Despite the small interruption, Evan still didn't waste much time. By the time he reached Senba Academy, the last rays of the setting sun were still glowing, so it wasn't truly evening yet. If this were a date, Evan would be the excellent gentleman who arrived at the meeting spot a little early.
Surprisingly, however, he found that Raiden Mei was already there, having arrived even earlier than him. She was sitting on the same bench as yesterday, though she was dressed a bit differently. Compared to the day before, she now wore a thick jacket, as if she was prepared for a long chat with him.
"Have you been waiting long?"
Evan's question made Mei turn her head. She seemed to have been daydreaming and hadn't noticed his approach as she did yesterday. When she saw him, a gentle smile blossomed on her face.
"Not too long. It's the weekend, so I have more free time. I often sit here anyway."
"Sitting here, spacing out, and letting time slip by? Sounds quite poetic. By the way, have you finished your homework?"
Evan's playful jab at her studies earned him a look of protest from Mei.
"I finish all my weekend homework every Friday."
"That diligent?"
"...Not really. It's because I don't go out with classmates on the weekends like the other girls, so I have a lot of free time."
As she spoke, a fleeting shadow of sadness crossed Mei's face, but she quickly hid it. The relaxing smile returned as she looked at Evan.
"What about you? Besides being a student, you're also an intern at ME Corp, aren't you? Doesn't it get tiring running around like this?"
It seemed Mei knew he had to go to his internship again today. Evan was slightly taken aback but quickly replied.
"I'm planning to find a chance to quit soon. Since the internship just started, I can let someone else from my school have the opportunity."
"Huh?! Why?"
A look of genuine surprise appeared on Mei's face. Although ME Corp had downsized after its reputation took a hit, it was still one of the best places to work in all of Nagazora. Why would Evan want to quit? Had he been given a hard time by someone at the company?
In the past, Mei could have used her status as the young lady of ME Corp to solve his work problems. But now, she couldn't do much more than listen. She was prepared to hear him out, but his answer was unexpected.
"Because it's boring," he said. "For the past two days, they've just had me organizing files. Sounds meaningful, right? But I took a closer look and realized all the files are basically the same. Either ME Corp is deliberately giving interns busywork to kill time, or the company has no new projects and is just coasting on its past achievements. Either way, it's incredibly demotivating. Plus, I asked today, and a promotion isn't even possible until after I graduate, three years from now. At that rate, I could work there for ten years and still be organizing files. If that's the case, I think I'd die. Of boredom."
Evan's words were a mix of truth and exaggeration. Hearing his rant, Mei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She opened her mouth but didn't know how to comfort him, so she just asked.
"Then—what do you find interesting?"
"Interesting? Chatting with you right now is very interesting."
Was that a confession?
Looking at Evan's perfectly natural expression, Mei figured it probably wasn't, but a blush had already crept onto her fair cheeks.
"Should I... say thank you?"
"Haha, just kidding. There's still plenty of time in the future, and who knows what will happen. I'm just a high school student right now; there's no need to spend my entire weekend on an internship. Maybe one day I'll be able to prove my worth in a way other than organizing files, and ME Corp will be begging me to join them in a key position. Or maybe one day, that branch office building will be hit by some natural disaster and disappear into the dust of history."
Mei felt the chances of either of those scenarios coming true were very low, but with her gentle personality, she couldn't bring herself to contradict him. Besides, she had a little selfish fantasy of her own: if Evan quit his internship, did that mean he would have more time to talk with her on the weekends?
While Mei was lost in her thoughts, Evan spoke again.
"Speaking of which, what about you? Do you have any hobbies?"
Friendship points could only be obtained by interacting with Valkyries or those destined to become Valkyries. To maximize his gains, Evan couldn't just visit Mei on the weekends. Seeing how lonely she seemed, he figured she wouldn't be opposed to it. Besides—
"Hobbies? Hmm... I learned a sword style called Hokushin Itto-ryu when I was a child, so I'm interested in kendo. I still practice often. Thankfully, once you reach a certain level, kendo doesn't necessarily require a partner."
Mei's somewhat lonely words made Evan's eyes light up. While simply cultivating a relationship with Mei was already a pleasant affair, if he could also improve his own strength, that would be even better.
"Actually, I'm also very interested in kendo. Of course, I'm not trying to learn your Hokushin Itto-ryu without permission. It's just that, if you ever need a sparring partner, would I—someone who knows nothing about kendo but is pretty good at taking a hit—be up to the task?"
"It's not that big of a deal. Someone dressed as a HOMU taught me Hokushin Itto-ryu when I was a kid. I still don't know who it was, and they never told me to keep the style a secret. If you want to learn, I can teach you."
"Then thank you, Teacher Raiden Mei."
"Heehee, there's no need to be so formal. You can... just call me Mei."