Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 79

Chapter 79: Theresa Flees in Terror

“Wha—what?!”

Theresa shot to her feet as if the sofa had been spring-loaded. Her small hands balled into tight fists, her crimson eyes wide and round with pure indignation.

“What in the world do you mean, he was ‘bullied miserably last night’?!”

A fond smile tugged at Lucian’s lips, the amusement in his eyes deepening as he watched her bristle like an angry kitten.

Just then, Mei emerged from the kitchen, balancing a tray with several cups of steaming tea. She paused, taking in the sight of Theresa’s furious posture.

Her gaze flickered from the headmaster’s flustered state to the barely-suppressed, mischievous smirk playing on Lucian’s face. A soft sigh escaped her; she understood immediately.

“Headmaster, is something wrong?”

Theresa took a deep, steadying breath, trying desperately to compose herself.

“It’s nothing, it’s just… just…”

She pointed a trembling finger at Lucian, her face flushing a brilliant shade of red as she struggled, and failed, to form a coherent sentence.

Mei’s eyes softened with understanding as she observed Theresa’s sputtering and Lucian’s obvious, unrepentant grin. It was clear what had happened. She glided over and placed the tray on the coffee table.

“Everyone, please, have a seat first.”

——————

Seated on the sofa, Mei had positioned herself as a buffer between a blushing Theresa and a somewhat sheepish Lucian. She looked between the two of them with an expression of gentle helplessness.

“Headmaster, did Lucian tease you again?” Mei asked softly.

At her question, Theresa nodded vigorously, her voice laced with accusation. “H-He said… he said he was pressed onto the sofa and bullied miserably by you last night.”

Mei blinked, momentarily stunned. Then, the corners of her lips curled into a subtle, knowing smile. She had assumed Lucian had simply said something to make Theresa blush, but she hadn’t expected him to bring that up.

“Headmaster, I believe you’ve misunderstood.”

Theresa blinked back, the flush on her face not yet faded. “Misunderstood? What kind of misunderstanding?”

Mei gracefully picked up her teacup, taking a delicate sip. A tender, almost playful light danced in her eyes.

“Actually, it’s not just last night. The truth is, I bully Lucian miserably almost every night.”

The teacup Theresa had just lifted nearly slipped from her grasp.

“Ev-every night?!”

Her eyes widened in disbelief, darting from Mei to Lucian and back again.

The smirk on Lucian’s face froze solid. He turned to stare at Mei, utterly blindsided. He had expected her to help him smooth things over, or at the very least, be a bit more subtle. He never imagined she would just confirm it so bluntly.

Mei, however, maintained her serene smile and gave a single, deliberate nod. Her tone was disarmingly frank.

“Every single night.”

Theresa’s brain sputtered to a halt.

‘Bullied miserably every night?”Then… wouldn’t that mean…?’

Her gaze darted between Lucian and Mei, a frantic metronome of disbelief. The blush on her cheeks deepened from a delicate pink to a furious crimson, steam practically threatening to vent from her ears.

“Y-you two…” she stammered, jabbing a trembling finger at them. The digit shook as if afflicted with a sudden palsy. “Every night, you… you…”

“Yes,” Mei confirmed, her purple eyes shimmering with mischievous laughter. “Every single night.”

That was the final straw. Theresa sprang up from the sofa.

“I-I have to go!”

A string of incoherent noises escaped her as she scrambled for the exit. In her panic, her hands fumbled against the smooth wood of the door, missing the handle several times before her fingers finally closed around the cool metal.

With a sharp click, the door was yanked open.

Theresa bolted out without a single glance back. The door slammed shut behind her with a resounding BANG that seemed to rattle the entire dormitory room.

Instant, deep silence descended.

On the coffee table, three cups of tea continued to steam gently. On the sofa, two people remained.

Lucian stared at the still-vibrating door panel for a few seconds before slowly turning his head to look at Mei.

She was holding her teacup, that same faint, infuriatingly beautiful smile still lingering on her lips.

“…You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Lucian asked, his voice thick with helplessness. He wasn’t that debauched. Besides, it had been a while since he and Mei had even had a moment alone…

Mei gently set her cup down and turned to face him fully.

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she moved with a slow, deliberate grace, leaning in close. Her knees pressed into the sofa cushion beside his thigh, and she planted her hands on either side of his shoulders, effectively pinning him between her arms and the backrest.

“Just a little,” she whispered, her voice a soft, silken thread, the end of each word curling with a hint of smoky ambiguity.

An involuntary shiver traced its way down Lucian’s spine, his back pressing firmly into the sofa cushions. He was trapped, with nowhere to retreat. He looked into the amethyst eyes just inches from his own, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

“…Just a little bit?” he asked in a low voice.

Mei gave a soft hum of affirmation before gracefully sliding off him, resting her head comfortably in his lap.

“Even if I hadn’t said anything, the Headmaster would have guessed sooner or later.”

He reached out, his fingers automatically beginning to sift through the silken strands of her hair. “I feel like that was less of a confession and more of a declaration of sovereignty,” he said, a note of resignation in his voice.

Hearing this, Mei let out a soft, musical chuckle.

“A declaration of sovereignty?” she repeated, the smile on her lips deepening. “Do you really think I need to?”

Mei raised her hand, her fingertips lightly tracing the edge of his collar. With tantalizing slowness, she pulled the fabric down, revealing the cluster of suggestive, faded marks on the side of his neck.

“Ahem, Mei…” Lucian coughed twice, a gentle reminder, but she paid him no mind.

Her fingertips ghosted over the faint outlines, a hint of satisfied laughter in her eyes.

“These were all left by me,” she said softly, an indescribable pride warming her voice. “Every single one.”

Lucian’s throat went dry. He looked at Mei, at the way her purple eyes seemed to glow with a faint crimson light, and suddenly found himself at a complete loss for words.

Mei looked up, her gaze locking with his.

The usual gentle warmth in her amethyst eyes was gone, replaced by a raw, undiluted possessiveness that was almost startling in its intensity.

“Lucian,” she called his name, her voice a soft murmur that carried an unyielding weight. “You are mine.”

Lucian didn’t answer. He simply stared down at Mei, and she stared back, a silent, charged battle of wills playing out between them.

After a few long seconds, her expression suddenly broke, and a playful smile bloomed on her face.

“Scared?” she asked, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Lucian shook his head. “No. But I am curious about one thing.”

“What is it?” Mei tilted her head, her posture on his lap unchanged, her eyes filled with genuine curiosity.

Lucian paused for a moment, as if carefully arranging his thoughts.

Then, he asked softly, “When… did you become like this?”

Mei was taken aback. “Become like this?”

“Yes.” Lucian nodded, continuing, “Your possessiveness… it’s incredibly strong now. I don’t think I could have been the one to make you this way in such a short amount of time…”

After he spoke, Mei fell silent for a few seconds. Then, a soft smile graced her lips. It was a gentle smile, but it held a depth of complexity that Lucian couldn’t begin to decipher.

“Lucian, if the person in front of you right now wasn’t the Mei you know… what would you do?”

“Well…” Lucian considered it. “I’d probably be shocked for a second, and then act like nothing happened?”

Mei was clearly stunned by his answer. A helpless, disbelieving smile touched her lips. “Act like nothing happened? Are you serious?”

Lucian shrugged. “What else would I do? Kick you out? I could never do something like that.”

Mei looked at him—at his easy smile, at the unguarded sincerity shining in his eyes. Somewhere deep in her heart, a tightly coiled knot loosened, becoming incredibly, achingly soft.

“Lucian, you really are an idiot.”

“Then an idiot I’ll be,” Lucian smiled, his fingertips gently combing through her long hair, the motion as tender as if he were stroking a priceless treasure. “It’s not like you’d dislike me for it, anyway.”

Mei gave a soft hum of agreement, not bothering to refute him. She closed her eyes, content to let his fingers weave through her hair.

The room fell quiet again, filled only by the sound of their soft, even breathing.

After a while, Lucian’s voice broke the silence, tinged with a slight awkwardness. “So, which Mei was it that night? You have to tell me. It’s really important.”

“Pfft…”

Mei burst out laughing, the sound bubbling with an indescribable joy. She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she sat up, turning to face him.

Kneeling on the sofa, she planted her hands lightly on his shoulders, once again trapping him between her body and the backrest. Leaning in close, her lips almost brushing his ear, she whispered her promise.

“You’ll know tomorrow.”