My biggest pet peeve? No cliffhanger chapter endings. The transitions are smooth. One scene ends, the next begins without a cheap “what will happen next?” line. It feels like a well-edited episode rather than a serial. Respect for that.
I love the recurring motif of the 'Maiden' identity. She constantly refers to herself as one. 'Discarding any maidenly shyness. This is the tolerance of a maiden. A maiden.' It's a source of constant internal irony. She describes herself as a maiden, but she is engaging in the most un-maidenly acts of violence. It's a tick, a running gag, but it also tells the reader who she thinks she *should* be versus what she *has* to be. She is an ordinary schoolgirl forced into extraordinary violence, but she never drops the pretense of being just 'a maiden'. Seeing her with the 'Black-Rimmed Glasses (Accuracy +100)' highlights her 'Bookworm/Game Master' archetype, which contrasts hilariously with her new occupation as an apocalypse warrior. The visual is classic, the voice is classic.
The word choice for Su Li's father being "commander of the Southern Frontier" and being executed by the emperor for "unfavorable battle situation" immediately sets up a classic tragic backstory. It's a trope, but it works because it creates immediate sympathy and a reason for Su Li to be hidden. I just hope the political plot is more nuanced than "evil emperor, good general."