"I admit, everything you said before was right."
The hazy light from above the platform spilled wantonly onto Mei's shoulders, as if the gods were draping a brilliant, immaculate veil over their favored maiden.
"Setting aside the fact that the cause of all this was your order to hunt me down, the current terrible situation is indeed a result of those two choosing to stand by my side."
Ignoring Cocolia, who was clearly stunned, Mei let out a cold, ironic laugh. "I won't be so naive as to push all the responsibility onto you, the culprit. Nor will I be so childish as to complain that the enemy is too strong, too cautious, and won't give me a way out. Eradicating the roots, leaving no room for error—that's how one should treat an enemy."
"However, Cocolia, have you ever thought, if I really choose to walk into your trap, or leave a letter and quietly depart as you said, on the surface, those two would indeed be out of danger. But by doing so, who would I truly be letting down?"
"That's right! It's Fuli and Kiana!"
The girl's voice boomed like thunder. "To save me, a penniless, unlucky wretch whose family has fallen and is being hunted down, those two idiots with a screw loose didn't hesitate to draw their swords against the leader of one of the world's strongest organizations. They got bruised and battered, and can't even sleep without taking turns on watch for fear of being ambushed. And in the end, I, the person involved, am supposed to pat my butt, say 'I don't want to drag you down,' and just leave for the sake of some self-satisfaction?"
Raiden Mei closed her thunder-infused eyes, and the images of the boy and girl appeared before her.
BOOM!!!
Thunder cracked in the sky.
She opened her eyes, her gaze burning. "If I really did that, then I, Raiden Mei, would truly be letting them down!"
Looking up at this breathtaking sight, Cocolia subconsciously said, "Then why did you wake up so early—"
"I woke up early to breathe some fresh air, can't I do that?!"
This was a lie.
Yaoyeji's profiling was professional. The previous Mei did indeed have the defeatist thought that 'as long as I leave secretly, those two will be safe'.
Those who know a little about the Far East or have read The Chrysanthemum and the Sword know that, just like its narrow and twisted land area, the vast majority of people born here will always hold a cramped, twisted, and narrow-minded ideology: don't trouble others, and it's best if others don't trouble you either. Each sweeps the snow from their own doorstep and doesn't bother with the frost on others' roofs.
This was the interpersonal society of the Far East, a cold reality hidden beneath polite manners.
No matter what, Raiden Mei had grown up in this country.
Through constant exposure, she had inevitably picked up similar habits.
However, these people find it difficult to grasp a certain truth:
Many times, not wanting to trouble others is the biggest trouble for the whole. Those who don't want to trouble others are the ones most likely to bring trouble to those who care about them.
The previous Mei was like this. Her spirit, already pushed to the limit by negative emotions such as self-blame, anxiety, anger, and depression, was truly planning to leave a letter and depart quietly after Fuli fell asleep.
The lap pillow earlier was her final indulgence after making up her mind. It was precisely because Fuli chose her over Bronya that Mei's resolve was strengthened.
The girl with a tragic fate thus walked towards her own end, leaving behind her friends who would remember her to live out the rest of their lives in sorrow.
Who could say that such a 'poignantly beautiful' ending did not conform to the samurai aesthetic of falling like a cherry blossom?
But just as Mei was about to take a step to leave, at the moment she breathed in the fresh air after the rain, all the past events began to replay in her mind.
The girl suddenly realized a problem:
She thought she had the right to give up on herself because her recent days had been quite miserable.
But while Raiden Mei was miserable, were her two friends, Kiana Kaslana and Fuli, not miserable as well?
The former spent four years searching for her suddenly disappeared father, crossing the entire Eurasian continent from Northern Europe to the Far East. A little girl of only twelve, carrying her luggage and trudging through the ice and snow.
Not every country was as safe as Shenzhou. The fact that she could travel all this way safely was entirely due to her powerful, Breaker-level strength.
Moreover, strength was only a basic guarantee of safety. The deception between people, the outwardly kind but inwardly malicious... how many hardships did she endure during that time? Who could even begin to comprehend the grievances she suffered in her heart?
And what about Fuli?
Kiana's father at least stayed with her until she was twelve. But when he was only eight, both his parents disappeared in an experiment.
He returned alone from Italy to his homeland in Shenzhou, holding on to a promise with 'Kiana' until now. He finally found her, only for the girl to turn around and say with a vigilant expression, "Who the hell are you? I don't know you at all. I've seen plenty of guys like you who covet my beauty, don't try to get close to me for no reason!"
Compared to those two, Mei, who only fell from grace at sixteen, was already perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Even when she was hit by successive blows and her life hit rock bottom, the radiant duo of Fuli and Kiana still came to her side, bickering and all.
Perseverance is always harder than giving up. Those two, who were equally miserable, did not give up on themselves but still gritted their teeth and raised their swords and guns against this damn heaven.
So what right did she, Raiden Mei, have to give up on her life in self-pity and sorrow!
The powerful and resonant after-sound echoed in the vast, boundless void. Although she had been thoroughly lambasted, compared to the sharp and harsh words she had deliberately used before, this time, Cocolia showed genuine admiration.
Her words were still unforgiving. "So you're planning to drag those two down, even if you have to face the all-around, no-blind-spot siege from me, the leader of the Anti-Entropy reformist faction?"
"Fuli said he has a plan," Mei said, her head held high. "I believe in him."
The girl could sense that Fuli had changed the ending of that bedtime story.
Although it had a bit of a rushed and unfinished feel, compared to the True End that was supposed to end in tragedy, Mei still preferred this happy-everyone-gets-along ending.
This was Fuli's story. He said he could achieve this ending.
She believed in him.
—Unconditional trust in a comrade. Very good.
The former Captain Cocolia lowered her arms. "And what if his plan doesn't work?"
"Then I will do everything in my power to send them away!"
The mentally constructed space erupted in a piercing light. White and purple lightning coiled around Mei, giving her a unique charm.
The Gem of Conquest in the Thunder Stigmata surged as never before. Under the girl's soaring determination, it resonated with its host for the first time.
—Trusts her comrades but is not blind. She also has her own judgment of the situation and the resolve to sacrifice.
The admiration in Cocolia's eyes grew stronger. "And if you can't even do that?"
"If I can't even do that, then let our invincible three-person squad carve out a new world in the underworld."
Her gaze swept over the surrounding lightning, sensing the throbbing within the Stigmata. Vaguely guessing why Cocolia was so obsessed with her, Mei smiled and replied, "Be careful in reality! Who knows when the three of us will fight our way back from hell."
...
The erupting lightning was invincible. The woman couldn't help but take half a step back.
She raised her arm to block the dazzling light, while muttering to herself, Has the shell of pretense been shattered by external force, forging a resolute heart instead?
Even though they were on opposing sides, Cocolia couldn't help but want to say, "Well done!"
And...
So dazzling.
She thought.
I seem to have been this dazzling once... when was it?
Right, when I first joined the army.
At that time, the crimson giant had just fallen. The young Cocolia had joined the army with the infinite enthusiasm of 'turning the tide' and 'rebuilding a new world'.
Eating, sleeping, training, rolling in the snow and mud of Siberia, completing mission after mission with her comrades, shouting and cursing, supporting each other, living and dying together.
Although, on the eve of the Second Eruption, she had already been betrayed by that bastard superior who, on the surface, cared for his subordinates but was actually embezzling military funds and selling supplies on the black market, causing many soldiers to starve and freeze in the ice and snow.
After escaping from the detention center with all her might, she was attacked by a large group of Honkai Beasts while covering the evacuation of civilians. Fortunately, she was destined to live and was rescued by the timely arrival of the Saintess Cecilia.
After that, she went through countless hardships and ended up joining her former nemesis, Anti-Entropy.
But to this day, Cocolia still deeply missed the person she was back then.
No need for scheming, no need for pretense and hypocrisy with those in power. Just shouting 'Ura!' and charging forward, just like the radiant Mei before her, believing that as long as she worked hard enough, everything would be alright.
How wonderful.
The woman revealed a despicable, scummy smile.
So, Raiden Mei, next, let this dirty adult teach you a lesson.
"To be honest, I really don't want to use this move."
She played with the spirit platform generator in her hand. "Because it's just too despicable, to the point that I feel using it on a warrior with such resolve is an insult to both of us."
"What else do you want to say?"
A divine light erupted from Mei's body. She said confidently, "No matter what fancy words you use, I will not fall for your tricks."
The girl's mind was no longer here. She just wanted to quickly leave the mental space and return to the second floor, to tear the note she had stuffed into the panda head to shreds.
When she wrote that thing, she was still holding that 'great thought' of 'self-sacrifice'. If Fuli and the others saw it—Ugh! So embarrassing!
The sudden surge of lightning forced Cocolia back a few more steps. She didn't mind, but lowered her head and continued to mutter, "I'm an Anti-Entropy Enforcer, after all. Threatening a former colleague's daughter with his life is really quite degrading."
She removed the glass test tube from the groove of the platform generator. Under the brilliant light, the blood in the container was crystal clear.
"Remember what I said at the beginning? The platform generator creates a spiritual platform for communication through the resonance between stigmata genes."
The woman shook the test tube. "To be able to summon your spirit, Raiden Mei, to this platform, do you want to guess whose blood is in here?"
—Raiden Ryoma is in my hands. If you don't come with me, then I'll make sure he can never speak again.
Just as Ultraman's finishing move is always used last, this was Cocolia's trump card.
If Mei was as 'filial' as Emperor Gaozu of Han and didn't care about her own father's life, then Cocolia would have no choice but to go all out and fight these three to the death.
Fortunately, Mei had not 'forced' her to such an extent.
The direct and cold threat was like a bucket of cold water poured over her head. The girl's crystal-clear eyes suddenly widened.
Then, they were filled with endless bitterness and sighs.
...
...
March 28, 2014, 6:30 A.M., cloudy, heavy fog—
Fuli, on the second floor, opened his eyes on time. He stretched and looked around.
No one was there.
"Went to make breakfast?"
He rubbed the back of his head in confusion and casually picked up the panda head he had used as a pillow.
Mei's thigh was not as good as a pillow, but this thing was far inferior to the girl's fragrant thigh.
Hmm?
A piece of paper floated out from inside the panda head.
Fuli was about to bend down to pick it up when a loud noise from downstairs interrupted him.
The white-haired mochi ball ran up to the second floor on her black-stockinged feet with a patter-patter sound. She had a listless-looking Bronya tucked under her arm, obviously having had enough of the girl's sleep-talking.
"Good morning, Ah-Li!"
After coming in, Kiana first greeted Fuli energetically, then put down Bronya and started running around the room.
She lifted the curtain with a big smile. "Mei?"
She took off the trash can lid and poked her head in. "Mei?"
She jumped up, hugged the chandelier, and looked into the lampshade. "Mei?"
Finally, she swayed in mid-air and cast a puzzled look at Fuli, as if to say, "Where's my Mei? Where's my Mei? Where did my big Mei go?"
It was a good thing she was as light as a swallow, otherwise, she might have crashed down with the lamp right on Bronya's head.
"I dunno," Fuli, who had long since moved to a safe zone, answered honestly, while quickly scanning the contents of the note.
In that moment, the two people present witnessed this person go from confusion, to shock, to stupor, and finally to a state of utter despair. In just a few tens of seconds, he seemed to have experienced the great ups and downs of life, looking like a cultivator in a xianxia novel being mobbed by a hundred and eighty inner demons during his tribulation, his heart more dead than alive.
Staring at Fuli's constantly changing expression, Kiana, hugging the chandelier, was shocked.
"What's wrong?"
"Mei ran away!"
Fuli said with great sorrow.
"Oh, is that so? Seeing you so sad, I thought your wife ran... wait, who ran away?!"
The girl, half a beat slow to react, was flabbergasted.
She did a backflip off the chandelier and snatched the note from Fuli's hand:
[Thank you for choosing me, so I won't make things difficult for you.]
—Thank you for choosing me, the one who only holds everyone back, over Bronya. So I won't put everyone in danger anymore.
In the bottom right corner was a cartoon doodle of a chibi Mei kicking a chibi Bronya with a "Ya!", caving in her entire face. The Q-version was so cute it could kill.
The culprit, who had squirmed over like a caterpillar, said flatly, "It seems Raiden Mei knows what's good for her, unlike you who only know how to be a fool trying to stop a chariot."
"You!"
Kiana, in a terrible mood, was about to lash out at Bronya for her sarcastic remarks, but soon just said "Tch" and turned her head away.
Only the weak would rage impotently. The fact was that she, the knight, had failed to protect her princess.
Fuli had the same thought. The moment he saw the contents of the note, images flashed through his mind:
When she first declared she would teach him the Hokushin Ittō-ryū, the undisguised confidence and grace in her beautiful eyes;
When she learned she was being hunted by Anti-Entropy, the confusion and hesitation that unintentionally showed on her pale face;
The extreme powerlessness and regret when she saw Kiana bruised and battered under the siege of the mecha units, while she could do nothing herself;
The tumultuous waves and intense unwillingness that surged in her heart the moment she learned Fuli chose to shelter the enemy, Bronya;
Forcing a smile so as not to worry her companions, only daring to vent in a dark corner when alone, the grievance and helplessness when she cried with her knees drawn up...
[Thank you for choosing me, so I won't make things difficult for you.]
Everyone is a living person, with their own thoughts, style, and feelings.
When Kiana found out that Fuli had specifically left food for Bronya, she would complain without a second thought.
But Mei would only hide it silently, constantly accumulating negative emotions deep inside, only daring to release them secretly when no one was around.
"Stereotypes..."
Fuli pressed the back of his hand to his forehead and let out a dry laugh.
The Raiden Mei he had known in the previous timeline had always been very strong. The two years at St. Freya might not have brought the girl much improvement in strength, but it had healed the stubborn illness in her heart.
"What stereotypes!"
The white-haired mochi ball who had healed Mei's heart in the previous timeline was now in a mess. "What are we going to do now?"
"What to do?"
Fuli collected his thoughts and picked up the chipped Mikazuki, hanging it at his waist. "Go save her."
It was a coincidence, to say the least. The note Mei left should have disappeared with her return after her epiphany. The hesitation during that period would have become a secret known only to the girl herself.
However, due to her hasty departure, the clues she left behind allowed Fuli and the others to get even closer to her fragile heart, feeling even more pity for this little monster who had always suppressed herself to please others.
Thinking of this, the annoyance in Kiana's heart increased a few more notches. "Of course I know we have to save her! I'm asking how to go and how to save her!"
Using the complex environment of Nagazora City to play cat and mouse with them was one thing, but going to the enemy's main camp to rescue someone was like a liberal arts student choosing a major. You might think it's nothing, but in fact, every liberal arts student knows that doing this is no different from choosing a seat on the Titanic.
The ship is destined to sink when it reaches the bridge, the light boat has already hit a big iceberg, the Titanic does a backflip.
And facing this "terrible mother taking terrible back to her mother's house"—a terribly tragic situation, Fuli's answer was, "Don't worry."
He said, "I have a plan."
"Mmm!!!"
Looking at the boy's quiet and handsome side profile, the reassured Kiana nodded heavily.
...