After finishing their tour of Chiba Academy, sunlight spilled over Kiana☆ and Fu Lin as they stepped out of the school gates, preparing to check out the residence Otto had arranged in advance.
However, just as they were exiting the gates, Fu Lin suddenly sensed something and instinctively stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on a purple figure surrounded by a group of people in the distance.
That purple figure was then forcefully pushed into a nearby alley like a fallen leaf in the wind.
Seeing this, Fu Lin frowned slightly. He turned to Kiana☆ and softly instructed her to wait where she was, then quickly strode toward the alley without hesitation.
-------------------------------
As Fu Lin gradually approached the entrance of the alley, a noisy commotion reached his ears, and his previously calm face turned gloomy and stern, growing more and more unsightly.
A sharp voice shouted loudly,
"You're the daughter of a criminal! We don't want to play with you!"
Another voice full of disgust chimed in,
"Yeah! You still think you're some high-and-mighty Raiden heiress? Shamelessly coming to school like this—people like you aren't welcome here at all!"
Yet another person said harshly,
"Hmph, you're just an accomplice!"
"Go rot in jail with your criminal father!"
More unbearable insults erupted one after another.
At that moment, Mei☆ was curled up on the ground in pain, tightly covering her ears with her hands, burying her tear-streaked face deep in her arms.
But all of this was in vain.
The cutting words of her former friends continued to echo in her ears like blades.
Tears quickly soaked the front of her clothes, forming a large dark stain. Mei☆ hung her head helplessly, her lips trembling as she muttered softly to herself,
"That's not true, that's not true… Dad's not a criminal…"
Mei☆ repeated the words over and over again, as if doing so was the only way to regain a sliver of calm.
At the same time, the Herrscher of Thunder hidden within Mei's body watched the scene unfold, a surge of anger welling up inside her.
The Herrscher's expression gradually turned grim as she coldly said,
"Give me your body. I'll teach these ungrateful brats a good lesson!"
However, Mei didn't seem to hear the Herrscher at all, still lost in her grief.
Seeing Mei so caught up in self-deception only fueled the Herrscher's fury even more. She shouted,
"Pull yourself together! Are you just going to let them bully you like this?!"
Just as the Herrscher was about to forcibly seize control of the body, a sudden and unfamiliar voice rang out like thunder, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Fu Lin strolled out slowly from around the corner, holding a phone steadily at chest level, a faint smirk playing on his lips.
He clicked his tongue and shook his head,
"Tsk tsk tsk, how unexpected! The elegant young heiresses of a prestigious conglomerate—always so refined and graceful in public—turn out to be school bullies behind the scenes."
He paused, sweeping his gaze over the girls in front of him before continuing,
"And if I remember correctly, your families only got where they are thanks to the support and help of the Raiden family.
But now?
The moment the Raiden family falls from grace, you don't even think to help their daughter—instead, you escalate your bullying.
The saying 'a favor for a peck of rice, a grudge for a bushel' describes you ungrateful wolves perfectly."
With that, Fu Lin shook the phone in his hand, adding teasingly,
"If this gets out on the internet, it'll definitely cause a stir and become a hot topic."
At that, one of the girls stepped forward angrily, reaching out to grab Fu Lin while shouting viciously,
"Who the hell are you?! Meddling in our business—hand over that phone if you know what's good for you, or don't blame us for what happens next!"
Fu Lin, however, dodged easily with a sidestep, responding with a cheeky grin,
"Oh dear~ That won't do~ This phone cost me a lot of money. I can't just hand it over that easily."
Seeing her first attempt fail, the girl grew furious and turned around to yell at the others standing frozen nearby,
"What are you all standing there for? Just watching the show?! Get over here and help me! If that video gets out, none of us will be spared!"
Her shout snapped the others out of their daze. They rushed forward, trying to surround Fu Lin.
But they were just minor characters doomed to become zombies in the Third Honkai Impact—how could they possibly lay a finger on Fu Lin?
Fu Lin's figure flickered, gracefully dodging every outstretched hand, like a ghost toying with the crowd.
Meanwhile, Mei☆ had gone stiff upon hearing that familiar voice. She looked up instinctively and caught sight of Fu Lin dodging and weaving through the attackers.
When she saw that familiar figure clearly, her teary eyes widened, her lips trembled slightly as if she wanted to speak, but no sound came out.
In the end, Mei☆ could only murmur subconsciously,
"Fu Lin…"
At the same time, the Herrscher of Thunder also froze, clearly shocked that Fu Lin was still alive. But the surprise on her face quickly vanished, replaced by her usual cold indifference.
She snorted and said, "Hmph! I knew that guy wasn't dead!"
Perhaps sensing Mei☆'s gaze, Fu Lin suddenly stopped, his eyes turning icy cold as he looked at the crowd and said mercilessly,
"Get lost. Or don't blame me for what happens next."
At that moment, the leading girl realized that she was being played. There was no way they'd get the phone today.
Breathing heavily, she glared at Fu Lin and gritted her teeth,
"You… you just wait! This isn't over!"
But Fu Lin simply smiled indifferently and replied casually,
"Sure~ Bring it on if you dare."
With that, he crossed his arms and watched calmly as the troublemakers slinked away, looking like defeated stray dogs.
Once they had completely disappeared, Fu Lin slowly turned around. The two of them stared at each other silently, neither speaking first.
But seeing Mei's eyes red and swollen from crying, Fu Lin felt as if an invisible hand had clenched his heart tightly—it hurt so much he could barely breathe.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to comfort her, but the words caught in his throat and refused to come out.
Especially knowing that he would eventually die at Mei☆'s hands, which would cause Kiana☆ to fall into darkness, he had no choice but to keep his distance from Mei☆.
Just seeing her this once was enough. Kiana☆ would be the one to soothe Mei☆'s wounded heart from now on…
Despite the conflict and turmoil in his heart, Fu Lin gazed deeply at Mei☆'s tear-streaked face one last time, then gritted his teeth and turned away decisively.
Seeing this, Mei's heart instantly sank. Without thinking, she hurriedly ran in the direction Fu Lin had left.
But once she stepped outside, she realized that she was alone—Fu Lin was nowhere to be found.
In that moment, a flood of grievance surged within her, and tears welled up again on her delicate face. In the end, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to her knees in sorrow.
"Fu Lin!"