"...Because I want to save you. I want to save all of you..."
This statement clearly carried a deeper meaning, but at this moment, Raiden Mei was unable to grasp it.
It was now 10 PM.
Elias' image kept replaying in Mei's mind. The moment she closed her eyes, she would picture the young man's face, causing her heartbeat to quicken, making it impossible to sleep.
Mei foresaw that she would likely be restless all night, but the excitement within her was something she simply couldn't suppress.
Today, Raiden Mei felt like a princess in distress who had finally encountered the prince who came to save her.
...
As expected, things unfolded exactly as Elias had predicted.
After the two of them became a couple in name, the bullies who used to torment Mei so openly suddenly dropped by 80%.
Of course, as a trade-off, not a single female classmate greeted Elias in the morning anymore—but he didn't care in the slightest.
After all, he still didn't know the names of anyone in the class except for Mei.
However, Mei's situation wasn't completely resolved.
Just like the black marker graffiti on her desk that refused to be erased, there were still students who "accidentally" knocked over her stationery as they passed by.
Things were fine when Elias was around.
But the moment he wasn't, someone would always come looking for trouble.
That said, Mei herself already felt things had improved tremendously.
Compared to before, when no one was willing to stand by her side, having Elias as her protector—her prince—already made her feel incredibly fortunate.
But at this moment, Mei had no idea.
She wasn't the only one who wanted to protect her.
…A few days later…
"Shut up, you jerks! Stop talking badly about Mei!!"
The moment Elias stepped into the classroom that day, he was immediately met with a very familiar female voice.
And sure enough—
A furious paramecium was loudly scolding the students who had been harassing Mei while Elias was away.
The newly arrived girl wore twin braids, her bright blue eyes as clear as the sky. Like Elias, she had white hair—her figure was slim and petite, yet not entirely lacking in curves.
Even though she was baring her fangs at the students who bullied Mei, her angry expression still looked undeniably beautiful and adorable.
…Perhaps her natural airheadedness weakened her intimidation factor.
All in all, she looked like an energetic Persian cat.
Upon getting a closer look, Elias' first thought was—
(Yo~ isn't this the absolutely, ridiculously, unbelievably cute Kiana?! Paramecium, you've finally arrived!)
"Mei, let go of me! I need to teach these rude idiots a lesson!"
"It's okay, Kiana. I don't mind anymore… Ah, Elias, you're back."
"Yeah, I'm back, Mei. Oh? And you've already made a new friend?"
Seeing Elias arrive at the classroom, Mei immediately revealed a beautiful smile, momentarily stunning Kiana, who had been ready to charge over and argue with someone.
"Mei, you look so pretty when you smile! Hehe, you should smile more often!"
"Mm, I agree with that. Kiana, was it? You have a good eye."
"Of course! My taste is the best in the world! By the way, are you Mei's friend? Nice to meet you! If you're Mei's friend, then you're my friend too!"
Kiana beamed brightly and extended her hand toward Elias in a friendly gesture.
"Friend? Sure—but I'm also her boyfriend."
"Oh, WHAT?! Boyfriend?!"
"Haha, you're way too surprised."
Holding Kiana's small hand, Elias gave it a few playful shakes before casually ignoring her stunned reaction and taking a seat beside Raiden Mei—he had already moved his desk over.
Though Elias could more or less guess what had happened, given this paramecium's personality, he still turned to the purple-haired girl beside him and asked.
"So, Mei, what's the deal with this girl?"
"Elias, this is Kiana—Kiana Kaslana. This morning, while you weren't around, those people… well, let's just say Kiana helped me out. She's a very kind and passionate person, and she just transferred to Chiba Academy today as a first-year student."
"I see. Making new friends is a good thing for you, Mei. Kiana—that's a lovely name."
"Uuugh~ Is this for real? Mei already has a boyfriend?"
Upon learning that Elias was Mei's boyfriend, the paramecium visibly deflated.
Kiana frowned, glancing between the two of them. For some reason, she suddenly felt as if someone had put a hat on her.
Even though this was their first meeting, this perfect Yamato Nadeshiko in front of her had completely struck her heartstrings. After a short conversation, Kiana instantly became fond of Mei.
Instinctively, the paramecium wanted to stick close to Raiden Mei. And when she found out about Mei's situation, Kiana—whose sense of justice was off the charts—immediately stood up for her.
Of course, there was also just a tiny bit of the classic "hero saving the beauty" motivation.
After all, she was hoping to use this chance to become Mei's close friend… and then gradually pull her down the irreversible path of yuri.
But she hadn't expected that Mei already had a boyfriend.
Kiana: "Uuuuugh, what a shame! I finally met a girl who's my type, and I really wanted to get close to Mei… guhihi~"
This is a degenerate cat.
Elias (confirmed): "Hmm… Even from a genetic standpoint, it makes sense that a paramecium would develop feelings for Mei so quickly. After all, Mei has the kind of face that no Kaslana can possibly resist."
Even if Kevin were here, he'd probably pay Mei extra attention.