After that, Mei became the house cook for Ryn's home. Because Kiana had a huge appetite and needed a lot of food, Mei had plenty of opportunities to practice. Under Cortana's guidance, she became a qualified Herrscher of Meals.
Yes, Herrscher of Meals. Ryn could see that after being saved by Kiana, Mei seemed to have fallen in love with her. Fortunately, he had made his move early. Although Kiana had a good impression of Mei, she still kept her distance. Otherwise, he would have been the one wearing the green hat.
Every day, he watched Mei cook various dishes for Kiana, looking at Kiana with anticipation, hoping to convey her feelings. But every time, Kiana would just say it was delicious, then happily run into Ryn's arms. Seeing Mei's resentful little gaze, Ryn felt great.
Sometimes, right in front of Mei, he would even lift Kiana's chin.
"Kiana, give me a kiss."
"Mwah—"
Kiana would always respond to his expectations with enthusiasm, giving him a passionate kiss. Mei would be stunned, gritting her teeth as she watched them, unable to do anything.
Hmph, serves you right for being so aloof to Kiana before. Now she's out of your league.
During this period, Ryn had Cortana investigate Raiden Ryoma's case. They found many loopholes, but there was more than enough evidence to prove that Raiden Ryoma had indeed misappropriated a large sum of funds, though no one knew where the money went. There was no information online, and Raiden Ryoma himself remained silent.
Interestingly, during the investigation, they discovered that Raiden Ryoma had an accomplice: Siegfried Kaslana. When Ryn and Kiana found out, they nearly stormed the prison with weapons. Although Ryn wasn't close with Siegfried, he was still his father-in-law.
However, they were too late. Siegfried had already been confirmed to be uninvolved and was released without charge. Kiana was very sad that she didn't get to meet Siegfried, but she firmly believed that she would find her stinky old dad eventually.
Although they didn't find Siegfried that day, they did manage to arrange a meeting between Mei and Raiden Ryoma.
Raiden Ryoma told Mei not to worry about him, that someone would come to clear his name, and that Mei should be careful during this time, as someone might try to harm her.
However, Raiden Ryoma himself couldn't figure it out. ME Corp was full of Anti-Entropy personnel; the entire company was a source of funding for Anti-Entropy. He was an Executor of Anti-Entropy, yet he was completely stripped of his position and his home was seized, and until now, no one from Anti-Entropy had stepped forward to help him. Damn it, they couldn't have sold him out, could they?
Raiden Ryoma and Mei talked for a while, with Ryn and Kiana eating snacks and watching from the side. After they had been eating for quite some time, the two finally finished their conversation.
"And who might these two be?"
"This is Kiana, and that is Ryn. They're the friends I just told you about. They took me in, and I've been living at their place during this time."
Mei introduced the two to Ryoma. However, when Ryoma heard the names Kiana and Ryn, his expression turned a little ugly.
Ryoma's thoughts: That bastard Siegfried, so that's why you came to me. Kiana and the others had drifted all the way to Nagazora City! Damn it, damn it, does that mean my Mei is also a sacrifice for the Herrscher of the Void? That bastard Siegfried, I knew he was up to no good. The next time I see him, I'll definitely stab him.
Although his mind was in turmoil, Raiden Ryoma still smiled at Kiana and Ryn and said, "My apologies, I'll have to entrust Mei to your care for the time being... Thank you."
"It's no problem, it's just a small favor. After all, Mei is our friend." Ryn and Kiana waved their hands, indicating that there was no need to be so polite. After all, Mei had already become their house cook.
However, Ryn looked at Mei, then at Kiana, had Cortana disable the nearby surveillance equipment, and then said to Raiden Ryoma, "However, Mr. Raiden... we can't do anything about your case. I've investigated a bit, and it seems to be an internal matter of your Anti-Entropy. Kiana and I are from Schicksal. We have no standing and no ability to help you. At most, we can pass a message to Anti-Entropy for you."
"What is Anti-Entropy?" Mei didn't understand. Was her father hiding something from her?
Raiden Ryoma's gaze flickered. He didn't want Mei to know that he was part of Anti-Entropy, but now that it had been pointed out, he couldn't hide it anymore. He gave Ryn a look, and Ryn, understanding, began to explain.
"Mei... this world isn't as simple as you think... This world is afflicted by a disaster called 'Honkai.' Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are both organizations that fight against the Honkai. But unlike Schicksal, which is controlled by a single person, Bishop Otto, Anti-Entropy is managed by a Sovereign and several 'Executors' with decentralized power. Your father, Raiden Ryoma, is one of the Executors, codenamed 'The Entrepreneur,' responsible for providing funds for Anti-Entropy. But don't worry, Mr. Raiden Ryoma is not a combatant; he doesn't need to go to the battlefield."
Mei was silent for a moment. It was a lot of information to take in, but she felt like she was starting to understand something. Thinking back to her childhood, she looked at Raiden Ryoma in disbelief and said, "So... when Mom died, you weren't busy with work, but with Anti-Entropy matters..."
"Mei..." Raiden Ryoma didn't know what to say. He loved his wife very much, but that didn't change the fact that while his wife was hospitalized, he was busy with matters between the Executors at Anti-Entropy headquarters and missed seeing his wife for the last time.
Mei didn't know if her mother knew that her father worked for Anti-Entropy, but before she died, her mother didn't want Mei to resent her father. She said that her father was busy saving the world... Perhaps her mother knew... It was just that Mei never understood, was saving the world really more important than a loved one?
"Enough... don't say any more, it's all in the past. Take care of yourself... Father. You two can talk, I'll wait outside." After Mei finished speaking, she turned and left.
The white dough ball didn't know how the atmosphere had suddenly changed like this, but she knew that Mei needed someone by her side. Kiana looked in the direction Mei had left, then at Ryn, and after Ryn nodded, she went after Mei.
After Mei and Kiana left, only Ryn and Raiden Ryoma remained in the prison. As soon as Mei was gone, Raiden Ryoma relaxed for a moment, then showed Ryn a deadpan face.