"Actually, the mature you is even more charming!" Lu Jingming, oblivious to danger, pressed on.
"Well, thank you for that!" A vein bulged on Raiden Mei's forehead as her grip on the katana tightened. She looked like she wanted to cut him down.
This guy really knew how to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. She had been ready to let it go, but he just had to push it.
But Lu Jingming wasn't lying—he really thought the mature Mei from post-Honkai Odyssey had a unique charm.
Young lady Raiden Mei was great, but the mature, calm, and steady Mei was equally attractive.
"Let's not talk about that. Though I don't really understand what's going on, and a lot of things feel strange, all I need to do is win this so-called Holy Grail War, right? Are you ready?"
Raiden Mei put aside her earlier frustration, feeling an inexplicable fighting spirit rise up.
Lu Jingming looked at Raiden Mei with a strange expression. If he remembered correctly, Mei did have a bit of a chuunibyou (delusional hero) streak.
But she was in her twenties now—hadn't she graduated from that phase?
Sensing Lu Jingming's odd look, Raiden Mei suddenly realized she had gotten a bit too excited.
After all, being summoned to this strange world and told to participate in an epic Holy Grail War was both novel and thrilling. She couldn't help but get fired up, exposing her true nature.
She awkwardly coughed, trying to compose herself and return to her dignified, gentle, mature self.
However, her slightly red earlobes completely betrayed her nervousness.
"Actually—" Lu Jingming frowned, a hint of helplessness on his face.
He was afraid he'd have to disappoint the eager Raiden Mei.
The hot-blooded, life-or-death Holy Grail War she envisioned was unlikely to happen.
After all, as her summoner and the initiator of the Holy Grail War—and even the Grail itself was made by his side—Raiden Mei being summoned was equivalent to reaching the finish line from the start. There was no need to fight other Servants at all to enjoy the rewards reserved for the winner.
"Huh?" Hearing Lu Jingming's detailed explanation, Raiden Mei was stunned, her eyes wide with disbelief.
She never imagined her summoner would have such a special status.
She didn't need to go through any bloody, life-or-death battles—she could directly receive the victor's rewards. That was beyond her expectations.
Lu Jingming didn't hide any of this from Raiden Mei.
After all, he planned to summon the real Raiden Mei later—by then, everyone would be on the same side, with nothing to hide.
"So, what am I supposed to do now?"
Raiden Mei was at a loss. She had looked forward to showing off in the Holy Grail War, but now that she was told there was no fighting, she didn't know what to do with herself.
"It's already noon! How about… cooking?" Lu Jingming glanced at the time—it was almost lunchtime.
So he looked hopefully at Raiden Mei.
After all, Raiden Mei had always been the classic wife who cooks in his mind—not just in name, but in skill.
He'd always wanted to taste Mei's cooking, and this was the mature version—her culinary skills must be even better.
"Sure!" Raiden Mei smiled helplessly—cooking was one of her hobbies anyway.
She was curious and excited about what kind of dishes she could make with ingredients from another world, so she gladly agreed.
…
At this time, Meng Hongchen felt as if the sky was falling.
As usual, she had lovingly prepared a meal and brought a lunchbox to find Lu Jingming.
Her favorite thing was seeing his satisfied expression when eating her lovingly prepared food—it made her feel blissful.
But this time, when she arrived, she saw a heartbreaking scene.
Lu Jingming's table was already filled with all kinds of delicious-looking food, both visually and aromatically appealing. By comparison, her own food seemed to pale instantly.
And in the kitchen, a mature, beautiful woman with long purple hair was moving skillfully—clearly an experienced cook.
The scene before her—the man waiting leisurely, the woman lovingly preparing lunch—was like a loving couple, with the husband waiting for his wife's meal and the wife cooking with all her heart.
Meng Hongchen froze where she stood, her mind blank, unable to process what she saw.
Especially feeling the full wife aura radiating from Raiden Mei, Meng Hongchen couldn't help feeling discouraged.
Compared to her own youthful inexperience, Raiden Mei's mature charm made her feel inferior.
"Meng, you're here!" Lu Jingming wasn't surprised to see Meng Hongchen.
After all, she brought him food every day—it was a habit.
He had Mei cook not because he forgot about Meng, but to give Mei something to do and help her integrate into life here.
Besides, he'd already notified Firefly and the others—there was no need to worry about leftover food.
"Xiao Ming, who is she?" Meng Hongchen set her lunchbox aside, a hint of hostility in her gaze as she looked at Raiden Mei in the kitchen.
She wasn't just upset that her role as cook was threatened—she also felt Raiden Mei was a huge romantic rival.
Compared to a youthful girl like herself, a mature and gentle woman like Mei was far more dangerous to someone like Lu Jingming.
"She's Raiden Mei, the Servant I summoned." Lu Jingming smiled, showing Meng the Command Seal on his hand.
The news about the Holy Grail War had already spread among all the powers.
As the eldest daughter of the Hongchen family, Meng still had access to news channels even while at Saint Freya Academy, so she of course knew about the Holy Grail War.
"Xiao Ming, are you joining the Holy Grail War? It's too dangerous!" Meng Hongchen's face turned serious.
She recalled Jing Hongchen warning her via communication: the Holy Grail War was extremely dangerous—even Title Douluo could die if caught up in it.
After all, the reward was a godhood—such a huge temptation would draw even Ultimate Douluo into a deadly scramble.
With such risks, and Lu Jingming only a Soul Emperor (she didn't know he'd broken through to Soul Sage), joining was very dangerous.
This made her deeply worried.
"Don't worry—whether I join or not, no one can hurt me."
Lu Jingming smiled confidently.
At this point, there were very few on Douluo Continent who could threaten or detain him.
Plus, he wasn't alone—he had Jingliu, Herta, and many other strong allies. How could he easily fall into danger?
"Mm, I believe you!" Meng Hongchen's eyes shone—she loved confident Lu Jingming; he looked so handsome to her.
"Your girlfriend?" At this moment, Raiden Mei walked out of the kitchen with a steaming dish, placing it on the table. She glanced at Meng Hongchen, who seemed to see only Lu Jingming.
"Why, does it not look like it?" Lu Jingming smiled, pulling Meng Hongchen gently into his arms, looking at Raiden Mei with a grin.
"Hello, I'm Raiden Mei."
Raiden Mei ignored Lu Jingming and greeted Meng Hongchen warmly, exuding mature gentlewomanly charm.
"Hello, I'm Meng Hongchen."
Meng Hongchen, nestled in Lu Jingming's arms and beaming with happiness, took an instant liking to Raiden Mei, shaking her hand politely.
Soon, Firefly, Castorice, March 7th, Jinhsi, Robin, Gu Yue, and others all arrived after receiving Lu Jingming's call.
Raiden Mei, the reliable big sister, quickly bonded with March 7th and the others.
Especially with March 7th, whose lively, sunny personality reminded Mei of an old friend, warming her heart.
However, as they spent time together, Raiden Mei gradually noticed something odd.
Meng Hongchen's closeness with Lu Jingming was one thing, but what surprised her was that Castorice, Gu Yue, Robin, and Firefly all seemed very close to him too.
During the meal, they would thoughtfully serve food to Lu Jingming, sometimes even feeding him directly. These scenes left Raiden Mei completely bewildered.
Wasn't Meng Hongchen his girlfriend? Why were the others so close to him, and why did Meng herself act as if this was perfectly normal?