"Bronya-oneechan, time for lunch!"
Seele placed two small bento boxes on the desk, gently pushing one of them onto Bronya's.
"Bronya-oneechan?"
Bronya didn't seem to hear Seele. She just rested her chin on her hand, gazing quietly at the school building opposite them. It wasn't until Seele gently tapped her shoulder that she snapped out of her daze.
"Uh... um, thank you, Seele."
Bronya forced a smile, opened the bento, and, without looking, picked up a piece of food and put it in her mouth. Then she absentmindedly turned her head back to the window.
Seele sighed and lowered her head, a little disappointed. But she quickly cheered up, scooted her stool closer to Bronya, and silently ate her own cold meal.
She knew Bronya wasn't intentionally distancing herself. She was just burdened with some mission Seele didn't know about and couldn't afford to be distracted. Seele didn't mind. As long as she could be a little closer to Bronya-oneechan, as long as these peaceful moments together could last a little longer, that was enough.
Bronya shifted uncomfortably, trying to clear her mind. Focusing on the mission even when a comrade dies horribly beside you wasn't something most mercenaries could do, but it was the very talent that had made the "Ural Silver Wolf" a legend in the mercenary world at such a young age.
So, she shouldn't be distracted by Seele, especially when Seele was just sitting quietly beside her, with no intention of bothering her. But Bronya couldn't shake a growing sense of panic. This panic, however, probably had nothing to do with Seele—her sixth sense was telling her that something important was about to happen. But she had no idea what it could be.
"Hmph... whatever. It's not like she'll run away if I don't watch her for a little while."
Bronya shook her head, turned to Seele with a small smile, and then, while half-heartedly eating her bento, began to rapidly formulate a plan in her mind:
"Mama Cocolia's mission is to bring Raiden Mei back to the base, then inject her with Honkai Energy to activate the Gem of Conquest in her body. This is tricky... It's impossible to do it at school. Raiden Ryoma's scandal has only made everyone pay more attention to the young miss. Plus, Chiba Academy's security is tight. Even if I find an opportunity, I won't be able to get her out of the school. That leaves the route to and from school, but..."
She subconsciously glanced at Seele, then guiltily looked away, staring at the faint reflection in the window. Seeing the short, silver-gray hair, the image of the man named Michael appeared in her mind.
"But with that man around... Natasha was injured last night and can't participate in the operation for a while. I'm definitely no match for him on my own... Is that the only way?"
She recalled the sight of the white-haired girl named Kiana getting out of the car with Raiden Mei and walking into the school side-by-side.
"They seem so close, just like me and..."
Bronya's neck turned on its own, her gaze returning to Seele.
Seele, feeling her stare, shyly turned her head away, but a smile slowly crept onto her lips.
---||---
"Um... I made this bento. Would you like to try some?"
"Uh, no, no thanks..."
"I made today's bento myself..."
"No, no, really, I'm fine!"
The girl in front of Mei waved her hands frantically, shrinking back, a flash of annoyance in her eyes.
"O-okay..."
Mei retreated sheepishly and walked over to two other girls who were clustered together.
"Um... I made this bento myself. Would you two like to try some?"
Both girls shook their heads in unison.
Mei wanted to try again, but as soon as she opened her mouth, her eyes stung and her nose twitched. The words got stuck in her throat.
She then walked over to a boy further back in the classroom who had once pursued her. When he saw her approaching, he dropped his half-eaten bento and stood up.
A glint of light appeared in Mei's eyes. She thought he was going to take the bento from her hands, but instead, he turned his back on her and called his friends to go to the bathroom. From beginning to end, the boy's gaze never rested on her for even a second.
(PS: According to the lore, Chiba Academy is supposed to be an all-girls' school, but it's also said that Mei repeatedly rejected confessions from male students there, earning her the nickname "Raiden Queen." Uh... so maybe it's a girls' school that boys can also attend.)
Mei stood in the noisy classroom, holding three bento boxes, yet feeling as if she were on the dark side of the moon—no light, no sound, just an endless, dark wilderness and a cold that froze her tears in an instant.
But it only felt that way. Since yesterday morning, her hearing had become exceptionally sharp. If she could, she would have rejected this talent, because even in the noisy classroom, she could easily hear some people's whispers:
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, a homemade bento. What's so great about that? A bento is either made by yourself or by your mom... oh, right, she doesn't have a mom."
"Hmph! Her bentos used to be made by a top chef hired by Raiden Ryoma. Looks like that chef wasn't a fool either; he ran off as soon as Raiden Ryoma was arrested. Poor young miss, having to make her own bento. Aww, so pitiful!"
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Mei's chest rose and fell rapidly, but her head sank lower and lower.
She didn't understand. She hadn't done anything wrong. Before her father's accident, she had treated her classmates the same way. She had never used her status as the ME Corp princess to bully anyone. She could understand everyone no longer revolving around her like before, and she could accept being treated as a normal classmate—that was what she had always wanted. But...
But why were they avoiding her, hating her?
Why, and on what grounds?
"Mei!"
"Uh... Kiana... what are you doing here?"
A familiar voice suddenly called out. Mei was still in a daze when Kiana strode into the classroom from the back door and roughly grabbed her wrist.
"Hey, wait, don't spill the bentos..."
"Come on, why do you think I'm here? You have my bento! Come with me, I know a good place where we won't be disturbed!"
Mei didn't answer, but she didn't resist either. She just silently followed Kiana out of the classroom, up the stairs, and finally to the deserted rooftop.
The moment her foot stepped onto the last stair and over the threshold of the rooftop door, Kiana's smile vanished.
Or maybe it was only because she turned her head that Mei noticed her lips pressed into a thin line. Perhaps that innocent smile had never been there to begin with.
"Aaargh! I'm so mad! Mei, after they treated you like that, how could you still share your bento with them!"
"I... I'm used to it..." Mei hunched over, staring at her toes, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. This only made Kiana angrier.
She had been caught daydreaming in class and got a lecture from the teacher, so she was a little late in finding Mei. But because of that, she had witnessed the unpleasant scene—the "classmates," while not as agitated as yesterday, perhaps because of Michael, didn't dare to say anything sarcastic, but not a single one of them would acknowledge Mei.
Forced smiles, slight shakes of the head, and silent treatment were the milder responses. Many clearly disliked Mei but didn't dare to show their anger openly. They didn't dare to get physical; the girl from yesterday was still in the hospital. Everyone had their sources, and the rumor was she had become a vegetable, but the police weren't even taking the case. Under such circumstances, no one dared to do anything too extreme, but turning their backs and walking away was fair game, right?
That was why Kiana had dragged Mei to the rooftop. Whether they stayed in the classroom or went to the cafeteria, they would have to endure malicious stares and whispers. There were empty classrooms and activity rooms, but using them meant dealing with people's attitudes. What could be better than the breeze on the rooftop?
But Mei didn't seem to think so.
"I'm sorry, Kiana..." she choked out, helplessly clutching the bento boxes and apologizing to Kiana.
"You... why are you apologizing to me? No, why are you apologizing at all?" Kiana couldn't understand Mei's train of thought.
"I... it's all because of me that you have to come to a place like this..."
"You... how could you think that?" Kiana frowned, struggling to find the right words.
Mei pressed her lips together and didn't answer, perhaps not knowing how. At this moment, she felt that everything that had happened from yesterday afternoon until this morning was like a dream. Michael, who had appeared so suddenly and cared for her like a father, a brother, and a teacher, was fake. The eccentric but cute Grandma Mobius was fake. And perhaps even this silly, goofy girl in front of her, who bravely stood in front of her every time she was bullied, was fake too.
She was afraid it was all fake, but she also wished it was all fake.
If all this beauty was fake, if all hope was fake, then she wouldn't expect anything more from anyone else. She could then resign herself to drowning in this ocean of malice.
Unlike now, where she just felt that her inability to bear the malice, her own weakness, was a betrayal of the hope and kindness they had given her. And because of their connection, the malice that should have been directed entirely at her had spread to them.
Like Kiana...
"Kiana, from now on, let's not... let's just pretend we don't know each other." Mei looked up, her tears unable to hide the stubbornness in her eyes.
After saying this, she turned to leave, but Kiana was one step ahead. She leaped past her and slammed the heavy metal door to the rooftop shut.
"Mei, what are you talking about? What's wrong with you? Weren't you fine when we came to school this morning? You were fine when I came to see you during the break too! Did those people say something bad about you again? Tell me who it was, I'll go..."
"Kiana! It's not like that... ah!" Mei grabbed Kiana's wrist, her body tilting back, and the bento boxes in her hand slipped uncontrollably.
She quickly closed her eyes, but the expected sound of the bento boxes hitting the ground never came. She opened one eye a crack to see Kiana leaning forward, her right leg bent back, having caught all three bento boxes on the sole of her foot.
"Hey!" With a flick of her right leg, the three bento boxes flew into the air, and she turned around to catch them again.
Mei smiled faintly. If this had happened a little earlier, she would have clapped and sincerely praised her, "Kiana, you're amazing!" But now, she just took a step back, creating some distance, before slowly explaining, "Kiana, you can still leave me now. You've seen it, nobody likes me, everyone hates me. Getting close to someone like me will only make you a target of their hate too... Michael can say he's acting on my father's request, but you had nothing to do with me before this. I don't want you to get dragged into this, so let's..."
"Have you said enough!"
"I..."
"Idiot! Do you think they didn't hate me before this?"
"That's different!" Mei shook her head firmly. "They avoided you because you're... more innocent. And because of some family issues. Yes, they only avoided you before. But if you keep getting close to me, the malice and slander I've been enduring will spill over to you... wait, don't come any closer, I..."
While Mei rambled on with her own assumptions, Kiana just silently advanced on her, step by step. Mei retreated step by step until her back hit the rooftop's chain-link fence.
Before she could react, Kiana, holding the bento boxes in her left hand, grabbed Mei's hand with her right and pulled it between their chests.
"That's just what you think. But for me, whether it's being avoided or slandered, it doesn't matter." Kiana looked directly into Mei's eyes and gave her signature goofy smile.
"Mei, you said something wrong just now."
"...What?"
"You said I had nothing to do with you before this, right?"
"Isn't that true?"
"Of course not!" Kiana's smile grew even brighter. "Mei, don't you forget, we didn't meet yesterday after your father's accident. We met the day before!"
"The day before..."
"The day before yesterday, you told me I'd need an amputation if I didn't treat my injury. You held my ankle, you cleaned my wound, you bandaged it for me, and even got someone to get me a crutch. I thought to myself then—since my old man left me, this is the first time someone has cared about me so much, the first time someone has been so nice to me. Before, I would have just gritted my teeth and endured a small injury like that, but the day before yesterday, you gave me another possibility."
"Kiana..." Mei's lower lip pushed up, and tears rolled down her cheeks.
"That's why I said, whether people avoid me or slander me, it's all the same to me. No one cares about me anyway. So what's the difference? I've lived like that for the past few years. But you, Mei, you're different. You cared about me, you helped me, so of course I can't leave you here all alone."
Kiana's grip loosened, and Mei's arm slipped down, right into Kiana's hand. Kiana held her hand and swung it in front of her as if showing off.
"When you get back on your feet and become the Raiden Queen again, if you ask me to leave then, I won't stay a second longer. But until then, I can't leave you all by yourself.
"I won't leave you, Mei! Never!" she promised, her face close to Mei's, her words slow and deliberate.