Upon hearing Ye Feng's words, Kiana began to struggle frantically.
—I can still hide under the desk!
But this last glimmer of hope was also crushed by Ye Feng.
Old Ye's hands were like a vise, clamping down on Kiana with a death grip. Even as a "Knight" possessing the monstrous strength of the Kaslana house, she couldn't budge an inch.
Clack, clack, clack!
The crisp, clear sound of high heels clicking on the floor echoed from the school building's corridor. The sound grew closer and closer, and Kiana's heart beat faster and faster. She was all too familiar with those firm yet gentle footsteps.
It really was Mei!
When Ye Feng said "Mei is here," he must have meant her "real consciousness has arrived," not just an NPC!
If Mei were to see her entangled with a man she didn't know in the Principal's office... just the thought of such a scene was enough to make Kiana suffocate.
She struggled even more fiercely, but like an insect caught in a spider's web, the more she struggled, the more entangled she became.
"Knock, knock, knock. Principal, I'm coming in."
Cree~ak~~
The sound of the door opening finally came. To Kiana, it was like the funeral dirge of the gates of hell swinging open.
Kiana turned her head, her eyes filled with despair.
The moment a strand of indigo hair entered her vision, Kiana's body shuddered violently. Her spread, fair legs shot out like a frog's, and she whipped her head around, burying it firmly in Ye Feng's shoulder like an ostrich.
It was as if, so long as she didn't look, Mei wouldn't be able to see her.
「That's right. Mei really can't see you. That's the good news. I knew you wouldn't want to meet Mei like this, so I made you invisible. See how good I am to you?」
Ye Feng's thoughts resounded in Kiana's mind.
「And I'm supposed to thank you for this?!」
Perhaps due to the high-pressure environment, Kiana had instantly mastered the skill of communicating with Ye Feng via their consciousness.
But a mental conversation just felt like it was missing something; it wasn't direct enough to vent her feelings.
"You... bastard!" the Tuna growled through gritted teeth, about to unleash a torrent of rage at Ye Feng, but her little brain stalled, and after racking her thoughts, she could only manage those two words.
「It's probably best if you don't make any sound, Tuna. Friendly reminder: although she can't see you, Mei can hear your voice.」
「...Fuck!」
「Truly my Tuna. After spending such a short time together, you've already grasped my essence. Whether you want to curse someone or express joy, that word is filled with rich emotion. You can use it more often in the future.」
「Get lost!」
Kiana's legs dangled limply, her chin resting on Ye Feng's shoulder, her cheeks involuntarily puffing out.
To avoid making a sound, Kiana's trembling hand reached out, pulled the fabric of her skirt, and bit down on it, desperately trying to keep quiet.
Her entire body was drenched in a fragrant sweat, as if she had just been fished out of water.
At that moment, the beautiful figure walked in and stood gracefully.
She wore a white, double-breasted vest over her upper body. Although the attire was conservative, her curves were still stunning, possessing both a young girl's coyness and the richness of a ripe peach. She was in that perfect stage of a "flower about to bloom."
On her lower half, she wore a hip-hugging short skirt that outlined the round, full curve of her waist and hips. Her well-proportioned, slender legs were clad in thigh-high heeled boots, perfectly revealing a sliver of snow-white absolute territory.
"Hello, Raiden Mei."
Ye Feng sat up straighter and greeted her with a smile.
Mei held her bag with both hands and looked toward the principal's chair, where a strange man was sitting.
She could tell he was trying to sit up straight, but his posture still looked odd.
And, isn't this the Principal's office?
Why is he sitting in the Principal's chair?
Although she had many questions, Mei, adhering to her good upbringing, bowed slightly and said politely, "Hello, may I ask who you are...?"
"My name is Ye Feng."
"Eh?"
Mei was taken aback.
The name "Ye Feng" had been on her mind more than any other today.
In fact, the very reason she had come to the Principal's office alone was to gather more information about this "Ye Feng."
—Although, everything she did was for Kiana's safety.
"Ye Feng... you're Kiana's Stigma? You can come out of the Stigma Space?"
"Is it possible that you're the one who has come in?"
"Me? Come in? This is a Stigma Space?"
"Hmm? Didn't Kiana tell you? This isn't some Stigma Space. It's more like a game 'world'."
Ye Feng chuckled. "It seems Kiana doesn't trust you very much, not even sharing this kind of information with you."
Kiana's body tensed, and she roared inwardly:
「Don't talk nonsense! I just...」
Mei smiled faintly. "Kiana probably just forgot. Or maybe she didn't think it was important information."
Hearing this, Kiana relaxed again.
She thought smugly, 「Hmph, how could the bond between me and Mei possibly be shaken by your provocations.」
As she thought this, she didn't forget to give her hips a little wiggle.
Ye Feng paid her no mind, his gentle gaze fixed on Mei.
"Yes, Kiana is always so careless, always forgetting things. But, that's also what makes her so cute. Last time, when Kiana and I went to ride the carousel, she forgot to wear something, too."
「?」
「Hey, don't talk to Mei in a tone like you know me so well.」
「And don't you dare lump forgetting to wear my butt plug in with forgetting to tell Mei about this place, you bastard! Tsk, fuck!」
Kiana wanted to punch herself. There were some things that were hard to say out loud, but in her mind, they just popped out.
She had just given this animal some free entertainment.
"Yes, it seems Mr. Ye Feng and Kiana are getting along quite well."
Because they had a common topic, the distance between Ye Feng and Mei closed considerably in an instant.
Mei was genuinely happy.
Usually, when Kiana mentioned Ye Feng's name, there was always a hint of gritted teeth, but also some other indescribable feeling.
This had made Mei very worried.
But now that she had met Ye Feng, although they had only spoken briefly, he seemed like a decent person.
"Mr. Ye Feng, you said this isn't a Stigma Space, so then you are..."
"Me? I'm from another world, I suppose. I transmigrated here and got trapped. While you all can come in, I can't get out."
"A person from another world?"
Mei's eyes widened slightly. This answer was a bit unexpected.
Their line of thinking had always been "Stigma consciousness," "Herrscher," or some as-of-yet unknown Honkai phenomenon.
If he was from another world, perhaps he wasn't so bad.
The premise, of course, was that everything he said was true.
Although Mei appeared gentle and calm on the surface, she couldn't possibly trust Ye Feng's words completely.