Chapter 92 - The Absolute Advantage of Dual Bodies

"Ahem! Mei, calm down! Calm down! I can explain!"

Nagami snapped to attention in a perfect French military salute.

Mei's eyes narrowed slightly as arcs of purple-black electricity began to flicker around her. It looked like she was on the verge of going full villain mode.

The sudden turn of events had left Nagami completely baffled.

The heiress Kiana's inexplicable behavior had him utterly confused—like seeing Yasuo charging in 0/21/0 and still expecting a win.

"Mei is listening, Nagami~"

Mei's tone was icy cold despite the sweet smile that was almost too perfect.

Her gaze was sharp as a blade reflecting moonlight.

A faint red glimmer flickered in Mei's pupils.

She wasn't the only one angry—Miss Herrscher's fury was bubbling up too.

Normally, Herrscher personalities didn't care for humans, especially since they'd been born out of human experimentation and trauma.

They usually harbored a deep-seated desire for revenge.

The most typical example? The Second Herrscher.

But the Third Herrscher was… different.

Even though the Honkai Will tried to stir up vengeance within her, she had no real interest in revenge.

Her mind had always been proud, and she had an odd fondness for Nagami—likely born from Mei's feelings.

That kind of fondness in the Herrscher's mind took a special form:

Possessiveness.

If the one kissing Nagami had been Raiden Mei herself, Miss Herrscher would have been indifferent.

But if it was anyone else…

Miss Herrscher was furious. Absolutely furious!

Sparks of lightning crackled and danced around Mei's body, their brilliance almost blinding.

"You might not believe me," Nagami said, his expression earnest and innocent. "But it was "Sirin" who kissed me first."

Facing a potential death-by-thunder scenario, he had no choice but to come clean.

Honestly, he'd already prepared himself for the possibility of a harem—he'd also prepared himself for the inevitable knife in the back.

After all, what's a true harem if not one measured in bloodshed and near-death experiences?

He knew that a true man of the harem had to pay the price—no dodging allowed when the knife came down.

But… this time, he really was clueless!

"Ahem, Mei, you need to calm down. I can vouch for Nagami. He really didn't do anything just now."

C.C.'s voice was laced with resigned exasperation.

She even put on a troubled expression, as if she too were angry about the heiress's sudden kiss.

That was the absolute advantage of having a dual-body setup!

From an outsider's perspective, if C.C. was defending him, it must mean Nagami was innocent—after all, why else would someone with feelings for him lie to cover for him?

"Is that so…"

At C.C.'s confirmation, the crackling arcs of electricity around Mei's body finally died down.

Though the nagging feeling in her chest remained, she felt more guilty for having doubted Nagami than anything else.

C.C.'s feelings for Nagami were clear, and there was no way she would lie to protect him in this situation.

"Whew… I thought so," Mei sighed softly. Her expression was a mix of relief and… something else.

She hadn't expected "Sirin" to be a "rival" too—she'd been far too naive!

She'd always known "Sirin" and Nagami had a long history together, but she'd never imagined it would be that close.

Seeing the usually elegant and composed "Sirin" take such bold action had left Mei genuinely shaken.

She'd have to stay vigilant from now on!

"Nagami, what do you want for breakfast? Mei will make it for you~"

Mei's chilly demeanor melted away, replaced by a sweet, gentle smile. Her voice was soft and affectionate.

"I love whatever Mei makes!"

Nagami's reflex answer came out instantly. He wore a calm smile, but his heart was still pounding from the encounter.

"Oh, you always say that—Mei never knows what to choose for you~"

Mei's tone was playful, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she tied on an apron and headed for the kitchen.

Not long after, the other girls in the house started to wake up one by one.

With a gentle, teasing smile forever on her lips, the ever-graceful maid walked into the living room, her steps light and unhurried.

Still rubbing the sleep from her eyes, the little tuna said a sleepy good morning to Nagami and C.C. before wandering off to freshen up.

Wearing her teacher's uniform, Himeko stumbled out of her room, stifling a yawn.

She flopped down onto the sofa like a half-dead corporate worker facing another long day.

Bronya's pale grey eyes were clouded with seriousness as she focused intently on the handheld console in her delicate hands.

She sat down beside Nagami and turned the screen toward him.

Since they had reconciled, the two of them quickly returned to their 'comrades-in-arms' dynamic.

Leaning his elbow on Bronya's slender shoulder, Nagami naturally slipped into the role of strategic advisor, offering tips and tactics.

Meanwhile, at the doorway, C.C. was pacing back and forth, clearly torn about whether she should go inside and talk to the lady of the house.

She wanted to figure out what on earth was going on!

Before she could decide, the door burst open and Theresa, flustered and in a hurry, dashed outside on her short little legs.

"Himeko, can you send me yesterday's documents later?" she called out.

Let's not rush to change our impression of Theresa—after all, she spent all her work hours reading manga, which was exactly why she had a mountain of files to process at the end of the month.

Now she could only shamelessly beg her subordinate and close friend for help.

With that matter settled, C.C. didn't hesitate any longer.

She walked into the room, finding the lady of the house lying on the bed, completely wrapped in her blanket and rolling around.

With a loud bang, C.C. closed the door and even locked it behind her.

"Kiana, what's going on with you?" she asked bluntly.

In her current female form, C.C. could afford to be straightforward.

The heiress's mood was at least a little softer when facing C.C. compared to Nagami.

"Nagami, you…!" Kiana threw off the blanket, her golden eyes flashing with exasperation.

The memory of that heart-stopping scene from this morning replayed in her mind, causing her to sit up and grab her hair in frustration.

She opened her mouth as if to speak, then fell silent again, her thoughts spiraling into chaos.

But recalling how Nagami had responded to her kiss helped her calm down a little.

Taking a deep breath, she pressed her hands to her temples and shook her head, forcing those tangled thoughts out of her mind. This wasn't the time to dwell on them!

"Nagami, Kiana is coming!" she declared urgently.

Because there was no one else around, she didn't bother using C.C.'s alias.

"¿" C.C. blinked in confusion, tilting her head as if a giant question mark had appeared above it. "You mean the other you? Or… you?"

She couldn't make heads or tails of what Kiana was saying.

Honestly, the girl had been acting weird from the start. Had C.C. managed to scare her silly?

That possibility made her a little uneasy.

"No, no! I mean Kiana— the one who exists in this world. My counterpart here," Kiana explained quickly.

"You know how I have this special connection with her, right? I actually dreamt about her last night—she's already on her way here."

And probably… her goal is you.

She didn't say that part out loud. Even she found it hard to understand why the real Kiana had such intense feelings for Nagami.

But she realized that since she could experience the real Kiana's feelings in dreams, the reverse was also likely true.

If that was the case, there could only be one source for those feelings!

But if she admitted that out loud, wouldn't it be just like confessing?

She definitely wasn't ready for that!

"Huh?" C.C. gawked, certain she must have misheard.