Chapter 48 - Miss Mei is a Little Flustered

A dowry consists of the wedding items and property prepared by the bride's family when she marries into the husband's family. As customs and traditions vary across different regions and ethnic groups, the dowries prepared also differ.

However, one thing was certain: no matter what was given, it was only presented at the time of marriage.

The girl with a delicate face and gentle features stared at the long sword, clearly a masterpiece of craftsmanship, a veritable work of art, and found herself completely stunned.

Before the Far East government's cabinet council passed the amendment to the civil law in 2018, the legal marriage age in the Far East was 18 for men and 16 for women.

And Miss Mei was sixteen and a half years old this year.

Miss Mei, who indeed met the Far East's standard marrying age, looked at the long sword that was called her dowry, and her expression instantly became incredibly colorful.

This thing is my dowry?

I... I've been married off just like that?!

And, why is the sword that's my dowry in Zihan's hands!!

What in the world is going on!!

Miss Mei's pretty little face flushed a deep crimson. Shyness and bewilderment, like the finest dyes, spread a heart-wrenchingly lovely peach hue across the girl's face.

As if she had been steaming in a sauna for a long time, Miss Mei felt her head spin, and a sound like the whimper of a small animal involuntarily escaped her throat.

"Plasma Kagehide. Designed by your father himself, its purpose was to be the weapon used by you, the Herrscher of Thunder, to fight against your Herrscherized self."

The young man sitting opposite Miss Mei looked at the girl who resembled a frightened little animal, and his resolve wavered slightly.

Perhaps, I should just let this misunderstanding continue.

Although the current situation was largely a product of misunderstandings, and if Miss Mei were willing to confront her father, the misunderstanding might be resolved.

However, it wouldn't be difficult to let this misunderstanding persist.

Raiden Ryoma's Honkai energy resistance wasn't much to speak of, let alone his magic resistance. With the use of some magecraft to alter his memories, this misunderstanding could become fact.

Magecraft like memory implantation fell under the purview of the Universal Basics, which were compulsory for orthodox magi.

Li Zihan wasn't a wild magus like Emiya Shirou, who had been thoroughly坑ed by Kiritsugu; naturally, there was no reason he wouldn't know this.

Unfortunately, that would be a bit too twisted.

Li Zihan, having abandoned the idea of using magecraft, sighed and then recounted the origin of the sword in a narrative tone.

"In a sense, Plasma Kagehide is equipment bound to you, who once had the Gem of Conquest implanted."

"For various reasons, your father seems to have misunderstood my relationship with you and tossed this thing to me, asking me to hold onto this sword temporarily."

So it was a misunderstanding?

Raiden Mei breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't that she disliked Li Zihan; after all, she only had two friends in total, one male and one female.

For Miss Mei, if she absolutely had to find a marriage partner, she would naturally start looking among people she knew well.

Kiana's personality complemented her own, almost a perfect match.

But Kiana was a girl, after all. Yuri love, or something like that, was still unacceptable to her at this moment.

Excluding Kiana, the closest person to her was Li Zihan.

He was very strong, knew an incredible amount of things, and although he seemed unreliable, he was surprisingly dependable. And he was male.

But feeling someone was suitable and getting married on the spot were two entirely different matters.

To jump directly from a newly acquainted friendship to the stage of discussing marriage was indeed a bit heart-pounding.

"Zihan, couldn't you have just explained it clearly all at once?"

Miss Mei, who had just received quite a shock, complained rather feebly.

She had just thought her old dad had already arranged her life without her knowing.

"I was explaining, but your reaction was too intense," Li Zihan said very seriously.

"Then, what exactly happened?"

Miss Mei sighed, looking at the young man before her with her moist, purple eyes, and asked about the situation.

"It was probably because of the jokes I made earlier and because you were heard crying out in pain during the surgery," Li Zihan said, not having a habit of lying.

She was aware of the jokes Li Zihan was referring to; he had a terrible habit of calling the parents of pretty girls "Esteemed Father-in-Law" and "Esteemed Mother-in-Law."

And when she was undergoing surgery without anesthesia in the bedroom, she had indeed cried out in pain, and Li Zihan had been by her side comforting her.

These two incidents, viewed separately, were already very suspicious. If one were to connect them...

Miss Mei's entire body began to tremble.

No matter how you look at it, this seems like a couple!

And a passionately illicit one at that!!

"My father... was he here just now?"

After a long while, she finally managed to force out these words.

Asking such a question was practically the same as not asking at all.

After all, the answer was already obvious. Asking such a question was purely the effect of wishful thinking.

"Mm, your father came with Anti-Entropy's Sovereign Welt. They came to verify intelligence with me, in preparation for the upcoming battle against the Herrscher of Erosion."

The young man, who almost never lied, spoke, shattering the last shred of侥幸 (jiǎoxìng - luck, fluke, wishful thinking) in Miss Mei's heart.

"Do you want to go and explain? Lord Welt is currently reclaiming ME Corp. As the former president of ME Corp, Esteemed Father-in-Law should also be there preparing to take over."

Li Zihan looked at Miss Mei's troubled little face and said seriously.

"Father is taking over ME Corp now?"

Miss Mei, who really wanted to go and explain, looked a little hesitant.

ME Corp was a massive multinational conglomerate. Reclaiming control over it was by no means a simple matter, even if Raiden Ryoma had once been its president.

Raiden Mei didn't want to cause trouble for her very busy father right now.

"Let's wait until Father has dealt with the company's affairs, then we'll talk," Miss Mei's pretty little face practically crumpled, her voice very subdued.

"Mm, when the time comes, I'll go with you to explain," the young man said with a smile.

"Then I'll really be troubling you."

Raiden Mei let out a sigh of relief. If Zihan was there to help explain, they would surely be able to clear things up.

However, seeing her good friend's decisive and affirmative response, promising to help her clarify the situation, Miss Mei's mood became gloomy again.

Am I... that unattractive?

Rarely, Miss Mei began to doubt her own charm.

How should one put it? A young girl's thoughts are always hard to guess.

"Right, it's getting late. I'll head back first," Li Zihan said, looking at the clock hanging in the living room.

"You're not staying to rest?" Miss Mei looked at the young man who had already stood up, trying to persuade him to stay.

"No, I still have some things to do," Li Zihan said.

He indeed had things to do.

Cocolia's Titan forces were probably crippled by now. He could leisurely appear before her and demand the information he wanted without worrying about that foolish woman causing trouble.

"Mm, I'll see you out." Miss Mei's voice was a little dejected.

Li Zihan didn't refuse. He naturally walked with Miss Mei to the apartment door, and pushed it open.

And then—

An ecstatic white-haired dango, hugging a large bag of snacks, charged forward, expecting to crash into Miss Mei's warm embrace.

"Mei, look what I brought for you—"

Feeling that the impact was a bit off, she lifted her head.

What met her eyes was the face of a young man.