Mei Is My Wife!

As the heroine of the Honkai series, Mei's appearance was naturally flawless. At that moment, her eyes were slightly widened, and her surprised expression was incredibly adorable.

"I went out for a stroll this afternoon, so I came by to pick you up while I was at it!"

Dong Moxuan pressed his lips into a faint smile and didn't tell her everything that had happened today.

After explaining everything to Mei, his azure eyes turned toward the cute girl with short black hair.

"You're Mei's friend, right?"

Dong Moxuan looked at the black-haired girl and spoke gently.

"What an adorable girl. Mei has really been in your care!"

Dong Moxuan's voice was exceptionally pleasant. It was crisp like sunshine, yet carried the hoarseness unique to a mature man. Combined with his astonishingly handsome face, it immediately made the black-haired girl, who had attended an all-girls' school since childhood and rarely encountered outstanding men, start to feel her heart race and her cheeks grow hot.

"We... we're just friends. It's what I should do."

The girl, already dazzled by his looks, didn't stop to wonder how a boy had suddenly appeared at an all-girls' school. She lowered her head, her cheeks flushed crimson, and even her speech became somewhat stammering.

"Regardless, I still have to thank you properly."

Dong Moxuan gave a hearty chuckle and somehow produced a can of Otaku Happy Water.

"I don't have much on hand for now. Just take this as a meeting gift."

A trace of disgust flashed through the girl's eyes as she looked at the Happy Water in Dong Moxuan's hand.

Since she could attend Senba Academy, the black-haired girl's family background was certainly extraordinary, even if it couldn't compare to Mei's before her family fell into trouble.

As for a commoner and otaku beverage like Happy Water, she, who prided herself on her refined tastes, naturally wouldn't think much of it.

However, the person giving her the Otaku Happy Water was a handsome man like Dong Moxuan, who had made her heart flutter, so she naturally didn't show it.

"Then, thank—"

Before the girl could finish speaking, Dong Moxuan crushed the drink can in his hand, splashing the black liquid all over her.

"Ah, sorry. I accidentally used too much strength just now. How about I wipe you off with a rag?"

Looking at the black-haired girl before him, soaked from head to toe with Happy Water, Dong Moxuan took a rag from the bucket and spoke in a "sincere" tone.

"..."

The girl stared blankly at the mild-looking Dong Moxuan, then at the rag he had taken from the dirty-water bucket. Her eyes instantly reddened.

"Waaah~"

She covered her face and ran off crying.

"Hey, don't run! Do you still want me to wipe you off or not?"

Dong Moxuan shouted after the girl's retreating figure.

Only after her figure had completely vanished from his sight did his expression turn cold. He casually tossed the rag back into the bucket.

"Hey, Mei, what's with that expression?"

Turning around and looking at Mei's somewhat peculiar expression, Dong Moxuan couldn't help asking.

"Mr. Dong Moxuan, you're an adult, at least. Isn't bullying a high school girl like that a little inappropriate?"

Her tone was somewhat exasperated, but the slight upward curl of her lips revealed Mei's true feelings at that moment.

"Who told her to bully my Mei? After all, the daughter of Big Brother Ryoma is my wi—"

Seeing Mei's faintly flushed cheeks and slightly reproachful gaze, Dong Moxuan immediately changed his words.

"The daughter of Big Brother Ryoma is my wife..."

"Mr. Dong Moxuan!"

"All right, all right, I was just joking."

Looking at Mei, whose cheeks had turned as red as persimmons, Dong Moxuan lightly scratched his head.

"That just now was... bullying?"

"Not really..."

The flush faded from her face as Mei began gathering the things on the desk.

"It was nothing more than a boring game played by a bunch of children."

Mei's tone was utterly calm, without the slightest ripple.

Although Mei wasn't as special as Kiana and was merely an "ordinary" young lady, her mental fortitude still far exceeded that of ordinary people.

The vague mockery and cold violence from her classmates hadn't left Mei completely unaffected, but at most, they had only made her feel somewhat annoyed.

What had truly wounded her was the betrayal and kicking-when-she-was-down behavior of her friends.

Even though she hadn't been particularly close to those friends.

However, when Mei turned to look at Dong Moxuan, a complicated light appeared in her eyes.

The short-haired girl's mockery was nothing, but Dong Moxuan's protective attitude just now had been deeply imprinted in her heart.

After all, Raiden Ryoma usually appeared and disappeared like a phantom. It had been better when she was little, but ever since she entered middle school, even Mei rarely saw him.

Back when Mei had been a young lady, things had been fine. Now that her family had suffered a major upheaval, she could barely hold herself together, but deep down, she still longed for someone who could protect her and shoulder everything for her.

That person should have been Raiden Ryoma, but his identity meant that he could never be a qualified father.

Dong Moxuan's actions today had been subtle, but they still gave Mei the sense of security that came from being protected by someone else.

This sense of security, something she had never experienced before, made Mei slightly infatuated with it.

"Um, Mei... have you been staring at me because you want to say something?"

Mei's gaze made Dong Moxuan somewhat uncomfortable.

"N-no... it's nothing..."

Mei's cheeks were slightly flushed as she looked away.

"It's getting late. Where's the office?"

Dong Moxuan picked up the homework from the lectern and asked Mei.

"Let me handle those..."

"Leave this kind of heavy lifting to me. You've studied all day, Mei. You must be tired."

"Okay, all right."

After hesitating for a moment, Mei still nodded lightly.

"Um..."

After everything had been taken care of, on the way home, Mei looked at the boy beside her, her cheeks faintly flushed as she opened her mouth.

"**"

Mei's voice was extremely soft, as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Hm? Mei, what did you want to say?"

Dong Moxuan genuinely hadn't heard her.

"No, it's nothing, Mr. Xuan."

Mei seemed to let out a sigh of relief.

"What would you like to eat tonight, Mr. Xuan?"

"Tempura, I guess... Tamagoyaki sounds pretty good too..."

Mei easily steered Dong Moxuan to another topic.

Maybe this guy's appearance wasn't such a bad thing after all?

Walking along the streets bathed in the setting sun and looking at the boy beside her, whose face held not the slightest trace of wariness, Mei couldn't help thinking this to herself.

Over the next few days, perhaps because she had sensed Dong Moxuan's goodwill, Mei's attitude grew increasingly gentle, and her relationship with Dong Moxuan became like that of true friends.

Kiana didn't contact him on her own again during those days, and Dong Moxuan was quite free.

He had thought this daily routine would continue until the Honkai descended—until one weekend afternoon.