I hope you really enjoy this chapter!
Three weeks had passed since Mei moved in with Kiana, and to be frank it felt like a surreal dream at first. I had felt the same thing with Kiana when it was revealed that she was my new neighbor and it was so unreal that I had to pinch myself that the Kiana Kaslana was my neighbor.
Though it didn't take long for that shock and awe to run out but now…
Now I had to reassure myself that the Mei Raiden was now Kiana's roommate which meant that by extension she was my new neighbor now.
"I wonder what we should do today?" I mused to myself as I and Kuro were just lounging lazily on the couch, just watching whatever happened to be interesting on the TV. Currently we were in the middle of watching the Arahato Mech Ninja Anime.
It was pretty good not gonna lie, though that could be my bias as a massive mecha anime nerd speaking.
"What say you Kuro? Got any ideas?" I asked as the current episode that we were watching had cut to credits. The black cat resting next to me just meowed to me in response before she plopped her head lazily onto the couch, stuck in the same boat of boredom.
"You too huh?" I remarked as I rested my hand on top of the black feline's head, slowly petting the cat as we waited for the next episode of the Arahato anime to automatically play.
I was tempted to call Kiana or Mei and hang out with them but the two were currently having a 'roommate bonding day' with the heiress, whatever that meant. I contemplated crashing it out of boredom but I knew the white haired girl would be less than pleased.
I guess the only thing I could do now was to wait for something interesting to happen.
And as if the gods themselves were listening to my thoughts, my phone laying next to me started to ring. Looking down at it, I frowned when the screen displayed an unknown caller id. It could have been just some random marketer but with how bored I was I just picked up my phone and answered the call.
"Hello?" I answered skeptically, ready to hang up if needed.
"Is this Haruto-san?" A familiar voice had my eyes widening and I immediately shot up out of my spot on the sofa upon hearing it.
"A-Ayaka-san?" I replied in shock, not at all expecting to hear from the head maid so soon since her departure.
"Oh thank the heavens that I remembered to save your contact information," Ayaka breathed in relief.
"I-Is there something wrong?" I asked cautiously, not really seeing there being a reason for this call unless it was for something really important.
"No, it's nothing like that," The head maid assured me, her words lifting the worry right off of my shoulders. "...But it does involve Mei." She added in a grave tone.
That immediately got my attention as I straightened my posture. "You have my full attention," I urged her to continue, my tone serious.
Silence reigned in my apartment as Ayaka began to tell me the reason why she had called me. I remained dead quiet as the head maid talked and only gave her a curt 'thank you' when she had finished her explanation.
Hanging up, I slowly lowered my phone without saying anything. What I did was just simply plop back down onto the sofa unceremoniously. The impact of my fall immediately woke up Kuro, who jumped up in surprise and landed on the sofa before immediately hissing at me.
However her expression of annoyance swiftly turned into confusion when she saw my blank expression. She was further perplexed by my mood when I closed my eyes and dramatically took in a big breath of air.
After I finished exhaling that breath, I slowly opened my eyes back up and looked up at the ceiling. My mouth opened and…
…
"EH?!"
Mei Raiden was not so sure what was happening right now but she wasn't sure if this was a great idea. "Are you sure you want to bring me along?" She asked as she averted her gaze from two passerbyers who were looking in her direction, whispering to themselves.
No doubt they were wondering what the 'Demon's Daughter' was doing out in public.
"What do you mean?" Haruto's grandmother looked back at her with a wide grin on her face that seemed to be free of worry as she continued to pull the heiress through the streets of Nagazora. "I can assure you everything is going to go soundly!"
"A-And what exactly are we doing?" The heiress asked anxiously as they turned a street corner.
"And ruin the surprise?" The red headed woman laughed as she turned her head back forward. "I don't think so!"
With answers not coming anytime soon, the dark purple haired girl simply resigned herself to this fate and let the older red haired woman pull her to wherever their destination was. As the older woman continued to navigate her way through Nagazora, Mei couldn't help but think back at how her life had changed so dramatically in such a short amount of time.
Living with Kiana, and by extension Haruto, was certainly a learning experience for her. Without maids or butlers to make the apartment tidy and organized, a lot of responsibilities were now up to her to complete.
That didn't mean that she was completely unprepared for it, she liked to have a tidy room and often cleaned it whenever she had time. However she was certainly unprepared for doing things like cleaning the dishes or folding laundry, Ayaka had always said that was a maid's job and not hers.
But while it may have been a daunting ordeal at first, everyone was more than patient with her as they taught her what it felt like to live in a home much smaller than her old home. And though she quickly grew accustomed to her new circumstances, she would be lying if she did not feel a little bit homesick.
Her mind would drift whenever she had time alone in her room, which was quite often, as it would ask questions she didn't want to know the answers to.
What would happen to the place she grew up in? Would it be bought by another family to live in and make their own special memories? Would Ryne buy it just to mock her? Or would it simply remain there with no one to call it home?
That last question was the scariest one she had asked herself.
"And here we are!" Akane's shout broke Mei out of her reminiscing. Refocusing on reality, the dark purple haired girl quickly looked to her surroundings to try and figure out where the red head woman had brought her to.
Thankfully it did not take long for her to figure out where they were currently at.
"A…mall?" She replied in disbelief as she looked around the semi-busy shopping complex. It wasn't overly packed but there were a fair amount of people simply walking around, shopping bags in hand. Probably due to the fact that today was currently a weekend.
Some people had taken note of her arrival and were looking in her direction and whispering to themselves but the heiress, probably an ex-heiress now, was used to the looks and hushed whispers of the people now.
That didn't mean however she liked the feeling.
"Well I know this isn't exactly the type of malls that you're used to but I think this place is a great place for a 'girl's day out'!" Akane grinned as she rested a hand on her hip.
"A girl's day out?" Mei looked at Haruto's grandmother for elaboration on what she meant by that.
"A girl's day out!" The sudden shout affirmation from a familiar voice had the heiress immediately turning around with wide eyes to see Kiana and Sora walking up to them. "Hi Mei-senpai!" The excitable Kaslana shouted in greeting .
"Kiana-chan?!" Mei was surprised to see the white haired girl here, as just this very morning the white haired girl had run out of the apartment without a proper explanation of what she was doing. All she got from the Kaslana was that she was doing 'something of utmost importance' before she raced out of the door.
"Sora-chan?" She then looked to the young lavender haired child in surprise for her sudden appearance as well.
"Hi Mei nee-chan!" Sora greeted with a wave as a cheery grin blossomed on her face.
"Looks like the gang's all here," Akane walked up to them with a smile on her face, though that didn't last long as it transformed into a frown as she took a more focused look at everyone present. "Though maybe that's not all that accurate considering we are missing-,"
"The Bronya is here." It seems that this day would not be short on surprises for Mei as the gray haired Russian girl made her presence known as she walked up to the group. "The Bronya hopes she is not late."
"You are Bratnya," Kiana mumbled under her breath, thankfully it was low enough that no one had heard what she had just said.
"How are you doing Mei nee-sama?" The reserved girl's gray eyes turned to face Mei. It took only a second for the heiress to realize that the last time they had seen each other was at the festival…
Before everything she had known had turned on its head for her.
"I'm doing better now," Mei raised a hand onto her chest and gave Bronya a smile. "Thank you for asking Bronya-chan."
"Then the Bronya is glad," The Russian girl reciprocated her smile with a small smile of her own.
"Oi Bratnya," Kiana made her presence known as she stepped in front of the petite girl, hands on her hips as she had a stern expression on her face. "Stop getting all cozy with Mei-senpai."
Bronya simply looked up at Kiana and only slightly narrowed her eyes at her. "The Bronya denies Kiana Idiotika's request."
"Is that so?!" The situation unfolding was so familiar that Mei swore she was back at the Kitsune Festival, watching the two take part in yet another 'friendly' competition. "You should heed the words of your betters you little brat!"
"If Bronya's memory is correct, which it is, Subject Kiana lost our game booth competition." Bronya brought up a painful reminder of the night that had been a major blow to Kiana's pride. The sudden tick mark that appeared on the white haired girl's face was an indication how even now it still stung.
"Is that so?" Kiana's eyebrow began to twitch erratically as her strained smile hid her intent to pummel the girl in front of her. "Then I demand a rematch! To settle this once and for all!"
Rather than be the better person in this situation, the Russian girl all but rose to Kiana's challenge as her eyes narrowed in seriousness. "The Bronya remembers that there is an arcade in this mall, we shall commence our rematch there."
"Good!" Kiana heatedly replied as she leaned down, imaginary sparks clashing between the two avid gamers. "Let's see how you fare in my home territory!
Before it could get any more heated…again, Akane thankfully stepped in between the two. "Now now you two," She chided as she lightly bonked the both of them on the head. "You can sort this out later, don't forget why we're here in the first place."
At the mention of their 'true purpose' here, the two looked at each other and made a silent promise that they would settle their rematch at a later date. Turning their attention to the red headed woman, Bronya simply nodded while Kiana spoke up with a raised arm. "For Mei-senpai!"
The dark purple haired girl in question just looked in shock at her roommate's words. "M-Me?!"
"We figured that you needed a great way to forget everything that's happened recently to you," Explained Akane. "And what better way than to hang out with us girls for an entire day."
"B-But I don't need any-!," She tried to deny the woman's words only for Kiana to interrupt.
"You're great at hiding what you're feeling but we're roommates!" The white haired girl said as if that was the most straightforward explanation in the entire world. "I know what you're feeling at all times."
That was...correct? Mei didn't have it in her to tell Kiana that kind of explanation made no sense, and also it was kinda creepy in its own cute way. Yet despite that she couldn't deny the fact that she was feeling a bit down.
She felt almost ashamed to admit that. Even with everything that she had lost, she had so much love and support from everyone around her. They had no reason to do so, they wouldn't gain anything if they chose to help her. As a matter of fact they had so much more to lose if they sided with her.
Yet they chose to do so anyway, and for that she was forever grateful.
So why?
Why did she feel like everything wasn't right with her?
…
Why did it still feel as if she wanted everyone who had mocked her to suffer?
…
Maybe Kiana was right, maybe she desperately needed to get out of the apartment. Maybe this opportunity to spend a day with everyone was what she needed to get out of this funk of hers.
Yes, maybe that would do the trick.
"Will it just be us five?" She asked as she took another look around, trying to spot if there would be any more surprise appearances. "What about Haruto?"
"Worried about my grandson are we?" Akane teased with a sly smile on her face.
"N-No!" She hotly denied, her cheeks said another thing however as they were colored in a vibrant red hue.
"I jest, I jest,"The red headed woman laughed off, much to the heiress's relief. "He's off doing something for Ishigami, he didn't tell me what it was but apparently it was something 'very important'."
"I see…" She didn't want to voice the slight disappointment that she felt knowing that he wasn't going to be here but she knew that her friend had other responsibilities to fulfill. Though when she looked into the hazel eyes of his grandmother, she didn't know what to make of the glint in them.
"B-But are you sure you want me here?" She looked around yet again to see even more people staring in her direction, her presence drawing more and more attention. "People don't exactly have a favorable opinion about me so-!"
"Let them think what they want to, not like any of them will do anything about it," The red haired woman, with no warning whatsoever, casually slung her arm over the heiress's shoulder. "And if any of them thinks otherwise…" Her face turned to face a random group of people who thought they were being clever with their hushed whispers and glared at them with the intensity of Hell itself.
Their faces rapidly paled at such a terrifying sight and instantly ran away, not wanting to draw more of the women's ire. Everyone else saw what happened to them and chose the wisest decision to continue about their day, not pushing the bounds of their interest.
Everyone looked to Akane in awe at how effortlessly she had made her stand and told everyone, without uttering a single word, the consequences should they continue their staring. Oblivious to their awe, the woman turned back around with a warm smile on her face and clapped her hands. "So let's get this show on the road!"
And with that the group of women began to go through the various stores that the mall had. They weren't the caliber of the stores that Mei had shopped at previously, but she was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the apparel they possessed.
Mei was no stranger to going on shopping sprees, having been invited to so many of them by her 'friends' when they wanted to hang out with her. She never indulged like they did when they shopped, only buying a few clothes that had caught her fancy.
Why would she buy more clothes than she knew what to do with? That would just be a waste of money.
Yet she felt the opposite now in the dress shop that they were currently in. There were many dresses here that she liked here, with their beautiful but simple designs. It was apparent that she was not the sole person feeling this as she could see everyone else trying out their own dresses.
Even Sora was joining in on the fun as she held two dresses up for Bronya and asking the gray-haired girl which one looked the best on her.
"Do you see anything that caught your eye Mei?" Akane asked as she approached the heiress, a red dress in hand. "Get anything that you like, it's my treat."
"A-Are you sure?" She replied confusedly as she looked at the purple dress currently in her hands. It just felt so weird having someone else buying something for you when you used to be a heiress with money she had no idea how to spend. "I don't want to burden you with having to buy dresses for-"
"I'm going to cut you there Mei," Akane interrupted with an expression that wasn't going to take no for an answer. "Don't think that for a moment that I would prioritize money over someone else's happiness."
"A-Are you sure?" Even if she was practically being offered free dresses, she was still not going to give in that easily. "I'm sure I can-"
The red haired woman just shook her head in exasperation at the girl's attitude over just a few dresses. "Jeez when Haruto said that you were stubborn I didn't think you could be any more stubborn than Kiana," Akane looked at Mei with a small smile. "Now I know you can match that girl with sheer willpower, maybe even beat her in certain cases."
"Me beat Kiana? I could never." Mei shook her head with a slightly downcast expression as she thought of the white haired girl. "She's everything I'm not. Strong, courageous, brave…I'm just a girl who-"
"Honestly," Akane shook her head as she patted the dark purple haired girl's head, stopping her in her tracks. "You belittle yourself Mei. Everything that you think you aren't you most certainly are."
Mei opened her mouth to argue that she was, the woman raised a finger up to stop her rebuttal. "And before you say otherwise, I want you to know that my dear grandson believes that you are that kind of person as well."
"H-Haruto did?" She asked in disbelief, not expecting her red haired friend to say something like that about her. "When did he-?"
"The first day he came to Nagazora believe it or not," Akane smiled as she thought back to the first dinner they had together in his apartment, oh how so long ago that had been. "He told me of all the people he had met at the academy but it was clear that you were the one that had caught his attention."
…He really thought that? Just the mere thought of him thinking that about her…
It warmed her heart beyond belief.
"But don't tell him I said that," Akane leaned forward with a mischievous grin on her face. "Otherwise I won't hear the end of it."
Mei laughed at that as she could feel her insecurities wash away. Yes this little shopping spree was just what she needed.
"There you go," The red haired woman was glad that Mei was slowly getting into this day. "A smile suits you much better than a gloomy expression will ever do. Now go and find some dresses you like, I'm guessing the one in your hands will be one of them?" She motioned to the dress currently in the heiress's hands.
"It's nice," If Akane was not going to budge on paying for her clothing then there was nothing else she could do but go along for the ride. "It's just…something feels like it's missing from this dress." She explained, hoping the woman would understand what she was saying.
Thankfully the red headed woman nodded in understanding. "Cheer up Mei," She motioned to the other racks of dresses that she had yet to explore. "I'm sure you'll find something that suits you." Was the last thing she said before she went to the dressing rooms, no doubt going to try on the dresses she currently had.
Of that she had no doubt. Placing the dress back where she had gotten it from, the heiress was prepared to head to another part of the shop but it would seem that someone else had other ideas.
"Mei nee-chan!" Sora exclaimed as she ran to the girl, with Kiana close behind her. The two had been really busy trying dresses on if the amount that Kiana was holding was anything to go off of. "What about this dress!" The light pink haired child revealed the dress that she was currently holding.
Turning around, Mei was going to thank the girl for doing something so thoughtful but the moment her dark blue eyes landed on the dress the grinning Sora was holding…all her thoughts went out the window. Recognition overcame her as she could feel her breath get stuck inside her throat.
No it couldn't be…
Without even realizing it, she had walked up to Sora and had taken the dress into her hands. Her hands trembled as she found herself going down memory lane.
"How does it look otou-san! Do you think everyone at my birthday party will like it?" A young Mei asked as she twirled right in front of a massive mirror, dressed in a marvelous purple dress. Behind her was Raiden Ryoma who had a proud smile on his face as he watched his child dance in front of the mirror.
"Of course sweetie, it looks absolutely stunning on you," Her father complimented as he got down on one knee and placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder. The two looked at their reflections in the mirror with smiles on their faces.
"I'm sure your okaa-san would've loved this dress as well."
"...It's perfect Sora," She breathed as she held the dress in her hands, not believing what her eyes were seeing. It was almost a near replica of the one she had worn as a child for her birthday. "Thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me."
"It's so pretty!" The light pink haired child gushed with stars in her fuchsia eyes, it seems that the future fashion designer did indeed have a bright future in the dress industry. "You'll look so good in it later at the-!" Sora's eyes shot open in surprise and horror as she clamped her hands immediately onto her mouth.
"Is there something going on?" Mei asked confusedly as she saw the look in Sora's eyes. Was there something else they had planned for today?
The girl frantically looked around as she realized whatever mistake she just made. Her eyes looked anywhere other than Mei's questioning eyes as she tried to come up with a reasonable explanation for her outburst and actions.
"U-Uh what Sora was trying to say you'll look so good in it when you wear it for any important event!" Kiana butted in frantically as she placed her hands on the child's shoulders, who nodded frantically in agreement. When the heiress looked at the both of them she was suspicious of their actions and tones but maybe she was just looking too much into it, or perhaps she was just really tired.
After all it was Kiana who had suggested the two of them have a movie marathon yesterday night.
"That's a great dress you have there Mei," The strange tension between the three of them was broken when Akane and Bronya walked up to them, each one holding a dress that they had chosen. "Is this the one?" The red haired woman pointed to the purple dress in Mei's hands.
The heiress took one last look at the dress in her hands and nodded resolutely. "Yes it is."
"Great you should put it on!" The woman told her, much to her surprise.
"Huh?"
"Don't worry we're all going to be putting on our dresses,"Assured the red haired woman as she motioned to the dress in her hands, a beautiful crimson vermillion. "Can't be a girl's day out if we aren't dressed the part now can we?"
There wasn't much argument there and soon enough everyone had purchased their respective dresses and put them on. Each one had gone with a different dress design so no one looked like the other but the color schemes everyone had chosen for themselves had Mei thinking about the festival once again.
Kiana had chosen a light blue dress, Bronya a dark blue one, Sora a pink one, Akane her vermillion colored dress, and Mei with her dark purple dress. Just wearing it made her feel like she was just a little child about to celebrate her birthday again, just another thing she would have to thank everyone for.
Their 'girl's day out' continued on as they went through other stores in the mall, buying other clothes or things that had caught her attention. There had been no more situations similar to what had happened at the dress store but that didn't mean she didn't treasure the time she was having with everyone.
More often than not Haruto's grandmother would convince her to buy whatever that had caught her fancy and despite her best attempts in saying no, a lesson was learned that day that she could not stop Akane when she had her mind set on something.
Much to Kiana and Bronya's joy, they made a little stop at the mall's arcade for a nice change of pace. It must have been a huge surprise for the people inside to see a group of women in dresses just casually stroll into the arcade.
Even more so when Bronya and Kiana were having a heated competition at what looked like a two player shooter arcade game. The two were so into it that they had drawn the attention of everyone in the place as one tried to get the edge over the other, trying to beat the other's score.
It had ended in surprisingly a draw, much to the displeasure of the two as they went to another arcade game and recommenced their rematch all over again.
Though it wasn't like they were just watching them play games the entire time. Sora had all but dragged her around the arcade, teaching her how to play all the different games they had. It was certainly fun and enlightening to experience what people her age did to pass the time.
When it became clear that neither of them were going to settle their rematch, Kiana and Bronya decided to play some games with her, either playing along or against her. It was there that Mei discovered that Bronya was really good at those racing style games, specifically the motorcycle ones.
And that Kiana was really good at those dancing rhythm games.
While playing some games they accumulated tickets that they could exchange at the counter and as they were getting to leave the arcade, it wouldn't hurt to look at what prizes they could get.
And since this day was planned out for her, everyone had decided to give her their tickets so she could buy anything she wanted. Though she wasn't a 'game' person by any means, she would buy something to show that she appreciated the fact that they took the time out of their day for her.
That was the original idea she had, but that quickly changed when she saw one of the displayed prizes .
"It looks so cute," She gushed under her breath as she looked at the most adorable Homu Doll she had probably ever seen. It had some kind of dark red mecha samurai armor all over it yet you could still see the iconic yellow color, tall ears, and massive goofy grin of the Homu Doll.
"Mei nee-sama, that is the Arahato x Homu Collaboration Doll, a limited edition doll." Bronya explained as she walked up to the heiress and pointed at the Homu Doll. "The crossover was widely successful as this doll is now a collector's item."
"You know alot about Homu don't you Bronya-chan," Mei pointed out.
"Da," The petite girl simply replied. "The Bronya possesses her own Arahato Homu at home." There was a small proud look on her face that was rather adorable to see on her usually unemotional face.
Her mind was now made up on what she was going to get. Looking down to the tickets that she was currently holding, Mei could only hope that it was enough. "Do I have enough tickets to get it?" She asked, fearing the answer.
Her fears were founded when the gray haired girl sadly shook her head. "It is the Grand Prize and will require a lot of tickets. The Bronya calculates we might need to spend the entire day here in order to get the tickets required."
"Is that so?" She tried to hide the disappointment in her voice as she looked to the Arahato Doll with sadness. They couldn't spend the entire day at the arcade, and it would be too selfish of her to ask if they could try to get the doll.
"Well maybe I'll find it somewhere else." She tried to keep her spirits up with a hopeful tone. There was always another day to get it, she was sure of it. "Shall we return to the others?"
Bronya nodded as they made their way back to where everyone else was waiting. However unbeknownst to Mei the Russian girl turned her head around and looked at the Arahato Homu Doll, her eyes glinting with an unknown emotion before she refocused moving forward.
After the arcade it was agreed upon that they should go grab a bite, with all the shopping they did they were quite famished. Currently it was somewhere past noon and if there was a better time to get lunch it would be now. Mei had found it hilarious when Kiana's stomach grumbled at exactly noon and Sora had joked about how the white haired girl had her own alarm clock for lunch.
Everyone laughed at that joke, much to Kiana's embarrassment.
Akane knew of a great bakery that was located in this very mall that sold in her words 'the best sandwich that I've ever eaten'. Kiana had quickly remarked that Mei could make a way better sandwich and she had to chide her for such a comment.
Though if she could be a bit boastful, she knew how to make a great sandwich.
When they had entered the semi-packed bakery, she saw someone that she had not been expecting to see here. She was so focused on this new revelation that she hadn't heard Kiana suddenly choke on her breath and Akane smacking her head while muttering the words 'Are you kidding me'.
As at the bakery's counter was none other than Keji Furutu.
"Yes this is the pickup number," The brown haired chess player showed the receipt for whatever he had ordered to the cashier who was confirming the order. "Yes this is for-,"
"Keji?" Mei called out as she approached him.
"Ah hi Mei…Wait Mei?!" Keji exclaimed as he jumped back in surprise and did a double take of the heiress, not expecting to see her here. "W-What are you doing here?"
She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Usually she would not be so suspicious of her friends but with how certain parts of the days were going she was inclined to be a bit suspicious. After all, she hadn't even expected to be spending the day with everyone. "I can be asking you the same thing, what are you doing at the bakery?"
"I-I'm picking something up," The chess club member explained as he tried to regain his composure. "Yes I'm picking up a cake."
"A cake?" Mei latched onto that last part like a sailor clutching onto a lifeboat. "For who?"
This was getting more and more suspicious, especially when her friend's green eyes widened in realization that he had said something he shouldn't have. "U-Um, well you see…"
"Subject Keji is picking up the cake for a relative of his," Bronya calmly interrupted as she came to the poor boy's rescue. "They are celebrating their birthday and Subject Keji is here to pick up the cake."
"Y-Yes exactly like Bronya-san said!" Keji hastily affirmed.
But Mei was not going to give up that easily as she turned around and pressed the girl for further questioning. "And how do you know this Bronya-chan?"
Bronya's gray eyes challenged her dark blue eyes. "Subject Keji is very talkative in Homu Fantasy Online."
Keji's cheeks reddened at the embarrassing comment about himself but frantically nodded his head in agreement. Before Mei could say anything else the cashier came back holding a cake box. Capitalizing on the cashier's return, the brown haired boy quickly turned to face the employee. "It looks like my order is here."
Quickly thanking the cashier and taking the cake box from their hands, the brown haired boy turned back to face them. His mouth opened up to say something but at the last minute he decided against it and instead chose to nod his head in farewell before leaving.
As Mei watched Keji exit the bakery, she was all but certain that something was happening but for the life of her she couldn't find what it was.
Unfortunately nothing more strange happened after they had eaten lunch at the bakery and with it so too did her suspicions. Aside from some hidden stares that she had gotten, the shopping day simply continued on normally. No surprise appearances or strange outbursts to worry about.
Maybe she was just being paranoid. She should put such silly thoughts to rest and focus on making the most out of this day.
"Why don't we go to the karaoke bar?!" Kiana offered excitedly as they were walking through the mall. "I'm sure Mei has a very pretty singing voice!"
"I'm not so sure about that Kiana-chan." Mei sweatdropped.
"Is that so?" Turning around the heiress could see that Sora was currently having a conversation with someone on the phone, and though she may not know who the other caller was she could tell it was not a pleasant conversation, evident by the small frown on the child's face.
Her fears were founded when the light pink haired child ended the call and looked at them with an apologetic expression. "I have to be back at home now, I have to help oji-san do something!"
"No worries Sora-chan," Mei assured. "If it's really important then we can end the day right now and-!"
"No Mei-senpai!" Kiana interrupted as she walked over to and placed her hands on the child's shoulders. The two's eyes met and they seemingly held an unspoken conversation as they both nodded. "I'll bring Sora-chan home then race back here in no time!"
"But Kiana-chan-!"
"No worries Mei-senpai," The white haired girl assured as she closed eyes and made a peace sign, flashing her signature 'Kaslana Smile'. "You'll see me again soon!"
Saying her farewells and apologies, Sora left with Kiana accompanying her. Now the only people that were left were her, Akane, and Bronya.
"Kiana will be back in no time so we can still have a great day." Akane assured her with Bronya nodding as well. Giving the both of them a smile, Mei was still happy for the time she had with everyone. Sora leaving was unfortunate but nothing could be perfect so she was happy with what she had.
However her happiness would begin to go downhill when they were in the midst of reserving a room for karaoke and Akane received a call.
"I see…" Hearing the red haired woman's displeased sigh had Mei turning to face her with a concerned look on her face
"Is there something wrong Akane-san?" She asked.
Lowering her phone, Akane just sadly shook her head. "It seems that my idiot friend Akihiro severely screwed up, as such Kiana gave me a heads up that she won't be able to come back."
"I…see," Mei tried to hide it but a dejected cloud began to hang over her now that Kiana wasn't going to be able to join them for the rest of the day.
"But that doesn't mean we can't continue," She tried to be optimistic for the heiress. "We can still order a room for karaoke and-,"
And as if things could not get any worse for her, Bronya entered the karaoke bar with a barely noticeable frown on her face."The Bronya must apologize." The gray haired girl held up her phone. "Matsuhka has called me to come home."
"I-I see," Mei gave Bronya a small smile, hoping to hide the sadness that she was feeling that this day was going to be ending on such an…unsatisfying note. "Let's do this again in the near future."
"Da," Bronya simply replied before she turned around and left, leaving only herself and Akane present.
"Do you still want to continue?" Akane softly asked, noticing the dejected air hanging around her.
"I think we got enough shopping bags," The dark purple haired heiress looked down to the shopping bags that were on the verge of overflowing in her hands. "And it's kinda late now…" She looked outside the windows of the karaoke bar to see the sun beginning to set.
"So yes," She turned around and smiled at the older woman, hoping that she couldn't see her eyes watering up. "I-I would like to head back now."
"Sure thing," The red haired woman nodded with an understanding expression, quickly ushering her out as they made their way back to the apartment.
As the sun set over Nagazora and the two were walking through the streets of the city, Mei did not know what to feel. On one hand she was forever grateful for the happy memories that everyone helped her to create today. This was a day that she would forever cherish and hoped that it was just but one of many more memories to come.
On the other…she didn't want it to end. For when this day ended so too would the dream of living a normal life. While Haruto, Kiana, and everyone else had showered her in what felt like an endless amount of love; the world seemed keen to do the same with scorn and hate.
She no longer reacted to their judgment or comments like she used to, after all their opinions of who or her father was would not change her views.
However there was only so much she could tolerate and that was so very true when people began to target those that would have stood by her side. It was just a bitter reminder of the cruel world they lived in.
So was it selfish of her to not want people to leave? Was it selfish of her to not want them to leave so they could continue spending the day making more warm memories?
Was it selfish of her to be embraced by their love forever?
The walk back home was continued in silence as Mei was left to quietly stew in her dilemma. Akane said nothing as her attention was solely on her phone as she was seemingly in a rather intense text conversation with how much focus she was putting into it.
Before long the two finally made it to the street that the apartment complex was on. Night had almost descended over Nagazora City and a small part of Mei hoped that either Kiana or Haruto were home now but with how this day was going she highly doubted that.
"Oh shoot I just remembered," Akane said suddenly when they entered the apartment complex. The red haired woman had a panicky expression on her face as she turned to the heiress. "Mei I need your help with something."
"I'm happy to help," Mei replied honestly. This was the woman responsible for giving her a home to stay at and making sure that she was doing okay at all times. Helping her with a small task was the least she could do to repay her kindness.
"Thank you Mei," Akane showed her appreciation before she explained what she would be doing. "You see I placed something up on the rooftop and I forgot to grab it before we left today."
This seemed to be a rather simple task. "What is it?" She asked, trying to picture what she was exactly going to pick up.
"You'll know what it is when you see it." The red haired woman replied cryptically.
Before Mei could ask what she meant by that the woman reached over and grabbed the shopping bags that the heiress was currently holding. "It's pretty big so you'll need both hands to carry it. Once you get it just come back to my room and drop it off okay."
Mei slowly nodded her head in confirmation of what she was to do and Akane took that as her cue to leave, bags in hand. With nothing other to do the dark purple haired girl made her way to the stairs and began to ascend to the rooftop.
As she climbed the stairs she began to think about what she would do after she picked up this 'mystery package' for Akane. Maybe she could cook dinner for everyone, maybe with a recipe she had loved to cook back at the Raiden Estate?
An excited smile blossomed on her face as she liked how that sounded. Yes, maybe this day could be salvaged after all.
Reaching the rooftop access floor, the dark purple haired girl walked and placed her hand on the door's knob. Turning the knob, the door creaked as she pushed it open.
Nothing in the world would have prepared her for what lay beyond on the other side of the door.
"SURPRISE!" A chorus of voices shouted when she finished turning the knob of the door and walked onto the rooftop.
"H-Huh?!" She stammered out in surprise when she saw the grinning faces of everybody present. "Kiana-chan?!" The white haired girl in question only grinned brighter when she was mentioned. Tearing her eyes from the grinning Kaslana she noted everyone else that was present.
"Sora-chan?! Bronya-chan?!" The younger out of the two grinned and waved while the other had a simple smile on her face.
"Keji-san?! Akihiro-san?!" The brown haired chess enthusiast merely waved while the senior raised a can of beer in greeting.
"Ishigami-sensei?!"
"Why do you seem the most surprised to see me?" The teacher teased in faux hurt with a wry smile on his face.
Everything was happening too fast for the heiress to comprehend. In an attempt to regain a semblance of control she took a step back. "W-What's going on here?" Moving her eyes away from the people present she just noticed the fact that the entire rooftop was decorated and how the prevalent theme was purple.
Had they done all of this…for her?
"It's exactly what it looks like," And the one person missing from this entire picture made his presence known from the back. With a grin Haruto Nakamura waved to her. "How do you like it?"
"Haruto?!" She tore her attention from the decorations and to the approaching male Nakamura. I-I don't understand," She really didn't. Why were they throwing this party for her? Was her gloominess so apparent that they needed to throw a party to cheer her up?
"Are you sure?" He asked with a knowing smile, as if he and everyone present knew what this was all about.
All except her.
"I-I don't-" Haruto cut her off with three words.
"Happy Birthday Mei."
With those simple words uttered, it all had come crashing down on her like a ton of bricks. No her birthday wasn't today, it surely wasn't. Yet as she thought more and more on the day of her birth and what the date of today was…
It was true, her birthday was today.
And she had completely forgotten about it.
Her expression of shock must've shown on her face as her redheaded friend held up his hands in a calming gesture. "No one faults you for not remembering your birthday, with all that's happened in the last couple of weeks it's completely normal to forget."
"B-B-But," She was currently split between feeling horror at the fact that she had forgotten her birthday and happiness at how much effort they had put into surprising her, but there was a burning question that she needed the answers too. "How did you know it was my birthday?"
"Believe it or not Ayaka-san called me yesterday about it, gave me a panic attack after the call." Haruto rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I really wish that she had called like a week before but I'm thankful she at least gave me a heads up so I could try and throw you a great party."
"But our dear Haruto over here is only one person and when he told us about it we decided to all pitch in," Keji explained.
"Though this was mostly his plan, we merely just tried to follow it to the best of our ability," Akane walked in behind the still gob-smacked heiress and placed her hands on her shoulders, looking at the decorated rooftop in approval.
"How'd you like the dress by the way," The red headed woman gave her a knowing smile that told her all she needed to know.
"You planted the dress there?" She replied in surprise, knowing something was off about the dress being in that store. "But how did you know where to find the original dress in my room?"
Kuro jumped onto one of the tables, meowing as if she was answering that question herself.
"Haruto nii-chan mentioned a dress that you really liked and wanted to know if there existed one that was around your size." Sora had a massive smile on her face. "And I helped find a particular dress shop that just so happened to have one in your size."
"That's why you had that outburst earlier," Mei breathed out in realization as it all started to make sense.
The light pink haired girl's cheeks turned red at the mention of her embarrassing slip-up. "I was just so excited to throw the party for you that I forgot that it was supposed to be a surprise reveal."
"That's where I came in!" Kiana cut in victoriously. "Without me the big surprise would've been ruined!"
"...The Bronya relents that Kiana Idiotika made a massive contribution to the success of this operation," Bronya reluctantly spoke up, as if she was swallowing a very bitter pill. The girl's words made Mei turn to face the gray haired girl yet when she did her attention was instantly stolen by the sight of a very familiar Homu in her arms, a red bow tied on one of its ears.
"Bronya is that-?"
"Ha," The petite girl nodded as she walked up to her and held out the doll. "After 'leaving' the Bronya went back to the arcade and won Mei nee-sama the Arahato Homu for her."
Slowly she reached out and gingerly took the Homu doll out of Bronya's hands, holding it close to her heart. "Y-You didn't have to get this for me Bronya-chan."
"Negative," She shook her head. "Today is Mei nee-sama's birthday, no price is too great for your happiness."
"While Akane-san's 'girl's night out' was a way for you to have some fun, it was originally meant to give us enough time to prepare this place for the big reveal." Ishigami pushed his glasses up and only then did Mei see a table filled with food and various deserts.
"Though we did hit a roadblock when it came to decorating the place so that's why we had to call Sora and Kiana in for backup." Haruto admitted as Mei realized the reason for Sora and Kiana's sudden departure.
"So Akihiro-san having a problem…" She looked to the elder who merely laughed at the lie that they had to come up with on the spot.
"Honestly!" Sora fumed as she glared at the four guys, who all wilted under her furious look. "When we came it looked so horrible! These guys have no sense of fashion!"
"Well in our defense…" Never in a million years did Mei think she would ever see such a sheepish look on Ishigami-sensei's face. "You have a very specific sense of fashion that is very hard for us to replicate."
Sora puffed her chest out as she proudly placed her hands on her hips. "Of course I do."
"Before we can all laugh at the mistakes we all made today, there's something I need to address first" Haruto interrupted as he drew all the attention to himself.
Whatever was happening now seemed to not be planned as Mei could see the looks of confusion that everyone was giving each other. That confusion further continued as the red haired teenager walked up to Mei, stopping just a foot away from her.
"There is one person I know that would want nothing more in the world to be here," He started before he opened his suit jacket and appeared to be pulling something from within the jacket's inner pockets. "However due to circumstances beyond her control she could not be here."
Mei could hear Kiana and Keji loudly gasp in the background as Haruto pulled out a very plain white envelope. It would however not take Mei too long to figure out as her eyes saw what was written on the front of the letter.
To My Best Friend Mei.
"I-Is this?" Her lip quivered as she could feel herself losing control over her emotions. Even if there was no name written on the letter, the heiress knew the handwriting of one of her friends all too well and had immediately recognized who this letter was from.
"It is," Haruto simply replied as Mei's hands took the letter from his hands and practically ripped the envelope open, yet she was careful enough to not rip up the contents within.
Inside was but a simple paper folded to fit in the envelope. Tenderly she opened the letter up and began to read the letter Midori had left her. All was silent as she read the message word by word, hanging unto them with all she had.
With each sentence she finished was another blow to her controlled emotions up to the point that when she had reached the end she was hanging on by a hair.
So I know that one day we will meet again, and when we do I will tell you everything about me and why I am unable to tell you in this letter in person.
Until that time comes…please hang in there my best friend.
Because if there's anyone that can, it's you.
Sincerely,
Midori Aki.
Finishing the letter up, Mei slowly held the letter close to her alongside her gifted Homu doll. She felt no shame when she could feel the tears run freely down her cheeks as she could feel one of the biggest weights on her heart be lifted by this letter.
"I'll hold you to that promise Midori," She silently vowed as she carefully folded the letter.
"E-Everyone," She looked to everyone and gave them the biggest smile of gratitude that she could muster for what they had done for her. "Thank you for this."
"Don't worry about a thing Mei-senpai!" Kiana cheered. "It's your birthday, you should be the happiest person in the world right now!"
"But a birthday party wouldn't be complete…" Keji held a cake in his hands, and from the looks of it was a delicious one at that. "Without a birthday cake!"
"This wouldn't have to be that 'order' you picked up today," Mei couldn't help but tease him for the blunder he had earlier in the day.
"It's not my fault I didn't know the bakery that I ordered this from was the same mall you guys were going to," Defended Keji. "A heads up would have been nice."
"I almost tore him apart when I learned how close he had been to spoiling the surprise," Haruto added as he walked up to his friend and took the cake out of his hands. Ishigami then walked over to him and helped light the candles up.
With the candles lit and everyone coming closer, Haruto made his way back in front of Mei, a cake now in his hands. Though now that she had a better look at the cake she saw that while the 'Happy Birthday' part was clearly done by a professional, her name was a different story with the shaky icing application.
"We realized that if we gave them the name of who this cake was for then they might not be so inclined to give us a good cake." Explained Haruto as he looked down to the icing of her name. "So we decided just to stay safe and do it ourselves."
"It's perfect," And that was no lie, this was the best birthday cake she ever had.
Her words brought a smile of relief to Haruto's face. "And what birthday would it be if there was no birthday song to come with it?" That was the que for everyone to start singing the oh so 'iconic' birthday song.
Though they may never be cut to be a choir group, far from it in fact, to Mei it was the most beautiful song that she had ever heard in her life. Singing the last verse, Haruto held the cake out while a combination of Sora and Kiana shouted in the background.
"Make a wish!"
Pushing her head a bit out, the heiress thought what kind of wish she wanted to make. Taking a quick look to everyone watching her with genuine smiles on their faces it did not take her long to decide what her wish would be.
Leaning in closer to the lit cake, she closed her eyes to make her silent wish.
God Forgive Me For This…
But If I Could Make One Selfish Wish…
Then Please…
She blew out the candles and opened her eyes back up as everyone cheered. With the cake blown her birthday celebration finally commenced on top of the rooftop of her new home. It wasn't as grand as her old birthday parties, where her father would decorate the entire house and hire entire teams of chefs to make all the food.
Nor were they enough people to match the amount of guests that came over for those parties, nearly filling up the entire estate in their high numbers.
Yet despite all that, Mei could not bring herself to care about that.
Because this birthday was the best one she's ever had.
And she wouldn't trade this for the world…
Let Me Be With Everyone For Forever.
I watched fondly as I saw Mei with a huge smile talking to Kiana and Bronya, with Sora listening in as the heiress seemed to be regaling them with some kind of story. From the corner of my eye I could see Ishigami-sensei talking with my grandmother and Akihiro-san, the three of them loudly laughing as they too exchanged stories between themselves.
An hour had passed since we had surprised Mei with this birthday party and I couldn't help but think back to all that we had to plan for, all the things we had to prepare with barely a day to do so.
It certainly hadn't been easy and perhaps a simple birthday party would have sufficed.
But seeing such a happy expression on Mei's face was worth all the trouble.
She certainly deserved all of this.
"You absolute madlad, you did it." Keji grinned as he walked up to me, food in hand. Kuro was perched on his shoulders and when my friend sat down next to me the cat took it as her que to leap off of her mobile perch and onto the table..
The black feline meowed before she sauntered off in the direction of Mei's table, allowing herself to be picked up by Sora who immediately began to pet her while she continued to listen to Mei's story..
"Must I remind you that 'we' did this," I corrected as I stabbed my food with my fork and took a bite out of it. The food wasn't actually that bad, much better than I had anticipated. I would have to thank Akihiro for ordering this after the party was over. "None of this would've been possible without everyone working together."
"True, true," Admitted Keji before he began to eat his food. "But you were the one that had the brilliant plan of surprising Mei for her birthday. Did you see how happy she was when she realized that you had thrown this for her? It was like you just presented the entire world for her to keep."
"I think she was more happy about the fact that everyone was here to celebrate her birthday," I said as I lowered my utensils down, unaware of the sad look my friend was giving me due to my words. "By the way you outdid yourself with the cake."
"Hmph of course," Keji smugly boasted, his look disappearing in an instant. "I'm not about to be the one who doesn't pull their weight in all of this."
"It's not a competition of who contributed the most, " I jokingly berated. "It's about making Mei happy, and that's all that matters." I took another look around and I still couldn't believe that we had managed to pull this off. "Remind me to thank all of you once this is all over."
"...you might not be thanking me for much longer." Keji suddenly said mysteriously.
I turned to face him, confusion written all over my face. "What do you mean by-"
"If I could have everyone's attention please." The sound of a glass being lightly hit had everyone's attention directed to the teacher who held a glass with one hand, and a spoon on the other.
"I know that everyone is enjoying the party but I believe the time has come…" He made a dramatic pause as everyone's undivided attention was on him. I was completely in the dark right now as we had never planned anything after the big surprise.
Though I knew it could be nothing good when the teacher suddenly turned to face me, a smirk all but apparent on his face.
I was not going to like where this was going, was I?
And my fears were founded when my teacher finished his explanation. "For the birthday dance."
He then motioned to me, placing an imaginary spotlight over me. "And who better to take the first dance with our special birthday celebrant than none other than the one responsible for making this happen all in the first place."
"Huh?! A-Are you sure about that?" I hesitatingly replied, trying to find a way out of this trap that my teacher had sprung. "I mean we don't have any speakers up here and I don't think we have enough time to get a band-."
I learned just how prepared my teacher was for this moment as he reached down and pulled a violin case of all things out! How did he even smuggle it onto the rooftop without me noticing in the first place. Curse his overpowered abilities as a clone!
Opening the latches of the case, my teacher's smirk somehow grew even bigger as he pulled the instrument out and rested it on his shoulder.
"Ah did I forget to mention that I know how to play the violin? Well no matter, we can now have our dance." As if to further prove his point he played the strings of the violin with the bow, or the fiddlestick, and played out a beautiful tune.
I tried to regain my bearings in the midst of these sudden developments as my mind desperately tried to come up with a rebuttal to get me out of this situation. However it seems fate would not be on my side tonight as I suddenly found myself being pushed to the middle of the rooftop by a grinning Keji.
"W-What are you doing?!" I turned my head around and hissed to my friend who only laughed in response.
"I don't know what you're talking about Haruto," He innocently replied with a look that all but said he was very much involved in this. "I'm just helping the party flow all according to plan, see even Kiana agrees with me."
At his words I turned back and saw that Kiana was pushing Mei to the center as well, a grin identical to Keji's on her face as Mei tried to convince the Kaslana that this wasn't necessary.
Our pleas fell on deaf ears as with a giggle the two schemers pushed us to the center, quickly running back to their spots. The air seemed to be filled with this strange, choked emotion as neither me or Mei were looking the other in the eye.
Desperate to try and change the atmosphere between us I awkwardly tried to start a conversation with Mei, only for her to have the same idea as me.
"Mei I-,"
"Haruto I-,"
The two of us stopped simultaneously, realizing that we had both spoken at the same time. "Y-You can go first," I clumsily coughed out.
"Haruto," Mei started. "You…you don't have to do this for me." She held her hands up close to her chest, clasping them together as she lowered her head. "I'm forever grateful for what you did for me today but a girl like me doesn't deserve-,"
Without even thinking on what to do I instinctually raised my hand up in invitation, like one would do to ask a partner to dance, stopping the girl from going any further. I didn't even know why I had done that, it just felt…right.
"Stop belittling yourself Mei," Even the words that came out of my mouth had no thought behind them, as if they were coming straight from my heart. "You might think yourself weak for everything that has happened and think that if you were stronger then none of this might have ever happened."
"But honestly," I wasn't sure what everyone else was doing but the silence on the rooftop was everything my body needed to continue onward. "If I was in your shoes I'd probably give up after a day or two, as embarrassing as it is to admit that."
I saw Mei's eyes widen at my admission but I still wasn't done. "So the fact that you held on after all of that is more than impressive. So impressive in fact that you've become an inspiration for me-, no that's not true. You've been an inspiration to me ever since the day we met."
And that was true, ever since I had seen the events that had led Mei to fully transform herself into the Herrscher of Thunder in-game, I had been in awe of her willpower. To not only embrace your darker side for more power, but to also betray the one you love just to save them.
"If rescuing you is a sin, I'll gladly become a sinner."
I had nothing but the highest respect and awe for Mei.
However it seems my mind finally started to work again as I realized what I had just blurted out. To say that I was feeling embarrassed would be the biggest understatement as I could feel my cheeks turn a bright red, almost matching the hue of my hair.
"A-Ah w-well you see," I rapidly tried to scramble for some kind of excuse for that speech I had just given. "E-Everything I just said was because-!"
My words would be cut short when I could feel Mei suddenly place her hands unto mine. The feeling of her smooth skin on top of mine threw me out of the loop as I stared at the dark purple haired girl in shock.
She was no longer staring at the ground and was looking at me with the most dazzling smile I had ever seen on her face. I was so caught off by this sudden development that I did not comment on the lone tear that had slid down her face.
"I would love to have this dance with you Haruto." Was all she simply said.
"...It would be my honor then," Was all I said in return as the two of us wordlessly readied ourselves. I would not lie that my heart was currently beating like crazy and I feared that at any moment my body would simply just shut down on me.
Yet despite the craziness of what was happening, I somehow was able to position my hands where they were supposed to be. Holding Mei's hand with one hand with the other resting on her side. And as Mei placed her other hand on my shoulder I was doing everything in my power not to show how nervous I was right at the moment.
"Just a heads up," I urgently whispered to her. "I've never done this before."
In response Mei's smile grew slightly bigger as she gave the hand that she was currently holding a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "It's alright," She assured me as Ishigami took it as his que to begin playing a beautiful melodious song with his violin.
"Just follow my lead."
Nodding in confirmation, the dance between us commenced and I quickly found everything in the world simply fading away into nothingness. All that mattered right now was the song, and the person I was dancing to it with.
As Mei's body expertly danced to the tune of the song, I found myself naturally following her example. I tried so hard not to step on her feet, and did so by accident once to which she simply laughed off. Though as time went on I found myself worrying about that less and less.
And as the violin continued to play a harmonious song, the two of us found ourselves blissfully dancing under the night sky of Nagazora, a bright full moon watching our every step.
As the two danced under the night sky, no one was aware of the waves that were currently rippling through the universe. Of how a simple dance on one day could set the wheels of fate into motion.
For In Another Timeline,
A Timeline Where Haruto Nakamura Never Attended Chiba Academy.
A Timeline Where Kiana Never Befriended Mei Raiden So Early.
A Timeline Where Mei Raiden Would Face The Ostracization Of The World Alone.
A Different Fate Would've Played Out For The Tragic Fated Heiress On This Day.
If one was to describe the current state of Mei Raiden's room, the proper word would be chaos.
The walls were torn up, as if a banshee had raked its claws all over them. Pages torn out of their respective notebooks, ripped up clothes, and other destroyed objects littered the bedroom floor like an earthquake had just occurred. The only source of lighting to be found was the moon shining through the bed's windows, casting ominous shadows all throughout the bedroom.
At the center of all this destruction, was a sobbing Mei Raiden whose hands were covering her face. Sitting in front of her were the tattered remains of beloved purple dress, torn to such a degree that it could not be saved while the katana that the heiress had used to slash it up sat next to her.
If one was to take a look at a nearby table, all they would see that had survived the destruction was a lone cupcake with a single lit candle. A very bitter reminder of all that she had lost in a couple of months.
"Why!" She cried, hoping someone would hear her lament, hoping that someone would save her from this pit of despair that she was in. "Why does everyone hate me?! Why does such a cruel world exist!"
It Would Be Here That A Harbinger Of Destruction Would Finally Be Born.
"This world.." Mei's arms fell from her face to reveal her red and teary eyes, before a sinister dark purple hue overtook them.
"This world should just disappear!"
But Through The Actions Of One, Simple Soul This Terrible Fate Has Been Averted.
On the rooftop of an apartment in Nagazora, a dark purple haired girl and a red haired boy blissfully danced the night away. A close knit group of family and friends watched their dance yet their presence was ignored as the two lost themselves in each other's eyes.
One lost themselves to a brilliant hazel glow.
The other to a tranquil sea of dark blue.
Yet A Single Day Of Happiness Could Not Wipe Clean The Days Of Darkness That The Heiress Had Experienced.
Even Now That Seed Of Destruction Still Slept Within Her, Waiting For It's Awakening.
What Could A Small Ray Of Hope Do Against The Perpetual Sea of Darkness That Lurked Within The Girl's Soul?
…
However…Mayhaps Not All Is Lost.
Without any warning, Mei had closed the distance between herself and Haruto. The red haired boy yelped from the unexpected action as the heiress's arms snaked around his back and tenderly held on to him.
"M-Mei?" He looked down to see the heiress resting her head on his chest. "I-Is everything okay?" He asked as they continued dancing, albeit they were now slightly swaying to the tune of the song still being played.
Perhaps In That Sea Of Darkness…
"Can we stay like this?" Whispered Mei as she tightened her hold on him, her heart beating out of her chest for doing such a bold move. "Just for this dance...please."
Under The Glow Of That Small Ray Of Light…
"Of course," Haruto assured her as he reciprocated the girl's hug by wrapping his arms around her, the two now embracing the other while swaying to the final tunes of the song.
Something Beautiful Blossomed.
As the dance between Haruto and Mei ended, which everyone clapped or whistled to, they were not privy to a hidden watcher who observed all of this unfold from another rooftop that overlooked the apartment.
"And the two happily lived ever after," The Herrscher of Sentience mocked as she watched the two humans part, their cheeks red as the other people there took advantage of the music still being played and danced.
"Honestly you hurt me future Herrscher," The being's light blue eyes followed Mei as she began to dance with a light pink haired child. "After all that work I put in to try and get you to awaken early and I'm rewarded with this sickening show of affection."
Her eyes moved over to the source of all her trouble, who was currently dancing with a white haired girl that all but demanded the next dance be hers. "And you…words cannot properly describe my anger for wrecking my delicately laid out plan."
She looked across the street to the newly completed tower that had just been recently built in the area. The Herrscher had no idea what it's purpose was but she had an inkling that it was meant to serve as an obstacle to her plan.
The pink haired female had entertained the thought of trying to use her honkai powers to try and corrupt the tower but decided against it. Too many of these towers were spread throughout the city, and she had so little honkai power to even attempt to corrupt one let alone all of them.
Not to mention she had no idea what kind of failsafes might be installed within them should she push her honkai energy into it. Hacking into modern technology was no problem but she was not going to try her luck by trying to do the same to something developed by one of the Honkai's greatest adversaries.
She could be dead before she could even try and leave the area.
All seemed hopeless now, so much so that she had briefly considered abandoning the course of getting the ME heiress to transform into the next Herrscher. With each passing second the heiress was slowly leaving the clutches of despair.
Until an epiphany suddenly dawned on the Herrscher of Sentience.
"Though you may no longer be swimming in despair, there is enough of it within you that perhaps your transformation could come to fruition," Her eyes drifted back to the red haired human and her lips sinisterly curled as a new plan came to mind.
Yes, that would work…splendidly.
"Perhaps I can hit two birds with one stone."
So…how did you guys like this chapter?
I really, really hope that I did Mei justice here. I promised that I had something big for Mei and I hoped I lived up to that promise. This chapter has been floating inside my head ever since I created the Festival chapter and it came out just the way I envisioned it.
I hope I wasn't overly obvious about that birthday, I think it was just the right amount of secrecy and hints.
As for the end there's no explanation needed there…
The Final Days are upon us.
And I think these next 2-3 chapters will be a treat for you guys.
Welp that's all for this chapter. If you enjoyed it, drop a fav/follow/kudos as they really help me out with creating great chapters. Reviews are deeply appreciated and if you have a question or a really interesting theory I am more than happy to reply. Please be patient if I don't respond to you super fast. Even if I don't respond to your comment for whatever reason, know that I read each and every one of them!
Peace!