(Volume III: Chariot of Silver Thunder)
Chiba Academy, Kendo Club Dojo.
Sunlight streamed through the dojo windows, illuminating the flawless, fair face of the violet-black haired girl sitting quietly cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation. The atmosphere in the dojo, occupied only by her, was utterly silent, save for the slightly uneven rhythm of her breathing.
Twenty minutes had passed since the agreed-upon meeting time with Ren Amamiya.
According to their discussion yesterday, she should have been sparring with Ren right now, guiding his kendo practice, laying a solid foundation for him to learn the Hokushin Itto-ryu style. However, despite the appointed time having passed, Ren hadn't shown up as promised.
The delicate, fragile heart of the violet-haired girl began to race with anxiety and uncertainty. All sorts of negative and unsettling thoughts flooded her mind.
Did Ren get tired of me already? Does he not want to learn kendo from me anymore?
Or maybe... did Ren run into some serious trouble? Is he unable to make it to the kendo club for a while?
Of course, the scenario the violet-haired girl dreaded most was her hidden identity being exposed. What if Ren had found out her true identity from other students? What if he knew she was Raiden Mei, the daughter of that sinner?
The thought of Ren discovering she had lied about her name and presumed to teach him kendo as a senior made Mei feel an overwhelming sense of embarrassment, wanting to crawl into a hole. Even just imagining it made her want to flee the planet immediately.
As time ticked by, Mei's thoughts grew increasingly chaotic. Her closed eyelids fluttered occasionally, and the pace and rhythm of her breathing shifted constantly with her fluctuating emotions.
Even employing the Hokushin Itto-ryu meditation technique to suppress stray thoughts couldn't banish the relentless tide of negativity or allow her to achieve her usual state of calm focus.
Her mind was completely filled with images of Ren Amamiya—the only underclassman at Chiba Academy, besides Kiana, who was willing to approach her.
"Sorry, Mei-senpai! Something suddenly came up, and I accidentally went over our agreed time. Please forgive me!"
Just as Raiden Mei was trying to comfort herself and regain her spirits, the sound of hurried footsteps approached. The tightly shut dojo door was abruptly opened by an outsider. The light streaming in from outside illuminated Mei's figure, still seated facing the entrance.
"N-No, it's fine! I just arrived myself..."
Hearing the familiar voice, identical to yesterday's, Raiden Mei's eyes flew open in pleasant surprise, landing on Ren Amamiya standing at the dojo entrance.
Ren's attitude towards her hadn't changed at all. He had truly kept his promise, not prying into her real identity. And his lateness today was simply because something unavoidable had delayed him.
Realizing this, a powerful wave of joy and relief washed over Mei. A gentle smile bloomed on her fair, delicate face as she subconsciously responded to Ren stepping into the dojo.
Only after reflexively replying did Mei suddenly realize their exchange sounded exactly like a classic scene between a couple where one was late for a date. Mei's body stiffened instantly, a shy blush creeping onto her fair cheeks.
"Ahem! A-Anyway, since you're here now, Amamiya-kun, let's hurry up and start practicing kendo! With your talent, I'm sure you'll be able to officially begin learning Hokushin Itto-ryu very soon!"
Mei cleared her throat somewhat stiffly in front of Ren. Donning the mask of "Hokushin Mei" once more, she rose rather rigidly from the floor, swung the bamboo sword in her hand a couple of times, trying in vain to pass off her blush of embarrassment as the flush of exercise.
"I don't think basic kendo practice is necessary anymore."
As Ren spoke those calm words, the bamboo sword Hokushin Mei had swung sharply mid-air froze abruptly. Her entire body became statue-still, her mind instantly blank.
"...Hm?!"
After Ren finished speaking, Hokushin Mei's sword-swinging motion paused unnaturally. And an even stranger scene quickly unfolded before Ren's eyes, causing his eyebrows to arch in surprise.
The background of the kendo dojo subtly blurred, fading into obscurity. Only Hokushin Mei before him retained a strong sense of presence.
[Hokushin Mei] tilted her fair chin up slightly, revealing her slender, swan-like neck. Crackling lightning danced around her body as she looked down upon Ren standing before her, radiating the noble arrogance of a queen of thunder.
???
Under Ren's utterly bewildered gaze, this vision-like image quickly faded away. Appearing before him once more was Mei-senpai herself, still frozen mid-swing. Her eyes were downcast timidly, the confidence and joy she usually displayed when discussing kendo completely vanished.
Wait, I just said I didn't need to practice basics anymore. Why did your mental distortion level suddenly spike? Even your inner Shadow popped out to glare at me?
Ren keenly grasped just how sensitive the delicate heart of the violet-haired girl before him truly was. Her extreme reaction also made him realize she had misunderstood his meaning. He quickly added a clarification to the dejected-looking Mei.
"What I mean is, Mei-senpai, I no longer need to practice basic kendo. I've reached the stage where I can directly start learning Hokushin Itto-ryu!"
After leaving the collapsed Yae Village Palace, Ren and Hare had returned to Mementos.
To thoroughly test the strength and abilities of his newly acquired Persona, Yae Sakura, Ren hadn't immediately returned to the real world. Instead, he took Sakura hunting for some more Shadows.
To better master the power of Jizo Mitama, Ren also used the Shadows as target practice, familiarizing himself with the katana.
The results were highly gratifying. The Jizo Mitama katana was exceptionally powerful and also helped Ren summon his Personas instantly without any wind-up or casting time.
But the most pleasant surprise was Ren's discovery that upon obtaining the Yae Sakura Persona, he had also inherited Yae Sakura's swordsmanship expertise!!