Rex, the shirtless Crozzo, dressed only in a pair of swimming trunks, slippers, and a pair of sunglasses can be seen walking beside Mei as the two looked for a grocery store nearby, 

The two of them have volunteered to buy the supplies and groceries as they were the only ones who were not busy or with a group (other than Otto, but he is a gay-ass obsessive bitch). The Kaslana trio filled with Siegfried, Cecilia, and Kiana. 

The future Hersscher and Russian lesbian duo, Bronya, and Seele

The singles drinking trio of Himeko, Fenghuang, and Theresa. It was mostly Himeko and Fenghuang with Theresa making sure that Fenghuang won't do anything too stupid.

The immortal blades duo trying to stop Raven from hogging Reve's attention all day. 

The 5-century lesbian duo of Sakura and Kallen were making some sandcastles on the beach, ignoring the stares of some beachgoers they did not know. 

And much to their surprise, Ren and Fu Hua arrived and they looked to be on a date but joined them to have fun. Right now, the two were walking around the beach, smiling and laughing, surprising many who knew of her and got more curious about the man she was with. 

The duo of Rex and Mei walked side by side as they looked around for stores. He was a bit bored and noticed something about Mei. She looked very lonely. 

"Hey," He said as he gently held her shoulder with a smile. "Everything alright?" He asked. During the year, they both have gotten closer to each other, not as much as he and Kiana did but enough that Mei was comfortable around his presence, and to sleep beside him or his room while he worked. 

"O-oh. I'm fine, no need to worry, Rex-kun," she said with a smile but he noticed her eyes. They were lonely. Sighing, Rex looked at her. He smiled and took her arm gently and led her to a shade and gave her something to drink to cool down from the hot weather.

"Here," he said with a smile as he handed her the drink and sat down with her. They were near a beach so it was unusual for a pair dressed in their swimwear to be walking around. "You can tell me anything," he told her with a smile

"thank you," Mei said with a smile while accepting the drink, she knew she could trust him after all. They had survived the zombie-infested city of Nagazora together and she had trusted him with a lot more but this... 

"It's fine. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to." Rex reassured her with a smile. Out of all of them, Mei was probably the most normal one, for him. Kiana was the excitable girl of the group, while Bronya was the lethargic one. 

Mei just smiled at him and pulled him down to sit beside her and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I miss my father, Rex-kun," Mei said with a smile, telling her what was troubling her. 

"Your father... Raiden, Ryouma?" He asked, earning him a nod. 

"Before the Honkai zombies happened, my father disappeared," Mei said as she held tightly on his arm, remembering all the time those people that adored her suddenly began to talk behind her back. "I would have killed myself if it wasn't for Kiana-chan." She said as Rex smiled. The idiot Tuna has that charisma around her. 

"That's why you love her, I mean Kiana. And not just a friend." The shirtless teen said, only to smile when the heiress turned red hide her face on his arm. He ignored the great feeling of his arm on her breasts and body in favor of basking in the good feeling. 

"Y-yes." She answered with a dark blush as she looked at him. 

"I already knew. Your body language was practically screaming your feelings for her." Rex said as he remembered all the time, he had seen those two and how they interacted. He was a bit jealous of the two and their relationship with each other. 

Family and friends? For so long, all he had were just Reve and aunt Theresa. But now, it increased. 

The young man snapped out of his thoughts when Mei grabbed his cheeks and made him look at her to show her her pout. 

"Rex-kun. I'm angry at you." She said. Oh no! did she know? Oh my... Kiana was gonna kill him if Mei found out that the two did it while they were drunk. "You spend nothing but stay in your lab all day." 

What? 

"Not only that, you reject any offers we give you to join our outings many times." She added "In fact, you only hang out with Kiana-chan and Bronya-chan." she said with a pout. She might love Kiana but Rex was one of her closest friends. 

"B-but I was busy with work!" Rex protested only wince when Mei pinched her cheek with a smile, 

"I always see you sleeping with Kiana-Chan whenever I come and wake you up. "She said as she looked at him. "You also only come and spend time with me only if we are cooking." She added as she looked at him. 

Rex smiled as he knew what she wanted. She was the only one he spent the least amount of time and now that Bronya has Seele, maybe he can spend time more with Mei. 

"You know, meeting you and the others back in Nagazora has been the best decision in my life so far," Rex said as he stood up and finished his can and watched the clouds. "You see, for as long as I remember it was just Reve and I. He taught me everything I know, even when we were kids." He told her with a smile. "Because of this, I never trusted anyone until I met Aunt Theresa when I was 10." He told her. 

"It was hard. But Aunt Theresa was patient and she took me in like I was her own son." He said with a smile. "The reason why I work for her now is that I want to make her proud." He said with a smile. "But it does make her annoyed that I am wasting away in my work and that I got these cool ink." He said referring to his tattoos. 

"Principal Theresa, huh? Does she know?" Mei asked with a smile. 

"Know what?" Rex asked as she looked at him and threw the can on an empty trash bin. 

"That you and Kiana-chan slept together." She said with a pout, a static shocking him slightly, "I meant that you two had sex together, Rex-kun." She said with a smile.

Rex turned red and paled in horror as she looked at her angry smile. 

"You will make it up to me Rex." She said with a smile that sent shivers up his spine and even stopped using the suffix. he was now dancing on the palm of the heiress. 

The pair of 17-year olds soon walked side by side to the grocery store where he went to a spot to buy some supplies With a pushcart. Once he got back, he saw his friend surrounded by a group of men and she looked uncomfortable. 

Removing his sunglasses, the young man slicked his hair back and approached the group, and went in front of her, only to pull her close to him in a one-armed hug. The young man smiled a smile, one that promised pain if they don't leave. 

"What are you guys doing with my girlfriend?" He asked as he looked at them. Mei slowly turned red at the shock of how intense Rex was acting like normal. 

Off to the side, Kiana, who just arrived followed by Bronya and Seele stopped. The three looked in shock as Rex helped their words. and Kiana could not help but feel jealous.