Mei's Stigmata Space—no, perhaps it shouldn't be called a Stigmata Space anymore...
Because this place was a happy, warm home.
The Herrscher of Thunder that Mei had been longing to find was right here, right in front of her.
The Herrscher of Thunder didn't appear before Mei in her current form, but rather as Mei looked when she was very young, so young that Mei herself had forgotten her memories of that time.
Dressed in a long white dress, she looked like a sweet and elegant little princess, sitting quietly at the dining table, her eyes fixed on the kitchen, filled with anticipation and joy.
The Herrscher of Thunder sensed Mei's arrival, but she gave no reaction, not even bothering to glance at Mei. Because for the Herrscher of Thunder, what was about to happen was far more important than Raiden Mei.
For some reason, although the Herrscher of Thunder said nothing and made no eye contact, Mei, as if guided by an unseen hand, sat down on the other side of the dining table, waiting with the Herrscher of Thunder for someone to emerge from the kitchen...
*Click—*
The kitchen door opened, and a woman who looked very similar to Mei—Raiden Kikkaka—walked out carrying two steaming plates of curry rice.
(Raiden's mother was never officially named, so I made one up. I named her after the CV's mother~ I originally wanted to call her Raiden Shizugiku, but it didn't feel right, so I went with Raiden Kikkaka!)
As a married woman, Raiden Kikkaka no longer needed to style her hair in any fancy way. She simply tied it into a standard housewife's ponytail, letting it fall neatly down her back.
However, just like Mei, Raiden Kikkaka had a small, unruly ahoge on her head. It was just that, having lost the vigor of a young girl, the ahoge had also settled down, lying quietly on her head.
She had the same light purple eyes as Mei, but her gaze was even gentler and calmer.
Raiden Kikkaka was the image of a typical Yamato Nadeshiko—gentle, virtuous, mature, steady, and kind-hearted.
It was precisely because of such a gentle and considerate mother that Mei had the personality she has now.
Young Mei and Mrs. Raiden
After seeing the woman's face clearly, Mei was stunned, and her eyes instantly grew moist.
"Mo... Mom...?!"
Mei's voice became hoarse and dry, as if those simple words took all her strength.
Raiden Kikkaka's body trembled when Mei called out the word "mom." She walked forward quickly and placed the curry rice on the table. Then, she looked up at this "daughter" who had appeared out of nowhere.
"Are you... Mom?"
Mei's tears fell uncontrollably. Sobbing, she walked frantically to Raiden Kikkaka, took her hands, and touched and looked at this "mother" before her in disbelief.
Compared to Mei's panic and tears, Kikkaka seemed calmer, perhaps because of her past experience, as she had already gone through the sudden appearance of a Herrscher of Thunder daughter.
But seeing her long-lost daughter again, her eyes couldn't help but moisten as well.
She opened her arms and slowly hugged Raiden Mei, gently patting her back.
"You've suffered so much all these years... Go ahead and cry, Mom is here..."
"Waaaah—"
Mei's tear ducts burst, and she lost control, hugging Kikkaka and crying her heart out.
Having lost her mother at a young age, her memories were only a blurry haze from her childhood. Whenever she saw other children with their mothers taking them to and from school or playing games together, Mei couldn't help but feel incredibly envious.
Her father didn't pay attention to her either... After her mother died, Mei felt like an orphan. Raiden Ryoma was immersed in his lab all day and rarely came home...
Eventually, because no one was taking care of her, Mei was repeatedly kidnapped alone to extort large ransoms from Raiden Ryoma.
But Raiden Ryoma seemed to have grown tired of Mei's frequent kidnappings and simply locked her up... (It was during this time that Raiden Ryoma implanted the Herrscher gem into Raiden Mei's body.)
After she was released, Mei studied and practiced the Beichen Ittō-ryū so desperately... just to get good results and make Raiden Ryoma look at her properly...
Until the Third Honkai War erupted...
"Hmph—"
The Herrscher of Thunder turned her head away with a look of annoyance, eating the curry rice Kikkaka had prepared for her with excessive force.
Initially, the Herrscher of Thunder hadn't paid much attention to Mei's arrival in the Stigmata Space, even feeling indifferent.
But when Mei and Kikkaka hugged, the Herrscher of Thunder knew she was wrong, terribly wrong!
If she had known, she would have stopped her outside the Stigmata Space and met her there.
The Herrscher of Thunder finished her meal with a frustrated look, only to find that Mei and her mother were still embracing and crying, recounting past events.
She could only hop off the chair herself, clear her own dishes, and stomp off to the living room in a huff.
As for Kikkaka and Mei, they cried in each other's arms for a long time before finally separating.
Seeing that the Herrscher of Thunder was gone from the dining table, Kikkaka finally reacted. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from Mei's eyes, soothing the pain in her heart.
"Mei has grown so big, but she's still a crybaby just like when she was little."
"No, I'm very strong now!" Mei wiped her tears and continued to hug Kikkaka, burying her head in her embrace.
Kikkaka gently stroked Mei's head, tidying her slightly messy hair.
"Mei, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"
"No... I haven't eaten in a long time..."
"What? How has Ryoma been taking care of you? Has it gotten to the point where you don't even have food to eat?"
Kikkaka's eyes widened in surprise. The Raiden family was wealthy and influential; how could Ryoma not even provide food for his child?!
"This won't do! Mom made curry rice, would Mei like to try some? Or is there something else Mei wants to eat? Mom will make it for you now."
"No, no! Don't go to the trouble, curry rice is fine..."
"Alright, then you have to let go of Mom first so I can go get you a bowl." Kikkaka gently patted Mei's hand, signaling for her to let go, otherwise she couldn't get to the kitchen.
"No... then... then I won't eat..."
Mei hugged Kikkaka tightly, unwilling to let go, afraid that as soon as she did, her mother would disappear, and this dream would end, returning to that cold reality.
"Not eating is not an option... Watching Mei go hungry is more painful for me than when I was in pain..."
Kikkaka shook her head, refusing Mei's request to skip the meal.
Even before she died from cancer, all she could think about was what would happen to Mei and Ryoma without her, whether they would eat properly and rest well.
Seeing the painful expressions on her family's faces as she was about to die, the pain in Kikkaka's heart was even worse than the physical pain.
So Kikkaka waved to the Herrscher of Thunder in the living room, who was jealously taking her anger out on a pillow because her mother had been stolen away, and called out:
"Little Lei, you see your sister has come and you don't even greet her! Now, hurry up and get your sister Mei a bowl of curry rice!"