I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

How could her father, Lei Dian Long Ma, possibly do such a thing?

[Devil Muscle Rin]: Hey, Gu Ye, can you just say everything at once? Are you hiding some crucial information again?

[Weather Forecast]: So don't rush. Mei had a serious illness when she was little because of the awakening of her Stigmata. But she was too young. Awakening a Stigmata at that time would be tantamount to suicide. So Raiden Ryoma implanted the core into her body to restrain the Stigmata, which allowed her to grow up safely to this day.

【Rice Herrscher】: I knew Dad wasn't a bad person.

Mei breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt even greater doubt and worry.

【Marin】: Wait a minute! Gu Yejun, didn't you just say that 'someone wants' Mei-senpai to become a Herrscher? Could this be related to Raiden-san being framed and imprisoned?

[Weather Forecast]: Wow, not bad, you even answered first! That's right, because a group of people want to research Herrschers, so they plan to make Mei a Herrscher.

[Herrscher of Food]: Then... what about everyone in Changkong City? What will happen to them?

[Weather Forecast]: What to do? Just let it be. In their eyes, ordinary people's lives are no different from ants on the roadside; they wouldn't even blink an eye if they trampled on countless of them.

[Devil Muscle Rin]: There are still experts?

【Marin】: What can we do?! Is there really no way to stop them? We can't just stand by and watch Changkong City collapse!

[Weather Forecast]: Difficult. The birth of a Herrscher is not only due to the host's negative emotions, but more importantly, the concentration of Honkai energy in the surrounding environment. Those people's plan is actually very old-fashioned, nothing more than a two-pronged approach: first, drive Mei into a corner of despair, then detonate a Honkai energy bomb, at which point she will have no choice but to become a Herrscher.

[Herrscher of Food]: What should I do? Is escaping Changkong City the only way to stop all this?

[Weather Forecast]: It's too late to run now. A woman named Cocolia has already begun her operation. Even if you leave, the Honkai energy she has pre-positioned in the city is enough to create another new Herrscher. Therefore, the only way to break this deadlock is to stop Cocolia. As long as she is eliminated, the crisis in Changkong City will naturally be resolved.

[Herrscher of Food]: Cocolia... Is she the mastermind behind all of this? Is there any way to deal with her without becoming a Herrscher?

Raiden Mei's fingertip hovered above the screen, her eyes fixed on the chat interface, her breathing unconsciously becoming softer, hoping that the only person in the know could provide a feasible solution.

at this time.

A dull thud came from the direction of the villa's back garden, breaking the tranquility under the afternoon sun.

thump—

The sound was like a heavy sandbag being thrown from a height and hitting the soft soil.

Raiden Mei's nerves tensed instantly. Almost instinctively, she pulled the wooden sword that had been with her for many years from the sword rack by the wall. The cool touch of the hilt calmed her chaotic mind slightly.

She held her breath, barefoot, and silently moved step by step toward the French windows of the back garden on the cool wooden floor.

"Could it be those reporters? Or Dad's enemies?" Countless bad thoughts flashed through Mei's mind. She thought of the public figures whose bad deeds were exposed on the Internet, whose doorsteps were always piled with garbage and stones thrown by protesters.

But outside the window, there was only the rustling of the wind through the flowers and leaves, and no other sound.

"A thief?" The thought made her grip the wooden knife tighter.

Although the family fortunes had declined, there were still many valuable items in the villa.

She took a deep breath and abruptly pulled open the glass door leading to the garden.

The bright sunshine bathed the entire courtyard without reservation, revealing the meticulously manicured rose bushes, hydrangea garden, and well-maintained lawn.

However, amidst the most vibrant cluster of white roses, a discordant color abruptly entered the field of vision.

That's a person.

A girl with long, snow-white hair, dressed in the uniform of Chiba Academy, was like a carelessly discarded doll, stuck in the soft floral mud and broken branches in an extremely unnatural posture.

Mei's heart skipped a beat.

She moved quietly, like a wary cat, slowly approaching.

As she got closer, she could see the girl's face clearly. Her features were so delicate that she didn't look real, but her eyes were closed and her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was having an uneasy dream.

Mei hesitated for a moment, then extended the tip of her wooden sword and very lightly poked the girl's shoulder.

The other person didn't react at all; their soft body only swayed slightly with her movements.

After confirming that the other person was indeed unconscious, Mei breathed a long sigh of relief, and her tense shoulders relaxed. She took two steps back, raised her phone, and took a picture of this strange scene.

After the crisp click of the shutter, the photo was uploaded to the chat group.

[Herrscher of the Rice]: A white-haired girl lying in a flowerbed.jpg

[Rhythm of Food]: There was a loud commotion in the back garden just now. I thought it was a thief or someone coming to cause trouble, but it turned out to be a girl who had fainted.

The moment the photo was posted, the group chat exploded.

[Weather Forecast]: Oh, it's a paramecium.

【Marin】: Wow! It's a paramecium!

[Devil Muscle Rin]: Tsk, it's a paramecium.

Huh? Anyone commenting? Please, I'm playing this in single-player mode! 5

Chapter 7 Kiana faints for the second time!

Mei was a little stunned by the series of uniform repetitions, but W's speech took a sudden turn.

[American Scythe]: Huh? This soft, cuddly, sweet girl who looks like a marshmallow is the comrade you were talking about that Mei could entrust her back to? Kid, are you kidding me? Looking like that, forget about fighting, she'd be lucky if a strong wind blew her away. What can she do? Use her cute face to kill the enemy?

[Herrscher of Food]: She... is my future partner?

[Weather Forecast]: Of course, she is your future partner, Kiana Kaslana!

Seeing Gu Ye's affirmative reply, Mei's last trace of doubt vanished.

Without further hesitation, she gently placed the wooden knife and phone on the stone bench beside her, bent down, and slipped her arm under her knees and back.

"Well……"

She was lighter than I had imagined. The girl's body was soft and warm, and holding her in my arms felt like holding a warm cloud.

Mei picked her up horizontally, and the girl's head naturally rested on her shoulder. Her long white hair fell down, and the ends of her hair carried a faint, wonderful smell, like gunpowder mixed with some kind of dessert.

Mei carried her steadily through the garden, back to the living room, and then upstairs to the second floor, where she gently placed her on the large bed in the guest room, which was covered with clean sheets.

She pulled over a thin blanket and carefully covered the girl with it, tucking the corners in.

After doing all this, she straightened up and quietly looked at the peaceful sleeping face on the bed, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

The crisis was not yet over, and Cocolia's shadow still loomed over Changkong City, but this companion who fell from the sky was like a sudden ray of light shining into her gloomy world.

Perhaps only ten minutes later, the girl on the bed suddenly trembled slightly with her eyelashes, and then slowly opened her eyes.

Those were a pair of clear blue eyes, like the sky. At first, they were a little confused, as if they had just woken up, but after seeing Mei standing by the bed, that confusion was quickly replaced by a pure curiosity.

"Wow! What a beautiful girl!" Kiana sat up abruptly in bed, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Mei, her voice filled with undisguised amazement. "Is this paradise? You're the most beautiful person I've ever seen!"

This sudden, straightforward, and somewhat silly praise made Mei blush instantly, and for a moment she didn't know how to respond.

"Y-hello..." Mei stammered, "How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"

"Me? I'm fine!" Kiana said, stretching her arms in a spirited gesture. "I'm just a little hungry... By the way, my name is Kiana! What's yours?"

Her smile was so bright it was dazzling, as if the person who had just fallen from the sky and was unconscious was not her at all.

When Kiana's energetic "I'm a little hungry" reached her ears, Mei's eyes softened.

She remembered the muffins she had just taken out of the oven that afternoon, and turned to give Kiana a gentle smile.

"Are you hungry? Then wait for me a moment."

A moment later, Mei returned to the room carrying an exquisite tray.

Several golden-brown muffins were laid out on a tray, next to a pot of steaming black tea and a beautiful bone china teacup. The sweet aroma instantly filled the entire room.

Kiana's eyes widened in an instant, her gaze fixed on the cakes as if drawn by a magnet, and a trickle of liquid even escaped from the corner of her mouth.

Wow! These...are these all for me?

"Yes, please use it if you don't mind." Mei smiled and placed the tray on the bedside table.

"Then I won't be polite!" Kiana cheered, almost lunging forward to grab a piece of cake and stuff it whole into her mouth, her cheeks bulging out like a hamster stealing food.

She swallowed the first piece whole and then eagerly grabbed the second.

The moment she put it in her mouth, her movements froze abruptly. Her pretty face turned bright red, and she pounded her chest with both hands.

"Eat slowly, don't choke." Seeing this, Mei quickly poured a cup of black tea and handed it to her.

"Th-thank you!" Kiana took the teacup and gulped down several mouthfuls as if grasping at a lifeline, making gurgling sounds in her throat.

As the tea flowed down her throat, she let out a long sigh of relief.

However, in the next second, her body suddenly leaned back without warning, her eyes closed, and she fell straight back onto the bed, completely unconscious.

"Kiana? Kiana! What's wrong with you?" This sudden turn of events startled Mei. She rushed to the bedside and shook Kiana's shoulders forcefully, but the other girl didn't respond.

"Huff, breathe!" Mei suddenly remembered something and, mimicking the first aid methods she saw in a TV drama, tremblingly placed her finger under Kiana's nose.

A faint but steady breeze brushed against her fingertips.

And breathing.

Mei breathed a sigh of relief, but her worries remained undiminished.

She frantically grabbed her phone and opened the chat group again.

[Herrscher of Food]: What do we do?! Kiana just woke up, ate something, and then fainted again! What happened?!

[Weather Forecast]: Don't rush, tell me exactly what happened just now.

【Marin】: Huh? Dizzy again? Could it be an upset stomach? But I've never heard of someone fainting from an upset stomach before! That's too much!

[Weather Forecast]: Food poisoning is unlikely. As far as I know, Mei's wifely charm is maxed out, and her cooking skills are absolutely top-notch; the title "Herrscher of Food" isn't given lightly.

[Devilish Muscle Rin]: So you're called the "Herrscher of Food" because you cook so well? Hmph, I don't know why, but I'm not surprised at all. Speaking of which, I guess I know where my lousy name comes from.

On the other side of the screen, Rin Tohsaka pouted in dissatisfaction.

Isn't it just about exercising every day to maintain your figure?

Was it really necessary to give him such a crude and awful name as "Devil Muscle Rin"? It's utterly tasteless!

[Herrscher of Food]: Food...? The snacks I made probably weren't that delicious, right? But they shouldn't be that bad either.

Mei stared at her phone screen, somewhat confused.

She genuinely didn't remember tasting these pastries. Back in school, when she had tea parties with her "friends," they would always devour the pastries, praising them endlessly, leaving her no chance to taste them.

Her gaze fell on the bed, where Kiana still had a few crumbs of cake on her lips. Mei, almost without thinking, reached out, picked up a piece of cake scattered on the blanket, and, with a hint of curiosity, put it in her mouth.

The moment the cake touches your taste buds—

Mei's face froze.

An indescribable, eerie taste, as if mixed with salt, alkali, and bitter medicinal powder, suddenly exploded in her mouth.

Her features instantly contorted, her eyebrows furrowed into knots, her pretty face scrunched up, and her stomach churned violently.

"Ptooey! Ptooey! Ptooey! It tastes awful!"

A curse word slipped out of her mouth uncontrollably, something that was unprecedented for the usually gentle and elegant Miss Raiden.

She rushed into the bathroom, frantically rinsing her mouth while typing in the group chat, her fingers trembling.

She finally understood why Kiana had fainted. If it were her, swallowing two large mouthfuls of this bio-weapon would probably have killed her on the spot.

Some of the characters' pictures are hard to find, so I'll just find a few nice ones to share.

Chapter 8 Mei: Which bastard said my cooking is delicious?

[Herrscher of Food]: I give up! Which bastard told me my cooking was delicious?! I just took a small bite and almost died on the spot! This stuff is inedible!

Weather forecast: ?

[Devilish Muscle Rin]: No way? It really is a food problem? But didn't Gu Ye just say that Mei is the best cook?

[American Scythe]: Oh? How bad can the food be? I'm really curious. Here, send one to your mother, let her see for herself!

[The Herrscher of Rice sent a red envelope to the group chat.]