Mei had fallen asleep thinking about Kiana, planning to go find the Principal the next day.
Therefore, "waking up" in the corridor on the way to Theresa's office didn't feel out of place at all.
If it weren't for Ye Feng's reminder, she probably still wouldn't have known that this was no longer her original world.
Kiana glanced at Ye Feng, then stole a peek at Mei.
Her entire being felt as if it were undergoing a reactor core meltdown, so scalding hot that a pink flush visibly crept across her skin.
Although Mei couldn't see it, Ye Feng could see everything clearly.
In the "inner world" invisible to Mei, Kiana's fair feet were planted on the ground, pressing down slightly, her calves tensing into a beautiful curve.
She wanted to quietly slip away from Ye Feng.
However, she was only halfway through the motion when Ye Feng's words echoed in her mind.
「If you leave, you will automatically become visible.」
"——!!!"
Kiana's almond-shaped eyes flew wide open.
If looks could kill, Ye Feng would have already died a hundred times over.
「What's with that look? I'm helping you stay hidden. You could at least be grateful, but you dare to glare at me? Is this how a knight of the Kaslana family treats their benefactor?」
「It seems you need some proper educational guidance, to make you understand what it means to repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring.」
With that, Ye Feng slowly began to stand up.
A jolt of alarm shot through Kiana. Her body instantly recoiled, and she lurched back, her hands clamping tightly around Ye Feng's neck.
Judging by the lack of conscious thought coming from her, her mind was a complete blank at that moment.
Although Ye Feng had stood up, the principal's desk was high, concealing everything below his waist.
Ye Feng looked warmly at Mei and smiled. "I often hear Kiana mention you. You two must be very good friends."
Mei's eyes softened as she recalled the memories she shared with Kiana. She couldn't help but nod gently. "Yes, Kiana... is my best friend."
「Did you hear that? Mei only sees you as a friend.」
Ye Feng summarized the key point for Kiana.
The little tuna couldn't fall off now, nor could she make a sound. Though she could barely spare a thought for anything else, she managed to half-open her eyes and reply stubbornly.
「Who cares about your leading questions? I won't fall for your tricks again.」
Ye Feng, multitasking, turned his attention back to Mei.
The smile he revealed was as refreshing as a clear blue sky.
"Has your father sent a letter yet?"
"Eh? My father... a letter?"
A clear wave of emotion washed over Mei's face.
She clasped her small hands over her chest, staring blankly at Ye Feng.
"Not yet? But don't worry. Your father, Raiden Ryoma, will be released from prison soon. But due to certain circumstances, he'll only be able to stay in North America."
"...Really? How do you know all this? Didn't you say you couldn't leave this place?"
"Did Kiana not tell you that I also know a little about the future?"
"Eeeh?"
Now that she thought about it, that seemed right. Last time, she heard from Teacher Himeko that Ye Feng had also predicted the appearance of the Pseudo-Herrscher.
"Are you a magician?" Mei asked subconsciously.
Another world, prophecies, a mysterious trapped traveler... The combination of these words gave Mei a strong sense of déjà vu.
She had seen it in many fantasy stories.
"As expected of Mei. Is 'magician' the first thing that comes to your mind? If you insist on putting it that way, I suppose it's not wrong."
Ye Feng chuckled lightly. "In that case, would you like to sign a contract with me and become a magical girl?"
"Eh? Me? Do I have what it takes to be a magical girl?"
For a fleeting moment, Mei was genuinely excited.
But she quickly calmed herself down.
Her gaze wandered, then landed on the desk in front of Ye Feng, where a few drops of water had splashed.
Mei didn't pay it any mind.
"Ahem, what I mean is, there must be conditions to become a magical girl, right?"
"It's not that complicated. The keys are courage and determination. As long as we're open and honest with each other, any words can be conveyed to the other's heart."
"Yes, yes! Is that how it is where you're from, Mr. Ye Feng?"
In the anime Mei had watched, this kind of speech was a bit dated, but it was a classic, heroic trope that she was very fond of.
Later on, the magical girl genre took a turn down the dark, grim, and twisted path.
At this moment, Mei was like a shut-in otaku who had finally found a fellow enthusiast.
Ye Feng said, "Yes. Would you like to try, Mei?"
Hearing this, Kiana's heart pounded in terror.
She didn't know what Ye Feng was planning, but judging by this guy's personality, signing a contract or anything of the sort... Just hearing it sounded incredibly lewd!
Kiana stared nervously at Mei. She desperately wanted to scream, "Mei, don't do something like that!" but in her current state, what right did she have to face Mei?
Kiana could only grit her teeth, her eyes fixed on Mei, unblinking.
"Um, thank you for your kind offer."
In the end, Mei politely declined.
If it were the her from a year ago, she would have been ecstatic to hear such news.
But fate was a cruel mistress. She was no longer the carefree young lady of the Raiden family.
Compared to becoming a magical girl, she had far more important things to do.
Ye Feng didn't seem to mind. He smiled and said, "It's alright, there's plenty of time. If you change your mind, Mei, you can come find me anytime. My door is always open for you."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. By the way, speaking of which, are you still troubled by the fact that you're a 'Herrscher'?"
"Eh?"
He even knew about that?
That had nothing to do with "predicting the future," did it?
Mei's pupils widened slightly. "Somehow, it feels like you know everything, Mr. Ye Feng."
"Not at all. I only know what I know. Do you need my help?"
"Help?"
"Helping others is the root of happiness, after all."
"Uhm..."
Although Mei had a good impression of Ye Feng, her guard was still high.
"Could you let me think about it? I need to go out and discuss it with everyone."
"Yes, that's perfectly reasonable. After all, if a stranger suddenly appeared and told me they could solve my problems, I would also suspect they had ulterior motives."
"Thank you for understanding."
"No need to be so polite. As I said before, if you change your mind, Mei—no, even if you just run into some trouble, you can always come talk to me. I might be able to offer some good advice."
Ye Feng added, "After all, I'm just sitting around being idle anyway."
"Really, thank you so much."
"I told you, you're being too formal."
Ye Feng raised his hand, slightly adjusting a certain part of Mei's "common sense cognition," then walked out from behind the waist-high desk.
"This is your first time here, Mei. And while this place is also 'St. Freya,' there are still many differences. Let me give you a tour of the academy."
"A tour of the academy..."
Mei hesitated for a moment, but then nodded.
Seeing Mei nod, Kiana's entire being went numb with horror.
No, a tour of the academy... like this?!
I'm gonna die!
I'm really gonna die!