In truth, before Hua Yi found Raiden Mei, he had made a preliminary trip to the administrative building of Senba Academy. There, he located the archives and spent some time leafing through the student records.
Attempting to search the student dormitories for Raiden Mei without any prior intelligence would have been impractical. While it was a bit of a shame that he couldn't catch a glimpse of beautiful girls in their natural habitat...
No, Hua Yi kept his mind strictly on the task at hand during the operation. Since Senba Academy had a significant student population and his time was limited, he had to go to the archives to pinpoint the location of Raiden Mei's dormitory. He hadn't expected to run into her halfway there.
Furthermore, while perusing the files, Hua Yi had confirmed that aside from Raiden Mei, Kiana and Bronya were not currently students at Senba Academy. Their whereabouts remained a mystery; for now, Raiden Mei was the only one he could contact.
"I'm sorry for bringing up such painful memories."
Hua Yi's apology caused Raiden Mei, who had been waiting with her head half-lowered for him to drop the pleasantries and leave in a huff, to look up in surprise. She stared silently at Hua Yi for a moment, realizing he was being genuinely sincere. Then, she let out a smile one that held far more warmth and depth than her previous polite mask.
"It's alright. Don't you plan on just turning around and leaving? As you can see, I don't exactly have much value left."
"Value? What I see is a young girl grieving under the moonlight. From what you've said and the emotions you've shown, I can take a guess at how you're feeling. If I were to just turn around and walk away regardless, the 'value' of my own life would probably drop significantly."
Hua Yi had once been a player who invested a vast amount of time and money into games, and the thing that had attracted him most was, of course, the Valkyries. Seeing a living, breathing Raiden Mei sitting alone in a remote corner of Senba Academy, sensing the faint sorrow emanating from her, how could Hua Yi possibly just walk away?
"Those aren't exactly the kind of words you should say to a girl you've just met, but... I am a little happy to hear them. So, I won't report your secret intrusion into Senba Academy to the School Security Department."
The smile on Raiden Mei's face grew more vivid, no longer appearing as though it might dissolve into the gentle yet cold moonlight.
"Huh? Were you originally planning to have me brought to justice?"
Hua Yi looked genuinely shocked. Was this still the Raiden Mei he knew? In the game, even at the starting level of affection, Senior Mei would at most unleash a measly 100,000-volt Thunderbolt to knock the Captain offline if he tried anything fresh. Once her affection was maxed out, she was the picture of a virtuous wife. Where was this mischievous streak coming from?
Seeing Hua Yi's shock, Raiden Mei felt as though she had betrayed his trust and looked a bit embarrassed.
"It wasn't that serious. I just wanted the Security Department to step up their game so that boys couldn't sneak in so easily. But on second thought, there aren't many boys around these days anyway, and the probability of another one slipping into a girls' school like you did is basically zero. So don't worry, I won't tattle on you."
"Then you have my deepest thanks."
In reality, Hua Yi was only joking. Hearing Raiden Mei's explanation, he struck a solemn pose and thanked her, drawing a giggle from the girl. Raiden Mei quickly realized he was intentionally trying to amuse her.
Just how long had it been since someone had gone out of their way to talk to her, comfort her, or even make her laugh?
Raiden Mei's gaze drifted for a moment. She looked at the boy before her, who had maintained a distance that was neither too distant nor uncomfortably close. He was incredibly considerate. She pursed her lips.
"If your goal was to make me happy, you've certainly succeeded. But aside from a word of thanks, there is nothing else I can give you."
If this were a few months ago, right after her family's misfortune, Raiden Mei would have worried that he was approaching her with an ulterior motive. She would have suspected him of being like her former classmates, who only wanted to gain something because of her status as the Eldest Miss of ME Corp.
Now, Raiden Mei was still worried, but for a fundamentally different reason. She was afraid he was overestimating her. Having lost almost everything her status as the Eldest Miss of ME Corp, her money, her power, and even her father's presence she truly had nothing left. She couldn't think of a single valuable thing she could offer.
If it were something she still possessed, she would be willing to give it. Having endured a year of silent loneliness, she truly yearned for someone to talk to, even if that person turned out to be like those "friends" from her past. As long as they could keep this conversation going, it would be enough.
"Aside from a thank you, I've also gained the smile of a beautiful girl. I'd say that's a full harvest. However, it's late now, and it's much colder than it was during the day. You aren't wearing very thick clothes; if you keep sitting here, you'll catch a cold. Why don't you head back to your dorm? It's about time for me to head back as well."
Hua Yi didn't know what was going on in the girl's mind. Although to him, Raiden Mei was far from a stranger, he still maintained the etiquette of a first meeting and adhered to the principle of not overstaying his welcome. He had spent a considerable amount of time in the archives, and since it was now the middle of the night, it wasn't the right time for a long chat.
Upon hearing Hua Yi's words, the light in Raiden Mei's eyes dimmed momentarily. She thought he had lost patience after realizing she truly wasn't the Eldest Miss of ME Corp anymore. But then, sensing the concern in his voice, a spark of hope returned.
"Will you... come back again? You said before that a girls' school is a holy land in the eyes of boys."
Raiden Mei didn't even dare to directly ask if he would come talk to her again.
A holy land, huh? Hua Yi felt that his previous words might have given Raiden Mei a bit of a bad impression of him. Curiously, however, he didn't see any disgust in her eyes. Though slightly confused, he answered according to his own thoughts.
"Will you be sitting here tomorrow?"
"...Yes!"
"Then I'll see you tomorrow evening. It's the weekend, after all, so I have plenty of time."
Hua Yi told a small lie. He actually had to go to ME Corp for his internship tomorrow. Rushing over in the evening would be quite a hectic scramble.
Did Raiden Mei notice? Perhaps. After all, Hua Yi had mentioned his internship at ME Corp during his initial introduction. However, she didn't say anything, merely nodding her head vigorously.
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