Sows.
The calm voice uttered a word full of insult.
Such a filthy and vulgar term was something even Raiden Mei had never heard during her bullying.
The girl raised her head, her delicate face filled with panic.
"N-No, don't!"
The students of Senba Academy were either rich or powerful, each with a strong family backing.
If she were still the young lady of the Raiden family, Raiden Mei would certainly have the confidence to protect Brian. But now, she was all alone, with only her two friends by her side.
She didn't want to see anyone else get hurt because of her.
However…
"…"
The panicked girl's lips parted slightly, surprised as if she had seen something strange.
Right in front of her, the few classmates who had just been verbally abusing her were now standing there with vacant eyes, all their previous arrogance gone.
What… happened?
Raiden Mei was confused, but she also felt an inexplicable sense of security.
Someone was standing up for her. Someone was protecting her when she was being bullied. She wasn't alone.
"Mei, are you okay?"
A concerned voice reached her, making the girl shake her head with a smile.
Crystal tears streamed down the girl's delicate face, tinged with genuine happiness.
"I'm fine. Thank you for coming to save me."
From hell to heaven, it was truly difficult for someone who hadn't gone through the same experience to understand Raiden Mei's current feelings.
She was truly, very happy.
"That's good." Brian turned his head and looked at the few students he had hypnotized, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Too severe a punishment wasn't appropriate, but too light wouldn't serve as a lesson for these people.
In that case…
A sow should act like a sow.
"You few, go get me some permanent markers and yogurt."
…
The evening approached, the sun setting in the west.
A few girls, covered in an unknown white liquid, fled Senba Academy with their faces covered. A few blurry Chinese characters were faintly visible on their inner thighs.
Although the students who bullied Raiden Mei suffered no physical harm, they experienced a social death ahead of time.
After today, these people probably wouldn't be showing up at Senba Academy anymore.
Raiden Mei's situation of being bullied hadn't fundamentally changed, but it should improve somewhat.
On the rooftop, Raiden Mei stood beside Brian, watching the few female students flee in disarray, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.
From arrogantly bullying her and recklessly attacking her character, to being utterly disgraced here in a flash.
The bullies who tormented her had been punished, and they would no longer appear by her side…
"Thank you, Brian."
This was the first time Raiden Mei had thanked him.
The first time she met this man, she had developed a good impression of him because he didn't discriminate against her.
Last night's secret talk let her know that there was more to her father's arrest than met the eye.
Today, he had rescued her from her bullies, soothing the wounds in her heart in his own way.
If he hadn't been here, Raiden Mei believed she would have taken another step closer to the abyss of collapse.
"Why thank me? Didn't we agree last night that we're family?"
Brian's smile was bright, radiating warmth under the sunlight.
But Raiden Mei unconsciously took a small step to the side.
The girl's face was scarlet as she thought of Brian's outrageous actions just now. "Who's family with an indecent guy like you? So lewd…"
Her voice grew quieter and quieter until it was drowned out by the wind.
As a witness, she had seen the entire process of how Brian punished those people.
Hypnotizing them until their eyes were vacant, making them write 'Sow' on their own bodies with permanent markers, and finally smearing yogurt all over themselves…
They were transformed from ordinary Senba Academy JKs into victims from an Inner World story.
They looked like they had encountered something inhuman.
To be able to think of such a method…
"…"
Raiden Mei glanced at Brian and moved two more steps to the side.
She muttered, "Lewd."
Too lewd!
She didn't want to wake up one day and find herself turned into such a lewd state by this lewd man.
That sort of thing was too much for her, too explosive.
It was one thing to secretly study the forbidden knowledge of the Inner World on her own, but she didn't want to be turned into such a lewd state by a man she had only met for a few days.
The mere thought of becoming like that made her feel as if Kiana was crawling all over her.
That appearance… it was too shameful!
Brian said helplessly, "Mei, if I hadn't done that, those people would have only become more aggressive towards you."
Eradicate evil completely.
Although he hadn't physically eliminated them, this level of social death was enough to keep them from appearing in front of Raiden Mei for a short time.
After all, no one could walk around in society with the title 'sow'.
He'd make an exception for the BDSM community.
As for more severe retaliation from these people, there was no need to worry at all.
Cocolia was treating them like puppets, arranging for Raiden Mei to walk step by step into the abyss of collapse.
But this woman was not rushing things. Instead, she was slowly guiding Raiden Mei towards a breakdown.
Not causing physical harm to Raiden Mei was the red line this woman had set, and everything revolved around her will.
"…" Raiden Mei thought for a moment and thanked him again. "Thank you."
She took another step to the side.
Seeing those people get what they deserved was satisfying, but as a woman herself, it was indeed a bit chilling.
If she woke up one day to see herself in that state, even if she didn't explode on the spot, she would die of shame.
Brian: "…"
Damn it, his image as an Inner World male lead was now firmly rooted in Raiden Mei's mind.
He scratched his head.
Perhaps feeling her reaction was a bit excessive, and also because Brian had helped her multiple times, Raiden Mei clutched her chest, letting her heartbeat gradually calm down until she could finally think rationally.
She wasn't stupid. Her top-tier deviation score at Senba Academy was proof of her intelligence.
"How did you know I was…"
Everything was too much of a coincidence.
She was being bullied, and Kiana hadn't arrived to help her yet. Instead, Brian, who was further away, arrived and punished those classmates for her.
In the past, Raiden Mei would never have overthought it.
But after last night, she now viewed the world through the lens of conspiracy theories.
Brian didn't hide it. "A guy who claimed to be your family's bodyguard asked me to come help you, so I came."
Even Kiana, if she were standing here, could see that this so-called bodyguard had ill intentions.
Because of the information gap, Cocolia's group was making one mistake after another.
Raiden Mei knew this as well.
But that was no reason for her to be ungrateful.
Looking at Brian's handsome face in the twilight, Raiden Mei said in a small voice, "Tomorrow is the weekend. I want to go out and buy something for Kiana. Can you come with me?"
"D-Don't get the wrong idea. It's not that I have any feelings for you. I just want to do my part."
"Of course."
…
Behind the rooftop door, a snow-haired girl had heard every word with her sharp hearing.
Mei, her Mei, her personal cook…
She was one step too late again.
orz
Behind Kiana, a girl with long, black hair looked at Kiana's dejected state and gave a bitter, envious smile.
'Raiden Mei, I'm so jealous of you.'
…
Elsewhere…
"Miss Bronya, the plan is proceeding smoothly."
A man in a black suit bowed respectfully before Bronya Zaychik, handing her a file.
The top photo was of Raiden Mei and Brian talking intimately.
'Raiden Mei, before you become the sacrifice to welcome my Seele back, laugh all you want.'