I am on a three-time streak.
Seele, Sirin, and Griseo. It's three and a half if I consider Hei Xuanyuan. Fortunately, her mental state is not as shaky as the other three.
The threat of Honkai made me overlook a lot of things. The fight against the Honkai brought a lot of trauma. It is inevitable some would find themselves in a broken mental state.
Meaning, the chances of this world's people—women in general—having a broken mental state is extremely high.
Eighteen years later after the Honkai was defeated, this problem became very apparent.
I glanced at the elegant woman sitting in front of me in a seiza. Her eyes revealed her chaotic thoughts. Mei did not hide her thoughts. This kind of deep obsession was comparable to Seele's… no, to Sirin.
I am on a four-time streak.
"I neglected you for eighteen years. Please accept my apologies for that."
I slightly lowered my body towards her.
"Shishou..? No, there's no need to apologize. It is I who should do so. I failed your expectations!"
Thus, the scene turned into two people bowing at each other. My speechlessness must have showed up in my face as Mei stopped bowing. She sat upright on top of the futon. Her attire did not change. It is her pure black high school uniform made from spiritual silk. Her long purple hair touched the ground. Mei did not tie her hair, resulting in a very appealing look.
The look in her eyes changed as changes occurred inside her Tao Heart. It is visibly increasing at a fast rate. It has already reached the fourth level and is still rising. Correspondingly, the obsession in Mei's purple eyes grows stronger. A weird atmosphere started to emerge between our silence… so I broke it.
"A sudden enlightenment does not differ from gradual progress. I am glad to see you find your heart."
Mei's gaze turned even stronger when I mentioned these words.
"I understand. I will follow my heart… my true will."
…
I guess this is it.
I acknowledged the thing that is about to happen. Mei's "enlightenment" is deeply tied to me. She does not look at me like a typical teacher. It is contrary to the typical teachings of the immortal cultivation whereas one's teacher is to be treated as one's parents. Her look is not one given out of respect.
It is something else.
"Shishou… can I ask for a reward?"
"What is it?"
"After I break through, can I… spend time with you for a day?"
Spending time for a day…
It is not as bad as I expected. The level of her obsession towards me surpassed Sirin's. Her reaction at that time was for me to use her to my will. She surrendered everything to me. She wanted me to possess her.
Compared to that, a day out with Mei is far tamer.
"It's settled."
A thin smile drew on her lips.
Why does it feel like I fell into a trap?
*****
Mei stared intently at Shi Tian's departing back. They conversed for a while before he left Mei to consolidate her injuries and breakthrough.
At this moment, her Tao Heart had reached the fifth level, Innate Sword Soul. Her thorough understanding of herself ripped off Mei's trivial disguises.
She will strive towards what she wants.
'He… is a romantic man.'
The technique for soul synchronization has been increasingly popular within the Herrschers' circles. Their nigh-identical souls allowed them to form a connection with their other personas, share cultivation, master two different specialties, and so on.
Once the two people form a "perfect connection", they can readily share anything to the other party. That includes cultivation insights, memories, and senses.
The moment Mei made up her mind, she had long since entered that state with Queen Mei. The latter shared to her the events she missed out on. Mei skipped Earth's major events and focused on one thing:
Shi Tian has two girlfriends.
At first, she could not believe it. Her impression of Shi Tian was that of a responsible man. He willingly risked his life and almost turned into a mangled flesh to defeat the Honkai.
But…
That made her rejoice.
Mei did not know the circumstances around Shi Tian and his personal love affairs, nor does she need to know about it now.
All she needed to know was that she had her fighting chance!
'To be by his side, to surrender myself to him…'
A jolt of lightning went through her body. She, who would control lightning with her will, felt helpless to it. Lines of clear liquid crawled down on her plump thighs. Her skirt did nothing to hide it. Fortunately, nobody was present to see this…
Well, one person did.
On the Moon's surface, Queen Mei appeared to be dazed. Her mouth remained open in an o-shape.
'Is my other self that helpless..?!'
She would willingly give the crown of losers to Raiden Mei. She never expected for her to turn into a twisted lady, more so a rational one. She saw how Mei transformed from a depressed loser into an elegant yet cunning woman who boldly showed off her emotion to her teacher.
What's worse in her eyes was Shi Tian's tacit approval. He never bothered to point it out nor correct it. Queen Mei knows him well; he should have seen Mei's internal thoughts. The rapid rise of her Tao Heart, however, begged to differ. It proved that what Mei realized is her true self. It was what she truly wanted: someone who will stay by her side and affirm her existence. That someone happened to be Shi Tian.
Only, Mei's experiences twisted the once innocent young lady.
'Humph… but it's not bad.'
Queen Mei readily accepted her changes. She would rather see a Mei who would directly fight for her wants than someone who will do nothing yet expect something. In this regard, their thoughts overlapped. It is their common trait, a core of what made Mei, "Mei".
'Who will expect him to be like that..?'
Shi Tian was simply too dazzling. He already showed what he is willing to do to keep the world afloat—to protect what others deemed as their home. Shi Tian's circumstances with other women seem more trivial once it is considered. Even then, he does not act like a typical playboy. He did not hug women left and right. What he sought was a real relationship born out of a spiritual connection—the term "true love" in modern language.
Queen Mei could foresee more women falling for him with this aspect alone.
She's not spared of it.
'A perfect man…'