Two weeks had passed since Lyon became friends with Mei, and he was still figuring out how he felt about it all.

On one hand, it was great having a friend, especially one as influential as Mei, whose mere name could sway the dynamics of their school—provided she remembers her promise.

On the flip side, Mei had proven herself to be an exceptional girl. She was fun to chat with, tease, and a great listener, often asking insightful follow-up questions that showcased her keen attentiveness.

As Lyon walked across the concrete floor of the academy, he reflected on how his friendship with Mei had deepened. They had spent many sessions just talking about everyday things outside the school, and there were times when Mei seemed to deliberately stay late just to chat with him.

This gesture from her was endearing, and he found comfort in sharing his thoughts with her, transforming his burdens into words that someone actually cared to hear.

Humming a tune, he noticed the usual disdainful stares were absent today. 'Hmm? That's odd, let me check around.'

He scanned the corridor behind his sunglasses, which hid his eyes well enough that others couldn't tell where he was looking.

Curiosity replaced the usual disdain in the eyes of the students he passed. This unexpected shift in their attitude made him wary. 'Did I do something notable recently? Maybe it was that pop quiz last week? Could be, might not be.'

He continued on his way to the classroom, pondering the sudden change in how he was perceived, when suddenly...

"Lyon, I heard you're connected to ME Corp. Why didn't you mention it?"

"My father would love to meet someone of your stature, Lyon. Could you find time to meet my family? We supply—"

"Wow, Lyon, you're truly impressive. I knew you were special the moment I saw you."

These were just some of the remarks that bombarded him today, leaving him utterly confused.

Lyon blinked, "Umm, what? What are you talking about?"

He was bewildered by their sudden niceness.

He braced for a backlash but instead was met with unexpected admiration.

A nerdy student stepped forward, adjusting his tie. "Sir Lyon—"

"Drop the 'sir,' please. I'm not that old."

"—Ahem! Sir Lyon, Ms. Raiden informed us that you are affiliated with ME Corp, and she has provided proof of your association."

Lyon's sunglasses fell off his face in shock.

Muttering to himself as he stooped to pick them up, "She really went and did it... What a girl."

He hadn't actually believed Mei would follow through, but her actions were oddly reassuring.

Without his sunglasses, the female students nearby blushed, while the male students looked on with a newfound respect.

After putting his sunglasses back on, Lyon scanned the crowd's faces. "Is there something on my face? Ah, I know, you must all be admiring how handsome I am, right?"

The female students nodded enthusiastically, a reaction he hadn't anticipated.

A chill ran down his spine as he sensed their intense, almost hormonal gaze.

The male students, meanwhile, saluted him. Since when were they so supportive?

Realizing the situation was escalating, Lyon gulped, "Hold on... Can we talk this through?"

But as the groups began to advance, he knew it was time to leave.

"Screw this!"

He sprinted down the hallway as students rushed toward him. How were they so fast without even running? He wasn't exactly slow himself.

He yelled back, "Leave me alone! I don't have time for this nonsense!"

Suddenly, a student brandished a banner featuring a chibi version of him with white hair. Since when did they have that?

"You are an esteemed associate of ME Corp, and therefore, you deserve our attention," someone shouted.

Lyon was irked. Just weeks ago, these same students were badmouthing him, and now they were practically worshiping him?

'I ain't dealing with that.'

He dashed down the stairs, outpacing the students, and ducked into a janitor's closet to hide. The students who arrived just after seemed desperate, almost animalistic.

"Find him! We can't let him escape!"

"If we catch him, maybe we'll catch Ms. Raiden's attention too!"

"Screw that! I want a piece of him! No, I want to lick him!"

'Ayyo?' He grimaced while listening to the chaos outside.

Sheltered behind the door, Lyon could hardly believe what he was hearing. These kids had flipped like a switch—from disdain to obsessive admiration.

Breathing heavily, he thought, 'There's no way I'm going back out there. And definitely not back to class with them.'

So, he remained hidden in the janitor's closet, overhearing the wild speculations about his supposed connections.

The next time he saw Mei, he vowed to lightly pinch her cheek for this trouble.

Meanwhile, Mei strolled into her classroom humming, a habit she'd picked up from Lyon. 'I wonder how he's handling the attention today. He should be quite pleased with it.'

She had taken steps to ensure that Lyon would no longer be treated unfairly.

Passing a few classmates, she exchanged greetings before settling into her seat. As she prepared for the lesson, a commotion outside caught everyone's attention, causing a slight rumble in the floor.

"Didn't know there's an earthquake going on."

"If it were an earthquake, shouldn't we be evacuating?"

"Nah, it's just our classmates next door causing a ruckus. Hey, isn't that Lyon they're chasing?"

Curiosity piqued, Mei frowned slightly. She hadn't anticipated that her influence would lead to such chaos.

Shaking her head, she began to unpack her stationery, whispering to herself, "I'm sure he's enjoying the attention. He deserves a bit of recognition."

She believed it would be good for Lyon to experience positive attention, thinking all humans should enjoy moments of joy.

As she began to jot down notes, another student's comment reached her ears.

"Now that I think about it, I heard some girls calling Lyon a hottie. Maybe we should ask him out."

Crack.

The pencil in Mei's hand snapped in two.

---

Hours had passed since the school descended into chaos, and Lyon was holed up in the janitor's closet, hoping the coast was clear. Believing the school had finally emptied, he cautiously opened the door and stepped out, grateful for the unexpected early release that allowed students to go home after lunch.

How convenient.

"Thank goodness for small mercies," he muttered, assuming the teachers had something to do with the sudden dismissal. He stretched, relishing the relief as his cramped muscles loosened.

He inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh air free from the scent of cleaning supplies. "Ah, feels good to be out. Looks like everyone's gone home."

As he wandered through the near-empty school, he noticed a few students lingering, probably cramming for upcoming university exams. Watching them, he mused, 'They must be under a lot of pressure. Reminds me...'

The sun cast a warm glow over him, prompting a reflective moment. "What am I going to do in the future? I thought coming to school would clarify things. Guess it's too early for answers. Time to enjoy life a little."

With his hands in his pockets, Lyon meandered through the school grounds, lost in his thoughts and humming to himself. Suddenly, he spotted a familiar figure with purple hair.

Target acquired.

He approached her quickly and playfully tapped her on the shoulder from behind, causing her to jump.

"Eek!"

Lyon chuckled, "Ha! Caught you, Mei. I thought you'd gone home."

Mei blushed, feeling his touch. "Umm... I forgot to tell my dad about today's early release. Thought I'd stick around and explore a bit."

Lyon raised an eyebrow. "That's unusual. You've been forgetting a lot lately. Has hanging out with me made you neglect your responsibilities?"

Mei was silent. In truth, she had planned to meet Lyon and had purposely not informed her father about the early release.

"Not exactly, I just had a lot on my mind," she said, coughing slightly.

A mix of truth and lies. She was juggling family responsibilities and her own desires, including spending time with Lyon.

Lyon peered closely at her, sensing something was amiss. "I'm not quite buying that, Mei."

Mei panicked internally, realizing he might be catching on to her fib. However, Lyon misinterpreted her anxiety.

He playfully punched his palm. "Ah, I get it! You're just trying to be the perfect student, staying late to help out, right? That sounds like you."

Mei latched onto the explanation, relieved. "Yes, exactly! You've figured it out, Lyon."

Satisfied, Lyon grinned and patted her shoulder, his grip firm. "You've got some explaining to do about today, Mei."

Mei avoided his gaze, feigning confusion. "I... I don't know what you mean?"

His grip tightened. "That sounded like a question."

"No, it's not!" she stammered.

Lyon's expression was serious. "Today was wild. Both girls and boys were chasing me—all thanks to some rumor about my apparent connection to ME Corp."

Mei tensed, uncomfortable with the thought of Lyon being pursued by the girls so aggressively, yet she pushed the feeling aside.

"Well, do you remember my promise to help you?" she reminded him gently.

"I do," Lyon acknowledged, recalling her vow to use her influence to protect him. "But exactly how far did you go with that promise?"

"So, I might have mentioned you to some students and teachers since we've been seen together at lunch," Mei admitted.

Lyon clicked his tongue, surprised by the rapid spread of gossip but not by the nature of it. "Figures. Gossip here spreads like wildfire."

Mei sang softly, "Yes, and then I found myself having to explain our relationship to them, and that's how their perceptions began to shift."

She took pride in this achievement, despite the method not being quite what she envisioned. Nonetheless, the outcome was undeniably positive.

Lyon paused, taking a moment to calm his nerves upon hearing this, and after gathering himself, he inquired, "And how exactly did you describe me?"

Mei touched her lips thoughtfully and replied, "You are closely associated with my father, and he supports your involvement with me."

Lyon removed his sunglasses, rubbing his eyes before playfully tapping his ears.

"I'm sorry, could you say that once more? My ears must be failing me due to sudden aging."

Mei repeated, seemingly oblivious to the effect her words had on Lyon, "You mean, the fact that you're my father-sanctioned partner?"

Lyon brought his hands close to her face with mock severity.

"I'm going to pinch you."

Mei blinked in confusion, "Uh... what?"

Without warning, Lyon pinched her cheeks and tugged lightly.

"DO YOU REALIZE THE POSITION YOU'VE PUT ME IN!? MEIIIII!!!"

"I'm sowwy~!"

Their little disturbance caught the attention of several nearby students, who watched the scene unfold, interpreting it as a humorous misunderstanding and thus kept to themselves.

He continued to playfully stretch her cheeks, though his tone shifted to a more composed one, "Do you understand that was possibly the worst explanation you could have given? Didn't you consider the potential consequences?"

Releasing her, Mei massaged her cheeks and explained, "But I did talk to my father about you, and he seemed quite approving..."

Wot.

He blinked in disbelief, "What?"

She nodded, gently patting her cheeks, "I mentioned you to my father and surprisingly, he was pleased at the idea of me taking care of you. I also told him you were my first true friend, and he assured me everything would be handled, allowing me to speak freely."

Wot...?

He slumped down, exhausted, "Are you saying... my approval came just because I'm your friend?"

Mei nodded again and settled on a nearby bench, "Plus, I informed him about the card you've been carrying."

Lyon searched his pocket and presented a black card, "This one? I didn't realize you had seen it."

Shaking her head, her expression softened, "I only caught a glimpse of it, but it had my father's company emblem, so I reported it to him. He already knew about it. It turns out he was the one who accepted you into the academy because of that card."

"What... He's the one who brought me in?"

Lyon felt a wave of fatigue as he held the card, which directly tied him to ME Corp's finances.

"That's quite an oversight, wouldn't you say?"

Mei shrugged, "I voiced that to my father, but he reassured me that the issue had been resolved, and you should keep the card. I'm not sure why, but he mentioned it would be necessary for your future."

Lyon slipped the card back into his pocket and sighed, moving to sit beside Mei on the bench.

He leaned back, resting against the bench, "So, he knew all along... Here I was, hoping to fly under the radar."

Mei giggled lightly, "Well, once you possessed a significant asset from my father's company, you were inevitably on his radar."

Lyon sighed, running his fingers through his hair, "Typical wealthy antics, yet... Surely there's more to his decision than just this card. After all, he's not even on the school board."

Mei looked up alongside Lyon and replied, "I did press him for a real reason since it all seemed so arbitrary, but he said we'd find out in time. I wasn't pleased with his evasion."

Lyon closed his eyes, pondering, 'Maybe it's political? But why involve me just because of that random encounter?'

Regardless, he resolved to face whatever the future held, prepared for any outcome.

Lyon exhaled deeply, feeling overwhelmed by today's cascade of news and eager to switch to lighter conversation.

However, Mei introduced her own suggestion, "You seem worn out, Lyon. What do you think about sharing a peaceful lunch together? I've brought some extra bentos that I asked the household staff to prepare."

Lyon couldn't help but smile and eagerly rub his hands together in anticipation. How fortunate he felt to have Mei brighten his day like this.

"Hehe! Thank you, Mei, for the thoughtful meal."

"That's what friends are for, Lyon. It makes me happy to see you enjoying yourself."

---

The day sped by surprisingly quickly. Lyon and Mei spent it discussing various school topics, which Lyon found remarkably simple.

For some reason, he grasped the material in a different way than others, yet struggled to convey his understanding to his teachers.

He was inherently a visual learner, not one to glean much from merely reading text.

At the day's end, after a cheerful farewell to Mei, who was delighted with how the day unfolded, he watched her leave in her limousine.

Lyon then made his way to his studio apartment, pulling out his key card, only to pause.

"Hmm? Why are there scratches around the door frame?"

He noticed a noticeable mark that hadn't been there earlier—his door had always been immaculate and uniformly painted.

'An intruder? Surely, the security guard downstairs would have been aware of any such incident.'

Or perhaps an attempted burglary? He glanced at the hallway's CCTV and dismissed the thought. 'No, the security would have contacted me immediately if that were the case.'

Feeling somewhat reassured, he unlocked his door and stepped inside.

"I'm home~"

"Welcome home."

Lyon nodded with a smile, "Yes, it feels great to be bac— Wait a second..."

His smile faltered as he froze, staring at the source of the greeting.

Sitting on his couch, a diminutive figure with piercing silver eyes and silver-gray hair styled into signature double pigtails twisted into drills was nonchalantly watching TV and enjoying fruit from a bowl he had purchased the day before.

She turned to him with a look of innocent surprise, "Ah... Sorry for the intrusion. The Bronya was seeking sustenance, and after hacking into the apartment building's database, I discovered you're the youngest resident. The Bronya hopes you don't mind."

Lyon scratched his head as the girl, Bronya, returned her attention to the television.

All he could manage in response was a resigned sigh.

"Goddammit."

End of Chapter

---

A/N: The Bronya is here. I hope you all like it. Err, that is all. Thanks for reading.