It's Over, I've Lost Big!

At the first light of dawn the next day, Raiden knocked on Li Ming's door. He knew people from Shenzhou had a particular devotion to breakfast, especially after coming to the Americas, where it only became more pronounced.

He needed to take Li Ming to one of the nearby Chinese restaurants and let him get familiar with them in advance. Otherwise, he would not have time to keep taking Li Ming there.

But the moment he pushed the door open, Raiden stared at Li Ming as if he had seen a ghost. His hair was a total mess, like a bird's nest; he was drenched in sweat, his face looked sallow, and dark circles hung under his eyes.

"Y-you... what did you do last night?" Li Ming had scared Raiden so badly that even his already less-than-fluent Shenzhou accent slipped out.

Seeing Raiden arrive, Li Ming wiped away his sweat. "Couldn't sleep. Played all night."

Raiden's face turned horrified. Played? Play? Who?

Three question marks flashed through his mind. Mr. Ming did not seem like a normal person at all. Raiden reflexively wanted to close the door, but Li Ming stopped him. "What did you need me for?"

"I was going to ask whether you wanted breakfast, but now it looks like you desperately need sleep."

"Perfect. I just finished working out. Come on, let's eat!" Li Ming merely washed his face in the bathroom before dragging Raiden out. As for his hair, that puffed-up bird's nest could not be smoothed down in a moment—anyone who had experienced their own hair rebelling would understand.

There was no helping it. Raiden was not taking Li Ming anywhere especially fancy anyway, but because vegetables and meat were priced differently here, along with some local adaptations, Li Ming ended up having a breakfast that did not feel much like breakfast.

First thing in the morning, his mouth already felt greasy. Still, as time passed, the bird's nest on his head finally returned to normal.

Then Raiden took Li Ming around everywhere. They visited Redwood National Park, saw the Golden Gate Bridge, and found a Western restaurant for lunch. This time, though, Li Ming did not feel sick of the food; he was simply exhausted.

That afternoon, they headed to Venice Beach to do something serious—check out girls. There were not actually many people around, but there were still one or two eye-catching beauties.

Then, without saying a word, both of them fixed their eyes on a girl with big red wavy hair and a smoking-hot figure. Her face was hidden behind oversized sunglasses, but they both agreed that she had to be a gorgeous woman.

"What country do you think she's from?" Li Ming wore shorts and an unbuttoned blue Hawaiian shirt, showing off his chest and stomach. His body had some meat on it, but he still looked fairly solid and fit.

People on the beach occasionally looked Li Ming's way, but his skin tone made those who wanted to strike up a conversation hesitate.

"Judging by her skin and hair color, I think she's probably of British descent." Raiden had his arms folded and wore a cool-toned short-sleeved shirt. Li Ming had not expected the small, skinny-looking Raiden to have abs, though it made sense. Otherwise, how could he have had the strength to carry Li Ming's luggage?

"I don't think she's a local." Li Ming was curious. Raiden's reasoning sounded convincing, but from the girl's movements, Li Ming could not shake the feeling that she was not from the Americas.

"I think she's American, just probably not Californian." Raiden observed very carefully. The two stood beside a drink shop on the beach, while the waiter wiped down a table and smiled at them. Clearly, this was not the first time he had seen a scene like this.

After watching for a while, Li Ming still trusted his own judgment. He felt the girl carried an air that differed from Americans. "I bet she's not American."

When guys started betting out of spite, the nature of things changed.

"What are we betting?" Raiden became interested too. Li Ming looked around before finally turning his gaze to the drink shop. "Whoever loses pays the bill and the tip. How about it?"

Raiden looked at the drink prices. Even the most expensive liquor was only fifty dollars, so he agreed. After thinking it over, they decided to settle who would approach her with finger-guessing. Before that, however, the waiter confirmed their ages. Once he learned that both were over twenty-one, he said nothing more.

Li Ming soon experienced the cruelty of society. Forget finger-guessing—even at rock-paper-scissors, Raiden outplayed him completely. That was despite Li Ming trying to cheat several times.

As Li Ming walked toward the red-haired girl, he was still staring at his hands. At that moment, he wondered whether he should just become Yang Guo. It felt like there was something dirty on his hands; he could not play at all.

"No pickup attempts, no small talk, restroom's on the right..." The girl lay on the sand and lifted her oversized sunglasses to glance at Li Ming.

Li Ming was immediately stumped by her rapid triple rejection. He had prepared plenty of lines at first, but the moment he met her scarlet eyes, there was a mischievous glint in her gaze. Li Ming felt as though she had seen straight through all his thoughts.

Seeing how embarrassed Li Ming looked, the girl became a little interested. The people she had rejected since coming here had not been as silly as Li Ming. Most would still stubbornly press on even after being turned down. Besides, this young man did not seem to be American. She just did not know whether he was from Shenzhou, Japan, or an immigrant descendant.

"So, handsome, have you figured out what to say?" Her voice was cool yet capable, though Li Ming could still hear the teasing in it. She spoke English, but her accent was not particularly American. Li Ming's heart settled.

He immediately changed tactics and hurried over with a smile. "Beautiful lady, here's the situation, and then this happened... What do you think?"

No local American accent meant she was not an immigrant descendant.

Li Ming told the girl about his bet with Raiden. Her eyes flickered, and then she smiled. "That actually sounds kind of interesting. I'll help you out. Shall we go now?"

The girl put on her coat, covering her lovely figure. Before Li Ming could react, she stood up and linked her arm through his. The softness made his heart stir, but Li Ming still pretended to be calm. He smiled and waved at Raiden. Winning the bet against Raiden made him even more excited.

"Hehe, Raiden, I won!" Li Ming was thrilled. "You're paying! You're paying!"

The waiter had already prepared to serve the liquor. Seeing how excited Li Ming was, he had everything ready.

Raiden glanced at Li Ming, then at the girl's actions. They looked intimate, but the distance between them was controlled with great subtlety. She probably did not know Li Ming. After considering it, he smiled. "Then where exactly is this lady from? I'm very curious."

"You're paying, you're... huh?" A huge question mark suddenly appeared in Li Ming's mind.

He abruptly turned to look at the girl, his face blank. The girl burst into laughter, released Li Ming's arm, and used the hair tie around her wrist to put her hair into a high ponytail. "Hello, my name is Murata Himeko. I'm Japanese."

"Murata Himeko... I feel like I've heard that name somewhere. Forget it, I won't think about it. Looks like you won." The moment Raiden heard her words, he knew he had to pay. He shook his head and looked at Li Ming, only to find him spacing out. "Hey, Ming! What are you drinking?"

Li Ming's brain had completely crashed. Murata Himeko? Huh? Himeko... Himeko was already dead.

Yet the red-haired girl gradually overlapped with the image in Li Ming's memory—the woman in crimson Valkyrie armor, the woman holding a wineglass, the woman smiling.

"Himeko..." Li Ming felt his mind, which had just been clear, become muddled again. But unlike in the Elysian Realm, he could not lose control of his tear ducts. After freezing for a moment, he smiled and scratched his head. "Ah, nice to meet you, Himeko-chan. Can I call you that?"

"Hm? What kind of address is that? Fine, I'll allow it." Himeko seemed to see through Li Ming's awkwardness. She merely gave him a light smack and did not continue teasing him.

Li Ming hypnotized himself internally. He had already transmigrated into Honkai Impact 3rd. Was it really strange to see Himeko? He had even touched Yae's head several times.

For a moment, Raiden could not tell whether Li Ming knew Himeko or not. Judging by Li Ming's state, he should know her, but Himeko did not know Li Ming. What kind of bizarre development was this?

But Li Ming was from Shenzhou, while Murata Himeko was Japanese. Could this be the legendary long-distance spiritual bond between Shenzhou and Japan?

Raiden felt there was juicy gossip to be had. He hurriedly had the waiter bring three bottles of rye, but when the waiter served the alcohol, he glanced at Himeko. Raiden asked, "How old are you?"

"Twenty-one!" Himeko declared confidently. To be fair, she was tall and did not look underage. Besides, she herself was not objecting, so the waiter did not interfere further.

Before Raiden could start digging for gossip, Li Ming had already recovered.

"My name is Li Ming. I'm from Shenzhou. Nice to meet you!"

Li Ming looked at Himeko and held out his hand. Himeko only lightly shook it. They had just met, and Li Ming's inexplicable expression left her somewhat puzzled, but she still chose to keep her distance. After all, all she had was his word.

Li Ming could also tell that Himeko was keeping her distance, but he did not find it strange. He did not care much about it anyway. Now that he knew Himeko was in the Americas, he could worry about the future later. There would always be a chance.

Raiden felt a little depressed that he had not gotten any gossip, but he figured it was because the two were uncomfortable talking in front of him. So although he was the one treating them, he was now the most excited.

"Cheers!" "To happiness!" "Welcome!"

The three had different thoughts: one wanted gossip, one was curious about the other two's identities, and one was here to mooch food and drinks.

All that could be said was that even having a drink involved eight hundred schemes. Himeko and Raiden had sixteen hundred schemes between them, while Li Ming was eight hundred schemes in debt.

What bad intentions could a college student who had merely come to mooch food and drinks possibly have?

The three downed more than ten bottles of rye in a row, and the initially lukewarm atmosphere gradually heated up. Drinking in the middle of the afternoon was a little strange, but none of them felt anything was off.

The waiter, meanwhile, was grinning from ear to ear, holding the ten-dollar tip Li Ming had just given him. Although they had initially agreed that the loser would pay both the bill and tip, Li Ming had still willingly paid it. After all, courtesy should be reciprocated.

"I came here on a study program. Mechanical engineering at the California Institute of Technology. I'm twenty-one this year." Li Ming set down his bottle as he spoke, though his eyes unconsciously drifted toward Himeko.

"Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley." Raiden was in the mood to share as well. It was Li Ming's first time hearing Raiden's major, and he looked at him in surprise. No wonder I felt there was something off about you the moment I saw you.

"Huh? You're from Caltech too?" Himeko, who was already somewhat tipsy, was surprised to hear Li Ming's words. "But I haven't seen you at school. Oh, right, I'm in the School of Aerospace Propulsion at Caltech, studying interstellar navigation dynamics. Um, I'm on a study program too, though I'm not as impressive as you two."

When she said that, Himeko suddenly looked a little guilty. She glanced at the waiter twice and only relaxed after seeing him happily counting his tips, completely oblivious to their conversation.

"So you're from Caltech too. We can talk more in the future." Li Ming smiled. "I wonder whether interstellar navigation dynamics in the School of Aerospace Propulsion is close to mechanical engineering. This is a little hard to figure out!"

"It's pretty close. Getting there is basically just like dropping by next door."

"So you're both schoolmates? Does that mean you knew each other before?" Raiden's gaze suddenly sharpened, though neither the tipsy Himeko nor Li Ming, who was looking at Himeko, noticed.

"Nope. I applied to the California Institute of Technology in April, but it's vacation recently, so I came out to have some fun. The teachers here are super nice!" Himeko laughed loudly and took a swig.

Li Ming smiled. Two bottles of rye were not enough to affect him.

"But interstellar navigation dynamics in the School of Aerospace Propulsion is a pretty niche major. Most universities in Europe don't even offer it. Miss Himeko, what made you choose that major?"

"Because the future will be an era of sailing among the stars! I started preparing to enter Caltech's interstellar navigation dynamics program back in high school!" Himeko raised her hand dreamily, as if imagining the beauty of the stars.

Hearing Himeko say that, Raiden seemed to remember something. "Mm, you're the one who published a paper at fifteen..."

Before Raiden could finish, Himeko forcibly poured a mouthful of liquor into him, making him cough. "Shh, don't say it."

Raiden immediately understood. Going by this, Himeko should only be fifteen. In the Americas, she was still restricted by drinking laws. Thinking of that, Raiden glanced at Li Ming and saw him blankly lifting a bottle of rye to his mouth.

"Hm? What are you talking about?" He looked hazily drunk. The dark circles that had not been very obvious before now stood out instead.

Raiden had originally wanted to ask Li Ming, but seeing him in such a hopeless state, he felt like he had a complaint stuck in his throat and did not know whether to voice it.

Why did I feel like I guessed wrong? Maybe Ming really had nothing to do with Miss Murata Himeko. But whether it was his microexpressions or certain movements, Ming clearly cared a great deal about Miss Himeko.

After thinking for a long time, Raiden finally sighed. It was over, he had lost big. He did not get any gossip, and he had even wasted so many bottles of rye. Most importantly, Li Ming had actually drunk most of them. Himeko looked like she drank fiercely, but she really had not drunk much.