Chapter 101: Another Solution
The past two days spent wrangling Higokumaru had left him mentally frayed. Rovel splashed cold water on his face, the sharp chill a welcome shock that cleared some of the fog from his mind.
He took a rare moment to properly groom himself, studying his reflection in the mirror and trying to coax some life back into his features. He needed to look energetic, even if he didn't feel it.
Instead of logging into the game, he left his apartment. On the way, he stopped at a flower shop and bought a fragrant bouquet of lilies. He then hailed a taxi, giving the driver an address for a quiet cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
Upon arrival, he walked with a familiar purpose, heading straight toward the southwestern corner of the grounds. He finally came to a halt before a simple, elegant tombstone engraved with a name: Fang Ruoyun.
Rovel gently set the lilies down, his movements so soft and deliberate it was as if he feared disturbing the person sleeping beneath the earth.
"Mom, I've come to see you." His voice was raspy, laced with a tremor so faint it was almost imperceptible.
"You always loved the scent of lilies most when you were alive," he continued, managing a small, fragile smile. "I made sure to pick out the very best ones for you today."
A soft breeze rustled the leaves of a nearby tree, brushing gently against Rovel's cheek in a phantom caress, almost as if in response.
"A new game came out recently, and… I found a girlfriend in it. Her name is Raiden Mei. Just like you, Mom, she's a very gentle girl…"
"I also met two other friends, one named Kiana and another named Bronya. Who knows, maybe they could become your daughters-in-law in the future, too!"
He let out a weak chuckle. "After all, your son inherited your good looks. It's only normal to attract some attention…"
"But don't worry, your son isn't some scumbag. I just want to give them a home. A safe place. Yeah… that's it."
Rovel sat on the grass in front of the tombstone, recounting the small, bright moments of his recent life. He tried to keep his tone light, his posture relaxed, but the forced cheerfulness in his voice gradually fractured, replaced by the choked thickness of unshed tears.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I can't forget… and I can't forgive that person. It doesn't matter what their reasons were. I will have my revenge."
He took a deep, shuddering breath, wrestling his emotions back under control before slowly exhaling.
"Yuki has been doing well lately, too. She found a good teacher in the world of 'Honkai,' so her status in the Zhou Family has improved. You don't have to worry; those people won't dare do anything to her for the time being."
He looked at the name carved in stone, his expression hardening with resolve. "Mom, rest assured. I won't do anything reckless until I'm absolutely certain of victory. Please, believe in your son. After all… your son is a genius!"
Rovel pushed himself to his feet, straightened his clothes as if preparing for a formal inspection, and then performed a deep, respectful bow. "Mom, I'm leaving now. I'll come see you again."
With those words, he turned and walked away, his steps slow and heavy, yet each one was undeniably firm.
"Mr. Rovel, what do you think of this design?" Mei's gentle voice pulled him from his thoughts. She held out a design sketch for his inspection.
The drawing was professional and detailed. It featured a white, high-collared inner garment beneath a hooded windbreaker, primarily in shades of gray and white. The sleeves were adorned with the emblem of Saint Freya. The ensemble was completed with dark gray slim-fit trousers and black high-top combat boots, creating a silhouette that was lean and tall.
It bore a striking resemblance to the combat attire worn by Adam in 'A Post-Honkai Odyssey.'
"Hmm, very handsome," Rovel's eyes lit up with genuine appreciation. "It fits my style perfectly. Thank you, Mei!" As expected, leaving the design to her was the right choice.
"Narcissist," Kiana muttered from nearby, where she had been shamelessly eavesdropping. She shot Rovel a disdainful look.
"I also think Mr. Rovel looks very handsome in it," Mei said, covering her mouth with her hand to hide a small, pleased chuckle. Seeing her beloved happy made the long night she'd spent working on the design feel completely worthwhile. She had even secretly applied a touch of light makeup to hide the faint dark circles under her eyes. It… shouldn't be noticeable, right?
"Mei~! Help me!" Kiana pleaded, thrusting her own design sketch forward.
Compared to the careful draft Mei had created for Rovel, Kiana's drawing looked like something an elementary school student would doodle in the margins of a notebook. However, upon closer inspection, one could just barely make out her idea: a combat outfit with a rugged, Ranger-like flair.
The concept involved a black bodysuit as the base layer, with a milky-white uniform shirt worn over it, topped by a windbreaker. A belt lined with what looked like bullet cartridges was slung around her waist. For the lower body, she had drawn a pair of ultra-short denim shorts paired with over-the-knee boots that covered half her thighs.
"Emm…" Mei studied the drawing, a thoughtful frown on her face as she posed a critical question. "Can you really move properly in this outfit, Kiana? I can roughly see your design concept; you're going for some Western cowboy elements, right?"
She tapped a finger on the drawing. "The over-the-knee boots could be changed to a pair of brown leather boots; that would be more convenient to wear and won't restrict your knees from bending… As for the windbreaker, how about we change it to a cape? A heavy windbreaker might get in your way during combat."
With just a single glance, Mei had provided the most pertinent advice.
"Get in my way? Rovel has a windbreaker too. Why is he okay?" Kiana blinked, looking genuinely puzzled.
"I mainly fight with blades and my fists, so a windbreaker doesn't affect me much," Rovel explained patiently. "But Kiana, you're used to fighting with your legs and Gun-Fu. When you throw a high kick, you might run into the awkward problem of the windbreaker tangling around your feet."
"Yes, Mr. Rovel is right," Mei nodded in agreement.
"Alright then! I'll have to trouble you to help me fix it, Mei!" Kiana pressed her hands together in a prayer-like plea.
"No problem at all," Mei readily agreed with a warm smile.
"Yay! I love you the most, Mei!" Kiana cheered, affectionately throwing her arms around Mei's neck and pressing her cheek against hers.
"Kiana…" A fond, doting expression softened Mei's face.
"?" A question mark practically materialized above Rovel's head. He stepped forward, deftly plucked Kiana off Mei, and set her aside.
"Doesn't your conscience hurt, saying something like that right in front of Mei's boyfriend?" Rovel declared, taking Kiana's former place and wrapping his arms around Mei.
"What for? Can't I even give her a hug? So stingy!" Kiana stuck her tongue out and made a face at him. Then, a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.
"Speaking of which," she said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "I just realized Mei is perfectly my type. She's gentle, smart, and she's such a good cook…"
She turned her gaze back to Rovel, a challenging smirk on her lips. "Rovel, do you mind having an extra love rival?"
"It's impossible for me to give Mei to you," Rovel stated, declaring his sovereignty by tightening his arm around Mei's slender waist. "But I have another solution."
"Eh? What solution?" Kiana looked dazed. She was only joking; it wasn't like she was actually going to try and steal her best friend's boyfriend.
Mei also looked over, her curiosity piqued.
"How about you become my second girlfriend?" Rovel shamelessly voiced his grand ambition. "That way, we'll all be one big family, and Mei will naturally be your family, too."
"Wha—?! What are you talking about, you idiot?!" Kiana's face instantly flushed a brilliant shade of red. "This young lady would never, ever have feelings for someone like you!"
"Mr. Rovel… what did you just say?" A dark, chilling aura began to emanate from Mei as she looked up at him, her lips curved into a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Could you please say that again?"
"Idiot," Bronya commented dryly from the couch, not even looking up from her game.
"Uh…" Rovel's confidence evaporated. "The weather is lovely today! Mei, do you want to go see a movie with me?" he blurted out, desperately trying to change the subject.
"It's almost time for lunch."
Mei didn't respond to his invitation. Instead, she calmly detached herself from his embrace, walked into the kitchen, and returned holding a brightly polished chef's knife.
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]