If it were someone else, getting invited by the Queen of Thunder from St. Freya Academy, Raiden Mei, they probably would've already nodded and agreed.
But Van's first reaction was to refuse.
"This... I'm afraid..."
This wasn't because he wanted to play some kind of game of "push and pull" in romance, but because he feared that getting too close to Raiden Mei would accelerate the process of her memory recovery.
You have to know, just the three people who have recovered their memories so far have already left him overwhelmed.
If one more joins in, then it would be better to just surrender to that cabbage-head and become the Savior anew...
'No, wait! This ridiculous idea of becoming the Savior again, get the hell out of my head! I already swore I'd rather die than become the Savior again!'
'How could I actually "it's really nice here" at this point?!'
On the other side, seemingly having seen through Van's concerns, Raiden Mei smiled understandingly and said, "If it's inconvenient, we can talk about it another time."
Hearing these words, Van secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Raiden Mei's personality wasn't as aggressive as Mobius's. Otherwise, he really wouldn't know how to refuse without raising suspicion.
Looking at Raiden Mei's delicate and smiling face, Van nodded cooperatively, "Next time for sure."
After paying the bill, the two of them walked out of the supermarket side by side, casually chatting about trivial matters.
However, when the two of them arrived at the intersection waiting for the red light, Van suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
He instinctively looked up. Across the street, Mobius was standing there for some unknown reason, with a meaningful smile on her face.
Her dark green long hair danced wildly in the wind, and the oversized lab coat on her also fluttered slightly in the breeze stirred up by traffic. That look in her eyes, like a venomous snake locking onto its prey.
Seeing Mobius appear across the street, Van's back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. But even though he was panicking internally, he maintained a perfectly calm demeanor on the surface.
As someone who's read countless anime and novels, he knew the more nervous you act in such situations, the more guilty you'll seem.
So at a time like this, he must not show any signs of being caught in an affair… Show any nervous expression.
And to be honest, Van felt he hadn't really done anything with Raiden Mei just now. He could say he had a clear conscience… probably?
The road was busy with cars, but soon slowed to a halt as the red light arrived.
When the pedestrian light turned green, Van realized that Mobius had disappeared at some point.
Seeing this, Van couldn't help but grumble in his heart, 'That snake isn't planning to settle the score with me later, is she?'
After crossing the street and saying a brief goodbye, Van and Raiden Mei went their separate ways.
———
After watching Van's back disappear around the corner, the gentle smile on Raiden Mei's face gradually faded, replaced with an expression of cold indifference.
The shift in her expression was so drastic, it was like two completely different people.
Then, Raiden Mei turned and walked into a small alley, the sound of her footsteps unusually clear in the narrow, quiet path.
Suddenly, she stopped walking and said coldly to the empty corner of the alley, "Stop hiding. After watching for so long, isn't it time to come out? Or is it that snakes prefer lurking in dark and filthy corners?"
As soon as Raiden Mei finished speaking, a flash of dark green light flickered in the shadows deeper in the alley.
Immediately after, Mobius stepped out, her high heels clicking against the ground, with a dangerous smile on her face.
Sensing the faint electric edge in the air coming from the other, Mobius narrowed her eyes, scanning Raiden Mei from head to toe.
"Heh, looks like you've recovered your memories too."
At that moment, a fierce gust of wind suddenly tore through the alley. Unseen by anyone, dark clouds had gathered over the city sky, with faint streaks of lightning flickering within them.
In response, Mobius's smile deepened. Her slender fingers gently brushed her rosy lips.
"So, are you planning to fight me here?"
"What, afraid?" A violet bolt of lightning flashed through Raiden Mei's eyes.
"Afraid?" Mobius suddenly laughed, a laugh that sent chills down one's spine.
"I was just thinking… once I put you on the operating table, where should I start dissecting..."
The two of them clashed with intense aura in the narrow alley, in that moment, the very air seemed to freeze.
Just as things were about to escalate, a helpless sigh came from the alley's entrance,
"Sigh~ Just as I expected…"
Van slowly walked in, holding his forehead, his face full of despair.
He stood between the two, looking exactly like one of those male leads in internet novels entangled in emotional drama.
However, Van's arrival didn't ease the tension at all, instead, it kind of made things worse.
Mobius narrowed her eyes at Raiden Mei, a dangerous smile still playing at the corners of her lips.
Raiden Mei's eyes sparked with lightning too, staring back just as unwilling to back down.
Seeing this, even Van had to get a little serious. "Enough. If you start a fight here, it won't do anyone any good."
With that, a powerful aura burst forth from him, and the strange phenomena in the sky began to fade away.
Following Van's shift in presence, Raiden Mei and Mobius no longer continued their confrontation.
Under Mobius's control, the dark green liquid that had spread over the ground and walls slowly receded, as if nothing had ever happened.
Mobius gave a light snort, glanced at Van again, then turned and walked out of the alley.
Raiden Mei closed her eyes and suppressed the turbulent electricity around her.
When she opened her eyes again, the dominant Thunder Queen was gone, in her place was a gentle smile directed at Van.
Although the atmosphere was still a bit tense, Van knew the two of them probably weren't going to fight anymore.
———
[Evening, in the Apartment.]
After finally sorting out everything from the shopping bags, Van could finally rest a bit.
Just as he sat on the living room sofa, his attention was caught by a sound from the kitchen.
There, Raiden Mei was wearing a purple apron, humming as she washed the ingredients in her hands.
That aura, that demeanor, you'd never believe this was the same Thunder Queen from the alley earlier. Maybe because she was about to cook for someone important, Raiden Mei's mood seemed even better than usual.
Watching her brimming with enthusiasm, Van subconsciously remembered a popular meme he'd seen earlier on his phone,
"The Meal Herrscher, willing to be your personal chef. I shall enter the kitchen, in exchange for your full belly."
"Kitchen, submit to me! Spatula, submit to me! Roar, oil and vinegar! Roar, pots and pans! Roar, mighty stove!"
"One pot! Two bowls! One clove! Two slices! One dish! Two rice! Two dishes, one soup! Chop the veggies! Peel the garlic!"
"Let the stove cook all ingredients! Let the food cleanse all hunger! Let the wok resist all sin!"
Just then, Van felt the sofa beside him suddenly sink. Then came a warm breath by his ear.
"So~ good~ looking~?"
Van, 'DANGER!!'
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