Theresa's mind was completely blank.
Utterly blank.
Impossibly, irrevocably blank.
This morning, she had discovered her salary had suddenly been cut by eighty percent, then dragged her good buddy Himeko all the way to the Vice-Commander's dormitory.
And then this—
I witnessed you driving your car, and you ran it right over my face. I am greatly vexed, and with the evidence before me, I must furiously reprimand you.
"Mr. Vice-Commander, what is the meaning of this situation?"
Aunt Himeko's eye twitched slightly as she looked at the young man and woman embracing each other.
When she was nineteen, she had enough suitors to fill the campus. She rejected countless handsome young men, literary youths, and dashing older men, choosing to immerse herself in her studies instead.
And then—
And then there was no "and then."
She became a Valkyrie, living year-round among a group of lesbians, and was almost turned gay by her captain, Ragna. After her captain died, her daily life became a cycle of combat and training.
(As a side note, the name of Himeko's captain, Ragna Lodbrok, is truly interesting.
Ragna Lodbrok was a famous Viking hero, and Ragna died at the hands of King Aelle of Northumbria.
Subsequently, his four sons—Björn Ironside, Hvitserk, Sigurd "Snake-in-the-Eye," and Ivar the Boneless—led a massive invasion of England to avenge their father.
Coincidentally, Ragna also had several child-like figures around her.
She was Rita's savior, Murata Himeko's mentor, and Durandal's teacher.
If Himeko's captain's name truly originates from Ragnar Lodbrok, then the only character corresponding to King Aelle would be Otto.
Looking at it this way, Otto's death in A Post-Honkai Odyssey becomes very interesting.)
As time ticked by, she became an outstanding Valkyrie, but her body was also eroded by Honkai energy.
At this point, she started thinking about finding a man, but she looked down on subpar men, and since she was dying soon, she didn't want to drag down a good man.
Naturally, she ended up a single woman of advanced age.
And now, two youngsters were flaunting their affection right in front of her, and even looked like they were about to get it on!!
"Puppy love, is there a problem?"
Li Zihan, whose physical age was around fifteen, shrugged his shoulders and said.
Murata Himeko and Theresa both froze, as if they'd been doused with a bucket of cold water and then struck by lightning.
Puppy love?
What kind of reason was that?
"Li Zihan, if I remember correctly, you're actually the person that Raiden Ryoma has taken a fancy to, aren't you?"
Theresa's lips twitched. She had heard Raiden Ryoma mention something once.
He had entrusted his life's greatest masterpiece to a fellow who, if he just kept his mouth shut, would be quite an outstanding young man, hoping that this person, who was far stronger and wiser than himself, could protect his daughter.
Looking at it this way, this guy's identity was actually the fiancé Raiden Ryoma had chosen for his daughter.
Furthermore, his relationship with Kiana was also rather ambiguous.
And yet this guy was ignoring the beautiful girls he could get his hands on with just a little effort and was playing at puppy love with other girls?
I've never seen... (crossed out).
No, I really have never seen anything like this.
"That's right. My father-in-law is quite fond of me."
The young man, who likely would have already been engaged to Mei by now if he hadn't indulged his wicked sense of humor and had instead maintained his image to curry favor with Raiden Ryoma, spoke casually.
"Otherwise, he wouldn't have given me the Plasma Kagehide, which is practically bound to Mei. Of course, the fact that Mei has a high degree of affection for me is also a factor."
Knowing that someone has entrusted their daughter to you, and that the girl likes you too, you still mess around like this?
What kind of factory produced this level of scum?
"Then... is it really okay for you to be doing this?"
Murata Himeko, who had never in her entire life met such a shamelessly honest scumbag, grimaced.
That white-haired dango who had once mistaken her for her great-aunt, allowing her to feel a long-lost sense of kinship, was her favorite student.
Now, seeing her favorite student fall for a guy who couldn't possibly be any scummier, she was in a very foul mood.
"To continue pursuing girls when you're already drowning in a sea of romantic debt?"
"Mei is a very gentle and considerate girl. After marriage, she will surely become a perfect wife."
"Kiana is a clever, sensitive, and proactive girl. She's like a cat, showing the different sides of a kitten and a stray cat in different situations. It's very cute."
"They're both wonderful girls. If I let them go, I would surely regret it. So, I figured I might as well try to get them all."
These words came from the mouth of the normal-looking young man, his expression frank, his tone light and cheerful.
"Building a crystal palace is one of a man's ultimate fantasies, you know."
"I'm just chasing after this dream."
Treating building a harem as one of your dreams?
Looking at the young man's frank expression, Murata Himeko frowned deeply.
His simple words revealed a very abnormal set of values.
This guy didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with what he was saying, that it was against social norms and morally offensive.
From now on, I have to make sure Kiana and Mei stay far away from this guy.
"Commander Li, your dream is a bit too detached from reality. I truly cannot understand it, nor do I want to."
"So, I think I'll be going."
With a problem appearing around her precious students, Murata Himeko had no mind to accompany Theresa in demanding her salary. She shook her head and headed for the door.
Theresa looked at the departing Murata Himeko, then glanced at the air-dropped commander-slash-captain whose personality seemed to have some serious issues, and the girl he held in his arms. Her lips twitched, and she too turned to leave.
Li Zihan made no move to stop them, simply letting them go.
"So, boss, you're just going to let them leave like that?"
A long while later, the girl held in the young man's arms finally turned her head and used her light gray eyes to gaze at her lover, asking her question.
If you let them leave just like that, Sister Mei and Kiana will both find out that the boss is a philandering playboy.
Of course, such a development was a good thing for her.
After all, a man was something she was only willing to share with Seele. With Li Zihan pulling a stunt like this, many of the ambiguous bubbles were about to be popped.
"Why would I stop them from helping me raise my affection points?"
The young man, holding several crimson feathers in his hand, shrugged his shoulders and said.
"Raise affection points?"
Bronya was stunned.
Given Li Zihan's performance just now, he was still expecting Theresa and Aunt Himeko to help him raise Sister Mei's and the Paramecium's affection points?
"That's right."
The young man, who had borrowed a part of the Eighth Divine Key, Fenghuang Down, through Otto, said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.