Mei felt like her world had visibly grown more grayish ever since her dad was falsely framed for committing economic fraud through his company. She knew it was just a hoax, and whoever did it was likely, just as Haru had said, trying to seize control of the company and its abundant assets.
However, because any assets tied to her father had been frozen, including the high-class apartment they used to live in, she had ended up having to move in with a distant relative. More specifically, someone on her father's side of the family, likely his distant cousin.
They seemed to understand that she was just an innocent passenger caught in the storm known as the darker side of adult business, so she wasn't treated with the cold indifference she had expected, the same way she was treated by some at the academy just yesterday.
When the local police came to take her statement the following morning, she had to take a day off from school. Thankfully, the academy didn't make it difficult for her.
She was honestly a little scared. Even though they said it was just routine, anyone would be nervous sitting in a room with a two-way mirror while stern cops stared her down. Fortunately, the messages she kept receiving from Haru, combined with their back-and-forth witty banter since the previous night, managed to soothe a lot of her anxiety.
A few hours later, she was finally free to go home. While her mind held up fine, her physical body was utterly exhausted.
Haru had told her to answer only what they asked and not to add anything extra. Even though she desperately wanted to clear her father's reputation from the mud, she was smart enough to know that talking too much would put her right on their radar.
For once, Mei finally understood what it was like to have a real friend who genuinely cared about her, rather than someone looking at her as a social asset to win over.
Talking with Haru, even through text, didn't feel like chatting with a mere classmate or a casual acquaintance. His humor matched hers, and his surprisingly well-thought-out advice had really helped her push through the day.
Sometimes, she couldn't help but feel like he knew an awful lot about her. But that couldn't be right, could it? She hadn't met him prior to his transfer, so maybe he was just exceptionally good at reading people and striking up a conversation.
The moment she got home, the kind grandmother who also lived in the same house, immediately started feeding her homemade food as if she had been starving for weeks. Even if it felt a bit overwhelming for her small appetite, the food was delicious.
Mei even wondered if it would be rude to ask for the recipe so she could make it herself in the near future. But even though they made her feel welcome, there was still an invisible distance that left her wishing her dad was here.
{I hate it here. These good-for-nothing people are now treating me like I'm the second coming of the Messiah. It's hard being famous, sigh.}
"Fufufu... What 'second coming of the Messiah'?"
It seemed her classmates had finally decided to make their move on him, and Haru clearly didn't know how to handle the attention, at least judging by his texts. But if he could still make jokes at his own expense, he was definitely holding up fine.
{Famous, my foot. If you're the Messiah, then what does that make me? They're avoiding me like the plague, guess I must be the Devil then? Hmph.}
Ding!
'That was instantaneous. Was he staring at his phone right in the middle of class?' Mei thought before pulling down her notification bar and tapping the new message.
{I think you'd look great with two long, curved horns on your temples, same color as your hair, but just a little darker.}
She tried picturing herself with the horns he described, but the image that came to mind was a devious version of herself looking no different than a succubus. Her cheeks flushed bright red as a result, prompting her to reply with a genuine jab at his teasing.
{Pervert.}
{Excuse moi? I'll have you know that liking a girl with horns is a very normie taste. It's like girls dreaming of a handsome Dracula, even though vampires are supposed to be terrifying beasts.}
Mei didn't know why, but instead of Dracula, her mind wandered to Haru dressed in a sleek, gothic black suit with a long cape, radiating an aristocratic aura. The mental image only deepened the blush on her face as she hugged her bear plushie tightly against her chest.
{Deviant.}
Throughout the entire exchange, a smile never left her face. The giddiness in her stomach felt like a flutter of butterflies in a garden. She wished moments of happiness like this could last forever, though, unbeknownst to her...
Deep within her subconscious, something had already begun to awaken, stirred by her dark thoughts. It had been quietly observing everything through her eyes ever since that day on the rooftop.
It possessed no human empathy and sought no comfort. A minuscule spark flickered deep in her eyes, but it didn't stop there. Again, and again.
The thunder was beginning to stir, and the countdown was fast approaching.
...
[Akiharu's POV]
[Vordt's Great Hammer]
|Uncommon Item|
Dark Souls — A great hammer made of titanite that belonged to Vordt of the Boreal Valley. The weapon is incredibly heavy and requires inhuman strength to swing properly. The head of the mace is imbued with frost, locked permanently below freezing temperatures. It also increases the power of ice-based abilities channeled through it.
"...A hammer? This thing?"
It was about damn time I finally acquired an actual weapon. But what I was holding in my hand didn't really look like a weapon at first glance.
Of course, I was safely in my bedroom, so I could pull this monstrosity out without worrying about Nick Fury dropping out of a dark corner.
The Great Hammer was heavy, easily weighing around 200 kilograms. But for a superhuman like me, I could swing it around effortlessly, like a kid holding a stick. In fact, calling it a hammer felt a bit generous.
A more accurate description would be a severely warped, grotesque iron mace. The fact that it looked misshapen and radiated a bone-chilling aura just by proximity likely had everything to do with where it came from.
Dark Souls. I knew a lot of masochistic gamers around the world loved playing that franchise, but I personally hadn't touched it myself.
Its hellish difficulty was well-documented. And as much as I enjoyed watching some poor YouTuber suffer through hours of grueling grinding only to die and restart all over again, I didn't hate myself enough to subject myself to that kind of pain for free.
Anyway, a weapon was a weapon nonetheless. Yes, water is wet, yadda yadda yadda. Though it was a shame Mei had to take a day off from the academy, it at least led me to discover a brand-new way to farm gacha tickets.
Everything doesn't have to be related to plot as I've learned a while ago.
[★ Feat Achieved! I'm Really a Superstar?!]
[For some reason, the students have started becoming more proactive toward you instead of just observing from afar. Did they finally figure out you're actually a low-key celebrity?]
[You gained x1 Random Silver Ticket!]