Raiden Ryoma had been thrown into prison. Shun had even known about this news before Raiden Ryoma was arrested.
Although he had not yet met Raiden Ryoma in person, please allow Shun to observe a moment of silence for him.
Don't worry, Ryoma. After you go in, I'll take good care of your daughter for you.
It probably won't be long before the news of Raiden Ryoma's arrest is deliberately spread by Cocolia throughout all of Nagazora City.
By then, the school will likely start pressuring Raiden Mei. All those fair-weather friends who only approached her because of her status will scatter like birds and beasts.
However, Raiden Mei had already become good friends with Kiana by now. Perhaps with Kiana constantly by her side, Raiden Mei's mental state would be a little better than in the original plot.
Since the prologue of this good show had already been lifted, it was time for him to make his entrance…
At the Hokushin Ittō-ryū dojo in Nagazora City, which belonged to the Raiden family's private property, Shun arrived. Normally when not in use, only hired caretakers maintained it.
The only people who used it were Raiden Mei and Raiden Ryoma. Now that Raiden Ryoma was probably already squatting in prison and Raiden Mei was still being pressured at school, Shun naturally walked right in and found the Homu doll costume hidden in the cabinet.
He tried it on. Raiden Ryoma's build was similar to his own, so the costume fit perfectly with no discomfort.
He picked up a bamboo sword in the washitsu and gave it a few practice swings. Surprisingly, wearing the doll costume did not hinder his movements at all. Was this Anti-Entropy's high technology?
Alright then. He would wait here for Raiden Mei to return…
At this moment, Raiden Mei was naturally not having an easy time either. First she had watched her father being taken away at home by people who clearly didn't look like good guys, and then the crime of economic fraud was pinned on her father.
Raiden Ryoma's assets were frozen and his reputation was ruined. The ME Corp instantly got a new boss.
The next day at school, the friends who used to follow behind her and act close all avoided her as if afraid of being implicated.
Along the way, Raiden Mei walked alone from her distant home all the way to Senba Academy…
When she opened her shoe locker, the previously overflowing love letters had disappeared without a trace. In their place was a dead rat and the indoor shoes that had long gone missing.
Seeing this, Raiden Mei no longer wanted to go to the classroom. She could already guess what would be waiting for her once she returned.
From the way the friends she met along the way had avoided her, she could already imagine their attitude.
"Maybe that dead rat was placed there by them." It was no wonder Raiden Mei would think this way. Although she had always been among the highest-status group in the academy, that didn't mean she didn't know what happened to those at the very bottom.
But for the lofty Raiden Queen, she had never cared before. Now it seemed she had fallen from that unreachable cloud straight into the abyss. What would await her next?
"Look, isn't that Raiden Mei? I heard her father committed a crime and was arrested."
"Heh, she's just a criminal's daughter."
"Still calling herself the Raiden Queen? Now that her father has committed a crime, it probably won't be long before her true colors are revealed, right?"
Although she hadn't entered the school building itself, almost everyone who saw Raiden Mei along the way would secretly gossip behind her back, and without exception, every word was heard clearly by Raiden Mei.
So this was what other people really thought? This was the first time Raiden Mei learned the true thoughts of those around her. It seemed very different from what she had heard before…
Raiden Mei walked alone to the kendo club. As the club president, she naturally had the key to the club room.
Raiden Mei had already received the full license (Menkyo Kaiden) of Hokushin Ittō-ryū at the age of 16 an extremely remarkable achievement. Thanks to Raiden Mei, the kendo club frequently won gold medals in various national competitions.
It could be said that Raiden Mei alone was the soul of the kendo club. But today, the moment Raiden Mei arrived at the kendo club, she saw tables full of club withdrawal applications…
Even the kendo club members had left her? Mei had originally thought that in a strength-oriented club like kendo, things might be different…
It seemed nothing had changed. Raiden Mei read through all the withdrawal applications alone. Basically everyone except the ghost members was listed. The rest probably just hadn't submitted theirs in time.
In that case, there was no need to trouble them. Raiden Mei wrote a club withdrawal application for herself in the exact same format as theirs.
They probably didn't actually want to quit the kendo club they just wanted to distance themselves from Raiden Mei…
There was no doubt this was Cocolia's handiwork. Under Cocolia's threats and bribes, all the friends who had been close to Mei had distanced themselves from her. Of course, that didn't rule out a few who were sincere.
Destroying beautiful things was something certain people enjoyed watching.
Raiden Mei looked at the walls full of group photos and certificates of honor and couldn't help but sigh. She left the kendo club room. Before leaving, she placed her key and the withdrawal application on the floor.
She would never come here again, so she wouldn't need the key anymore. The club president withdrawing from her own club this was probably a first in Senba Academy.
Finally, at five o'clock in the afternoon, Raiden Mei arrived at the Raiden family dojo. She wanted to see whether the Homu Sword Saint who had taught her swordsmanship since childhood had left.
If even the Homu Sword Saint had left… then Raiden Mei would have no choice but to suspect that her life over the past ten-plus years had been nothing but one big lie.
Perhaps she had never been a happy little bird, but merely a crow carrying meat in the eyes of others.
Inside the dojo, there were traces of someone having entered… The moment she arrived, Raiden Mei sharply sensed that something was off.
Someone had entered. Did that mean the Homu Sword Saint had not abandoned her?
Raiden Mei's mood, which had sunk to rock bottom, instantly improved. If the Homu Sword Saint had not left her…
Barefoot on the wooden floor of the dojo, Raiden Mei, burning with anxiety, didn't even bother changing into her training clothes or indoor shoes. She walked straight toward the depths of the dojo.
Raiden Mei placed her hand on the sliding door. For a moment she didn't dare open it. What if, after opening it, she found that the Homu Sword Saint was not inside, or that the person inside was not the Homu Sword Saint…
In the end, after weighing everything, Raiden Mei still pulled open the door because inside the room, she could clearly smell the scent of the Homu Sword Saint…