Raiden Mei was a second-year high school student at Senba Academy.
A year ago, when she had just enrolled, she was immediately welcomed and admired by her classmates.
Having grown up as a young lady under strict upbringing, she had never had many friends. So Mei was truly happy. Without overthinking, she interacted with those who approached her—not enjoying the feeling of being surrounded and praised, but simply feeling joy at having so many friends.
At least—
That was what she believed, before her father, Raiden Ryoma, was imprisoned due to an economic scandal.
But in just a few months, after her father's imprisonment, the fall of ME Corp's reputation, and the change in leadership—
The perceptive Mei quickly noticed the changes around her.
Almost overnight, those she had once considered friends no longer found excuses to study or eat with her. The classmates who used to gather around her after class, chatting about all kinds of girlish topics, gradually distanced themselves.
Only then did Mei realize—
The identity she thought she had carefully hidden had already been exposed from the moment she enrolled.
Even though her noble temperament—both elegant and refined—had been deliberately restrained, her surname alone was enough for others to recognize her as the daughter of ME Corp's president.
It wasn't as she had believed—
That she had earned their friendship through politeness and kindness.
From the very beginning, their intentions had been clear.
To build a good relationship with the daughter of ME Corp…
For their own benefit.
Once Mei lost that status, they naturally had no reason to continue. Some even deliberately isolated her, in fear that the still-powerful ME Corp might take offense if they were seen associating with her.
That day—
Raiden Mei realized that the world was not as beautiful as she had imagined.
Her father had always been busy with work, and she had grown up lacking paternal affection. She thought she had gained friendship—
But in the end, not only was that friendship false, even the little fatherly love she once had disappeared completely with his imprisonment.
And yet—
Mei did not undergo a drastic change in personality.
Aside from becoming more sensitive to her surroundings and to people's emotions, she instead grew stronger.
The gentleness and tolerance she continued to show, even after such a drastic upheaval, made it difficult for her classmates to go too far. Aside from avoiding interaction with her, there were no instances of bullying.
Raiden Mei was simply—
A little lonely.
That evening, as usual, when night fell and the moon hung high in the sky, she did not immediately return to the dormitory.
After all, she was the only one there.
A confined space would only make the loneliness more apparent.
Instead, sitting on a bench in a quiet corner of the school, watching the moon softly cast its light over everything without discrimination, and listening to the faint chirping of insects—
She could feel a trace of comfort.
"Who's there?"
The Mei who had been sitting alone suddenly turned her head, looking toward a large tree near the school wall.
There was no response.
But she continued to gaze steadily in that direction.
Her expression wasn't wary or harsh—just a bit serious.
In fact—
There was a hint of expectation.
She hoped it might be one of her former friends watching from afar… hoped that among those who had once approached her because of her status, there might have been one or two who were truly sincere.
That seriousness and expectation quickly turned into surprise.
Because the one who appeared—
Was an unfamiliar boy of her age.
"I thought I hid pretty well."
A man hiding in a secluded place to secretly observe a girl—there was no doubt that such behavior was problematic, even in a world where men were rare.
Yet Mei simply observed him quietly for a moment—
Then smiled.
"When I was younger, I practiced swordsmanship for quite some time, so my senses are a bit sharper than most people. And… it's been a long time. Every night, I sit here alone. This time, there was someone extra. I could sense the difference."
Long, straight black hair.
Deep, dark eyes.
Though she was just a high school student, she carried a beauty far more mature than her age.
Standing before Hikari Aoi now was such a girl—
Like a flower on a high peak, her smile carrying a faint sense of distance.
"My name is Hikari Aoi. I'm a student from Tachikawa Academy."
"Tachikawa Academy isn't that far from Senba Academy. But if you didn't have a reason, you wouldn't have gone out of your way to sneak into our girls' school, would you?"
The reason Mei was still calmly talking with him, instead of calling campus security to have him detained, wasn't because her swordsmanship gave her confidence—she wasn't carrying a wooden sword at the moment. Barehanded, most girls were still weaker than boys.
Her composure came from something else—
She felt no malice from Hikari Aoi.
After experiencing such a drastic change in her life, Mei had become very sensitive to others' emotions.
Of course, another reason was that Hikari Aoi was indeed quite handsome—not the kind of person who gave a bad first impression.
From the moment he had been discovered, Hikari Aoi had been thinking—
Thinking about how to justify his act of sneaking into a girls' school.
"For world peace" didn't seem very convincing.
Unable to come up with a perfect excuse, Hikari Aoi could only respond half-truthfully under Mei's beautiful gaze.
"I recently got an internship opportunity at ME Corp through my school. Today, while working there, I saw information saying 'Raiden Mei, daughter of ME Corp's former president, currently studying at Senba Academy.' Out of curiosity, and relying on my decent physical ability, I snuck in."
He paused slightly before adding:
"…And to be honest, I've always been curious about girls' schools like Senba Academy. In the eyes of boys, they've always been something of a sacred place."
Clearly—
The first half was true.
The second half was completely false.
His curiosity about girls' schools had nothing to do with his actions.
"A sacred place? Tachikawa Academy isn't a girls' school, but I've heard there are hardly any male students there either. It should be quite similar to a girls' school, shouldn't it?"
Mei smiled gently as she refuted his claim.
Then—
Her tone shifted.
The light in her eyes dimmed.
"I am indeed the daughter of Raiden Ryoma, the former president of ME Corp. But if you're hoping to gain something from me, I can only say I'm sorry."
"Perhaps ME Corp deliberately hid some facts from interns like you."
"My father was imprisoned due to an economic scandal."
"There is no remaining influence of his within ME Corp anymore."