Rumors travel faster than truth.
By the end of the week, Chiba Academy was filled with whispers. Some spoke behind their hands. Others stared when they thought she wasn't looking.
"Did you hear?"
"Her father—wasn't he the chairman of ME Corp?"
"Embezzlement... fraud, maybe even ties to Humans research."
Raiden Mei walked the halls in silence, her gaze fixed forward. Her back remained straight, her pace unbroken. But each word—each glance—dug into her like shards of glass.
She didn't defend herself.
She didn't need to.
Because no one would've believed her.
The quiet distance she always carried now became a wall that others turned against her. Every step in the hallway echoed louder. Even the teachers seemed more hesitant around her, their smiles tight and voices carefully neutral.
Aiden watched from the shadows. He leaned against the far wall near the vending machines, arms crossed, a bag of milk, bread unopened in his hand. He had seen this before—character assassination. Strategic. Cruel. And effective.
'So, here it is, Cocolia's doing,' he murmured under his breath. 'They want him discredited. Probably to shift control of Mei's power.'
He closed his eyes.
Don't interfere. Stay quiet. Blend in.
That was the plan.
Then he heard the slap.
He turned instantly.
Outside the main hall, near the lockers, three girls surrounded Mei. One of them had her hand raised—fresh from striking. Another had grabbed Mei's schoolbag and dumped its contents onto the floor.
Textbooks.
Notebook.
A bento box.
"Your father's a criminal, you know that?" one of the girls spat. "You think you can still act like you're better than everyone?"
"I didn't do anything," Mei replied, her voice tight.
"Exactly. You just stood there, like always. Cold and perfect. That ends today."
The girl raised her hand again—
And it stopped inches from Mei's cheek.
Aiden stood behind her, holding the girl's wrist.
His gaze was ice.
"Touch her again," he said, his voice calm but with an edge sharp enough to cut steel, "and I'll make sure you regret it."
The bully flinched. "W-What's it to you, transfer-kun?"
Aiden slowly let go of her wrist. "You want to take out your jealousy on someone? Pick someone who'll hit back."
The girls scrambled, muttering curses as they left. The hallway emptied.
Mei stood still, stunned. Her hair had come slightly undone, her uniform collar pulled. Her bento box lay open on the floor, rice scattered.
Aiden crouched down and began picking up the pieces.
"You didn't have to do that," she said quietly.
"I did," he replied, gathering the last of the rice with a tissue. "Because no one else would."
She looked at him, and for the first time in days, her eyes weren't cold. They were trembling.
He stood and handed her the box.
"C'mon," he said. "Let's eat on the rooftop."
The wind was cooler up high. The sky was overcast, and the clouds drifted slowly, heavy with rain.
They sat side by side on the rooftop bench. Aiden had pulled out his own bento—a simple one he made that morning. Mei ate quietly, her gaze on the distant city skyline.
"You don't believe it, do you?" she asked softly. "The things they're saying."
"No," Aiden said immediately. "I know how lies spread. And I know what truth looks like. You're not the kind of person who'd sit back while others get hurt."
Mei's chopsticks paused.
Aiden continued, "Your father's a target because of his position. You're collateral."
Mei turned toward him. "You say that like you've seen it happen before."
"I have."
They sat in silence again, but this one felt different—warmer. Safer.
Then Mei did something she hadn't done in a long time.
She laughed.
Soft. Almost breathless.
"What?" Aiden asked, surprised.
"You talk like you're forty years old," she said with a small smile.
Aiden blinked. Then smirked. "I've been told I have an old soul." 'Well I'm 18 when I die in my previous life so, yeah pretty old soul will do.'
She smiled more.
It was the first time he had seen her smile without pain behind it.
They kept eating, sharing bites here and there. Mei offered him a pickled plum from the part of her lunch that hadn't spilled. He accepted.
"You're not what I expected when you transferred," she said.
"I'm not what anyone expects."
"You're kind, in your own... strange way."
Aiden looked at her, and for a brief second, the glow of the Six Eyes flickered behind his lenses. She didn't notice. Or maybe she did.
He could sense it now. The emotional current swirling around her. Grief. Anger. Loneliness. But under all that — a fragile spark of something new. Something hopeful.
He let her sit in silence, knowing sometimes words only made it harder.
Eventually, she broke the quiet. "When my father was arrested, I wasn't even told why. They didn't give me a chance to see him. One day he was there... and the next, gone."
Aiden didn't speak. He knew that silence was the right answer.
"I know he's not perfect. He's strict. He made decisions I didn't always agree with. But... he's not a criminal. He's not a monster."
"You don't have to convince me."
"I know. That's why I'm still talking."
He turned to her. That simple admission held more weight than she probably realized.
Then the rooftop door slammed open.
A blur of white hair and boundless energy burst onto the scene.
"HEYYYYY!"
Both Aiden and Mei turned.
A girl with twin tails and radiant blue eyes stood before them, beaming with confidence.
"I finally found the rooftop! Why is it always locked or haunted or—oh!" She pointed. "You're Raiden Mei, right? And you must be the super cool transfer student!"
Mei blinked. "And you are...?"
The girl saluted. "Kiana Kaslana! But you can call me Kiana-chan!"
Aiden stared for a moment, then slowly sighed.
"Of course," he muttered.
Kiana blinked at him. "Wait... do I know you?"
Aiden stood up. "No. But I know you."
"Eh?" she tilted her head.
Mei looked between them, confused.
Kiana leaned in, studying Aiden's face. "Weird. You feel familiar..."
Aiden gave a faint, unreadable smile. "Let's just say... we're from the same storm."
Kiana scratched her head. "Okay, that's mysterious. I like it!"
She plopped down beside them and pulled out her own massive lunch. She unwrapped a triple-layered sandwich, dug out a cup of pudding, and practically sparkled as she chewed.
"I didn't expect to find people up here. You two look so serious."
"We were talking," Mei said, voice gentler than before.
"Oooh, about love?" Kiana teased.
Both Aiden and Mei blinked, flustered. Mei looked away, cheeks pink. Aiden cleared his throat.
"No."
"Not yet," Kiana mumbled under her breath with a knowing grin.
They continued eating. Kiana brought energy that Mei hadn't known she needed. Aiden watched as Mei smiled more, responding to Kiana's jokes, relaxing a little.
Something settled inside him. A warmth.
This was what he wanted to protect.
Not just Mei.
But the world where she could smile like this.
The rooftop—once a place of refuge—became something else entirely that day.
A meeting ground of storms.
And though none of them realized it yet, that was where the change began.
Below them, the city stirred.
And somewhere deep beneath it, forces began to move.
The framing of Raiden Ryoma was only the first piece.
But for now, under the cloudy sky, three hearts beat in sync.
Not as enemies.
Not as weapons.
But as friends.
And maybe, one day—
More.