"Alright… since Lady Bianca insists, I'll have to give this outfit to Lady Theresa. Luckily, you and Lady Theresa are about the same size now, so I won't need to make any adjustments."
(Bianca is about a year younger than Mei—so she hasn't started growing yet…)
(Theresa, What do you mean by that?!)
Rita set down the magical girl outfit, her eyes flashing with brief disappointment. But she quickly perked up again as the image of Theresa wearing the outfit surfaced in her mind.
Bianca tilted her head and looked at the pile of outfits on the bed, silently praying for Principal Theresa in her heart.
-----------------------------
Ding dong~
Ding dong, ding dong~
The doorbell rang, followed by the sound of slippers moving across the floor. The sound stopped at the door. Mei peered through the peephole, puzzled by the figure outside, wrapped up tightly, and asked,
"Hello, may I help you?"
Fu Lin pulled down the brim of his hat, adjusted his sunglasses, and, noticing Mei's cautiousness, spoke in a low, slightly hoarse voice,
"I'm here about the missing cat notice."
Mei's bright eyes dimmed a little. After posting the missing cat notice for so long, there had been no shortage of people trying to pass off similar-looking cats. She asked through the door,
"You found the cat?"
Fu Lin held the missing cat notice in his hand and secretly chuckled to himself, "Of course. I just wonder if that 30,000 yen reward is real."
"If it really is my cat, I'll give you the 30,000 on the spot. But don't think you can trick me with some random cat."
Mei opened the door, looking at the man's tightly wrapped face. Though a little suspicious, she didn't overthink it—after all, bundling up in winter was normal.
But seeing the man holding a paper bag that looked like it contained cookies in one hand and the missing cat notice in the other—without a single cat hair on him, let alone a cat—Mei's face darkened. She immediately felt she was being played with and turned around, ready to close the door.
But something seemed to be blocking it. Looking down, she saw a foot wedged in the doorway.
"What are you trying to do?!" Mei's pupils shrank suddenly. Watching the man gradually approaching her, her body instinctively backed away until she stumbled over the entrance step and fell heavily to the ground.
When she looked up, the man was already crouched in front of her. Seeing his hand reaching toward her, Mei closed her eyes. Fu Lin's figure flashed through her mind. She desperately wished Fu Lin would appear and save her right now.
In the space of her consciousness, the Herrscher of Thunder opened her deep purple eyes. Initially intending to punish this clueless fool, she paused upon recognizing his identity. Her hand, which had gathered a sphere of lightning, slowly relaxed, and the ball of lightning dissipated instantly.
Crossing her arms, she sneered, "Heh… Mei, trust me, kiss him. You'll be pleasantly surprised."
Mei resisted with a disgusted expression, "I'm not doing that."
"Fine. If you won't, I will~" Without hesitation, the Herrscher of Thunder seized control of Mei's body, pounced on Fu Lin, and kissed him through the thin mask.
"Wait… that's my body! You can't just… Fu Lin???" Even through the mask, Fu Lin could still feel Mei's soft lips. His eyes widened in shock, completely caught off guard by the sudden turn of events.
'I just wanted to pat her head—why is Mei doing this?' Feeling the moist sensation through the mask and the gradual loss of Honkai energy, Fu Lin snapped out of his shock. He quickly pushed Mei away, took off his mask, and threw it into a nearby trash can.
Then he lifted the brim of his cap and untied his headband, revealing flowing gray-blue hair that cascaded over his shoulders and back—a careless yet striking beauty.
Mei covered her mouth with both hands, staring at Fu Lin with wide eyes and mumbling,
"No wonder I fell for him at first sight."
Hearing Mei's words, the Herrscher of Thunder's eyes flashed with disdain. But when her gaze landed on Fu Lin's lips, she instinctively licked her own.
"…Indeed, this man is dangerously sweet—like a drug that makes me crave more."
Mei clenched her fists. For the first time, she felt the urge to kill a… consciousness,
"…Shut up. No one will think you're mute if you stay silent."
"Tastes pretty good, human." The Herrscher of Thunder slowly stood up, tucking her hair behind her ear as her finger lightly brushed against her damp lips.
"…"
"Herrscher of Thunder, you've overstepped. Now watch me…" Fu Lin stared at the young yet alluring figure of the Herrscher of Thunder. He swiftly appeared before her and gently tapped her forehead with his finger.
Seeing her eyes beginning to turn red and tears welling up, Fu Lin pinched her cheek with a puzzled look, "Why do you look like you're about to cry? I haven't even done anything to you yet."
Mei wiped her tears and threw herself into Fu Lin's arms, choking up, "Fu Lin, it's me—Raiden Mei."
Fu Lin's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected the Herrscher of Thunder to back down so easily. But looking down at the Mei in his arms, he gently stroked her hair—his touch as soft as a breeze brushing past treetops, calming and comforting.
After a long while, Mei raised her hand and took off Fu Lin's sunglasses, meeting his sapphire-blue eyes. Gripping his jacket tightly, she said, "Fu Lin, over the past month, I've figured a lot of things out. I like you—I really like you. I'm scared you'll suddenly disappear from my world. I'm scared you'll leave me behind…"