Payment with your body...
Ye Feng had already said he wouldn't "eat" her today.
So, it must be some other twisted method, right?
Qingque decisively chose "Celestial Jade." The worst-case scenario was just removing another piece of armor.
If she calculated carefully, she still had one outer robe, one inner shirt, a dudou, and a small skirt. If she counted her shoes and socks, she could lose six more times!
Six times! Was she going to lose every single hand?
Sorry, but in the one hundred and sixty-odd years since she first touched Celestial Jade, such a disastrous losing streak had never occurred.
"Is this... polite? What do you take me for?"
Ye Feng suddenly said this, and two question marks popped up over Qingque's head.
"Wh-What?"
"To sit here and play mahjong with me without wearing any panties." Ye Feng smiled, the corners of his mouth curling up.
"Huh?"
Qingque froze, and Ye Feng continued:
"Do none of you Xianzhou people wear panties? Sigh, my Master is the same. But she's an old relic from hundreds of years ago. After all this time, have the fashion styles of the Xianzhou people really not changed at all?"
"Panties?"
Qingque blinked. "Oh, oh, you mean those products the Interastral Peace Corporation pushes, right? They come with a matching bra, too. It's all a tax on idiots. So little fabric, yet they sell for so much."
"Aside from the Foxians, very few people buy that stuff. I bought a set once, and it was uncomfortably tight."
Ye Feng let out a "pfft" of laughter.
The Qingque before him was so petite; even if she was blossoming, her curves were not pronounced.
And it was uncomfortably tight?
Qingque's eyes narrowed into the dead-fish stare of a slacker. "...I get the feeling your laughter is full of mockery."
"It's nothing. Small is very cute. Don't worry about it."
"Hm? No, wait a minute—"
Qingque crossed her arms over her chest and clamped her legs together. "How do you know I'm not wearing any? X-ray vision?"
"I do have that ability, but there's no need to use it. After all, you'll be taking everything off soon enough. Doing it one piece at a time is much more fun."
"Lord Ye Feng, you may be very powerful, able to snatch me from the heavily guarded Xianzhou and bring me here without a sound, but when it comes to Celestial Jade, I am very confident."
Qingque picked up a tile and slammed it down.
Her posture was full of vigor.
Ye Feng smiled. "You have a pretty good attitude."
"What else can I do? Even if I cried and begged you, would you let me go, Lord Ye Feng?"
"Maybe I would."
"Really?!"
Qingque's eyes lit up. If Ye Feng just said "yes," she might have actually hugged his leg and begged him in the next second.
"Just kidding."
"I knew it... Huh? Chi!"
"You dare to take my 'One of Bamboo'?"
Qingque grinned. "What? All's fair at the mahjong table. Even if my own mother were here, I'd take her tile without hesitation. Especially from the Lord Ye Feng who wants to~ eat~ me~."
"You'd better hold onto that tile you just took. You'll have plenty to eat later."
"Hm?"
The innocent Qingque tilted her head.
At this moment, she had no idea what kind of games Ye Feng played.
After a few rounds, Qingque, who was already waiting for a winning tile, just couldn't seem to draw it.
Ye Feng, however, simply pushed his tiles forward. "Mahjong."
Qingque shot to her feet in frustration. "No way, you played a 'Flush' as a simple 'No-Points' hand!"
Do you even know how to play Celestial Jade?
That was a total mood killer.
Ye Feng smiled. "Instead of worrying about that, you should worry about yourself."
"Fine, fine, fine."
Qingque lifted her foot and took off her boot.
The white sock on her ankle was short and tight, and her delicate, slender calf was truly admirable.
Qingque bent down and placed the black shoe neatly next to her chest plate.
The discarded clothes and shoes gleamed under the light.
"You have very neat habits."
Ye Feng couldn't help but praise her.
It had taken Ye Feng quite a bit of effort and guidance to get Kiana to do the same.
Qingque did it naturally.
"Of course. When you're out and about, you should be prudent in all things and try to cause as little trouble for others as possible."
Qingque was sunny and cheerful, showing no signs of gloom from being "kidnapped."
She secretly glanced at Ye Feng's expression. Seeing that he didn't look displeased, her heart settled a little.
Her strategy of "counting shoes as an item of clothing" was a great success.
Of course, it helped that he didn't seem to be a stickler for details.
The game of Celestial Jade continued...
---o---
In the main world.
Tonight, the Valkyrie dormitory at St. Freya Academy received an unexpected guest.
It was a man, standing ramrod straight, wearing a hood and with bandages wrapped around his hands. He stood at the door with the posture of a powerful warrior.
Mei, who opened the door, asked politely, "Hello, who are you looking for?"
"Pardon me, I am Principal Theresa's newly appointed secretary-general."
His voice was filled with a wicked charm that made one's brow furrow.
He placed a hand on his chest, bowed slightly like a gentleman, and said to Mei, "Principal Theresa requires Miss Mei to come to her office."
"Eh? This late?"
"Yes, the situation is urgent. Please come with me, Miss Mei."
"—Wait."
Bronya stepped forward.
The girl with spiraling twin-tails wore her battlesuit, floating in the air. Her silver-gray eyes stared emotionlessly at the visitor.
"The Bronya will accompany her."
"Oh my, that puts me in a difficult position."
The visitor waved his hand. "Principal Theresa only summoned Miss Mei."
Mei took half a step back. Bronya narrowed her eyes. "Then let the Bronya call the Principal to confirm."
"Tch."
The hooded man clicked his tongue impatiently and lunged for Mei, but he grabbed only empty air.
"Hm?"
He became enraged, like a lion that had been provoked. He clapped a hand to his forehead and burst into laughter.
Through the gaps in his fingers, his eyes glinted with a bloody light. The space around him warped, and an ominous, dark blue energy pulsed.
"Such an insolent brat. You wouldn't have gotten hurt if you had just listened."
Bronya reacted quickly, her sense of danger the most acute. A massive mechanical arm materialized from thin air, hovering behind her.
The giant metal pieces spun like a Rubik's Cube, interlocking and transforming, rapidly forming a cluster cannon with a caliber exceeding 500mm. The muzzle charged instantly, brimming with high-density energy that pulsed with a terrifying orange glow.
[Project Bunny 19C], activate!
"Mei-senpai!"
Bronya shouted. Mei quickly leaped away as a searing beam of energy engulfed the attacker.
BOOM—
Under the night sky, a stream of light shot out from the Valkyrie dormitory, disappearing straight into the heavens.
Inside the room, rubble flew and dust filled the air.
Bronya stared warily at the dust-filled doorway. "Did I... get him?"
The dust settled, revealing the man standing in the same spot, completely unharmed. The entire wall behind him had been blasted away, revealing the clear night sky under the moonlight.
"How is that possible..."
Bronya's pupils contracted as she stared in disbelief at the uninvited guest.
At such close range, he had completely blocked Project Bunny's attack.
"Project Bunny, prepare second shot!"
Bronya adjusted her strategy, using her voice to draw his attention.
However, she had still underestimated him.
"A hundred more shots would be useless."
He simply looked up and clenched his fist.
An invisible wave pulsed outwards. Project Bunny instantly disassembled behind Bronya, falling to the ground as a pile of scrap metal.
"—What?"
Before Bronya could react, he flicked a finger, and she was dragged by an unseen force, slamming into the wall behind her.
"Such an annoying brat. If Cocolia hadn't repeatedly told me not to harm you before I came here... Hmph!"
His gaze turned to Mei.
The entire fight had lasted only a few seconds. Mei hadn't even had time to process it.
"Alright, come with me, Miss Mei. Of course, you can resist. The result will be the same either way."
"Cocolia? I see. You're that artificial Pseudo-Herrscher."
The clone of Walter, considered a Pseudo-Herrscher.
"What did you say?"
When Wa Yi Te heard Mei's words, his expression became terrifying. He glared ferociously at her.
"You dare call me a Pseudo-Herrscher? Haha, hehehe."
He lowered his hands, his tone dripping with cold killing intent.
"Cocolia only said to bring you back, but she didn't say you had to be in one piece."
Just then—
"Heya! So noisy! Can't a person get some sleep? Huh? What's going on?"
Kiana walked out of the bedroom, rubbing her sleepy eyes. Her nightgown had slipped off one shoulder, and she looked as if she had just been woken from a pleasant dream.
"Kiana, run!" Mei shouted.
"Oh, so she's someone you care about."
A cruel arc formed on Wa Yi Te's lips. "To insult me like that! You will pay the price. You will stand there and watch the person you hold dear die!"
"Don't—Ugh!"
Mei had just taken a step forward when she felt her body become incredibly heavy, as if she were carrying a mountain, forcing her down onto one knee.
Then, she heard a sound of impact, followed by a blast of wind pressure.
"Kia... na... eh?"
Mei struggled to lift her head, and an unbelievable sight met her eyes.
Wa Yi Te had, with lightning speed, condensed a black orb in his palm and thrown it at Kiana.
The black energy orb distorted space, sucking in nearby debris along its path. The stones were pulverized into dust before they even touched the orb's surface.
It was hard to imagine what such a terrifying orb would do to a person.
However—
The half-asleep Kiana woke up. The honeysuckle pattern on her lower abdomen glowed with a vermilion light, dyeing her nightgown in its radiance.
And before the black orb could even reach Kiana, it simply vanished into thin air.
"What!"
Wa Yi Te stared at Kiana in disbelief, as if looking at a monster. He couldn't help but roar, "What did you do?"
"What did I do?"
Kiana looked around the room, which was now practically a ruin. She clenched her fists, and flames instantly ignited in her azure eyes. "I should be the one asking you that! What are you doing here?"
"He's a clone of Walter," Mei reminded her.
Ye Feng had shown her the manga. Mei could recognize him easily.
"Eh? They really exist."
Kiana realized it too.
Anti-Entropy Invasion. She had read it as well.
It was a long time ago, back when Ye Feng was "educating" her.
Now, with Mei's reminder, Kiana instantly understood.
The main issue back then was that Kiana had only treated it as a comic book.
Perhaps it "might have predicted the future," but she hadn't taken it seriously enough. After all, her focus at the time was on getting a question wrong and having to remove a piece of clothing.
She might have even been punished with moxibustion!
Nothing was more important than protecting her chastity!
"Hm?"
At this moment, Kiana felt a scorching torrent rush through her entire body, just like the "high" she felt in Ye Feng's world.
Except, back then, the heat had been confined to a certain area of her lower abdomen, whereas now it surged through her whole body.
Well, actually, it was still different.
Ji Lin would have been able to distinguish between the two instantly.
But to Kiana, it was just one feeling: Scorching hot!
A sense of exhilaration pulsed in her chest.
Kiana's azure eyes ignited, and illusory flames danced within them.
She slowly clenched her fists and looked at Wa Yi Te.
"You guys just won't give up on Mei, will you! Fine, I'll be the one to end this."
Wa Yi Te was burning with rage. He spread his arms wide, looking crazed.
"Time and time again, I've told you, I—am the Herrscher of Reason!!!"
He roared, and a powerful gravitational field expanded in a circle around him.
The entire dormitory building instantly began to collapse.
Kiana, her body surging with Ye Feng's scorching power, stomped her foot. She dashed forward, grabbed Mei, then leaped back, snagged Bronya by the collar of her suit, and jumped outside.
Bronya, dangling by her collar: ???
"Kiana, you..."
"Don't worry. I will protect Mei."
Kiana was thrilled.
The scorching power surging through her body made her incredibly confident.
That guy Ye Feng actually does something good once in a while.
She had never expected that the honeysuckle pattern on her abdomen, like Ji Lin's power, could grant her "magical girl" abilities.
And what's more, she didn't even need a shameful transformation sequence.
See, happiness and satisfaction always come from comparison.
Right now, Kiana was incredibly pleased with the honeysuckle mark Ye Feng had left on her.
"...."
Nestled in Kiana's arms, Mei tilted her head up, looking dazedly at her friend.
Something seemed to be shimmering in her eyes, a thoughtful glint.
After all, the light radiating from Kiana... was too dazzling.
As a companion who had escaped Nagazora with her, how could Mei not be familiar with Kiana's power?
It should have been impossible for her to reach this level.
And this light... it was imbued with an "otherness" that didn't conform to "reality."
It must be a gift from Mr. Ye Feng to Kiana.
Mei instantly guessed.
The girl lowered her head, her small hand gently clutching the fabric over her chest. For some reason, she suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.
Kiana didn't notice Mei's low spirits. She landed gracefully, placing Mei and the little duck on the grass nearby.
She then turned to face Wa Yi Te. Where the dormitory once stood, there was now only a ruin.
A dark figure floated beneath the full moon.