Senba Academy.
After binge-watching the prequel, original, and sequel trilogies of Star Wars all in one go, Raiden Mei suddenly felt that she must have some kind of amazing undiscovered power. Like Neo from The Matrix, she believed that one day, a mysterious figure like Harry from Kingsman, dressed in a handsome suit and wielding various high-tech weapons, would come to discover her abilities. And she, under the watchful eyes of all, would transform and accomplish something earth-shattering, like saving the world.
The point of this story wasn't how she saved the world, but the gazes of others as they watched her back.
In that moment, everyone would stare blankly at her magnificent figure. Just thinking about that feeling was—super cool!
But this imagination was merely a tool to escape reality, a shameful act of escapism. No matter how much she fantasized, a fantasy would always be a fantasy, never to become real.
The cruel reality still existed.
After seeing a newspaper article about her father, Raiden Ryoma, being imprisoned for corruption, and after countless failed attempts to call him, the trajectory of her life changed completely. In the past, she was the star of the school, the reigning Raiden Queen. But now, she was just a stray cat that anyone could kick around. The only thing she could do was huddle in a corner of the classroom, clutching a book tightly to hide her face.
It was as if doing so could fend off the endless nagging from the teachers and the mocking, scornful glares and curses from her classmates.
It's so annoying. When will this life ever end?
I'm almost at my limit...
Just then, a light shone from in front of her, like lightning splitting through heavy dark clouds. Someone pushed open the classroom door with force.
Leading the group was a young man in a well-fitting black school uniform, with silver hair and black-framed glasses, looking quite stylish. Following closely behind were a navy-blue-haired girl with a scythe who had a bit of a delinquent vibe; a dragon girl in a full military uniform; a blonde, blue-eyed girl holding a staff and wearing a thick hat; a blue-haired girl with spiral pigtails in a green knee-length skirt, looking like a young lady of high society...
The whole group was a complex mix of characters.
"Hey, who are you?"
The teacher, who was in the middle of a lesson, saw this group of strangely dressed people and pointed at them, about to kick them all out.
Qian Yi grabbed the teacher's pointing hand. With a slight squeeze, a push, and a pull, what should have been a conflict turned into a friendly handshake.
"Hello, Teacher. Sorry to interrupt your class for a few minutes. Could you please wait outside for a moment? Thank you."
"Oh, okay."
The young man's smile was so gentle it was hard not to feel a sense of goodwill. However, the unknown teacher confronting him felt sweat pouring down his back. The pain from his hand quickly soaked his shirt, and his clenched jaw trembled.
This led him to do the only thing he could: quickly pull his hand back and go outside to call other teachers for help.
While the students in the class were still wondering if this was some kind of TV show, Qian Yi was already standing on the podium, his gaze sweeping across the room like a blade.
All the students fell silent. This sudden intruder's presence was too powerful. Though he looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, he exuded the aura of a hero who had been through countless battles, making it impossible for anyone to look him directly in the eye.
"Raiden Mei, there is no more time for you to waste in school. The world is facing a crisis of destruction. The organization needs you."
Qian Yi walked steadily towards Raiden Mei, his voice serious and firm, his tone clear and powerful enough for every student present to hear his every word.
Eh?
Is he calling my name?
Raiden Mei's mind went blank. She suspected she was dreaming. Otherwise, how could something like this suddenly happen? Or was it...
Am I being pranked right now? Like those popular prank shows in the Far East. "Pranking the Fallen Young Lady"—a title like that would surely attract a lot of viewers.
But he was too dazzling.
The person before her was simply too dazzling. His silver hair was neatly styled. He wore a long black windbreaker over a white silk shirt. His eyes were a rare gray, and his aura was as cold and sharp as a sword. The pressure was so intense it made Raiden Mei's legs feel weak. Luckily, she was sitting, or she would have collapsed to the floor.
She instinctively wanted to refuse this group of unknown origin, but when the silver-haired dragon girl in the military uniform came up to her and placed a heavy, English-style sword—one that you could tell was definitely not a prop—in her hands, she couldn't say a word of refusal.
And Qian Yi's next sentence completely shattered all her psychological defenses.
"Comrade Mei, you have suffered. Everything you are enduring now is due to the persecution by our enemies. Are you ready to pick up your sword and teach those bastards a lesson?"
Raiden Mei was a chuunibyou. What a chuunibyou loves most is the idea of "heaven bestowing a great responsibility upon this person." Therefore, resolving Raiden Mei's inner turmoil was actually quite simple. All you had to do was convince her that all the suffering she had endured—the mental anguish, the physical hardship, the starvation—was all a preliminary trial.
To this end, Qian Yi had arranged a special and dramatic invitation for her.
I know you might not be willing to believe us, but what if we hand you a weapon and invite you to save the world?
Clearly, Raiden Mei was completely sold on this!
"I... I..." Raiden Mei was stunned. She had never felt this way before. She felt as if all the spotlights in the world were focused on her, like a thousand suns. She felt like she was about to be burned, but so what?
She was like a moth drawn to a flame. Even knowing that chasing the fire would lead to death, she was determined to burn brightly within it.
I will either be reborn in the flames or die a magnificent death under their scorching heat!
She followed the group, wandering in circles around the city for several hours. As time passed and night fell, the flashing neon lights cast mottled reflections on the wet streets. Her legs began to feel incredibly tired, her steps became unsteady, and the sword in her hand grew heavier from holding it for so long, feeling a bit unstable in her trembling grasp.
This sword is so heavy!
Was this weight really designed for a human?
And why have we been wandering around the city for so many hours? Doesn't our organization even have a single car?
She wanted to scream these questions, but she didn't dare ask. Perhaps this was a test for her.
Hang in there, Raiden Mei! You can do it!
So, after another hour of wandering, when she really couldn't go on any longer, she couldn't help but ask, "By the way, are we heading to a secret base?"
"No, we were planning to go to your house first to regroup," Qian Yi said.
"...My house isn't this way," Raiden Mei said, falling silent.
"Is that so? How troublesome." Qian Yi turned to Kiana with a slight smile. "So, Kiana, this is what you meant when you said you knew the general location of Mei's house?"
Kiana: "Uh... well, the margin of error might be a tiny bit large."
"Your margin of error might be as large as the entire city of Tokyo. So, where are we now?" Qian Yi was baffled.
"I don't know. We might be lost," Kiana said, giving the classic answer.
Qian Yi: "..."
Raiden Mei: "..."
So we've been walking in circles for hours, not to throw off enemies or go to some secret base, but because you all—are! LOST!?
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