"Wh-Why?"
Miss Mei, caught off guard by the sudden O. Henry-esque ending, widened her beautiful eyes.
"Didn't you want to become popular with girls?"
She couldn't quite understand why such a bizarre turn of events had suddenly occurred.
"My schedule is very tight from now on."
The youth, whose time was indeed very tight, shrugged and said.
He needed to contact Welt next, then persuade him to help suppress Higokumaru.
After he could activate Jizo Mitama, he would contact Otto again, try to get some information, and lay some groundwork for future dealings.
Once the system's teleportation ability cooled down, he still had to complete a mission to gain an additional teleportation slot, then contact Cocolia to prepare for the "X-10" experiment, enter the Sea of Quanta through the experiment, and find someone.
Every single one of these tasks was very time-consuming. By the time he settled these matters, he'd probably have to go back and see if the Fourth Holy Grail War was over.
If it wasn't over, he'd go meddle a bit. If it was over, he'd give up on the Holy Grail War, fulfill his promise to Kiritsugu, and then return to Spirit Tomb Albion to continue partnering with the current head of the Modern Magecraft Department, Dr. Heartless, to research how to summon Servants using the power of the Spirit Tomb.
"If I really go along with you on this, many of my tasks will be very difficult to complete."
The genuinely busy youth pouted and said.
"I appreciate your kind intentions."
"Can you tell me what tasks you have to do?"
The girl, truly unwilling to give up on reforming Li Zihan's awkward personality, sounded slightly rushed.
"Contact three elusive individuals, continue two experiments, complete one special mission, conduct archaeological excavation of Muromachi Period ruins, and incidentally rescue a pitiful little girl."
Li Zihan very readily listed his work for the next month or so.
Miss Mei fell silent.
Contacting missing persons, conducting research, taking on missions presumably similar to saving Nagazora City, plus archaeology and rescuing a little girl.
...
Is this guy Gintoki from the Yorozuya?
Not only was his scope of work so broad, but he had also taken on so many jobs at once.
Miss Mei, having to admit that the other party indeed might not have time to reform himself, felt a slight unwillingness in her heart.
"It's not quite like that."
The youth, who had actually noticed that his personality was indeed a bit problematic but was simply too lazy to change, said very bluntly.
"It's mainly because I'm too lazy to pay attention to those things."
Such an answer was truly characteristic of Li Zihan himself.
Miss Mei, surprisingly finding this situation not strange at all, listened to his reply, and her mood gradually calmed down.
However, she didn't feel disheartened or want to flip the table and quit just because he repeatedly refused her suggestions for reform.
Raiden Mei had never been one to give up easily, much less watch someone who had done her a great favor and with whom she had a pretty good relationship develop into an eccentric.
"If I help you pay attention during your free time, will you change?"
Raiden Mei looked at the youth opposite her with her amethyst-like eyes and said seriously.
"Are you going to supervise me?"
The youth, being stared at, raised an eyebrow slightly and retorted.
"It's just a suggestion."
Raiden Mei said.
"Alright then, it's no loss for me anyway."
The youth, feeling that being supervised or whatever didn't matter, shrugged.
There were quite a few people who wanted to change him.
For example, after Jewel Old Man Zelretch lived in the Far East of the Moon World for a while, he became infatuated with magical girls and strongly recommended a transformation wand to him.
Aozaki Touko had also once recommended an elixir that could stop human growth, suggesting he maintain the most vibrant physical form.
He had dismantled the former's jewel wand and refashioned it into a magical furnace core, used to supply mana to Servants.
He had solidified the latter's elixir, ground it into powder, and poured it into Aozaki Touko's red tea caddy.
Many people wanted to change him; one more wouldn't make a difference.
"Mm, I understand."
The very confident girl looked at the youth who had finally indicated his willingness to accept reform, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
Turning around a person's awkward personality, how hard can it be?
Could it be harder than learning physics?
========Line Break========
At a certain airstrip in Nagazora City, usable only by special personnel.
The helicopter's rotors sliced through the air, and a huge roar echoed in this usually deserted place.
It was a black helicopter still hovering. The cabin door was unreasonably open, and two figures, one tall and one short, stood by the edge of the cabin door.
"I'm going down first."
A voice, like that of a child, sounded from the edge of the cabin door.
Without waiting for anyone to agree, the white-haired dango, anxious to see Kiana who had been taken away by Siegfried, stood right in front of the cabin door.
Like a child getting out of a car.
The short old woman, dressed in a nun's habit and carrying a cross taller than herself, jumped straight out of the helicopter.
Falling from a height of tens of meters while carrying a heavy object was undoubtedly an extremely terrifying thing.
During the descent, gravitational potential energy would convert into kinetic energy. Carrying a heavy, accelerating cross was something that "courting death" couldn't even begin to describe.
Even magi, capable of performing all sorts of incredible feats by ordinary standards, wouldn't do such a thing unless absolutely necessary.
If anything went wrong, if the landing failed, all the jumper's bones would shatter, broken bones would pierce all internal organs, and the violent impact could even crush the brain.
However, the person who had come here today did just that.
"Thud—"
A dull sound subsequently echoed from the ground as the heavy cross and the shorty landed together.
The impacted ground sank slightly, and even some cracks appeared.
Yet the shorty who caused all this looked around as if nothing had happened, seemingly expecting someone to come and pick her up.
If such an act were to be spread on the internet, it would surely make countless elite soldiers weep.
"Theresa, are you a child?"
Following closely behind, a woman with vibrant red hair like burning fire also jumped from the helicopter, which had already descended to a very low position.
"Couldn't you wait for the helicopter to land before jumping?"
The aunt, also a user of non-standard disembarkation methods, looked somewhat exasperated.
"There's nothing to be done about it. I'm already a bit impatient to see Kiana."
The magic big aunt Teriri, who loved Cecilia and therefore, by extension, loved Kiana, looked around, seemingly searching for a certain figure.
"This isn't the place Raiden Ryoma agreed to meet you."
Murata Himeko sighed and said.
"There's still quite a distance to the agreed-upon location."
"Then let's go."
Author's note:
PS: Regarding the issue of Theresa's character collapsing due to the "retarded scriptwriter," the author has decided to follow a normal character setting and make some magical modifications.
So, those of you who were arguing before, please stop. It's not worth arguing over a "retarded scriptwriter."