Timeline: February 2014
Raiden Mei.
The daughter of Raiden Ryoma, the owner of ME Corp.
She's a second year student at Senba Academy in the city of Nagazora, which is one of the best and most popular high schools in the city.
Raiden Mei, who was from a wealthy family, didn't seem to have much experience with social relationships nor did she have many friends due to strict tutoring sessions.
However, when she joined Senba Academy a year ago, she immediately became the talk of the school. She was beautiful, popular, smart, reliable and well off. Her life seemed perfect.
The people around her all mobbed around her, taking initiative to become friends with her and get as close to her as possible for a variety of reasons.
Mei enjoyed the company of her many close friends and companions. Her life looked to be very bright and promising.
But everything started to go downhill after her father, Raiden Ryoma, was sent to jail due to economic malpractice and fraud.
Mei was understandibly very saddened by the news of her father's imprisonment. She never believed her father would do that, nor did she ever consider him to be guilty of such a crime. She confidently believed he was framed by someone else.
Her outlook of life remained positive and bright, because she knew she had friends she could count of when she needed them. She was glad she had friends to confide in but she didn't want anyone to get involved with her personal problems.
But of course, this was only the start of her downfall. A few months in and her situation began to change. The ME Corps reputation was dragged through the mud, and with it, her family name.
Raiden Ryoma was replaced as it's president and the company was no longer theirs.
Mei, being the sharp woman that she was, immediately noticed the changes around her.
All those people who used to be her best friends all began distancing themselves from her. They all came up with excuses to not hang out with her or stay away from her and some even pushed her away.
The large crowds of people who used to hang out with her during lunches and after school, even they were slowly alienating her.
Mei was no fool. She understood why all of this was happening.
The people whom she used to consider friends, she believed she managed to befriend them due to her polite personality and her humble and friendly outlook. But clearly, that wasn't the case.
It was instead, because she was the only daughter of the owner of ME Corp.
And now that the owner was replaced after being sent to jail, she lost her right to inherit the company. Because of this, those who used to seek her friendship began to ignore her. She was no longer useful in their eyes.
All they wanted, was to secure a good relationship with the future owner of the ME Corp so that their lives may be secured in the future.
Mei was incredibly disheartened by this. And it's only natural. After all, these were all people whom she liked and trusted, whom she believed in for over a year. They were people she thought she could rely on, but in reality, they all turned out to be devils hiding as humans.
And not only did they all abandon her, but they even began badmouthing her behind her back and slandered her. And Mei was deeply hurt by their words, especially considering she's been their friend for a whole year.
Mei sought after affection.
Her father was too busy with work and her mother died of cancer when she was young.
She had no one else.
She believed her friends could help ease her of her loneliness, but alas, those "friends" of hers turned out to be fakes. Their friendship was never real to begin with.
And yet, her gentleness and tolerance never faltered. Though her loneliness only grew stronger. She felt like the whole world has turned against her in and instant, because of a mistake she had no part in.
And innocent victim suffering the consequences of another's actions.
And of course, on top of losing heirship, the news of her father being a criminal also serves to worsen the situation for her as their former friends began to demonize her for no reason.
"How utterly risible."
A masculine voice pierced through the clean air of Nagazora City.
At the brink of noon, a young man was seated on the bench of a park, his legs crossed one over the other. His piercing red eyes watched the newspaper in his hand as he read the latest articles written down in it.
"The sight of a child suffering from actions of those unrelated to them is so irritating." He stated as his red eyes peered into the paper he held in his hand, as if it would fly away if he let it go.
"The owner of ME Corp for arrested for economic fraud and ownership of the company has now been handed over to Cocolia of Anti-Entropy. Raiden Ryoma... Was he framed ? By whom ?"
"Cocolia ?" He wondered, "Because it's sure as hell not Welt Yang."
"But why, is the real question." He says, as he slowly lowers the newspaper and places his chin in his own grasp, softly moving his fingers.
"Why would Cocolia — if she did it — bother doing something like this ? And so suddenly too..."
He frowned and lowered the newspaper.
Alex stood up from the bench and began to walk in a particular direction, seemingly aimlessly as his gaze remained far and long.
"I have to find that black box so I may take it far away from the city and prevent a possibile reawakening. And most importantly, put a stop to The Negativity."
Images of a black cube engraved with runic patterns appeared in his advanced mind, clearly emitting large quantities of radiation in the form of honkai energy.
He walked and walked, before deciding to stop by a little shop. He entered the shop and went up to the stall where all the frozen drinks were kept, before taking two and buying them. He opened the can and began to drink it down. He let out a satisfied sigh as he felt the cold liquid slip down his throat, bringing freshness to his bloodless body. He had a second can with him but he kept it stored for later.
The most unexpected things was for him to encounter Raiden Mei while he was looking for the black box.
"Oh, so you're here...?"
He stared at a lonely woman, sitting on a bench with her head dropped downwards.
She remained silent for a while, only looking up after he called her twice. It seems she either hadn't noticed or acknowledged his presence.
"Good afternoon. I hope you're doing well today..." She greeted him in a polite manner, showing her knowledge of etiquette.
Alex nodded his head in approval and hummed. "Good afternoon. I don't know if you remember me. I'm Alexander Black, but you may call me Alex."
"We've met before, haven't we ?" He asked her, making the purple haired thunder princess smile softly but sadly.
"Yeah... A few days ago... When I was still..."
"Has isolation affected you that much, Raiden Mei ?" Alex cocked his head to the side, throwing his question out there for her to process.
His question made her stop and stare forward devoid of emotion. Either she zoned out of she's trying to really think on his words.
"Also, last time I met you, I wasn't aware you were the daughter of the former owner of ME Corp." He clarified, making Mei's smile turn bitter. She hoped it stayed that way, but alas, she was found out.
According to her memory, Alex was nice to her when they first met. Though they weren't close, nor did they hang out or act like friends, he was still nice to hear. But that was only because he didn't know who she was. Now that he knows her identity, and has recognised the powerlessness she faced due to her present predicament, she is of no use for him. He will abandon her just like the countless others have done in the past.
"That look does not suit you, Raiden Mei. A charming young lady such as yourself mustn't have such downtrodden eyes." Alex smiled at her, he truly pitied her situation.
He held a cold soda can close to her face, touching her soft, white cheeks in the process. The cold sensation of wet metal made Mei recoil out of reflex. She looked up at Alex, who smiled at her and insisted her to take the can and drink something, since she looked dehydrated.
"Miss Raiden, may I have your phone number, if you don't mind. So we can stay in contact this time." Alex's voice was soft but sharp. Mei looked at him in surprise while drinking.
"Oh.. you want... to talk... to me..?" She seemed surprised. He knew who she was but he didn't care.
"Yeah. Last time I forgot to ask your number, which was a blunder from my part, I admit."
"That's not what I'm talking about–"
Alex raised his hand.
"I know. I know what you mean."
He then looked down at her with calming eyes. His gaze gave nothing away, but it wasn't hostile in the least.
"The people whom I decide to befriend; that choice belongs to me and me alone. And I want to become your friend, Raiden Mei." Alexander's way of speaking was very weird when he asked to be her friend.
Normal people would have just asked if they could've been friends.
This surprised Mei even more, her trembling eyes staring at him in disbelief.
"...why ?"
"I don't believe in baseless rumours without any investigation on my part. Unlike the blind mob of creatures this world calls humanity, I only follow me own heart. And to me, you are not guilty. Not one bit." Her eyes were wide as she heard Alexander speaking. She couldn't believe a person still wanted to be her friend despite her not having anything to offer.
As if reading her mind, Alex's lips twitched. "I require nothing from you, Raiden Mei. I don't have a reason for wanting a friend, nor do I need one. I am doing this simply because I want to do this. You have nothing to offer me and I have nothing to gain from you besides your friendship." He was seated in the bench next to her while Mei drank the juice he had given her.
"Don't be so tense. In the future, you will meet people whom you can put your faith in. People you can trust completely. People who will always support you and care for you. I can promise you this— in this cruel world, you are not alone. There are many people out there who would love to be your friend. And I happen to be one of them."
Alexander gestured her to calm down. He was looking down at her, but his real gaze was focused on her stigmata, which was beginning to act up but neutralized by something.
Alexander had seen stigmatas before, he can recognise one from its energy signature. But the sheer quantity of honkai energy inside Mei's body was... concerning.
She has a gem inside her...
Alex, knowing the danger, used his abilities to secretly pull the excess honkai energy from her body and into his to prevent her from getting corrupted.
"Will I really be able to find people who actually care about me ?" She asked as she stared back at him, but her stare was filled with hopeful longing.
"Haven't you already met one ?" He answered her question as if it were rhetorical.
This made Raiden Mei, look at him in surprise. It would be a lie to say she didn't feel joy building up inside her. She wanted to believe this man, but she was still paranoid from her last experiences. But she hoped from the bottom of her heart, that this man just wanted to be her friend and wasn't after anything else. That he wasn't using her.
"Well then, Raiden Mei, do you accept my token of friendship ?" He asked politely.
Mei wanted to chuckle at his formal politeness, but held it in. She smiled sweetly and tiredly, making Alex's gaze soften.
"Please... Just call me Mei."
"... Alright, Mei. Do you accept ?"
"Yes... I would.. love to be your friend."