"Director, it seems you've overplayed your hand."
After a certain white-haired dango finished her rampage and departed, Miss Rita, who had been hiding nearby watching the show, emerged with a smile, carrying a first-aid kit.
"I'm alright."
The boy, sporting a fresh fist mark on his stomach and a lingering palm print on his cheek, sighed with a somewhat melancholic expression.
The Paramecium's character persona had crumbled rather severely.
Where was the promised hot-blooded idiot? Why was her reaction so sharp?
"It seems your little girlfriend is much smarter than the records indicate."
The snitching Scum Maid glided cheerfully to the side of the boy who, out of guilt, hadn't fought back. She took out a towel, then began to alternate between hot and cold compresses before applying a medicinal salve.
Honestly, Li Zihan felt all of this was unnecessary.
Due to his Composite Servant Saint Graph, his defensive capabilities were terrifyingly high. The only reason Kiana had managed to leave a mark on his face was that he had voluntarily deactivated his Armor of Fáfnir. Otherwise, her attack wouldn't have even scratched him. Even so, a single slap caused no real damage.
"Your path to a harem seems to be a bit rough," the Scum Maid giggled. She had long since noticed that the injury on his face had already healed; she was simply using this as an opportunity to poke his cheek.
Although Li Zihan was maturing quickly, his physical age was still that of a boy, meaning he naturally retained some of the characteristics of a shota. For a Scum Maid with a penchant for young boys, getting to poke an "expired shota"'s face was a rather delightful form of entertainment.
It wasn't quite as satisfying as teasing a loli, though. I'd much rather be poking Theresa's face, or Lady Durandal's back when she was still a little Dull Goose, the Scum Maid mused.
However, the Director seems to have the ability to reverse time...
Faintly recalling that Li Zihan could easily rewind the time of an object using a power called magecraft, a strange blush crept onto the Scum Maid's face.
Lady Durandal was super cute when she was little! And the Director... he must have been adorable as a child, too!
The Scum Maid, who had a thing for both shotas and lolis and was a complete pervert, found her breathing growing heavy. To be able to simultaneously poke the faces of a young Lady Durandal and a young Director... that would be the most wonderful experience of her life.
"I'm alright," the boy said, his smile bright. Though his stomach had been punched and his face slapped, his mood hadn't soured in the slightest, and he failed to notice the Scum Maid's peculiar expression.
Although she hadn't said it directly, Kiana's actions had already shown she accepted Li Zihan's desire to build a harem. After all, if Li Zihan were to walk the path of monogamy, he would most likely end up with Seele. In that case, she would truly be GG'd. So, she only landed a solid punch to his stomach and a slap to his face before letting it go. Exchanging a punch and a slap for the right to build a harem was clearly a worthy trade.
"From now on, Kiana will probably turn a blind eye to my affairs. As long as I don't go too far, there shouldn't be any major problems," the boy said with a shrug, his thick skin making him completely unconcerned about a Kitchen Knife Ending. "Next, as long as I can handle Mei, everything should be fine."
Ana had agreed to the whole harem thing from the very beginning. Seele and Bronya were a package deal—the type you couldn't win over without taking the harem route. Kiana had now reluctantly accepted this fact. Wendy's situation was unknown... but judging by her personality, which was quite similar to Seele's, she shouldn't be hard to deal with.
Perhaps their mindsets might shift after they obtain their Herrscher powers, and they might even snap due to some unforeseen accident... but Li Zihan had thick skin.
With his Composite Saint Graph and the Dracula Stigmata, his defense was superior to the "Little Sun" even without using Honkai energy, and his vitality surpassed that of the "Mad Dog." Add the Authority of Reason to that, and his life force transcended the concept of mere tenacity, reaching a realm beyond "doing sit-ups after dying."
Combined with the abilities of nearly every member of the Araki Manor, save for the President, it was practically impossible for him to capsize. Even if he did, it would just mean tanking a few Herrscher-level attacks.
He could just chalk it up to a bit of kinky fun. That's what Li Zihan, who could reassemble his body in an instant even if it were torn to shreds, thought.
The path ahead was simple now.
Make a trip back to the Second Honkai War to retrieve Cecilia's soul and appease the real Kiana. Find some time to resurrect Yae Rin and restore Yae Sakura's memories. Then, find a random world for Kevin to immigrate to, complete the new Fire-Moth Project, and hand off the mission.
After that, he would just send everyone he knew to a safe world and then slowly grow stronger while lazing about and waiting for death. So thought the boy whose combat power was already approaching the ceiling of this world.
How utterly boring.
No twists, no turns. So dull, Miss Rita grumbled internally. This anticlimactic resolution was not the scene she had wanted to witness.
"Is your so-called harem path limited to just these few girls?" Rita asked, unwilling to give up. She had been dying to see Li Zihan capsize and eat dirt for a long time now. If it all just ended like this, wouldn't that be dreadfully boring?
"I feel that with your charm, you could actually go much further down this road."
??????
A string of question marks materialized above Li Zihan's head. He stared in utter bewilderment at the Scum Maid, who seemed to be actively encouraging him to continue corrupting other girls.
"What... are you thinking?"
Sensing that the Scum Maid was anticipating some very unpleasant developments, the boy narrowed his eyes. He still hadn't settled the score with her for secretly snitching to Kiana. And now, she was already cooking up some other devious scheme.
"I simply feel that with your level of charm, you are bound to attract even more girls."
"I imagine your astonishing journey won't end just like this, and therefore, I am merely a little expectant," the Scum Maid said with a gentle smile, all while simultaneously plotting to tease the Dull Goose, blackmail the Overseer, and watch Li Zihan suffer.
This woman's ability to frame her desire to watch the drama unfold in such a fresh and refined way was truly something else.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but I have a strong feeling it's something incredibly bad for me."
"Of course, that isn't the most important thing right now." Having resolved the crisis brought on by Kiana, the boy was now ready to settle accounts. He narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze on the Scum Maid who had leaked his location.
This was the one who had spread his intel around, manufacturing a shuraba for him. The most treacherous teammate in history.
"Miss Rita, are you perhaps unaware that selling out your superior comes with a penalty?"