As she walked, Raiden Mei observed Li Wu's expression.
His tense, perpetually vigilant look was a little funny, but also kind of cute.
"Oh, don't overthink it. It was just a guy I didn't know very well. back when I was still the 'Young Miss,' plenty of people pursued me. I don't even remember what they looked like or what their names were."
Seeing Li Wu in a bad mood, Raiden Mei took the initiative to explain.
Soon, under Li Wu's high alert, Raiden Mei safely paid the vendor and waited for the takoyaki to be ready.
Then, she continued her story: "When I was still the 'Young Miss,' I never lacked admirers. Grand birthday parties, expensive necklaces... But what left the deepest impression on me was the takoyaki given to me by a certain boy. Some of the things he said back then... thinking about it now, they actually made a bit of sense."
Steam rose from the stall, blurring her expression for a moment.
"He said, 'Raiden-san, look at this takoyaki. It's delicious, and you can buy it in a few minutes just by standing on the roadside. But if it gets cold, it won't taste good anymore.'"
The vendor handed over the paper box. Raiden Mei took it, her fingertips brushing against the warm cardboard. She didn't eat immediately, just held it in her hands.
"Then he said, 'I know a lot of people have given you luxurious gifts. What I want to give you is a promise. If one day you are down and out, despised and hated by others, I will still stand firmly by your side! Just like this takoyaki—even if it gets cold, I'll still happily eat it. When that time comes, you won't need to put on a brave face in front of me at all. I will stay by your side forever!'"
Raiden Mei turned around and looked at Li Wu. Night had fallen as expected, and the neon lights reflected in her eyes, revealing a glimmer of complex light.
"Back then, I just thought he was weird. But now... I think I understand a little."
Raiden Mei picked up a bamboo skewer, stabbed a round takoyaki ball, and held it to Li Wu's mouth. The aroma was tantalizing.
Li Wu stared blankly at the food right in front of him, then looked at the unusually gentle light in her eyes.
He had watched the vendor make the takoyaki himself; it was impossible for it to be drugged.
Also... this rhetoric. It seemed he had said something similar to Raiden Mei, reminding her not to force herself to be strong...
No wonder Raiden Mei had been so disgusted by him. In reality, she was disgusted by hypocritical "nice guys."
Li Wu swallowed it in one bite, then eagerly asked, "What happened next?"
An event that someone remembered so clearly must have caused a subtle change, or might even be the key to her personality shift.
Raiden Mei skewered another takoyaki. She brought it to her lips and blew on it gently, watching quietly as the steam dwindled before putting it in her mouth. Then, she let out a scoff, tearing open her own scars mercilessly with a self-deprecating tone: "Anyone who believes what a little boy like that says must be an idiot."
"And I was that idiot."
"..."
"He broke his promise?" Li Wu asked.
"Broke his promise? That's putting it lightly... After Father went to prison, everyone around me avoided me like the plague. My status in my old circle plummeted. People who used to know me wished they could walk over and kick me. No one dared to get close to me."
Raiden Mei smiled and skewered another takoyaki, but this time she didn't eat it.
She just stared at it obsessively, her other hand involuntarily clutching her skirt.
"Just when I had nowhere else to turn, I remembered that promise. So I specially got up early, dressed up beautifully, bought a portion of takoyaki, put it in an insulated bag, and sat in the classroom full of anticipation, waiting..."
"There were a lot of people cursing at me back then too, but I didn't feel upset. Instead, I was excited and happy... because I still had someone I could trust, someone I could rely on."
Li Wu listened quietly to this content that went beyond the comic's plot.
That period was when Raiden Mei was still in a normal state. He had arrived too late. If he had come a little earlier, perhaps everything would have been different.
The reason she felt happy despite being cursed at was probably because she felt she had grasped a lifesaving straw, naively believing that the boy would weather the storm with her.
Raiden Mei's tone became lower and lower. The steam rising from the takoyaki grew less and less. The smile on her face looked forced, as if squeezed out with great effort.
"He came. Wearing a very clean shirt, his hair meticulously styled. He looked different from the classmates around me who were bullying me."
For some reason, Li Wu suddenly felt the sounds of traffic, people, and various vendors shouting on the street blend together, becoming exceptionally clear. The atmosphere was exactly the same as that noisy classroom.
"When he walked toward me, I immediately stood up. I wanted to take the takoyaki out of the insulated bag. But he stopped three steps away from my desk. He just stood there, looking down at me condescendingly."
"He said—"
Raiden Mei's voice suddenly changed pitch, filled with cold self-mockery. Every word was like a small stone, smashing ruthlessly against the fragile glass of her heart: "'Raiden-san, we've all heard about your father. It's truly regrettable. But there might be a misunderstanding between us.'"
"I didn't understand. I didn't realize what he meant at all. I still foolishly held the insulated bag out to him, telling him, 'This is takoyaki. I bought it for you. It's not cold...'"
"He smiled. But it wasn't the shy smile from before. It was... a sneer I had become accustomed to seeing, a smile I had seen countless times on other people's faces."
"After taking the takoyaki, he said to me, 'You should keep this kind of thing for yourself. Oh right, I suggest you stop buying takoyaki in the future. Because right now, you always seem to have a bit of an unclean smell about you.'"
"Then everyone started laughing at me along with him. Laughing at me for pushing my luck, laughing at me for indulging in wild fantasies. Naturally, that takoyaki was thrown into the trash can. The insulated bag was torn, the balls trampled into mush. Even though he had said he would happily eat it even if it was cold."
Mei finally put the now completely cold takoyaki into her mouth and chewed slowly, as if she were chewing on the pain itself—chewing until it lost its flavor and could no longer hurt her.
Watching this scene, Li Wu suddenly understood why his initial act of kindness had disgusted Raiden Mei so much.
"The funniest part is that later, he came to find me privately. He told me that wasn't his intention, that he was forced. If he didn't do that, he would be ostracized by everyone. He wanted to maintain an intimate relationship with me that no one else knew about, and graciously offered to date me."
The night wind was swift, blowing Raiden Mei's silky purple hair. The heat from the paper box in her hand had long since dissipated. The food's color had faded, looking completely unappetizing.
"But that guy didn't know that there were people stalking me all the time, ready to bully me at any moment. They happened to hear all of this. And I knew they were there, but I deliberately didn't say anything... Because I was unwilling to accept it. Why should the people who bullied and betrayed me get to live well? I wanted his reputation ruined! I wanted all those heartless traitors to suffer the same pain as me!"
Raiden Mei revealed a crazed smile, seeming very satisfied with her actions back then.
"Not long after, he transferred schools. I heard he developed depression when he left. When I heard that news, I laughed. I laughed so happily, even happier than when I was waiting for him."
"So you see..."
Raiden Mei turned to Li Wu. That soft, almost naively gentle expression surfaced on her face again. But deep in her eyes lay a cold ruin, devastated and desolate.
"Anyone who believes those kinds of words must be an idiot, right? And I... I'm not just an idiot, I'm also a bad person with a dark heart. Haha... How could someone like me possibly get a good ending...? How could I deserve a good ending?"