Russell woke up in the guest room and rubbed his eyes.
As a mere visitor, he should have returned to his own territory right after handing the bank card to Kiana.
However—
Russell got out of bed, pushed open the door, and walked to the washroom.
A new toothbrush and cup were waiting for him, the brush already thoughtfully loaded with toothpaste.
After washing up, he stepped out to find milk and slightly burnt sandwiches on the dining table.
On the side were a soft-boiled egg and a fried egg.
The entire apartment had also been cleaned spotlessly; the floor was so shiny it was practically reflective.
As Russell ate the breakfast Kiana had prepared for him, he noticed a small note beside his plate.
It said that he didn’t need to go out to buy lunch; she would be back at eleven to cook.
In the original story, Kiana was completely like Mei’s daughter.
But after Russell had assumed the identity of her “brother-in-law,” a certain Paramecium had displayed astonishing housekeeping abilities.
Kiana & Raiden Mei.
Between the two of them, the one who was better at taking care of people was probably Kiana.
Her previous uselessness was likely just because she enjoyed the feeling of being taken care of.
[Is this your reason for staying here overnight and even planning not to go back for the time being?]
The detector’s font size was one size larger than usual.
“What’s so bad about being a freeloader here?”
“The bed here is super soft, the temperature is perfectly regulated by the central air conditioning, and a charmingly manipulative beautiful girl helps with all three meals a day.
Hmm, she even helps relax my muscles and neck.”
“I’m so comfortable here, why should I go back to Ursus to freeze?!” Russell said with complete self-righteousness as he ate his breakfast.
“This place is pleasant; I have no longing for Terra.”
The speed of Russell’s corruption startled even the detector.
[It’s normal to lose one’s fighting spirit in a greenhouse, but you lost yours way too fast!!
It’s only been one day!!!]
This isn’t corruption; this is a goddamn freefall, with acceleration!
Under the erosion of urban civilization and the care of Kiana, Russell was displaying a truly astonishing talent for being useless.
[All your assets are still out in the wilds of Ursus!
Before you degenerate, at least sell off your assets first!!]
The detector felt a headache coming on.
“Tsk, I was just messing with you, and you took it seriously.” Russell stretched languidly, then glanced at the talisman on his hand and logged into the chat group.
The chat group was quite deserted.
This was easy to understand.
Naruto had been pouring concrete all day and was exhausted.
Valmont had just escaped from Shendu and was like a husky off its leash; who knows where he was robbing a bank now.
At a glance, only Raiden Mei and the happy orca were online.
Including himself, only half the group was active.
Hmm, although the fact that the other half couldn’t be active was mostly his fault.
“My breakfast.” Russell casually took a photo and sent it to the group.
Whether intentionally or not, the sticky note Kiana had left on the table was also captured in the shot.
“Looks very nice,” the happy orca lady commented.
Her hometown, before it was smashed by the Seaborn, had been as advanced as a future world, so she wasn’t surprised by the relatively modern setting.
In stark contrast to the orca lady was Raiden Mei.
“?!”
Her reply consisted of only two symbols.
But the emotions contained within those two symbols were abnormally rich.
The beautiful young woman looked at the apartment, far cleaner than she had ever kept it, and at the picture-perfect breakfast.
She felt as if she had transmigrated to another worldline.
After a long moment, the young woman finally came to her senses and asked uncertainly, “Are you sure Kiana made that?”
“Ask a hundred times, and the answer will still be yes.”
Russell’s reply once again shook Raiden Mei’s soul.
“…Kiana is even more capable than I imagined.” Her words were tinged with a sense of loss.
Tragic.
The cook had just discovered that she wasn’t actually the best at cooking.
Russell thought.
“Aren’t you coming back?” the disheartened Raiden Mei asked Russell.
If I stay in Chiba City, Cocolia won’t capture me and use me as a test subject.
Why would I be in such a hurry to go back to Siberia and be blasted by the cold wind?
Russell rolled his eyes internally.
But speaking of which…
Russell walked to the balcony and gazed into the distance.
Perhaps because this was a high-end residential area, looking to the left, he could see a dense forest.
The area was surrounded by a clear river.
Looking up, he could vaguely see ancient mountains in the distance.
It was truly a pity for such a nice place to become an experimental site.
Nice view.
He took a picture and sent it to the group to share with everyone.
“…Russell, you seem to really like the scenery there.” Skadi’s perception was remarkably sharp.
She felt that Russell now had the air of the last emperor of Shu Han. This story is hosted at g.com.
“Yes.
It’s a pity that such a beautiful place will end up as an experimental site,” the young man said, his tone filled with regret.
His words made Raiden Mei fall into a long silence.
Russell had told her about the organization her father was in.
In 1955, the Overseer of Schicksal, Otto, and the First Herrscher fought a duel due to a disagreement in ideals.
After his defeat, Otto launched a Honkai fission bomb at New York.
The First Herrscher, Welt Joyce, died protecting the city.
Those who inherited Joyce’s ideals defected from Schicksal and founded Anti-Entropy.
As an organization, Anti-Entropy developed too quickly, making its old management system from its time as a Schicksal branch unsuitable.
Furthermore, the elders of Anti-Entropy were mostly researchers who lacked the ability to lead an army or run a corporation.
Thus, the Executor system was born, allowing each to be responsible for their area of expertise.
This gave ambitious individuals great room to maneuver.
Fortunately, the leader of the alliance was a Herrscher, a being who could crush nuclear bombs with his bare hands, and could thus suppress the ambitious.
But with the leader’s disappearance, the ambitious were freed from their restraints.
Cocolia, a radical ambitious schemer.
That woman had plotted against her father and seized the core of Anti-Entropy’s heavy industry—ME Corp.
Then, using the Raiden family’s foundation, she continuously manufactured mechs and completely sealed off Chiba City.
An outsider seizing her family’s foundation, then using that foundation to build an army and turn her hometown into an experimental site.
Such humiliation…
By the fireplace, the young woman looked at her own hands.
They were fair and delicate, without even the calluses from housework and kendo.
Raiden Mei was, after all, a Stigmata bearer.
Even with the Stigmata sealed, it still provided a certain enhancement to her body.
These hands were strong.
Raiden Mei understood this.
As long as she held a sword, even dozens of men would find it difficult to get close.
But against the malevolent forces that were turning Chiba City into a disaster, they were far too powerless.
Her hometown had become Cocolia’s plaything…
and she could do nothing?
Raiden Mei’s heart convulsed slightly.
All she could do now was hide in Russell’s residence, hoping that Cocolia would give up on her experiments in Chiba City due to the lack of a test subject.
To bet everything on such a possibility.
What powerlessness, what cowardice.
By the fireplace, the young woman bit her lip, a faint taste of blood between her teeth.
—o—