The Puppet of Domination: Sparkle didn't give Kevin Kaslana too hard of a time.
Seeing him finally voice his inner thoughts—however roundabout and evasive they were—she simply gave a soft chuckle and fell silent.
Clearly, she—and by extension, Ling Ke's original body pulling her strings—were currently much more focused on the unfolding situation between Raiden Mei, MEI, and the Kevin of this era.
Come to think of it, why was Ling Ke so certain that the Raiden Mei of this moment was being unbelievably foolish?
After all, as someone who had once harbored a monstrous hatred in his own heart, he actually believed in the power of "love."
Not that he still yearned for it himself.
Rather...
"Hatred is such a powerful force. If love couldn't match it, how could it ever be worthy of being its polar opposite?"
In short, while Ling Ke would never walk the path of "love," he didn't deny its potential.
But the current Raiden Mei was a different story.
In Ling Ke's eyes, what she had just displayed wasn't "love" at all.
Instead, it was more like...
"She's still running away."
"Just using a different, deceptive method to do it."
It was true. Raiden Mei's current actions didn't stem from any sort of newfound resolve.
Ling Ke didn't even need to tap into his Omniscience to see through her. Just by looking at her current state of having Strayed into IX, he could see the aura of self-annihilation growing steadily thicker around her. She was still marching straight toward the cruelest of endings... proof enough that her core remained as fragile as cheap glass.
It was as if her innermost thoughts sounded something like this:
If I make this choice, Kiana definitely won't blame me.
Honestly, going purely by that metric, Kiana really did outweigh the entire world in Raiden Mei's heart.
Even if this particular brand of "yearning for the light" was undeniably twisted, not to mention incredibly eerie.
It was as if Raiden Mei had regressed to the past... back to the girl who needed to rely entirely on Kiana.
Unconsciously, she had turned the absolutely dependable Kiana into... a shield. A convenient excuse that allowed her to justify her own escape.
And besides...
"Right now, she might look like she's regained her resolve, but she hasn't truly calmed down. Not even for a second."
"Otherwise..." Ling Ke's lips curled into a faint smirk. "How could she have failed to notice all the glaring inconsistencies filling that cafe?"
"I purposely left behind a lot of flaws. Gave her more than enough hints, too." Meanwhile, in the outside world.
Inside that very cafe.
Raiden Mei was busy explaining the "future" to MEI and Kevin.
Her tale covered it all: the details of every subsequent Great Honkai Eruption, the fall of the Previous Era, the birth of the Current Era, and... exactly why the Current Era had been completely wiped out, leading to the Previous Era receiving this "second chance."
MEI and Kevin both listened intently.
The latter had finally quieted down after MEI had shot him a withering glare earlier.
Besides, he was genuinely invested in this "future" Raiden Mei was talking about.
As for MEI... well, after Raiden Mei had dumped all that critical intel on them, she genuinely wasn't sure if the other woman was just making things up anymore.
Because some of the theories, though Raiden Mei explained them in broad strokes, definitely had some basis in reality.
And so...
"...We were completely powerless before that 'Herrscher of Domination'."
"Back then, in his quest for revenge against us, he didn't just slaughter indiscriminately. He wanted to... utterly crush our convictions."
"So he reversed time by over fifty thousand years, giving this era a chance to start over, a 'second chance'."
"And according to him, everyone born fifty thousand years from now, including myself, must... let this era walk its original path to destruction if we want to reclaim our own time."
"But now, I believe there has to be another way."
"A way for us, for both eras, to coexist."
"That's why I want to work with you. To advance and retreat together."
"Because in the future, you possess the greatest combat strength and intellect of this era."
-
Raiden Mei had just unloaded a massive amount of information in one single breath.
Yet, even though she had heavily abridged her explanation, neither MEI nor Kevin responded right away when she finished.
Both of them were struggling to process the sheer volume of information now crammed into their heads.
Mei waited patiently... waiting for their answer.
Truthfully, she hadn't wanted to discuss such sensitive, highly classified matters out in public like this. But she hadn't earned MEI's trust yet. There was almost zero chance the genius would willingly follow her to a more secure location to talk.
Besides...
This cafe is pretty noisy.
Mei actually felt a little thankful for that. While the din might be annoying to anyone else, for her current purposes... it was just right.
Glancing around, the people at the neighboring tables who might have caught fragments of her speech didn't pay it any mind. They just kept chatting away with their friends and family. With her sharp hearing, she even caught a few muttered comments like, "Are they cosplaying?" and "They're probably running lines for a script."
That was fine.
No unnecessary complications...
"Huh?"
Suddenly, Kevin made a bit of a fuss. "Why haven't our Fruit Foam Lattes arrived yet?"
"Wait here for a sec, I'll go ask at the counter."
Kevin left the table.
MEI was still deep in thought, yet Kevin had somehow finished thinking before her... Obviously, he hadn't figured it all out, but rather... he had just given up thinking altogether.
He really wasn't suited for this kind of brain-burning stuff.
Plus...
Since MEI is here anyway!
I'll just have MEI explain it to me later!
That was probably what Kevin was thinking right now.
Honestly, looking at Kevin's retreating back as he ran to the counter, Raiden Mei was a little speechless at his behavior.
She got the feeling that Kevin right now really couldn't be relied on.
Just like Kiana, back when they were living those leisurely days at St. Freya Academy, skipping class, skipping school, sleeping during lectures, and drooling at the mere mention of Mei's cooking.
Even though... she always talked about the 'Honor of House Kaslana', she had been shouldering a cruel fate the entire time...
"...Yet she only realized she had wasted so much time and opportunities to improve herself when tragedy truly struck right before her eyes."
"I guess it's true what they say. You really won't cry until you see the coffin, will you?"
The heavily mocking voice drifted into her ears.
"!!!"
Raiden Mei shot to her feet, a flash of pure horror crossing her face.
Her nerves pulled taut. Without a second thought, she instantly materialized that bizarre, treacherous blade in her grip.
Her gaze whipped toward the source of the voice.
Her sudden outburst startled MEI, who was sitting right across from her.
Jolted out of her thoughts, the scientist turned her head—just in time to see the blade take shape out of thin air in Raiden Mei's hand.
That single glance was all it took.
So... everything she said was true?
The proof was right in front of her eyes.
Supernatural powers actually existed!
*Then...*
"Your guard is completely down, Raiden Mei."
Sitting at a nearby table, Puppet of Domination: Sparkle met Mei's fierce glare with a wicked smirk. "Back when you were running black ops for World Serpent with Raven... even during your little 'rookie phase,' you were never this pathetic."
"At least back then, after a lifetime of being coddled by everyone around you, you were actually making progress."
"So why are you regressing now?"
"I'm so disappointed!"
The moment the words left her mouth...
"Ding~"
Ding~
Ding~
Before Raiden Mei could even react, the Puppet of Domination: Sparkle lazily pinched a teaspoon and tapped it twice against the side of her coffee cup.
The very next moment...
Shock hit all four of them.
Raiden Mei, MEI, Kevin... and even Kevin Kaslana, seated at the same table as the Puppet, were all struck dumb.
Because right there inside the cafe...
A school of illusory fish suddenly materialized, swimming through the empty air. The bodies of every single bystander distorted, rippling like light refracting through rising smoke.
And then... they all turned into Sparkle.
"You..."
Mei grabbed the hilt of her katana.
Everywhere she looked...
"Hehehe~"
"Hiii~"
"Hahahahaha!!!"
The waiter clutching a menu pad. The customers chatting at their little tables. And... Kevin Kaslana, sitting right across from the Puppet.
In a single heartbeat, every person in the establishment had morphed into the twin-tailed girl with cherry-blossom eyes.
Forced into this sudden "makeover," Kevin Kaslana stared blankly down at his slender new hands, then at the miniskirt leaving his thighs completely exposed...
His pupils practically quaked.
He had finally, viscerally grasped the sheer depths of Sparkle's twisted sense of humor.
Meanwhile...
Clatter!
Young Kevin, who had been walking back with a tray of three intentionally delayed Fruit Foam Lattes, instantly dropped his burden.
He crossed the distance in a few strides, throwing himself in front of MEI to shield her.
Without a single second of hesitation.
Just then...
Hum—
A spatial portal tore open a short distance away.
Under the astonished gazes of Raiden Mei... as well as MEI and young Kevin...
The scenery on the other side of the gateway revealed a magnificent hall within the Theater of Domination.
Inside, Ling Ke's original body sat casually upon a towering, high-backed throne.
Resting with his legs crossed, he leisurely stood up. Then, step by step, right in front of Raiden Mei's bewildered stare, he walked out of what she had assumed was his "absolute safe zone."
Stepping through the portal and into the café, he spoke.
"Do you like the scene I've set up?"
Ling Ke gestured expansively at their surroundings, introducing his handiwork with self-indulgent flair. "This is the iconic scene of history's very first supervillain—Professor James Moriarty."
"I've always loved this particular act. Especially... I love the complicated expressions that surface on the faces of those caught in the game, right at the exact moment the grand secret is revealed."
He pointed at Raiden Mei, a deeply meaningful smile playing on his lips. "Just like the one you're wearing right now."
-
Im not posting patreon and kofi yet. Well i just can't for now.
But remember! 60 power stones 1 chapter bonus! Alright?
I mean today's Monday so… yeah.🙇