82. Cohabitation Life, Kiana and Mei's Friendship?
After Raiden Ryoma was arrested and imprisoned, Mei's life underwent a drastic change.
Although she had always lived a simple and low-key lifestyle and never intended to leverage her status or enjoy the wealth her father provided, it was clear that the "simple and low-key" life of a wealthy heiress was not entirely the same as the "ordinary" life of an average person.
All of Raiden Ryoma's assets were frozen, and the life of Mei, an ordinary high school student, suddenly became strained. Meanwhile, those once overwhelmingly warm relatives and friends, the uncles and aunts who had all held her in their arms, not one of them extended a helping hand at this moment. Instead, they took pleasure in Raiden Ryoma's downfall.
Presumably, in the original story, she would have gone through a difficult period. The cold stares and ridicule from others, the hardships of her own life, and the helplessness of having no one to rely on drove Mei to become the Herrscher of Thunder in despair—the true Queen of Thunder.
However, this time, Mei had you by her side.
You rented a small house and moved in with Mei. The place wasn't particularly large—even smaller than the log cabin you once shared with Kiana in the far north—but Mei didn't seem to mind at all.
Mei continued to go to school every day, while you, as before, would pick her up and drop her off, keeping a close eye on her physical condition. At the same time, you were also making preparations in other aspects to deal with the Honkai.
Your experiences from previous simulations told you that forcibly altering someone's fate often causes the storm stirred by the butterfly's wings to become even more ferocious.
Saving a Klein ultimately led to terrifyingly significant consequences. Just as there must always be a Demon King, to drive you away, the will of the Honkai had to create a new Herrscher for expulsion rather than testing—and like little Hua, it had to be someone close to you.
Rather than letting things spiral out of control and turning someone else into the Herrscher of Thunder, it was better to go along with the situation. Mei was originally capable of suppressing the Herrscher's power with the strength of her Stigmata. If you tried to stop her, you might end up overcomplicating things.
The Honkai had to erupt, but the damage it caused could be minimized.
So, while making other preparations, you began to enjoy the simple days with Mei.
After all, the two of you had already established a romantic relationship and were now a young couple.
The trial regarding Raiden Ryoma had not yet begun. He was currently only temporarily detained. You and Mei visited him at the detention center, where Raiden Ryoma hinted to you that he was unlikely to get out and entrusted Mei to your care.
However, you knew this was because you and Mei hadn't told him about your relationship. If you had confessed, this doting father would have undoubtedly broken out of prison on the spot to come after you.
With your companionship, Mei began actively adapting to her new life—the wonderful life that belonged to the two of you. This was a novel experience for both of you.
After all… compared to Mobius and Aponia, two individuals with "strong personalities," Mei was truly just an ordinary girl. You were finally experiencing a genuine romantic relationship.
Similarly, the two of you also began engaging in traditional dating activities. You often took her out on dates—to the aquarium, the movie theater, amusement parks, and various festivals. Although you had visited these places countless times before, the feeling was entirely different now that you were a couple.
Although you had confessed your feelings, Mei was, after all, a very traditional girl from the Far East. After you accepted her, for several days, Mei's voice was almost inaudibly soft due to shyness whenever she spoke to you.
She would even run away shyly as soon as you got close, covering her mouth and watching you warily, like a small animal on guard against a predator.
However, you had no intention of giving Mei a chance to escape—after all, the days of peace and tranquility… were numbered.
"Mei, dinner will be ready in another half hour!"
The sun had set, and boundless darkness engulfed Nagazora City. At the edge of the city, in a somewhat old high-rise apartment building, inside a cozy home, Gao Qi knocked on the study door, poked his head in, and spoke to Mei, who was sitting at the desk with her phone.
Currently, Gao Qi and Mei were cohabiting—though they hadn't yet reached the stage of sharing a bed!
This small apartment was, of course, rented by Gao Qi. Though not particularly large, it was clean, tidy, and well-lit. Gao Qi and Mei spent a day tidying up before moving in.
In the original story, the Honkai outbreak was still several months away. During this time, Gao Qi aimed to cultivate his relationship with Mei as much as possible. The closer their bond, the easier it would be to calm her down after her Herrscher transformation in the future.
Of course, Gao Qi was doing this for the sake of the people of Nagazora City and the peace and harmony of all Asians—not to enjoy cohabiting with a beautiful high school girl! Absolutely not!
"Mm, okay, Gao Qi. I'll be out in a bit. I'm chatting with a friend!"
Mei, who was chatting on a social app, turned her head, her long purple hair cascading behind her, and gave Gao Qi a sweet smile. Despite the sudden upheaval, Mei had now regained her usual composure and was beginning to enjoy their cohabitation.
Lately, she had shed the halo of the "Queen of Thunder" from her past, feeling less restrained as a result.
The bullying in Far Eastern schools was clearly opportunistic, targeting the weak while fearing the strong. Some despicable worms, upon discovering that the Raiden family had fallen from grace, wanted to take advantage and bring the once-lofty Queen of Thunder down into the mud.
But soon, they realized they were mistaken. Family and upbringing were not everything Mei possessed. On the contrary, they were merely her restraints.
No longer needing to worry about the Raiden family's reputation or fearing that her actions might tarnish her father's name, and with Gao Qi's guidance, Mei had never intended to endure or tolerate such behavior.
On the first day, well-versed in the "broken windows" theory, she thoroughly beat up a group of troublemaking girls who tried to provoke her.
On the second day, after arriving at school and finding her desk vandalized and her chair covered in glue, she cornered the snickering culprits and applied some "memory restoration techniques" until she identified the mastermind. Then, she pressed the glue-covered chair right into her face.
By the third day… when some students with "connections" and shady boyfriends tried to ambush her at the school gate, Mei declined Gao Qi's help, who was waiting nearby. Instead, she took photos of them and sent the pictures to their parents, based on information she had previously gathered.
Although Chiba Academy wasn't exactly an elite girls' school, it still attracted students from respectable families. When their parents saw their daughters behaving like this… it undoubtedly sparked a family storm—telling on them really worked!
As Gao Qi had said, beneath Mei's gentle exterior lay the domineering heart of a queen. After all, in the game, Mei's initial character design was that of a pure queen, with the "housewife" attribute not being predominant.
Thus, without Gao Qi's intervention, Mei effortlessly resolved her situation at school, becoming a true queen no one dared to provoke. She even seemed to have found a good friend who was still willing to stand by her.
Of course, Gao Qi wouldn't interfere with the girls' friendship. But before closing the door, he couldn't resist teasing Mei with a mischievous grin.
"Save some time for your friend now, but later, your time belongs to me."
Sure enough, Mei's face immediately flushed crimson. She shot Gao Qi a shy, indignant glare, puffed out her cheeks, and pouted at him.
"Gao Qi, Gao Qi! You're so annoying—I'll be out in a bit!"
Finally, after Gao Qi left, Mei, her face still red, immediately covered her slightly warm cheeks.
Since moving in with Gao Qi—no, since living together—Mei had researched many things about cohabiting couples.
Initially, Mei thought she could learn about dividing household chores, managing income and expenses, or romantic tricks to surprise her partner.
But… things weren't as simple as she imagined—why was contraception the first thing to consider when cohabiting? Shouldn't that come after marriage? How could she possibly do such things!
Lost in thought, Mei began typing on her phone, starting a chat with her close friend.
"Kiana, tell me... as a girlfriend, should I try to be a little more intimate with my boyfriend? How should I reward him..."
Mei had very few close friends, but this recent acquaintance was different from all the other girls she had met. When the entire school had ostracized Mei, this girl had sought her out on her own, genuine and sincere—a rare kind of girl.
Even when people badmouthed Mei behind her back in front of Kiana, Kiana never cared. Instead, she would point at their noses and give them a good scolding.
Though she was a bit chuunibyou, always claiming to be a clone, wanting to find her father to save the world together, Mei just took her words as playful talk. After all, Mei herself often pretended to be the founder of the North Star style, "Mei of the North Star," when she was little!
Of course, Kiana was indeed extraordinary in martial arts. Both were inheritors of the Inch-Heart Fist, which was a kind of fate.
Back and forth, the two became inseparable friends who shared everything.
Kiana said she grew up in the far north, but she looked European. As an exchange student, she wandered alone in Arc City searching for her adoptive father, which made Mei's heart ache for her.
Especially after discovering that Kiana could only eat instant noodles and bread every day, Mei immediately put a stop to it. How could she eat that during her growing years!
Coincidentally, Mei had recently felt she couldn't always let Gao Qi take care of her. She made time to prepare special bento boxes for him, and she always made an extra one for Kiana—though only Gao Qi's had a heart-shaped decoration.
Other times, Mei would bring over meals that Gao Qi had cooked. The first time Kiana tried them, she couldn't help but cry, saying it "reminded her of her dad's cooking," and then devoured everything in one go.
After that, every time Gao Qi cooked, Kiana could immediately tell, even when Mei mixed his food with her own. Kiana could easily pick it out.
This left Mei a bit frustrated. Was the gap between her cooking skills and Gao Qi's really that obvious?
In any case, Mei and Kiana were truly close friends who shared everything, and Mei was happy to confide in Kiana about her relationship with Gao Qi.
It took a while for Kiana's reply to come through. She wasn't very good at typing, so her responses were always slow.
"What's the big deal? I might not have been in a relationship, but if you want to make a guy happy, just give him a good hug and sleep with him—every time I do that with my dad, he smiles and pats my head, so he must be happy."
Reading such innocent words, Mei could only smile wryly—that's how you treat your dad, but I'm dealing with my boyfriend!
After thinking it over, Mei could only type, "Thank you."
"Kiana said she traveled across the entire Eurasian continent to reach the Far East. I could never do something like that. And she's so innocent and kind-hearted. To raise such a wonderful girl... he must be a good father."
With that thought, Mei couldn't help but gently touch her abdomen. Though it was still flat, it didn't stop her from daydreaming about the future.
"Can I become a good mother? Will Gao Qi be a good father..."
Of course, he is yours. This world is yours too. Even if everything turns to ashes, you can still find your beloved upon those ashes—you can freely indulge your desires. Accept this power, and you will obtain everything you desire! You can have her!
"Ah! What am I even thinking! Raiden Mei, calm down!"
Midway through her thoughts, the embarrassed Mei couldn't continue—she felt like she was being shamelessly indecent!
She vaguely sensed something unsettling flickering in her thoughts but didn't pay it much mind.
It took a while for Mei to calm down, finally letting out a long sigh.
"I've been on quite a few dates with Gao Qi recently. Next time we go out... should I invite Kiana along so they can meet? After all, Kiana is my good friend too!"
On one side was her best friend, and on the other was her current boyfriend and future husband. Mei felt... they would definitely become good friends.
"When should we plan it for... How about next weekend?"
Gazing out the window at the dim, neon-lit stars, Mei lost herself in beautiful daydreams about the future. To her, the entire world seemed so full of promise.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but recall her young and gentle mother, whom she couldn't find even in her memories and only saw in a few photos.
She had left when Mei was very young, but Mei still thought of her often.
"Don't worry, Mom. I've already found the one I want to spend my life with. I'll live well and happily... together with Gao Qi."
——————
Meanwhile, Gao Qi quietly tiptoed back into the kitchen, closing the door firmly to ensure Mei wouldn't hear. While keeping an eye on the pressure cooker's steam, he took out his phone and dialed a number unknown to ordinary people.
"Hello, is this the St. Freya branch of Schicksal? Please connect me to the secure line. I need to speak with your Headmistress, Theresa Apocalypse."
Cutting straight to the point, Gao Qi didn't waste any time and asked the operator to transfer the call. The person on the other end didn't bother verifying his identity—anyone who knew this number had to be an insider within Schicksal, given the Overseer's secret agents spread across the globe.
After a moment, a somewhat familiar voice tinged with confusion came through.
"Hello, this is Theresa Apocalypse, Headmistress of St. Freya Academy. May I ask who—"
Hearing that youthful yet mature tone of speech, Gaoqi couldn't help but smile.
"Hello there, little Theresa. Shh, don't rush to ask who I am—you must still remember the catastrophic scenes from the Second Eruption fourteen years ago, right?"
It had been a while since Gao Qi last spun a tale, so he felt a bit rusty. After a few adjustments, he finally managed to recapture the voice he'd used when interacting with Theresa back then.
"Now, former S-Rank Valkyrie Theresa, I'm giving you an insider tip: the Third Eruption is about to occur in the Far East. Believe it or not, but you'd better prepare in advance~~"
This time, Gao Qi had no intention of going it alone—he needed to call in some reinforcements!
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?