"Sis Klein? What are you doing here?"
Seeing the newcomer, Fu Li was completely bewildered, feeling as if a thousand question marks were floating above his head.
He never imagined he would run into a workaholic like Klein in a place like this, and by the looks of it, she seemed quite pleased with the situation.
"Mhm? What's wrong? I don't have much work right now, and I figured I'd take the opportunity to relax a bit."
Ignoring the simultaneously frozen expressions on Pardo and Mei, Klein naturally stood beside Fu Li and began chatting, exuding an aura that clearly said, 'I'm very close with Fu Li, so don't you dare interrupt.'
However, Fu Li's instincts allowed him to remain blissfully unaware of these undercurrents. He simply nodded and said, "Oh, I see. That is quite a coincidence. By the way, Sis Klein, what's your seat number?"
"Hmm... let me see." Klein took out her ticket, casting a casual glance over at Pardo, and chuckled softly. "What a pity. I'm S-008. It looks like there will be one or two people between us."
But~ that means I'll be sitting right next to Pardo.
Klein's eyes darkened slightly, but she kept that thought to herself, continuing to chat like an old friend.
She wasn't particularly fond of music; her purpose for coming here was simple. She was here on behalf of Dr. Mobius—or rather, on behalf of herself—to keep an eye on Pardo and ensure she didn't do anything out of line.
"Since we've run into each other, do you all want a ride in my car on the way back? It's quite large, plenty of room for everyone."
"Oh, okay. We'll be troubling you then, Sis Klein."
"It's nothing. Besides, I wouldn't feel right leaving you children out here alone. You know, among Nihon's local specialties are perverts and gropers, so it's better to be cautious."
As she spoke of perverts and gropers, Klein first glanced at Pardo, then towards the curtains of the stage, and finally at herself, selectively excluding herself from the category.
After all, given Dr. Li's current age, he'd be of legal age in just two more years. There was no need to rush things.
"I'll head to my seat now, Fu Li."
"Right, okay."
As the green-haired woman returned to her seat, Mei asked in a voice she tried to keep neutral, "Li... who is that older sister?"
After the words left her mouth, Mei took a deep breath, feeling her heart beat a little faster as she subconsciously clenched her fists.
It had been less than a week since she had seen that woman supporting Li back to his bedroom through the window. Naturally, Mei hadn't forgotten that face.
It was shameful to admit, but ever since that day, whenever she did her homework, she would find herself looking up at Fu Li's room across the hall. To put it nicely, it was curiosity. To put it bluntly, it was peeping.
Although Mei knew she didn't have any strange intentions, her proper upbringing made this behavior a torment—what the internet would call a "sense of transgression."
Yet, despite knowing it was wrong, as Fu Li's first friend since he transferred, Mei had always believed their relationship was the closest. But even she had never been given the opportunity to freely enter his room.
And yet, in a single week, she had seen Klein enter his apartment five times! Five whole times!
Although it seemed Klein was just stopping by each time, the recently sensitized Mei felt a dull ache in her heart. As the former "Queen of Thunder" of Senba Academy, Mei felt as though her territory had been violated. That was why she was being uncharacteristically serious about this matter.
However, the answer Fu Li gave a moment later made her feel both exasperated and amused.
"Uh, that's Sis Klein. She's my neighbor in the apartment across from mine."
"She's usually very busy with work and can only eat instant noodles or frozen food when she gets back. I thought that was unhealthy, so I often just cook her portion along with mine. We just eat together occasionally."
"Don't worry about me getting taken advantage of; Sis Klein is very generous. She gives me plenty of money for groceries, and the extra I get to keep is basically like a little side job."
Eating together often?
Don't worry about being taken advantage of?
Hearing Fu Li's characteristically dense reply, Mei was suddenly infuriated.
Does this guy really not know how incredibly tempting his looks and personality are to those corporate-slave older women?
A handsome, gentle youth who cooks for you and waits for you to come home every day... he's practically a "big-sister killer"! If it were some of the wealthy socialites she used to know, they would have tried to sponsor him without a second thought.
Despite the hostility she felt towards Klein, Mei didn't let it show for the moment. She simply straightened her back, her expression growing a little more stern.
As the young mistress of the Raiden family, Mei knew that if she voiced her suspicions directly, not only would it fail to make Fu Li cautious, but it might also give him the impression that she was jealous.
Therefore, to successfully expose Klein's true colors, she had to find sufficient evidence and then strike with a single, fatal blow.
Just you wait, Klein! I will definitely take Fu Li back from you!
As the possessiveness in Mei's heart grew stronger, she failed to notice the strands of her hair fanning out slightly behind her, faint arcs of electricity beginning to manifest between them.
Since Fu Li was spacing out, this tiny detail went unnoticed. Only Pardo and Klein glanced over, then quickly and tacitly looked away.
"It seems that girl is about to awaken," Klein communicated through the mental network, sinking into her soft seat and taking a sip of milk tea.
This was a mental network constructed by Hua, allowing specific people to communicate within a spiritual realm, making it nearly impossible for others to detect.
"It's only the Third Herrscher. What's there to fear?" Pardo rolled her eyes, replying through the same link.
"You're right. The Herrschers of this era aren't as strong as the ones we faced. But don't forget, we cannot intervene so easily."
"After all, while we've hidden our existence through special means, if we act too frequently, those means will fail. By then, the Honkai intensity of this era would likely become terrifying."
"Yes, yes, yes. I know the basics. You don't need to give me a special reminder."
Pardo replied irritably in their sea of consciousness, crossing her arms.
As former Flame-Chasers, they would indeed resort to all sorts of schemes to compete for Li's first confession in this era, but that didn't mean they had forgotten their mission. They were the secret guardians of this age, the world's final line of defense. Not a single one of them would forget this shared purpose.
But...
As the host slowly walked out from behind the curtain, Pardo and Klein exchanged a glance. They both set aside their troubles and shared a knowing smile.
The real show was about to begin.