The awkward atmosphere didn't last long.
For one, Fuli could tell that given Miyuki Asakura's personality—she startled easier than a small woodland creature when facing him—flipping him the bird was 90% likely an operational error caused by sheer panic and fumbling.
"The remaining 10% being that Miss Asakura intentionally put on the guise of a 'mesugaki' to provoke the host, intending to enrage the host into pinning her against the grass for a violent bout of 'correction,' until she rolls her eyes back, sticks out her tongue, and cries, 'Master, I'll never do it again!'"
"Your fantasies are getting out of hand," Fuli deadpanned inwardly. "Also, could you please stop letting a certain shameless MEI pollute your database?"
"Prometheus will do her best," the little AI replied, the corners of her mouth curling up.
As for the second reason the awkwardness dissipated—
"Li!"
A call as refreshing as a babbling spring brook rang out from the entrance of the equipment room, vaporizing what little awkwardness remained.
Fuli turned his head. Hyacine stood there looking as pretty as a picture. A sunshine-bright smile that could melt ice radiated from her face, her pink gradient twin-tails bobbing slightly as she walked.
"Hyacine!"
Fuli immediately spread his arms wide, stepping forward to give her an enthusiastic hug.
"Duu~ Dudu!"
He was answered by a cute neigh and the furry sensation of Little Ica being shoved into his chest.
Clearly, Hyacine clearly remembered their first meeting, when Fuli had only had eyes for the chubby little Pegasus and completely ignored the beautiful healing-class girl standing right in front of him.
"Miss Hyacine." Yuno walked over from the Starforge.
Miyuki, meanwhile, had morphed into a literal snowball radiating a gloomy, "do-not-approach" aura. She rolled into the furthest corner of the room, attempting to camouflage herself into the cold wall.
"Oh, it's Yuno!"
Hyacine's personality meant she could get along amiably with almost anyone. She was strong, generous, and incredibly kind-hearted.
Conversely, this also meant her "capture difficulty" was undoubtedly the highest. As the great teacher Hachiman once said: I hate nice girls. Because they're nice to everyone.
However, Fuli had never intended to "capture" this comrade in the first place. He simply rubbed Little Ica happily, enjoying the soft, squishy texture of the Pegasus.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Yuno, Hyacine looked up, a hint of showing off in her expression. "Li! Li! I have good news!"
"Report permitted, Warrant Officer Hyacine."
"I have money now!"
"Finished negotiating the Golden Mead contract?"
"Yup!" The girl nodded vigorously, her pink hair bouncing. "I came to the Hyperion today specifically to empty my shopping cart! You have to give me a massive 20% discount, just like you did for Castorice!"
"I must treat all my customers fairly, of course," Fuli replied very seriously. "By the way, the Reins of the Equestrian King is also on sale today. Limited stock of one. First come, first served. And it's exclusively sold to the little angel known as Hyacine."
"Whoa! I'll buy it!" The girl excitedly threw her hand up, her heart feeling incredibly warm.
Having gone through the Living Planet battle, she had already experienced the exhilaration of fighting alongside a fully-grown Little Ica.
Her ancestor, the legendary "Sun-Lightning Knight Senéos," was a warrior who danced with Pegasi. As a descendant of the sky, Hyacine had been taught those riding techniques by her grandmother since she was a child.
The problem was that a Pegasus had a very long growth period. The Reins of the Equestrian King allowed Little Ica to temporarily assume its adult form without any side effects.
Hyacine wasn't the type of bad girl to monopolize someone else's belongings. She wouldn't have even actively asked Fuli to sell her the riding gear, afraid her considerate friend would inconvenience himself just to accommodate her.
But that was underestimating Fuli's emotional intelligence. Plus, unlike Mei, he didn't have a biological mount like Kurikara, so selling it to her was no loss to him.
The patent for the Golden Mead recipe had brought Hyacine a massive profit. She pulled a crystal card from her wallet and decisively transferred the funds.
Fuli couldn't help but tease, "You didn't lose your bank card this time."
"Yeah, yeah. I didn't need to trouble you to pay for my meals like when we first met..."
Recalling her past embarrassment, Hyacine's cheeks flushed. But she quickly perked up, carefully pulling a faintly glowing card from her pocket as if presenting a treasure. "Look what I got, everyone!"
Yuno leaned in curiously. When she saw the card clearly, her eyes widened. "Is that... a Light Cone produced by the Interastral Peace Corporation?!"
"That's right! I spent almost all my hard-earned Wardance points on this!" Hyacine said cheerfully. "It contains the Beast Taming skill. Once I master it, I'll be able to communicate telepathically with animals!"
Not only that, but she could consume energy to enhance an animal's strength. Long-term use could even permanently elevate their biological essence.
It was perfectly logical for Hyacine to redeem this Light Cone. Even setting aside the training of Little Ica, her main reason for buying the Momotaro Riceballs earlier was so her animal friends—the Earth Beasts, little seals, and baby chimeras—could understand human speech and help out in the Twilight Courtyard.
In terms of actual effectiveness, Beast Taming was undeniably superior to Momotaro Riceballs. Hyacine had originally wanted this Light Cone, but it had been far too expensive for her empty wallet back then, forcing her to settle for the next best thing.
Fuli, however, felt a bit exasperated. The last person with pink hair to show off a Light Cone in front of him had been Fu Xuan.
Knowing it would sound like he was trying to flex and slap her face if he said it out loud, he simply placed a hand on Hyacine's shoulder and spoke earnestly. "Hya, if you ever want to buy Light Cones in the future, just come straight to me. I'm old friends with Asta. I can get them for you at wholesale price. No middlemen making a profit."
"Eh?" Hyacine blinked. "Do you have B-Ranks and above?"
"The highest grade currently circulating on the open market is B-Rank."
Fuli certainly wouldn't sell anything higher; those were kept strictly for internal Hyperion use. For example, Bronya's 100% crit-rate basic attack passive, Command. Actually, even selling B-Rank Light Cones was a matter of him essentially "stocking up" during his trip to the Living Planet.
"Mhm! Understood! I'll definitely come to you next time!" Hyacine nodded, carefully putting the Light Cone away.
Then, she put on a teasing expression, her gaze shifting between Fuli and Yuno. "I've been wanting to ask... were you two... on a date in here? Did I interrupt at a bad time?"
"That's right, I was in the middle of being surrounded by beauties," Fuli played along without skipping a beat. "Do you want to join my harem, Hya? If you agree, then you actually came at the perfect time."
"Pass, pass." The petite healer waved her hand, replying with a sigh. "Being friends with you is the most relaxing. If I became your lover, I definitely wouldn't have any time left to treat my patients."
"Why not?"
"Because I'd have to spend all my time fending off all the bad women drooling over your good looks!"
"Then I'd better reign in my damned, irresistible charm. If you accidentally fell for me, wouldn't the world lose a great doctor?"
"Mhm, exactly! So you absolutely must not do anything that makes my heart skip a beat! Otherwise, I'll team up with Little Ica and lock you in the basement of the Twilight Courtyard!"
"But my mere existence makes your heart skip a beat—huh? Why are you feeling my forehead?"
"You don't have a fever... Strange. If you don't have a fever, why are you talking such nonsense?"
The two banter-loving friends exchanged a look and burst into simultaneous laughter.
After a bit more joking around, Hyacine remembered why she was there.
"I'm going to go pick out some gear. Let's chat more later!" She waved at Fuli and the others, jogging lightly toward the equipment display area in the distance.
"She's so energetic," Yuno commented, crossing her arms. She retrieved the newly forged Three-Headed Six-Armed Deity Bracelet from the Starforge's output tray and slipped it on.
With a faint glimmer, an additional pair of translucent arms materialized silently behind her, moving with perfect fluidity.
"Not bad. I got one more pair than before." She nodded, satisfied.
Just as she turned to leave, Fuli called out to her.
"What is it?"
"Your thank-you gift." The boy gestured.
"Ah, forget about it," Yuno waved her hand dismissively.
She wasn't blind. She could tell the Ring of Amaterasu Fuli gave Miyuki was an incredibly high-tier item, something even the vast majority of Himeko-sensei's equipment couldn't rival. Besides, the Luofu had already compensated them with points for the Living Planet battle. There was no need to accept such a heavy gift.
"Are you sure?" Fuli confirmed.
"Absolutely." Yuno turned stylishly on her heel, walked to the corner, and casually scooped up the ball-shaped Miyuki. Tucking her best friend under her arm like a football, she marched proudly toward the door.
"Is that so," Fuli nodded, feigning regret. "As a return gift, I was originally planning to teach you an incredibly overpowered A-Rank ability that lets you fight above your weight class... but since you're not interested, never mind."
He turned and took a step.
Suddenly, his pant leg was gripped in a vice from behind.
Fuli looked down. Yuno's face was covered in a highly obsequious, flattering smile.
"Oh, Great Adoptive Father! Your child swears to follow you for the rest of her life!"
From her insistence on upgrading the visually offensive but highly functional Deity Bracelet, it was clear the girl was sprinting down the path of a pure meta-slave. Not to mention, someone was offering to teach her a top-tier skill for free—no selling her soul required! Why in the world would she say no?
"Considering the seniority, I suppose I could accept you calling me Adoptive Father," Fuli said, having completely anticipated this. He turned back around. "What I'm going to teach you is the Metamoran Fusion Dance..."
After the Third Eruption, to deal with the Senate's arrest warrants, Theresa had falsely claimed Fuli was her fiancé. Since Yuno was Theresa's student, and "a teacher for a day is a father for a lifetime," didn't that technically make him her... uh, stepmother?
Later that afternoon, Fuli walked in a daze down the path toward the Schicksal compound.
The Fusion Dance was exceptionally suited for Yuno. While the technique required two individuals of similar height and build and only lasted thirty minutes, she and Miyuki were literally inseparable. She would never lack a partner or opportunities to practice.
Furthermore, the girls' abilities perfectly complemented each other; both derived from the Herrscher of Death lineage. Fusing would allow them to share insights and perhaps even push their powers to the next level.
Perhaps due to the flawless synergy built from spending every waking moment together over the past six months, or perhaps for some other special reason, Yuno and Miyuki's learning speed was terrifying. They mastered the core principles in a single morning.
To test the results, under Fuli's watchful eye, they stood side by side and struck the slightly embarrassing starting pose of the dance.
"Fu—"
"Sion—"
"HA!!!"
The moment the girls' figures overlapped in a burst of light, the scene before Fuli's eyes warped violently.
Reality receded like a tide, and the laws of the universe were gently brushed aside.
As far as his eyes could see, the shattered remains of dying stars were irrigated by clear springs. Desolate nebulas sprouted tender green shoots. Countless motes of golden light danced in the void, resembling billions of microscopic, living fairies.
In the center of this paradise of life—born from the ruins of destruction—a sacred, indescribable entity slowly coalesced.
It sat cross-legged in the void, a thousand arms unfurling behind it.
Its face was a perfect fusion of inhuman perfection and boundless compassion. Beneath lowered eyelids, a pair of golden eyes—like warm suns containing the primal spark of life—gazed tenderly down at the boy.
Abundance... Yaoshi...?
The divine title of the Aeon naturally echoed in Fuli's mind.
A silent, heavenly melody reverberated throughout the entire star system. It was the joyous hymn of all things reviving, the triumphant cry of life conquering death, and the most direct, generous response of the Plagues Author to all who prayed for salvation.
As if responding to his voice, the sacred entity leaned forward slightly, aiming to place a gentle kiss on the boy's lips.
Yet, in that exact moment, silent time stretched out, quietly engulfing its divine body and radiance.
A pale silver holy lance tore through the heavens, precisely piercing the sacred entity.
"Hello? Anyone home?"
A voice calling by his ear jolted Fuli awake. Everything before his eyes receded like a fading tide.
He looked blankly at the person standing in front of him—Yaoshi the Abundance, the entity born from Yuno and Miyuki's Fusion Dance.
She possessed the exact appearance and figure of the Aeon he had just seen. She held stalks of rice symbolizing abundance and medicinal pills. A sacred halo woven from mature wheat floated behind her head, emitting a warm, gentle glow.
"Were you... scared just now?"
She looked at him, her voice ethereal and gentle. Her ruby eyes were filled with concern. "This Fusion Dance is incredible. I should be at the Critical Class right now. How was the illusion? Did it manage to fool you?"
"Illusion?" Fuli frowned.
"Yeah, illusion." Yaoshi the Abundance twirled the wheat stalks in her hands. "Yuno's ability makes it incredibly easy to spawn all kinds of toxins and hallucinogens, and the Deva Path amplifies those properties across the board. Now that we're fused and at the Critical Class... have you ever heard of those famous hallucinogenic mushrooms from Yunnan, Shenzhou? This is probably tens of millions of times stronger."
Seeing the boy still staring blankly, she smiled brightly. "Looks like you definitely experienced it. So, what did you see? A freshly washed Little Miyuki?"
"...It was way more intense than that."
Fuli rubbed his temples and issued a stern warning. "You two stay here until the thirty-minute fusion ends. If you walk out that door looking like this, a new cult worshipping Sanctus Medicus would pop up on the Luofu tomorrow. Fu Xuan would literally skin me alive!"
He wasn't exaggerating in the slightest—except for the fact that Fu Xuan would only strip him of his clothes, not his skin.
If an illusion could hit Fuli—someone with his absurd level of resistance—without any warning, a normal person infected by it would be permanently ruined.
However...
A hallucinogenic effect... was it?
Recalling the silent heavenly melody echoing through the star system, and the pale silver holy lance that tore through space to obliterate the deity—a lance that felt impossibly familiar.
Even as he stepped through the gates of the Schicksal compound, Fuli's doubts hadn't completely faded.
As soon as he entered the compound's main hall, a petite, familiar figure caught Fuli's eye.
It was Theresa.
The Principal was standing on a makeshift podium, giving a small speech. Below her sat quite a few young Valkyries. However, judging from their sparkling eyes and motherly expressions, their focus clearly wasn't on the content of the speech.
[So cute!]
[I want to hug her so bad!]
Even after Theresa noticed Fuli and happily ended the speech early, similar thoughts continued to float through the air.
Stepping out from behind the podium, the Principal hopped down from the cardboard box she had been using for extra height. She let out a small cough, signaling Fuli to follow her.
The two walked into a quiet conference room. The moment the door clicked shut, Theresa spun around.
She crossed her arms, wrinkled her little nose, and huffed, "Someone sure has been living it up while the Principal was away!"
All his Wardance teammates were beautiful girls. Why did this guy have such absurd luck?
"I wouldn't say 'living it up.' First the Sundial City incident, then the Living Planet. It's been non-stop, and each crisis was bigger than the last."
Fuli studied the girl in front of him. Today, Theresa was wearing solemn, forest-blue robes adorned with exquisite golden patterns along the cuffs and lapels. Her delicate body, encased in white pantyhose, was faintly visible beneath the robes, adding a touch of forbidden softness to her dignified attire.
"Given how things are escalating, I might just end up saving the world next," he joked.
"W-what are you staring at!" Theresa felt embarrassed under his gaze. She instinctively squeezed her legs together, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.
"Yeah, yeah. What are you looking at?" a childish voice echoed next to his ear.
"I'm just—surprised to see Theresa here, of course!"
With the Luminary Wardance drawing to a close, many big shots like Tribbie had been invited to the Luofu. Fuli already knew this, but right now, playing dumb was the smartest move.
"Hmph." Smol-randal shot him a sideways glance, then walked over to greet Theresa.
The Principal was genuinely surprised. "You really did shrink. And based on cuteness alone, you could definitely challenge the Principal for the title of World's Number One."
Is that something to be proud of? The little goose didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Fuli pulling out his phone.
"Little Li, what are you doing?" she asked curiously.
"Me?" Fuli flashed an innocent, angelic smile and beckoned them closer. "I'm calling Big Sis Rita."
In an instant, both Theresa and Smol-randal understood the absolute malice behind his actions.
The two exchanged a look, eyes lighting up with the thrill of mischief.
Oh, it's on! Rita, you bad woman, you always tease us! Today, we finally get our revenge!
The call connected quickly. Rita's flawlessly elegant face appeared on the holographic screen.
"Lord Fuli~"
The maid's Stigma transplant surgery had mostly healed, and she was currently taking a stroll in the gardens, accompanied by her adjutant, Alvitr.
Judging by the languid, slightly raised pitch at the end of her sentence, "Big Sis Rita" was quite happy that Fuli had called her.
However, when she got a clear look at the scene on the screen, her elegant demeanor instantly froze.
In the frame, Fuli was sitting comfortably in a chair.
And standing on either side of him were Theresa and Smol-randal—the two little angels she coveted above all else.
They stood on their tiptoes, pressing their soft, pink lips firmly against Fuli's left and right cheeks.
Muah~
The crystal-clear sound of the kisses transmitted straight through the receiver.
Rita, on the other side of the screen: "..."
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!
Rita: Descending into absolute madness!