"It's alright now."
Gently embracing the girl in his arms, Nagami reached out and softly patted Mei's small head, careful not to mess up her long, silky hair.
"Let's talk about it when we get home."
Looking at the girl before him—her soft red lips slightly parted, her brows carrying a bashful charm like ripples across a quiet lake—Nagami spoke with a warm voice.
"Okay!"
Mei nuzzled against the hand caressing her cheek, her eyes narrowing like a kitten's as her long lashes lowered over eyes brimming with emotion.
A soft blush appeared on her delicate face.
Before awakening as a Herrscher, even though she was the heiress of ME Corp, Raiden Mei had none of the typical flaws you'd expect from a rich girl.
Her upbringing and personality made her down-to-earth.
In fact, before all of this, she was just an ordinary girl.
And as a girl, of course, she had once dreamed of her future prince charming—of marriage and maybe even a family...
Just like now.
In Mei's mind, the scene unfolded under a clear blue sky, with warm sunlight bathing the world in gold.
Inside a wedding hall glowing with crystal lights, Nagami stood tall and dashing in his tuxedo.
Gasps of awe echoed through the crowd, all eyes turning toward her.
She walked slowly down the aisle in a pure white wedding dress, basking in the adoring attention like the moon surrounded by stars.
Nagami would reach out his hand like a gentleman, and she would smile brightly, placing her hand in his warm palm.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the priest, they would share their vows and seal them with a kiss, becoming husband and wife.
Kiana, her father, and so many others would offer their heartfelt blessings.
The cool and composed "Raiden Queen" had completely fallen into the magic of love.
Unfortunately, Nagami had no idea what Mei was imagining at that moment.
But even if he did, he wouldn't think such a fantasy would ever come true.
Especially not when Mei's father—Raiden Ryoma, a notorious doting dad—would probably show up wielding a plasma shadow blade to hack Nagami into pieces upon hearing such news.
As for Kiana?
If the silly "Herrscher of Finality" found out that C.C. was actually Nagami in disguise…
Let's just say, things might get complicated fast.
And that wasn't even the end of it.
While holding the clueless Kiana, C.C.—whose hair had returned to green and who had shed her stigmata form—suddenly sensed a strange gaze.
She turned her head and saw the conflicted expression on the other Kiana's face.
The moment their eyes met, C.C.'s usually indifferent expression bloomed like a flower into a warm smile.
She had more than enough experience dealing with the Kaslana family, and when it came to handling this version of the conflicted heiress, she had countless strategies.
What she was using now was one of the simpler ones.
Her stunning face and that genuinely gentle smile, paired with her beautiful eyes sparkling in the light, were impossible to resist.
The anger in heiress Kiana's gaze vanished instantly, replaced by a subtle look of grievance.
She pouted slightly, but under C.C.'s elegant and radiant smile, she couldn't bring herself to say anything.
In the end, she simply turned her head away in resignation.
C.C.'s lips curved into a mischievous grin.
Honestly, dealing with the Kaslana clan as a beautiful girl was just too easy.
A sense of triumph surged within the green-haired girl.
'If this were a world overrun by yuri memes like in "Honkai Impact," I could easily handle ten more of them!'
'And in the end, they'd all obediently bathe and crawl into bed with my male form!'
But—
As Nagami held Mei in his arms, gently running his fingers through her flowing lilac hair, he suddenly felt a chilling gaze.
The instant he sensed it, he released the soft girl in his arms and took two steps back, scanning for the source of the hostility.
There, standing tall with her narrow waist and long legs, was a white-haired beauty glaring daggers at him.
Her sapphire eyes sparkled like the ocean, and her puffed cheeks gave her a surprisingly cute look.
Of course—the heiress Kiana herself!
So she couldn't look directly at C.C., couldn't get mad at a pretty girl, and now she's turning all that rage onto the male body?
'I gotta say… this emotional redirect is unfair.'
"Well then, guess it's time to deal with this Stand user~" Nagami smoothly changed the topic like a seasoned pro.
Shaking his head, Nagami turned and casually walked a few steps toward Bronya before speaking in a light, easygoing tone.
"You've been watching for a while—care to share your thoughts?"
Raiden Mei, who had just returned to reality after leaving Nagami's embrace, stiffened slightly.
She followed his gaze to where he was now looking.
C.C. also let go of the spoiled, squirming tuna Kiana in her arms and gracefully walked over to stand shoulder to shoulder with Nagami.
The awakened Herrscher had already been easily dealt with.
The heiress Kiana now stood elegantly in place, arms crossed, silently observing the situation unfold.
Her long, snow-white hair cascaded down her back like a pure, flowing stream.
Having long since memorized the entire Honkai Impact 3rd storyline from te group chat by heart, she of course recognized one of the game's main heroines—Bronya.
And precisely because she knew this emotionless loli so well, Kiana felt entirely at ease.
Even if something unexpected happened, Nagami could handle it easily now.
Her assistance was no longer needed.
Her mission had shifted: gather intel and rescue her own counterpart in this world.
But before that, she needed to rework her understanding of the Herrscher system.
With delicate fingers tapping rhythmically against her forehead, the young lady fell into deep thought.
"Hello? Hello? So, who is she?" The tuna Kiana naturally wrapped both arms around Nagami's arm, leaning half her body against him.
Her sapphire-like eyes sparkled with innocent curiosity.
This was just how she normally interacted with Nagami.
She saw him as her best buddy, and had never been shy about getting physically close to him.
"Bronya. Cocolia's adopted daughter. Her mission was to retrieve Mei, the Herrscher vessel," Nagami explained, barely reacting to the familiar, soft sensation pressing against his arm.
He only gave her a brief glance before shifting his focus to the gray-haired girl in front of him, who stood stiff like a wary rabbit.
"But clearly, she failed."
Raiden Mei froze—but not because of Bronya.
She was staring at her best friend, who was smiling like the sun itself, her slender arms gracefully wrapped around Nagami's.
The contrast between the handsome black-haired boy and the peerlessly cute white-haired girl standing together was striking—like a perfect couple out of a romantic drama.
A strange sense of unease crept up on Mei.
Sure, Kiana could be clumsy, childish, playful, and a bit disobedient…
But there was no denying it: in terms of appearance and figure alone, she was absolutely top-tier.
Mei didn't lack confidence in her own looks or her charm with the opposite sex.
But ever since getting closer to Nagami—who loved games and light novels—she had started to explore that world herself.
She remembered reading online that teenage boys had almost zero resistance to white-haired, red-eyed girls…
Okay, Kiana didn't have red eyes, but she did have white hair!
And she even played games with Nagami!
The way they always joked around and roughhoused had once seemed innocent—just two people goofing off.
But now, thinking back, why did it suddenly feel... weirdly romantic? Like there was some rosy pink filter layered over all of it?
During their time living together, Mei had noticed how defenseless Kiana acted around Nagami.
And not just emotionally—she was physically uninhibited too.
Back then, it hadn't really bothered her.
But now, after realizing her own feelings for Nagami… the whole dynamic suddenly felt a lot more complicated.
Her gaze, growing more serious, shifted to her best friend.
Mei was deep in thought.
And as for C.C.?
Come on—did anyone really think anything romantic could happen with someone who barely spoke more than two sentences a day?
No way. Not happening~