Let's roll the clock back a bit.
While Kevin was speaking in secret with the Puppet of Domination: Sparkle, over on MEI and Raiden Mei's side...
"Hokushin?"
MEI noted the name provided by the other girl.
But it was glaringly obvious...
That has to be an alias.
MEI only needed a cursory glance at the subtle shifts in the girl's facial expressions to figure that much out.
She was a brilliant woman. And that brilliance didn't solely apply to academics and research. Frankly, without her razor-sharp observation skills and analytical prowess, she never would have reached such towering achievements in the future.
Which meant that right now...
There.. really is something wrong with today.
MEI glanced down at the passport in her hands, her mind drifting back to that phone call from earlier.
Was the person on the other end of the line really Kevin?
The thought sent MEI's paranoia into overdrive. She braced herself; the second things went south, she was going to bolt.
For now... if the other party was using an alias, she would just play the same game.
First priority: get away safely.
And then...
'This is way above my paygrade. I need to tell Dad.' With Her mind was made up.
Her father was an internationally renowned electromagnetic physicist. A name that... perhaps even Raiden Mei would find incredibly familiar.
But putting that aside for now...
MEI knew perfectly well that with her father's connections and his sphere of influence, he was more than equipped to handle a messy, complicated situation like this. All she had to do was act like a normal daughter and rely on him. Hand over whatever information she had, and absolutely avoid playing the hero.
So...
"Hello, Miss Hokushin."
MEI pushed up her large-framed glasses. "My name is—"
"MEI!"
"..."
The shout rapidly approaching from the distance completely derailed MEI's mental script.
A white-haired young man in a short-sleeved shirt was sprinting toward her at full speed. He came to a sudden halt right in front of her, his face plastered with obvious panic. "Are you okay?"
"You suddenly hung up on me just now. Scared me half to death."
The newcomer was, naturally, Kevin.
A young Kevin.
At that exact moment...
"!!!"
Astonishment washed over Raiden Mei's face.
She knew Kevin, of course. Finding him was the entire point of her trip.
But the other person... the purple-haired girl who looked completely identical to her...
Is she Dr. MEI? The future and final leader of The Moths Who Chase the Flames?
The genius scholar with a world-shaking intellect who spearheaded a series of hyper-advanced projects?
Raiden Mei couldn't tear her eyes away from MEI.
She didn't even spare a glance for the Kevin standing right next to her.
Just like that, she stared at a face that was an exact mirror of her own...
Why does she look exactly like me?
In that single instant, a multitude of thoughts rushed through Raiden Mei's mind.
Especially...
Just what is the Honkai?
A sudden, inexplicable chill crept down her spine.
And right then—
"Kevin, where's Su?"
Unlike Mei, who had fallen into a stunned silence, MEI was left speechless by Kevin disrupting her original plan, though she didn't show it.
She looked at the white-haired young man in front of her and asked the question.
To which...
"Su's already on the plane!"
Kevin looked confused. "Didn't I tell you I was coming to see him off? Why are you asking?"
"Uh, no reason."
MEI had just confirmed a theory of hers.
Without missing a beat, she casually slipped the forged passport in her hand out of Kevin's line of sight.
Then, she smoothly shifted the topic.
"Actually, I was thinking about it earlier, and since Su and I are pretty good friends too, I figured I should come see him off as well."
"But in the end, that brief hesitation cost me. I still missed him."
MEI offered a feigned, helpless smile before gesturing forward. "However, I did happen to run into someone I share quite the connection with today."
"So it wasn't a wasted trip."
Prompted by her words, Kevin finally followed the direction she was pointing.
Naturally, his eyes landed on Raiden Mei—a girl who looked virtually identical to MEI.
You had to admit, Kevin was hopelessly single-minded when it came to MEI.
Just a moment ago, frantic with worry over her safety, she was the only person his brain even registered.
He had completely glossed over Raiden Mei, entirely oblivious to the doppelganger standing just a few feet away.
It was almost ironic, considering he had instantly pinpointed her figure when she was just passing by a distant corridor not long ago...
"Wait a minute."
Kevin's brain finally caught up. "So I wasn't hallucinating earlier?"
The realization only deepened his confusion. "Then why the hell did I suddenly pass out in the bathroom?"
At that moment...
"Hello, Mr. Kevin."
Raiden Mei suddenly spoke up.
"Uh, you really don't need to call me 'Mr.'..."
Kevin scratched his head. Truth be told, he wasn't quite used to being addressed so formally by this purple-haired girl who looked exactly like MEI.
He only got halfway through his response before MEI tugged at his sleeve—a silent warning to keep his mouth shut.
Naturally, the little exchange didn't escape Raiden Mei's notice.
After all, there was currently a massive gap in perception between an "ordinary person" and a "superhuman" like her.
Not that Raiden Mei minded. She completely understood why the two of them were so guarded around her. Yet, staring at MEI's incredibly familiar face...
...she couldn't help but subconsciously think back to her past self.
"Excuse me..."
While Raiden Mei was momentarily lost in thought, MEI spoke up cautiously. "Miss Hokushin, is there something you'd like to discuss with us?"
Left with no other choice after Kevin's sudden interruption derailed her original plan, MEI had been forced to pivot to Plan B: cut to the chase and stop beating around the bush.
"Yes."
Raiden Mei easily caught onto MEI's intent and gave a confirming nod.
She glanced around the street before her eyes finally settled on a sign just across the road.
She raised a hand, pointing across the street. "The roadside isn't exactly the best place for a chat. How about we head to that cafe over there?"
"I apologize if it takes up a bit of your time."
She offered a soft smile, doing her best to project nothing but harmless goodwill.
Beside her, MEI and Kevin followed her gaze... and sure enough, spotted the cafe.
And more importantly...
There are security cameras.
It seemed this 'Miss Hokushin' is trying to extend an olive branch, MEI mused. Picking a highly visible, public spot to lower my and Kevin's guard.
Although I can't rule out the possibility that she's deliberately lulling us into a false sense of security for some ulterior motive.
We'll just have to play it by ear for now.
Her mind rapidly running through the scenarios, MEI prepared herself to speed-dial her father the second things went south.
Outwardly, however, she simply gave Raiden Mei a curt nod. "Alright, Miss Hokushin."
"We can talk there."
Kevin kept his mouth shut.
Clearly, the Kevin of this era might be a dense, reckless meathead, but he wasn't completely brainless.
Even he had already realized that something was seriously off here.
Besides...
He glanced ahead at Raiden Mei, who was already dragging her suitcase to lead the way. He couldn't help but wonder.
Where exactly did this girl—who looked identical to MEI—come from?
And so...
"Shall we follow?"
Behind him, the Puppet of Domination: Sparkle had already slipped into a far less conspicuous disguise. Her twin-tails were let down, leaving her dark hair to flow freely save for a single floral hairpin. Dressed in a standard Far East high school uniform—a dark top with a blue ribbon, pleated skirt, and brown loafers—and sporting a pair of oversized, plain-glass spectacles, she looked the perfect picture of a quiet literary girl.
Too bad the drastic makeover did absolutely nothing to mask her innate aura of Elation.
She had even been "thoughtful" enough to throw a disguise onto the Returnee beside her... Kevin Kaslana.
As for her question...
"Of course."
Kevin Kaslana had to keep a very close eye on Raiden Mei right now.
Because as far as he was concerned...
She was an absolute menace.
"To prevent any further complications," he muttered, "I need to clear this obstacle as soon as possible."