyone knew that it was true. Obviously, starting something was not always physically hard or filled with obstacles. Rather, it was because of how easy it seemed to be that served to fuel the murky pit of anxiety in one’s guts. The thought alone becomes terrifying and taking action becomes impossible. It was only when one pushed past it and actually did the thing that they came to realize the truth: Your mind is lying to you.

That was what Ash realized about halfway through her week as an ordeal. Sure, it had been filled with many embarrassing moments, like having to adjust to her body's new needs and whatnot. By habit, the trainee had almost walked into the male bathroom once. Even in her impulsive state, the embarrassment of going into the woman’s restroom would’ve killed her so she took the unisex one. For the most part though, the changes had ended up being shockingly superficial at the end of the day. Her classes hadn’t changed, her training schedule hadn’t changed, The Goddess in the Clouds still updated every Tuesday without fail, etc. By about halfway through everyone had gotten used to Ash’s new state and life once again fell into her usual routine, with just a few alterations. She only got the occasional looks from her classmates- 

“Ash~!” A random student Ash couldn’t name but whose face she recognized from her class called out to her. The girl titled her head, showing off the flower clip in her hair. “What do you think about my new accessory?!”

“Why! It’s lovely, mademoiselle.” The Vintrkind had stolen that word from Miss Peach. It was certainly affecting, and it held a sort of heart throbbing energy that the girl just could not explain. “When a single flower blooms it’s beauty is admired, but when all of them are gathered together is when the festival begins.”

There was a moment of silence before her classmate laughed, a well meaning smile on her face as she dashed off. “Thanks for the compliment Ash!” 

The white haired girl nodded to herself in stoic silence. Internally however, she was breaking down. What kind of nonsense had just come out of her mouth?! Ash didn’t even know what she had meant back there!

...Alright so, she was downplaying how ‘back to normal’ things really were. It became quickly apparent to all of VEA that Ash would, in fact, respond to anything. Even unprompted. Even, once, during the middle of class. She was a raging ball of external flair and internal pain. Before she had even realized it, her classmates had jokingly begun to ask for her opinion just to see what kind of reaction would get a rise out of her. All of them did, except for ones that got too close and physical for comfort. Those got taken away by Magnolia. Ash didn’t know what they discussed, but when they returned they had never so much as glanced her way again. 

Now, she was almost dreading returning to life as a man. Ash missed it, she really did, but now she was beginning to realize that next week would probably be just as socially awkward as this one. What? She had just been thinking about the fact that she should ‘just do it’ and nothing was ever as bad as the mind makes it out to be? That platitude was only a comfort once everything had actually been done. 

Ash was promptly snapped out of her thoughts by a sudden sense of pain… At her rear. An electrifying jolt went through her body as the trainee jumped into the air. A hot flush dashed her cheeks as Ash turned to glare at the culprit. “Really?!”

Kyouko grinned, twirling a racket in her hand. “Man, with all the weird lines that come out of your mouth you could be a writer.”

“As if.” Reaching down into her belongings, Ash began to tie her hair up into a ponytail just like Magnolia had taught her. Why did becoming a girl come with an extra 2kg of weight in hair? Some questions she was sure she’d never get an answer to. “I’ve never had a girlfriend, there’s no way I could write a heart-throbbing romance story.”

Her darling, her best friend, the person whose side she would always stay by, bent over and spoke foulest betrayal. “And you think those guys do?!”

Kyouko continued to laugh by herself in the silence before she realized Ash wasn’t laughing along with her. No, the Vintrkind was staring at her with a frosty gaze few had ever seen as she picked up her own racket and entered the court. “Even if it’s from you, Kyo, I won’t allow such words to slide.”

“Feisty, huh?” The Midgardian girl stuck out her tongue before following in after her. “Come and bite me then, Vargr.”

The assurance that both of them wouldn’t starve to death had allowed the duo a little leeway in their hectic schedule. Sports had been one of the things they were trying out to fill the gap. Of course, they still remained focused on their goal of gaining as many points as possible to rank up. It just so happened to be that, while minor, VEA gave points to even the most obscure extra curricular activities they had to offer. You’d even gain a large sum if you managed to achieve something worthy of recognition. Naturally Kyouko had been all over that, and had soon dragged Ash into one of her schemes. Liesa was busy with something today and Magnolia had another meeting with whoever she talked with amongst the school staff, so it was just the two of them today. A privilege that would’ve been unthinkable back when VEA still thought they would attempt to become terrorists or something.

Actually, Kyouko was probably still on a watchlist.

She had chosen some sport called Squash? A two player game that consisted of hitting a ball against a wall at certain spots and trying to get the other person to game over. The sport was almost like tennis if you only had half a court. Ash hadn’t heard of it before and the only reason they played was because the courts were always free and air conditioned. It made for a good training exercise as well. While she had already gotten used to her transformed body in her Valkyrie mode, running around and swinging her arms like a normal person helped Ash to master the new size of her limbs. 

Getting all hot and sweaty though was definitely a downside though. How did normal people live like this? By habit she once almost waved a blast of cool air in her face only to stop herself as she felt the power of winter awaken in her body. What was usually a cool numbness felt more like a frigid knife to her senses. Instinctively the Vintrkind had shut it off, but was left shaken for a few moments. 

“You know!” Kyouko grinned as the ball ricocheted off the wall with a loud smack. “We’re never going to get those achievement points if you keep spacing out all the time!”

Ash’s feet moved quickly as she dashed over towards the ball before sending it back towards the wall. “I assume getting on the leaderboard is also a plus?”

“It’s always been my dream to lord my name over the unworthy masses!”

The two shared a laugh at the joke. They were newbies to the sport, so even if they got some achievements the points they would actually gain from this would be miniscule, maybe like a good dinner’s worth? The dream would be to collect enough points to get to A-Rank before they had even finished their first year at VEA. Well Ash said ‘Dream’, but in reality it was more of a deadline. Qualifying to become a Wing Candidate alone was a strict process and Ash was starting way later then any of the others she would be competing against. 

“We should actually look into who the Midgardian Wing Candidates are,” Ash mused out loud. “It feels kind of weird that I don’t know who they are since that’s what I’m trying to achieve.” 

“Just look for the most untrustworthy people here. Everyone knows the day you become the face of Midgard is the day when all your integrity dies.” Only someone who was born and raised there could sum up the Realm’s culture so succinctly. “But since you were born in Jotunheim, doesn’t that mean you could technically become its Wing? Not like there’s much competition there!”

“The Valkyrie of Frost and Ice,” Ash tested the title on her tongue. “Mmh, I think that’s got a good ring to it.”

“Oh no. Vargr has gone delusional. I always knew this day would come.”

“You’re the delusional one if you think you’re going to win this match.”

“Really?” Kyouko raised an eyebrow and Ash instantly regretted tempting the girl. For the next few minutes, the Vintrkind was constantly on edge, waiting to see what stunt she would pull. Knowing this, the black haired girl waited for as long as possible. It was then that Ash unfortunately realized that sports clothing had a tendency to highlight all the curves of the body. Kyouko swung her racket with an exaggerated flair. Twisting her body in just the right way to grab all of Ash’s attention. Even without enhanced senses, the Vintrkind could still see the way the drops of sweat that dripped down her delicate face, the way her hair fluttered in the air, the-

One missed swing born of distraction was all it took. The squash ball smashed right into her face. Ash let out a yelp of pain and tripped over her own feet, falling to the ground with a thump. With a groan, she glared up at her friend. “That was cheap.”

“Being hot is not a crime!” Kyouko protested before walking over and offering her hand. “I didn’t expect you’d become that much of a mess though. Let’s take a break here, that looks like it hurt.”

Wincing, Ash took her friend’s hands before leaning on her as they walked out of the house. Years of experience made them both aware of how to perform basic first aid on each other, and while Ash’s body was sore she wouldn’t be walking away with anything more than a bruise. The two trainees spent the remainder of the time making idle chit chat and drinking water before they inevitably came back to the topic of points. To be more specific, just how Kyouko was planning to acquire more of them. 

“It’s not like we can just do the simulator stunt again.” Kyouko kicked her feet in the air as she held her data pad in front of her face. “And all the hard light simulators are booked for who knows how long. Everyone here already knows the best ways to get points and it’s always just out of our reach. If we did things normally our only options would be to somehow score near perfect on the Midterms which uh, no offense Vargr but we both know that isn’t happening.” 

“None taken.” Even with all the help she had gotten, Ash still struggled with the academic side of everything. “But if ‘normal’ methods aren’t available… You’re thinking of something out of the box?”

“Well the best way would be if we did something like you pulled with Anemone. Getting someone rich to bet on our performance.” The schemer thought about it before shaking her head. With a click of her tongue, she continued. “The problem with that is everyone knows what you’re capable of now. A giant laser to the face isn’t exactly ‘subtle’ Vargr.”

“In my defense, the pig in human skin survived the blast. Regrettably.” Oh whoops, Ash had said a word or two too many. Good thing no one was around to hear that. “Does it really matter if everyone knows about Loptr? Intentionally getting people to bet on me without them knowing what I can do sounds like a scam. We both remember what happened to the last person who tried to scam us.”

That man was in jail now. It was the only place where he was safe.

“There is a very fine line between someone underestimating you and outright scamming them,” Kyouko’s voice came out in a venomous hiss. Scamming had always been a touchy subject for her, so Ash gave her a moment to cool down. She sighed. “Sorry, sorry. What else is there… Hey, how do you feel about becoming an Idol-”

“Absolutely not!” The Vintrkind swore. She didn’t need the power of winter for a shiver to run through her body at the very thought. “How would that even work anyways?!”

“Well you’re a very marketable face at the moment. Especially right now, you’re basically the star of the entire class and we have Wing Candidates as classmates.” Kyouko raised up a finger and Ash felt like she was listening to a devil on her shoulder. “Come on! We can market you in both of your forms! It’ll be great! You’re already learning how to be a great Valkyrie, you'd just need to learn how to sing, dance, model, and all that stuff on top! ...Wait, no. Most talents are supported by big companies with sponsors and contractual fuckery. Scrap that idea, it’s terrible.”

“That went into cynicism fast.”

“Hey, it's what I do best. Not my fault reality is a broken piece of junk.”

“Excuse me!” A new voice interrupted. The two looked up only to see a girl with short blue hair and sharp eyes walking up toward them, a gaggle of girls following her lead. She was definitely their senior, looking about a year or two older than Ash. Not a single wrinkle could be found on the girl’s uniform, and she proudly displayed a badge on her chest with the crest of a dragon. “You’re the Vintrkind aren’t you? Ash Whitelund?”

“That would be me, yes.” She replied smoothly. “To what do I owe the pleasure of such lovely ladies company?”

Ash could practically feel the disapproval radiating from these girls as they made no effort to hide their dirty glares. Their leader, whose name she still didn’t know, looked her up and down before snorting contemptuously. “If you’ve got time to play around like this then you’ve got time to train.”

Any trace of civility in Ash instantly vanished as her eyes flared. “Let me rephrase that: Who the fuck are you?”

“The name’s Sora, senior member of the Jade Dragon Study Group.” Well that was a pretentious as fuck name, and there was only one bitch Ash knew who would boldly call something that. “We came to give you a warning. There’s a lot of students here at VEA with a debt to Instructor Xiao Bai, so we don’t particularly take too kindly to your blatant disrespect.”

“Well then tell her to stop being a bitch and leave us alone!” Kyouko snapped back, standing up from her seat. “She is literally the worst teacher we have!”

“We’re just trying to live our lives as normal VEA students,” Ash added. “Xiao Bai is the one who’s engaging in hostilities with us. What do you think we should do regarding that?”

“Shut your mouth and take it,” was the blunt reply. “The Instructor’s tongue is harsh, yes, but she’s gone out of her way to personally forge us into better Valkyries. Your little spat with her, however, is digging into the time she can spend focusing on something productive. We don’t really care what exactly your grudge with her is, just that if it doesn’t end soon we will be taking action.”

Wow this sounded familiar. It was like a Midgard street gang, but run by academy girls. Some things just didn’t change no matter where you went, huh?

Sora turned to look towards Kyouko before lifting her head. “And for the record, I’ll be overlooking your words this one time. There’s a lot of you who don’t understand the Instructor’s true kindness. If you ever decide to actually make something of yourself, you’re welcome to attend our study group and see things with your own eyes.”

Ash resisted the urge to laugh. Usually it was her being the one offered a chance to join the enemy. Without even a word of farewell, the girl’s spun on their heels and marched back into the distance. The good mood between Ash and Kyouko had been completely wiped away, the two of them stewing in silence as they angrily glared holes into the trainees backs. 

The Vintrkind made the first move, turning towards her partner. “You’re not actually going to join them, right?”

A predatory smile appeared on Breaker’s face as she bared her fangs. “Vargr, I think we just found our new method of gaining points.”

---

“-And that’s why Kyo locked herself away in her room,” Ash concluded with a wary shrug. By the time that they had gotten back to her dorm, Kyouko had already stopped paying attention to reality. Her mind had become a whirl of thoughts and plans and she had barely talked to anyone for the rest of the evening. Since the Jade Dragon Study Group had personally antagonized them, whatever she was cooking up was most likely going to be big. 

“I see.” A tired sigh left Magnolia’s lips as she put her head between her hands. By now, night had already fallen, and the curfew was drawing to a close. Only the illumination of Ash’s lamp kept the room lit. “Tell me Ash, how likely is it that you can prevent her from making the situation worse?”

“At this point there’s no stopping her from doing something. All we can do is just try to prevent everything from exploding in our face.” And it would, as always. Hopefully they could control just what would happen this time. Narrowing her eyes, Ash continued. “Not that I particularly want to. If some cocked up harlots think they can get away with threatening us to our face, then we just have to hit them right back.”

“You two are a terrible influence on each other… But you are correct, they have escalated things and have personally antagonized you.” The Asgardian Wing Candidate nodded resolutely. “Very well. Make sure to keep me informed and I’ll handle things on the side of VEA. Know, however, that this is very much not how I would’ve liked for things to go.”

“Did you want to duel Xiao Bai in Valkyrie Combat when the bureaucracy inevitably failed?” Ash asked, only for Magnolia to remain silent. Subtly, she shifted her gaze away before closing her eyes entirely. In response, the Vintrkind barked out a laugh. “My, my Magnolia. You’d do that for me? I’m touched. That fiery spirit of yours is something I can’t help but love.”

“Really?” In a burst of motion, Magnolia the space between them, leaning in and forcing the Vintrkind to stare deep into her crystal blue eyes. “Then try saying that again after waiting for twenty seconds.”

Twenty seconds of stewing in her own embarrassment later, Ash’s cheeks were pulsing a hot red. “...I really do admire how you can charge right into things. I can only do that when I’m like this, and every time I just end up doing something that I regret.”

“Well, you already know all of the things I regret doing.” Magnolia sighed as she learned back, her lips twitching into a small smile. “But I’ll take those words as a compliment. Now, I believe we should be getting to bed, don’t you think? Miss Ingen won’t appreciate us talking into the night.”

“Right, about that…” They had been doing this for a few days now and there was something about this whole Girl Week arrangement that Ash still could not get over. Something vitally important. “Do you have to sleep in my room?”

“We’ve been over this. I need to make sure you aren’t cheating your way out of this challenge.” Magnolia, having already changed into her sleep wear that was little more than a soft silky fabric that covered her skin, adjusted herself onto the makeshift bed she had placed in Ash’s room. “In public everyone’s eyes are on you, but in the privacy of your own room? Several hours alone? Who knows what you might do.”

“You sound less worried that I might cheat and more that I might do something indecent.”

“Would you?”

Ash wasn’t going to answer that.

“Ahem,” Ash coughed, shaking away whatever thoughts had popped into her mind. “Surely you must’ve thought of other ways right?”

“I have yes, but this is by far the cheapest and simplest solution,” the blonde claimed. “The alternatives would’ve been too complicated. For instance, since there’s such a drastic difference in your build as male and female, if we were to put a tracking collar on you-”

“Try it and I’ll rip your throat out.” Ash snarled, knuckles tightening, nails digging into her skin as she trembled in sudden fury. It was only when the Vintrkind’s blinding rage began to clear and she saw the wide eyed look on Magnolia’s face, that she realized what she had just said. Crap, what was Ash supposed to say now? “...I don’t do collars.”

“...I-I see.” Magnolia spoke softly, her voice wavering. “It’s got something to do with why you insist on hiding your neck, right? That scar of yours.”

Ash flinched, backing away onto her bed and reaching for the spot in question. She could still feel it despite the thick wool of her sweater. When choosing her clothing for this week, her main condition had been one thing: Outfits that hid her neck as much as possible. Apparently not even transforming into a Valkyrie could remove the scar from her body.

“Ash, you know so much about me, but on the other hand I know so little about you.” Bitterly, the blonde laughed before giving a wistful sigh. “Just who you were before you came to Valhalla, what happened to you… I admit, sometimes I get a little jealous of how close you are to Kyouko.”

“I prefer to leave those memories frozen. That’s the only way to live in this sunless world.” And the only response the child of winter could give. 

“But isn’t this exercise supposed to thaw your heart?” the Invincible Warrior countered. “Can you not even open yourself up to me?”

Before she could even think about it, her mouth opened. She didn’t know what she was going to say, only that before she could Magnolia moved. Quieting the Vintrkind by pressing a finger to her lips. “I don’t want to hear it now. Hearing it when you’re transformed is little more than coercion with your poor impulse control. When the day finally does come that you have the courage to speak, I want to hear it from you properly. As yourself and no one else. Promise me that, Ash?”

“...I swear.” Ash vowed. “I’ll tell you one day Magnolia. Just, not now.”

“Don’t keep me waiting too long alright?” Both girls collapsed on to their mattress with a tired sigh. “And congratulations. The week is almost over. Think that you’ve grasped what Miss Zima wanted you too?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure.” Ash laughed. “Hopefully, I wouldn’t want to disappoint her after all. Then I’d probably have to keep this up for another week.”

“Pity. A lot of us enjoyed being taller than you for once.” Wow a direct attack in the sore spot. Not cool. “Goodnight, Ash.”

“Night Magnolia.” The Vintrkind closed her eyes. 

---

In truth, Ash didn’t get much sleep that night. To be more accurate, ever since she committed to this experiment Ash found herself unable to fall asleep every night. Another thing she didn’t realize she was using her veterblood to do was using the comfortable chill to lull herself to sleep. Now without it, the Vintrkind often found herself spending more time with thoughts bouncing around her skull then actually being asleep. Her previous conversation with Magnolia didn’t help. 

Ash didn’t have any idea of how long she spent like that, but eventually it all grew too much for her. The D-Class Dorms had a strict curfew, but once Magnolia had fallen fast asleep the Vintrkind tossed herself off the bed. She had to move, had to be doing something, anything, to get her mind off of things. Quietly, Ash snuck downstairs before opening the door and taking a step outside, allowing the cool night air of Valhalla to brush gently across her skin. 

That was when she heard it. Deep into the forest that surrounded Ash’s current home and away from the towering city in the distance, was a melody. Faint enough that she had to strain her ears to hear it. Before Ash even realized it, she found herself walking deeper into the woods. Following the calming notes, until eventually she arrived at its source. Ash’s breath caught in her throat. 

Sitting on a tree stump was a girl with deep red hair, holding a guitar in her hands. Artificial moonlight framed her face, revealing deep bags under her eyes as they held an unhealthy droop. Despite her seemingly exhausted state, she expertly plucked at the strings of her instrument with masterful skill. Every note wove together in a melody that enchanted Ash’s ears. The sound was gentle and soothing, but just when Ash thought she was going to fall asleep the musician came to a sudden halt. 

A heavy silence weighed down upon the pair before the girl spoke, her voice soft but firm. “...76 Decibels.”

“Excuse me?” Ash replied, taken aback by the sudden statistic. 

“That’s how loud the usual racket you and your friends cause is. I measured.” Setting her instrument down, the redhead turned towards the Vintrkind. “Ever since the start of the semester I keep having to wake up early thanks to your anitics. Keep the volume down, will you?”

“Ah, sorry.” She apologized. The mysterious girl stood up and began to walk away, causing Ash to hurriedly call out to her. “Wait a minute! Just who are you?”

The musician's footsteps came to a halt as she decided upon how to answer. “...No one a star like you would care to remember.”

“It’s rude to just decide that for other people.” Ash took a step closer. “You clearly know who I am, but I’ve never seen you around before. You can at least tell me your name right?”

“Victoria Stark.” The name didn’t ring any bells, but that didn’t seem to surprise Victoria. “I’m the one who was living in the dorms before you moved in.”

A faint memory sparked to life inside of Ash’s skull. Something Kyouko had mentioned off-handedly on the day he first arrived at VEA. “You’re the mysterious senior that nobody’s seen before!”

She nodded. “Fifth year.”

Wait, that couldn’t be right. “VEA doesn’t go up to five years.”

“Yeah, why do you think I’m stuck here in this dump?” Victoria’s tone was sharp as her eyes turned to daggers. It didn’t take Ash long to realize just what that meant: The girl in front of him was a repeating student. Having already failed to graduate from the curriculum once, she was held back enough to the point that she fell to the D-Class Dorm.  “Though you did make the dorm much more livable than before. About the best thing that’s occurred since you arrived.”

“Oh. Well, you’re welcome.” Though Ash couldn’t take credit for that, Magnolia had donated the necessary funds all on her own. As if trying to end the conversation as soon as possible, Victoria didn’t even bother to reply. Continuing to head back to the door with her instrument slung around her back. Unable to stop herself from talking, Ash followed closely behind her. “Your music is beautiful by the way.”

“It’s a vain and pointless skill. Nothing more than self-flattery. Unable to be of use to anyone and just a waste of time. At least that’s what they tell me.” The last part was whispered under Victoria’s breath but Ash still caught it, unable to believe her ears. What? Just who could say that? “Not that they’re wrong. No matter how much I play, it won’t help me become a Valkyrie. Only reason I picked it up tonight is because I needed to destress after the commotion you have been causing all week. Just when I start to relax, the very source of my stress shows up at my feet.” 

The temporary girl winced. “I’ll tell the others to keep it down. It’s just been a very hectic week and we didn’t realize how much of a bother we’ve been to you.”

“Look,” Victoria came to a halt just as they reached the entrance to the dorm. She glanced over her shoulder before giving a frustrated sigh. “I don’t particularly care what’s going on in your life. I’m too busy trying to make enough points to stay a VEA student and actually graduate. The only thing that I care about is becoming a Valkyrie, no matter what. As long as you don’t get in the way of that, then we can safely ignore each other until you finally move out of this rotting hovel.”

“I don’t want to hear complaints about the dorm from the ones who are breaking curfew!” Miss Ingen’s voice rang through the night as the old woman opened the door and stepped outside into the night. “Both of you get back to bed or else I’m not going to be cooking your meals tomorrow.”

Victoria winced, no doubt feeling the pains of a struggling D-Class Valkyrie as she slipped her hands into her pockets and stepped back into the dorm. With a resigned voice, she spoke. “Yes, Dorm Manager.”

Ash watched her disappear inside the door before Miss Ingen grabbed the Vintrkind’s attention with a cough. “Don’t… Don’t take her attitude too personally. Victoria is under a lot of stress. The D-Class dorm was meant for struggling students like her, not outliers like you.”

“Victoria is downright pleasant compared to what I’ve had to deal with lately.” Being told to just leave someone alone was remarkably refreshing with all the girls here who wanted to antagonize Ash. “Is being a fifth year student really that harsh?”

The senior staff member nodded gravely. “The amount of points required to stay a student increases with every semester and the opportunity to get those points dwindle as newer students take them first. By that point, most students drop out and go back to their home realm. Victoria however… doesn’t have a place to go back to. I’ve tried to convince her that getting a job here at VEA instead is just as valid an option, but she keeps insisting on becoming a Valkyrie no matter what. If there’s one thing that girl doesn’t lack, it’s sheer stubbornness.”

Before Ash could respond, Miss Ingen waved her back inside. “Come on, back to bed with you. Consider your midnight stroll over and done.”

The Vintrkind nodded before quietly entering the dorm, sneaking back to her room so as to not wake Magnolia up. Slipping into the warmth of her blankets, Ash closed her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep. It still took her an hour before she finally lost consciousness. Now she had even more to think about before. Most of all...

In the end, Ash never was able to get that melody out of her head, nor the moonlight guitarist who played it.