December, 2006. Approaching the New Year.
This year, Shiraha had made initial contact with the Elysian Realm. He could now watch the stars at night with Elysia-nee.
As for Mei... let's not talk about Mei just yet.
Encouraged by his daughter, Siegfried decided to be a real man for once, to be true to himself.
Upon learning of this, Theresa chose to support him.
Schicksal's last two publicly known S-rank Valkyries had both developed thoughts of defection.
This Schicksal, might as well abandon it!
This sentiment was shared by many. Six years ago, at the end of the Second Eruption, Fu Hua had witnessed Otto's final actions. Without a word to anyone, she'd left Schicksal alone. She still hadn't returned.
She wanted to wander the world. She hoped to find someone in this era more reliable than Otto.
December. Approaching winter break.
The Far East followed a unique academic calendar, three breaks each year. A forty-day summer vacation, a two-week winter break, and about ten days for spring break.
Shiraha had recently noticed something strange about Mei-nee's mood. She was working harder than ever before. She'd even stopped playing the game she'd been obsessing over after school. She'd started training with the sword instead.
The legacy of Hokushin Ittō-ryū was slowly revealing itself through her. Her swings were fluid and sharp, even fierce.
"Mei-nee... maybe take a break?"
Shiraha spoke cautiously from inside the clubroom. He sat in a corner chair, helmet in hand, but hadn't put it on.
Raven covered her ears. "Miss President, if you're not confident about next year's martial arts tournament, you could just cancel the elementary and middle school divisions."
She just wanted a quiet nap. But her last sanctuary had been turned into Mei's training ground. Each sharp kiai from the girl made sleep impossible.
Shiraha chimed in comfortingly. "It's fine, Mei-nee. A true leader doesn't have to be stronger than everyone. She just has to know how to use people well."
"No!" Mei answered fiercely, her wooden sword cleaving down hard. "I... at next year's tournament, as the representative of Hokushin Ittō-ryū, I absolutely won't lose!"
She hadn't slept a wink yesterday. Her mind was full of that red mixed with gray. But Shiraha needed her. And she needed strength, enough to at least stand before that fierce ghost, so Shiraha wouldn't be restrained the moment he came home.
Dr. Tesla was right. She was the only one who could save Shiraha.
At this thought, Mei patted her chest and put on a show of ease. "Shiraha, you just keep playing your game. I've got the club."
Besides, Shiraha can't be allowed to keep improving. What if he gets stronger... and that fierce ghost gets stronger right along with him?
Wouldn't my little head still go "bang" just the same?
Shiraha opened his mouth, then closed it. 'The main issue is: there's a child swinging a sword less than three meters away from me. It's not great for my sense of security.'
He looked across at the Raven.
Raven was silent for a long moment. Then she shifted seats, moving over to Shiraha's side, further from Mei, where the whistle of the blade wouldn't be right next to her ear.
"It's fine. Keep playing. I'll keep an eye on Mei for you."
Raven flopped back down onto the desk, her voice light. Mei didn't hear.
Shiraha hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided not to engage the Raven with a mature mindset. After all, she could enter the Realm at any time. He still needed to maintain his image to some degree.
"Go on, go on. Just don't get fooled by any bad girls in the Realm, little one."
Elysia sat on the table, naturally taking Shiraha's hand and slowly lacing her fingers through his. Her fingertips were a little cool.
She gave one last blink, her voice carrying a teasing lilt. "Definitely be careful around those bad women, alright?"
Mm. Shiraha nodded. 'I'll be careful around Elysia of the Realm. And Mobius.'
He lifted his face one last time with a bright, clean smile. "Teacher, I'll do my best."
Elysia: ....
Teacher? What kind of title is that? Is that his established persona inside the Realm? She glanced at Natasha. Right, there was still someone from World Serpent here. He really did need to be mindful in front of outsiders.
The game loaded once more. The Signet of Infinity assimilated his thoughts, and the virtual data body slowly projected into the Elysian Realm.
The assimilation wasn't complete yet. Staring at the Signet of Infinity before him, Shiraha suddenly hit on a very direct question, this signet in the Realm corresponded to someone, didn't it? To Mobius?
The answer was obvious.
"Onii-chan~ You came back."
Still that familiar child's voice. Mobius rested her cheek on one hand, leaning sideways on her flier, her slit pupils half-lidded as she watched him with great patience.
Shiraha said nothing. He waited quietly for the assimilation to finish, waited for that familiar sense of weightlessness to vanish entirely before he looked around.
Not the main hall. Not even any of the places Eden-nee had shown him yesterday. This was a brightly lit laboratory.
"I didn't expect the Doctor to be the one welcoming me again♪."
Shiraha replied lightly, his tone carrying just the right trace of pleasant surprise.
Mobius stayed quiet. Her beautiful, heterodox eyes brimmed with vivid interest.
"Onii-chan—" She drew the word out. "You fit every fantasy I ever had about what Elysia was like as a child."
Precocious. Impish. Adorable. No sense of boundaries.
But Elysia-nee's childhood had been neither precocious nor impish.
Shiraha chose not to answer that. Mobius, too, had no sense of boundaries, she reached out and pinched his cheek, her fingertips kneading the soft flesh, then gave it a light twist.
She laughed. "A pity. Elysia told you so much about the Realm, but she probably never guessed that the authority to let you come here right now, was provided by me."
Shiraha's expression didn't change. He was about to speak, but Mobius simply pointed toward the corner. Shiraha followed her gesture, surveillance.
A tiny lens embedded in the decorative molding of the ceiling. Almost impossible to spot without close inspection.
He blinked. "Is there one in the main hall too?"
Mobius tilted her small head slightly. "Why don't you guess, onii-chan?"
Shiraha immediately deflated, his whole body projecting a kind of helplessness, his shoulders even sagging a little.
Yeah. In a place like the Realm, probably 95% of it was covered by surveillance.
And with Klein and Grey Serpent both being Mobius's people, if Mobius couldn't get access to the surveillance, that really would be unlikely. She practically had connections everywhere, this Mobius!
"Long time no see, Dr. Mobius... Teacher asked me to send you her regards."
His cheek was starting to hurt from the pinching. Shiraha stepped back two paces, freed himself, and rubbed at his face.
"Starting with the sentimentality card now, onii-chan?"
Mobius's voice was still crisp and childlike, though right now she really did look the part.
"Not at all. Teacher really did say that."
"And you think I'll believe you?"
"Teacher said you would believe it."
Mobius: ....
After a brief silence, Mobius tapped her fingertips twice against the armrest of her flier. "Did she have any instructions for you?"
Shiraha answered seriously. "Teacher wants to save the world."
Mobius let out an instant scoff.
But there was no point in mocking a child. She adjusted her expression. "So what is she now? A wraith? A vengeful ghost? How much longer can she exist? Is she about to die?"
Mobius was not Eden. She knew perfectly well that Elysia couldn't possibly be a quantum state, nor could she be a residual Authority.
The changes brought about by Origin's death, both Mobius and Mei had studied them.
Shiraha was quiet for a moment. "Probably in a better situation than the Doctor is currently in."
His smile was bright, his tone sincere.
Mobius's expression instantly turned dark and ominous. A cold serpentine shadow flickered faintly behind her, slit pupils freezing. She was hoping this child would show a little fear. But Shiraha's expression remained perfectly unchanged the whole time.
Who are you trying to scare?! I'm the World's Number One Killer!
It wasn't long before the laboratory door was knocked upon. Eden had arrived, by this hour, the child was long out of school.
"I thought as much." Mobius had lost all interest. "Elysia should have been this strong-willed back when she was a child too."
"You came here a little too early. Focus on taking care of your own body first."
Save the world... The moment Mobius thought about the person chosen to save the world being handpicked by Elysia, she inexplicably wanted to laugh.
Can't let that sentimental fairy lady corrupt the child.
Sigh. This Elysia really knows how to be a burden, can't even let people rest in peace after she's dead.