"Isn't that judgment a little too hasty?"
Welt was somewhat unwilling to accept this reality. A six-year-old with schizophrenia... it was simply too absurd for him to wrap his head around.
He knew, of course, that Einstein herself had been a prodigy who taught herself calculus and linear algebra at age eight. Maybe people like that really did exist. But surely not a kid who wailed when he lost at video games.
Einstein put her noise-canceling headphones back on, her tone flat. "What does it matter? Anti-Entropy is big enough. As long as he's not an enemy, can't we accommodate one six-year-old child?"
She didn't continue the discussion. As long as it wasn't the Sugars returning to Earth or the Sky People sneaking in, she had nothing to fear.
She hadn't even been afraid of a grown adult wielding the power of the Herrscher of Reason with no memories. Why would she fear a six-year-old?
Welt adjusted his glasses. At some unspoken thought, the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile.
"Aren't you afraid they'll lock you up?"
Elysia spoke softly while her hands worked the controller. Though she behaved much like an ordinary person most of the time, splitting her attention wasn't difficult for her when she truly wanted to.
Shiraha shook his head slightly but didn't explain. This wasn't exactly the right environment.
On the large screen before them, Shiraha's character executed one final desperate boost and a sideways kick, crossing the finish line first.
"Long live Elysia-nee!"
Elysia sighed and flipped the controller in her grip, then caught the little brat as he threw himself at her.
Beside them, Mei took a deep breath. She looked at her own character, kicked sideways into third place because she hadn't reacted fast enough. Then at Shiraha, who seemed to be nestled in someone's arms. Finally, she looked down at her own controller.
She felt her timidity slowly being conquered.
"Wait, wasn't there an old guy who tapped my shoulder just now?"
After the brief celebration, Shiraha quickly looked around the living room.
Welt was nowhere to be seen. He glanced at Elysia, who nudged her chin toward the door. "He went out. No idea what for."
The answer came soon enough. Tesla leaned back on one hand, yawning. "Yang? Probably went to grab food."
"It's not like anyone cooks at home."
Technically, both Tesla and Einstein could make instant ramen and even cook proper meals but they always left the kitchen a disaster zone. Gradually... no one cooked at home anymore.
Yang cooked occasionally, but more often than not, he just went to the cafeteria to pick up food.
Shiraha understood immediately. "Then that old guy must be really smooth with words. That way the cafeteria lady gives him extra servings."
Tesla blinked, then remembered Shiraha's orphanage background. She burst out laughing, loud and unrestrained.
Mei, on the other hand, was still staring at Shiraha's fingers, curved as if holding onto something. Her violet eyes held a complicated mix of emotions.
"Playing the same game gets boring after a while. Alright, kiddos, let me show you something way more fun."
Tesla popped the game cartridge out directly, then rummaged through the nearby box until she found the King of Fighters collector's edition. With ceremonial flair, she swiped it lightly against her palm, then slotted it into the console.
But this time, only Shiraha stared at the screen with curiosity. Mei was still caught up in her earlier emotions, her controller resting untouched on her lap.
"Don't stare like that, little Mei. Someday you'll have a Stigmata friend of your own."
Maybe?
Anti-Entropy's research on Stigmata couldn't exactly be called deep. But with Shiraha as a shining precedent, if everyone worked hard to tame the volatility of Mei's Stigmata, perhaps she really could have a friend.
"A Stigmata friend?"
Shiraha let curiosity surface on his face at just the right moment.
Do I actually have a Stigmata on me?
He believed he definitely would in the future. He had more faith in the power of Origin than Elysia herself did.
"It's a friend who lives inside your Stigmata and keeps helping you."
Tesla touched the left side of Mei's waist, gently lifting the hem of her shirt just a little to reveal a small patch of fair skin. Purple lines traced across it, coalescing into a mysterious pattern.
Mei's eyes went wide. "Is there a fierce ghost friend living inside me too?"
Tesla struck a knowing pose. "Of course! My word is as good as gold!"
"Hey, Shiraha." She turned to him. "Where's the Stigmata on your body?"
Shiraha blinked. "I don't know."
Do I actually have a tattoo somewhere?
Elysia shook her head. Impossible, Shiraha was just a perfectly ordinary fake kid.
"Oh right, you probably wouldn't know. Let me check with the hospital examiners. Why isn't the report back yet, anyway?"
Like a child herself, Tesla was brimming with curiosity.
From the side, Einstein, still flipping through her book, spoke up at just the right moment. "Shiraha-kun doesn't have a Stigmata."
She tossed the examination report to Tesla. The papers fanned out midair, rustling all the way before landing precisely in Tesla's lap. Her noise-canceling headphones still hadn't come off.
Skipping past Mei's data, Tesla rapidly scanned Shiraha's key results. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
Shiraha and Mei belatedly covered their ears, their little faces scrunching up.
The game was still connected to the TV. The giant screen sat frozen on the character select screen, the background music playing hollowly into the room.
But Tesla had already flung her controller somewhere unknown. She circled Shiraha like he was some kind of rare specimen.
Shiraha asked, curious, "Could it be quantumization? I heard Elysia-nee mention that word."
Elysia sighed and stayed silent.
Tesla looked as if she'd just heard a joke. She shook her head. "That's even more impossible. There's probably no one in this world who understands so-called quantumization better than me and Einstein."
"There's no quantum fluctuation on you whatsoever. The examination didn't pick up any abnormalities either. Don't underestimate our achievements in the quantum field, Shiraha-kun!"
After all, their friend Schrödinger was, by now, probably long dead of old age in the Sea of Quanta. No, wait Schrödinger had also been affected by the power of the Abyss Flower. She might still be in the Sea of Quanta, just... starving.
"Shiraha-kun, this friend of yours... hmm."
Tesla couldn't come up with a plausible explanation on the spot. She looked toward Einstein, who sighed. "Schizophrenia in a psychokinetic. Or perhaps a delusional disorder."
Telling the child wouldn't hurt. Trying to treat him in secret was nearly impossible anyway.
Shiraha blinked again. He looked toward Elysia. Elysia sighed again. She'd known from the very beginning that she wasn't in a quantum state because she'd seen the real thing too.
But for the sake of messing with the kid, Elysia played along beautifully, putting on a show of... gradually fading away. Her figure flickered unsteadily, looking terribly frail.
"It's fine." Shiraha hurriedly tightened his grip on Elysia's fingers. His expression was earnest, his voice carrying the weight of a vow. "Even if she's just a friend I imagined, it doesn't matter. I don't care."
What kind of joke would that be? Shiraha couldn't care less what state Elysia was in. Whether science could explain her or not didn't matter to him either. Superpowers, those were what was real.
In the delicate atmosphere that followed, Mei spoke up quietly. "Then... can I still have my own fierce ghost partner?"
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