Raiden Mei

'According to the plot, Raiden Ryoma was arrested and imprisoned over an economic case on November 16th.'

'It was August now.'

'So Mei could still enjoy a few more days of campus life.'

He Cheng-rui clenched his fist, sensing his current strength, and sighed.

The Spiral imprint within him had granted him weapon mastery and knowledge of physics.

As for Empty Dream, he had originally thought that the more money he had, the stronger he would become, but that did not seem to be the case.

So if he wanted to grow stronger, he would have to use his Stand to absorb Honkai Energy.

'Usually, I can absorb Honkai Energy from the Herrscher Core by being around Mei. During breaks, I'll look for places with high concentrations of Honkai Energy.'

'It's almost eleven. Time to sleep.'

At seven in the morning, He Cheng-rui got up on schedule.

He washed up, cooked breakfast, and headed out to work.

"Ah, Teacher He Cheng-rui, we meet again."

Hearing Mei's voice, He Cheng-rui turned around and saw how listless she looked.

"I thought I'd run into someone as disciplined as me, but apparently not."

"Did you run into some trouble? You can tell your teacher about it."

"It's nothing. After eating the food you made last night, I suddenly felt inspired. And since you said I'd definitely become good at cooking in the future, I gave it a try."

"But the result..." Mei gave a bitter smile.

"You still need to rest properly. Cooking can't be mastered overnight. Practice regularly, and you'll soon reach my level."

"Your level? That'll probably be difficult."

He Cheng-rui shook his head.

"When you meet someone you want to cook for, your cooking skills will improve tremendously."

"Is that so?" Mei nodded as if she half understood, lowering her head as though lost in thought.

"If you don't mind, I can give you some advice on your cooking from time to time."

"Really? Then please, Teacher."

"It's no big deal, but let me make this clear first: I'm very strict."

"Yes, I'll work hard!"

After chatting for a while, the two arrived at school and parted ways.

Entering his office, He Cheng-rui checked his schedule.

'No classes this morning? If I'd known, I wouldn't have come.'

With that thought, He Cheng-rui took out a book his predecessor had bought from his bag and began reading.

As for lesson preparation?

What lessons did he need to prepare? With the physics knowledge provided by the Spiral imprint, high school physics was a piece of cake. A piece of cake!

Accompanied by the cicadas chirping outside the window, He Cheng-rui immersed himself in his reading.

Knock, knock, knock.

Hearing the knock, He Cheng-rui looked up at the time and realized an hour had already passed.

"Come in."

The person outside pushed open the door. It was a student from his class.

"Hehe, Teacher, there are some things I don't understand that I'd like to ask you about."

I haven't even taught anything yet. What could you possibly not understand?

Knowing the female student was probably curious about him, He Cheng-rui did not say much and patiently explained what she did not understand.

After class began, He Cheng-rui made himself a cup of tea and continued reading.

Forty minutes later, there was another knock at the door. Another group of students had come to ask questions.

Looks like things won't be peaceful for a while.

"The students in class are all praising you for being gentle, Teacher. They say you answer every question seriously, no matter how simple it is."

"...It would be nice if they genuinely loved studying."

He Cheng-rui sighed helplessly.

Seeing his helpless expression, Mei covered her mouth and giggled.

"Doesn't that just mean you're charming, Teacher?"

He Cheng-rui thought about it, then nodded and said seriously, "Indeed."

"By the way, Mei, let's start your cooking training tonight."

"Sure, but how will we do it?"

He Cheng-rui stroked his chin and thought for a moment.

"Do you still have ingredients at home?"

Mei shook her head.

"I just moved in and didn't prepare much. I also wasted quite a bit last night."

"Then come to my place. Let me see what level you're at now."

"Okay, Teacher."

At dinnertime, He Cheng-rui sat beside the table and began tasting the food Mei had made.

After taking a bite, he was somewhat surprised.

As expected of the Herrscher of Food. She's already this good on her second attempt.

While it could not be called particularly delicious, it was nowhere near inedible.

"How is it? This time, I followed the recipe step by step."

"Mm. The miso soup is too salty, the fish is burnt, and did you add sugar to the scrambled eggs with tomatoes? Why is it so sweet?"

"Most importantly, were you trying to make things difficult for me by putting ginger in the fried potatoes?"

Mei listened carefully to He Cheng-rui's evaluation.

"But honestly, have you practiced before? Making food this well on your second try is really impressive."

"Ah, thank you for the compliment. I still have a long way to go."

"Alright, don't just watch me eat. You should eat too."

"Ah, okay."