"It seems you're still reluctant."
Faced with Prometheus's evasion, Dr. Mei sighed faintly. "I understand. Unlike me, who only woke up a couple of days ago, you've been trapped in the sunless Imaginary Space for a full fifty thousand years. Now that you've finally found a link to the real world, no one would let it go easily."
"Who was the last link again? Ah, right. It was that little purple-haired girl who called herself Sirin."
She clapped her hands, her tone slow and measured. "Calling you 'God' so affectionately... and in the end, the Will of the Honkai she believed in really did get so caught up in playing house with the little girl that she failed to retreat in time, taking the full force of Hua's Edge of Taixuan."
Prometheus waved her hand, cutting her off. "Don't make it sound like I deliberately shielded the Herrscher of the Void from that attack. I didn't have self-awareness back then."
Although the people of the current civilization often referred to the supreme existence above the Herrschers as the "Honkai God" or the "Will of the Honkai," the phenomenon of the Honkai originally had no will to speak of.
It was at the end of the Previous Era that the Flame-Chasers, who had stormed the moon to fight the Herrscher of the Finality, assisted Prometheus No. 17 in hacking into it. This triggered a multidimensional resonance phenomenon known as the Imaginary Renormalization Group, which in turn shackled the Honkai with what could be called a "mind," fixing the types of Herrschers that would be born to be the same as those of the Previous Era.
As a price, Prometheus, having hacked into Imaginary Space, had to become a part of the Imaginary Renormalization Group. She was mercilessly swallowed by the surging tides of the Imaginary, left in a dazed stupor until the one and only [backdoor program] was awakened in the future by someone in the correct manner.
However, plans rarely go as expected.
During the Second Eruption, the Herrscher of the Void, gravely wounded and near death at the hands of the Herrscher of Reason, reached the moon with the help of her companion Honkai Beast, Benares. Not only did she absorb the powers of Conquest, Desire, Serenity, and Haste sealed on the moon, but she also established a link with the Will of the Honkai.
Later, this very link was severed by the full power of Fu Hua's Edge of Taixuan: Eminence. This caused a small part—the human aspect of Prometheus—to be temporarily detached from the Imaginary Renormalization Group, becoming a semi-independent entity wandering the lunar surface. But this also resulted in her emotional side far outweighing her rational side.
That was why Dr. Mei was reminding her in this way, warning her not to develop any unnecessary feelings for Fuli.
What they needed was intelligence. What good would it be if she threw herself into the mix? A love story between an AI and a carbon-based lifeform? The untold story of a 50,000-year-old virgin and a sixteen-year-old piece of fresh meat?
Wait, didn't that kid say he dislikes humans?
Prometheus, of course, knew what Dr. Mei meant.
The girl's face was expressionless. "My disguise as the AI of the Finality Coordinator System is solely to obtain intelligence from 'Fuli' about the present and future of the main world. Once the information is acquired, I will immediately sever my connection with him to avoid unnecessary investment."
Hilarious. It's like watching a young couple being broken up by a toxic parent.
"You're sure?"
"I am."
"Even though this is your first connection with the outside world since regaining your personality?"
"Even so."
"Then I'll take the next shift online and make contact with the boy?"
"...Pick a suitable time. As for the excuse..."
"The system AI's model is based on people the Host is familiar with in his interpersonal relationships, correct?"
Dr. Mei pressed her fingertips together, her mature and intellectual voice filled with teasing. "Tell me, should I claim to be based on the appearance of his secret crush? That little girl named Raiden Mei should be Dr. MEI's alternate-timeline counterpart from fifty thousand years in the future, right?"
The still-charming mother-in-law, after breaking up the couple, immediately comes out to get close to the son-in-law. If this were a story on one of those fanfiction apps, it could easily spawn over 100,000 words of content.
"He does not have a secret crush on Raiden Mei."
Prometheus said, "And Raiden Mei is not like Dr. MEI at all."
"But they're clearly cut from the same mold?"
"I'm talking about their inner character."
"I beg to differ."
To this, Dr. Mei remained noncommittal.
...
"Bella! You, you take five thousand men and bring down the Tower of Babel!"
"Take the cavalry! God said the cavalry is super fierce! No, no catapults, catapults are useless! Avrora, listen to me, use the cavalry, the cavalry is super fierce..."
"What do you mean cavalry can't siege a city? Of course they can!"
"Forget it, Galina and Agata, bring that... what's-it-called, the Franky. Just bombard them for me..."
In the pitch-black basement of the villa, a beautiful girl with a waterfall of deep purple hair opened her eyes, which were framed by a pair of dark circles that quite ruined her looks.
She glanced at Kiana, whose sleep-talking was becoming increasingly outrageous, her weary gaze a mixture of helplessness and affection.
Gently pushing away the girl's arm that was wrapped around her, Mei got up and straightened her wrinkled collar.
Then, she turned and silently made her way to the second floor.
Hearing the footsteps behind him, Fuli, leaning against the window, turned his head. "Sleep well?"
"Fine."
Mei tried to hide it demurely, but the "smoky makeup" on her beautiful, bare face betrayed her.
As long as Fuli is awake, Bronya can't possibly cause any trouble.
With this thought in mind, Mei had tried to get some proper sleep for the past three hours.
Unfortunately, who knows what kind of stimulant Kiana was on (her heart was all sweet from Fuli's compliment), but for the first half-hour after returning from her watch, she was beaming like a spring blossom. Then, after finally being lulled to sleep, she started talking nonsense in her dreams.
It was so noisy that even though Mei was drowsy, she just couldn't fall asleep. After a few repeated attempts, she gave up on sleeping and settled for resting with her eyes closed.
Seeing the girl unable to stop herself from stifling another yawn, Fuli thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you go back and rest a bit more? I can keep watch here—Yaaawn~"
Great, the yawn was contagious.
"No need."
Mei shook her head and walked to her friend's side.
Carefully tidying his messy sideburns, she held the Escape Dagger in her arms and smiled gently. "I'll take it from here. Fuli, you go get some rest."
"Alright. If anything happens, don't be shy. Just call for me and I'll be there in a flash."
"In that case, how about I shout, 'Help me, Mr. Fuli!'?"
"Maybe throw Kiana's name in there too. Otherwise, that brat will get all bent out of shape with me afterward."
"No way! A development like that is much more interesting~"
"Gah! Hurry up and give me back my gentle and considerate angel Mei!"
The boy picked up the Mikazuki Munechika that had been resting by his right hand and ran theatrically towards the stairs.
Upon reaching the landing, he turned and winked at Mei. "See you in three hours, then?"
"And don't you dare lay a hand on the fragrant and soft Kiana while I'm gone! And cooking the rice before it's time is absolutely forbidden!"
"How is that even possible?"
Fuli thought Miss Raiden was being far too imaginative.
There's reproductive isolation between humans and paramecia!
...
The city lights in the dead of night were exceptionally lonely and distant. The skyscrapers stood like silhouettes, adding a layer of weight and oppression to the scene.
A biting cold wind, as sharp as a sudden rain, raged in the sorrowful, cold air, causing the sunshine doll under the eaves to flutter and sway erratically. Its slightly upturned lips seemed to mock as much as they pitied.
Mei watched her friend's back disappear at the stairwell. Confirming that the footsteps and vibrations of his movement were fading away, the smile on her face slowly vanished.
"Fuli?"
She called out softly.
No one responded.
"Fuli? Kiana?"
She called out again.
Still, no one answered.
Confirming that she was truly alone, the girl's spine felt as if it had been violently ripped out by a pair of invisible hands!
She stumbled against the cold wall, her strengthless body slowly sliding to the floor.
Even now, Raiden Mei was still completely at a loss.
Just a few months ago, she had been the renowned young lady of ME Corp at Chiba Academy, living in a grand manor that countless people couldn't afford in a lifetime, riding in a luxury car imported from North America.
Every day she woke up, attentive maids would be there to help her dress and wash up. Delicacies from all over the world were hers to taste, and her mastery of kendo was unparalleled.
Even after her father was imprisoned for a major financial fraud case and their assets were frozen, she could still use a wooden sword to crack the skulls and break the spines of all those who had ill intentions towards her.
The once gentle and proper Lady Mei had transformed into a famously cold and formidable woman. She even had two friends who had crossed oceans to be by her side. Next up was forming an invincible squad to roam the world, dispensing justice and seeking vengeance.
But just as the good days were about to arrive, her life took a sharp downturn. She became a fugitive, hunted by Anti-Entropy, not only dragging her friends down with her but having to be careful even when eating or sleeping!
The most crucial thing was that the boy of the two was now getting ambiguously close with the culprit's daughter, and the girl who had once stood firmly by her side was being subtly influenced by him, gradually coming to accept her!
Am I being excluded?
Shouldn't I be seeking revenge on the accomplice who framed my father?
Do I really have to pretend I don't care and live peacefully under the same roof with her, all smiles?
But I'm the victim here!!!
The bright moon in the night sky disappeared behind dark clouds. In the darkness, Mei shrank into herself.
She helplessly buried her face in her knees, the cold piercing her to the bone.
BOOM!!!
Lightning slashed across the sky like a sharp sword, instantly tearing apart the inky black heavens and bringing a moment of dazzling white light. After the flash and thunder, the storm poured down as promised, as if the sky itself was being overturned, crashing against the ground with a splattering roar.
The small, two-story house stood so pale and powerless amidst this vibrant spring revelry. The drainpipes on the roof were utterly unable to handle such a massive volume of rainwater in time.
Overwhelmed, the water flowed down the walls, forming curtains of waterfalls.
The dripping sound was like a barrier separating the inside from the outside, blocking Mei's already faint perception of the world and masking the soft footsteps that Fuli unintentionally made as he came up the stairs.
This girl is so fragile. If you punched her, she'd probably cry for a long time.
This was the sentence that surfaced in Fuli's mind as he returned to the second-floor doorway and saw Mei curled up in a corner, hugging her legs.
Putting that rather vicious thought aside, the reason he had returned early was mainly to confirm a detail.
Unlike the omniscient audience, Fuli, with his limited perspective, couldn't be sure of one thing: did Jizo Mitama strip Mei's Stigmata and give it to him, or was it the more high-tech option of copy-paste?
The latter was fine, but if it was the former, wouldn't that make him a thief who stole from his friend?
The value of a Natural Stigmata was self-evident.
Yes, two years from now, the emergence of World Serpent would make this thing seem commonplace (an exaggeration), but they achieved that through large-scale human experimentation to forcefully activate them.
At least for now, the number of Natural Stigmata awakeners in the entire world was less than a thousand. They were truly a one-in-ten-million occurrence.
Not to mention, Natural Stigmata also had their own tiers. "Unconditionally ignores 80% of lightning-attribute effects, and combat power increases in a lightning-attribute environment"—this was clearly among the top tier.
Should Fuli just take it from Mei for free?
After all, the little girl doesn't know he was the one who did it, right?
Not a chance.
One of the creeds Fuli lived by was, "Friends can owe me, but I can't owe my friends."
So, he turned back halfway, pondering what kind of excuse he could use to coax Mei into parting her beautiful, fair, and exquisite long legs so he could check.
Fuli was really exasperated by the location of this Stigmata. Why did it have to be at the root of her thigh!
It was a good thing he knew these things awakened in random locations; otherwise, people might mistake it for one of those lewd crests that often appear in...questionable stories!
That being said, now that he had seen poor little Mei, all alone, sitting with her knees drawn up and her head buried in them, Fuli, hiding behind the door and observing secretly, really couldn't bring himself to disturb her.
He thought for a moment, then tiptoed away, activating his presence concealment as he retreated.
Once he reached the first floor, he suddenly made his steps heavier.
His shoes made an audible thump-thump on the wooden stairs, and at the same time, the young man's natural, clear voice rang out. "Mei, I left in a bit of a hurry just now and forgot to ask what you wanted for breakfast. You're not in the bathroom right now, are you? Would I be interrupting if I came up?"
Mixing food and toilet talk in the same breath—that was just like him.
"Fu... Fuli?"
Mei, curled up in the corner, looked up in a panic, her fingers instinctively brushing the wet corners of her eyes.
After hastily wiping away the little pearls that had fallen, she quickly stood up and straightened her wrinkled white shirt.
"Wait a moment! Give me another minute!"
"O-kay."
Ah-Li, being super obedient.
One minute later—
"Alright, Fuli, you... you can come up!"
"Then I'm coming in?"
"Come in."
The girl took a deep breath, a pure and simple smile, no different from usual, gracing her pale lips.
Fuli entered the second floor, carrying his Mikazuki, amidst the pitter-patter of the rain.
He very naturally avoided looking at Mei's pure and pretty face. Instead, he went to the other corner of the room and sat down cross-legged with a huff. "That Kiana girl talks too much in her sleep. I don't want to sleep with her anymore!"
This was the truth. That brat not only talked in her sleep but also snored, ground her teeth, scratched the walls, and thrashed about. The moment Fuli lay down, a flying kick came his way, nearly landing in his mouth. It made him seriously suspect she was just pretending to be asleep as a form of deliberate revenge.
Hearing this, Mei, who had been wondering if she'd been found out, let out a giggle. "You said you were asking what I wanted to eat, but you really just wanted to sleep somewhere else, didn't you?"
"Hehe."
Fuli didn't deny it. He placed the sheathed Mikazuki on the floor as a makeshift pillow, tilted his body, and rested his head on it.
The girl continued to tease, "You're already complaining she's noisy now. When you two get married, you'll probably end up sleeping in separate beds every night."
"Married? To her? Heh!"
Fuli, his eyes half-closed, sneered. "My evaluation: not worth a single one of Mei's fingers."
"Oh? Is that a confession?"
"Not really. Just an evaluation from the perspective of a 'perfect woman in the eyes of a third party'."
"That's quite rude, you know. Kiana and I aren't ingredients with price tags in a supermarket."
"I'm sorry, I was wrong!"
"Alright, I'll forgive you."
Mei twirled a strand of her hair, her picturesque eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Speaking of Kiana, why did you suddenly decide to give up, Fuli? You chased her all the way from Shenzhou to the Far East."
Although there was a part of her trying to shift her emotions, the girl was genuinely curious about the reason for Fuli's 180-degree turn in attitude.
Back then, Kiana, who had been pestered to no end, would often go to Mei, her best friend, to complain and ask for advice. While grumbling, she would even show her the chat logs of Fuli harassing her.
Excerpt from the logs—
Sunny and Cheerful Fuli-li: Actually, if you don't like me.
Sunny and Cheerful Fuli-li: Just tell me, don't keep stringing me along.
Sunny and Cheerful Fuli-li: Your attitude gives me no hope.
Sunny and Cheerful Fuli-li: I'm tired. I don't want this anymore.
Tuna Queen of the Moon Sea: Ahhh, how many times do I have to say it! This Young Lady doesn't like you one bit, you cringey creep!!!
Sunny and Cheerful Fuli-li: I don't believe you.
After reading the messages, Mei had lost it on the spot, instinctively crowning Fuli with the title of "Master Creep."
And that was just a few insignificant ripples in a vast sea of chat logs.
It was no wonder that the reborn Fuli himself felt that Kiana had done nothing wrong. Back then, he really had been... something else.
Although there were many factors involved, such as 'relying on Kiana as his only support for seven or eight years after his parents' death and returning to Shenzhou alone,' and 'the mix of joy from a chance reunion and the despair of discovering she had forgotten their childhood promise, nearly causing him to have a mental breakdown,' those were only from his perspective. The fact that he had caused her trouble was undeniable.
It was a classic case of getting his own hopes up and then getting let down.
Thus, faced with such a dark history, the person in question just gave a self-deprecating laugh and, without another word, chose to change the subject.
"I was thinking about what happened during the day."
Fuli lay on the floor, crossing his legs, and gazed at the curtain of water streaming down the window. "When Kiana wakes up, let's let Bronya go."
"Bronya?... Let her go?"
Hearing her enemy's name, Mei instinctively tightened her grip on her dagger's hilt. A moment later, her eyes widened and then constricted sharply.
In the darkness, the girl did her best to calm the tremor in her voice, but her heart pounded against her ribs with her accelerating breaths.
"You... you're willing to?"
...