The boy before her was so sincere and pure, as immaculate as his snow-white hair.
Bai Ge was very happy right now.
Because he had formed a bond with the living, breathing Raiden Mei—not virtual game data, but the real Raiden Mei, flesh and blood and all.
He was so happy he almost wanted to cheer. He desperately wanted to show off to his friends from the Flame Chasers in his previous life.
"Ah, right, I just thought of something good!"
A sudden flash of inspiration struck him, and Bai Ge immediately turned to the purple-haired girl before him with a suggestion.
"Mei, I have an idea. I can't say it'll completely change your situation or stop people from bullying you, but it should at least make things much better than they are now. Want to try it?"
"Really? Please tell me!"
"Don't get excited too soon. You may have to make a little sacrifice in some respects. Anyway, hear me out first."
So Bai Ge explained the idea that had just occurred to him. Raiden Mei's eyes widened after hearing it, and a flush spread across her cheeks.
It really was a simple and effective method.
But it also seemed rather strange.
For Mei, who had been raised under strict discipline since childhood and possessed the gentle, reserved nature of a proper Yamato nadeshiko, it was an idea her former self would never have considered.
But the current Raiden Mei was different. She was at the most desperate, weakest, and most helpless point in her life, a time when she could do nothing. She was lonely, isolated, powerless, utterly exhausted in both body and mind, and covered in wounds.
It was also the time when she most desperately longed for someone to save her.
Perhaps because of the so-called suspension bridge effect, Bai Ge's favorability in Mei's heart had risen a little too high. But there was no doubt that the boy before her had saved her twice.
At this academy, where no one was willing to help her and everyone targeted and hurt her, only Bai Ge had stepped forward twice to protect Raiden Mei.
Perhaps that was why Mei had instinctively come to depend on Bai Ge, the one who had given her warmth.
And faced with Bai Ge's proposed way of helping her—a somewhat strange plan, but one born entirely from pure goodwill—she naturally could not refuse.
"But Bai Ge, can this really work? I mean... if we do this, won't everyone exclude you because of me too?"
Kind-hearted Mei could not help worrying aloud.
"It's fine, it's fine~ I'm not interested in them anyway. And if it's Mei, then no matter how you look at it, I'm the one getting the better deal." Bai Ge waved a hand, showing that he did not care in the slightest.
"...Thank you. Um, sorry, it seems like all I can say to you right now is thank you. I'll remember this kindness in my heart and repay you someday."
"Mei, you're too serious, though that's one of your good qualities. As for repaying me, how about you make me lunch starting tomorrow? Yesterday's bento was delicious. I want to eat it again."
"P-please leave it to me!"
Mei immediately agreed.
Perhaps making lunch was insignificant compared to the help Bai Ge had given her, but she was still happy that she could do something for him.
Bai Ge blinked at her, then propped up his head and smiled as well.
"Mei, you just smiled!"
"Huh?"
"Girls are prettiest when they smile, after all. Especially a beautiful girl like you, Mei. That melancholy, pitiful look you had before was nice too, but this is definitely better."
He almost wanted to take out his phone and capture the moment.
"...I smiled?"
Mei unconsciously touched her face.
Ever since her father had been imprisoned, she did not know how long it had been since she had smiled. Yet at this moment, because of the boy before her, Raiden Mei's smile bloomed once again.
The girl's wounded heart was healed a little because of him as well.
"Alright, since we've decided to do this, we should act right away!"
"Um, wait, please let me prepare myself mentally."
"You don't need that kind of preparation. Don't hesitate once you've made up your mind. If we don't hurry, class will start."
Grabbing Mei's little hand, Bai Ge charged toward the classroom.
As he pulled her along, Mei could only feel her heart racing. She thought it was probably just because she was running, and not for any other reason.
By the time the two finally reached the classroom, the afternoon bell had long since rung.
"Now then, let's begin class. Um, where have Bai Ge and Raiden gone..."
Bang!!!
Before the teacher on the podium could finish speaking,
the classroom door was yanked open with tremendous force, startling everyone inside. A few students who had been slacking off even dropped their phones on the floor.
"Teacher, sorry we're late!"
"Ha... ha... Bai Ge, this is too..."
Showing absolutely no sign of embarrassment, Bai Ge strode onto the podium with his head held high. Behind him, Raiden Mei panted with a bright-red face, even her hairstyle disheveled.
Everyone's eyes gathered on them, and they began imagining what the two had done during the lunch break.
Especially the boys, who looked at Bai Ge with envy.
Although the Raiden family had fallen and Miss Mei no longer held her former status, she was still the prettiest girl in the entire school. Had Bai Ge already won her over during lunch?
The next moment, Bai Ge planted both hands on the podium.
"Ahem, I'm very sorry for interrupting class, but now... everyone, look at me! I have something to announce!"
Chapter 9: Bai Ge: I Announce That Mei Is My Girlfriend! (New Book—Please Bookmark!)
"Ahem, I'm very sorry for interrupting class, but now... everyone, look at me! I have something to announce!!" Bai Ge declared in a forceful voice.
The frankness and confidence radiating from his entire body made everyone utterly certain—was this guy some kind of social phobe?
A social terrorist!
But before they could compose themselves and enjoy the show, Bai Ge's declaration left everyone dumbfounded.
He wrapped an arm around the fragrant shoulders of the criminal's daughter, pulling Raiden Mei into his embrace as he spoke.
"From today onward, Raiden Mei is the girlfriend of Bai Ge, me! I warn every student here—no, I warn everyone in this school—not to badmouth or bully her again! Otherwise, I'll make them regret it!"
"￥%@*￥#"
The teacher standing on the podium was completely stunned, wearing an expression that said, Who am I, where am I, and Bai Ge, what are you doing?
If this had been a teacher at another school, they would already have started yelling. But at Senba Academy, a school attended by wealthy students, the teachers instead did not dare offend the students.
Therefore, Bai Ge was allowed to make his announcement. Mei, held in his arms, was red from head to toe, her eyes already spinning like spirals.
Yet that was not the end of it.
"And those girls over there—uh, what were your names again... forget it, it doesn't matter. You girls, get up here and apologize right now! Doing something that excessive to a classmate is unforgivable!"
"You, you, you, and you! Don't try to hide. Since you did it, you have to bear the consequences. Don't make me drag you up here and force you to apologize with your heads pressed down."
Bai Ge casually picked up a ruler and pointed it at several girls below, who were avoiding his gaze and trying to make themselves less noticeable. They were the ones who had stolen Mei's clothes.
With things having developed this far, even the teacher could no longer stop it.
Bai Ge had completely blown things up. In the end, those girls could only apologize to Mei in full view of everyone.
Their expressions were especially wonderful, as though they had swallowed something utterly disgusting.
After finishing all that, Bai Ge finally gave Mei a satisfied thumbs-up. For a moment, Mei did not know what to say. She only felt that the heart beneath her ample chest was beating a tiny bit too fast.
At that moment, from her perspective, the boy before her seemed to shine with a dazzling light.
After school, when she returned home,
although the Raiden family's assets had mostly been frozen, the house Mei lived in remained intact. She could no longer live a life without financial worries as before, but living an ordinary life was still not a problem.
After all, although Raiden Ryoma had been imprisoned for his crimes, he had once been an executive of Anti-Entropy, as well as a friend of former Schicksal knight Siegfried and Welt Yang, the Herrscher of Reason.
It was those people's presence that kept Cocolia from taking things too far. Otherwise, Mei would not even have a house to live in right now. She would probably be like a certain Kiana who ran all over the world, sleeping in parks every few days.
"..."
Mei did not know how she had made it home.
She had spent the entire afternoon in a daze. She remembered none of the lessons, her mind filled only with the image of a certain white-haired boy.
Her relaxed body collapsed onto the bed. She hugged her pillow to her chest and buried her face deep in it, her ears already red beyond belief.
"Bai Ge..."
She recalled the method Bai Ge had proposed in the girls' changing room.
Bai Ge: "If I announce to everyone that you're my girlfriend, Mei, then there probably won't be so many people who dare bully you anymore. After all, school bullying usually happens because the victim is alone, and the people around them simply stand by and do nothing."
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