What a bunch of useless people!"
Inside the ME Corporation headquarters.
In this technologically advanced room, several electronic screens floated in mid-air, like something out of a sci-fi movie, showcasing a level of technology far beyond the outside world.
A tall woman with purple eyes and blonde hair, with a full figure, had an unpleasant expression. Although she possessed delicate features like a doll, she was a ruthless individual who would stop at nothing.
She was Cocolia, whom Byakuya had thoroughly noted down, planning to first xx and then xx her a thousand times over when given the chance, as a villain.
"If you can't even handle such a small matter, what use are you to me? Or do you also want to go to jail like Raiden Ryoma?"
"We are very sorry, Lady Cocolia!"
"This, this isn't our fault. Recently, two annoying people have appeared around Raiden Mei, preventing us from having the opportunity to bully… deal with her."
"Yes, yes, it's really not that we didn't try our best. Please give us another chance!"
If Byakuya and the others were here, they would recognize that the persistent girls who targeted Mei in their class were now kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear, begging for mercy and complaining.
Cocolia frowned, her expression annoyed.
That was indeed an unexpected error. According to her plan, Mei should have already become a Herrscher by now.
After all, for a girl of this age, her father's imprisonment, the family's decline, and school-wide bullying—each of these blows was heavy enough to crush her.
The reason Mei experienced such severe school bullying was that Cocolia was secretly fanning the flames. She bribed these girls to constantly pressure Mei.
And when Mei's emotions reached their peak of despair, the will of honkai would descend, using the conquest gem within her as a medium. In the Great Eruption that could destroy the entire Changkong City, the girl would transform into a Herrscher.
But who would have thought?
Just as Mei's spirit was on the verge of collapse, a young man named Byakuya appeared and forcefully rescued this already desperate girl.
Soon after, a girl named Kiana appeared, and these two completely redeemed Raiden Mei.
"..."
Cocolia watched the screen with a livid expression.
On it was Mei, who had just bought dinner, singing and skipping, ready to go home and cook.
This was far from despair; she was smiling much more happily than Cocolia, and she even looked like she was experiencing her first stirrings of love. It would be strange if she could still become a Herrscher like this.
"Hmph! I'm giving you one last chance. If you can't make this girl completely despair this time, then just wait to see news of your family's bankruptcy tomorrow."
"Yes, yes, Lady Cocolia!"
Although Cocolia disdained personally dealing with a young girl, she no longer wanted to delay. She instructed several of her subordinates to go along to ensure nothing went wrong.
After the others left in fear, Cocolia turned her gaze back to Mei on the large screen.
Detailed information about the girl was displayed, making it clear to anyone who saw it that she was a kind-hearted good girl.
But…
What then?
This was not a beautiful world.
"Raiden Mei, although it's unfair to you, to defeat the honkai and rescue my daughter, you must sacrifice yourself for the greater good."
This world does not lack kind-hearted good girls, but if capturing a Herrscher and saving her daughter, who is lost in the Quantum Sea, could be achieved at the cost of sacrificing one good girl,
Cocolia would not hesitate for a moment.
...
Mei, who was walking home, was suddenly approached by a black van. Before the girl could react, she was thrown into a sack and taken away.
When Mei saw the light again, she found herself in an abandoned building.
"Raiden Mei, we meet again."
"It's you again. You've even resorted to kidnapping this time. Aren't you afraid of going to jail?"
Mei looked at the girl in front of her in surprise.
She was the 'good friend' who had led the bullying against Mei ever since her father went to prison. Although Mei had expected this person wouldn't give up easily, she truly hadn't thought she would go as far as kidnapping!
"Haha! Go to jail! You'd better worry about yourself. No one can save you now. Neither Byakuya nor Kiana are here. You're alone again, Raiden Mei, Miss!"
Her gaze was like that of someone looking at prey.
Mixed with abnormal excitement and satisfaction.
The girl stared fanatically at Mei, who was tied to a chair and unable to move, completely lost in a twisted pleasure.
Mei suddenly realized that this former 'good friend' of hers was the most extreme among all those who bullied her.
Before the Raiden family fell from grace, she could be described as Mei's ultimate sycophant, following her everywhere she went, always with a smile on her face.
But after the Raiden family's decline, she immediately transformed into the most egregious bully, ganging up with the entire class to subject Mei to excessive ostracism and bullying.
As for why she did this…
"Why are you so lucky? Why does heaven favor you so much, Raiden Mei? Why can't you just die! Why can't I be as lucky as you, receiving so much favor!"
Because of excessive jealousy!
The girl's heavily made-up face was twisted.
Her eyes were filled with jealousy, a pure jealousy that couldn't even describe it; it was a Jealousy that wished to replace her.
Although Mei had never done anything wrong to her.
But she was jealous of Mei's unattainable birth.
She was jealous of Mei's beauty, which she couldn't compare to.
She was jealous of Mei's perfect personality and grades.
Some people are just like that by nature, unable to stand others being better than them, and she was a typical example.
So when the Raiden family lost power, this girl was overjoyed and ecstatic, and had even started bullying Mei at school before Cocolia found her.
Every time she saw the usually haughty Raiden Queen trembling and crying endlessly from her bullying, the girl felt a deep pleasure in her heart.
However…
"Why do you still have people helping you even when you're this rotten! Are Byakuya and that Kiana blind! What good is there in being friends with you!"
Just when she thought she had trampled this high-mountain flower underfoot,
Reality told her that even in her fall, Raiden Mei was still not comparable to someone of her ilk.
When everyone else abandoned Mei, Byakuya and Kiana, two individuals who always stood out wherever they went, came to the girl's side.
So her jealousy grew even more insane.
She was jealous that Mei, despite falling to the bottom, seemed to have been reborn, finding true friendship and gaining Byakuya and Kiana as friends.
Although her grades were poor and she was a bit silly, Kiana was more special than anyone else. Not only did she possess a beauty worthy of the name 'Kiana/Moon Goddess,' but she was also fundamentally different from ordinary mortals like her.
As for Byakuya… that was where she was most jealous of Raiden Mei! That perfect young man with the most handsome appearance, a gentle and uninhibited personality, and financial wealth, was only gentle towards Raiden Mei.
He was even willing to become an enemy of the entire school for her alone!
The girl could never forget that day when Byakuya put his arm around Mei's shoulder and declared to the entire class that she was his girlfriend.
At that moment, she truly wished she could kill Mei and take her place!
You're just a criminal's daughter, Raiden Mei, why are you blessed with so many good things!
Mei tried a few times to break free but to no avail, her face looking grim. However, she was no longer the crybaby who would only cry when bullied a month ago.
"Although I don't know what your purpose is, this kind of thing is meaningless. Even if you kidnap me, you won't get any ransom."
"...Raiden Mei, what are you touching? Is it this phone?" The girl smiled and threw Mei's phone to the ground.
Although she was unprofessional at kidnapping, Cocolia's subordinates were mostly experienced and skilled.
Mei, who had intended to secretly call for help with her phone, looked grim and bit her lower lip nervously.
"You're not still expecting Byakuya and them to come save you, are you? Haha, don't worry, they won't find you. By the way... you two are actually fake lovers, right?"
"!!!"
It was precisely because of her twisted jealousy towards Mei that this girl usually observed the most meticulously, and as a result, she detected their disguised romantic relationship.
"That expression tells me I was right, but… it seems there's more to it. If I'm not mistaken, although Byakuya hasn't fallen for you, our Miss Raiden Mei has truly fallen in love, haven't you?"
"Hahaha, how funny! How does it feel, Raiden Mei, who has been omnipotent since childhood? Is this the first time you've experienced this feeling of unrequited love?"
"You don't think you're the only special one, do you? Think back, besides yourself, isn't there someone else Byakuya is also very good to?"
"That's your other companion, Kiana Kaslana. You like Byakuya, but maybe the person he likes is your other friend?"
The girl said with a crazy laugh. She wasn't actually spouting nonsense, because Byakuya's concern and protection for Mei could be explained by his sympathy for her tragic situation.
But his 'indulgence' towards Kiana was baffling. That inexplicable, seemingly innate good impression made it seem to outsiders as if Byakuya had fallen for Kiana.
At these words, Mei immediately clenched her small hands.
The girl's face showed delight; she wanted to sow discord among the three. No one knew better than her how fragile friendship was.
A little bit of suspicion and jealousy was enough to completely destroy it. However…
"...What you said, of course I know." Mei actually agreed.
This reaction made the girl freeze.
"What?"
"Both Byakuya and Kiana are people as dazzling as the sun. I am merely someone who was praised because I was lucky enough to have a good birth. Once that halo is gone, I will be like this, no different from an ordinary person."
It was precisely because she was close friends with those two that Mei understood so clearly.
Byakuya and Kiana were both very special people; compared to them, the 'current' Raiden Mei seemed so ordinary and unremarkable.
"I… I might indeed have fallen for Byakuya. It might indeed be as you said, that he isn't really interested in me and is only good to me out of sympathy. Perhaps the person Byakuya likes is Kiana."
Mei took a deep breath, her eyes showing no wavering or any negative emotions.
"But I won't give up!"
This was the first time in Mei's life that she felt such emotions towards a male. The young man's face appeared in her mind. Perhaps it was impossible not to fall for Byakuya.
That young man became a warm light shining into Mei's heart during her darkest times, her Prince Charming whom she met as if by fate.
"I might fail, I might be rejected, but I won't give up. I'm no longer the crybaby Raiden Mei whom you all used to bully. Kiana and Byakuya, they both taught me very important lessons."
"Even if I resent this world, it's useless. But for the sake of my important companions, I will bravely face everything! I will never betray their friendship!"
Mei said with a determined expression.
She still had plenty of time. Perhaps Byakuya didn't have those kinds of feelings for her right now, but Mei believed that with time, she would eventually have a chance.
Besides, didn't the books say that to capture a man's heart, you must first capture his stomach? It seemed she was already close to achieving that.
"You! You! What on earth are you talking about? Friendship? There's no such thing in this world!"
"..."
"Damn it! Don't look at me like that!"
As if completely in erosion, the girl trembled with rage. She glared at Mei, gritting her teeth. The girl's gaze, which seemed to pity her for not having a single true friend, was especially unbearable.
You, Raiden Mei, are no longer rich. You can't be as arrogant as before.
Now you're just a fraudster's daughter. What right do you have to look at me like that!
"I get it! I get why those two are willing to be friends with you. They must be trying to gain your favor while you're pitiful, thinking that if your dad really gets out and your family's power is restored, they'll be able to benefit from being close to you."
She suddenly shouted.
"It must be like this, it must be! Otherwise, why would anyone be friends with you? Hahaha, those two are quite smart, aren't they? Why didn't I think of that back then?"
"Just be a little nice to the current Miss Raiden Mei, make her grateful, and then in the future, she'll give you as much money as you want."
As she spoke, Mei's demeanor instantly changed.
The Raiden Mei who had just been strong but still fragile now stood up without hesitation.
Ignoring the muzzles pointed at her, she couldn't break free from the ropes binding her hands, so she simply used her body to charge directly at the girl in front of her.
"Ughh!"
"Ugh, you, are you looking for death?!"
Caught off guard, no one expected Mei to make such a move. The usually quiet and elegant girl would actually directly headbutt someone.
The girl covered her nose, feeling as if her nasal bridge had been broken. The pain was unbearable.
And in Mei's eyes at that moment, there was a surge of anger, purple lightning arcs were flickering within them.
"I don't care what you do to me, whether you bully me or badmouth me, I'm used to it. But… I will absolutely not allow you to slander those two!"
Byakuya and Kiana,
They were the only two lights in her life, Raiden Mei's favorite and proudest friends.
Mei could endure being slandered herself, but she absolutely could not allow anyone to speak ill of them.