Himeko held John's hand as she dragged him through the streets of Hong Kong. The crimson Valkyrie was excited as she had never been on a date before, and she practically pulled John along with her.
The group ended up at a street food stall, and Himeko was conversing with the vendor in Chinese. It seemed like she was ordering some snacks for everyone.
John leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, observing people passing by. He saw a mother and her crying child, a dog stealing food from a devastated student, and...
?!
John's eyes widened when he saw... Mei... and himself sitting on a bench, laughing and eating some kind of street food. They appeared to be happy...
A shadow caught John's attention, and when he turned his head, he saw Mei standing in front of him with a concerned look.
The man noticed that one of the woman's eyes was different from when they were on the rooftop together, talking.
"Mr. John, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost; you're all pale," Mei said in perfect English.
John simply stared at Mei in front of him with wide eyes, but he blinked and offered a half-smile.
"It was nothing, just a memory that came back. Don't worry, I'm fine," John said, closing his eyes and smiling at the woman.
Lier
Mei shrunk back a bit; he didn't seem well, but the Raiden heiress didn't press further, as she didn't think he would reveal what was bothering him.
The Raiden girl decided to lean against the wall next to the man, which caused John to raise an eyebrow.
"Shouldn't you be keeping your friend Kiana company?" John said, nodding his chin in the direction of Kiana, who was standing next to Himeko. Her teacher was trying to keep the white-haired girl from knocking over the food stall due to her excitement, as Kaslana was practically drooling at the smell of the food in front of her. Mei turned and saw Fu Hua engaged in a conversation with Bronya, and a smile appeared on her face.
"Well, I suppose you could use some company, Mr. John," Mei said with a smile, causing John to slightly part his lips.
...
"I'll keep you company, Senpai..."
...
It was as if Mei had never died, as if nothing had changed, as if that annoying person was still by his side of her...
John closed his eyes and relaxed a bit. "You don't have to call me 'Mr.' John is just fine."
Mei blinked at the man's comment. "John ... John ... I like it," the Raiden girl said, testing her pronunciation as it rolled off her tongue. "I like it... the sound is right," Mei said with a smile, making John raise an eyebrow. "So, I'll ask you to call me Mei, please!"
The man blinked at the girl's enthusiasm, causing John to recoil slightly. He could feel her breath on her face, and her being taller than him did n't help.
"Okay, Mei... could you back up a bit?" John said, a bit taken back. Mei had her hand over her head, and she was so close to his face that their noses almost touched. Onlookers thought Mei was trying to lower the man, and the sight was quite amusing, given John's muscular and robust build compared to Mei's slender and feminine figure.
Mei blinked and noticed her position. She backed away and leaned against the wall next to the man.
John found it strange, given Mei's personality, that she wasn't blushing with embarrassment. When he turned his head, he noticed...
Mei was looking at the ground with her face completely red.
Ah, there it is. Even though this Mei looks just like his Mei dela, her personality is entirely different. Perhaps that's a good thing, a way to remind himself that this Mei isn't the Mei he knew.
A plate of food entered John's view, surprising him. Judging by the smell, it was rice cooked with eggs, peanuts, fuiyoh, and other ingredients he couldn't identify just by the scent…
"Here, take it, it's Wok Hei. I have a feeling you're going to love it," Himeko said with some noodles in her mouth as she smiled and offered the dish to John.
John took the plate of food with curiosity, not being familiar with Chinese cuisine. Himeko leaned against the wall next to the man with a smile, allowing their shoulders to touch.
The crimson Valkyrie smiled at the man as she continued to eat her food from her. John looked at her and then at the hot food in her hands. He began to eat.
Mei watched the two interacting with a discomfort in her chest, but the attention of the Raiden heiress was drawn when she smelled food nearby. Mei looked to the side and saw Kiana with her portion of her.
"Here, Mei-Senpai, I brought yours," Kiana said with a smile. Mei looked at the food and then at Kiana, accepting it with a smile.
"Thank you, Kiana-chan," Mei thanked Kiana, who responded with a smile and went back to eating. Mei looked at the food and then at John and Himeko; a part of the Raiden girl Wished their interaction wouldn't be interrupted.
"Delicious..." Mei looked to Kiana's side of her and saw Bronya eating something that resembled sweets, and Fu Hua was eating the same food everyone else was.
"You should try it, class representative," Bronya said, looking at Fu Hua as she offered the sweet to the woman.
Fu Hua declined, gently pushing the sweet away. "I'm not particularly fond of sweets, Bronya. But thank you for offering."
Bronya just nodded and continued eating.
In that moment, the small group leaned against the wall, eating without a care in the world, simply enjoying the moment.
It was a pleasant moment. John looked at the group and at the people living their peaceful lives. A smile appeared on the man's face...
...
Mei stared at John with wide eyes as she saw the man in front of her with his hands in his pockets.
"What... do you mean, Senpai... this isn't funny," Mei said, but the boy's appearance was different. He was wearing a skin-tight outfit, two gigantic hands floating in the air, one holding a sword and the other empty. Mei had two red horns on her head, and despite his demonic appearance, the boy was very gentle and protective.
"Tell me you're joking... I know your humor can be dark at times, so..." Mei stopped when she noticed a look on John's face; he had a weary smile.
"No, Mei... I'm not lying... I was the one who killed them all," Mei took a step back, horrified and disbelieving Senpai's words.
"I'm joining Jormungand; I realized I haven't done enough... I guess from now on, we'll be enemies," John said with a tired smile, stepping into a puddle of blood. He saw the bodies, but he didn't seem to care.
The attire he wore was not the combat uniform Mei was accustomed to but rather a black shirt and white cut, with black boots, something casual... which was odd given the situation John was in and what he had just done.
Mei could n't believe the words that had come out of John's mouth.
"No... no... You promised we'd stay together; you promised we'd use this power to protect people, not hurt them... JONATHAN!" Her words cut deeper than the sharpest knife, and John looked up at the dark sky with a melancholic look.
"Tell me, Mei, are you happy with what you do? Have you wondered if our work is worth it, if these people deserve to be protected? We sacrifice everything for them, and they still spit in our faces, creating more of these creatures. The Anti-Entropy units aren't enough; your father has finally hit a wall. He can't develop anything to combat this, and in a desperate move, he's using his own son as a weapon," John said, looking up at the sky. His words from him made Mei take another step back in fear.
"So your solution is to kill everyone?! That's madness!" The hand that floated entered a combat stance, gripping the sword's sheath. John looked at Mei with a smile, a smile the girl knew well, but it was the man's gaze that shattered Mei.
"No, not everyone... just enough so these creatures stop being born. That way, the next generation will be born without having to worry about fighting every day to survive. I don't want them to live like we do," Mei trembled at John's words, and the girl was paralyzed.
"Just enough... these people you see dead, Mei, they weren't worth it," John looked at a child hiding behind a bloodied streetlight. Mei turned and saw the boy; he couldn't have been more than 9 years old.
"You can't imagine what people are capable of," John said, drawing Mei's attention to her.
"Tell me, can you do everything you do because you were chosen, or can you only do what you can because they chose you as the Chosen One, Lord of Thunder?" John said, looking at Mei with his demonic appearance.
"If you decided to do what I'm doing, you could undoubtedly do it, but I'm not as strong as you, Mei. ?" Mei's hands shook on her sword, the gigantic hand floating above her head holding the weapon.
A dragon flew overhead, creating a gust of wind, but Mei never took her eyes off John.
"If you want to stop me, the time is now. I won't fight, but if you don't fight, we'll be enemies the next time we meet." The dragon landed with some people on its back, a masked man was waiting for him and a group of people were watching Mei cautiously.
Mei shivered and shuddered to see John walking away. Mei knew she had to stop him, that it was right to kill him, but...
The girl never drew her sword...
Mei just watched John leave on the dragon, tears streaming down his face as he watched his friend disappear.
...
John's eyes widened in horror; he felt Himeko's hand on his shoulder and the rest of the girls looking at him with concern.
"Did something happen?" Himeko looked at the man worriedly, the other girls stared at him as if something was wrong.
"Well... you dropped your food and stared at the floor for minutes, and... you're crying," Himeko handed the man a Kleenex. John looked at the food on the floor and then at Himeko, accepting the scarf.
"I'm fine; it was nothing." John's explanation did not satisfy the woman. Himeko grabbed John's hand and started to pull him along.
?!
"Come on, there's no time for sadness on my date!" Himeko pulled the man, causing him to blink in surprise.
"Professor Himeko, wait for us!" Mei shouted in Japanese at the teacher as she ran after the girl.
"Mei-Senpai, wait for me!" Kiana ran after Mei, while Fu Hua and Bronya followed behind them.
"It seems that this John fellow doesn't trust us enough to confide in us," Bronya said, trailing the girls. Fu Hua glanced at Bronya from the corner of her eye before looking ahead.
"Trust takes time, Bronya. Maybe with time passing, he'll come to trust us more," Fu Hua spoke from her own experience of it, and Bronya seemed to take notice and nodded.
The group ran through the streets of Hong Kong, Himeko's watch ticking, but the crimson Valkyrie seemed not to notice.
Tale of the Red Oni and Blue Oni
-8-
Warm... Himeko always felt this heat within herself, something the Valkyrie couldn't explain. Perhaps it was this warmth that had kept her alive all this time, as people often said it was a miracle she was still alive.
Himeko felt this warmth spreading throughout her body, but she didn't feel any pain. On the contrary...
She felt good...
But even with this warmth, the Valkyrie felt strange ... lonely ... and this warmth was not enough to warm her entire being, as if something was missing.
A smile appeared on her face.
"Come on, try another one; we still have many to test," Himeko said with a smile, watching John in front of her trying on a different outfit.
John looked at her with a scowl, making the woman laugh. "Come on, you said your old clothes make you look like a salaryman, so try another one, let's go."
Mei blinked in fascination, while Kiana seemed not to be paying attention as she played her handheld video game. Bronya and Fu Hua just made a sound of 'Hooo.'
The man picked up the change of clothes and entered the dressing room with a scowl. "I don't know why I agreed to this..."
When the man entered the dressing room, Himeko got up from the couch. Fu Hua looked at the woman with curiosity.
"What are you doing, Professor Himeko?" Fu Hua asked the crimson Valkyrie, Himeko looked at her with a smile.
"What, we're in a clothing store, do you expect us to just stand still and let John have all the fun?" Something in the woman's responses caught her attention.
"We?" She said to all the girls who were sitting, and Kiana made a face.
"I'm not going to dress up for a man's amusement," Kiana said with a scowl. Bronya just snorted at the girl, which caught Kaslana's attention from her.
"What was that, dwarf?" Kiana looked at Bronya, who was getting up from the couch.
"Clearly, Kiana idiotyska does n't want to try on her clothes because they wo n't fit on her fat body," the words from the Russian girl left Kiana gaping in disbelief.
"Wow, that was a bit... heavy," Himeko said, looking at Bronya in disbelief, while Mei and Fu Hua simply nodded in agreement.
"Listen here..." Kiana couldn't finish because she heard the man's voice.
"Himeko... these clothes are a bit... tight." When Kaslana turned her eyes, they widened in surprise.
John was wearing traditional Chinese clothing, something Kaslana had only seen in action movies, but there was a difference... the clothes clung to John's body because of his muscles, making it look like a second skin. The entire outfit was black. The pants emphasized the man's legs and muscles, and the upper part, resembling an overcoat, emphasized the muscles of his upper body.
Himeko, Mei, and Bronya were left speechless by the sight; it was something...
"I guess I won't take this..." John turned to go back to the dressing room, but...
"At the!" Everyone turned to the sound of the voice, it was Kaslana. Even though she didn't understand what the man said, Kiana knew he was going to change clothes, and she didn't like it. Kaslana wanted the man to keep that outfit, even though she didn't like the man; it was nice to look at.
Kiana walked up to John and pulled his arm from him, leading him to the store's dressing area.
"You can't change!" Kiana said loudly. John raised an eyebrow at the girl, not understanding anything she said. He turned to the girls with a confused expression.
"Who here agrees that John should keep these clothes, raise your hand," Kiana said, raising her hand. The girls raised their hands without questioning, as if they were hypnotized.
"It's decided! You'll keep wearing this outfit for the entire trip," Kiana said, pulling the man and making him sit.
"Now it's our turn. Just stay here and wait for the ladies to get ready!" Kaslana pointed to the man, surprising him. John turned to Himeko, expecting her to translate what the girl had said.
Himeko smiled and walked away, pulling Fu Hua and Mei along with her. Bronya simply followed the girls.
"Just enjoy it, love!" Himeko said, blowing a kiss to the man, making him blink at her words.
What are these girls planning...
John just relaxed in the chair and closed his eyes, looking up at the ceiling. For a moment, everything was quiet, until he felt someone touch his forehead, making him wake up.
He found Himeko in front of him, wearing a Chinese dress he didn't recognize.
"What do you think of my Qipao?" Himeko said, pushing her breasts forward, the dress hugging her body's shape her, making people around them look with their mouths open.
"Professor Himeko, this type of attire is not appropriate right now," Fu Hua said, wearing a Hanfu, a traditional Chinese outfit. Fu Hua hadn't worn one of these since she was a child.
"Professor Himeko, aren't these clothes a bit... indecent?" Mei's voice caught attention. The Raiden girl was wearing a Qipao or Cheongsam. The dress was n't as tight as Himeko's, but in compensation, it had a side opening that exposed her legs.
"Stop that, Mei-senpai, you look great!" Kiana said, approaching Mei, who was tugging at the side of her dress, trying to hide her legs from her in embarrassment.
Kaslana was wearing a shorter version of the Qipao, making Mei wonder how the girl was so comfortable in that outfit...
"Kiana idiotyska is right, big sister, you look good in this outfit," Bronya said, wearing a Cheongsam slightly shorter than usual.
John just blinked, wondering what the girls were up to. Himeko looked at the man with a smile, causing a bead of sweat to trickle down his cheek.
"What do you think, sweet?" Himeko said with a practically predatory smile for the man, making him shrink back in his seat.
"I..." the man looked at the floor, which surprised Himeko and the girls.
Himeko smiled at the man's reaction. "Ah~~~ no need to be shy. It's settled, girls, we're taking it!" Himeko said, sitting beside the man and placing her hand on her shoulder.
What? I'm not shy...
Mei and Fu Hua blinked as they looked at John.
Cute!
That's what crossed the minds of the two girls when they saw the man's reaction. Someone as reserved as he was having this kind of reaction was unexpected...
Kiana just crossed her arms arrogantly, "Of course he's going to react that way, no one can resist the charm of the Valkyries, really, look at us."
The girls glared at Kiana, making Kaslana uncomfortable with the sudden attention.
"What?" Kiana said with blushing cheeks but the girls continued to stare at her.
But something caught the girls' attention. Bronya walked slowly and stood in front of Himeko and John, causing both of them to blink in confusion.
"How is Bronya?" The Russian girl spun around so they could both see her better. Himeko and John looked at each other. And as always, Bronya spoke perfect English.
"You look great, Bronya-chan," Himeko said with a smile, causing Bronya to bow and then look at the man.
"What?" John asked the girl.
"How is Bronya?" John blinked as the Russian girl looked down at the floor in embarrassment. John looked at Himeko, who waved at him.
"Come on, just say what you think," Himeko encouraged the man, who sighed. John looked at Bronya and got a good look.
Bronya looked up, curious.
"You look cute, Bronya," John said with a smile, making Bronya's cheeks turn red. She turned her head and smiled.
Himeko, Fu Hua, Kiana, and Mei's cheeks turned red. The girls didn't expect the grumpy man to have such a nice and genuine smile.
Himeko put her arm back around the man's neck and pointed to the other girls.
"You can take your eyes off, girls, this one's mine!" Himeko said in Japanese as she pulled the man closer to her.
The comment made Kiana's cheeks turn red, and she stepped behind Mei.
"Eh? Kiana?" The Raiden girl didn't understand why Kiana was hiding behind her.
Kiana stuck her tongue out at Himeko and said, "Why would I want a brute like him when I have Mei-Senpai!" She held Mei's shoulders, and her words made Mei's body tremble.
"He's not that bad..." Kiana turned when she heard Fu Hua's whisper. Kiana noticed that Fu Hua's hair was down, which was unusual since Fu Hua always kept it tied up. Kiana had to admit that her new look suited her.
Mei blinked at what was happening. For some reason, Mei felt like she was falling behind.
The Raiden girl lost her shyness and stopped trying to close the open side of her dress, which exposed her legs more and gave her a mature air.
John and Himeko noticed Mei was looking at him as if she wanted him to say something.
The man sighed, wondering how he had ended up in this situation.
"You look great too, Mei Raiden. You have... beautiful legs..." John felt like he might have overdone the compliment and got himself into trouble.
Mei looked at the ground with a red face, and a silly smile appeared on her face.
"What audacity, I'm impressed," the Herrscher of Thunder said sarcastically, but Mei decided to ignore it.
"Hey! What did you say to Mei-Senpai to make her so embarrassed?!" Kiana shouted, but the man just turned his head in confusion since he didn't understand Japanese.
John turned to Fu Hua, who initially looked away, but then looked at the man.
"You are fine too, Fu Hua," John said, and upon hearing her words, Fu Hua smiled.
"Thank you," Fu Hua replied in a soft voice.
Himeko pulled her man's arm with a pout on her face, making him stand up.
"Hey, did you forget that the date is with me?" said the woman, pulling the man by the arm.
"Come on girls, we need to pay for the clothes", shouted Himeko, getting everyone's attention.
The girls turned and started to follow Himeko.
Himeko looked at the man with a smile, and once again, John felt the woman's heat rise. It was a familiar feeling, similar to when Mei awakened her powers from her... what did Ryoma call it? I think it was...
Stigma
No... it can't be... it must be my imagination; I'll just decide to ignore it.
John looked at Himeko and sighed at the woman with a smile.
"Let's enjoy then; I promised you the best date of your life, didn't I?" Upon hearing the man's words, Himeko smiled and squeezed his hand from her.
"I already know where we're going next!" Himeko said with a smile, deciding to make the most of this moment.
The problem is... what came next was…
Hell
Honkai energy alert in the vicinity, taking security measures!
-A-
Author,
It's time to build trust between the man who fell from the sky and the girls, deciding to make the initial chapters a bit slow, but from now on, things will start to develop.
I hope you enjoy the chapter.
next chapter Grand Order.