"Mei~"
"Wakey wakey~"
"If you don't wake up, I'm going to do something weird to you~"
Mei's eyes instantly burst open.
"Don't!"
Her breaths were long and heavy, panic clear in her eyes.
My sharpie that I was holding up was slowly put behind my back as I saw the accusatory look from her.
"Whoopsie?"
"You're such an idiot, Gojo." Kiana accused from the back. She hurriedly rushed over to the bed Mei was laying on. "You're finally awake, Mei? How are you feeling?"
Seeing that, I backed off, but I snorted softly
"Hmph. As if you can speak."
That set Kiana off however as our eyes crossed, lightning crackling between them. Bronya, who was at the door with a bowl of soup in her hands at the moment, sighed.
"Ignore them, sister Mei. Gojo and Idiotka have used up their brain usage quota for the week." She placed the bowl on the table beside Mei's bed. Before she could say anything else however, she was interrupted.
"You should've drawn a turtle on Bronya instead! Why are you doing it to Mei?!"
"I wanted to draw a dragon!"
"Idiotka. Gojo. Sister Mei can hear everything." She said in an emotionless voice.
The both of us froze.
Kiana's expression at this moment was particularly guilty.
"Err… I was thinking about doing it to Bratnya?"
"Wait, I haven't heard that nickname before."
"Hehe. I came up with it! Isn't it great?"
Bronya sighed for the second time today. "Those two are helpless." She turned attention back to Mei. "Do you need anything? Does anything hurt or feel strange?"
Mei opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a dry rasp. "C-can… water?"
Hearing this, the gray haired girl gave us a look.
I patted Kiana on the shoulder, asking for her to go with a look in her eyes.
She gave a curt nod, and then exited the room.
A moment later, she returned with the water. I held onto the glass, only to deadpan at Kiana.
"Cold water?"
"Is… that bad?"
"Sick people need to drink warm water, Kiana…"
"Oh yea… sorry…"
She immediately ran out to change, but I could not help but note that Kiana seemed a bit rattled at the situation herself.
She wouldn't usually make a mistake like this.
Mei's hands were slightly shaky as she grasped the glass of water, this time warm, that Kiana brought back. Bronya and I helped support her hold just in case to stop her from dropping it.
After drinking, Mei's pale face became slightly more rosy.
Despite that, the light in her eyes was not particularly bright.
If I had to guess, it would be similar to if your entire worldview crashed around you.
"So Mei…" I started, breaking the silence. "Do you… remember anything?"
She didn't answer in words.
It took some time for her reply to come, but in the end, it was a physical one.
She merely did a physical nod.
"Alright then." My voice softened. "Can you tell us what happened before Kiana and I arrived then?"
Another period of silence.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something a few times. But she closed them again.
It was clear to me that she was trying to gather her thoughts.
This gathering was successful at some point when she said, "They… tried to stop me from getting out of class…"
Oh?
"Then, they told me that my father was a criminal…"
Alright.
That matches up with what the other Mei said.
"I wanted to ignore them but… but…"
Mei's breathing hitched.
I didn't rush her. I gave her the time to process her emotions.
"They… said that it was an open secret? Everyone knows about it?"
"I… didn't know what to say… and then I think I just…"
"Snapped."
She looked at me with eyes wide open. Her hands grasped my arm as she asked pleadingly.
"Gojo. Tell me that's not true."
"Did I hurt people?"
"Is my father really… a criminal?"
"If that's the case…"
"Am I…"
"A criminal too?"
"Mei! They've gotta be lying! How would a bunch a randos at school know anything?!" Kiana hurriedly made to comfort her.
The purple haired girl's face brightened a bit at this.
Still, her eyes remained on me, hope very clearly building up in her eyes.
At the same time, I could feel Kiana and Bronya's gazes at my back.
In fact, Bronya even lightly tapped me.
I could tell that was her method of asking.
'Do you want me to tell her for you? You don't need to do more…''
And for a second, the temptation was there.
Just let someone else handle it.
You've already done enough haven't you?
You've done the physical battles, why not let the others do something for you.
Let someone else take on the pain, the suffering of having to tell the truth.
But…
But…
My gaze hardened.
"Mei. I'm sorry."
"They weren't lying."
That's how losers think!
"Gojo! What do you me-"
"Kiana…" Bronya interrupted. "Not now."
The white haired girl trembled uncomfortably, but in the end, she kept her mouth shut.
At once, any hope that Mei may have built up before that came crumbling down like a pile of Legos.
She looked down, letting her bangs cover her eyes as she laughed bitterly.
"So… it's really true…"
"My father really did do all of those things…"
"I hurt all those people too… for telling the truth…"
"I… I…"
"Mei."
I brought her attention back to me immediately.
"Stop thinking that. You aren't a criminal."
"But I hurt all those people! All they said was the truth!"
"The truth." I repeated. "But do you know why they were saying that at this time, while none of us were there?"
When she heard this, a switch seemed to turn in her brain.
"Y-yeah. Why did they do that?"
"They were purposefully trying to hurt you." I held her hand. "To try and bring you down while we weren't there…"
"To make you fully turn into a Herrscher."
"That's right!" Kiana suddenly shouted out in realisation. "Those guys said that they were paid to get us to stop being friends with you!"
"And that lies at the crux of the issue right?" I raised a finger. "This was a calculated psychological effort to try and make you snap."
"But still… I hurt those guys-"
I placed a hand on her shoulder.
"That wasn't your fault."
"Yeah! If we're going to blame anyone, let's just blame Cocolia! She's always behind these things!"
I laughed softly. "She's right y'know? You don't need to blame yourself for anything."
"The Bronya thinks that sister Mei didn't do anything wrong." Bronya came over to hold her hand.
"At most, you just defended yourself!" Kiana jumped on the bed to give Mei a hug at this time.
As for Mei?
She teared up.
"Y- you guys…"
"I…"
Her cry turned to a smile.
"I'm so happy I met you guys…"
—------------------
Omake:
A few hours later
"Oh yeah. By the way Mei…"
"What is it?"
"We are going to have a talk about all those physics books you have been reading…"
Hearing that, Mei's face went blank before a tiny blush appeared on her face..
"Err oops?"
(A/N: How was the chapter? Do comment and give powerstones if you liked it!
If possible, please give a review guys! I appreciate and love reading reviews for my story!)