Mei's Thoughts

"No, I don't,"

"I'm just very sad right now!"

"Then... why don't you take your hand away?"

Looking at Dong Moxuan covering his mouth with his hand, Mei's tone was full of suspicion.

"I'm just so sad, I was afraid my sad expression would scare you!"

Looking at Mei in front of him, Dong Moxuan said with a straight face.

Mei: "..."

After staring at Dong Moxuan expressionlessly for a long time, Mei ultimately didn't criticize his seemingly gloating expression and simply turned to leave.

Seeing Mei like this, Dong Moxuan, who had gotten a little carried away, felt a slight sense of relief.

What was that guy all about?

Arriving in the kitchen, Mei's originally calm expression could no longer be maintained.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her face showed an expression of unspeakable distress.

So many things had already happened recently. Her father's imprisonment and the harsh realities of society had left the innocent girl, who was only in her teens, feeling incredibly suppressed.

Now, there was an additional strange guy who claimed to be her father's friend and was forcefully sticking around their home.

The girl named Mei truly felt exhausted.

However, since that guy was her father's friend and was unwilling to leave, even though she said things, she couldn't really drive him away...

For now, she could only take things one step at a time.

"Sigh~"

With a soft sigh, the girl's usually resolute nature prevented her from complaining too much.

She picked up the cooking utensils and began preparing dinner.

Normally, Mei would just make something simple for herself. After all, she hadn't been in the mood to spend too much time on meals lately.

But today, with Dong Moxuan as a guest, she, as the host, couldn't prepare something too meager.

Glancing back at Dong Moxuan, who was sitting on the sofa watching TV, Mei shook her head and focused all her energy on preparing dinner.

"It's time for dinner, Mr. Dong Moxuan!"

Mei cooked very quickly. In just half an hour, she had prepared a rather sumptuous dinner.

Looking at Dong Moxuan, who was engrossed in watching "Honkai Adventure" on the sofa, completely oblivious to her arrival, Mei felt her head start to hurt again.

"Oh... oh."

Hearing Mei's voice, Dong Moxuan seemed to snap out of a daze and stood up from the sofa, moving to the dining table.

"Go wash your hands first."

Taking off her apron, Mei's tone was somewhat helpless.

Watching Dong Moxuan return to the table after washing his hands and pick up his chopsticks, ready to eat immediately, Mei, a pure Yamato Nadeshiko, couldn't help but frown.

She gently tapped the table with her chopsticks.

Seeing Mei's action, Dong Moxuan's movements froze.

He stared for a few seconds before understanding what Mei meant.

"Itadakimasu!"

Clasping his hands together, Dong Moxuan performed the pre-meal ritual unique to Waguo before picking up his chopsticks.

This time, Mei didn't say anything further.

"Mmm~ This tastes... absolutely delicious~ Chew chew chew~"

Picking up a piece of tempura with his chopsticks and putting it in his mouth, Dong Moxuan wore a blissful expression.

In reality, while Mei's cooking skills were good, they weren't exactly world-class delicacies.

However, in Dong Moxuan's opinion, the key issue was clearly not the taste of the food, but rather who had prepared this meal.

This was food made by the cook herself!

For Dong Moxuan, who had once been the Captain, this was already a highly memorable achievement.

Now that Mei's dinner had been "obtained," what achievement should he aim for next?

How about setting a small goal, like twisting Otto's head off and using it as a soccer ball?

Dong Moxuan thought to himself while eating dinner.

"Don't talk while eating!"

On the other hand, after clasping his hands together and saying "Itadakimasu," Mei heard Dong Moxuan's exclamations and couldn't help but say with a helpless tone.

She said, gently shaking her head.

Dong Moxuan was her father's friend, and by seniority, he should be her elder.

But based on Dong Moxuan's previous behavior, he was just like a child.

Is she raising a son?

She thought to herself with a bit of exasperation. Even Mei herself didn't realize that her own heart, which had become incredibly suppressed due to various recent events, had unknowingly become much brighter because of Dong Moxuan's actions.

After dinner, Mei tidied up Dong Moxuan's room and then took a bath before sleeping.

It was a shame that Mei didn't seem to have the Waguo tradition of bathing together as a family in one tub, which dashed Dong Moxuan's hopes of using the powerful abilities he obtained from the Emperor-class Honkai Beast "Kuafu."

After showering, Dong Moxuan, wearing the Raiden Ryoma pajamas Mei had prepared for him, lay on Raiden Ryoma's bed and stretched.

Hmm, it would feel even better if Raiden Ryoma's daughter was lying next to him right now.

"I've settled in for now,"

"Although it wasn't planned, getting in contact with Raiden Mei early is clearly not a bad thing..."

"Next, I just have to wait for a month..."

He sat up from the bed, completely shedding the flippant demeanor he had shown when facing Mei earlier.

He propped his chin on his hands, looking in Mei's direction, his deep blue eyes flickering with an unreadable light.

Based on his memories from his past life and the information he had gathered recently, the Honkai outbreak in Changkong City was estimated to happen in about a month.

At that time, the peaceful daily life of the girl named Mei would be shattered, and she would face her own destiny, a rather sad one.

However, even though his motives were somewhat impure, Dong Moxuan was, after all, friends with Raiden Ryoma.

And Dong Moxuan was a steadfast Captain in his past life, so he naturally wouldn't ignore his cook.

Therefore...

"Brother Ryoma, you can rest assured in prison. Leave your daughter to me to take care of!"

In Raiden Ryoma's room, Dong Moxuan, having just finished dinner made by Raiden Ryoma's daughter, sat on Raiden Ryoma's bed, wearing Raiden Ryoma's pajamas, and quietly made a vow to take care of his daughter in Raiden Ryoma's stead.

He imagined that if Raiden Ryoma knew his brother was being so considerate, he would be too moved to speak.

He gently shook his head, Dong Moxuan was moved by himself.

His flaw was being too kind, too loyal to his brothers.

The next day, early morning.

By the time Dong Moxuan woke up, it was already past ten in the morning.

Mei had naturally already gone to school.

Dong Moxuan walked into the living room and, as expected, didn't see the gentle Yamato Nadeshiko. Instead, he only found a note left on the table.