Raiden Mei is a Chuunibyou.
Even though she hides it well, perhaps this noble eldest miss of the Raiden family doesn't even know what Chuunibyou is.
Judging from her intentional or unintentional behavior in daily life, she is indeed a hopeless Chuunibyou patient.
There is a small difference here. For someone like Mei who has been exposed to the Honkai side since childhood, it is inevitable that her personality leans towards what ordinary people see as Chuunibyou.
A simple example: When Fuli was young, he used a sword to bully the children in the southern village, but he could only bully the children.
He couldn't unleash sword energy, nor could he eliminate demons and defend the path.
Mei is different. Having practiced Hokushin Ittō-ryū since childhood, she could really do the things Fuli used to dream of.
Chuunibyou?
If she can actually do it, how is that Chuunibyou?
That's called keeping one's word, the unity of knowledge and action! She effectively declares to the world: "Perhaps I am cringe, but that makes me free!"
But the problem is, Mei is overly unified in knowledge and action.
Take the Hokushin Ittō-ryū mentioned before as an example. This ancient sword style was created by the Far East Sword Saint "Hokushin · Wasuregawa no Kami · Mei" active during the Sengoku period, combining a large number of Eastern schools. Its secrets are the Pole Style sword forms and the core Heavenly Eye.
These sword forms originally had simple and beautiful names, fully embodying what it means to have both style and substance.
However, in Mei's hands, everything changed...
San-zu Withered Crossing became First Form · Godspeed · Takemikazuchi...
Four-Phase Severing Self became Second Form · Soul Blade · Boundless Blade Emperor...
Eight Thunder Flying Crossing became Third Form · Momiji Hunting · Eight Million Gods...
Momiji Rain · All Empty became Final Form · Tsumukari · Seven Generations of the Age of the Gods...
In the previous loop, Mei tried to teach this set of family heirloom ancient swordsmanship to Fuli, so she told him the origins of these move names.
Teacher Mei spoke very seriously. Her opening and closing tender lips and the white shirt + black stockings teacher outfit she specially changed into were also very charming.
Fuli, however, felt like he was hit by critical strikes of dark history N times.
It was as if she had looked her internal cybernetic physician (Gray Serpent) dead in the eye and commanded: "Doktor, turn off my cringe inhibitors!"
And when the good Doktor warned, "But Raiden Mei, you'll lose Faces!" she just screamed, "DO IT!"
God! I was fucking joking, why did you actually do it?!
Help! I haven't been a Chuunibyou for many years! Why do dead memories crawl out to attack me?
The key is that this girl also has a habit: she must call out these move names during battle, and when she gets excited, she will shout "I'm MEI!"
In her words, this is a respect for the enemy and herself, an ancestral instruction passed down by the Hokushin ancestors.
Then she asked Fuli to do the same, reasoning that since he learned Hokushin Ittō-ryū, he had to inherit the habits of their Raiden family.
At that time, Fuli looked reluctant, thinking: You respect your ancestors so much, does the old lady know that you changed the move names she passed down into something so flamboyant? Ancestral laws in a quantum superposition state cannot be changed, right?
But he still agreed readily. Free transcendent ancient swordsmanship, so what if it's a bit Chuunibyou? Practicality comes first.
Unfortunately, just a few days after the specific teaching began, a small accident happened at St. Freya, causing Mei to have to leave when Fuli had only learned the general framework.
When they met again, this girl had already joined the World Serpent.
Her strength skyrocketed to S-rank, not to mention she became extremely busy.
Moreover, at that time, Fuli had already combined Hokushin Ittō-ryū, Momentary Cut (which is Sakura · Scatter), the observed Edge of Taixuan, and other swordsmanship concepts to form his own fighting style, so the demand for the original version was not so strong.
The groom had no passion, the concubine had no intention, so this matter naturally fell through.
To sum up, even if Mei's reaction was different from the suspicious Kiana, Fuli wasn't too surprised.
With this girl's personality, suspecting that his sudden increase in strength was due to an extra-marital affair (encounter/inheritance) was simply too normal.
"Ah, yes yes yes."
He perfunctorily replied and beckoned with an empty hand.
Mikazuki Munechika, which had pierced the fire door, buzzed and returned to his hand along with the sheath.
"I obtained the inheritance of an ancient Sword Saint by coincidence, and this strength was also instilled by him via enlightenment."
Hmm, I'll use this reason to fob off Kiana later too.
Someone thought heartlessly.
"I knew it!"
Mei's eyes lit up, and her expression became somewhat impatient.
She put down the hand resting on the hilt of her sword and walked towards this side with flying steps.
A figure quickly blocked her.
"No! Mei! Do you believe him or do you believe I am Qin Shi Huang?"
Kiana was speechless. Fuli's reason couldn't even fool a three-year-old child.
"I believe him." The girl didn't hesitate. "Qin Shi Huang was male. Kiana, you cannot be Qin Shi Huang."
"What if he wasn't?" Kiana advised earnestly. "Besides, Mei, look, isn't it popular now to confiscate the tools of historical figures (genderbend)? King Arthur became a blonde cute girl, so why can't the First Emperor be a woman?"
"Off-topic, right?" Fuli made a sarcastic remark from the side. "And how dare you assume Qin Shi Huang's gender? Maybe in a certain world line, the First Emperor is genderless, mechanically ascended and assimilated with the Epang Palace, with Noble Phantasms being the Satellite Great Wall and Space-based Kinetic Energy Railgun." (FGO Reference)
"Hiss—!" Kiana sucked in a breath of cold air. "Whose general is this again?!"
"Whose general it is doesn't matter." Fuli pushed her aside and came to Mei. "We are going to explore a place next, and we are recruiting teammates for this."
"I'll join!"
Mei spoke forcefully, without a trace of hesitation in her eyes.
"Mei, won't you reconsider?"
Clearly, she was full of joyful anticipation for Mei joining before, but seeing her agree to Fuli's invitation so decisively, Kiana felt a little jealous.
She huffed and puffed, squeezing Fuli aside, and actively met Mei's crimson-purple eyes. "I know this guy Ah-Li a bit. If he has thoughts of finding teammates, it definitely won't be something small!"
This girl witnessed Fuli calculating Shrine Maiden RIN from beginning to end last night. That calm and breezy demeanor had already been deeply imprinted in her heart.
Mei was ultimately just a C-rank with relatively outstanding strength. Participating in such an adventure, the probability of an accident was definitely not small.
...