During afternoon classes, Elysia's expression remained wistful, drifting and distant.
She'd discovered something. Shiraha was a lot like her. Or rather, he was slowly turning into the person she used to be.
Just as fickle. Just as confident and optimistic. And just as good-looking.
Leaning against the wall beside her, Shiraha spoke softly. "I think there's one thing Nee-chan said that's absolutely right."
He paused, making sure Nee-chan was listening before he continued. "You've got to start raising them early."
Elysia: ....
Shiraha smiled until his eyes curved into crescents, bright and open, without a trace of guile. But Elysia, who'd always played along and joked right back, puffed out her cheeks this time. Her voice was serious. "Children can't date too young."
She paused, then kept going. "I was just joking before. Don't you realize how young you are right now? Early romance messes up your future so much! You're the 41-Knife!"
Elysia spoke with utter self-assurance. From the look on her face, she genuinely seemed to believe she'd meant it that way from the start.
Shiraha pressed his lips together in a smile. Elysia tried to keep her expression stern, but the boy's smile was so pure and innocent that after holding out for a bit, she ended up laughing along with him.
Soon enough, Shiraha was the first to shake his head. "Just joking. I'm not interested in those little brats."
Elysia blinked. But you're a little brat right now too.
"Nee-chan, do you still remember our bet?"
"What bet... oh."
Elysia seemed to recall. That childish talk about saviors and chosen ones.
Remembering it made her fall quiet. She'd originally thought Shiraha was hiding some scheme, turns out he'd just been nursing a grudge about what happened that morning?
Which made sense. If one day she'd approached someone with genuine goodwill, only for that person to flee in terror, she'd probably keep it tucked in her heart a little, too.
"The bet's not settled yet. If Nee-chan wants to back out now, there's still time."
Elysia lifted her chin with feigned pride. "What's there to back out of over one little bet? Not just one small request, even ten! I, Elysia, would not refuse!"
Besides, given Shiraha's personality, the daily requests he made were things she couldn't refuse anyway.
Having resolved one thing weighing on her mind, Elysia was all smiles again. She suddenly leaned in close, her starry eyes fixed unblinkingly on Shiraha.
"So... why is Shiraha only not interested in little brats?"
Was it because he retained his memories from a past life, so he still sneaked peeks at older girls?
Elysia's expression was teasing. She very much wanted to spot a trace of shyness on Shiraha's face. After all, this kid provided so many emotions so perfectly, except for embarrassment.
Shiraha was just about to admit it openly. What's wrong with liking older girls?!
But just then, the teacher at the podium rapped the blackboard. "Shiraha-kun. Please sit properly in your seat."
The staff were mostly fine with having a student with delusions in class. Ryoma Raiden was on the school board, after all. And Shiraha didn't disturb the others.
Shiraha: ....
After a quiet beat, Shiraha obediently nodded. Beside him, Elysia's starry eyes blinked and blinked, her whole frame shaking with suppressed laughter.
Mei shot a glance his way. Her inner resolve to become stronger grew even firmer.
Shiraha, the kid every adult agreed was well-behaved, the good kid who never forgot his friends no matter what he was doing, had actually gotten scolded in class! And it was all because of that fierce ghost friend.
After school.
Shiraha had thought today wouldn't hold anything else worth paying attention to. But on the way to the clubroom after classes, he ran into Yuna again.
The girl had her head tucked down, looking a little timid, a little lost.
"Shiraha-kun! Here's your money!"
A perfectly textbook bow. Yuna held out the loose change Shiraha had given her at noon with both hands.
Shiraha naturally accepted the money. Affection points already earned, time to reclaim the item. After all, to a kid, ten yen was genuinely a bit of an unexpected windfall.
He asked casually, "The teacher told you?"
Yuna nodded her head rapidly, her green eyes carrying a hint of relieved ease.
Just then, Mei finished saying goodbye to her friends and walked out of the classroom with composure. She clearly paused for a second when she spotted Yuna.
"...Are you here to join our club?"
Mei was used to this sort of thing by now.
After all, over the past stretch of time, quite a few people had come to join her club out of admiration, only to panic and quit the very next day.
Probably because her club required people to show up after school too, Mei guessed.
Hmph. People who can't even stick with something this small don't deserve to join a club full of hidden genuises anyway.
Yuna's thin frame, still mid-bow, froze. "C-Can I?"
She lifted her head, her green eyes holding a cautious, tentative hope. Could a marginalized outcast like her really join the young lady Raiden's club?
So the kindness at noon hadn't been charity after all?
Mei gave a soft huff. "Of course you can. But once you've joined the Hokushin Ittō-ryū Youth Training Camp, you'd better be ready to endure some hardship."
Yuna understood instantly. "I'll run errands and buy things for you every day!"
If it was just running small errands like that, she felt she could absolutely handle it.
Mei: ....
Shiraha: ....
Elysia: ....
"Shiraha~ the school atmosphere in your Far East really is terrible."
"No 'your.' I wasn't from the Far East in my past life either. I'm Shenzhouan."
Elysia let out a soft "Oh."
"I heard that in Shenzhou, you all..."
She didn't finish. She was clearly recalling Previous Era Shenzhou education now.
She'd heard that over there, if schools tried to implement a two-day weekend policy, some parents would threaten to jump off buildings in protest, despite the two-day weekend being proposed in the first place because too many students were jumping off buildings.
Elysia covered her eyes, her expression pained. "I feel like every last beautiful impression I ever had of school has been completely shattered. Not a speck left."
Beside them, Mei had gathered herself. She put on a serious expression, carrying a bit of a big-sister authority. "Members of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū Youth Training Camp are not allowed to grovel or ingratiate themselves to others."
"The 'hardship' I'm talking about is to make you all better. Not so-called 'errands' and bullying."
Mei emphasized this repeatedly.
But Yuna just nodded her little head obediently.
If it weren't for that campus ranking, ''Clubs You Absolutely Won't Last a Second Day In'', Yuna probably would've believed Mei.
But after being isolated for so long, she figured her resilience had been built up enough. As long as she could stay in this club, she wouldn't be invisible anymore. If it was just a little tiring, she could accept that.
"Let's go, Mei-nee. And... Yuna. The elementary division doesn't allow students to stay at school too long after classes."
Strictly speaking, the elementary division barely had any clubs to begin with. But Mei had the authority!
The school board member's daughter didn't cause trouble, didn't bully classmates, didn't form cliques, and respected the teachers. What was wrong with her starting one little club?!
Yuna followed behind like a little shadow, her footsteps very light.
The clubroom wasn't small. An activity room's size generally corresponded to a club's scale, but Uncle Ryoma had invested. So this room was clearly far too large to be an activity room for only three members.
She was rocking back and forth on her chair, leisurely flipping through a book with a gaudy, colorful cover, maybe extracurricular reading, maybe a light novel.
Both legs were crossed and propped on the edge of the table, curling and stretching in a lazy rhythm. Her hood still covered half her face, her whole body radiating a languid "don't mess with me" aura.
Sigh. Delinquent.
"Oh. A newbie." Raven lifted her eyelids for a glance, her gaze pausing on Yuna for a split second. "...The girl from noon, huh."
Raven stretched lazily. 'Well then, looks like Grey Serpent's got more work tonight.'