If it was Otto, it was entirely possible he'd do something like this.
After all, that clown never played by the rules.
He was the kind of guy who could comfortably say something like, "Although you lost your father, you still have me..."
As Li Wu fell into a deep conflict, Raiden Mei continued her explanation.
"Once they reach adulthood, Schicksal provides them with the best living conditions. The highest-quality food, luxurious residences, the latest technology—any entertainment product on the market can be delivered to their hands the same day just by asking."
"It's like that novel where humans are raised by aliens, living happily until they turn sixty, only to be eaten on their sixtieth birthday. However, slightly better than the humans in that novel, they can temporarily leave Schicksal HQ and return to the normal world we live in now."
Raiden Mei paused, her soft gaze falling back onto Li Wu's face. "As long as they pay the price and apply for a brief 'freedom' with a valid reason, they can temporarily leave Schicksal HQ once the application is approved."
"Take Anna, for example. She must have been trained as Schicksal HQ's most loyal Valkyrie since childhood and has likely accumulated a lot of merit. That's why she was able to leave so easily and attend Chiba Academy. The only pity is that she won't be here for long. One week, two weeks, half a semester at most, and she'll leave to return to her Valkyrie squad at HQ to continue executing missions."
"So, they will all leave sooner or later. I am the only one who will always stay by your side, Little Li. In the end, only I will be here."
Having said all this, Raiden Mei looked quietly at Li Wu. Her eyes were gentle and expressive, carefully observing every change in his expression.
Li Wu stood on the inside; she stood closer to the railing on the outside.
The sky remained bright. The selfless sunlight offered itself up, attempting to illuminate the entire planet.
But that was an impossible task. To illuminate the south meant leaving the north in shadow. Even if the sun cut itself into pieces and scattered them across the globe, it could never light up a dark room specifically designed to keep the light out.
There were always places in the world that light couldn't reach.
Li Wu opened his mouth. Raiden Mei knew his personality very well. In her mind, she fully expected Li Wu to say something like, "That fate is too pitiful. I want to try and save Kiana."
Then, she could naturally agree, fight alongside him, and engage in some light maneuvering without crossing Schicksal's bottom line.
Once Li Wu recognized reality and gave up, she would remain steadfast by his side. And at that time, feeling dejected, Li Wu would be at his most vulnerable and easily dependent...
However, Raiden Mei didn't hear a speech about salvation from Li Wu. Instead, he asked: "Mei, do you have Anna's phone number?"
Raiden Mei: "???"
Wait, what?
This isn't how the script goes! You're supposed to clench your fists and swear to save Kiana! You're supposed to fight and lose, fight and lose again, and finally give up in despair! Then you'd become dependent on me and never be able to leave me!
Fine, even if you don't want to save Kiana, what do you mean by asking for Anna's phone number?!
"No, but I can get it. I just need to make a trip to the staff office. The new student's file should still be on the homeroom teacher's desk." Raiden Mei was utterly baffled, completely unable to understand why Li Wu had asked that.
Li Wu took out his phone, checked the time, and turned to run down the stairs. "Send me Anna's phone number as soon as possible. I have something important to take care of. If the teacher asks when you get back, just make up an excuse for me."
With that, Li Wu disappeared around the corner of the stairwell.
Raiden Mei's outstretched hand hung in the air. Only when the dry summer wind blew past the railing and brushed her slender fingers did she lower it, pursing her lips.
"Honestly, I'm finding it harder and harder to understand you, Little Li. You always disrupt my plans..."
"On the first day, I wanted to pierce through your hypocrisy, kill you, and then kill myself. On the second day, I wanted to play along and drag you down into the abyss with me. On the third day... Heh, it turns out I'm a hopeless fool too. To think I fell in love with an idiot in just three days, even though I was ready to die, even though I stopped caring about anyone's feelings long ago..."
Raiden Mei clutched her chest. That dead, foul heart of hers—once filled with malice and filthy words—was fluttering to life again, though she couldn't say when it had started.
Like a fledgling pushed off a cliff by its mother, she had suddenly found the sensation of flying. She flapped her wings tirelessly, trying her best to live well in this oppressive and cruel world.
Her father imprisoned, her friends betraying her, the teachers enabling the abuse...
Human nature was inherently evil. "Innocence," "kindness," and "gentleness" were nothing but disguises people wore to fit into society. Once the constraints of rules were lost, they would tear off their masks and reveal their true, ugly selves.
She knew her own heart was riddled with holes and incredibly twisted. She had hoped someone would grant her the "terrible ending she deserved."
That was how she was supposed to be. That was how it was supposed to end.
Dying in a pathetic, ugly way...
But then she met him—someone so dreamy he felt unreal.
"What am I going to do? I don't think I can leave you anymore... Even if you have your little secrets. Even if you mention other women right in front of my face... It's okay. I forgive you."
Raiden Mei walked over to the mirror above the sinks and muttered to herself, a tender but cold light flowing in her eyes.
A wisp of blood-red light, like a blooming flower bud, spread through her purple pupils. Faint sparks of lightning crackled between her fingers.
"Kiana can't understand you. Anna won't walk by your side..."
"Even if the misunderstandings are cleared up, and Kiana cares about you again; even if Anna fights alongside you; even if your classmates and teachers praise and encourage you... in the end, they will all leave you, just like before."
"Only I won't. I will always be here... Even if you commit an unforgivable mistake that the world cannot tolerate, I will stay by your side. I will forgive you for every wrong you do to me."
"I will always be proud of you, Little Li. But my power alone isn't enough to keep you, so..."
As she closed and opened her eyes, a distinct, vivid blood-red glow appeared in her pupils.
"I am here."
Raiden Mei gripped the ceramic edge of the sink with both hands. After releasing a fraction of her "authority," the ceramic crumbled, leaving only fine dust in her palms.
Her cold gaze lingered on the dust for a moment before she washed it down the drain. Her crimson eyes shifted back to gentle, tender purple.
"I can barely control it. The only issue is that my personality undergoes a very unfamiliar shift..." Raiden Mei thought of Li Wu's special state from before. The corners of her mouth suddenly turned up, and she smiled with deep affection. "So this is what Little Li experienced back then. Now we're the same. How wonderful~ We are the only true kin in this world."
To be able to wrest control back from a Herrscher persona... Li Wu and she were truly one of a kind.