"Sorry, Zihan. You had to see that."
Having successfully apprehended a certain white-haired peeping tom who wished to remain anonymous, and then thoroughly reprimanding her, Miss Mei looked somewhat embarrassed as she turned to the young man who had been sipping tea on the side.
She had sensed gazes while she was showering, then rushed out to catch the culprit.
To her surprise, she had actually found one.
And then, she'd kind of lost it.
"N-no problem at all."
Having arrived at the changing room in lockstep with Kiana, but managing to outmaneuver her and get Kiana to take the blame for both of them, the young man watched the white-haired dango with a look of utter despair. He couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.
If he hadn't been quick on his feet, and hadn't gotten Kiana to shoulder his share of the blame, he would probably be sporting the same dejected expression as the white-haired dango right now.
A gentle woman's anger was truly terrifying.
Li Zihan reaffirmed this point.
And then, he reaffirmed a second point.
From now on, whenever engaging in activities like peeping, one had to prepare a scapegoat in advance.
"Don't be too angry, Mei. Maybe Kiana was just trying to play a prank on you."
The person who was actually Kiana's accomplice attempted to exonerate his partner.
"Does playing a prank require carving a hole specifically for it?"
Miss Mei was clearly not buying Li Zihan's explanation.
"Maybe... that was something the seniors at St. Freya Academy did."
The young man, who knew very well that the hole Kiana used for peeping was indeed a legacy from the seniors, pursed his lips as he spoke.
"Even so, Kiana went too far with this."
Miss Mei was still harboring some anger.
"Alright, alright, don't be mad."
The young man, who should have been standing trial alongside Kiana, consoled Mei while simultaneously assessing her attire.
It was incredibly alluring.
The girl who had just emerged from the shower was only wrapped in a towel, revealing large expanses of her full, fair skin. Li Zihan even suspected that Miss Mei was in a state of "going commando" beneath the towel.
"Also, is that... outfit of yours really okay?"
Having vented her anger, the girl, who was still only wrapped in a towel, exposing large swathes of her plump, fair skin, finally noticed that there was a member of the opposite sex present.
Her face flushed instantly, and she became visibly flustered.
She was actually "going commando" right now.
Appearing before a member of the opposite sex, even if it was her fiancé, in such a state was too casual, wasn't it?
Realizing this, Miss Mei could no longer be bothered to discuss Kiana's actions. She tossed a sentence at Li Zihan.
"Zihan, I'm leaving Kiana in your care."
"I'm going back to continue my shower."
"Okay, I'll keep an eye on Kiana for you."
Li Zihan watched Miss Mei leave.
Then, he walked over to Kiana's side.
"Sorry you had to go through that, Kiana."
"Ah Li, has anyone ever told you that you're a real bastard?"
Having recovered the memories that had been suppressed while being scolded by Mei, the white-haired dango glared at the guy who had stabbed her in the back, her face as dark as ink.
"To just seal away someone else's memories without permission..."
He'd gone too far.
Feeling that Kiana was genuinely angry, Li Zihan thought.
So he apologized honestly.
"I'm sorry."
"I shouldn't have joked around with the Eighth Divine Key, Fenghuang Down."
The Sixth Divine Key, the Key of Consciousness Fenghuang Down, was indeed not suitable for use on people he knew well.
Memories were the vessel that carried the past.
Losing a memory meant losing a piece of the past, and forgetting the bonds forged with others.
Such actions, even for a magus, were considered a rather malicious prank.
For normal people, it could be said to be the most bastardly joke imaginable.
Thinking this, Li Zihan felt a pang of remorse.
He had been using Jizo Mitama and Fenghuang Down a bit too frequently these past few days.
He had just reached for Fenghuang Down without thinking.
If he kept this up, it seemed likely that he would cause trouble.
Maybe it was time for him to restrain himself.
Some things didn't actually need to be resolved with Jizo Mitama or Fenghuang Down.
Having inherited the Saint Graph of the son of the Sun God and undergone Stigmata modification, his combat strength was already very high. He was definitely overqualified to be an S-rank Valkyrie in Schicksal, the young man thought.
Always relying too much on one or two things would be disastrous if he were ever targeted.
It was time for him to try out some other tricks.
He still had the souls of Archer Gilgamesh and Berserker Cú Chulainn, two target-practice-level Servants, locked away in his Stigmata Space, Li Zihan thought.
Kiana just stared at the apologetic young man, saying nothing.
She was actually pretty mad.
Li Zihan using her as a scapegoat wasn't a big deal, actually.
Backstabbing between close friends was basic operating procedure.
But altering her memories, even temporarily, had crossed a line.
Honestly, thinking about it, she felt really uncomfortable.
"Alright, I promise that I won't use Fenghuang Down or Jizo Mitama except when absolutely necessary."
Watching the girl who was obviously very unhappy, the young man, who would try to minimize the use of Fenghuang Down and Jizo Mitama from now on, saw crimson feathers rise from his pocket and sink into the shadows beneath his feet.
He should focus on excavating the power of Karna, Gilgamesh, and Cú Chulainn, as well as trying to become the Herrscher of Reason.
"Be more careful in the future."
Watching the Eighth Divine Key, which had completely sunk into the shadows and was now likely relegated from a commonly used weapon to a backup, Kiana then glared at Li Zihan and said grumpily.
This reaction was barely acceptable.
Ah Li was a bastard, but he wasn't the irredeemable type.
"Not everyone is as easygoing as I am."
"I understand."
The young man, having barely obtained forgiveness, nodded.
"Remember to treat me to a big meal next time."
The white-haired girl, who would have absolutely exploded if the one who had done this wasn't Li Zihan, then added another demand.
"No problem."
Li Zihan, who indeed didn't find this request unreasonable, then looked around.
"Now that I think about it, what are we going to do next?"
He and Kiana had originally planned to go peeping together.
But it had turned into an internal strife of lechers halfway through.
"How should I know?"
Kiana rolled her eyes and said.
First, she had been defeated in the lecherous infighting during their peeping session. Then, she had a portion of her memories sealed, took the blame for two people, and got scolded for a long time. She was feeling incredibly miserable.
"How about we go peeping again?"
Recalling Miss Mei's figure as she left, Li Zihan had a momentary lapse in judgment and said.
"...Ah Li, are you looking for a beating?"
Having just been lectured and feeling utterly hopeless, Kiana stared at Li Zihan's face and said very seriously.