Honkai Impact 3rd, Paradise Typewriter isn't for making this kind of game.

"Pado, you've ruined my life!"

Xia Yuan let out a cry of grief and indignation in his heart.

"Um... Aunt Mei, if I say I didn't mean it, would you believe me?"

Xia Yuan quickly removed his disobedient little hand from the other person's clothes and quietly put it back behind his back, because he was afraid that if he didn't hurry, Mei would most likely cut off the little hand he used to eat.

Padofelis, the culprit, secretly hid her little black paws in the snowdrift once again.

Raiden Mei's expression was somewhat uncertain.

A long time passed.

Mei silently took out the sword hanging at her waist; she longed to kill the rude man in front of her with a single stroke.

However, due to her duty as a Valkyrie and the aura of Alicia emanating from the other party, Mei slowly sheathed her sword, burying the unfriendly thought of "cutting off the other party's hand" deep within her heart.

However, it was clear that Raiden Mei's impression of Xia Yuan had become extremely negative due to the other party's behavior and address.

“Sir…you don’t look much younger than me, so please watch your words. I will consider what happened earlier a misunderstanding and let it go, but please explain in detail why you were sitting alone in the snowdrift.”

"otherwise....."

Before Mei could finish speaking, she held the scabbard of her sword towards Xia Yuan's neck.

"This doesn't look like they're not planning to pursue the matter at all!"

Seeing the other person's cold expression that revealed a hint of disdain, Xia Yuan subconsciously looked at Padofelis hiding under the snowdrift... No, we'll share the hardships and the joys!

In order to salvage his image in Mei's eyes, Xia Yuan plans to sell Phyllis to Mei's aunt.

But by this time the snowdrifts were already empty.

When Padofelis realized something was wrong, she had already rolled over, dug through the snow in front of her, and slipped away under the snowdrift, leaving Xia Yuan, whose face was full of joy, alone to face Aunt Mei's brutal interrogation...

Seeing that the other person was staring absentmindedly at the quilt on the snowdrift, Mei said with some displeasure:

"Sir, if you feel cold, you can wrap yourself in your blanket. As for now, please answer my questions honestly."

Xia Yuan wrapped himself in the small blanket given to him by Miss Kuroki, and looked at Padofelis, who had long since disappeared without a trace. Although he felt helpless and lamented that the girl was not loyal, disloyal, and abandoned him when disaster struck, Xia Yuan still bravely faced Mei standing in front of him.

What's your surname?

Seeing that the other person had wrapped a quilt around their body, Mei asked.

"...Xia Yuan, Xia as in early summer, Yuan as in abyss."

"gender?"

After a moment of silence, Xia Yuan slowly spoke.

"male...."

Where do you live?

"Sky City..."

"Mr. Xia Yuan, I would like to ask why you didn't stay at home in this weather, but instead came alone to a high-speed rail station in another city that is under temporary maintenance?"

"I......"

As Mei bombarded him with a series of questions that sounded like an interrogation of a criminal, Xia Yuan fell into a brief silence.

Chapter 161 What, aren't you calling Mei-neechan anymore?

Xia Yuan now understood...

He understood that he had become that image in Mei's mind.

[A strange adult who doesn't have a proper job and spends his days wandering around]

He had even thought of saving Padma... but in the end, the ungrateful Padma Phyllis quietly slipped away, leaving him all alone. He should make sure he doesn't catch her later, or Phyllis will be in big trouble!

Seeing the other person's silence, Mei spoke up:

"What's wrong? Can't answer? Or is there something you're having trouble saying?"

"That's alright. Then I'll trouble you, Mr. Xia Yuan, to come with me to the headquarters of Destiny. I believe that there, Mr. Xia Yuan, you will soon be able to explain everything you know."

Raiden Mei found the person in front of her increasingly suspicious.

Although she appeared harmless, her intuition told her...

Whether it was the aura of Alicia on him or the feline creature that stole Susana's goods, they were all inextricably linked to the other party. Taking this opportunity, Raiden Mei became curious about the origin of the aura of Alicia on Xia Yuan.

"Miss Mei, using torture and abuse against a suspect who is only slightly suspicious is illegal. Violent law enforcement is not permitted!"

He watched as Mei gradually approached him.

Xia Yuan suddenly had a bad feeling, and his body instinctively stepped back, emphasizing to Mei.

"What's wrong, Mr. Xia Yuan... Are you scared?"

"I'm not scared at all!"

"Oh? Weren't you so audacious just now, but now that I'm getting closer, Mr. Xia Yuan, you're backing away?"

"I already said it was a misunderstanding!"

Observing Xia Yuan's reaction at this moment, Mei couldn't help but have a question in her mind.

"Perhaps it really was just a misunderstanding?"

But no matter what... she had to investigate the aura on the other person that was the same as Alicia's.

Although it was a misunderstanding, it did happen just now, so let's give the other party a lesson that isn't too excessive, as punishment for what happened earlier.

Mei released an electromagnetic field around herself that did not exceed the range that the human body could withstand.

After a while.

Under the influence of the tingling electromagnetic field surrounding Mei, Xia Yuan could no longer hold on, and his trembling, slightly numb legs confessed:

"Wait, Mei... Sister, I'll confess, I'll tell you everything!"

"Sister? Mr. Xia Yuan, you look to be about my age."

"Then... Mei-chan?"

Xia Yuan asked tentatively in a low voice, somewhat uncertainly.

"Hmm...it seems the current isn't strong enough. Should we increase it a bit more?"

Mei crossed her arms in front of her clothes and deliberately spoke to Xia Yuan.

"Miss Mei, who is extremely young, please spare me. I will tell you everything. Actually, I work at a studio called ET Studio in Sky City. My boss is named Bronya."

Until the very end...

Xia Yuan still did not betray Padofelis to Aunt Mei.

Bronya?!

Mei looked at Xia Yuan with some surprise...

She didn't expect that the other person would know Bronya and even work in her studio.

Mei was lost in a brief recollection. She had heard Bronya mention that she had a subordinate, but she had been away on various missions and had never met the person in person.

"Oh? So Mr. Xia Yuan, you're the 'idiot' subordinate that Bronya used to mention to me all the time, the one who only wanted to slack off and not work properly? And you haven't been fired by Bronya yet?"

"......"

Xia Yuan sighed deeply, wondering what Bronya was saying about him to others. He was the one who worked the latest every day! (Spending the whole night playing video games with his boss, Bronya...)

"I've always been working very hard, cough cough... it's just that Bronya can't see it."

Of course, right now Xia Yuan just wants to switch jobs from [Turbo Amplifier Duck] to work at the bar of [Little Island Boom Crow]...

Seeing the other person's current embarrassment, Mei couldn't help but chuckle softly:

"Mr. Xia Yuan, who works so hard, how can you prove that you really work for Bronya?"

Xia Yuan wanted to open his communication device to contact Bronya directly, but he suddenly remembered that his communication had been blocked by the jealous Miss Kuroki, so he slowly put his hand down and looked pitifully at Aunt Mei.

“Um… Miss Mei, who is super, super beautiful, since you know Bronya, as long as you communicate with Bronya in real time, she will definitely understand when she sees me.”

Xia Yuan, driven by a strong will to survive, replied.

Perhaps it was because the other party knew Bronya, or perhaps it was because of the other party's praise at this moment, that Mei's attitude towards Xia Yuan changed somewhat, and she was no longer as sharp as before.

Raiden Mei seemed lost in thought, placing her fingertips near her ear.

[Establishing a live communication with Bronya, please wait...]

Soon after, Bronya's projection appeared in front of Mei.

"Mei, why did you suddenly think of contacting me?"

Bronya was crouching on one side of what appeared to be cover, seemingly following someone.

"What? You're not allowed to have a chat with your Mei-neechan? Sigh... Bronya's grown up. She doesn't even call me 'Mei-neechan' anymore. I'm a little unaccustomed to it, and I feel a bit lonely~"

"........"

“That makes sense. After all, you changed how you refer to yourself around that time. Let me think... Bronya has grown up. Bronya can no longer refer to herself in the way Bronya does.”

"......"

A long silence followed.

Bronya slowly began to speak:

"Mei, you're the same way. You know, back in St. Freya Academy, Mei, you were the most normal person. When did you start to change so much? Let me... cough cough... let me think back..."

The two had barely met when they started revealing each other's dark pasts.

"Sigh...yes, Bronya has grown up and now she even talks back to her Mei sister."

"..."

Another moment of silence followed.

"Mei, did you need something? If it's just for casual conversation, I'll hang up now. Bronya... cough cough, I mean I have other things to do."

Chapter 162 Bronya, what did I do wrong?

Okay, okay~

"I'm not teasing you anymore, so please forgive Mei-neechan this time, okay?"

“（? ? ?）”

Seeing Bronya's slightly unhappy expression, Mei smiled and gently comforted her.

"I contacted you this time, Bronya, because there's something I need your confirmation on. Bronya, look... do you recognize this person next to me?"

Raiden Mei grabbed Xia Yuan's wrist, pulling him back to her side, just as he was trying to sneak away from the electromagnetic field.

"?!"

When Bronya saw Xia Yuan next to Mei, she was clearly stunned for a few seconds.

"You idiot subordinate, weren't you supposed to be on the train? When did you run off outside and hang out with Mei?"

"Hmm... Duck, that's a long story."

Seeing Xia Yuan's hesitant expression, his evasive gaze, and his desire to escape from Mei's side, Bronya suddenly had a vague yet bold guess.

Besides the raven, it seems there's another competitor now...

"Mei...you (be alert!)"

“Idiot subordinates are my private property, and even if it’s you, Mei, I can’t just hand you over.”

Seeing the strange fighting spirit burning in Bronya's eyes, it seemed that the other party had misunderstood something, but Raiden Mei did not expect that Bronya would care so much about her subordinate named Xia Yuan.

Bronya, noticing Mei's meaningful gaze over the communicator, realized she had been overly concerned about her foolish subordinate earlier, and coughed lightly, trying to change the subject:

"Ahem... Mei, let's get back to the point. Has my silly subordinate caused you any trouble?"

If not, could you please take him to the nearest station, Mei? I'd like to pick him up. After all, the studio is planning a team-building trip to Mount Taixu, and the trip would be much less fun without my silly subordinate.

Mei stroked her chin, giving Xia Yuan beside her a meaningful look.

Xia Yuan felt a little uneasy under Mei's gaze... but Mei quickly looked away and continued:

“However, Mr. Xia Yuan did cause me some trouble just now, resulting in an unpleasant encounter. Why don’t you let your subordinate tell you for himself what he did? But I believe that it was indeed an accident and a misunderstanding, don’t you agree… Mr. Xia Yuan?”