The Principal's Office, Chiba Academy.
"Raiden Mei-san, in light of your actions today, the school has decided to issue you a summary expulsion."
"Henceforth, any disputes between you and the other parents are your own personal matter."
"They have nothing to do with this academy."
The middle-aged man in the sharp business suit delivered his verdict with a tone of severe, self-righteous authority. He played the role of the ugly, petty bureaucrat to perfection.
At this moment, Ling Ke—or rather, Raiden Mei—was no longer in that classroom. Not long ago, when a faculty member had rushed to the scene and witnessed the chaos, their first instinct had been to berate the most conspicuous person in the room: the purple-haired girl. They called her cold-blooded; they accused her of brutalizing her classmates.
The result?
Well, if a delinquent girl is already "brutalizing" students, it's only natural for her to follow the example of a certain marine biologist and flatten the teacher, too.
In short, the Chiba Academy infirmary had gained another temporary resident today.
And now...
"Mr. Newly-Appointed Principal, I've just thought of something very interesting."
Inside the office, Raiden Mei didn't stand before the desk with her head bowed like a frightened schoolgirl. Instead, she sat leisurely on the sofa in the guest area, legs crossed with an air of complete composure.
"If I recall correctly, ever since I enrolled, Chiba Academy hasn't exactly been short on investments and donations from ME Corp."
She tilted her head to look at the balding man, dropping a cryptic question: "Tell me, newcomer... how exactly did you land this job as principal?"
"..."
The weight behind those words was immense. The principal, whom Mei had specifically labeled as newly appointed, understood the subtext perfectly.
He looked at her, his expression tightening. "What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing much." Raiden Mei's eyes flickered with mockery. "Expelling me... that's reasonable enough under the circumstances. But shouldn't those who participated in the bullying face the same punishment?"
"They..."
"Think very carefully before you speak, little pawn."
Her voice turned ice-cold. Before the principal could utter a word, she continued, "They say when the gods fight, it's the mortals who suffer. But the game between the big players isn't over yet."
"Do you really think whoever pushed you into this seat is going to have the last laugh?"
"Or do you think that if that person truly wins everything, they'll be kind enough to protect a tool like you who no longer has any utility?"
"Tell me... do you think my father is truly finished, never to rise again? Or is this all just a temporary setback before everything returns to the status quo?"
At this point, she stood up, her words dripping with implication. "In fact, why don't you guess how long it will take for my father to walk out of that prison?"
"And when he does, and he learns what you've all done to me recently... what kind of actions do you think he'll take?"
She was now standing right in front of his desk. She didn't look submissive; she looked down at the middle-aged man, who was now beginning to sweat, with pure contempt.
"Even a primary schooler knows basic biology. A dog is not a warhorse; it's meant to guard the gate, not lead the charge. You should have a little more self-awareness."
Leaving those meaningful words behind, she didn't stay a moment longer. She ignored the principal's pale, sweat-streaked face and walked straight out of the room.
In the hallway...
"Mr. Ling Ke, you..."
Raiden Mei, who had been watching—or rather, experiencing—the entire exchange, finally spoke up via their mental link. "Do you... do you know something?"
She was still young and relatively sheltered, but she wasn't blind. She had noticed the cracks in the facade.
"You can assume I have an ability similar to precognition," Ling Ke replied. "That's why, even though I'm from outside this world, I can quickly grasp the details of your situation."
Truthfully, he was satisfied that Mei wasn't acting like a brainless, overly sentimental saint who blamed him for being too harsh.
He explained patiently, "As far as I know, your father, Raiden Ryoma, was arrested solely because of a plot by one of his political rivals. Your father is a member of the conservative faction within a certain international organization; he will be fine."
"You don't need to worry about his safety—and frankly, you're in no position to. But his rival orchestrated this to pull him away from you, ensuring he'd be too busy to look after your affairs. Everything you've suffered recently is just a cog in their machine."
He kept it brief. "My little performance at school today was a test to confirm my suspicions. It's clear that the people targeting you lately—the students, the teachers, even that principal—are all connected to your father's rival."
"People at that level are easy to manipulate. Some of them are so foolish they don't even need a reward; they were already rotting with jealousy over everything you have. A few whispered provocations were all it took."
Mei listened, trying to process it all. "Then... what should I do now?"
She understood her situation now, but she had no idea how to break the deadlock.
Ling Ke knew better than to dump too much information on her at once. It would be counterproductive to reveal every plot twist just to satisfy his own ego as a spoiler-bringer. Imagine a sheltered heiress suddenly learning her world is a death trap, she's a walking natural disaster, and worst of all, she might just be a character in a game. She'd have a mental breakdown before she could even think of a solution.
Maybe the battle-hardened Raiden Mei of the future could handle that, but the current Mei wasn't there yet.
He decided to take it slow. Let her think, let her prepare.
"There's no point in going back to school," Ling Ke said bluntly. "Originally, I was going to let you stay at Chiba Academy for a while longer. In the future I saw, without my interference, you would have met a girl there who would become your greatest support."
"But now that my arrival has caused a massive butterfly effect..."
Given that the Herrscher of Thunder had already awakened early, following the script was useless.
"I think you should take the initiative to find her yourself," Ling Ke said, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "And besides..."
"If the opportunity arises, let's just flip the table entirely."