"I'm back! And I brought friends home today!"
CLANG!
The heavy alloy doors of the ME Corp laboratory were shoved open from the outside with sheer brute force. Kiana burst into the room like a jubilant tornado, her boundless energy completely shattering the lab's usual tranquility. Her azure eyes swept the room and immediately locked onto Fuli, who was sitting behind the desk.
The massive desk, measuring a full two meters across, faced the entrance directly. It was cluttered with a chaotic assortment of files, holographic monitors, and high-precision experimental apparatuses—all the things Mei typically busied herself with.
Yes, Fuli was currently sitting in Mei's chair.
"Hey, Ah-Li!" Kiana greeted cheerfully. Then, tilting her head like a curious kitten, a look of utter confusion spread across her face. "Huh? Where's Mei? Where did such a big Mei wander off to?" She stood on her tiptoes, her gaze darting into every corner of the lab.
"Ah?"
Behind the desk, Fuli gave a barely perceptible flinch. His eyes instinctively tried to dart downward beneath the desk, but he snapped them back up as if he'd been burned. He forced a rather strained, stiff smile onto his face. "Mei? Well—uh, that's certainly a... good question."
Fortunately, the sheer size of the desk, combined with Kiana's angle at the doorway, completely blocked her line of sight to anything below Fuli's waist.
As a result, the girl merely puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction. "What do you mean 'a good question'? You're not making any sense. Weirdo!"
"Didn't you just say you brought friends over?" Seeing Kiana lean forward as if preparing to approach the desk, Fuli quickly shifted his upper body forward. He folded his hands atop the desk to block as much space as possible, desperately trying to sound natural while changing the subject. "Who are they? Introduce us."
"It's my teammates from Team Everlasting Flames!" Kiana's attention was instantly diverted, and she excitedly pointed out the door. "Topaz and Yuno are touring the bridge right now! As for my newly bite-sized big sister—"
"I am right here."
A crisp, youthful voice chimed in from behind Kiana. Bianka, still maintaining her "Young Durandal" form, stepped into the laboratory, her dazzling side-ponytail swaying with her stride.
Hiss—!
The moment Fuli laid eyes on her, he uncontrollably sucked in a sharp breath.
"B-Bianka," he stammered, "how did the... mission go?"
However, no matter how desperately he tried to mask his micro-expressions, that momentary lapse and his incredibly stiff smile could not escape the razor-sharp gaze of a battle-hardened Valkyrie.
"Little Li? Did something happen? You look unwell," Bianka noted, her delicate brows furrowing. She immediately marched toward the desk with unquestionable, authoritative concern.
As Schicksal's premier S-Rank Valkyrie, Bianka had executed countless missions and seen it all. In her eyes, Fuli's current demeanor looked exactly like a victim whose loved ones were being held hostage by thugs—forced into silence by a hidden gun, desperately trying to feign composure in front of the authorities.
"N-Nothing! It's nothing!"
Fuli's reaction was exactly as she predicted—far too eager and defensive. He was practically sprawled over the desk, forcing his head up with a painfully obvious fake smile. His body occasionally twitched as if he were fighting back some invisible torment, but he firmly bit his lip, refusing to spill the truth.
But wait. This is ME Corp, Bianka thought, her suspicions deepening.
As much as she found Raiden Mei irritating, she had to admit the woman's sheer strength and absolute control over the Hyperion. Even if Bianka were in her original adult body and fully armed with the 4th-Gen Bright Knight: Excelsis battlesuit, whether she could defeat Mei on her own home turf was a massive question mark.
Which brought her back to the main question: Where was Raiden Mei?
The young Valkyrie's eyes rapidly scanned every inch of the lab again. There truly was no sign of the alluring figure in the white lab coat.
Had that shut-in who treated the lab like her actual bedroom actually gone outside? Highly unscientific.
Or perhaps... she was simply lurking in a blind spot?
Wait! A blind spot!
Young Durandal's eyes suddenly turned razor-sharp. That utterly shameless Rita frequently sent her highly inappropriate material, just to enjoy the sight of her childhood friend blushing furiously when she accidentally clicked on it. Therefore, despite Bianka's usual image as a pure, untouchable Knight, she actually knew quite a bit about certain under-the-desk activities.
Without a moment's hesitation, she pushed off the floor. Her petite frame vaulted over the gap like a hunting cheetah, landing lightly right on top of the wide desk.
She ruthlessly reached out with her small hand, grabbed Fuli by the collar, and hauled him up from the chair!
Immediately, the little goose's eagle-like gaze locked onto the dark space beneath the desk—a space more than large enough to hide a person!
But when she got a clear look at what was actually inside, her cerulean eyes froze. She stood completely petrified on top of the desk, as if she'd been struck by a binding spell.
"What is it? What's going on?"
A beat too late, a curious Kiana leaned over the edge and followed Bianka's line of sight to look under the desk.
Right at that moment, the pitiful, "held-hostage" expression on Fuli's face instantly vanished, replaced by a highly wicked, triumphant grin.
"Hehe! Fell for it!"
SQUIRT!
Before the words even left his mouth, a massive torrent of thick, highly viscous liquid violently sprayed out from a mechanism under the desk, perfectly dousing both Kiana standing beside it and Bianka standing on top of it!
"Kyaa!"
"Waaah!"
The slime was incredibly adhesive, instantly leaving the two beautiful girls in an absolute, sticky mess from head to toe.
"Super Glue"—one of ME Corp's many failed inventions. It was a bizarrely useless special adhesive designed to disrupt the energy circulation of whoever it coated, effectively sealing their powers and forcing them to rely purely on physical strength.
"W-What the heck is this stuff?!"
"It's all sticky! Gross! Ah-Li, you big idiot!"
"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Fuli, the absolute scumbag who had successfully pranked the Kaslana sisters, put his hands on his hips and threw his head back in arrogant laughter.
Internally, however, he let out a massive sigh of relief.
As if perfectly synchronized, an electronic sliding door deeper inside the lab silently parted. Mei strolled out leisurely, using a soft towel to dry her damp, purple hair.
She was dressed only in a light purple silk bathrobe. The collar was slightly parted, revealing her delicate collarbones and a swath of flawless, fair skin. The fresh scent of body wash wafted off her; she had clearly just stepped out of the shower.
Her gaze swept over the two unfortunate souls struggling in the sticky glue, and she calmly scolded Fuli, "What bad taste. You girls, try channeling some Honkai energy into the slime."
Though confused, the girls instinctively followed her instructions and attempted to circulate their internal energy.
Sure enough, the moment Honkai energy flared up, the viscous glue visibly lost its adhesiveness and began peeling off effortlessly.
This was precisely why the "Super Glue" was considered a failed invention. It disrupted energy circulation, sure, but it didn't drain a person's energy reserves. The moment a user instinctively flared their aura in a panic, the raw burst of energy was enough to shatter the glue's binding structure.
"Thank you..."
Looking rather disheveled, Young Durandal hopped down from the desk and stamped her feet lightly. Once she confirmed the slime was completely gone, a faint, barely noticeable blush crept onto her fair cheeks.
She had actually thought Mei was hiding under the desk doing something completely shameless to Little Li. To think it was just a stupid, elaborate prank orchestrated by the boy himself.
"Getting a 'thank you' out of you is certainly a rare occasion," Mei replied with a touch of cool mockery.
Deep in her eyes, however, a fleeting gleam of a successfully executed cover-up flashed by, accompanied by a nearly imperceptible trace of pity.
This girl is far too straightforward, Mei thought amusedly. Did she really think Fuli—who had no idea Kiana was coming back today—would randomly set up a prank mechanism like that on a whim?
It was only because Bianka was currently occupying a Soulium body that her senses weren't nearly as sharp as her original form. Had her true body—the one perfectly synchronized with the Immortal Blades—been present, Mei's emergency evacuation and rapid clean-up routine definitely wouldn't have slipped past her so easily.
As for the pity...
Mei's gaze quietly shifted to Fuli, an ambiguous, intensely alluring light swirling in her eyes. The tip of her nimble tongue darted out, swiftly tracing her plump, rosy lower lip in a highly suggestive, teasing motion.
What a shame~ We were just a little bit away from finishing. But still, thanks for the treat~
Hah. Did he really think Raiden Mei was a herbivore? Did he honestly believe a simple shout of "My dearest wifey, you've worked so hard" would be enough to satisfy her?
Like she said before: even a donkey pulling a millstone needs to be fed a giant carrot by its master every now and then to have the energy to keep working.
"Burnout" has seven letters. "Autopsy" has seven letters. But "Rebirth" has seven letters too. If you just push a little harder, you'll see the light at the end of the tunnel.
And look! She had successfully claimed her payment!
Seeing Fuli catch her silent signal—his eyes flashing with a mix of helplessness and utter indulgence—the corners of Mei's lips curled into a knowing, secret smile.
"Mei! Mei!"
At that moment, Kiana, completely free of the glue, bounded over like a happy bird and practically tackled Mei. She hugged the older girl's arm, rubbing her cheek against it affectionately. "Why are you taking a shower in the middle of the day? Did you know I was coming back this afternoon and wanted to be all clean and fragrant to welcome me?"
Ambushed by the Kaslana, Mei didn't miss a beat. "During an experiment earlier, I accidentally splashed culture fluid all over my mouth, face, and hair. It was like a slippery, snapping wide-noodle in a boiling hotpot, so I had to take a quick shower to clean up."
"Ohh, that makes sense!" Kiana bought the excuse without a second thought. She proudly bounced on her toes, speaking as if presenting a grand achievement. "I have great news! Master Yunli and Master Yanqing both said my sword skills are improving super fast! At this rate, I'll be qualified to pull out that Demonic Sword of the Zhuming left in the bubble universe in no time!"
It was often said that mastering one art opened the door to mastering all arts. With Kiana's foundational stats sitting at the Critical Class, combined with the guidance of two master sword-fighters and her incredibly solid fundamentals from swinging a baseball bat for so long, rapidly raising her sword proficiency wasn't difficult at all.
Fuli raised an eyebrow. "That's great. Since your main weapons from now on will be a gun and a sword, isn't it time you returned my Galactic Baseball Bat? You've been hogging it for over half a year now."
"Bleh! Not giving it back! Never giving it back!" Kiana stuck her pink tongue out at him, humming proudly. "The baseball bat is the absolute symbol of the Honkai universe's protagonist!"
"Oh?" Fuli stroked his chin, feigning deep thought. "By that logic, wasn't I supposed to be the Heaven-ordained protagonist of this Honkai universe? But because you stole my protagonist-symbol bat, you've been constantly leeching away my plot armor and luck!"
He slammed his hand on the desk, glaring at her with faux rage. "You rice-wasting Paramecium! Give me back my good luck!"
"Nope! Hehe~!"
Kiana let go of Mei and bolted out of the lab in a flash. Fuli gave chase in mock fury, and the two of them sprinted down the halls, playfully bickering all the way to the bridge.
As soon as they entered, they spotted Topaz and Yuno sitting across from each other on the lounge sofas.
Yuno, holding an iced drink, raised a hand in greeting. The young IPC executive, however, was staring at Fuli with a gaze full of deep, lingering resentment.
Truth be told, the person in this world most acutely sensitive to Fuli's spikes in power wasn't actually Fuli himself—it was Topaz, thanks to their investment contract.
How long had it been since they fought side-by-side at the Ghost-Hunting Squad's haunted mansion? Less than a month, right?
Yet just a few mornings ago, while Topaz was sleeping soundly cuddling her beloved Trotter, Numby, the energy feedback transferred through the "Secret to Success"—symbolizing Fuli's power growth—had suddenly surged by a terrifyingly massive margin!
The instantaneous, overwhelming shockwave of pleasure and power had caused the girl's eyes to roll back into her head. A bizarre "Hnggghhh-ahhh" escaped her throat, her limbs twitched wildly, and her spine arched like a bow before she collapsed completely limp onto her bed. She had been just one step away from ascending to heaven and drinking tea with the generations of overworked corporate wage-slaves that came before her.
It was glaringly obvious: Fuli, her investee, had experienced yet another monumental leap in strength!
Indeed, that was the exact moment Fuli, still in Jigui City, had finished constructing the Vishnu organs and successfully replicated Anna's Ice Stigmata.
And because he had completely forgotten that the "Secret to Success" contract was even active, the idiot hadn't bothered to regulate the feedback intensity at all. It wasn't until a severely dehydrated Topaz weakly called him, begging him to turn it down while frantically gulping water, that he finally realized his mistake and adjusted the flow.
"Ah, um... Director, have you eaten?" Fuli asked awkwardly, shrinking slightly under Topaz's aggrieved, neglected-wife stare.
"I'm super full~" the silver-haired girl replied slowly, her tone loaded with heavy double meaning as she gently patted her lower stomach. "So full it's practically overflowing..."
"Pfft—! Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Yuno, who had been sipping her drink, violently choked on such a scandalous statement. She coughed uncontrollably, her eyes wide as saucers as her gaze rapidly ping-ponged between Fuli and Topaz, the flames of gossip roaring to life in her soul.
Wait a minute! None of the trending news articles ever mentioned that the Leader of the Hyperion was knocking boots with the IPC's Topaz!
"Don't misunderstand." Catching the highly suspicious stares from Yuno and Kiana—especially the large white cat's increasingly dangerous glare—Fuli firmly set the record straight. "Director Topaz and I share a purely professional relationship between investor and investee! It is strictly legitimate business! I'm begging you people, stop leaping from 'business partners' straight to 'intercourse'! Keep your minds out of the gutter!"
"I didn't leap that far!" Yuno shouted, instantly furious.
Fuli completely ignored her, turning back to Topaz. "Since you rarely visit, Director, would you like a tour of the Hyperion?"
Pitch her! Secure the cooperation! Earn the big bucks to feed the family!
"Sure." As Fuli's primary investor, Topaz genuinely wanted to see with her own eyes what kind of empire her seed money had sprouted into.
But the more she saw, the more her heart bled.
By the end of the tour, the normally sharp, capable corporate elite was squatting in a dark corner of the bridge, drawing circles on the floor and muttering gloomily to herself. Not even Numby's adorable, concerned oinking could snap her out of it.
This should have all been mine! Mine!
I'm such an idiot! Back at the Far East Branch, why did I just watch him walk away? Why didn't I offer a more aggressive contract and permanently tie him to my side?!
"There was once a world-class potential stock placed right in front of me, and I did not cherish it. Only after I lost it did I feel the true sting of regret," Topaz monologued tragically into the corner. "There is no greater pain in this mortal realm. If the heavens could give me just one more chance, I would look that naive boy in the eyes and say: 'Come back to the IPC with me! Big sis will cover you!'
"And if I had to put a time limit on that contract... I hope it would be—ten thousand years!"
Kiana and Yuno huddled together, whispering curiously.
"What is Topaz muttering about over there? She sounds so heartbroken."
"It kind of sounds like she went through a bad breakup."
"Eh? Does Topaz have a boyfriend?"
"Never heard of one. Maybe she keeps him hidden?"
"I am not going through a breakup! You two idiots!" Squatting in the corner, Topaz finally lost her patience, jumping up and yelling in exasperation.
---||---
Time slipped by amidst their laughter and banter.
Since Bronya was still out executing a mission, the people gathered around the dining table for dinner were just the few present. Naturally, the members of Team Everlasting Flames were enthusiastically invited to stay. A table surrounded by such an absurdly gorgeous array of girls was a feast for the eyes all on its own.
Chomp!
Having fully recovered from the minor emotional blow of "wronging" Mei earlier, Young Durandal was currently inhaling her tenth basket of soup dumplings like a localized hurricane.
Just as she reached out to claim her next victim, she suddenly remembered something and turned to Fuli, who was equally busy stuffing his face. "Little Li, regarding the Wardance team points... how is Team Classic planning to distribute them?"
"Haven't thought about it yet. We barely just got the whole team together," Fuli mumbled after swallowing a chicken wing. "What's your team doing?"
"Per standard protocol, we distribute them primarily based on contribution to the mission. If there are parts that are hard to quantify, the team decides together," Topaz said, having fully restored her elite corporate persona. "None of us are the stingy type, so we won't let something as trivial as points ruin our dynamic."
Among the group, Yuno was technically the poorest, but considering Theresa was secretly grooming her to eventually take over St. Freya, she wasn't actually that strapped for cash either.
"I'm giving all of my points to Mei so she can exchange them for the materials and equipment she needs!" Kiana chimed in, rocking side-to-side happily. "Guarding the base is a super, super important mission! We can't let Mei stay all alone on the ship and get absolutely nothing out of it!"
"You..." Hearing this, a flash of genuine tenderness crossed Mei's face. She grabbed a napkin and gently wiped the grease from her best friend's mouth, letting out a soft sigh. "I'll give you one of Yuan's kidneys as thanks."
"!!!"
Anna, who had come over to study and successfully freeloaded a meal, immediately perked up her ears.
Since Asta and I already claimed Teacher Fuli's two kintama, are Miss Mei and Miss Kiana calling dibs on his kidneys now?
"Hold up!" Fuli, the actual owner of said organs, looked utterly bewildered. "Did you guys just casually complete a terrifying distribution of human organs like it was totally normal? Did anyone bother asking the owner for his opinion?!"
"Hmph!"
As Asakura Miyuki's best friend, Yuno was highly displeased with Fuli's blatant, ambiguous harem-protagonist routine with all these women.
However, considering she was currently eating his food, she decided to strictly relegate her trash-talk to her internal monologue.
Besides, the food here is incredible! It's way better than the leftovers Principal Theresa occasionally brings back to St. Freya!
Is this the charm of eating straight from the source? Dammit, I have to stuff my face right now!
Truth be told, the spatial capacity of the Stasis Containers was limited. When someone like Theresa came over and "restocked" (freeloaded) in massive bulk, it was practically impossible to keep every single ingredient at absolute peak freshness.
What's that? What happened to the perfectly preserved portions Theresa packed into the Stasis Containers to take back?
Naturally, she secretly kept the best parts for herself to enjoy.
She had been the Principal of St. Freya for years now; wasn't she allowed to enjoy the fruits of her labor every once in a while? Cue the music! Keep the party going!