Raiden Mei stiffened.
She stared up at Li Wu, who was standing mere inches away. Yet, facing him, she felt as if she were looking at a complete stranger. It was as if all the warmth and tenderness they had shared in the past had never existed.
Whenever Li Wu had spoken of giving up on her before, his eyes had always been filled with hesitation. His expression would carry a hint of confusion, like a lost bird flying blindly through the fog. Even if he couldn't find his way back right then, she had always known that sooner or later, once the haze cleared, he would return to her side.
But this was entirely different.
The aura radiating from him was utterly alienating. It felt as though they were two intersecting lines that had finally crossed paths, only to now be drifting infinitely further apart.
He felt even more foreign than that day on the rooftop when he had slapped Kiana.
Out of everyone in the world, they were supposed to be the two people who understood and trusted each other the most. Having survived life-or-death crises together multiple times, their bond should have been forged into something unbreakable, far beyond the reach of ordinary people.
Why?
Why has it come to this?
"How could you... how could you just say you want to separate..."
Raiden Mei bit her lip. Her voice suddenly dropped, becoming as humble and pathetic as a weed on the side of the road.
She lowered her proud head and quietly shuffled over to his desk. Raising a trembling hand, she lightly pinched his sleeve. Her movements were cautious, devoid of her previous arrogance, terrified of angering him further.
"I don't want to separate..."
"If I really did something wrong, you can punish me however you want. I can make up for it! If I made a mistake, I just have to compensate for it, right? So... please don't go... I'll change. Don't go, okay?"
Under the absolutely dumbfounded gazes of the entire class, the haughty, tyrannical Lightning Empress lowered her head like a dog begging for forgiveness, desperately pleading for his validation and pardon.
No one else knew.
But Raiden Mei knew better than anyone. If she didn't fix things with him right now, she would never have the chance again.
He had always been like this. Unorthodox. Independent. He never cared about the opinions of others.
Once Li Wu truly made up his mind to sever ties with someone, there was no going back.
Outside the window.
A fine drizzle fell from the gloomy, overcast sky.
The rain acted like a massive amplifier, magnifying the emotions of the entire city.
Raiden Mei's terror.
The students' shock.
The fear of the bullies and the victims alike.
Li Wu could hear all of it with crystal clarity.
Yet, he couldn't hear his own heart.
He could only rely on his past experiences to clumsily imitate the judgments that the 'real' Li Wu would make.
Yes.
Li Wu should be sad. Sad for the commoners who were bullied.
Li Wu should be angry. Angry that Raiden Mei had forgotten where she came from and instead become an umbrella for the oppressors.
Li Wu should be sympathetic. Sympathetic toward the victims, refusing to accept such a cheap apology on their behalf. He had no right to forgive her for the pain she had caused others.
Therefore—
"Fuck off."
All his logical deductions and past experiences culminated in him delivering the most emotionally charged line possible, in the most profoundly apathetic tone imaginable.
No further embellishments. No further explanation.
He unilaterally rejected every single one of Raiden Mei's reasons. Even Li Wu himself didn't fully understand why he said it, but instinct had violently shoved the words out of his mouth.
A deafening crack of thunder boomed at the exact same moment. Lightning tore through the sky, briefly illuminating the darkened world.
The previously bright sky was completely swallowed by gloom. The white noise of a torrential downpour crashing against the earth echoed throughout the city.
Those long-awaited reunions.
Those permanent farewells.
Both drew their final curtains in this very moment.
Raiden Mei's arm went rigid.
She slowly looked up, only to find absolutely no trace of a joke on Li Wu's face. His eyes were glacial. There wasn't a shred of hesitation or confusion in them.
He was the complete opposite of the boy who would be riddled with guilt because he couldn't express himself properly, or because he felt he hadn't done enough.
He no longer cared about their past.
Raiden Mei slowly let go of his sleeve. She opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something else.
A dense wave of frantic whispering erupted around them. It wasn't loud, but it was relentless.
Are they laughing at me?
Are they slandering me?
Are they mocking me?
Raiden Mei involuntarily hugged herself, her body trembling uncontrollably. The agonizing memories of being bullied flooded her mind like a tidal wave.
Right. I was never a good person to begin with.
If there was a ranking for the people most deserving of death in this world, I'd definitely be near the top.
It's only natural for everyone to pour their malice onto me...
The crimson glow in her eyes deepened, almost materializing into something tangible.
Sensing this, Li Wu spoke again. "Class is about to start. Return to your seat, Raiden. I apologize for using profanity, but I will not take back what I said."
His voice snapped her out of her spiraling thoughts.
Wordlessly, Raiden Mei trudged back to her seat. Her shoulders were slumped, her head hung low, and she didn't utter a single sound.
The moment the teacher walked in, she instantly noticed Raiden Mei's abnormal state. After glancing at Li Wu's completely emotionless face, she understood immediately.
Normally, the teacher would have specifically chosen a moderately easy question for Raiden Mei to answer. Regardless of what she said, the teacher would lavish her with praise. The noble students would immediately clap to flatter her, and the rest of the class would be forced to awkwardly applaud along.
But today...
The entire class passed in a deathly, suffocating silence.
The teacher didn't ask a single question. No one clapped.
Raiden Mei sat motionless like a hollow wooden puppet. Long after everyone else had turned the page, she was still staring blankly at the cover of her textbook, her eyes empty.
When the bell finally rang, a few noble girls who usually clung to her hurried out of the classroom. They huddled at the corner of the corridor, whispering frantically. Occasionally, one of them would peek into the classroom, only to see Raiden Mei still frozen in that exact same posture—slumped shoulders, drooping head, hollow eyes.
About two minutes later, a chaotic flurry of footsteps echoed down the hallway, rapidly approaching Li Wu's classroom.
The footsteps stopped at the front door.
"Mei!" called out the 'best friend', whose cheek was still swollen and red.
Raiden Mei's shoulders twitched slightly, but she didn't look up.
"Mei, look who's here!" Several girls eagerly ushered a boy into the room. "Hayato-kun is here! He says he wants to partner up with you for the three-legged race at the sports festival at the end of the month!"
The three-legged race. Two people tying their adjacent legs together with a rope or cloth, requiring perfect synchronization and rhythm to run forward. There were no gender restrictions; boys, girls, or mixed pairs could enter.
Both the commoner students in the hallway and the noble students inside the classroom immediately cast burning gazes at him.
Raiden Mei finally lifted her head.
Standing in the doorway was a boy with dyed blonde hair. He wore a simple white button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He looked energetic, clean-cut, and radiant. His bright smile was a stark contrast to the gloomy, rain-swept sky outside.
Hayato Honda.
One of the top-ranking 'Campus Princes'. The ace of the soccer club. A student consistently ranked in the top ten academically.
He was also the organizer of the previous mixer—the one that, due to Kiana's interference, ended up being restricted to commoners only.
"Raiden-san. Long time no see."
Hayato walked in with a brisk, confident stride, acting as comfortable as if he were in his own home. His tone was perfectly natural.
"Your friends told me you weren't in the best mood lately. Soccer practice was canceled today because of the rain, so I thought I'd come check on you. Do you want to grab something to eat? A new dessert shop opened up behind the school. I hear their strawberry parfait is amazing."
He paused, offering a slightly self-deprecating smile. "Also, if you're willing, could you partner with me for the three-legged race? My original partner had an emergency and bailed on me, haha."
He tapped his forehead lightly with his finger, playing off the situation with a charming mix of understanding and mild distress.
Throughout the entire interaction, his attention remained entirely focused on Raiden Mei's face. He maintained a level of concern that was engaging without being intrusive, constantly observing her reactions.
His gentle personality, combined with his model-tier good looks, was enough to make any ordinary girl's heart skip a beat.
The noble girls standing nearby nodded frantically, eagerly hoping Raiden Mei would agree.
Li Wu? Over the past ten days, they had pooled their resources and thoroughly investigated his background. He wasn't some hidden heir from a massive conglomerate at all.
He had only been able to act so arrogant because he knew Raiden Mei liked him. If they had the backing of ME Corp, they would have flaunted it to the high heavens! They couldn't understand why he was always so timid, wanting to show off but never actually having the guts to do it. They couldn't see a single redeeming quality in him.
Raiden Mei stared at Hayato.
She stared for a long time.
Out of basic social etiquette, she tried her hardest to give a reaction.
A smile, a nod, or even a polite, "Thank you, but no."
But she quickly realized that her facial muscles felt entirely dead. She couldn't move them at all. Her face remained a rigid, apathetic mask.
Only one thought kept looping in her mind.
When Hayato Honda smiles, his eyes crinkle and his eyebrows lift. He's not like Li Wu. When Li Wu smiles, he doesn't have all these little micro-expressions. He just looks like a happy little cat. You can instantly tell he's genuinely happy.
Conversely, Li Wu's sadness and confusion are just as obvious. You don't have to analyze him to figure out how he's feeling.
Once that thought appeared, it became an unstoppable avalanche.
Hayato speaks very politely. His voice is nice. Li Wu is polite too, but sometimes he's clumsy about it. To reassure people, he'll constantly explain why he's saying something and what his motives are. It sounds so silly, but it's endearing. He's completely defenseless around others.
Hayato looks great in a white shirt. He's very well-dressed. No matter what Li Wu wears, his collar is always a mess, crooked and untucked. He never cares about those little details as long as it's passable. I always have to fix it for him.
Hayato wants to take me to eat a strawberry parfait. It's a sweet dessert. But Li Wu knows what I actually like. I like takoyaki with extra chili powder. I never told him, but he noticed it on his own. He always pays attention to the people around him.
"Raiden-san?" Hayato tilted his head slightly, still smiling. "You seem to be thinking about something happy. So, what do you say? Want to join me for the race, or maybe grab that parfait? Do me a favor and say yes. Don't worry, my treat."
Raiden Mei finally snapped out of her daze.
She looked at the incredibly handsome, radiant face in front of her—a face that had made countless girls swoon.
She felt absolutely nothing.
It's not him.
It's not that person.
The person who flicks my forehead.
The person who carries me while running wildly through the rain.
The person who coldly tells me to 'fuck off', but showed up in my life earlier than anyone else. The person who, even when my life was hanging by a thread, never once gave up on me.
It's not him.
"This is my business. It has nothing to do with you."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Raiden Mei froze.
Isn't this exactly what Li Wu just said to me?
Recovering quickly, she added coldly, "Don't think you can get close to me with such a pathetic excuse. I can see exactly what you want. Go back to your own class before I lose my temper."
She lowered her head, refusing to make eye contact with him again.
Hayato Honda stood stunned. He turned to look at the noble girls, his eyes silently demanding an explanation.
The girls were equally bewildered. None of them had expected this outcome.
Li Wu isn't even as good-looking as Hayato! Why does the ME Corp heiress care about him so much?!
Outside, the rain continued to pour, pattering relentlessly against the glass. Whether looking out from the classroom or looking in from outside, everything was just a blur.
The classroom plunged back into a deathly silence.
The final period of the morning was an exact replica of the first.
Raiden Mei kept her eyes downcast, occasionally turning her head to gaze out the window. Through the dim, rain-streaked glass, she could see Li Wu's blurry reflection.
The lunch bell rang.
Li Wu stood up and walked out, heading toward the school cafeteria.
Only Raiden Mei and her 'best friends' remained in the classroom.
"Mei... let's just go eat. As for Li Wu... don't worry about it. Men just have too much pride sometimes. After a while, he'll face reality and realize that you're the one who treats him the best. You're his best choice."
"Yeah! Don't starve yourself over him! If you suffer, we'll be sad too!"
Her friends' consolations barely registered in her mind.
If Li Wu were standing here... what would he say?
She thought about it for a long time.
She couldn't come up with an answer.
Because that person... was never going to stand there again.
---||---
It was noon. Li Wu stood at the ground-floor exit of the teaching building. Outside, the rain fell in a dense, inescapable sheet.
The distance between the teaching building and the cafeteria wasn't far, but it wasn't short either.
"Pre-borrow. An umbrella. A scarf."
[You have pre-borrowed an ordinary umbrella. The corresponding price has been deducted from your bank card: 200 Far East Yen. Current Balance: 999,999,800.00]
[Your bank card balance originates from a gift by Ana Schariac. It is her entire life savings since becoming a Valkyrie.]
Her entire savings.
"Is she planning to sever ties with me too... using this massive sum of money as the ultimate termination of our relationship."
I have no last words. Just end me.