Ryuu didn't see Mei until he had started high school. Not long after his junior high school days had ended; he found himself moving apartments again. His father was keen to live closer to his office. No doubt to work longer hours without having to worry about long travels. Naturally, he was an expert in up and going by now. Only owning enough that would fit in an easy carry box and suitcase. Most of the furniture they had were leased, so he never got attached to household things.

He tried to hold on to his friends, who came to mean a lot to him. Mei was one person was determined to hold onto. Their messages on Line held only enough sentiment to be close friends. But from time to time he would drop hints of wanting more between them. And having his heart sink with sadness when those hints were never noticed.

He made sure he could be in the same high school as her. Although, his father was disappointed that he had turned down an offer for a prestigious academy to attend a mid-tier technical college. But Ryuu's power of persuasion was able to convince his father, and so he had a chance to live his days of youth with Mei. And if the gods were on his side, be her boyfriend throughout.

The start of his senior school year was well. He was able to reunite with some of his middle school friends and have some social normality within his class. Not a popular boy, but not one for bullying or ignoring either. So he didn't have any issues.

But his whole fantasy of being with Mei and having a loving relationship with him began to unravel, like someone slipping out a jenga piece from beneath the relationship tower, which they had built. The first pieces to slip away was finding himself in a different class to Mei for his first year.

"She's so pretty." Ryuu had said upon appreciating Mei's elegant figure in the school's black and white uniform with matching striped bow. Mei chose to wear her white socks up to her knees, accentuating the modesty of her slender legs. She was modest yet stunning to the point her class had declared her the Class Idol.

With his heart racing with determination, he wasn't going to give in. So he would visit her frequently during class breaks and integrated into her circle, who had no problems accepting him.

"You're so pretty, Ryuu-kun." One of Mei's friends fawned over him.

"Pretty? I'm a boy, you know." Ryuu frowned. He hated being called pretty, but he wasn't going to be mean to a girl for it.

"Your skin is so smooth and flawless, and those big brown eyes, like..." The girl stumbled for the right word.

"Rabbit!" Another of Mei's girly friends blurted, which had the girls giggling and Ryuu sighing with annoyance.

Regardless, he let them have their say about him. Only caring what Mei thought of him.

Where her friendship circle had no problems with him hanging around, her boy fan club saw him as a big threat. During the second half of his first year, he started receiving hidden threats and warning notes. Almost like middle school bully days were catching up to him. His indoor shoes were trashed, books ripped or stolen, and many notes telling him to stay away from Mei.

When he had bumped into Tough Boy and his gang who rung the details out of him, they gave him advice that would stop the bullying. "You have to man up and tell Mei-chan. Then face these shitheads head on. Come back to us when they've crapped their pants."

Naturally, this advice made Ryuu laugh and feel better about his situation. He decided to annoy the taunts until the time was right to face them.

It was during his school's Culture Festival when he got the chance to face his tormentors, it was a gang of boys some of his soft quality where they would hardly be considered delinquent material. But looks can be deceiving. They started doing a painful number on him, intent to destroy his face. At the moment of the killing blows, a man had shouted out to scare them away.

Ryuu was too beat up to see who was helping him to his feet, eventually carrying him in his arms. He was totally unconscious by then. When he came too, he was in a hospital ward with Mei crying over him and calling him stupid.

Eventually, his face and wounds healed as time passed into a new school year. Since he was so badly damaged, he had to spend the remainder of the year doing homeschooling, where his club and Mei's friends would visit with homework sheets.

Mei never saw him. Yet, she frequently messaged him. Oddly, Jun would leave meats at his door stop, with a rough note saying it's from Mei. He wouldn't do a meet and greet. Rather ring the doorbell and be gone before Ryuu could encounter him. Leaving the note, so he knew who did the good deed. So, he accepted the fact that she was protecting him by staying away. It made his heart yearn more for her.