After some exploration, Raiden Mei learned a lot more about the Flame-Chasers in the Elysian Realm.
For example, Pardofelis, Kalpas, and Aponia all came from the talent-filled Twilight Street, and Kalpas and Aponia were even from the same sanatorium.
Also, Kosma hoped that when interacting with Griseo, others wouldn't carry weapons.
The reason was that Griseo, during interactions with others, would unconsciously pick up that person's habits.
It was said that after a period of contact with Kalpas, Griseo once painted a picture, and that painting almost led to an entire city district being destroyed in civil unrest.
Originally, Raiden Mei had doubts about this. Until… she saw the way Griseo acted when she was with Elysia.
"Big sister Mei... hi, did you miss me?"
When little Griseo tilted her head and said that sentence in Elysia's unique upward tone, Raiden Mei had to admit, she was shocked.
Now she completely understood why Kosma had repeatedly reminded her not to bring weapons when meeting Griseo.
Otherwise, who knows, maybe one day Griseo would hold a paintbrush and shout, "Paintbrush, bow down to me!", or some other strange line like that.
"Did you learn this from Elysia?" Raiden Mei asked softly.
Griseo nodded. "Elysia-sister said... greeting this way feels more friendly."
Hearing this, Raiden Mei helplessly cast a glance at the Elysia beside her, thinking how she really taught anything and everything.
Little did she know, compared to how Elysia taught her to address certain others, this was already considered a relatively normal lesson.
Just as Raiden Mei was about to leave, she turned, and her peripheral vision swept over the easel, and she suddenly stopped walking.
"This is..." She subconsciously stepped closer to the half-finished painting.
Among the mottled pigments, a familiar silhouette quietly stood in the corner of the canvas.
Though it was just a few simple strokes, that back view was one she could never mistake.
"This is... Van?"
Griseo's brush froze in mid-air, paint dripping onto the palette.
She nodded, her voice softer than usual. "Even though Brother Van... hasn't been here for a long time... the painting still remembers him."
Consciousness once again fell into darkness.
When Mei returned to that deepest place, Aponia was quietly sitting in the dark.
"Ah, Mei..." Aponia's voice was as gentle as water, like a mother welcoming home a wandering child. "Thank goodness. It's been a while. It seems you haven't added any new wounds to yourself."
"Aponia, that prophecy you mentioned earlier..."
"'Please'... wait a moment, Mei." Aponia suddenly raised her hand, her slender fingers pointing at the collar of Raiden Mei's shirt. "This part is out of place... Let me fix it for you. 'Please,' come a bit closer, will you?"
'No need, there are more important things.'
That was what Raiden Mei wanted to say.
But... for some reason, she couldn't utter the words no matter how hard she tried.
That gentle request... at this moment... was like a divine command, undeniable.
"O...kay."
Aponia's hand stretched out from the darkness, her pale fingers gently smoothing out the wrinkles on Mei's collar.
They were the kind of hands that, when emerging from spotless sleeves, looked even more beautiful.
No matter how you looked at them, they didn't seem like the hands of someone scheming in the shadows.
"Thank you," Mei said stiffly.
"It's nothing, just a small thing." Aponia withdrew her hand, her voice carrying a trace of almost imperceptible fatigue.
"If I could... honestly, I'd rather use these hands to smooth away the weariness... and confusion in your heart."
After fixing Mei's collar, she placed her hands back onto her knees.
From then on, throughout the rest of her contact with Aponia, Raiden Mei kept her guard up.
She sharply noticed that every time the other party uttered the word please, her own consciousness would briefly waver, leaving her unable to refuse any request.
This wasn't the first time.
During previous encounters, that invisible sense of restraint had been growing stronger and clearer.
Now, Raiden Mei was finally certain, Aponia's ability was similar to "word-binding," influencing the actions of others through certain specific words.
Since she now understood how Aponia's ability worked, Raiden Mei began formulating her plan in her heart.
If her guess was correct, then not only could she break free from Aponia's Judgment of Ten Days, but she could also draw out that person who always appeared briefly before her...
With her mind made up, Raiden Mei returned to the Hall of the Elysian Realm and found a certain overly enthusiastic big guy napping in the intel room.
Seeing Raiden Mei approach, Kalpas was initially delighted.
After all, he had heard about the situation between Raiden Mei and Aponia.
In Kalpas's eyes, anyone, anyone at all, who could cause trouble for that damned woman, Aponia, was his good friend.
With that in mind, Kalpas figured it was time to actually take Van's advice seriously and maybe work on adjusting his personality a bit.
Thinking that, Kalpas fixed his mood and was just about to greet Raiden Mei. "Oh, Herrscher, you..."
But the words abruptly froze in his throat.
Because...
"Kalpas... please roll over here." Raiden Mei said.
———
[Hahahahaha, this is going to be an iconic scene!]
[I'm dying, our bro Kalpas is completely stunned.]
[To avoid corrupting the kids watching, Mei even said 'please'.]
[She's so... I'm crying.]
[LMAO! Mei is totally exploiting the bug here!]
[This is hilarious, when the reaper says die at five, but you off yourself at three instead!]
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