"…F*ck!!!"
Realizing what those girls had done again, Elias cursed and bolted out of the classroom.
He hadn't expected that after just scolding them yesterday, they would pull something even worse today.
Elias didn't know exactly what Raiden Mei was going through right now, but one thing was certain—
With Kiana not here yet, he was the only one in this school who could help her!
Scenes from the game flashed through his mind—the painful memories Mei recalled about her school days, the ones that had always made his heart ache.
Elias clenched his teeth and picked up his pace.
Meanwhile.
"…Why are you doing this to me? What did I do wrong?"
Tears streamed down Mei's face.
Dressed only in a thin swimsuit, she was curled up in the corner of the locker room.
After swimming class, the girls had suddenly stolen her clothes and locked her inside.
No matter how much she screamed for help—there was no response.
No matter how much she apologized—all she got was mockery.
No matter how much she pleaded—the only answer was laughter.
"It's so cold… It hurts so much… I don't want to suffer anymore… I've had enough of this…"
"Anyone… Please… Someone, save me…"
At that moment, Mei's light purple eyes began to glow intensely.
Purple lightning arcs flickered across her delicate body, and around her, Honkai energy rapidly thickened.
Deep within her, a new consciousness quietly emerged—whispering, urging, commanding Raiden Mei to destroy everything.
And just as this irresistible force was about to grant her rebirth—
"Mei! Are you in there?!"
BANG—!
With a deafening crash, the locker room door was kicked open.
A young man stormed in—his short white hair as pure as snow, his light golden eyes filled with urgency and concern.
"Elias…"
Mei stared blankly at the boy who had just burst into the room.
In her vision, he seemed as radiant as a prince from a fairy tale.
At that moment, the despair, sorrow, and self-loathing that had consumed her completely vanished.
Like a drowning person finally grabbing onto a lifeline.
Seeing that Mei was unharmed, Elias let out a small sigh of relief.
He quickly stepped forward and draped a coat over Mei's shoulders, softly reassuring her that everything was alright now.
At the same time, he noticed the faint purple lightning flickering on the floor around her—and instantly realized that if he had been even a moment later, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Though the Honkai energy concentration wasn't high enough for a full Herrscher awakening, the signs were already there.
"Sigh… Mei, you got bullied again, huh?"
"But it's okay now—so don't worry."
"Later, I'll make sure to give those girls a real beating for you."
Elias raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears at the corner of Mei's eyes.
Since this was only the second time in his life comforting a crying girl, he was clearly flustered and a bit clumsy.
Mei, on the other hand, clutched tightly onto Elias' sleeve, as if silently pleading with him not to leave.
After hesitating for a brief moment—
Elias raised his hand and patted her head.
"It's alright now. Don't be scared."
"Mm… Elias, you came to help me again…"
"Then how about paying me back with one of Mei's bentos this time? Uh—unless you're hungry, then forget it."
"Mm… alright, I'll give you one. Really… really, thank you, Elias."
A feeling she couldn't quite describe welled up inside Mei's heart.
She had no way to accurately express her emotions at this moment.
That feeling of being on the verge of giving up in despair, only to be suddenly saved by someone.
If possible, she wanted this moment to last a little longer.
And so, the two of them simply sat there in silence.
Mei lowered her head, leaning lightly against Elias' arm, while Elias stared at the ceiling, thinking about how to deal with those girls later.
"…Um, about this outfit—what exactly is it?"
In the end, Mei was the first to break the silence.
"Oh, I borrowed it from the drama club on the way here. Does it fit you alright?"
Elias explained.
Thanks to the system's reminder, he had remembered that Raiden Mei's clothes had been stolen by those girls.
Otherwise, he would've had to make another trip.
"It's… it's okay. Just a little tight."
"…"
As expected of the best figure among the Main Trio.
Even at this age, she was already on the path of greatness.
Elias glanced at Mei's chest—
The buttons of the borrowed outfit were strained to their absolute limit, bearing a tension they were never meant to withstand, looking as if they would snap off and fly at any moment.
"Speaking of which… Elias, you've been calling me by name since earlier."
Mei suddenly murmured.
"Huh? Have I? Oh—my bad, it just slipped out."
"Mei—uh, Raiden. If you don't like it, I'll stop."
Elias scratched his head.
"No! I don't dislike it!"
"…Really? Then that's good."
Hearing this, Elias smiled.
After all, any other way of addressing her just felt unnatural.
Back in the game, he had always called her "Mei, Mei"—
There was even a period when Elias completely forgot that this girl even had a surname.
Just like when they first met yesterday, he had almost called her by her first name right away.
For people in the Far East, given names were only used by close friends or family members.
But for any Captain, they were only ever used to calling her Mei.
"If anything… I should be thanking you, Elias, for calling me that."
She smiled as well.
Raiden Mei felt truly happy.
Because in this school, there was still someone willing to call her by her name.
Rather than calling her "the fraudster's daughter" or "the sinner's child."