Chapter 25: Redemption in the Darkness
Yuki's arrival certainly brought a lively energy to Rovel's home, a change that both of them seemed to thoroughly enjoy.
Later that night, a shadowy figure flitted silently across the living room. With practiced stealth, she reached for the doorknob of the master bedroom, her movements careful and deliberate.
'Since I'm finally staying the night, how could I possibly skip the most important part?'Yuki mused, a mischievous glint in her eyes.'The "Night Raid" is an absolute must!'
She applied a gentle pressure to her arm, expecting the latch to click open. Instead, she was met with solid resistance. The doorknob wouldn't budge an inch.
Rovel, having long anticipated this exact scenario, had locked the door from the inside before turning in for the night.
"Hmph, hmph... My foolish Onii-san," Yuki whispered with a triumphant little smirk. "Did you really think a mere door like this could stop me?"
From out of nowhere, she produced a thin piece of wire and began to deftly pick the lock. Her technique was so skillful, so practiced, it made one wonder what her true identity really was.
In less than ten seconds, a soft click echoed in the silent hallway. The lock had been breached.
Yuki's grin widened as she turned the doorknob again. It rotated freely this time, but when she pushed, the door remained stubbornly shut.
Inside the room, a sturdy wooden stick, wedged between the floor and the door, trembled slightly with each of Yuki's increasingly frustrated shoves.
In this particular battle of wits, Rovel was playing on an entirely different level.
"Dammit! You despicable Onii-san, actually using props!" Yuki couldn't help but hiss, her voice a loud whisper of indignation.
From within the room, there was no reaction. Rovel had already put in earplugs, prepared for precisely this kind of disturbance.
Utterly defeated, Yuki had no choice but to return to her own room, her shoulders slumped in disappointment. Of course, with her strength, she could have simply kicked the door down. But where was the fun in that?
A night raid is meaningless if the target discovers you.
...
Rovel stretched languidly, a contented sigh escaping his lips. It was a truly pleasant morning.
There was no clamor, no noise, and most, no Yuki Suou perched on his chest, ready to deliver a devastating wake-up call.
He casually moved the stick propping the door aside and opened it, only to be greeted by an unexpected sight.
Yuki stood at the doorway, clad in an apron.
Though the particular style of this apron… tsk. It left very little to the imagination.
"Morning, Brother," she chirped, her smile a perfect blend of sweetness and mischief.
"Would you like breakfast first? A bath first? Or perhaps..." She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper.
"You'd like to... eat... me... first?"
Rovel automatically filtered out the last option, his expression unchanging.
"Isn't this the kind of welcome scene that's supposed to happen when I come home from a long day, not first thing in the morning?" he asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"It's all your fault, Brother!" Yuki pouted, puffing out her cheeks. "You actually used a stick to prop the door shut so I couldn't get in! Otherwise... I would have definitely woken you up with my deepest, most heartfelt love!"
Rovel shuddered at the memory. "If your idea of a loving wake-up call is jumping as high as you can and then stomping on my stomach, then please, spare me. You'll actually kill me one of these days."
For a while, the girl had been completely obsessed with the plot of Date A Live and had attempted to imitate the way the main character's sister woke him up. If he hadn't jolted awake in time back then, Rovel was fairly certain he would have ascended to the heavens on the spot.
"But wasn't the angle just perfect for seeing Yuki's... style... clearly?" she retorted, completely unrepentant.
"If my soul leaves my body, looking at anything becomes meaningless," Rovel replied dryly, shaking his head. "Besides, isn't your 'style' all neatly stored away in the wardrobe?"
"Brother, you're so lewd," Yuki said, covering her mouth with her hand in a gesture of feigned shyness.
"Drop dead," Rovel said, his face a perfect mask of indifference.
...
After enjoying the breakfast Yuki had bought from a shop downstairs and spending a few hours of sibling time that could almost be considered normal, Yuki was picked up by a car sent from her family.
Rovel tidied up the house, then settled into his game pod and logged into the world of Honkai.
"LINK START!"
He made his way toward the Chiba Academy Kendo Club, just as he did every day.
Only, today's Kendo Club… seemed unusually rowdy.
The moment Sugi Mikado spotted Rovel, he hurried over, his expression grave as he whispered, "Second Seat, have you heard? Massive Electric..."
"Ah, that business from yesterday. I know, what about it?" Rovel asked, his tone casual.
"This morning, the authorities released an official statement. They've confirmed that the criminal charges against the Chairman of Massive Electric have been established..."
Sugi Mikado watched Rovel's face intently, trying to gauge his reaction to the news. No, to be more precise, he was trying to gauge his reaction regarding Raiden Mei.
He knew all too well that the fallout from this incident would be absolutely massive. It was a scandal that would undoubtedly affect the entire Kendo Club.
Sugi Mikado had joined the club in his first year, risen to become its president in his second, only to be soundly defeated and demoted to second seat by Raiden Mei in his third. Then, he was pushed down even further, to third seat, by the newly arrived Rovel.
Despite the series of demotions, he still held a deep affection for the Kendo Club. If he were still the second seat, he likely would have rallied the other members to confront Raiden Mei, pressuring her to leave for the sake of the club's reputation.
But he wasn't the second seat anymore. Rovel stood above him in the hierarchy.
And if Rovel didn't speak up, Sugi Mikado wouldn't dare make a move on his own. It was a reflection of the deep-seated respect for strength ingrained in the culture of the dojo.
"You seem to have a lot of free time, enough to listen to so much gossip," Rovel said, a harmless smile gracing his lips. "Your injuries must be healed by now, right? How about we have a little spar today?"
"Ouch, my leg... why does it feel a bit stiff? My hand hurts, too, ouch..." Sugi Mikado's face contorted into a pained expression. "Sorry, Second Seat, I don't think my injuries have fully healed yet..."
With that, he feigned a look of distress and fled the scene like a gust of wind.
If not for the lingering 'Weakened'debuff still hovering over his own status, Rovel would have definitely dragged him back for a "friendly" Kendo session.'Still,'he thought to himself,'now that Raiden Ryoma's fate is sealed, it's about time those so-called 'good friends' of Raiden Mei's start showing their true colors, isn't it?'
He remembered that the system had prompted him about a mission update yesterday, but he hadn't had a chance to check it. He opened the interface.
[Triggered A-Rank Mission: Raiden Mei's Hellish Training]
[Mission Objective: In a direct confrontation, reduce the HP of Raiden Mei, who is using Hokushin Ittō-ryū, to 50%.]
[Mission BUFF: Raiden Mei's Hellish Training]
[Raiden Mei's Hellish Training: Under Raiden Mei's guidance, Kendo skill proficiency gain is increased by +200% (Stackable). When sparring with Raiden Mei, experience points can be obtained based on her evaluation. Pain sensation is locked at 100%.]
[Mission Duration: None]
[Mission Reward: Hokushin Ittō-ryū Master Certification (Purple)!]
[Hidden Mission Reward: Raiden Mei's Trust increased by 20%.]
[Hidden Mission Failure Penalty: None.]
[Mission Options: Accept Mission / Reject Mission]
'The mission duration and the hidden failure penalty are both gone...'
It meant that his interaction with Raiden Mei yesterday had not only earned her trust but had also begun to fundamentally change her attitude toward him.
Before, even when her trust level had reached 60%, she still maintained a proud, almost haughty, posture. In contrast, Sugi Mikado's trust had only reached 50%, and he had become significantly more amicable—though that could also be attributed to his fear of being beaten again.
As for Raiden Mei's haughtiness, Rovel didn't mind it. Perhaps it was the 'waifu filter' at work.
He spent the entire morning training at the Kendo Club, but Raiden Mei never arrived. The proficiency required to advance his Basic Kendo (White) skill had reached a staggering one hundred thousand points, making his morning's effort feel like a mere drop in the bucket.
He had planned to wait for her, but she never showed.
Just as he was preparing to log off for lunch, the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps echoed from the dojo's entrance.
The once-noisy Kendo Club fell instantly silent.
Every head turned, every gaze subconsciously locking onto the figure standing in the doorway.
It was Raiden Mei. Water droplets slid down her dark hair, clung to the corners of her uniform, and dripped from her skin onto the polished wooden floor.
She could feel the weight of their stares. The once proud, aloof thunder queen—at this moment, she couldn't bring herself to lift her head. She couldn't meet the eyes of her fellow club members.
Because just this morning, she had witnessed firsthand how laughable the concept of 'friendship'truly was. She had seen the true faces of those she once called'friends.'
And so, she didn't dare to look up.
She was afraid of seeing disgust in their eyes. She was terrified of meeting the gaze of the one person who, just yesterday, had told her he trusted her.
Who had offered to be her friend.
Friend...
What a laughable word.
Those people had all been her 'friends,' but they... they had all become accomplices in her torment.
She could still hear their jeers, see their ugly, sneering faces. The sarcasm, the ridicule, the venomous words... she had heard it all.
Raiden Mei stood rooted to the spot, her body frozen. If one looked closely, they could see her arms were trembling.
"President, you should dry yourself off."
A clean, white towel suddenly appeared in her field of vision.
It was like a single beam of light piercing through an oppressive darkness, manifesting right before her eyes.
Slowly, she lifted her head, her gaze meeting that of the young man before her.
There wasn't a hint of disdain or disgust in his eyes. His expression was calm, his gaze as clear as still water, reflecting her own drenched and disheveled face.
In that single, quiet moment, Raiden Mei felt as though her battered heart had finally found a place to rest.
[Obtained Title (Unique) (Epic): Redemption in the Darkness]
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