Before finding Raiden Mei, Hikari Aoi had first gone to Senba Academy's administrative building. He located the archives room and browsed through the student records.
Without any information at all, searching the dormitories for Raiden Mei would have been unrealistic. Although… not being able to glimpse the daily lives of beautiful girls in their dorms was a bit of a pity—
…Ahem.
Hikari Aoi had no such distracting thoughts during his mission.
With limited time and a large student body, he could only rely on the archives to confirm Mei's dormitory location.
Unexpectedly, he ran into her on the way.
In addition, while checking the records, Hikari Aoi also confirmed that aside from Raiden Mei, neither Kiana nor Bronya were currently students at Senba Academy. Their whereabouts were unknown.
For now, the only person he could approach—
Was Raiden Mei.
"I'm sorry… I made you recall something painful."
Hikari Aoi's apology made Mei, who had been slightly lowering her head—perhaps waiting for him to expose his intentions and leave in frustration—look up in surprise.
She stared at him for a moment, realizing that he was genuinely apologizing.
Then she smiled.
Compared to her earlier polite smile, this one carried far more emotion.
"It's alright. Aren't you going to just turn around and leave? As you can see, I don't have much value."
"Value?"
Hikari Aoi shook his head slightly.
"What I see is a girl quietly hurting under the moonlight. From what you said earlier—and from the emotions you revealed—I can more or less understand how you feel. If I just turn around and walk away now, I think my own value as a person would drop significantly."
Hikari Aoi had once spent countless hours—and money—on the game.
What had drawn him in the most, of course, were the Valkyries.
Now, seeing Raiden Mei sitting alone in a secluded corner of Senba Academy, catching glimpses of the sadness she tried to hide—
How could he possibly just leave?
"…That kind of thing doesn't really sound appropriate to say to a girl you've just met."
Mei's smile softened.
"But… it does make me a little happy. So, I won't report you sneaking into Senba Academy to the security office."
This time, her smile carried warmth.
No longer did it blend into the cold gentleness of the moonlight as before.
"Huh? You were actually planning to turn me in?"
Hikari Aoi looked shocked.
Was this really the Raiden Mei he knew?
In the game, even at the lowest affection level, if the Captain crossed the line, she would only respond with a modest hundred-thousand-volt shock. And at maximum affection, she was practically the perfect gentle wife.
But now—
Where did this sly side come from?
Seeing his reaction, Mei seemed to feel slightly embarrassed, as though she had betrayed his trust.
"It's not that serious… I just thought about asking the security department to strengthen the school's defenses, so boys couldn't sneak in so easily anymore."
She paused, then added with a small smile:
"But thinking about it carefully, there are so few boys now that the chance of another one sneaking in like you is practically zero. So don't worry—I won't report you."
"Then I'm truly grateful."
In truth, Hikari Aoi had only been joking.
But hearing her explanation, he put on a serious expression and thanked her properly.
That made Mei let out a soft laugh.
And she quickly realized—
He had been trying to make her happy on purpose.
How long had it been since someone spoke to her like this?
Comforted her… or even tried to make her smile?
For a moment, Mei's gaze drifted.
Looking at the boy in front of her—who, from the moment he appeared, had maintained a distance that was neither too distant nor uncomfortably close, showing careful consideration—
She pressed her lips together.
"If your goal was to make me happy… then you've succeeded."
"But aside from saying thank you, I have nothing else to give you."
If this had been a few months ago, right after her family's downfall, Mei would have worried that he approached her with ulterior motives—like her former classmates, seeking benefits through her identity as ME Corp's daughter.
Now, she still worried—
But in a completely different way.
Now, she feared that he was overestimating her.
Because she had lost almost everything.
She was no longer the daughter of ME Corp's president.
Money, status, and even her father's presence—
All gone.
She had nothing left.
If it were something she still possessed—
She would be willing to give it.
After enduring a year of loneliness, she truly wanted someone she could talk to.
Even if that person might turn out to be like those former "friends"—
As long as the conversation could continue, it would be enough.
"Besides your thanks, I've also gained the smile of a beautiful girl. That's already more than enough."
Hikari Aoi smiled lightly.
"But it's getting late. It's not as warm as during the day, and you're not dressed very thickly. Sitting here too long might make you catch a cold."
"Why don't you head back to your dorm first? I should be going as well."
Hikari Aoi didn't know what Mei was thinking.
Although, in his heart, she was far from a stranger—
He still maintained proper boundaries, keeping their interaction appropriate for a first meeting.
After all, it was already late.
And he had spent quite some time in the archives earlier.
It wasn't suitable to continue chatting.
At first, hearing his words, Mei's eyes dimmed.
She thought he had lost interest after realizing she was no longer the daughter of ME Corp's president.
But then—
Sensing the concern in his tone—
A trace of hope appeared.
"…Will you come again?"
She hesitated slightly before adding:
"You said earlier… that girls' schools are like sacred places to boys."
She didn't even dare to directly say that she hoped he would come back to talk with her again.
"Sacred place," huh…
Hikari Aoi felt that his earlier words might have created a slightly bad impression.
But strangely—
He saw no trace of disgust in her eyes.
Though a bit puzzled, he answered naturally:
"Will you still be sitting here tomorrow?"
"…Yes!"
"Then I'll see you tomorrow evening. It's the weekend anyway, so I've got plenty of time."
Hikari Aoi told a small lie.
He still had to go to ME Corp for his internship the next day. Rushing over in the evening would be somewhat hectic.
Did Mei notice?
Perhaps.
After all, he had already mentioned his internship earlier.
But she didn't say anything.
She simply nodded firmly.