"Your thoughts are too easy to read..."
Rita sighed softly while putting on her stockings.
"Let me guess: if I refuse to wear black stockings, will you tell me to wear white ones?"
"Well, that's undeniable."
Tian Shi shrugged.
"But I genuinely think black stockings look good on you, Rita."
"It's quite a subtle feeling hearing you say that, Mr. Tian Shi."
Rita looked helplessly at the phantom in front of her.
That's right, it's "looking."
After Bronya's simulation, one of the new abilities of the Guardian Angel skill, which has reached level ten, is: allowing the host to see Tian Shi.
"I thought you'd be happier. After all, it's a first time for both of us... isn't it?"
"Please don't use such misleading terms."
Rita said indifferently.
"In the end, it just went from invisible and intangible to visible and intangible."
If she could touch him...
You can see him and touch him, and a man and a woman are alone in the same room—unfortunately, you can't touch him.
Rita thought, quite disappointed, that this was why she was showing little interest in Tian Shi today.
If she could touch him, Rita felt she could let those thieving cats and Tian Shi's kidneys know what cruelty was.
This is truly quite disappointing...
"So, my dear Mr. Phantom, what are you going to do today?"
"Nothing."
Tian Shi spread his hands.
"It's been a quiet transition period lately. How about you, Rita?"
"Goodness... how about a date?"
No matter how disappointed she was, she still had to do the serious work.
No matter what Rita said, she would never forget how many thieving cats were eyeing her piece of meat.
The timing was perfect, and Durandal was completely unaware of it at the moment.
MEI, a strong competitor, is very busy.
Hua is currently AFK with Kiana.
Kiana and Senti are two foolish girls.
What better time than now for her to establish an advantage?
"A date..."
It's rare for her to dress so fresh, and I like seeing her in a different look once in a while.
It was already rare for Rita to wear casual clothes. Casual clothes can't hide Rita's exceptional charm... but maybe this is her charm?
"From maid to university girl? This is a very novel scene."
Before he knew it, Tian Shi had gotten used to Rita's "date invitations" and wasn't surprised at all.
"Hmm~ Do you think my current attire makes me look more like a university girl?"
Rita joked.
"Well, if you can't think of an adjective to describe the youthful and beautiful appearance of a woman in her twenties, don't you just use the term 'university girl'?"
Tian Shi answered very frankly and then seemed to have discovered something.
"Um, Rita, did you forget to put on your leg rings today?"
"Oh... do you really like that? Wait a moment..."
..................
What does it mean that he likes that thing?
Rita, that shameless woman!
Mei, who was hidden next to the door and eavesdropping, silently tightened her grip on the sword in her hand.
Why is that woman, Rita, hanging out with Brother Tian?
And the tone of their conversation was like that of a married couple?
Brother Tian, please show more surprise at that woman's date invitation!
Even if you're not surprised, at least show an attitude of wanting to accept, but also wanting to refuse!
Why did you accept without hesitation?
Isn't this bad? Very bad.
Sister Edison! Put out the fire! They're about to kidnap Brother Tian!
And Brother Tian Shi, don't act as if nothing happened and talk to her about black stockings, leg rings, and other things! Don't you think it's inappropriate?
And Rita!
Don't you have a shred of feminine modesty? How dare you be so submissive to Brother Tian?
Brother Tian can make you wear a leg ring today and take it off tomorrow.
I can't imagine what he'll make you do the day after tomorrow!
As a Schicksal maid and S-Rank Valkyrie, don't you even have this kind of safety awareness?
Envy, jealousy, anger—why isn't I the one who's in there? I feel like I'm watching a newlywed couple.
No, no, no, it's more a feeling of disappointment.
A woman like Rita, without security, will fall into disgrace sooner or later.
The knuckles of the hand holding the katana gradually turned white, and Mei tried hard to force a smile onto her face.
Calm...
Calm...
It's nothing...
But...
what do I do next?
Run in and catch the adulterer?
No, no, no, it's totally inappropriate for me to do this now, right? After all, my main identity now is still "sister."
Damn it... I was so close to getting rid of the "sister" identity back then; it's all Dad's fault...
What's more, I already held a grudge against Rita, so the current situation was too embarrassing, wasn't it?
So, should I retreat?
If I retreat like this, I feel like I've lost control. Isn't this surrendering before the fight?
The dilemma made Mei drop her guard for a while.
"Knock, knock."
"Rita, this girl should be looking for you."
MEI symbolically knocked on the door, then pushed it open and pulled Mei, who was struggling nearby, toward her.
"Huh?"
Mei, who was pulled, didn't react at all.
"You're welcome, Miss Mei."
MEI looked at the woman who was 90% similar to her and pushed her glasses up without expression, then a somewhat ambiguous smile appeared at the corner of her mouth—the remaining 10% was because the other person was a little more mature than she was.
"Raiden Mei?"
Rita, who had just put on the leg ring, looked at Mei, who was confused and embarrassed, and was actually a little stunned.
After all, the other party's appearance was too sudden, and it was MEI who pushed her.
The meeting of the two Meis gave Rita an even greater sense of surprise.
"Good morning, Brother Tian."
Although Mei couldn't see Tian Shi now, due to her disdain for Rita, she ignored her and greeted the invisible Tian Shi with some embarrassment.
"Well, good morning, Mei."
To be honest, Tian Shi was no less surprised than Rita at the moment.
The sight of Mei and MEI together is truly astonishing.
"Good morning, Sister."
However, it was Rita who reacted first.
The first thing Rita noticed was the way Mei addressed Tian Shi.
Older brother?
Does she want to use the identity of "sister" to get closer to Tian Shi?
It's a good idea... but unfortunately, Mei ran into her.
A smile appeared on Rita's face.
But the path I follow is the glorious and righteous path of the "lover."
Although it is a little more difficult, I can completely suppress Mei at this moment.
"Good morning, Sister."
This is the advantage that comes from the way we get along with one another.
In the end, you will have to pay for taking shortcuts.
To be honest, if Mei and Fu Hua weren't older, Rita would have wanted to try to suppress both of them.
"Who is your sister..."
Although she was a little surprised by the woman next to her who looked 90% like her, the most urgent thing was to find a way to overwhelm Rita.
After all, that sister-in-law attitude really made Mei feel unhappy and disgusted.
However, after this incident, both of them unexpectedly jumped to the stage of "tension."
"Since you call Tian Shi 'Brother,' you're my sister, of course."
Rita said with a polite smile.
"And I'm actually a little older than you, aren't I?"
Rita is two years older than Mei.
If external factors are ignored, there is no major problem with Mei calling Rita "Older Sister."
However... factors that are not up for discussion must be discussed.
"Miss Rita, do we know each other?"
It's hard to say in front of Tian Shi.
For Mei, all memories related to Rita are bad.
Now Rita wants to take advantage? Don't even think about it!
But Rita is not the type of person to lose her composure over a few words.
"It's okay. The relationship between sisters can be cultivated little by little. Perhaps there was some misunderstanding between us before, and we can resolve it by sincerely communicating."
Rita replied with a perfect smile.
"Oh, by the way, a long time ago, your brother wanted to learn the technique of placing a tracker on someone's thigh from me."
"How is it that you remember that so clearly?"
Tian Shi asked, a little embarrassed.
A long time ago?
In fact, it hasn't been long.
It was the first time Rita came to Sky City and dismantled Grey Serpent.
If you calculate the time correctly, it seems less than half a month has passed.
But the progress of their relationship seemed to have taken a long time.
"Putting the tracker... on the base of the thigh?"
Mei had a poor memory and immediately recalled that incident, and her face turned red.
"No, that's not the point."
Tian Shi put the topic aside again.
"Why not ask why you're here, Mei?"
"Because I need to find Kiana."
Mei sighed.
"After all, she's a slightly heavy little sister, and she's been my classmate for more than two years. I can't just leave her alone."
"Seriously? Miss Kiana went out for breakfast; Mei can go out and look for her."
"I'm sorry, Miss Rita, I don't think our compatibility is really that good."
In front of Tian Shi, Mei tried her best to suppress the urge to slap the maid in front of her with the fake smile.
This feeling of being repressed is truly terrible!
"And speaking of which, since you said it, does it mean that Kiana is fine? I think Brother Tian is better at looking after people than I am."
You want to transfer me? Don't even think about it!
After stating her position, Mei finally turned her head to look at the culprit who started everything, the woman in front of her who looked 90% like her.
"Um... may I ask who you are..."
To be honest, Mei momentarily suspected whether the woman in front of her was her father's illegitimate daughter.
But then Mei dismissed that unrealistic idea.
After all, they looked so much alike that it wouldn't be strange to say they were twins.
Besides, her father's personality was not one to indulge in foolishness.
Therefore, the identity of the woman in front of her seemed very subtle.
"Me? I am Raiden Mei's clone 119. Good morning, original form."
"Huh? Wh-wh-what?"
The words that came out of the other person's mouth were so surprising that Mei couldn't help but take two steps back.
"Clone? 119? Is this some secret Schicksal research?"
Mei subconsciously believed it: after all, setting aside the improbable possibility of her father having an affair, this situation seemed the most likely.
"Yes, the [Raiden Mei Army Project], one of Schicksal's secret projects."
MEI spoke nonsense to Mei with a straight face.
"By cloning several Raiden Meis, we can mentally control Kiana and retrieve her. That's the purpose of this plan."
"All of this makes one wonder if Bishop Otto's brain got stuck in a door."
"Well, MEI, do you feel a sense of achievement in deceiving your other self?"
Tian Shi asked with a slight smile as he watched the scene.
"Although I don't know what Dr. MEI thinks, I still think it's very interesting."
Rita looked at Mei, who was deceived and fell into a trap, with a smile on her face.
"Of course, it's undeniable that sometimes the Bishop does things like getting his head stuck in a door."
"..."
Mei is not stupid.
Hearing the two people singing the same tune, she immediately realized that she had been tricked.
She looked with some anger at the woman in front of her.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
A genuine smile appeared on MEI's face.
"Seeing 'my own poorly functioning brain,' something that previously only existed in my imagination, I felt a little playful."
"I'm very sorry, for having a poor brain."
Mei said sadly; anyone who describes herself as having a weak brain would speak in that tone.
What's more, the person in front of her is the culprit for things turning out this way.
"No, I'm not trying to belittle you. I'm just giving you an objective assessment. And for me, seeing myself in action is quite a subtle feeling."
MEI smiled and adjusted her glasses.
"Like, 'Ah, I never thought I had this possibility.' Of course, even though I say that, in my opinion, we are two people who have nothing to do with each other, except for our faces. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is MEI. I am a scientist."
"Raiden Mei, Valkyrie."
Although she still didn't understand what the other person was saying, Mei still accepted her courtesy.
Perhaps, as the other party said, "not having a good brain" is actually just an objective assessment?
This is the first time Mei, who has been an excellent student for twenty years, has been evaluated in this way.
The two shook hands.
"Oh, by the way, I look like you because I am 'MEI' from the Previous Era, which means that to you, I am an old woman from 50,000 years ago. In fact, if you look at it that way, you should be the one who looks like me."
MEI added with a smile while they shook hands.
"..."
Why do I suddenly feel that my palms are ten times heavier?