Raiden Mei wasn't afraid. Instead, she actively leaned into the fruit knife, even pressing her fingers against the sharpest edge and wiping it. Blood flowed between her fingers, finally dripping onto the blue-and-white bedsheets, blooming into crimson flowers.
Likewise, Li Wu didn't soften his heart. No matter how much Raiden Mei pressed forward—even as the blade sliced her cheek—he showed no signs of pulling back.
The two of them looked exactly like a pair of absolute lunatics, forgetting everything else as they stubbornly clung to their own convictions, trying to force the other to submit.
"Although I really don't want to admit it, we've hit a dead end again. Before that, I want to ask you a question."
Li Wu's voice was as cold as raw iron—dry and hard.
"You don't think being ostracized and verbally abused is painful at all. On the contrary, you need that stimulation. Even if that stimulation ultimately leads to your death, it doesn't matter. Is this truly the ultimate ideal you pursue?"
Raiden Mei's eyes suddenly lit up, the smile on her face growing even more radiant. "If I answer, will you kill me?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
"I see. How sly. But time is almost up. If we keep dragging this out, I'm definitely going to win."
Raiden Mei gently pushed Li Wu down. All ten of her fingers gripped the blade. Blood trickled down, falling onto Li Wu's pale, dry lips, adding a touch of bewitching, inappropriate allure.
"But that would be boring."
"You've piqued my interest right now. So, I'll leave the choice of who gets to live up to you."
"You're right. I am looking for a 'Master' who can thoroughly and completely conquer me, body and soul. Wealth, character, looks... none of that matters. Anything goes~ As long as they can make me feel like I'm 'still alive', even a psychopath is fine. But even though everyone bullies me, they have absolutely no intention of conquering me. So disappointing..."
"Is it because of my status, or does everyone think that the current me—"
"Is utterly worthless?"
The cut grew deeper and deeper, yet Raiden Mei gripped the fruit knife tightly without holding back an ounce of strength. Looking up, all Li Wu could see in her eyes was madness and a twisted core.
But amidst all this reckless, completely unhinged behavior, the exact moment Raiden Mei said "utterly worthless," Li Wu caught a fleeting expression of genuine pain—the kind a normal person would show.
"..."
"Are you going to do it? Li Wu, I'm suddenly a bit reluctant. If I die, I'll never be able to feel the stimulation you give me again..."
"I am going to do it, but..."
Li Wu abruptly changed tack, violently yanking the blade out and aiming it directly at his own medulla oblongata.
Destroying this area would cause an instant loss of consciousness, bringing about immediate biological death.
"The one who's going to die isn't you, it's me."
Li Wu's voice carried a trace of indistinguishable hesitation, but an instant later, it became resolute.
Amidst blood and smiles, Li Wu welcomed the end, and also welcomed a new beginning.
...
...
Still at the busy intersection near his apartment building, Li Wu returned once again, and found a different direction to proceed.
A sharp, piercing pain still throbbed faintly in his jaw and mouth. Fortunately, he had used enough force, so the agony had only lasted for a few seconds.
Looking at the carefully selected clothes in the shopping bags in his hands, Li Wu suddenly felt it was ridiculous. He walked right back and returned all of them, not keeping a single piece.
There were less than ten minutes until Raiden Mei finished her shower. Li Wu quickly hurried home, stopped outside the bathroom door, and let out a long sigh of relief.
[What do you plan to do?]
"She thinks she's worthless? Then I'll temporarily give her value."
[Fall into depravity together?]
"Not at all. I just need to make sure I clear the quest, right? Doesn't Schicksal have that... consciousness-diving device thing? Once we get to St. Freya Academy, I'll just use that gadget to let Raiden Mei drown in her own masochistic consciousness. As long as the life support system is set up properly, she won't be able to die even if she wants to, and she won't be able to run away either."
"But before that, I want to see what happens after she gets what she wants. If she genuinely repents, I can pretend none of this ever happened."
[You want to save her?]
"Save her? The prerequisite is that I'm actually capable of doing that... Who knows, maybe if I slap her, she'll just ask for more. Yes, she's one of the heroines, but as soon as Act 1 is over, I'll find a chance to cut ties with her and go our separate ways."
"First, I need to make sure I clear Act 1." Li Wu paused, the memory of that fleeting moment of lucidity on Raiden Mei's face flashing through his mind. "I'll consider the rest later."
Outside the bathroom door.
Li Wu closed his eyes, forcing himself to suppress the restlessness in his heart.
The icy water from the showerhead relentlessly struck the girl, splashing repeatedly against the bathroom floor. The graceful silhouette was slowly washing herself; every insignificant movement was enough to let one's imagination run wild.
The high-frequency noise suddenly stopped at a certain moment.
The bathroom door was violently shoved open.
The showerhead crashed onto the floor with a loud CLANG, dampening the previously dry walls. Water droplets formed, clearly reflecting the surroundings as they slid down the cracks between the tiles.
Reflected in the water droplets was Raiden Mei, collapsing completely defenseless onto the floor, her mouth agape and her expression panicked.
"Li... Li Wu-kun... W-Why..."
Raiden Mei grabbed Li Wu's hands, her eyes filled with panic as she shook her head frantically, struggling desperately to shake off the force strangling her throat.
But soon, she stopped resisting. The terror on her face gradually faded, and the corners of her lips curled up uncontrollably.
Water dribbled from the corner of her mouth. It was hard to tell if it was from the showerhead above or if she was drooling.
"Hurts... Like it... Hurts... Like it..."
The lack of oxygen slowed her brain's thought processes, allowing her instincts to lay her true nature bare.
Looking at the slurring, incoherently mumbling Raiden Mei, Li Wu hung his head, letting his bangs shadow his eyes to avoid meeting her gaze.
Countless times he thought this is enough. Countless times he wanted to let go, but the system's narrations echoing continuously in his ears drove him to keep going.
[Raiden Mei is terrified in her heart, yet feels excited by your sudden intrusion.]
[Raiden Mei's affection toward you is rising, and she hopes you will continue.]
[Raiden Mei's affection toward you has risen significantly. She is very curious about you and has developed a sense of fanaticism.]
[Raiden Mei is starting to consider that your previous acts of kindness were merely a performance, and that your current behavior is your true nature.]
[Raiden Mei is pondering whether you might become the "person" she has always been looking for.]
The system's narration was supposed to be devoid of emotion, but to Li Wu, every sentence was incredibly grating.
Persecution complex? Masochistic tendencies?
A person like this is supposed to be the heroine I have to protect?
What a joke...
Li Wu's hands gripped even tighter.
[Raiden Mei is on the verge of death. She is very happy, because she can finally get her wish and die.]