Alicia is the Real Golden Finger in Honkai!

It seems Cocolia first increased the concentration of Honkai energy in Changkong City before finally triggering the major Honkai event...

With that thought, Gwen left the crime scene, carrying a tennis bag with his folded spear inside. Apart from his exceptional appearance, he looked no different from the high school students on the street.

Gwen had been in Changkong City for three days, but during this time, he had truly been on vacation, almost exactly as Otto had described—

He wanted to make contact with Raiden Mei, but there was no opening at all—

Japanese elementary and middle schools implement a system of three semesters per academic year: the first semester runs 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 the end of February. The third semester in Japan was nearing its end, and spring break was about to begin. It wouldn't be suitable for Gwen to enroll as a transfer student—

It's worth mentioning that regarding the question of whether Senba Academy is a normal school or a girls' school—

At least in this world, Senba Academy in Changkong City is a co-ed school, so it would be possible for Gwen to enroll as a transfer student, but this action was not feasible at the end of the semester.

As for joining as a teacher—

To avoid attracting the attention of Cocolia, who would undoubtedly be monitoring Raiden Mei, Gwen, who even took a commercial flight to the Far East, clearly couldn't leverage Schicksal's connections. This meant that enrolling in this renowned institution outside of the recruitment period was also impossible.

Therefore, Gwen could only look for an opportunity to "accidentally" encounter Raiden Mei during her holiday—

Although it wasn't easy to make contact with Raiden Mei, who had become increasingly reclusive after her father's imprisonment.

As Gwen was thinking this, Prometheus's voice sounded in his mind:

"Gwen, turn left at the third alley."

For convenience in his operations, Gwen had also allowed Prometheus to infiltrate Changkong City's public network, using public surveillance to aid his actions.

"Okay."

Responding in his mind, Gwen, an unremarkable middle school student, walked towards the alley Prometheus had indicated.

Meanwhile, in the alley Prometheus had indicated—

"You guys are going too far."

Raiden Mei, with a cold expression, held drinks and food purchased from a convenience store and said coldly.

"Going too far?"

Facing Raiden Mei, one of the two girls, both of whom were also quite attractive but whose beauty was significantly marred by their ugly expressions, scoffed. The blue-haired one spoke:

"Is it going too far for your father to commit economic fraud and ruin countless families?"

"Exactly, Reiko."

Beside the blue-haired girl, the green-haired girl also sneered:

"If someone in my family was exposed for economic fraud, I would have killed myself that day. I wouldn't have the nerve to keep living in this world."

"Sigh, it can't be helped. It's normal for the daughter of a criminal to have a thicker skin, right?"

The blue-haired girl sighed as if she were genuinely sympathetic, then suddenly thought of something and asked the pink-haired girl beside her:

"Speaking of which, shouldn't the assets of a suspect in economic fraud be confiscated?"

"That's true..."

The pink-haired girl nodded, then asked curiously:

"But if all the money was confiscated, how did our Queen Raiden manage to maintain her luxurious lifestyle?"

"Eh, Reiko, you can't say that. Look, our esteemed young lady has fallen so low that she has to buy things from the convenience store herself..."

The blue-haired girl said with feigned pity.

"Uh, I guess so.

I'm sorry, Raiden-san."

Hearing this, the pink-haired girl stuck out her tongue in a cute way, bowed slightly to Raiden Mei, and then asked again, confused:

"But, Hanako, how does Raiden-san, whose money you said should have been confiscated, have the money to buy so many things?"

"How could our esteemed young lady Raiden not survive without her fraudster father?"

Hanako Yamanaka gently patted Mikami Reiko's shoulder and grumbled:

"Even if she does nothing, with Raiden-san's beauty, figure, and ladylike demeanor, she's very popular..."

"..."

Facing the sarcastic remarks of her two former classmates, Raiden Mei's expression only grew colder, but she made no further moves—

In the past few months, Raiden Mei had grown accustomed to the malicious words of others. While she wasn't completely indifferent to such remarks, she could maintain a poker face.

And in these past few months, after countless explanations and several attempts at resistance, knowing that doing so would be futile and only invite more unrestrained mockery and oppression from others, Raiden Mei's hands, gripping the shopping bag, had begun to show bulging veins. Yet, she still maintained her composure, coldly saying:

"Are you finished?

I need to go home. Please let me pass."

"Eh, Raiden-san, don't make baseless accusations.

The road isn't exactly wide, but Hanako and I haven't blocked the entire path. We're not stopping you from passing, so don't make us sound like villains."

Mikami Reiko took a step back, completely blocking the not-so-wide path, putting on a scared act:

"Raiden, I know you're a master of kendo, but misusing violence is wrong, you know."

"Then please let us pass."

Raiden Mei said this as she prepared to step forward, to walk past these two noisy individuals. However, as she moved, Hanako Yamaka's foot slipped. If someone hadn't been there to grab her, she would have fallen straight down.

"..."

Raiden Mei, who had almost bumped into her, frowned and took a step back, returning to her original position. She continued to watch the two classmates spewing their passive-aggressive remarks. Unexpectedly, Reiko Mikami pointed at the convenience bag in Raiden Mei's hand and exclaimed in surprise:

"Hanako, look, what's that in Raiden's bag?"

"That... looks like XX, doesn't it?"

Hanako Yamaka put on an equally surprised expression:

"It seems Raiden is busy going to meet someone for 'Yiao'. Let's get out of the way quickly, don't want to keep Raiden's client waiting." Chapter 21: Who Isn't a Five-Star American Citizen?

"..."

Even though she was used to their foul language, this blatant slander and framing made Raiden Mei grit her teeth, almost unable to suppress the urge to smash the full convenience bag in her hand onto their heads.

At this moment, a voice of anger and disappointment echoed in Raiden Mei's heart, constantly nagging her:

"Just hit them!

Did you learn kendo all this time just for show?"

However, Raiden Mei, who could imagine the terrible rumors she would face when school started if she acted now, still forcefully suppressed this impulse.

"You guys..."

Just as Raiden Mei was about to throw away the item the other party had put in her convenience bag and force her way through, a voice came from behind the two, making Raiden Mei's expression even more grim—

"Heh, discussing such things in broad daylight, in front of everyone. How utterly shameless..."

Gwen, carrying a tennis bag and looking like a high school student ready for a match, stood at the alley entrance, speaking with a mocking smile.

"..."

Thinking that these two had even found someone else to mock her, Raiden Mei's anger intensified, and the nagging voice in her heart grew louder.

Faced with Gwen's mockery, Hanako Yamaka's eyes lit up upon seeing him, and she put on an innocent expression:

"This classmate, please don't misunderstand.

Reiko and I are both well-behaved students who cherish our purity. The shameless one you're talking about is that young lady over there.

See, she still has that in her convenience bag."

"Yeah, yeah."

Reiko Mikami, whose eyes also lit up upon seeing Gwen, immediately nodded:

"Don't be fooled by her ladylike appearance. She's just the daughter of a con artist, using her body to earn money to survive."

"Oh?"

Gwen raised an eyebrow and, under Raiden Mei's wary gaze, slowly said:

"Is that so?

But why do I only see two gossiping busybodies?"

"You..."

As a country heavily influenced by its neighbor, Japan also has similar terms for "busybody" or "gossip," and they are equally unflattering. In fact, they can even be used as grounds for divorce.

Therefore, the two students from Senba Academy naturally found Gwen's words unacceptable and instinctively began to retort—

"Heh, I thought you were a good student who loved sports, but I didn't expect you to be just...

Heh heh..."

Hanako Yamaka's gaze flickered between Gwen and Raiden Mei, her face showing disdain.

"Ah, Hanako, are you saying this guy is Raiden's..."

Reiko Mikami instantly understood and put on a look of discovering a huge scoop.

"You guys..."

Realizing she might have misjudged this stranger's intentions, Raiden Mei instinctively wanted to stop them from spreading rumors. However, thinking of the gossip that would surely erupt when she returned to school if she did, she swallowed her words.

But at this moment, Gwen's voice rang out again—

"Go ahead and say it. Recordings can also serve as evidence."

Holding up his phone, which displayed a recording interface, Gwen's mocking smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression. He continued, "Two high school students publicly insulting an American citizen. I'm very curious how your country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs will respond to your nation's youth's hostility towards America."

"..."

Instantly, the two girls, who had been skillfully twisting the truth, were rendered speechless—

Although both their parents were in the system, and they had heard their fathers chatting about how unfathomably powerful the background of the person now in charge of ME Corp. was, leading them to believe Raiden Mei had no chance of recovery, they had become so brazen in their mockery and insult of Raiden Mei.

However, this confidence was far from enough to make the two believe their families could bear the responsibility Gwen spoke of—

They often heard about the trouble American soldiers caused Japanese civil servants, and because of that, they harbored considerable fear of America.

"Heh… get lost,"

Without giving the two girls a chance to react, Gwen, who had used a bit of his psychic ability to intimidate them, coldly ordered:

"If you don't want the Ministry of Foreign Affairs knocking on your door, then shut your mouths.

I don't want to hear any rumors that shouldn't be spread… understand?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

The two girls, who had been arrogant just moments before, now nodded their heads like chicks pecking at rice. Under Gwen's subtle intimidation, they didn't even consider the truthfulness of his words. After a standard ninety-degree bow, they quickly left.

After the two girls had practically run away, Gwen finally turned his gaze to Raiden Mei.

"Thank you for your help."

Seeing Gwen look at her, Raiden Mei, who felt a bit of joy at the sight of the two arrogant oppressors fleeing in disarray, bowed deeply in thanks.

"You're welcome."

Waving his hand dismissively, Gwen said:

"It was just a small thing.

But…

Although I don't know your situation, I can guess a little…

If you want fewer troubles in the future, when you go out, change your hairstyle and wear things like a hat and a mask. It might help a little."

With that, Gwen turned and left without any lingering glance, appearing to be just an ordinary middle school student who had stumbled upon injustice.

"…"

Watching Gwen leave, Raiden Mei let out a soft sigh. It had been a long time since she had met someone who showed her kindness, and it brought her some comfort, suppressing the negative emotions caused by the foul words of her former classmates.