Li Wu had no idea. And Raiden Mei wasn't trying to stir up trouble on purpose. Could it be... that this really was arranged by Schicksal's number one lapdog, Otto Apocalypse?
Without pausing for even a moment, Kiana's figure quickly vanished from their sight around the corner of the hallway.
Li Wu let out a sigh of relief. If this were the past, Kiana, as the Class Rep, would never have let them off the hook so easily for skipping class.
But this time, she said nothing. Not even a single word of reproach.
Was it because of what happened earlier? Was she completely disappointed in him and didn't want to engage with him anymore?
"Looks like we won't get any answers from her. Let's go back to the classroom. If we don't head back soon, there'll be even more weird rumors spreading."
Rumors like a "restroom tryst" or something. That would ruin his reputation completely.
Li Wu shook his head and started to head back. Just as he took a step, his wrist was gently grasped by Raiden Mei.
"Don't worry about what others say. What does it matter how many rumors there are? After all... as long as Little Li says the word, all those rumors can become true, you know~" Raiden Mei placed a finger on her lips. Her lips moved slightly, their rosiness highlighted by the bright light.
"Let's just let things happen naturally. Besides, Kiana has already gone back to class. I'm really curious about the engagement, so we should go back and attend class properly. When the time is right, we can..."
"You can ask me. I know about it."
Raiden Mei suddenly interrupted him, the corners of her mouth curving into a soft smile.
Li Wu froze. A setting he had never envisioned had just appeared—Raiden Mei actually knew about Kiana's fiancée?
Li Wu quickly realized why Raiden Mei, despite her family's fall from grace, dared to bicker with Kiana in private. The source of her confidence was likely her knowledge of Kiana's unspeakable secrets—like her betrothed.
No wonder Kiana disliked Raiden Mei so much. It turned out they had been dealt "nemesis" cards from the very beginning and were destined to clash.
Although it wasn't clear why Kiana wanted to hide it, judging by her reaction to Anna's appearance, she wasn't exactly thrilled about the arrangement.
"Let's hear it."
"No."
"???"
Raiden Mei shook her head gently, refusing Li Wu's request.
Under Li Wu's stunned gaze, Raiden Mei looked up, a smile in her eyes, and spoke slowly: "Little Li, sometimes you really need to reflect on yourself. Sometimes you can be quite heartless... whether it's sincerity or pretense, a request or exploitation... shouldn't you at least consider the feelings of the person involved? You say that you and I are currently the closest people to each other, so how can you... ask about another woman so casually?"
"Uh, sorr—"
Before Li Wu could finish saying sorry, Raiden Mei quickly pressed a finger to his lips, signaling him to be quiet. Unlike Anna's, her finger wasn't cold; on the contrary, it was very warm and carried a rich, lavender-like fragrance that unreservedly filled Li Wu's nostrils.
Then, Raiden Mei took a half-step forward, the tip of her leather shoe touching the tip of Li Wu's.
At this distance, Li Wu could clearly see her beautiful eyelashes, her smooth skin, and her soft hair. Her gentle face was fully revealed. Illuminated by the daylight, she looked as if she were bathed in radiance—beautiful and sacred.
Raiden Mei extended her other hand and pressed her fingertip firmly against Li Wu's heart. "Don't apologize to me. For you, and only you, I will help satisfy any need. Little Li, I just want you to remember: no matter the situation, even if you let me down, even if you are terrible and become a rotten person, I will always stand by your side, believe in you, and support you."
"I cherish... cherish every minute and every second we spend together."
Suddenly, Raiden Mei stood on her tiptoes and leaned close to Li Wu's ear. Her breath was warm and full of tenderness. "Because the day before yesterday... that's exactly what you did for me."
After speaking, she took a half-step back, tilted her head, and smiled at Li Wu. Her smile was innocent, as if that moment of ambiguity and teasing had never existed.
"So, about the engagement..." Raiden Mei blinked again, looking at Li Wu with a smile in her eyes. "Do you want to know? As long as Little Li says he wants to know, I will tell you everything immediately, in full detail. I won't hide anything, and I won't lie."
Raiden Mei clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly. The collar of her school uniform dipped a little with the movement.
A breeze blew past the window, lifting a few strands of her purple hair. Her JK tie fluttered in the air, revealing a neck as white and smooth as a swan's.
"I do. Mei, I need your help."
Li Wu answered decisively. He had to figure out the differences between this reality's plot and the manga's plot.
At this answer, Raiden Mei suddenly smiled. It was a brilliant smile, like a garden in full bloom in spring.
Because she had finally made Li Wu's eyes hold nothing but her reflection.
How wonderful it would be if time could stop right here. Just like this, him looking at her, forever and ever. Even if he was asking about another woman, his thoughts and emotions were focused on her.
Every sentence, every word Li Wu said was branded deeply into her mind.
Yes, this is what a fairy tale looks like. The ending I've been waiting for. The prince and the princess see only each other, their names never leaving each other's lips for more than three sentences.
Although it's just a small step, it's also a giant leap. As long as we keep this up, one day...
Hehe, Kiana, Anna—they're just stray dogs by the roadside. Are they even worthy of standing next to my wonderful Li Wu?
The corners of Raiden Mei's mouth lifted in an imperceptible arc. Then, she began to explain the details of Kiana's engagement. She leaned back against the railing and looked up at the distant sky.
But her expression quickly turned lonely again. How long can days like this last?
A month? A week... or, only today...?
"It starts five hundred years ago. Although it's recorded in textbooks, the history in the books is half-truth and half-lies. The real history is known only to a small group of people at the very top of the pyramid. Even though my father was an Anti-Entropy enforcer, he didn't know everything; there were still many gaps."
"I'll summarize it simply for you, Little Li. Five hundred years ago, a coup took place in Vienna. Kallen, the Saintess of the Kaslana family, with the help of Otto, the least favored son of the Apocalypse family, and a certain mysterious person whose historical traces were deliberately erased, seized the throne. Eventually, she became the Overseer of Schicksal and has lived as a dictator to this day, ruling Schicksal for five hundred years."
Li Wu leaned forward unconsciously, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the edge of the railing as he listened intently to Raiden Mei's story.
The historical reality was largely similar to the manga's setting.
Except for that extra mysterious person. The manga never mentioned them; Li Wu clearly remembered that only Otto was the key character who helped.
"That Overseer discovered that the Kaslana and Schariac bloodlines possessed special functions. With Otto Apocalypse's help, the 'transcendent characteristics' of fusing the two bloodlines were confirmed. For the next five hundred years, every generation of Kaslanas could only marry Schariacs. The goal was to create stronger warriors and genes more suited to fighting the Honkai."
Raiden Mei paused here and suddenly laughed—a cold, desolate laugh. "The marriage matching mechanism is strictly strength-based. It doesn't matter if the two love each other, it doesn't matter if they are compatible, beautiful, or ugly. The top rank marries the top rank; the lowest rank marries the lowest rank."
The expression on Li Wu's face froze. He instinctively reached up and touched his lips.
He thought of Anna's seemingly frivolous kiss. She had given it away so casually. In an environment like that, if "the greater good" was used as a pretext, it would indeed be easy to deceive them.
Her final embarrassment was only because her classmates had pointed out the truth—that she had been taken advantage of. If no one had burst her bubble, Anna probably would have continued thinking it was a perfectly normal thing to do.
Raiden Mei continued, "Under these circumstances, even as the Honkai in Europe continued to evolve, it was actually suppressed and contained for a time by the Kaslanas and Schariacs, whose physiques and talents were constantly growing stronger. Unfortunately, later on, the rate of the Honkai's mutation... exceeded the speed of their artificial selection and enhancement."
"Therefore, the Overseer and Otto established even stricter rules. For the Kaslana and Schariac families, every generation of young people has, at most, eighteen years of freedom. Once they turn eighteen, they must return to Schicksal to become test subjects—having blood drawn, marrow extracted, and so on—used for research to improve genes and create the latest biological weapons against the Honkai. If they receive gifts or resources from the family before eighteen, their time of freedom is reduced."
Hearing this, Li Wu clenched his fists and couldn't help but ask, "Do the two families not resist?"
Raiden Mei shook her head, a complex emotion flashing through her purple eyes. "It's not that simple. Leaving aside the fact that the strongest person in the world today is that Overseer, even if the two families resisted, what could they do? Little Li, why do you think Anna lacks common sense? Because the education they receive internally is completely different from what we receive. Many children of the Kaslana and Schariac families are raised from birth to be Schicksal's loyal dogs."
"Resist?" Raiden Mei gave a bitter smile. "That would mean slaughtering their own brothers, sisters, parents, and elders until one side is wiped out. Besides... how would you know if the person encouraging you to rebel today is a comrade, a probe arranged by Otto, or Otto himself?"
A chill instantly crawled up Li Wu's spine, cold to the bone.