It seemed Cocolia had first raised the baseline concentration of Honkai Energy in Changkong City before finally triggering the Honkai Eruption completely...
With that thought in mind, Gwen left the scene, carrying a tennis bag containing a folded spear. Aside from his striking looks, he did not seem too different from the high school students on the streets.
Gwen had been in Changkong City for three days, but over those three days, he had indeed been practically vacationing, just as Otto had said—
He wanted to get close to Raiden Mei, but he had no opening at all—
Japan's elementary and secondary schools followed a system of three terms per academic year: the first term ran from April to July, the second from August to December, and the third from January to March.
When Gwen arrived in Changkong City, it was already late February. Japan's third term was nearing its end, and spring break was about to begin, so it was not appropriate for him to enroll as a transfer student—
It was worth mentioning the question of whether Senba Academy was an ordinary school or an all-girls' school—
At least in this world, Senba Academy in Changkong City was a coeducational school, so Gwen could enroll as a transfer student. It was simply not feasible at the end of the term.
As for joining as a teacher—
To avoid drawing the attention of Cocolia, who was certainly keeping an eye on Raiden Mei, Gwen, who had even needed to take a passenger plane to the Far East, obviously could not use Schicksal's connections. That made it equally impossible to get hired by this prestigious school outside its recruitment period.
Thus, Gwen could only look for a chance encounter with Raiden Mei during the holidays—
Though it was not easy to approach Raiden Mei either, as she had become increasingly reclusive after her father's imprisonment.
Just as Gwen was thinking this, Prometheus's voice sounded in his mind:
"Gwen, turn left. The third alley."
To make things easier, Gwen had also had Prometheus infiltrate Changkong City's public network and use its public surveillance cameras to assist him.
"Alright."
After replying in his mind, Gwen, an utterly ordinary-looking middle school student, headed toward the alley Prometheus had indicated.
Meanwhile, in the alley Prometheus had pointed out—
"Don't go too far."
Raiden Mei stood there with a cold expression, carrying food and drinks she had bought from a convenience store as she spoke sharply.
"Too far?"
Across from Raiden Mei, one of two girls who could also be considered attractive—though their ugly expressions greatly diminished their looks—mocked her. The blue-haired girl said:
"Is anything more excessive than your father committing financial fraud and destroying countless families?"
"Exactly, Reiko."
The green-haired girl beside the blue-haired one sneered as well:
"If someone in my family were exposed for financial fraud, I'd have killed myself that very day. I wouldn't shamelessly keep living in this world."
"Sigh, it can't be helped. It's only natural for a criminal's daughter to have thick skin, right?"
The blue-haired girl sighed as if it were only reasonable, then seemed to think of something and asked the pink-haired girl beside her:
"Come to think of it, shouldn't the money in the household of a financial fraud suspect be confiscated?"
"That's true..."
The pink-haired girl nodded, then asked in confusion:
"But if all the money was confiscated, how is our Raiden Queen still maintaining such a luxurious lifestyle?"
"Hey, Reiko, you can't put it like that. Look, that dignified young lady has already fallen so low that she has to come to the convenience store herself..."
The blue-haired girl feigned pity.
"Uh, I guess that's true.
Sorry, Raiden."
Hearing that, the pink-haired girl stuck out her tongue cutely and gave Raiden Mei a slight bow, only to ask in puzzlement again:
"But Delia, if Raiden's money should have already been confiscated, how does she have the money to buy so much stuff?"
"How could a dignified young lady like Raiden possibly be unable to survive without her fraudster father?"
Delia gently patted Reiko's shoulder and complained:
"Even if she did nothing, with Raiden's looks, figure, and the air of a rich young lady, she'd still be very popular..."
"..."
Faced with the veiled barbs of two former good classmates, Raiden Mei's expression only grew colder, but she made no further move—
Over the past few months, Raiden Mei had long grown accustomed to the malicious words of others. She was not completely unmoved by such remarks, but she could at least keep her expression unchanged.
Over the past few months, she had explained herself countless times and fought back several times. Knowing that doing so would have no effect and would only invite even more brazen mockery and bullying, Raiden Mei still remained calm despite the faintly bulging veins on the hand gripping her shopping bag. She merely said coldly:
"Are you done?
I need to go home. Please move aside."
"Hey, Raiden, don't go accusing us unfairly.
This road may not be wide, but Delia and I aren't blocking all of it. We haven't stopped you from leaving, so don't make us sound like villains."
Reiko took a step back, completely blocking the narrow path with a frightened expression:
"Raiden, I know you're skilled at kendo, but abusing violence is wrong, you know."
"Then please move."
Raiden Mei stepped forward, intending to pass the two noisy girls. Yet just as she did, Delia's foot slipped. If someone beside her had not caught her, she might have fallen straight down.
"..."
Raiden Mei, who had nearly bumped into her, frowned and took a step back, returning to where she had stood. She continued watching the two classmates trade barbs, only for Reiko to point at the convenience store bag in her hand and say in surprise:
"Delia, look. What's that in Raiden's bag?"
"That... looks like XX, doesn't it?"
Delia put on an equally astonished expression:
"Looks like Raiden is in a hurry to deliver it to Y. We should get out of the way quickly. We shouldn't keep her clients waiting."
Who Isn't an Upstanding Five-Star American Citizen
"..."
Even though she had grown used to such filthy insults, this blatant slander and framing still made Raiden Mei grit her teeth, barely holding back the urge to smash the full convenience store bag over the two girls' heads.
At that moment, a voice in Raiden Mei's heart kept muttering in anger at her for failing to fight back:
"Just hit them!
Did you study kendo for so long just to look pretty?"
Yet Raiden Mei could imagine what vicious rumors would await her when school resumed if she acted now, so she still forcibly suppressed that impulse.
"You..."
Just as Raiden Mei was about to throw away the thing they had placed in her convenience store bag and force her way out, a voice came from behind the two girls, making her expression darken further—
"Heh, discussing something like that in broad daylight, out in public. You really have no shame..."
Gwen stood at the entrance of the alley, carrying his tennis bag and looking like a high school student on his way to play sports. He spoke with a mocking smile.
"..."
Thinking only that the two girls had even brought in someone else to ridicule her, Raiden Mei's anger intensified, as did the muttering in her heart.
Faced with Gwen's mockery, Delia's eyes lit up upon seeing him, and she put on an innocent expression:
"Don't misunderstand, classmate.
Reiko and I are both proper, respectable students. The shameless one you mentioned is that young lady over there.
Look, she even has that in her convenience store bag."
"Yeah, yeah."
Reiko, whose eyes had likewise lit up when she saw Gwen, immediately nodded:
"Don't be fooled by her rich-girl act. She's just a fraudster's daughter now, using her body to earn money to stay alive."
"Oh?"
Raising an eyebrow, Gwen spoke slowly under Raiden Mei's wary gaze:
"Is that so?
Then why do I only see two long-tongued gossips wagging their tongues?"
"You..."
As a country deeply influenced by its neighbor in many respects, Japan had similar terms for "long-tongued gossip," and they were no compliments either. They could even be used as grounds for forced divorce.
Thus, the two Senba Academy students naturally found Gwen's words difficult to accept and instinctively began to retort—
"Heh, I thought you were a good student who loved sports. Turns out you're just...
Heh..."
Delia's gaze shifted between Gwen and Raiden Mei, disdain written across her face.
"Ah, Delia, you mean this boy is Raiden's..."
Reiko instantly understood and wore the expression of someone who had just uncovered a huge scandal.
"You..."
Realizing that she might have misunderstood this stranger's intentions, Raiden Mei instinctively wanted to stop the two girls from spreading rumors. But when she thought of how rampant those rumors would surely become after she returned to school, she swallowed her words.
But at that moment, Gwen's voice sounded again—
"Go ahead and say it. Recordings can be used as evidence too."
Holding up a phone displaying its recording interface, Gwen's mocking expression vanished, leaving only a stern look as he said:
"Two high school students are publicly insulting an American citizen. I'm very curious how your country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs will respond to the hostility its young people are showing toward America."
"..."
In an instant, the two girls who had been so adept at twisting the truth could not utter a single word—
Both their parents worked within the system, and because they had heard their fathers mention in casual conversation that the person currently controlling ME Corp. had an unfathomable background, they had concluded that Raiden Mei would never have a chance to recover. That was why they had dared to mock and insult her so recklessly.
But that little bit of confidence was nowhere near enough for them to believe their families could bear the responsibility Gwen had just described—
They had often heard about the trouble American soldiers caused Japanese civil servants, and as a result, they were quite afraid of America.
"Heh... Get lost."
Without giving the two girls time to react, Gwen used a little psychic technique to intimidate them and barked coldly:
"If you don't want the Ministry of Foreign Affairs showing up at your door, keep your mouths shut.
I don't want to hear any rumors that shouldn't exist... understand?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
The two girls, who had been so arrogant a moment earlier, nodded like pecking chickens. Under Gwen's covert intimidation, neither had any thought of questioning the truth of his words. After giving standard ninety-degree bows, they hurried away.
Only after the two girls had fled, half walking and half running, did Gwen turn his gaze toward Raiden Mei.
"Thank you for helping me."
Seeing Gwen look at her, Raiden Mei, who felt a trace of secret delight at seeing her two once-arrogant oppressors flee in disgrace, bowed deeply in thanks.
"You're welcome."
Gwen waved his hand casually and said:
"It was nothing.
Still...
I don't know much about your situation, but I can guess a little...
If you want less trouble in the future, try changing your hairstyle when you go out. Wear a hat, a mask, something like that. It might help somewhat."
With that, Gwen turned and left without any hesitation, looking like nothing more than an ordinary middle school student who had stepped in after seeing injustice.
"..."
Watching Gwen leave, Raiden Mei let out a soft breath. It had been a long time since she had encountered someone who showed her kindness, and it gave her a measure of comfort, easing the negative emotions brought on by the filthy words of her two former good classmates.
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