The Real Cheat in Honkai Is Alicia!

After Looking at Each Other for a moment, Raiden Mei finally spoke softly:

"If I hadn't known that, whether I would have accepted your explanation back then would still have been a question.

And besides, even in that state just now, I could feel your feelings for me."

Although Gwen's small deception did leave Raiden Mei slightly dissatisfied, whether it was his genuine companionship over the past month, his protection of her during the battle royale just now, or the so-called "One-Body Fusion," in which they had been in a state that could practically be called "zero-distance contact" and she had felt his emotions firsthand, all of it was enough for Raiden Mei to easily dispel that tiny bit of displeasure.

Moreover, Gwen's solemn apology now confirmed Raiden Mei's suspicion that he had concealed the truth only because he had no other choice.

So much so that, as she accepted Gwen's apology, Raiden Mei had to suppress the urge to throw herself into the man's arms and relive that feeling from before.

"Are you some kind of lovesick girl?"

In Raiden Mei's mind, the Herrscher consciousness, which had gradually accepted its role as the sarcastic commentator, diligently got to work—

"You've only known him for how long, and you're already about to throw yourself into his arms."

"Shut up!

This isn't your place to talk."

Having endured enough in front of Gwen, Raiden Mei perfectly demonstrated what it meant to be meek toward outsiders and ruthless toward one's own, loudly rebuking it.

"Phew... It's good that you can accept it."

Hearing this, Gwen, realizing that Raiden Mei was even more understanding than he had expected, Breathed a Sigh of Relief.

"If Mei really came to hate me, I'd be quite troubled too."

"And what if I said I hated Mr. Gwen for deceiving me?"

After suppressing the chattering Herrscher consciousness in her mind, Raiden Mei smiled at Gwen's words and asked with her face tilted up toward him.

"Hmm..."

Gwen pondered for a moment before giving an answer that made Raiden Mei glare at him in annoyance—

"Then I definitely can't let go of Mei."

He lifted Raiden Mei's small hand, which was still held in his, and smiled.

"Ugh... You bad guy!"

Rolling her eyes, Raiden Mei slapped Gwen on the shoulder again. However, perhaps remembering the injuries he had suffered fighting the Queen earlier, she used very little force.

"I can't help it. Since Mei already hates me, if I don't want to lose her, I can only be a bad guy."

Gwen said with a smile.

"Ugh... Fine, I don't hate you, okay?"

After Looking at Each Other with smiling Gwen for a moment, Raiden Mei gave in, her gaze drifting away as she spoke.

However, after the voice in her mind mocked her for giving in too easily, Raiden Mei immediately added, "But I can't just let you off like this..."

The girl met the man's gaze again without looking away. She hid the panic and shyness in her heart behind a playful smile, though a faint blush still inevitably colored her cheeks—

"As punishment, you'll be demoted from boyfriend to..."

Before Raiden Mei could finish, a ringtone suddenly sounded from Gwen's body.

The sweet atmosphere was shattered. Gwen gave Raiden Mei an apologetic look, took out the Schicksal terminal from his pocket, and opened the email that had just made the sound—

Its contents were simple: an address and an authorization.

"Alright, I think we should set off first and rescue my future father-in-law from prison."

After showing Raiden Mei the contents of the email, Gwen said with a smile.

"Mm."

Looking at the address in the email, Raiden Mei thought of her father, whom she had not seen for a long time, and could not help but space out as she answered unconsciously.

Then, realizing that Gwen was teasing her again, the red-faced Raiden Mei shot him a glare and snapped, "Stop being so glib!"

"Hehe."

With a Light Laugh, Gwen shook his head. Letting go of Raiden Mei's small hand, which had already warmed up in his grasp, he raised his hand and equipped his armor. He called out to Rita in the distance, then turned to Raiden Mei and opened his arms.

"Come on, I'll fly you over."

"Mm."

Looking at the figure that appeared even taller and more heroic in the armor, Raiden Mei, anxious to see her father, nodded and stepped forward to Gwen. Only then did she realize that since Gwen was going to fly with her, she still seemed to have to...

Gwen was wearing armor, so it didn't count as intimate contact...

Comforting herself with that thought, Raiden Mei suppressed her wildly racing heart and let Gwen lift her into his arms in a princess carry, just as she had imagined. Her arms naturally wrapped around his neck—

Although the Valkyrie Knight: Moonlit Sky, a full-domain combat armor, possessed exceptionally superior performance in every respect and included nearly every module that could possibly be used in battle.

But the designer had clearly never anticipated that this weapon, which was theoretically meant to dominate the battlefield against the Honkai, would need to carry a passenger. As a result, Raiden Mei could only remain in Gwen's arms in this position.

"Then... let's go!"

Gwen murmured. The propulsion wings on his back unfolded, blasting out streams of gamma particles that formed dazzling azure wings of light. As he shot skyward, Gwen seemed to become a comet racing across the heavens, vanishing in a flash.

"..."

Watching Gwen leave, then looking at the two unconscious patients beside her, Rita had to admit that she was a little envious...

High in the air, the fierce wind Raiden Mei had expected from their tremendous speed never came. Only her hair still streamed backward from inertia, confirming that she was still in Gwen's embrace.

When she opened her eyes, Raiden Mei noticed a pale blue barrier surrounding them, completely shutting out the howling winds.

Before Raiden Mei could say anything, however, their forward momentum suddenly shifted, turning into a plunge downward.

Did the equipment malfunction?

That was the first thought to flash through Raiden Mei's mind. She had heard the words "prototype model" perfectly clearly.

But before Raiden Mei could react, Gwen's voice sounded beside her ear.

"Cocolia hasn't reacted yet, but just in case, we're going straight in."

Hearing Gwen's words and seeing that the wings of light behind him had not gone out, Raiden Mei finally Breathed a Sigh of Relief.

Then, just as she had Breathed a Sigh of Relief, Raiden Mei saw ruined walls and shattered debris continuously streak past her amid faint noises—

Combined with what she felt, Raiden Mei finally realized that Gwen's idea of going straight in apparently meant smashing directly into the prison from the sky.

He's really reckless...

She muttered inwardly, but said nothing. She merely tightened her arms around Gwen's neck and shut her eyes—

Since Gwen was willing to go this far to save her father, then all she needed to do was trust him.

A moment later, the sounds of floors being smashed through ceased. Raiden Mei cautiously opened her eyes and met those smiling eyes.

"Alright, we're here."

"Mm."

When the barrier outside disappeared, Raiden Mei seemed to realize something. She hurriedly got down from Gwen's arms, but before she even had time to straighten her clothes, her gaze met that of the middle-aged man crouching warily in the corner of the cell, staring at her with an expression of utter disbelief.

"Mei?"

The moment Raiden Ryoma had heard the alarm, he had immediately hidden in the corner to seek what little sense of security it offered. Seeing his daughter being held in someone's arms, he called out instinctively.

Hearing her father call her name, Raiden Mei—who had not seen him for nearly half a year—instantly cast aside the faint shyness that had just risen in her heart. Gripping the bars, she looked at the middle-aged man inside the cell.

"Father!"

Hearing Mei's call, Raiden Ryoma finally confirmed that this was not an illusion. Forgetting even that pitiful sense of safety, he sprang to his feet with a speed wholly at odds with his haggard appearance. In a single stride, he rushed to the bars and clasped Raiden Mei's hands, tears already welling in his eyes.

"Mei, you... are you alright...?"

Though for safety's sake, Raiden Ryoma should have asked about Gwen's identity first, having worried about his daughter for over half a year, he chose to ignore that for the moment.

Yet although he had missed Raiden Mei day and night over those six months, now that he truly saw her, Raiden Ryoma found himself at a loss for words. He could only ask dryly.

"..."

Faced with Raiden Ryoma's question, Raiden Mei pressed her lips together. Though she desperately wanted to say that she was fine, the surging emotions in her heart made those words impossible to say. In the end, she could only speak in a trembling voice.

"None of that matters anymore. It's all in the past..."

"Mm, as long as you're alright. As long as you're alright."

Seeing his daughter speak with tears in her eyes, Raiden Ryoma's heart tightened. The thing he had feared most had likely happened after all...

Before Raiden Mei could say anything else, several crisp sounds rang out, followed by a heavier crash that sent dust drifting into the air—

"Although I'm quite confident in my own strength, this really isn't the place to talk.

How about we change locations?"

Using the armor's light blade module, Gwen severed all the bars around the door. Then he kicked the door down, retracted the light blade extending from his wrist, and addressed the father and daughter.

"That's true."

Nodding, Raiden Ryoma finally regained some of his composure. Without any further hesitation, he stepped out of the cell and said to Gwen, "I have yet to ask for your name, sir. I was somewhat discourteous in my excitement just now. I hope you can forgive me."

"It's only natural."

Gwen shook his head lightly and raised a barrier around the three of them, blocking every attack from the security personnel rushing over in response—

Although this prison, nominally under Japanese government control, had already been taken over by Cocolia's people, without Titan Mechs arriving, their attacks were nothing more than a scratch against the barrier raised by Valkyrie Knight: Moonlit Sky.

"Let's leave first. This isn't a place for talking."

As he spoke, Gwen moved his hands. The barrier released by his armor took on a hazy sheen, gorgeous and mysterious, carrying an unreal, dreamlike quality.

Then, under Gwen's control, the spherical barrier, with its dreamlike beauty, carried the three of them upward through the huge hole Gwen had smashed open when he entered, expanding it for a second time.

Amid a series of explosive crashes, Gwen and the others departed in triumph, leaving behind only deeply relieved guards and a panicked, unsettled person in charge...

Two minutes later, Gwen brought Raiden Mei and her father back to their already-seized home.

"Although the major Honkai eruption Cocolia triggered tonight failed to spread successfully, Changkong City is bound to descend into chaos for some time to come.

Under these circumstances, this place is actually a bit safer."

As Gwen spoke, he dispelled the barrier surrounding the three of them and released Raiden Ryoma and Raiden Mei. He then said to Raiden Ryoma:

"We may need to rest here temporarily later. I hope Mr. Raiden Ryoma will permit it."

—Although he could call him "Father-in-law" when teasing Raiden Mei, Gwen was, after all, a proper person. He still could not bring himself to call someone "Father-in-law" upon their first meeting.

"Of course."

Raiden Ryoma naturally nodded in agreement.

Gwen wanted to stay, and Raiden Ryoma also happened to have some questions to ask.

After all, Raiden Mei had been too well protected by him. She knew nothing about many matters and naturally could not provide Raiden Ryoma with any answers.

"Then please wait a moment."

With that, Gwen shot into the sky, leaving the father and daughter with a comet-like trail.

Yet compared to Gwen's departing figure, the colossal object faintly visible in the sky drew Raiden Ryoma's attention even more—

As Anti-Entropy's person in charge in the Far East, a region that could be considered where Schicksal and Anti-Entropy's spheres of influence overlapped, Raiden Ryoma naturally knew a great deal about his opponent and was thoroughly familiar with the cards they held.

Therefore, even from such a great distance, Raiden Ryoma could recognize from that faint outline that the colossal object above Changkong City was likely the Hyperion, flagship of Schicksal's Far East Branch.

"What's wrong, Father?"

Seeing the grave look on her father's face, Raiden Mei's heart tightened, and she could not help asking.

"I'm a little worried that he'll clash with Schicksal's people..."

Raiden Ryoma answered casually.

"..."