"Stop messing around. With all that processing power you're using to make jokes, you might as well help me pick out a few cheap but nice-looking clothes."
Li Wu complained absentmindedly.
Twenty minutes later, Li Wu went upstairs early and stopped outside the bathroom door, knocking lightly twice. "Raiden-san, I left the clothes by the door. I'm going back to my bedroom. Call me when you're changed."
Ah, so polite.
Li Wu was quite satisfied with his actions. They perfectly matched the behavioral habits of the protagonist.
Being this gentlemanly should definitely make Mei drop her guard.
As long as she felt completely at ease and trusted him entirely, Li Wu guaranteed he would have plenty of time to help Mei become stronger and avoid all the death flags.
Thinking about how easy clearing this scenario would be, Li Wu couldn't even help but hum a little tune in his bedroom.
Too easy, way too easy. I'm so pro, I don't even need apprentices.
Mei still had ten minutes left on her shower. During these ten minutes, Li Wu carefully inspected his phone. Sure enough, it looked exactly the same as in the comic, except for a strange, unclickable icon in the bottom right corner.
He couldn't find it in the system storage, and he couldn't even delete it.
With no other choice, Li Wu chalked it up to a bug and ignored it.
[Are you popping champagne at halftime?]
"What do you mean, halftime? I feel like I'm already close to clearing it. The biggest hurdles in Act 1 are just two things. First: the omnipresent hazards. I know the plot, and with Ruslan and 'Return by Death' as my trump cards, I can handle the vast majority of potential dangers. Second: Raiden Mei has a massive psychological trauma and needs to rely on someone to escape reality. I've pretty much accomplished that, right?"
Li Wu counted on his fingers. He was already walking the most perfect path, having avoided all the dead ends.
All he had to do next was stay by Mei's side until the Third Honkai Eruption broke out, support each other through the life-and-death crisis, and enter St. Freya Academy. Then it would all be over.
Just then, a light knocking sounded at his door.
Knock, knock...
After a moment of silence, Raiden Mei's voice came from behind the door: "Li Wu-kun, may I come in?"
"Of course, there's no need to be so polite with me."
Li Wu turned around, flashing a warm smile.
The door pushed open.
Raiden Mei walked in carrying two cups of hot water. A few crystal-clear water droplets still clung to her temples, sliding down her hair onto her slender, swan-like neck, before finally pooling in the delicate hollow of her collarbone.
"Li Wu-kun, thank you so much... If it weren't for you, right now I'd..."
Her words came to an abrupt halt. Unable to hide her sorrow, a bitter smile tugged at the corners of Raiden Mei's lips.
"Just call me Mei from now on! Mei doesn't know how she can help you, so she can only do little things for you..."
Saying that, Raiden Mei leaned forward, respectfully offering him one of the cups of warm water with both hands.
From Li Wu's angle, he could easily catch a glimpse of the beautiful springtime scenery hidden within her collar. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, immediately averting his gaze. He took the cup, downed the water in one gulp, and stammered, "I-I appreciate the gesture. Um, Mei... mind your posture..."
"Posture?"
Raiden Mei tilted her head. A bizarre, crimson glint slowly surfaced deep within her pupils as she leaned her body even lower. If Li Wu just glanced back, he would be treated to a full view of the magnificent peaks.
[Raiden Mei's disgust toward you has reached the critical point.]
Suddenly, Li Wu was forcefully yanked right in front of Raiden Mei. His wrist was gripped in a deathly tight hold, and absolute softness and warmth were conveyed unreservedly through his fingers.
This sudden intimacy left Li Wu stunned, his mind going completely blank.
But soon, Raiden Mei's voice snapped him back to reality, plunging him into an icy abyss.
"Li Wu-kun, you brought me home just to do this kind of thing, didn't you?"
"Wait, what? You misunderstood, I absolutely don't have those kinds of thoughts!"
Li Wu mustered all his strength to break free, only to find that Raiden Mei's grip was terrifyingly strong. Unless he used every ounce of his power—which would definitely hurt her—he couldn't escape.
Moreover...
With every struggle, Li Wu could more clearly feel that plump softness, catching glimpses of the increasingly vivid flush spreading across her face.
As the seconds ticked by, Li Wu noticed something was wrong.
Wait...
It's not that her strength has increased, it's that my strength has decreased!
"Heh, you make it sound so nice. Do you think I'm a three-year-old child, that easy to fool?"
"I don't understand what you're talking about, Mei. Calm down first, we can talk this out..."
His body was gradually slipping out of his control. Li Wu realized there had been something wrong with that cup of water. But why?
Why would she do this?
I don't understand at all!
However, Raiden Mei's face—which had always maintained a gentle smile—suddenly turned ice-cold. Staring straight at Li Wu, she forcefully shoved his hand even harder against her chest, all while observing his expression, trying to catch a hint of a victorious smirk.
Unfortunately for her, she didn't get what she wanted.
[Raiden Mei feels a heartfelt loathing toward your naivety and kindness.]
"Since you don't want to dirty me, then stay the hell away from me. Understand?"
"Who do you think you are? An anime protagonist? You think you can just casually meddle in other people's business, help out a few times, act a little gentle, and find true, mutual love?"
"Put away your laughable pity and morals. I don't need you to save me at all. I was originally going to give you my first time because you look decent, but I didn't expect you to be such a pathetic goody-two-shoes. Heh. This little game of playing savior ends here. Li Wu, you really wasted my time."
Raiden Mei shoved Li Wu onto the bed, her words vicious as she pinned him down.
She violently ripped his shirt open, her fingernails leaving horrifying, bloody scratches across his chest.
"Ugh...!"
The pain of his skin being torn made Li Wu cry out. But no matter how hard he tried, his throat could only produce guttural, beast-like gurgles. He could no longer form words properly.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I added something 'special' to that cup of water. You can think of it as an oral muscle relaxant. But since it's an unfinished product, it has some side effects. Like: permanent aphasia. Of course, I doubt you'll care about that, since you're about to die anyway. Killed by the very girl you thought you were saving... how do you feel right now?"
A pure face, a sweet voice.
It should have been the perfect heroine combo, but all Li Wu saw was an evil spirit wearing human skin sitting on top of him.
"Grr... ah?!"
Li Wu tried to speak, but the only sounds squeezed from his throat were meaningless babbles.
Even struggling with all his might only allowed his fingers to twitch slightly. Every bone and muscle in his body felt completely alien to him, entirely out of his control.
Seeing this, Raiden Mei suddenly smiled.
She smiled more genuinely and radiantly than ever before, as if she had just witnessed the most beautiful scenery in the world, or received a gift she absolutely adored.
Amidst her manic laughter, Raiden Mei pressed her finger against Li Wu's forehead. She slowly dragged it down in a straight line, tracing downwards until she found the key to a deep, dark passage.