Honkai Impact 3rd, But I'm Ren Amamiya!

Realizing Ren Amamiya didn’t recognize her, Raiden Mei’s tense shoulders immediately relaxed. She let out a long sigh, feeling a sense of relief she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

It was true; while "Raiden Mei" had a strong presence at Chiba Academy, students preferred calling her by the rather chuuni nickname, "Lightning Queen." If someone was in a different grade, it wasn’t entirely impossible for them to know the nickname "Lightning Queen" but not the name "Raiden Mei" or recognize her face.

"I... My name is Mei. Hokushin Mei."

Raiden Mei bit her pink lip. Her pale, slender hand trembled slightly as she reached out, firmly grasping the hand Ren offered. She flashed a bright, unclouded smile at him. Apart from Kiana, it had been so long since Mei remembered the pleasant, enjoyable experience of interacting with someone who harbored genuine goodwill towards her.

The name "Raiden Mei" was simply too well-known at Chiba Academy.

Instinctively wanting to prevent Ren’s attitude towards her from changing, Mei chose to hide her real name. The lead bully had already revealed her first name, Mei, before leaving, so only the surname remained to be concealed.

Hokushin was an old ancestral name; the Hokushin Itto-ryu she practiced was the powerful sword style passed down through the Raiden family line. Thus, needing an alias, Mei instinctively used the surname Hokushin.

’It’s not really a fake name, is it...?’ she thought internally. ’After all, Hokushin is an old Raiden family name. Calling myself Hokushin Mei isn’t technically wrong...’

Realizing she had resorted to such a deceitful act—giving a false name—just to talk to this junior, Mei’s face flushed crimson with shame. Her small toes curled inside her black leather shoes, the embarrassment so intense she felt like she could dig a three-bedroom apartment out of the floor.

Even knowing that giving a false name was a despicable act of deception, what shamed Mei even more was her complete lack of courage to clarify the truth to Ren right now.

The thought, the impulse, felt distant and unreal. She could only grit her teeth and continue the conversation as "Hokushin Mei," acting as if nothing were wrong.

"Hokushin Mei-senpai? That’s a very nice name... I heard that girl earlier say, Hokushin-senpai, that you’re the Kendo Club captain?"

Mei clearly didn’t want Ren asking about the bullying incident; she’d even tried to flee immediately. Ren, having just met her, wasn’t foolish enough to pry relentlessly right away. The bullying issue was clearly something to be addressed later, likely when her Confidant rank was higher and she opened up to him.

For now, Ren’s goal was simply to quickly close the distance between them and build a bond.

Recalling how the lead bully addressed Mei before leaving, Ren’s eyes practically lit up. To improve his combat effectiveness in Mementos, Ren needed to train diligently in the real world too.

Everything he did in reality could potentially boost his strength in Mementos, and learning swordsmanship was definitely one of those things.

Although Ren had awakened the power of his Persona, the Shadows in Mementos wouldn’t politely attack only Arsene while ignoring Ren himself. Besides his Persona’s power, Ren needed to strengthen his own physical capabilities. Since "Hokushin" Mei-senpai was the Kendo Club captain, the ideal scenario—leveling up her Confidant rank while learning swordsmanship—was entirely possible!

Double the efficiency meant double the fun. And adding Mei’s status as a Palace ruler into the mix? That was triple the fun!

"Mm... As of now, I’m still the Kendo Club captain. Though, I’m the only member left."

Mentioning her captaincy, Mei’s gaze, which had just begun to settle, started wavering again. Her voice dropped as she responded to Ren. The verbal attacks from her former clubmates hadn’t left her unaffected.

The approaching national tournament, the precarious state of the Chiba Academy Kendo Club, the malice directed at her by the student body—all these factors weighed heavily on her, creating immense psychological pressure. It even made her wonder if relinquishing the captaincy really was the best, most correct choice right now.

"Actually, I’ve been really interested in kendo lately. Would Hokushin-senpai be willing to teach me a bit?"

As the captain of the Chiba Academy Kendo Club, Mei’s skill level must be excellent, more than sufficient to teach him. Thus, Ren put forth his request to learn kendo from her.

"Eh?! You want to learn kendo from me?!"

Mei’s eyes widened in astonishment at Ren’s request.

Before her father’s incident, Mei had spent every day coaching the Kendo Club members, diligently helping them improve their skills. But the moment Raiden Ryoma’s financial crimes were exposed, those same students she had helped immediately distanced themselves, quitting the club one after another.

Now, faced with Ren’s similar request, Mei hesitated, remembering that painful experience.

"Amamiya-kun, why do you want to learn kendo?"

After her instinctive hesitation, Mei recalled how Ren had bravely stepped in to drive away her bullies. Her gaze firmed, and she asked gently, her tone even.

"Why? To protect myself, of course... I want to learn swordsmanship that’s actually useful for fighting, not just for show. Can Hokushin-senpai help me with that?"