After that brief exchange, Kiana stood up, brushed some non-existent dust off her clothes, and prepared to continue her search for part-time jobs nearby.
She still wanted to save money. Her current life had come too suddenly, she didn't have that solid, down-to-earth sense of security.
But this time, Shiraha grabbed her wrist: "Kiana, I have an important mission for you."
Kiana blinked.
"What mission?"
"Take this letter to the delinquent senior for me."
Shiraha pulled out a slip of paper, barely worthy of being called a letter, but folded neatly into a square. If opened, the recipient would definitely notice.
Kiana looked thoughtful. She glanced at Shiraha, then thought about the badass senior: "So you really do like big sisters."
Shiraha: ....
He didn't argue, he just handed over his pocket money for the day to Kiana.
Kiana immediately straightened up, puffed out her chest, and thumped it with her fist: "Kiana guarantees the mission will be completed!"
And with that, she dashed off in a flash. Her physical fitness was even better than Mei's, after all, she'd been fine-tuned through countless experiments.
Though her birth might have been an accident, her baseline stats were absolutely no lower than anyone else's.
Shiraha let out a long breath. Elysia was still leaning against the windowsill with one knee hugged, the other leg dangling lazily, toes swaying gently, her expression languid.
"Are you sure Rin hasn't gone to find Natasha all morning?"
"I trust the club's snacks can keep Rin occupied for a while..." Shiraha paused: "Also, I think Rin-nee is the type who isn't particularly diligent."
If Rin wanted to, she should have already gotten a full grasp of everything in the Far East by now, well, maybe that was an exaggeration, since the range of Rin's erosion abilities didn't seem to be that exaggerated. But still, it had been long enough. She shouldn't have had to ask about Raven this morning. She should have already known.
But since she did ask, that meant Rin had actually been sleeping last night.
Sigh. Lazy dog. Useless big fox.
Elysia said softly: "Still relying on gambling?"
Shiraha was quiet for a moment, then patted his cheeks. A bright smile returned to his face: "Wait till I grow up."
"Three years. Just three years, and your little friend has already come this far. By the time he's fifteen or sixteen, whether it's Rin or any other Herrscher, they'll all have to behave."
Elysia hopped down from the windowsill, uncharacteristically not whining: "Let's go. To the club."
It was still because her own strength was too weak, she couldn't even stay dominant from start to finish. Otherwise, why would her little friend have to keep getting pushed around by other bad women?
On the other side, the club.
Mei looked at the lazy miko, and the trash can beside her that was completely full, and her lips twitched.
Rin had eaten through half the snack cabinet in one morning.
"Where's Shiraha?" Rin asked.
"How would I know."
Mei answered curtly in return.
She then sat back down in her own seat.
Yuna blinked, glancing at Rin, looks like no training today. But Mei's in a terrible mood.
Mei thought for a long time, and finally pinpointed who the problem was, Natasha Cioara.
That brain-fried relative of hers.
Rin didn't mind either, if anything, little Mei's sulky, pouty mood actually put her in a pretty good mood.
Shiraha wasn't too late. He pushed the door open, scanned the room, and felt a bit relieved.
"Mei-nee~ Why didn't you wait for me today?"
Mei crossed her arms: "Even if I didn't bring you along, you'd still come to the club at noon anyway."
After all, that bad woman was in the club.
Shiraha's tone was helpless: "Yes, yes, because Mei-nee is in the club."
He sat back in his seat without pulling out a game.
Rin propped her chin on her hand, watching the two of them with narrowed eyes.
She didn't really like Mei, Mei looked too much like MEI. Since Shiraha claimed to be Sakura's new little brother, then as his older sister, she should have a say in his love life.
"Why aren't you playing games today?"
Shiraha answered without hesitation: "Because Mei-nee seems a little unhappy."
Mei's expression still showed displeasure, but it softened just a fraction.
Before long, Raven pushed the door open and walked in, her expression natural: "What's your deal? Why do I have to help you cover with lies for this kind of thing?"
Mei's eyes went wide, what does that mean?
Rin was also taken aback, so this "delinquent senior" and Shiraha really are just good friends?
"Sorry, senpai. You know, you're the only adult I can truly trust on my side."
"What about Himeko?"
"She's closer to Teacher Tesla and the others."
Raven let out a light snort, baring her fang. Though a bit dissatisfied, she still nodded and sat back down. On her way to her seat, she glanced briefly at Rin, then back at Shiraha.
Shiraha quickly picked up the cue: "Please, senpai. I'll explain everything to you later."
Only then did Raven let it go, lounging back to read her novel.
Mei stood in front of Shiraha: "Shiraha!"
The age gap between a 12-year-old and a 9-year-old was especially obvious in height, even standing flat on the floor, she could still look down at him.
"Mei-nee~"
"Who is she?" Mei pointed at Rin, her voice crisp: "Bringing some strange girl home out of nowhere, what if there's danger?"
Mm-hmm, that's right, she was the guardian of the Raiden household.
"Rin-nee's... situation is a bit complicated." Shiraha's voice dropped: "She has nowhere to go. I'm the only one she can trust."
Rin squinted. This girl, who looks so much like Dr. MEI, seems pretty assertive.
Mei took a deep breath: "You should have told me in advance!"
"Would I choose not to help you if I knew the inside story? Shiraha, this is what I don't like about you, you actually think I'm that unkind. So why get close to me at all?"
Shiraha made a small whimpering sound. Mei-nee, please don't say that. It's already enough trouble having Kiana around, if I add you to the mix, I'm afraid I won't be able to keep things under control.
"I won't keep things from you anymore, Mei-nee, I promise!"
Mei stared at Shiraha, then glanced over at Rin, who had a blank expression, and finally reached out: "Does Kiana know the inside story?"
Shiraha quickly shook his head: "No."
That made Mei's lips curl up just a little: "Fine, I'll let it slide this time. But from now on, you can't hide anything from me."
"I'll help you two this time but this miko lady has to show some appreciation, right?"
She turned to Rin. Rin tilted her head, still trying to figure out Mei's logic.
"You can't just keep freeloading at my house forever, can you?"
Rin was quiet for a moment, her pupils shifting back to pale purple.
Yae Sakura sighed, looking at the kid in front of her with a helpless smile: "I'll do what I can."
How nice, it seemed the fox spirit had developed a soft spot.
Shiraha was thinking the same thing: How nice, Rin actually has Yae Sakura as her soft spot.
Rin paced back and forth in the Stigma space, restless. So, everything I have right now, Shiraha only got for me by lying and covering because of one sentence, "You're Sakura's sister"?
She covered her face in the Stigma space, letting out a silent wail:
"Sister!!! Just how high did you grind this kid's affection meter?!!"