Mei had finally left.
Kiana was finally liberated.
After all, even the monstrous strength of the Kaslana family was difficult to maintain for so long.
But Kiana did it! She endured!
She had relied entirely on her own willpower to hold on until the very last second.
"Such tenacious willpower. I almost want to praise you."
Torn away from Ye Feng, the little tuna was tossed onto the rain-swept ground like a carelessly discarded rag.
The young woman was splayed out on the wet ground like a frog sun-baking on its belly in summer, her legs spread in an M-shape.
Rain fell from the dark clouds, pelting her body and mixing with the beads of fragrant sweat. Her entire form was soaked, her smooth skin glistening with a faint, pale luminescence. For a moment, it was impossible to tell what was sweat and what was rain.
Kiana's tender, cherry-pink lips parted and closed like a gasping fish, sweat trickling down from the corners of her mouth.
The future Herrscher of Finality... she had done her best.
"Do you need me to reset you?"
"..."
Kiana said nothing.
It had nothing to do with stubbornness; it was pure exhaustion.
"If you want it, just blink."
As fate would have it, a gust of wind carrying fine raindrops blew by, and Kiana squeezed her eyes shut.
"So you want it that badly, huh."
Ye Feng chuckled as he called up Kiana's status panel and reset her condition.
The little tuna shot up with a bounce, splashing rainwater everywhere. A fist carrying a powerful gust of wind flew straight for Ye Feng's face.
She looked so full of life, as if she could fight another three hundred rounds without tiring.
Unfortunately, she went down in just one round.
Kiana's body went limp, her face flushed crimson. She clamped her thighs tightly together and collapsed to her knees.
After experiencing it before, not only had she failed to build up a resistance, but the move's killing power had actually increased.
"Little tuna, you've definitely acquired a taste for it."
Kiana lifted her neck, a watery film covering her clear pupils. A glint of unreadable light flashed through them as she said defiantly, "A quiet taste? What's that supposed to mean?"
"..."
Ye Feng nearly lost his composure.
"It means 'the mouth says no, but the body is very honest'," he explained.
After so many days of Ye Feng's "infusions," this Kiana understood in an instant.
"No, it's not like that!"
Ye Feng gave her a suggestive smile. "Then why is there more rainwater here than anywhere else?"
The little tuna lowered her head, overwhelmed with shame.
Then, shame turned to anger. "This is your world! You can 'set' it however you want!"
"But aside from making you invisible just now, I didn't apply any other status effects."
"Heh. What about now, then?"
"Er..."
He had indeed just hit the little tuna with a blast.
Seeing that she had successfully refuted Ye Feng, the little tuna proudly lifted her chin, looking like a victorious rooster.
But such a simple logical flaw was merely a setup to weave the next net.
Looking at the triumphant Kiana, Ye Feng feigned anger and continued, "Fine. If you think it was my doing, then do you dare to have a competition? Monday is almost here, and our statuses will refresh. For the next week, 100 times! If you can hold back, you win. If you go over that number, I win. I promise not to use any buffs on you."
A hundred times? You're underestimating me!
Kiana scoffed inwardly.
"It's a deal! Who's afraid of who? But there's one condition. During the bet, you're not allowed to make a move on Mei."
"Still thinking about Mei at a time like this? What a good 'gal pal'. But why 'during the bet' and not 'if I win'? Don't you have any confidence in yourself, little tuna? Besides, you're just freeloading with a condition like that."
"Just say whether you dare to agree or not."
"Oh? Trying to use reverse psychology on me? Unfortunately for you, I'm the type who falls for it the most. Fine, no problem. I agree."
"Hmph hmph."
Kiana stood up, hands on her hips, her spirits high.
Then she pointed a finger forward forcefully.
"You're nothing, Ye Feng! Just wait to be defeated at my hands!"
◇
Valkyrie Dormitories.
Kiana sat on her bed, lifting her shirt and staring blankly at her lower abdomen.
On her smooth, fair skin was the vivid Honeysuckle Crest. In the center of the pink heart was a new addition: the number "100".
"Am I an idiot? Agreeing to a competition like that is basically like begging for that..."
For the next week, wouldn't he have a perfectly legitimate reason to play with her however he wanted?
As if waking from a dream, Kiana realized she had been thoroughly duped.
She curled up into a ball, clutching her head in frustration.
"But..."
Thinking about it another way, if she hadn't agreed, would he have stopped bending her over anyway?
And now, she had at least guaranteed he wouldn't make a move on Mei.
"In that case, I still came out ahead!"
With that thought, the little tuna's conscience was clear once more.
"Kiana. You're awake."
Mei, having finished preparing breakfast, returned to the room, startling the little tuna so much that she quickly pulled her shirt down.
"Mei?!"
Seeing Mei, Kiana subconsciously flinched.
As if she was afraid of something being exposed.
Kiana's mind raced, and then she thought, Wait, it's not like I have anything to be particularly afraid of her discovering.
"Kiana, what's wrong? You don't look so good."
Mei stepped forward and asked with concern.
"N-Nothing... I just didn't sleep very well last night."
"Oh, so that's it."
As if she understood something, Mei gently tapped her left palm with her right fist. "No wonder I didn't see you last night. Kiana, you didn't enter that world?"
"That... world?"
"That's right! The St. Freya where Mr. Ye Feng is."
Mei said happily, "I went there last night, too."
Gazing at the smile on Mei's face, Kiana's heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions.
"I-Is that so."
Kiana turned her head away.
Of course Kiana knew Mei had entered; she had been watching Mei's expression from beginning to end, terrified that she would notice something was wrong.
"Kiana, that world is a little beyond my imagination. It definitely can't be explained away as a 'Stigma Space' or a dream."
You've got that right. Kiana still had Ye Feng's mark branded on her stomach.
"Kiana, Mr. Ye Feng really does seem to know everything."
The matter of Mei's father, the matter of the Herrscher of Thunder, and the small details he occasionally revealed during their conversation had all left Mei completely shocked.
Mei said, "Maybe Mr. Ye Feng knows where your father is, Kiana. Have you asked him?"
"Uhm..."
She actually hadn't.
Kiana scratched her head. "Mei, stop with the 'Mr. Ye Feng, Mr. Ye Feng' stuff. That guy is a total bastard who only ever thinks about... about all sorts of messed-up things."
The mere thought of how he had messed her up made Kiana's teeth itch.
But Mei just tilted her head, tapping her chin with a finger.
"A bastard... I don't think so. I think Mr. Ye Feng is pretty nice. A magician from another world who even predicted the possible appearance of a Pseudo-Herrscher, allowing the Principal and the others to be prepared. And..."
"And what? Mei, don't be fooled by his harmless appearance."
Seeing that Mei was actually speaking up for Ye Feng, the little tuna was instantly horrified.