"I'm trying really hard to control the Herrscher's Authority! So, can you forgive me now?"
"I've already ordered the dissolution of that circle, really! Next week, you'll definitely see a completely different school! Wait a second!"
Afraid that Li Wu wouldn't believe her, Raiden Mei frantically patted her pockets.
With muddy hands, she reached into her muddy pockets.
She pulled out her phone and hastily showed Li Wu the disbanded group chat and the final messages sent right before it was deleted.
"Who knows? I can't trust you, and I don't have the energy to supervise you."
"It's true! How could those people possibly compare to you?!"
Raiden Mei took a step forward, her expression frantic.
She desperately wanted Li Wu to understand her thoughts. She wanted him to know that everything she was saying was the absolute truth.
"I..."
"Save it."
Li Wu unceremoniously cut off her emotional speech. He turned around, walked to his bedroom, and left the door ajar.
Through the crack, Li Wu spoke again. "I told you. I don't want to be entangled with you anymore. Aside from monitoring you to prevent the Third Eruption, whatever you do and whoever you befriend has nothing to do with me."
"I didn't touch your room. After you sleep tonight, go back to your own home. For the sake of your actions tonight and this pot of flowers, I'll allow this just once. Do not come back to my house again."
With that, Li Wu shut the door.
In the living room, instead of being angry, Raiden Mei was ecstatic. She clenched her fists, a victorious smile spreading across her face. Her brain automatically filtered out his final sentence, 'Do not come back to my house again.'
Nice!
The first step to reconciliation is a success!
Raiden Mei glanced at the ugly scarring on her arm. Suddenly, it didn't look so agonizing anymore. In fact, the more she looked at it, the more comfortable she felt.
She knew it.
Li Wu was definitely soft-hearted. Otherwise, he would never let someone he genuinely despised step foot inside his home, let alone allow them to sleep there.
That was just the kind of person Li Wu was.
He was incredibly empathetic. He habitually considered the well-being of those around him. Helping classmates he barely even knew was the best example of this. As long as the conditions allowed for it, he would genuinely go out of his way to help.
Wasn't that exactly what happened on the bus back then?
Therefore.
When Li Wu saw her miserable, pitiful state, combined with her sincere attitude to correct her mistakes, she was 100% certain his heart would soften.
Raiden Mei let out a long breath of relief. Humming a cheerful tune, she placed the flower pot in the most conspicuous spot on the balcony, ensuring Li Wu would see it the moment he stepped out of his bedroom.
However, this alone wasn't enough to make Li Wu completely forgive her.
The Third Honkai Eruption, huh...
Raiden Mei placed a hand over her chest, right where the Gem of Conquest resided.
Truthfully, the only reason Li Wu hadn't completely abandoned her yet was entirely because of this unstable Gem.
With her father's help, Raiden Mei had accessed classified information regarding Herrscher personas and Herrscher Cores. Naturally, she was well aware of the catastrophic possibility of a Third Eruption.
If it happened...
The entire city, along with several neighboring cities, would be utterly annihilated.
Under normal circumstances, a prime vessel could continuously siphon Honkai energy from the Imaginary Tree, storing it in their body and drawing upon it at will.
But if control was lost, the Herrscher persona would completely overwrite the host's personality. It would activate the Gem at any cost, ripping open a massive rift between reality and the Imaginary Space.
For reality, this would undoubtedly be an apocalyptic catastrophe.
The Honkai energy flooding in from the Imaginary Space would sweep across the city like a plague of locusts, casually vaporizing everything in its path. Only a minute handful of ordinary people with exceptionally high Honkai resistance would survive.
If caught at the epicenter of the eruption, even an A-Rank Valkyrie would be crushed and killed instantly by the sheer density of the Honkai corrosion.
According to Schicksal's power rankings, only an S-Rank Valkyrie or higher could guarantee survival in such a terrifying, man-made natural disaster.
I've already done so many things wrong. But at the very least... let me give everything I have to the one thing you care about the most...
Only then will I have the right to continue standing by your side...
Raiden Mei silently swore an oath in her heart.
Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she noticed the unfinished snacks and drinks Li Wu had left on the table.
A half-eaten pastry rested in its wrapper. An opened can of cola sat beside it.
Raiden Mei walked over to the coffee table. She reached out and shook the can of cola. There was still a bit of liquid sloshing inside.
She swallowed hard.
Gulp...
This was the second time Raiden Mei had stared at his unfinished food. She pursed her lips, incredibly conflicted.
"Wasting food is bad. Yeah. We can't just waste food. Little Li is being so naughty. I... I have to help him fix these bad habits."
Raiden Mei picked up the can of cola with both hands, holding it as if it were a sacred relic used for worship.
Glug... glug...
Her lips pressed tightly against the opening of the can.
After downing the rest of the cola, Raiden Mei picked up the half-eaten pastry. She took a bite right from the exact spot where it had been torn, chewing slowly and methodically.
She wasn't eating. It looked more like she was performing some kind of solemn, exalted religious ritual.
One piece... two pieces...
Before long, all the leftover food on the table was swept clean by Raiden Mei.
"Bleh... the taste isn't very good. Does Little Li actually like eating snacks like this? I should look into pushing ME Corp to develop some cheap, high-quality snacks for the Far East market."
Raiden Mei glanced back at the closed door of Li Wu's bedroom. A deeply satisfied smile graced her lips. With practiced ease, she walked into her own old bedroom.
Just as he had said, absolutely nothing inside had changed.
Raiden Mei hugged her blanket and pillow tightly, inhaling frantically.
The familiar environment. The familiar scent...
Everything about this room transported her back to half a month ago, when they had relied on each other for survival. It was the most unforgettable experience of her entire life. She would cherish it forever.
Little Li. You are my one and only.
It was true.
After Li Wu left, her mental state had drastically deteriorated. She had done countless wrong things, greedily hungering for everyone's validation.
At the same time, she desperately wanted to see something: If those people who ignored my cries for help back then were placed in my shoes, how would they struggle? What kind of expressions would they make?
If I'm the only one who got hurt, isn't that too unfair?
However, Li Wu's past companionship and guidance always reminded her that doing so was wrong. Despite her intense desire to fully embrace the darkness, the mere thought of him was enough to make her suppress and endure the urge.
She compensated by making friends and engaging in superficial chats, nothing more.
But this precarious mental state shattered the moment the 'mysterious person' sent her those intimate photos of Li Wu and Ana. It reached a breaking point.
She couldn't endure it. She couldn't suppress it. She couldn't hold it back anymore.
Like a boulder plummeting from a mountain peak, it was completely unstoppable.
Why?!
Didn't he say she was just targeting him, so he had to cooperate with the investigation?! What kind of investigation ends up in bed with no clothes on?!
Thinking of this, Raiden Mei bit her lip fiercely, her heart souring with intense jealousy and pain.
Fine! The sleeping photos can be explained away as him being knocked out! But what about the kissing?!
On a sunny beach, completely conscious, clinging to each other and kissing?! What the hell is that?!
And then there was the global trip. The mysterious person had sent her countless photos of them posing together at famous tourist attractions all over the world.
From that day on, she began venting frantically. She poured all her dissatisfaction and agony onto the other students. Anyone who dared disobey her will faced severe punishment.
As for the punishment itself, she didn't even need to dirty her own hands. A single disgusted look was all it took for someone else to step in and handle it for her.
Authority and power. It was truly that simple, yet utterly intoxicating. Over time, she completely lost herself to it. Absolute power brought her absolute corruption...
By the time she snapped back to reality, the "inner circle" had been established. Chiba Academy existed only in name; it had thoroughly devolved into Raiden Mei's personal "garden."
Fortunately...
Li Wu's absolute, uncompromising departure violently dragged her back to reality from that bizarre, twisted state.
When Li Wu told her they were strangers now, an indescribable emotion instantly shattered all the negative feelings and pressure she had accumulated over the past days.
It condensed into a single, simple sentence: I don't want to separate.
Raiden Mei absolutely loathed seeing Li Wu standing next to other women. She hated it to her core. If she could, she would love to use her Herrscher Authority to electrocute any woman who got too close to him into ash, reveling in their agonized shrieks before they died!
But that was impossible. If she actually did that, Li Wu would truly abandon her.
Despite how uncompromising Li Wu had acted earlier, there was actually still room for salvation.
Raiden Mei knew Li Wu's character better than anyone.
Bullying was bullying. As long as she hadn't crossed the line and killed anyone, and as long as she sincerely made amends, even if they couldn't return to their previous intimacy, they wouldn't remain distant strangers forever.
But the moment she murdered an innocent person, no matter what she did, the fact could not be changed. Li Wu would truly leave her, and he would never look at her again.
Just the thought of it made Raiden Mei's heart ache, as if someone were violently smashing it with a hammer over and over again.
She couldn't accept that.
Raiden Mei had figured it out.
Even if Li Wu found another woman... as long as she still had a place in his heart, as long as he accepted her staying by his side, that would be enough...
She only realized this profound truth when she felt the visceral terror of Li Wu truly abandoning her.
The "friends" she had made recently seemed to treat her incredibly well, constantly showering her with concern. But now that she was no longer in a stupor, Raiden Mei clearly realized that it was all just sycophantic flattery. It wasn't true friendship. It wasn't even real emotion. It was nothing more than a transactional exchange of benefits.
They provided her with emotional validation; she provided them with authority and power.
A relationship like that was utterly worthless. How could it possibly compare to her and Li Wu relying on each other for survival?
So, Raiden Mei had made her peace with it.
As long as... I can continue staying by your side. I don't care if I'm the main wife or the side chick.
If it's Ana, I probably can't beat her when it comes to his feelings... That's fine. She's just a stupid Valkyrie anyway. I can easily scheme my way into sidelining her.
The Sato sisters? It's not guaranteed they'll end up with Little Li, but even if they do, it doesn't matter. I definitely rank higher than them.
My biggest rival is Kiana... But she's engaged to Ana. So in the end, the only one who can truly stay by Little Li's side forever... is still me.
Having sorted out her thoughts, Raiden Mei let out a light, joyful laugh. Curled up like a caterpillar, she wriggled around happily beneath the cozy blankets.
She simply couldn't live without Little Li. It was like a fish leaving the water, a bird with broken wings, or a deer with shattered legs. Not only would it be agonizing, but she would die a slow, painful death. Every minute and second of being alive would be torture. She'd rather just die.
Mhm.
---||---
Late at night. In the small apartment, two bedroom doors were closed tight.
Behind one door, Li Wu leaned against the wood. His golden eyes had long since extinguished. Having listened to Raiden Mei's faint murmuring with his superhuman hearing, his face showed very little expression.
Behind the other door, Raiden Mei wrapped herself tightly in a warm blanket. Her breathing gradually leveled out. Even in her sleep, the corners of her mouth retained a faint curve—a genuine smile that hadn't graced her face in a very long time.
At 6:30 AM, the pale morning sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling onto the balcony and perfectly illuminating the carefully positioned flower pot.
Li Wu opened his eyes.
His eyes had reverted to their usual dark brown. The golden radiance was completely gone. He only ignited the golden irises when his emotions fluctuated wildly or when he entered combat.
Lying in bed, Li Wu stared blankly at the ceiling for several seconds.
He zoned out for a moment, then rapidly sat up, calmly scanning his surroundings.
It was quiet.
He walked out of the bedroom.
The living room was completely empty.
The sunlight poured in from the balcony, illuminating the table and the sofa. Everything was exactly the same as when he had closed his door last night. Except for two things...
There was a pot of flowers on the balcony.
The tender morning sunlight draped over the Morning Glories like a veil of gauze. A faint white glow emanated from the edges of the blue buds, brimming with vitality.
On the sofa rested a black tactical uniform. It had been thoroughly washed and folded meticulously. There wasn't a single trace of stitching or repair on the fabric.
But yesterday, the tactical uniform Ana gave him had been torn by Raiden Mei's fierce slash.
Even if she wanted to mend it to make amends, there should have been visible needle marks. The Herrscher of Thunder's Authority definitely couldn't magically repair fabric without a trace.
Clothes that can self-repair, yet completely lack any energy fluctuations. It has nothing to do with Honkai energy.
The only explanation is that it's an inherent property of the clothes themselves.
Li Wu swept his gaze across the living room before finally resting on the dining table.
There was a piece of paper resting there. It had been torn from one of his notebooks and placed beneath a half-filled glass of water to keep it from blowing away.
Li Wu walked over and picked up the paper.
The handwriting was neat and elegant, infinitely better than his own messy scrawl. It read:
[Little Li, I'm heading back first.]
[The group chat is genuinely disbanded. I will not rebuild it. If you don't believe me, you can check at school next week.]
[I put the flowers on the balcony. If you don't want them, you can throw them away. But if possible... could you try taking care of them for a few days? They're actually very easy to raise. Just water them. That's what the owner who sold them to me said anyway. I'm not entirely sure either, but please... don't throw them away immediately, okay?]
[I know you won't forgive me so quickly. That's okay. I will wait patiently. You taught me that I have to bear the consequences of my mistakes. I remember that. Because you have always been someone who takes responsibility. Even when there are so many things you could just ignore and walk away from, you still choose to follow your heart and take action. I love that part of your personality. So... I want to become more like you.]
[But there is one thing you must remember. No matter how many times you say 'it has nothing to do with me', I will always care about you. Not the kind of annoying pestering that you hate. Just... whether you're living well. Whether you're eating on time. Whether you ran into any frustrating problems today. I will always care about these things.]