I haven't come up with that part of the setup yet.
That part of the setup...
Mei's pretty face instantly turned deathly pale, then flushed a deep, furious red.
Otto watched this spectacle with great interest.
At this point, Mei had realized she'd been played. The result of having her heart toyed with was a potent mix of shame and rage.
So angry. So angry.
The Herrscher of Thunder was about to be angered into becoming the Herrscher of Flame.
Her slender fingers clenched into tight fists. If she weren't more rational than a certain Paramecium, she might have already pounced on Otto and unleashed her fire fists on him.
"It was just a little joke," Otto said with a smile. "If punching me once would make you feel better, please, go right ahead."
He raised his right hand and tapped his own cheek. Mei's eyes widened. She had actually heard the sound of metal striking metal.
Good grief, how is this man's skin so thick!?
Mei was dumbfounded. If she went up and punched him, she would be the one who ended up in pain.
All she could do was swallow her resentment and become a pouting, resentful punching bag.
Damn it. Seeing Otto's smug smile, Mei trembled with rage. On a hot day, she was covered in a cold sweat, her hands and feet ice-cold. Was there any hope left in this world?
She was already in such a miserable state, and yet someone still had to come and bully her.
Seeing the jilted wife Mei staring at him with resentful eyes, Otto simply gave a nonchalant smile.
"If you want, everything I said earlier can become reality."
"Although, after more than a decade, a second child is a certainty."
"I don't want to." Mei refused decisively.
If she let herself be tricked by a bad man like this, who was so skilled at toying with a girl's heart, she would surely be eaten alive, leaving not even the bones behind.
"How heartless."
Otto smiled as he looked at Mei. Clad only in a bathrobe, she sat on the bed, hugging a blanket to her chest, looking quite a bit like the persecuted Raven from a few days ago.
If Raven were still here, he could be enjoying both of them at once.
"But compared to the cold, aloof mask you wore before, I find this version of you much more likable."
Otto's words were sincere. The "mask" he referred to was the facade Mei had put up against the outside world.
She acted strong, she acted lonely, but no one truly enjoys being alone.
Otto had now peeled back a part of Mei's outer shell, touching the soft heart she had hidden away.
Like seafood, you had to shuck the shell to taste the plump meat and savory juices within.
And the process of savoring a delicacy was always a delightful one.
Hearing Otto's words, Mei flinched. She wanted to revert to her previous cold and aloof demeanor that kept everyone at a distance, but the thought of how she'd been played like a complete fool made her face burn with shame.
Mei wasn't as shameless as Otto.
"W-Why am I here?" Mei could only ask with a hint of dissatisfaction. Shouldn't she be at Senba Academy?
Otto walked towards her. Seeing him approach, Mei shrank back, but the bed was only so large. Where could she possibly run?
Otto sat down on the edge of the bed, took his phone out of his pocket, pulled up a news report, and handed it to her.
"Take a look at this."
Mei cowered. Although the golden-haired man was handsome without his mask, his earlier behavior had left a small psychological scar.
She cautiously took Otto's phone and saw it was a story from the evening news.
As she read the contents, her brow furrowed.
"Senba Academy School Building Collapses. Twenty-one dead on site, over one hundred injured. Preliminary investigation suggests substandard building materials. Relevant personnel have been taken into custody."
"The school building collapsed!?" Mei cried out in shock. She clearly remembered the building being perfectly fine during the day.
She looked up at Otto, but he was looking at her with an expression of profound sadness.
As if he were looking at a pitiful wretch.
"Oh, you girl, toyed with by fate." Otto took his phone back and pulled up a very blurry photograph.
Mei looked at the photo, her eyes widening in disbelief.
Amidst the dust and smoke, a girl cloaked in lightning stood holding a vibrant purple tachi.
And behind her was the ruined school building.
Although the photo was extremely blurry, Mei could still vaguely make out that the girl's face was identical to her own.
"This is..."
"This is the demon in your heart," Otto said, his voice low and heavy, applying psychological pressure on Mei.
"This is the Herrscher I told you about. Your emotions ran high, and your negative feelings awakened the demon within you. The casualties at Senba Academy weren't caused by a building collapse. They were caused by you, when you lost control."
Otto twisted the facts with his words, embellishing the truth to his advantage.
Lying, in the end, didn't matter.
Because once Mei stepped into his trap, she wouldn't care in the future whether he had lied or not.
"It was... me?"
Mei said blankly, staring at the blurry photo.
The person in the photo was her, but also not her. And yet, it was her.
So...
Did I kill people?
Mei, who had never harmed another soul, looked down at her own hands. Though they were fair and unblemished, she could almost see indelible bloodstains.
Otto was crushing Mei's spirit, pushing her into a state of instability.
He was going to strike while she was vulnerable.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. While waiting for Mei to awaken, he had been waiting for this exact moment of mental fragility.
Otto's hand closed over Mei's.
"It's okay."
"Even though something tragic has happened, for the sake of those who are still alive, for your own sake, and for your father's."
"You must learn to control her. To control this power."
"If you control it well, you can prevent the disaster in Nagazora City."
"And this power will become the sword in your hand. You can use it to save Brother Ryoma."
Otto felt like a complete charlatan, his mouth full of nothing but lies.
In truth, he felt very little for the victims.
Although they had died in front of him, he had been so preoccupied with the appearance of the Will of the Honkai that he hadn't had the capacity to pay them any mind.
Looking back on it now, he felt nothing.
The casualty count was just a string of cold numbers.
Perhaps this was the necessary, rational sadness of someone in a high position.
"Can... can I do it?"
Mei's hands trembled. She looked at the image of her other self, who radiated a terrifying aura. That being was the true Queen of Thunder.
She was just a counterfeit wearing the Queen of Thunder's mask.
She clung tightly to Otto's hand, as if he were her last and only lifeline.
"You can."
"So, you must smile. Don't let negative emotions affect you. Prevent the demon from taking control of your body again."
"And I have a suggestion."
"A suggestion?" Mei looked into Otto's eyes.
The doors and windows were shut. In this sealed room, she was utterly alone, with no one to rely on.
This enclosed environment was also part of Otto's setup.
"Yes. A good method to protect you from the influence of negative emotions."
"That is love. Love conquers all."
Otto wasn't lying.
The original Otto believed in love more than anyone. He believed love could allow humanity to triumph over the Herrschers.
And as it turned out, he wasn't wrong.
Now, this Otto intended to transfer the bonds that were meant for another onto himself.
"Are you... asking me to go out with you?"
Mei thought this was a confession, but Otto shook his head.
He said faintly.
"No."
"It's not about me loving you. It is..."
"You must learn to love me."