Enjoy!
A little under a week had passed since Mei's 'confrontation' with Ryne. Word spread fast about what had happened to the olive haired girl and it was safe to say that every one of our classmates gave the dark purple haired girl a wide berth whenever they were near her.
The accusations and declarations that would be loudly said in the heiress's presence had now dwindled into hushed whispers that would be passed around when Mei wasn't around to hear them.
Aside from Ryne's broken nose, the fact that she and her group of friends had been expelled was another hot topic of discussion. Rumors speculated on who told the principal of their actions but with no concrete proof on who the person was, it was decided that it would be safer to not antagonize Mei.
Lest they share the olive haired girl and her friends' fate.
Which was great news for us. School had once been the greatest source of antagonizers for Mei and now that was no longer the case. Sure the atmosphere was still harsh and people gave the heiress the cold shoulder, it was a far cry from how it had once been.
This change gave Mei a much needed break from it all, and with it an oppurtunity to cheer her up even further.
"And then Mei-senpai was all like, 'you will not mock my friends when I'm around', and broke Ryne's nose with one punch!" Kiana regaled at the dinner table, much to the embarrassment of Mei whose cheeks were red with embarrassment.
"I-It wasn't like that Kiana-chan!" Mei tried defending herself but to no avail as my grandmother cackled loudly at the story.
"I don't know about that Mei," I leaned into my hand and gave the heiress an amused smile. "Kiana's account of it sounds like how I remembered it to be."
The dark purple haired girl widened her eyes at me in shock. "Not you too Haruto!"
The table shared a quick laugh at the girl's expense, a pleasant atmosphere was in the air as dinner continued without a hitch. The food was nothing to write home about, but the fact that it was being eaten with everyone made this a dinner one not to forget.
It had originally been Kiana's idea to invite the girl over for dinner after she realized Mei was not going to go back to that state of depressed moping and I was quick to pitch in my support for the plan. Not only was it a way for me to buy time for the plan to continue, but I also wouldn't say no to cheering up a friend.
Mei had at first tried to refuse, saying that she didn't wish to be a bother, but under Kiana's relentless assault of begging her to come, it wasn't long before the dark purple haired girl had agreed.
Now that I thought about it however…this was the first time that she had been to the apartment since I had first met her back on that fateful day at Chiba Academy.
Huh, how time flies.
"Kids these days, I swear you guys are either getting stupider or braver with each generation." Laughed my grandmother as she lowered her can of beer onto the table. I wasn't even aware that she knew of our planned dinner but I was more than glad that she had decided to join us.
"Why my dear grandson had you hidden from me all this time I will never know," As my grandmother gave me a sly smirk, I was now beginning to regret that decision. "...Unless he wanted you all to himself."
My cheeks immediately turned a crimson hue at those words."I-It's not like that!" I argued hotly.
"Oh?" Her hazel eyes glinted mischievously. "Quick on the defensive are we?"
"Grrr…It's not like that!"
"N-No, no," Mei had a red hue on her cheeks as she quickly shook her head in denial. "I-I don't see Haruto-san like that."
"That won't happen!" Kiana was quick to join the fray with her own rebuttal as she hugged Mei's arm closer to her. "Mei-senpai and Haru-senpai are mine to keep!"
"And how would that work out?" My grandmother directed her focus to Kiana with an amused smile.
"Easy!" Kiana closed her eyes and pointed to herself with a proud smile. "Mei-senpai will be my wife and Haru-senpai will be my husband!" She said those words as if it was the simplest solution to the dilemma.
"W-Wife?!/H-Husband?!" We both cried out in unison as we looked at the white haired girl in shock, much to the amusement of my grandmother as she all but lost it. Even Kuro snickered as she watched the scene unfold from her spot on the kitchen counter.
"Ah," My grandmother wiped a tear from her eye as she finally stopped laughing. "I can't remember the last time I've laughed this hard."
Suddenly her phone began to buzz and the red haired woman directed her attention to her cellphone. "I need to take this, you three keep enjoying dinner. I'll be right back." Giving our replies of approval, she stood up from her seat and left the kitchen to take her call.
When she left our conversation resumed, albeit away from that…embarrassing topic. "A-Alright let's move on from that shall we?" I asked as Mei nodded eagerly, all but in agreement that we needed to change the topic.
Kiana pouted, no doubt saddened by the fact that the both of us didn't want to talk about her plans of marriage, but she quickly cheered up as she turned to Mei and began asking her if she had ever taken a martial arts class before.
I tuned out the two's conversation as I looked out the window and watched as Anti-Entropy construction crews were finishing up the day's work on a Rasputin Tower. Recalling how it had looked on the projection Einstein had provided, I would have to say that this tower in particular was around perhaps 25% completed? Though to be fair they did only start construction on this like four days ago.
Yet despite all that I had definitely not expected one of these towers to be literally built on the street opposite of my apartment.
Though I suppose it would make sense to build these towers near places that Mei frequented.
Thinking back to my conversation with Ishigami-sensei, things were going very well with Anti-Entropy's side of things. Tesla and Einstein had estimated that with at least three more weeks of construction, the Rasputin Towers would be assembled and operational.
It was almost frightening to see how strong their infrastructure was.
The garrison was all but ready for the eruption now. All of their soldiers and mech squadron pilots had already transferred in favor of their automated personnel that were ready to deploy at a moment's notice. The only people that were still present in the garrison were but the essential staff, those that kept the base running for day to day operations.
They had no fear of being affected by the radiation of the honkai eruption as the materials of the base were impervious to the effects of the honkai, kinda like concrete was for gamma rays. Only concentrated attacks of it would wear down the base's defenses.
Which was to be expected. After all there was nothing on this planet that could survive repeated attacks from this force of nature.
Yet despite the good news that my teacher had given me, I was much happier with another development that involved him.
"You're no longer scowling," I said after my teacher finished his report. The man in question looked at me in perplexion, not understanding the meaning behind my words.
"About Einstein-san and Tesla-san," I elaborated. "Back when I had interrupted the conversation you had with them you had a scowl that seemingly never left your face. The only time it changed was when the topic shifted to that of our impending eruption."
"Now look at you," I motioned to his face with a smile. "The only time you scowled was when you mentioned Cocolia's suspicions to everything happening in the Anti-Entropy garrison. Whenever you mention their names there's no longer a scowl on your face."
"Hmph," My teacher grunted as he averted his eyes from me, all but confirming my suspicions. "Just because I don't scowl at the mention of their names doesn't mean that I've forgiven them for what they had done."
"And I don't think they haven't forgiven themselves either." I pointed out, remembering their faces of guilt when the teacher had brought up their painful past. "But what you have now is a start, after all the path of forgiveness isn't exactly an easy one to walk."
Silence soon followed as the two of us neither said a word, not feeling the need to in the midst of this peaceful stillness.
"How does it feel?" He asked me out of the blue, breaking the silence that had fallen between us as he continued grading his papers. I looked to the brown haired teacher for elaboration on what he meant. "To live a second life? I imagine it's not the easiest thing in the world."
I didn't know where this was suddenly coming from but I didn't see a problem with his request. "To be honest, it doesn't feel all that different from my first life." I admitted as I looked out the windows of the clubroom to see the sunlight beginning to dim. "Sure it's more…exciting than what I was used to but isn't life like that? One chapter ends only for a new one to start right up."
"You sound like a man beyond his years, which in this case you literally are." We shared a good laugh over that.
"Though I must ask…do you have any regrets?" He asked cautiously, most probably careful not to set off anything in me.
"More than I can count," I replied truthfully as I thought about the faint memories I still had of my old life. It was bound to happen, the human mind could only hold so many memories and in favor of new ones the old ones had to be thrown away.
Yet that did not mean I would not forget what they meant to me, what they taught me.
"But if I've learned anything it's that life is too short to dwell on what-if's." I turned to my teacher with a smile on my face. "I made a promise to myself when I was in a crib a second time and I'll be damned if I don't make the most of this life."
I had expected my teacher to laugh at my words or have some kind of smart rebuttal but instead he directed his attention towards the window with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Too short huh?"
"Perhaps…perhaps I should mend some broken bridges then."
I tilted my head in confusion at his words. "What do you-," My question to ask what he was talking about was interrupted when the door to the clubroom was loudly knocked on.
"Haru-senpai!" Kiana's loud voice reverberated from the other side of the door. "Mei-senpai and I are ready! Let's go to your house and have our dinner now!"
"You should get going Haruto," I looked back at my teacher who now had a small smile on his face.
"After all, time waits for no-one."
"Haruto?" Mei's concerned tone brought me out of my reminiscence. Blinking myself back into reality, I focused my attention to see Mei and Kiana looking expectantly at me. It seems that they had directed a question towards me and I in my distracted state had failed to hear it.
"S-Sorry," I shook my head as I refocused myself back to the present. "I wasn't paying attention can you repeat what you were-,"
At that opportune moment my grandmother walked back into the kitchen, yet something was off with the atmosphere around her.
"Mei," My grandmother's words were tense and serious as she sat down back on her seat, looking at the girl across from her with a grave expression. The atmosphere in the kitchen lost its joyful vibe as I looked to my grandmother in confusion for such a change in mood.
"When were you going to tell us that your house has been seized by the government?"
It was a cold Saturday morning, foggy weather had enveloped Nagazora and it almost seemed fitting for the current atmosphere. I didn't know what I had originally planned for this day but I knew it was around the lines of me being a lazy potato back at my apartment, maybe even playing some video games with Keji and Kiana.
I certainly was not expecting to be standing in front of the Raiden Estate.
Already the mood was not a very pleasant one to be in, a far cry from how warm and welcoming the estate's atmosphere had once been. For starters all of the staff had been let go already, with Ayaka being the only one left to greet us when we had arrived at the empty estate to say her goodbyes one last time.
"Oh my little samurai," The head maid lamented as she and Mei hugged for what seemed like the last time. "This was not how I wanted to say goodbye to you."
"It's okay," The two separated as Mei wiped a bit of the tears that had begun to build up in her eyes. "I know we will meet again one day, and when that day comes I wish for you to see the kind of person I've become."
Those words had the profound effect of having white haired woman's eyes begin to water up. Reaching up the maid gingerly cupped the heiress's cheek with a happy expression. "For that I have no doubt, I know that you will make your father proud. My only regret is that the both of us cannot see you become this wonderful woman."
Before the conversation could turn any more emotional, she turned to the rest of us and bowed. "If you can fulfill one selfish request of mine, please look after Mei."
"Always," I promised her as beside me Kiana nodded resolutely.
"Thank you for telling us this was going to happen," My grandmother spoke to the other person that had come with us. "I feared we wouldn't know of this until it had spiraled into something more catastrophic."
"No worries Akane-san," A black haired lawyer, who looked to be in his mid 40's, affirmed. "I knew you had taken an interest in the girl and when I saw the case I knew you needed to know what had happened to her."
"Still," The red haired woman turned her attention to the now empty Raiden estate, her expression full of worry. "This seems rather fast for the government to seize her house."
"It's not too surprising considering Raiden Ryoma's case," Explained the lawyer. "With all the criminal charges that he confessed to, it's not too much of a leap for the authorities to seize the home if they believe that it was acquired through illegal means."
"And since this place was bought with the wealth that he acquired from Massive Electric, this would fall in the illegally gained property." Akane looked all around her and found that hard to believe. Yes this place showed how much wealth that Ryoma had, but at the same time it showed how much love he poured into the place that his family called home.
This wasn't the home of someone who could commit such heinous acts.
"But isn't Massive Electric one of the top sellers of electronic devices?" I interrupted the two as Kiana and I walked over to them. "Couldn't they argue that the wealth used to buy this place was from the sales that ME made with their monopoly on electronic devices?" Even with Raiden Ryoma's scandal one could not deny how essential ME was to the modern world.
"Correct Haruto-san" The lawyer answered with a smile as he pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "With that argument in mind I would have to say that this case would fall somewhere on a gray line. Not too pressing that it should need to be solved immediately but also not to the point that it's dismissed entirely."
"However, a rumor recently began to circulate about a politician's daughter getting punched by a certain heiress. How strange that on the same day that rumor spread, a report was filed stating that this estate was acquired through illegal means." He didn't need to elaborate what that meant as his words hung in the air as we all came to the same conclusion of who the lawyer was talking about.
"Ryne," Kiana muttered hatefully under her breath. I was also in a similar boat sharing her distaste for the olive haired girl. "When will that bitch learn to leave us alone."
"I think this'll be the last time we will be seeing her," I said hopefully. "From what Ishigami-sensei told me she's been enrolled into Senba Academy, the second highest ranked academy in Nagazora."
"But wasn't she expelled?!" Kiana was flabbergasted as she turned to face me, shocked at hearing where the olive haired girl was at now. "Why would they want her with that kind of record?"
"The power of money and social status Kiana," I sighed sadly as something like this wasn't all that surprising considering the girl's attitude and status. "When you have an abundance of either you can get away with just about anything.
"It is a sad but undeniable truth of our society." The lawyer said with a sad smile, no doubt seeing his fair share of such cases. "But while we could talk about the harsh reality of society all day, I believe it's time for you two to help Mei-san pack up her belongings before the authorities come and take the house away."
"How much time do we have?" I asked.
"Technically the repossession takes place tomorrow but Politician Hinori can place a lot of pressure on the person overseeing this case to expedite the process and have it be carried out today."
"That's why the two of us will wait out here, give an earful to whoever comes and says otherwise." My grandmother had a confident grin on her face as she cracked her knuckles. I felt sorry for the poor fool that would incite her wrath on them.
"You three take as much time as you need to, especially you Mei." The redheaded woman spoke to Mei who had finished saying her last goodbyes to Ayaka. "I can't imagine what you're feeling right now.
The heiress placed a hand on her chest and gave the woman a smile of gratitude. "Thank you Akane-san."
"Bah stop calling me Akane-san, makes me feel like an old woman," My grandmother dismissed the girl's formal gratitude with a nonchalant wave of her hand. "Anyway you three hurry along now."
With that the three of us walked into the house, noting just how cold and empty the place felt now. The once grandiose halls were so silent that you could probably hear the chirping of a cricket that could be on the other side of the mansion.
As we walked through the halls of the manor to head to Mei's room, I looked worryingly at Mei as her gaze would linger at a specific door or the longing look in her eyes as she looked out the windows, probably reliving fond memories she had here.
Memories that she would no longer be able to relive again.
"Do you know where Ayaka-san and the others will be going?" I asked in an attempt to distract her from the fact that this was probably the last time she would be walking in her house ever again.
"Ayaka-san has assured me that everyone we employed has found new jobs," She answered with a solemn tone as she refocused her attention right in front of her as we continued walking. "I only wish that we could've done more for them."
"And you have," I assured her. "If I am not mistaken your father had these plans in place should something ever happen. That speaks volumes of how much you cared for them."
Mei said nothing to that as we turned a corner and approached a door I could only assume led Mei's bedroom. Walking up to the door and turning the knob, my suspicions were proven correct when the heiress opened the door and welcomed us into her room.
"Mei-senpai…" Kiana was gobsmacked as she stared at everything in the room. From the lavious bed with silky sheets to even the walk-in closet that held clothes that would cost me a fortune to own. "You really are a princess!"
"It's not much," Mei dismissed nonchalantly, but a second later she looked around her room and her cheeks reddened as she rethought her words. "I-Is it?"
"It certainly is a lot," I admitted as I ran my hand over her desk, admiring the craftsmanship of it. "But I think it fits you."
We soon got into it as we began to pack all of the girl's belongings into the suitcases that we had brought with us. It was fairly obvious that we couldn't bring the entire room with us but I would like to think that we brought enough suitcases for Mei to bring what she wanted with her.
More than often not I would catch her staring at a piece of clothing that she would have in her hands, reliving probably another fond memory that she had with the clothes in her hand. It was of little surprise that most of what we were packing were indeed clothes.
Though what had piqued my interest was that most of those clothes that she held were elegant dresses and were strangely all purple.
When I had approached her she was holding a dress that was way too small for her, as a matter of fact it looked like a dress that a young child would wear.
"Haruto, did you know that this was the first dress that I would cherish?" Mei spoke without turning around as she held up the small purple dress in front of her. "My first dress for my first birthday…without my okaa-san."
After those words left her mouth I immediately sensed the dark cloud that was hanging over her head, no doubt making her make an unpleasant trip down memory lane. "If this is your first dress then surely it has a lot of pleasant memorable experiences?" I quickly asked, eager to take her mind away from that pain.
"There was," Thankfully Mei was more than happy to talk about such memorable experiences as she dropped her hands, letting the dress rest on her knees, as she recalled that birthday with a fond smile.
"It was a very grand party, no surprise that my father did everything he possibly could to make my birthday a magical experience. Take everything your child self would ever dream of for a birthday party and he had done it. From the food to the entertainment, everything was truly there."
"But the one thing that stood out from everything else was when it came time for the birthday dance." Mei looked down to the purple dress and hugged it closer to her as she relieved that very moment.
"Dancing was something I loved to do as a child, a sentiment unfortunately not shared by my father as he danced with two left feet." A single tear fell down her cheeks but I did not think they were that sadness so I said nothing and let her continue on. "Yet he practiced dancing so hard for that very day. Weeks before I happened to catch him trying to practice with an instructor, no doubt trying to keep it a secret from me."
"And how was he when you two began to dance?" I asked, interested in this story. "Did that practice help him?"
"Oh heavens no," She chuckled as she shook her head with a big smile on her face. "Not even a few steps into the dance did he almost trip on his feet, much to the amusement of myself and the guests"
"But despite all of that, I could tell how much he loved me at that moment. I knew that okaa-san's death had taken a massive toll on him but regardless of that he put on a brave face for me and tried to fulfill his role, and my okaasan's role, to the fullest."
Mei turned to face me, her eyes watery but full of tenacity as her smile spoke of her determination. "So no matter what people say about him, what they might say about his character, I know who my otou-san is; I know what kind of man he is."
I looked at Mei in shock for this sudden resolve but it quickly faded as I reciprocated her smile with one of my own. "I'm sure if he was here to see you now your father would be nothing but proud of you."
Yet despite how heartwarming that conversation we just had was, there was a question that I had been dying to ask. "Now I know this might classify me as a bad friend, but when exactly is your birth-!"
My question was cut short as Kiana's excited shout filled the bedroom as the white haired girl had opened a door to another room. "You have a dojo next to your room Mei-senpai?!"
The Kaslana's outburst had Mei smile before she stood up from her spot on the floor, placing the dress she was holding in her hands in one of the open suitcase, before she walked over to where Kiana was at. It only took me a second before I joined the girl as the two of us walked into the dojo.
It was a pretty normal Japanese dojo, not too different from the one in the kendo club room at Chiba Academy. One of the differences between the two dojos was that the two sides of the dojo contained shojis, or those paper sliding walls you'd see in Japanese Architecture that served as doors.
One of those shoji connected the dojo and Mei's room whilst the other laid on the opposite side. I didn't know what lay beyond that set of doors but if the ambient light that was shining through the paper material was anything to go off of, then it led outside.
It was just a matter of where it led to outside.
The other notable difference in the dojo was at the back of the room, where a stand that held a sheathed katana sat and the words 'honor' was painted in kanji on a white cloth like material.
"This is so cool!" Kiana shouted as she ran up to where the katana was, her eyes filled with stars in them as she slowly reached to touch the handle of the sheathed blade. Yet before her fingers could touch the handle, she quickly pulled back as if she was about to touch the most fragile artifact in the world.
"This room wasn't actually a dojo, in fact I think it was a banquet hall originally." Mei explained as she stepped into the dojo, with me following closely behind her. "I remember expressing an interest in kendo when I was younger," She admitted before her cheeks turned red at what had happened next.
"But I didn't think my otou-san would go as far as to remake the banquet hall just for one of my birthdays." Just another example of how much Raiden Ryoma loved his daughter.
"I'm sure this place holds a lot of fond memories for you." I looked at Mei who had a nostalgic smile on her face as she looked around the dojo.
Mei nodded as she walked to the center of the dojo. "I remember the days where my father would first teach me how to wield a bokken." An amused smile emerged on her face. "Did you know that on the very first day of learning kendo I tripped on my face?"
"Huh, what do you know," I thought back to my first day of learning kendo back at the kendo clubroom with Mei as my teacher, noting how our first experiences weren't so different. "Sounds like how I first started."
"If I remember correctly didn't you fall on your butt when we had our first training duel." Mei turned to face me and teased, much to my embarrassment as I found myself groaning at the memory.
"An embarrassing situation with Haru-senpai!?" Kiana butted in as she seemingly teleported next to us, a large and expectant smile on her face as she looked at Mei. "Tell me more!"
"A-Ah Kiana I don't think-,"
"Of course Kiana-chan," Mei cut in as she flashed me a very amused smile and before I could say anything she began to regale Kiana with my first day experience of Kendo. "You see Kiana–chan on our first day of kendo training, Haruto tripped back after I made only a step forward."
"She was terrifying okay," I tried defending my actions that day as Kiana laughed loudly at my misfortune. "You try and be on the other side of Mei's bokken, it's a scary ordeal."
"Whatever you say Haruto," Mei just shook her head amusedly at me. "Whatever you say Haruto."
"Any other memorable experiences in this dojo Mei?" I asked, eager to shift the topic away from that embarrassing ordeal of mine.
"Hmm…" Mei had a finger on her chin as she tried remembering something, only to remember something as her face lit up in recollection. "I remember the day when Swordmaster HOMU introduced himself, that he would be my teacher in the kendo arts.
"Swordmaster…Homu?" I replied confusedly at the mention of the unfamiliar name.
"Homu?" Kiana was in a similar boat of confusion as she tried to picture what this swordmaster would look like. "Like the yellow bunny?"
"Yup," Mei nodded as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "They also had an eyepatch around one of their eyes as well, even black scarf that wrapped around their neck."
"O-Okay," I replied as my mind made a rather strange mental image of a katana wielding man in a homu costume, unsure whether to be confused or terrified by it. "Were they any good?"
"They were my greatest opponent," Mei admitted as she recalled their first meeting. "I was confused at first when they appeared but I quickly learned not to judge my opponent by their looks. That day was when I first learned what defeat felt like."
"It had been a bitter pill to swallow but I soon learned what ambition felt like as I trained every day for the chance to surpass the Swordmaster Homu." She clenched her fist as I could see her relive the training that she underwent in order to surpass her mentor. Mei already was a great kendo practitioner and I couldn't imagine how much effort she had to put in order to match her mentor.
"It's funny now that I think about it." Mei stopped in her recollection as she directed her attention to me. "The day that I did in fact beat Swordmaster Homu in a duel was the same day I met you Haruto."
"Really?" I looked at Mei in barely concealed surprise. I'd have to admit that was a pretty insane case of coincidence or fate. "That's pretty crazy."
"It is," Mei nodded before her expression suddenly saddened as looked around the dojo.
Confused on what caused the sudden change in emotion, I watched silently as Mei walked up to one of the racks that held a bunch of practice bokkens. She reached out to grab the handle of one of them but stopped at the last minute, her hand shaking.
"However, ever since I was kicked out of the kendo club, I…I can't find myself wielding one of these anymore."
"Are you sure?" I gingerly asked, knowing that we were now treading into very sensitive waters. "I know this meant alot to you."
"I know but…" She closed her eyes, sucking in a breath as I saw her body tremble slightly. "Everytime I hold, let alone look at, one of these I think of everyone's betrayal, of the harsh truth that everyone was friends with me just because of my status."
I may have not been there when it had happened but I could only imagine a part of what she had experienced. Classmates that you shared a common passion in, a passion that seemingly brought everyone together, a passion that made making new friends possible.
A passion that was trampled upon when everyone turned on you because of the fact you were the daughter of a 'convicted criminal'.
Though I may not fully know what she was experiencing, I knew for a fact that she was currently spiraling downward and I had to pull her out of it.
"...Then why don't we make some good memories?" I offered suddenly, drawing surprised looks from both Kiana and Mei. "I'm sure we can spare some time, after all we do technically have all day."
I didn't need to elaborate any further as Kiana picked up what I was trying to do. "You could teach me like you did Haru-senpai!"
"I-," Mei opened her mouth to refuse but the words died in her throat as a large smile blossomed on her face. "...I would like that very much,"
Kiana clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "Then let's get suited up!"
Thankfully the dojo had a bunch of spare uniforms that were a range of sizes so it was only a matter of time before all three of us were clad in kendo ready attire.
Mei was all but happy to turn into this teaching session as she instructed Kiana, and by extension me, in the arts of kendo. It was there Kiana learned just how terrifying Mei was when she had a bokken in hand.
I don't know if it was just me but there was a certain scary strength that the heiress put behind every one of her strikes, forcing me to be constantly on the defensive whenever I was dueling with her. I fell on my butt more times than I was proud to admit, much to the amusement of Kiana and Mei.
But even if I kept losing every duel I had with Mei, I was happy with the glow that was in her dark blue eyes.
Kiana and I also dueled, and how it went was like a coin toss. In some I would win with my more experience in the kendo art, others Kiana would win with her natural battle instinct and strength.
Why in our very first duel against each other she completely shattered both of our bokkens when she accidentally applied too much strength in a single strike.
Yet as we spent more time in the dojo, I found myself wondering if tripping in some manner was mandatory in your first Kendo experiences. I watched from the sidelines as Kiana and Mei dueled it out. Even with Kiana's natural instincts in battle and her strength, she was hard pressed against Mei's skill with the bokken.
The white haired girl was on the defensive while the dark purple haired was on the offensive. Desperate to get some breathing room Kiana backstepped, albeit a bit too much as she found herself falling back fast…
And her head crashed into a cabinet that was at one of the sides of the dojo, breaking the wood of one of the drawers by the impact. I immediately rushed over to Kiana to check if she sustained any injuries that would require medical attention.
"Owwie," Kiana moaned as she held the part of her head that had hit the cabinet.
I breathed out a sigh of relief as she would, at worst, have a nasty bruise on her head. "Are you okay?"
Kiana nodded slowly as she nursed her head, now the only thing we had to worry about was the fact we had destroyed a cabinet door. "I don't think anyone's going to notice this…" I had turned my head to face Mei and assure her that this wasn't going to be a big problem, only to trail off when I saw what she was doing.
Cradling the head of a Homu costume that had an eyepatch and black headband on it. "No, it can't be," She cried as she clutched it closer to her chest, her breathing started to quicken as well.
"Isn't that the Swordmaster Homu she talked about earlier?" Kiana asked as she picked herself up off the ground, still nursing the injury on her head. "If it is, why is she crying?"
It took only a second before realization overtook me as I figured out why the costume of the Swordmaster was here of all places. "Oh…" I breathed in growing horror. "I see"
"Why what is it?" Kiana looked at me in confusion, not connecting the dots of what was happening.
"Think about it Kiana" I started as my heart beat painfully in my chest as I saw Mei's tears falling down her cheeks. "We found the costume here, in a room that only Mei and her father had access to. If one of those two people is currently present then that means the identity of the Swordmaster Homu could be none other than…"
"Her otou-san," She breathed out in realization.
"It is," I solemnly said before I walked forward and placed a hand on Mei's shoulder.
"Mei are you-,"
"...Can I be alone?" Mei's voice was low as she turned her face to look at me with pleading eyes. The expression on her face all but told me that she needed some time alone to process this revelation. "Just a little while."
"...No problem," I assured her as I looked at Kiana who nodded in agreement. "Let's give Mei some time alone, Kiana. We can check where the other shoji door leads to." Walking up the door, my suspicions were proven right when we slid it open to reveal that it connected the dojo and the garden.
Throwing one last look of concern at Mei, who had not moved from her spot on the dojo floor, the two of us left the doho and entered the garden.
The sprawling garden we found ourselves walking in was filled with multi-colored flora. I was no expert on the different species of flora, I knew for a fact that a lot of time, money, and love was put into this garden.
Not to mention the sheer abundance of purple flora present really drove home the point that this was the Raiden Estate.
The two of us just mindlessly walked through the garden, taking in the sights of the garden yet we said nothing as we both processed what Mei had to come to terms with on just a single day alone.
What she had lost.
After we walked for an untold amount of time through the garden, we eventually came upon a massive field of purple flowers, a staple that we found out that was abundant in the Raiden Estate. "Isn't it sad Haru-senpai." Kiana spoke up as the two of us looked at the display of purple flora. "Mei-senpai lost everything. First it was her parents, her friends, and now she's lost the home she's grown up in."
"It is," I admitted as I got down on one knee and reached my hand out to touch one of the flowers. "I can't even begin to fathom what she might be feeling, even now that she's realized her father is the Swordmaster Homu."
"...Will it ever stop Haru-senpai?" Kiana's voice was low and shaky as I could imagine the white haired girl clenching her fist in anger. "Why does it feel like the whole world is out to make Mei-senpai's life a living hell!"
"It does feel like that at times," I solemnly admitted as I found myself drifting down memory lane. "One moment everything seems right with the world, the next everything seems to break down by the seams."
My words struck a chord within me as I found myself remembering a time when I was but a college student living a typical life, having my own fair of troubles to tackle but nothing I couldn't overcome. All of sudden, within a blink of an eye, that life was robbed from me.
All that I strived for, all that I accomplished, had become void.
All the people that I met, bonded with, cried with, laughed with…
Never to be seen again.
Sometimes when there wasn't a potentially life ending event on the horizon, or I had a chance to forget about the trials of the present, I would often contemplate what would've happened if I hadn't died on the road that fateful night.
Would fate have chosen some other way for me to die? Would my house burn down from an appliance malfunction? Maybe a robber would have broken in the dead of night and shot me in my sleep? What if I had just dropped dead without a single explanation?
Or what if that night was just a normal college night for me? Would I have woken up in my bed like I usually did and continued on with my life? Would I have graduated college and become a productive adult of society?
Would I have lived till old age with a family to call my own?
Yet despite all the what if's I had asked myself, there was one thing I knew that was certain.
Without this second life…
"The only thing we can do is pick ourselves up after each trial, to spit in the face of this cruel truth and keep moving forward." I stood back up and smiled at Kiana. "After all, if I gave up and didn't keep moving forward…"
"I wouldn't have met any of you."
At my words Kiana's expression brightened up, her gloomy expression gone as she threw her arms up. "Haru-senpai!" She cried out before she closed the distance between us and threw her arms around me, giving me a fierce hug.
"Kiana!" I laughed from the hug, just leave it to Kiana to turn a gloomy mood right around.
It didn't take long for that joy however to turn into worry when the Kaslana began to apply more pressure into the hug. "P-Please let me go before you break my ribs," I wheezed as I knew that if the hug continued with how it was going my bones would soon be snapped in half.
"Huh?" Kiana looked up and saw my rapidly palling face. "Oh sorry Haru-senpai!" To my utter relief she quickly let go and allowed me to take in several big breaths of much appreciated air for my body.
After I recovered from that near death ordeal, I looked up to see that the foggy weather covering Nagazora was beginning to clear up. "I feel like we should go check up on Mei now, it has been a while now and I think it wouldn't hurt to see how she's doing."
Kiana was in total agreement as she nodded. With that new plan in mind the two of us turned around to retrace our steps back to the dojo.
Yet just as we were about to make the journey back, something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I wasn't sure if it was just the weather clearing up but perhaps I was so focused on the purple field of flowers that I hadn't noticed it in the first place.
"Hmm?" I turned to face a supposed path that was constructed with the same prevalent purple flowers in this garden leading away to an area we hadn't explored yet. "Kiana?" I asked as the white haired girl looked to the same path that had piqued my curiosity.
It didn't take long for her curiosity to also be piqued. "...I'm sure Mei-senpai won't mind if we took a few extra minutes to explore the garden." Nodding my head, the two of us took a small detour in the garden. As we followed the path, I was getting that feeling that we were making our way to some kind of secret area.
Kinda like going through the closest and stepping into Narnia.
Before long the two of us came upon a clearing, surrounded by the same vibrant purple flowers that was a staple in the Raiden Estate. With how the garden was constructed you wouldn't have known this place existed unless someone told you about it or you let your curiosity guide you here.
Yet maybe that secrecy served a reason as at the center of the clearing, was a miniature dark violet shrine. At the center of the shrine was a marble-like headstone with these words inscribed into the stone.
In honor of Makoto Raiden
Beloved of Ryoma Raiden
Mother of Mei Raiden
Your Love Shall be Forever Remembered.
"Oh," I realized as the two of us stopped right in front of the shrine. Neither of us said a word, careful not to disrupt the change in atmosphere. Before it had been slightly hopeful, now it had kinda reverted back to how we were feeling when we had stepped out of the dojo.
"I wonder what she was like?" I asked, my curiosity having been piqued as this would be my second time hearing/seeing Mei's mother. The only other time that the woman had been mentioned was when she was mocked in front of Mei.
"I would imagine she would be alot like Mei." Kiana replied and with it a picture of an older Mei popped into my mind.
"That's what my otou-san would've said whenever I asked," The sound of Mei's unexpected voice had the two of us heads turning to see Mei walking in behind us. Her eyes were red, but not as much as I believed they would've been after crying. In her hand was the same purple flower that decorated this garden.
"She died when I was very young," The heiress told us as she walked past us and stopped in front of her mother's memorial. "I didn't know much about her, all I can remember are faint recollections of the time we spent together."
If that was so then she must've gone here quite often, probably standing at that very spot she was on now for hours to try and get to know the mother she remembered very little of. It was certainly something I would've done if I was in her shoes.
"...Do you remember what she was like?" I asked.
The dark purple haired woman closed her eyes and tried to remember the memories she had with her mother. "She was…kind but firm. My otou-san was rarely home so it was my okaa-san that was with me at home. From my memories it felt as if we did everything together, not a single memory of that time did not have my okaa-san in it."
"Did you learn how to cook from your mom as well!?" Kiana excitedly asked, recalling the fact that Mei had mentioned once that she developed a love for it from her early childhood.
"Y-You remembered that?" Mei looked at the Kaslana in surprise, not expecting that little fact to be remembered.
"It's about food, of course Kiana would remember it," I lightly joked and that got a light giggle out of Mei, and a pout from Kiana.
"But to answer your question Kiana-chan, it was indeed my mother who gave me a love for cooking." The dark purple haired woman looked up to the sky, where the sun was beginning to shine much brighter through the fog, and smiled fondly.
"...Do you remember the cookies that we baked at your house?" Those words brought out the recent memory of our first baking 'get together' in my mind. It had taken me at least two days to finish cleaning up all of the flour that had been spilled in our 'flour fight'.
It was a very fun memory that I would look fondly on, turning my kitchen into a flour battleground as the five of us covered each other in flour. Though having to explain it to my grandmother who had decided to come in just as Mei had dodged a bag of flour that Kiana had thrown and landed on her face was not very enjoyable.
"In truth, that was the first recipe my okaa-san ever taught me, a simple chocolate and peanut butter chip cookie. They were my okaa-san's favorite thing to eat and she would bake them whenever she had the chance, and I would join her whenever the opportunity came."
"That is the strongest memory I have with her."
With such a smile on her face I could only imagine what the heartwarming memory would've looked like. Mei as a child running into the kitchen with a huge smile on her face as she asked her mother if she was going to be baking her favorite cookies.
Her mother would've responded with an enthusiastic smile and the two would've shared a joyous afternoon baking cookies. Maybe her father would've come home during this and he would have turned it into a very sweet family moment.
"I do enjoy eating them, yes, but the main reason I eat them is because it reminds me of the memories I had eating them with my okaa-san." Mei brought her hands up to her chest. "Those were my 'special' moments with her, my otou-san had his kendo and my okaa-san had her baking."
"After she passed I took up cooking as a way to try and relive more of those moments I had with her.
"But I've come to realize something, something that I believe my mother was trying to teach me." The heiress walked up to the shrine, kneeling in front of it and placing a purple flower that she had been holding right next to the inscribed marble.
But she wasn't done yet. Reaching into her pockets, she tenderly pulled out a letter that she hadn't had before and placed it right next to the flower. From where I stood I could faintly see the words written on the front of it.
To My Beloved Daughter
Little did I know that letter had been hidden in the suit of the Swordmaster Homu, Raiden Ryoma's final gift to his daughter before he was taken in by the authorities.
"My mother knew her time with me was going to be short, but rather than try and stall the inevitable she wanted to spend as much time with me while also teaching me a very important life lesson."
She turned around and looked at us, giving us a smile that seemed to be right from her heart. "That nothing lasts forever, the happiness that we experience can be taken away from us in an instant. I should treasure each and every beautiful moment I have with my loved ones..."
"Haruto, Kiana-chan," She reached her hand out to the two of us. "Let's make some more great memories."
Not going to lie it took everything in my power to not to cry at her powerful confession. The amount of emotion she put into it was so very moving that my eyes were tearing up. Beside me however Kiana did not possess that same level of control.
"Mei-senpai!" She cried before she raised her arms up and ran to Mei, who had her arms out in invitation. All but colliding with the heiress, the Kaslana gave the heiress the same hug she gave me and the dark haired girl was more than happy to return it.
"Haru-senpai!" Kiana moved her head to glare at me with her teary blue eyes. "Get in here this instant!" She demanded.
Chuckling at her demand, I shrugged my shoulders before I walked over and joined the hug. No one said anything as we simply basked in the moment.
Once the heartfelt hug ended, the three of us were preparing to finally head back to Mei's room and finish packing up. However it seems that Kiana had one last thing to do as she turned to face the shrine. "So uh Mei's okaa-san." She beamed as she pointed to herself. "I promise to keep Mei-senpai safe and happy with all my heart!"
Mei looked to Kiana in shock at the sudden declaration. "Kiana-chan what are you-!"
"I promise as well," I interrupted as I placed a hand on my chest. "I promise to stand with her no matter what comes her way."
The two of us simultaneously turned to face Mei whose eyes were now beginning to water as her lips quivered. "W-W-Why are you…" She didn't get to finish what she was going to say before she ran forward, throwing her arms around the two of us as it was now her time to sob loudly.
Yet neither of us cared as we brought the heiress closer into a second group hug. Everything in the world could wait, what mattered most was what was happening right now.
And as the three of us hugged it out in the garden of purple flowers, none of us noticed that the foggy weather had cleared up and the sun was beginning to beautifully shine over Nagazora.
As the sun shined over the city…
It almost felt like it heralded a new beginning for the three of us.
Before long we were making our way, suitcases and bags in hand, through the manor's halls and to the front door where Akane and her lawyer friend were waiting for us. Mei had given both the garden and dojo one last goodbye and ever since I could sense a resolved air around her now.
She was even holding the katana that was in the dojo. Apparently it was meant to be her next birthday gift from her father.
I had a feeling now that she was doing more than okay, and would continue to be so for the foreseeable future. I wasn't sure how much of what she was feeling was going to affect the future plan but I knew that it wasn't going to be detrimental.
Yet despite all that good news, a question that I had totally forgotten to think about made its presence known in my mind. It was quite serious in fact and I didn't know why I had forgotten about it in the first place.
"Mei?" The girl in question looked at me with an inquisitive expression as I grabbed her attention.
"Where exactly are you going to be staying now?"
"Not only do I have Haru-senpai as my neighbor!" A victorious Kiana smiled as we were helping Mei move into the white haired girl's apartment. "But I now have Mei-senpai as my roommate!"
To be completely honest I had been blindsided by my grandmother's proposal when we had come back.
"Even with no vacancies in the apartment complex that I could give to Mei…" My grandmother gave me an exasperated look. "Did you really think I was going to let her live somewhere else, with someone who might take advantage of her?"
"Besides," She motioned to Kiana who was holding Mei's hands and bouncing excitedly as she told her all the things they would be able to do as roommates.
"Do you honestly think you can convince her otherwise now the idea has been offered."
"Honestly…" I shook my head in exasperation as I lowered one of the many suitcases that held Mei's possessions in Kiana's living room. "It's like Christmas came early for you Kiana."
"Because it has!" She excitedly popped her head out of her bedroom, which she was currently cleaning out to give it to Mei. "This is all that I've ever desired!"
"You don't have to do this for me Kiana-chan," Mei spoke up as she entered the apartment, the last of her bags in her hands. "I can sleep on the couch, you don't have to give up your bedroom for me when you've already given me a place to stay.
"I've slept in worse conditions Mei-senpai!" Kiana quickly assured her before she went back into her bedroom, leaving it up for debate what she meant by that.
As we were unpacking everything, I had a sudden epiphany. "We should celebrate, I mean we celebrated Kiana's day of moving in and I feel we should have something similar to that."
"How exactly?" Mei asked as she finished cleaning a bag.
"With a hot pot!" Kiana offered excitedly, really getting into having Mei as her roommate.
And before I knew it we were now sitting at a table with various containers of seafood and other hotpot necessities, the three of us waiting for the bowl to heat up. As the night continued on, all one could hear from Kiana's apartment was the excited storytelling of Kiana and the laughter of both Mei and I as the white haired girl regaled us with stories of her time before she had come to Nagazora.
Of course she wasn't the only one to share her own stories but even after we had run out of things to eat we still continued to exchange stories at the table.
Even as it was getting late, I don't think any one of us cared if we were going to bed late.
It was almost midnight when Akane barely opened the door of Kiana's apartment and poked her head in. "Guys?" She called out but received no answer back. Hearing the slight sounds of the living room TV playing in the background, the red headed woman tip-toed her way inside..
"Are you guys…" She trailed off before a small smile broke on her face at what she saw in the living room.
There on the couch of the living room was the three sleeping forms of Kiana, Mei, and Haruto. The TV was playing some sort of anime but it was clear that no one was watching anymore as the exhaustion of the day's events had taken its toll on the three of them.
There in the middle Mei slept, with both Haruto and Kiana taking up her sides in similar states of sleep. Both Haruto and Kiana had their heads resting on the heiress's shoulders, though with how her grandson was positioned Mei had her head resting on top of his.
Cooing softly at such a sweet scene, Akane silently brought her a phone out and took a quick photo without disturbing their rest. They deserved it after all, the stress of today's events deserved a good night's rest.
It would also serve as a great piece to tease her grandson with in the future.
"Kids these days," She joked before she went into one of the closets and took out a blanket large enough to cover the three. Coming back she gently draped the blanket over them, careful not to disturb their nap, and also turned off the TV.
Casting one more look at the sleeping trio, Akane made her way to the door of the apartment. "Sleep well you three," She said before she turned off the lights and locked the door behind her, leaving trio to rest peacefully on the couch for the rest of the night.
There was a buzz of activity in one of St. Freya's shipyards. It was here that one of the biggest combat projects that Schicksal had ever developed was being constructed at. This project was so big and costly that it could bankrupt so many corporations.
Through the madness of moving machinery and frantic engineers trying to head to their respective areas or complete their assignments, a red headed woman had entered the construction site. Any who weren't busy trying to accomplish their respective tasks would give the woman a salute.
After a few minutes of walking she came to a stop at a railing overlooking the entire operation. Fortunately she wouldn't need to spend so much time just watching the engineer crews do their work as a very energetic voice called out to her. "Good evening Major Himeko!"
Himeko Murata sighed tiredly as it just so happened to be the only person who she did not wish to deal with right now. Not that she had any ill-intentions towards them, it was just that they were…exceedingly difficult to work with at times. Taking a deep breath she turned around and greeted the speaker. "And a good evening to you Asplund,"
"Ah so cold Major Himeko," Christopher Asplund held his heart in fake pain, a smile clear on his face. "And I thought you would've been in a better mood."
"Last I heard, weren't you working on your little experiment?" The major was unamused with the scientist's antics as she crossed her arms. "I thought you would've been locked in your workshop, working day in and day out to complete it."
"I have other responsibilities, you know." The white haired scientist assured as he placed his hands behind his head. "Besides I have Marie working on the final touches of the project, before long my baby will finally see the light of day!
The redhead woman just shook her head, too tired to deal with his antics. "Didn't you say that last time?"
"That was before, now I am 100% sure that it is going to work this time!"
If she was in a better mood she would've tolerated this but after having to deal with grading exam papers of her classes for the entire afternoon she just wanted to retire for the day. "Just tell me what you called me here for."
"Ah yes, ah yes," Thankfully her unspoken pleas were answered as the scientist just shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as he lowered his arms. "Alright I won't be taking any more of your 'precious' time so if you can follow me Major." He motioned for her to follow which she was more than happy to oblige.
As the two walked through the mess that was the foundry, she wondered what would be so important that Theresa had essentially given her a free day from her responsibilities as a teacher.
Not like she was complaining though, she would give about anything to be free from grading papers.
After what felt like an eternity of weaving through machinery, people, and not so spacious construction zones the scientist stopped right in front of an elevator pad. Typing in a command into the terminal the lift ascended, carrying the duo onto a platform that oversaw the entire area.
Computers decorated the place as technicians and scientists went about completing their tasks. What they were doing Himeko had no idea but that curiosity was forgotten when Asplund walked to the railing of the platform. When she joined him the eccentric scientist threw out an arm.
"Tada!" He announced as the red headed major got a complete look at what exactly they were building here. "The Far East Branch's big project, constructed by none other than yours truly."
"Hey!" A scientist called out. "You didn't build this thing by yourself!"
"Fine…" The scientist whined like a child would. "This was also built by the hard working engineers of the Far East Branch," Asplund boringly added in before he did a complete 180 and focused his attention back on what lay below them.
"May I present the first ever aerial Schicksal battleship, the Hyperion!"
Below them was the multi-million dollar project that the Far East Branch had been developing for the past couple of years. With rapid advancements in Honkai technology it was only natural that Schicksal would attempt in constructing a flying battleship.
After all, the main Schicksal Headquarters was a floating city located somewhere above the Mediterranean Sea.
Though building a massive floating city was completely different from building an aerial battleship.
Himeko had an expression of awe as she leaned on the railing of the platform they were on as she observed the state of the Hyperion. It wasn't complete, far from it, but she could picture what the completed flying fortress would look like when finished.
She pitied the poor Herrscher that would have to face this thing in battle.
"Though I think Damocles is a way better name than Hyperion," Taking a free spot next to her, Asplund leaned his back against the railing. "But what can you do, I'm just one voice in the sea of many."
"While this is impressive," And it certainly was, you would have to be a fool if you weren't in awe of the mechanical marvel. Nonetheless the Murata woman turned her head to look at the scientist for answers. "I fail to see how this concerns me."
Barely turning his head to face her, Christopher Asplund had a cheeky grin on his face. "Why because you will be none other than the esteemed captain of this ship!"
That threw the major/teacher out of the loop as her face turned to utter shock at that revelation. "Huh?!"
"For the foreseeable future," The white haired man pointed out, completely oblivious to his colleague's reaction. "You'll be its temporary captain unless the stuffy higher ups can find a captain to take your place."
"And if they can't?"
"Then you'll be its de facto captain."
"What if I don't want to be its captain?"
"Shirking from responsibilities are we now?" Teased Asplund. "Honestly it doesn't sound that bad, you get to be the captain of the first ever aerial battleship. You're not even steering it, you'll just be issuing commands to the Hyperion's crew."
Himeko turned her focus away from the teasing scientist and directed it back at the construction of the Hyperion. Currently they were in the process in lowering a massive battleship turret on the side of the vessel. "...Theresa better be paying me more now."
The scientist just laughed at her words. "Always a pleasure to be around, but duty calls and I oh so wish to get back at completing my project." He left his spot and began to walk away from the major.
"Oh before I forget to mention," Abruptly he stopped in his tracks and turned around. "You'll be responsible for the Hyperion's maiden voyage which I'm told will take place in about three or so weeks from today."
He continued on with his reminder, totally oblivious to the growing horror on Himeko's face. Piloting a ship was hard enough but being the captain of a very expensive flying ship on its maiden voyage was even more terrifying!
"Now I know you must be positively jumping in joy but I assure you nothing overly exciting will happen. I mean you're just piloting a giant boat that can float in the sky…" He gave the red headed woman a grin, and if she had learned anything from her experiences with this man that smile was the prelude of something about to go horribly wrong.
"What's the worst that could happen?"
Oh I'm sure nothing bad will happen, nothing horrible is going to happen… :)
As you can probably gleam the final arc in this Nagazora Saga is coming to a close, like we are super super close to it. There's one more thing I have to write and I know some of you might know what Im talking about.
Can you guess what it is?
This chapter was a filler-ish one ngl, with a bit of forewarning at the end. I think we all needed some Mei/Kiana/Haruto fluff.
I'm not 100% confident on this but I think I can keep a weekly update schedule, I might be off a few days, but I think I can do it with my current college class load.
Hmm not very much else to say here I guess so…
OH YEAH I FORGOT WE'RE AT 936 FOLLOWS! I DID NOT EXPECT THIS KIND OF SUPPORT FROM THIS STORY. I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!
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!