A child Mei's age would never even consider corporate value.
She puffed out her chest. "I swear on the name of Raiden before your family's product hits the market, I won't breathe a single word of this to anyone!"
She genuinely didn't believe this delinquent senpai's family had that kind of tech. Even ME Corp hadn't applied this technology to gaming!
The Raven didn't respond right away. Her gaze moved past Mei and settled on the quiet little boy beside her.
"And you? Brat."
Elysia warned from the side: "It's probably a trap."
Though knowing Shiraha's personality, there was no need to worry about him getting swept up in things. That kid had schemes aplenty.
Shiraha lifted his head, his expression pure and innocent. "I'd never stab someone in the back like that!"
Elysia: .....
Shiraha... have you finally been assimilated by this world into acting like a real child? Sob... then where am I supposed to find my self-made-yet-underage project?!
Shiraha didn't explain aloud. Sure, to outsiders he was the kid who talked to thin air but that was about as far as it went.
Beneath the desk, he pulled over Elysia-nee's hand and quickly traced words across her palm with his fingertip, explaining the situation.
[Doesn't matter. Play along. Let's see what this delinquent senpai is really selling.]
Elysia's palm tickled. She instinctively wanted to pull back but held still.
Raven grunted in acknowledgment and flopped back down onto the desk, hood covering her face.
Mission accomplished... more or less.
Once the lunch break ended and Shiraha left the clubroom, Elysia drifted along behind him for a while before speaking softly. "I actually didn't understand what you were saying. It's really hard to make out letters written on your palm."
If she'd been watching directly, it might've been easier. But doing it under the table had given Elysia a strange, sneaky sort of feeling.... which made it even harder to decipher.
At the time, all she'd felt was an itchy palm and a weird sensation. She'd been too busy keeping a straight face.
Shiraha's steps faltered. "Then why didn't you say so earlier?"
Elysia's voice was rueful. "Even if I had, and you wrote it all out again, I still wouldn't have understood... Oh~"
She suddenly stopped, starry eyes glimmering. Whatever thought had crossed her mind, her voice quickly turned light and breezy again.
"But I do think that as the two-remnant team, we really ought to develop this skill."
She drifted out in front of Shiraha, turning to face him as she glided backward. "My condition can be incredibly useful in all sorts of situations. When the time comes that we can't talk out loud and can't write things down either... well, wouldn't this be the only way left?"
Elysia convinced herself with this line of reasoning. Her expression slowly gained confidence. This is all for the sake of stealth!
Shiraha looked thoughtful, then asked with an innocent expression, "Nee-chan... did you mess with little kids like this back then too?"
Elysia: .....
Her expression turned helpless. "Shiraha, you need to understand, there's only one self-made-yet-underage child in this entire world. And that's you."
Sure, she ran her mouth a lot. But Elysia had at least some moral boundaries.
She'd never actually toy with a real child. Tease a little, maybe. But Shiraha was different. He was a fake kid.
Shiraha was quiet for a beat, then nodded.
Elysia was quiet for a beat too.
After a moment, she switched topics. "So what were you trying to say in the clubroom?"
"I was saying that Nee-chan doesn't need to worry. After all, they still don't know you exist. Even if it's a trap, we have more than enough hidden cards to deal with it."
Truthfully, Shiraha already had a vague guess as to what kind of holographic projection World Serpent could pull out right now and what building it might be connected to.
He just hoped he wasn't wrong.
"You're getting bolder by the day."
Elysia sounded a little wistful.
After all, not that long ago, Shiraha had specifically asked her to check for surveillance devices before even entering a room in America.
Environment really is the main thing that shapes a person. Even Shiraha, who used to guard against everyone with the darkest assumptions, is slowly getting better... Wait. Could it be that I've just taught him well?
Shiraha didn't hold back on the praise. "Nee-chan gave me a lot of that confidence."
Elysia's eyes curved into crescents. She returned the diplomatic flattery. "No, no it's our Mr. World's Number One Killer who's simply highly adaptable."
"True."
Shiraha immediately agreed, without a shred of humility.
Elysia blinked again. And? That's it? Aren't you supposed to keep praising me?
A faint sulkiness settled over her mood. Sigh. A fresh young brain really is just better, isn't it? Quick reflexes. And thick skin.
By the time they returned to the classroom, Elysia had resumed her designated spot, perched on the windowsill, swinging her legs idly.
A fairly ordinary stretch of growing-up time should follow from here, she thought to herself. This world... really is beautiful.
The afternoon flew by. When it was time to head home, Elysia had fully intended to follow Miss Natasha once again. But this time, Shiraha caught hold of her arm.
"Acting on emotion shouldn't be a Manticore habit, Mr. World's Number One Killer."
Elysia said it with a smile, no reproach in her voice.
She was in a good mood. A Shiraha who'd get sad over a pretty older lady leaving was, after all, far cuter to look at than the Manticore Shiraha who was perpetually on guard against everything around him.
Shiraha shook his head. He stood on tiptoe and whispered, "Nee-chan, reality isn't a novel, a manga, or an anime. They'd definitely have prepared whatever props their plan needs long before today."
Elysia blinked.
"If I don't go with you, Nee-chan probably won't gather much intel anyway. Unless that delinquent senpai and Grey Serpent are the type to monologue like old maids, they're not going to sit around repeating their entire plan and explaining all their props again tonight."
"And in my impression, neither the delinquent senpai nor Grey Serpent are the old-maid-monologuing type."
If Elysia followed them today, at most she'd glimpse the prop itself, maybe even learn how it was used. But those were things Shiraha could find out tomorrow anyway.
Anything more substantial was nearly impossible. Without her anchor nearby, Nee-chan ultimately couldn't truly touch reality.
Elysia found Shiraha's reasoning sound. Reality wasn't a fantasy novel. Natasha and Grey Serpent weren't about to inexplicably recap their entire plan just for her eavesdropping benefit.
"Shiraha... did you ever consider telling me all this a different way?"
But she still clasped her hands behind her back, her steps light and easy.
Shiraha understood immediately. This time, his voice wasn't nearly so quiet. Bright and clear, he declared, "Nee-chan, I can't bear to be apart from you."
Mei, standing off to the side with a blank expression, wordlessly held out two popsicles she'd just bought at the school shop.
Shiraha expertly lifted one up to Elysia's lips. Technically, as long as he held her hand, Elysia could use Honkai energy to pick things up on her own.
But Elysia simply wouldn't. Shiraha was always trying to emotionally maneuver her, so he could put in a little effort. Only fair.
Mei watched this scene and spoke with the weight of hard-earned wisdom. "Shiraha, don't you think you've been relying a little too much on your fierce ghost friend lately?"
Shiraha thought about it seriously for a moment. "But I feel like... as long as I talk like this, Elysia-nee can convince herself, with a clear conscience, to keep looking after me."
Elysia: ....
Mei: ....
Mei bit into her popsicle, her voice sour. "Your fierce ghost friend is way too easygoing."
She paused, then added, "I wonder if Dr. Tesla's promise about getting me my own fierce ghost friend still holds up."
When I get mine, I'll deliberately ignore Shiraha too. Let him get a taste of how I feel right now.