"This might be a bit presumptuous, but I still want to ask, Zihan, what were you thinking when you called my father 'Esteemed Father-in-Law'?"
Such words slipped from the girl's cherry-pink lips, her voice as gentle as ever, her tone soft, yet it wasn't hard to discern the interrogative undertone.
It seems Raiden Ryoma probably spilled everything.
The youth, who had indeed called Raiden Ryoma "Esteemed Father-in-Law" back at the prison, scratched his head, looking somewhat troubled.
"It's just a normal form of address."
A rather strange, even arguably reality-defying statement, came from the youth's mouth.
Just a normal form of address?
Miss Mei's pretty eyebrows furrowed instantly, her delicate little face etched with disbelief.
How could "Father-in-Law" be a normal form of address?!
"If I met Siegfried, Alexei, or Murata Ryusuke, I'd also call them 'Esteemed Father-in-Law.' If I saw Cecilia or Cocolia, I'd call them 'Esteemed Mother-in-Law' too."
Said the youth, who had already addressed Raiden Ryoma as such.
Siegfried, Murata Ryusuke, Alexei, Cecilia, Cocolia.
A string of names tumbled from the youth's lips, leaving Miss Raiden Mei completely stunned, like a silly goose.
From this string of names, she only recognized two.
Siegfried Kaslana and Cocolia.
The former was her good ji-friend Kiana Kaslana's father, the one who had accompanied Kiana during these two and a half helpless months.
The latter was the madwoman who had sent her own father to prison and wanted to use her and all of Nagazora City as test subjects and a testing ground, and also the adoptive mother of that girl named Bronya.
Extrapolating from this, Murata Ryusuke, Alexei, and Cecilia should also be the parents of some pretty girls.
Could it be that this guy calls the parents of any pretty girl he sees 'Father-in-Law' and 'Mother-in-Law'?
The girl, feeling her worldview somewhat crumbling, looked at the youth opposite her who appeared perfectly calm, her lips twitching slightly.
Is he really this indiscriminate?
"These people you mentioned, they're all parents of rather pretty girls, right?"
The girl, having basically confirmed this fact, asked as if seeking a second verification.
"Yeah, you understand Siegfried and Cocolia's situations."
The youth said. In his previous life, when he played games and chatted with other "janitors," the topics were basically inseparable from "waifus," "fathers-in-law (mothers-in-law)," and furiously flaming Dawei.
"Cecilia is Sirin's and Kiana's mother, Alexei is Bronya's biological father, and Murata Ryusuke is Murata Himeko's father."
(PS: K423's soul is actually Sirin's. On the verge of death during the Second Honkai Eruption, she longed to feel Cecilia's love once more, to become her true daughter. After dying, she revived using a clone implanted with the Core of the Herrscher of the Void.)
Kiana has a sister named Sirin?
Miss Mei, who had never heard "Kiana" mention the name Sirin, looked somewhat astonished.
If "Kiana" had something on her mind, she would absolutely not hide it from her.
Raiden Mei was very clear on this point.
She had once told her about the place she lived and the father she depended on. If she had other relatives, there was no reason not to tell her.
Then, the answer was obvious.
Kiana herself didn't know she had a sister named Sirin.
Raiden Mei, finding it somewhat incomprehensible why Kiana, who valued family so much, wouldn't know about "Sirin," frowned with her delicate eyebrows.
Could that girl named Sirin be an illegitimate daughter?
No, wait. Considering Kiana and Siegfried lived together depending on each other, and didn't know other relatives, "Kiana" seems more like the illegitimate daughter.
What on earth is the connection here?
Miss Mei, unable to judge the situation due to too little information, felt a headache coming on.
She had just come to ask Li Zihan whether he harbored feelings of affection for her or was purely joking around with her and her father, only to stumble into a rather melodramatic family drama.
Perhaps I should find someone to ask about this later.
Raiden Mei thought, vaguely remembering Li Zihan had notified Kiana's "aunt" in Raiden Ryoma's name.
If it's an 'aunt' type character, she should know something (like hell she would) about the situation.
The problem to solve now was how to correct some of this fellow's bad habits.
She was now basically certain that the guy opposite her was just running his mouth and not actually interested in her.
Raiden Mei regulated her breathing, calming her mood, which had been thrown into turmoil by the Kaslana family's ethical drama, and focused her attention on Li Zihan.
"May I ask, Zihan, don't you think it's a bit unreasonable to casually call others 'Father-in-Law' or 'Mother-in-Law'?"
Raiden Mei said very seriously.
After spending some time together, she had gained a certain understanding of Li Zihan.
He was a good person with many flaws.
This guy often ran his mouth carelessly in daily life, had an extremely severe taste for mischief, acted with extreme self-centeredness, never considered others' feelings, and had an incredible number of problems.
But when a major crisis occurred, he could step forward, repel the impending danger, and save a city.
"It does seem a bit like that."
Li Zihan nodded, acknowledging this point.
Raiden Mei breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as he could realize his mistake, he could correct it by paying attention in the future.
And then—
"For example, if I met Murata Ryusuke, it seems I shouldn't call him 'Esteemed Father-in-Law,' but rather—"
Li Zihan's expression suddenly became very troubled.
"What's a better way to address the father of an aunt who isn't related by blood?"
Miss Mei, who just a moment ago thought Li Zihan was salvageable, felt a burning pain on her face, as if she had been slapped.
There's a song lyric that goes, "Love comes too fast, like a tornado." The lyricist used a tornado to describe love, highlighting its sudden and swift arrival.
However, facts proved that no matter how fast or sudden love was, it wasn't the most extreme in the world.
Because a slap in the face comes even more suddenly than love.
Retract my previous statement. This guy is as self-centered as ever, completely disregarding others' feelings, and doesn't even care about social common sense.
What kind of godforsaken place could nurture someone with this kind of personality?!
"Zihan, don't you think your way of doing things is very bad?"
The girl thought, feeling that if this guy continued to develop like this, he probably wouldn't even have friends and would live a very lonely life.
Whether as someone he had saved or as a friend, she couldn't just watch his life trajectory head towards the worst possible outcome.
I have to find a way to make this guy change these bad habits.
"It's indeed not good, but the problem isn't that big."
The youth, who knew many people with personalities far stranger than his own, said calmly.
As long as the people around me are thoroughly rotten, I will be the lotus flower that emerges from the mud yet remains unstained.
"No, it's a very big problem."
Miss Mei, whose worldview was clearly very normal, raised her voice a notch, and her expression became much sterner.
That look made one seriously suspect if she might become possessed by the Herrscher of Thunder and roar, "Roar, range hood!" or "Pots, bowls, ladles, and basins, submit to me!"
"So, what you mean is."
The youth, feeling Miss Mei's reaction was somewhat interesting, raised an eyebrow and asked.
"I suggest you change some of your bad habits."
The girl, who couldn't yet be called the Herrscher of Rice because she hadn't Herrscher-ized, pursed her lips and said seriously.
"Trust me, if you change some of your bad habits, your whole person will become different."
"Will I become popular with girls?"
The youth, facing Miss Mei directly, asked earnestly.
If it weren't for the fact that the Divine Keys, Stigmata, genetic engineering, and such things in the Honkai World were too enticing, he would have long since gone chasing pretty girls.
"Of course."
Raiden Mei said with great certainty.
Although she had never been in a relationship, even if you haven't seen a pig run, haven't you eaten pork?
If one ignored his terrible personality, Li Zihan would definitely be the type that girls liked.
"Sounds pretty good."
The youth, whose wish in his dreams was to start over in a world where he could get close to beautiful girls, nodded.
At the same time, a smile rose on the corners of Miss Mei's lips.
Since he was tempted, the next step would be easy.
As long as she guided him with the reasoning that "he'll be popular with girls," the operation to correct this guy's terrible personality could begin.
"But—, I refuse."
Completely different from what she had imagined, unbelievably decisive words fell into Miss Mei's ears.
The smile on Miss Mei's face froze instantly.