Shiraha's voice was calm. Elysia leaned in, suspicious, her eyes widening as hard as they could, trying to catch a flicker of some other emotion on his face.
Nothing. Even Shiraha had stopped being an obedient little kid. Sigh… so what was actually in the game? Important enough that he came out just to ask that?
Shiraha didn't explain right away. His fingers just traced lightly across her palm to write, Elysia still couldn't understand a word of it. After all, they hadn't exactly practiced that skill yesterday after getting home.
Raven, meanwhile, was helping Mei get her helmet on and explaining offhandedly. "You can't hear anything. Actually, once you put this helmet on, your senses gradually get deceived. Give it a few more minutes, and whether you talk, turn your head, or even run inside, your real body won't react much at all."
"To exit the game, you just mentally say 'Exit game.' No need to press the power button."
The corner of Shiraha's mouth finally lifted all the way but he quickly pressed it back down. His fingertips kept tracing idly across Elysia's palm.
Then he spoke up, reassuringly. "Don't be impatient, Nee-chan. Tonight I'll tell you a joke. You'll definitely find it interesting."
Elysia was curious, but since Shiraha had been drawing on her palm for so long, he probably had his reasons.
It was just curiosity, right? She could hold it in!
Shiraha put the helmet back on. His right hand, however, still gripped Elysia's tightly.
...
Elysian Realm
Mobius sat sideways on her flyer, quietly waiting.
In less than five minutes, the child reappeared in the great hall, his eyes brimming with enthusiasm.
During the loading process, the Signet of Infinity had been layered onto Shiraha. The cognitive assimilation brought by the Signet inside the Realm would dramatically lessen the discomfort of his remote access.
"So you're Shiraha, aren't you?"
The voice was a crisp, childlike lilt. Mobius swung her legs, her small feet swaying, putting on a show of pure, innocent cuteness.
"Don't be shocked just yet, Shiraha-oniisan~" She deliberately softened her voice, letting it trail into a syrupy sweet lilt. "I'm your tutorial guide. I'll teach you how this game is supposed to be played~"
Perhaps because she was deliberately acting babyish, Mobius's voice even wavered a little at the end. She pressed in close without the slightest reserve, not a trace of shyness on her face.
Come to think of it, he was just a six-year-old brat. She couldn't even find a reason to feel shy.
"Don't be scared, little… Shiraha. We're both kids, after all. Kids don't bully kids!"
Shiraha's gaze stayed fixed on the cognitive assimilation progress in the upper right corner. Once it hit one hundred percent....
heh. Heheh. Ahahaha!
He watched the little green-haired girl right in front of him. After confirming that whatever he did in here, nothing outside would react, he cleared his throat lightly.
Then his eyes curved into crescents, his voice lilting upward at the end.
"So we meet again, Dr. Mobius♪."
Hearing that familiar tone, Mobius's expression stiffened. A bad feeling crept over her.
Shiraha clasped his hands behind his back. His steps light, he rose almost imperceptibly onto his toes, and repeated her words back at her.
"Don't be shocked just yet, Shiraha-oniisan~"
Mobius's expression stiffened even further. The smile froze at the corners of her mouth, suddenly turning a little bitter.
Shiraha pressed his advantage. "Why so quiet? My dear Dr. Mobius♪."
"We're both kids, after all." He leaned in properly close now, close enough to almost graze her cheek. "Kids don't bully kids."
Mobius felt like she couldn't breathe. Grey Serpent… Grey Serpent! Grey Serpent, damn you!
This was the "Origin of the new era" you spoke of?
What part of this is new! Everything except the body and the gender is all old!
Mobius felt completely drained. Her already soft-looking body visibly slumped a little further.
She practically forced the name through clenched teeth.
"…Elysia."
Right. She should have realized this was possible. Elysia, who could even sever fate itself. How could she not have left something behind in this brand-new, potential-laden era?
"Right here♪." Shiraha's smile was guileless. "Mobius-oneesan~ aren't you my tutorial guide? What am I supposed to do next to properly enjoy this game?"
Mobius: ....
Her vision swam with black spots; her mind wouldn't stop spinning. A beat later, a soft laugh escaped her. She didn't even know why she was laughing. But right now, every other expression seemed to have stopped working.
Until her laughter gradually cooled.
"Did you go through all this trouble just to enjoy my humiliation?" Her voice carried a tangled emotion, hard to tell if it was fury, exasperation, or even release.
"I couldn't bear to. Even though you, Doctor, always do the oddest things, I've just never been able to dislike you."
But no matter the words, the cute Mobius was already drifting away, utterly disoriented. She had no interest in guiding Elysia.
The proudly self-sufficient yet not-so-tall Mobius, her shoulders had collapsed completely. As if someone had pulled the spirit right out of her.
Shiraha watched her go in silence. He didn't try to stop her… he still hadn't heard Nee-chan's stories about Mobius. If there was a chance for someone else to take over, well, that would be just perfect.
"…Ely…?"
A slightly husky, mature voice filled the emptiness of the hall.
Eden stood not far away, a glass of red wine held in her hand, who-knew-from-where. Her wine-dark hair fell across her shoulders, her brows and eyes holding a gentle, languid warmth. Looking at the little boy before her, it was hard to say what she was feeling.
She chose the simplest way to start. She crouched down and reached out to pinch Shiraha's cheek. Ah, to be young, a child's cheek, so soft, so lovely to touch.
"Ely…" Her voice was rough. "I never thought I would see you again, separated by life and death."
Shiraha waited until the great star's emotions had settled a little, then spoke gently.
"I'm not Elysia. It's just that Miss Elysia told me that in this Realm, only Senior Eden, the one with burgundy hair, and Hua are truly trustworthy."
"I'm sorry. I borrowed Miss Elysia's persona earlier."
Eden blinked. Wa—wait. Her mind went tangled for a second. "Miss… Elysia?"
"Mm. She's been very good to me. She's been with me since I was very little."
Six was very little indeed.
"She helped awaken the power inside me."
Stigmata, Psychokinesis.
"And Nee-chan also drags me away from studying. She's always pulling me into all sorts of games."
Shiraha spoke softly, his voice carrying a note of genuine admiration.
That admiration wasn't fake. Though most of the time Shiraha would put on whatever face others preferred, the truth was, Elysia had genuinely helped him in countless ways.
Eden felt dazed. Her fingers still rested on Shiraha's cheek, forgetting to pull back.
She'd thought the idea of Elysia being reincarnated was already absurd enough. But from the sound of it, Elysia wasn't just alive. She spent her days playing with a child?
Eden pressed her red lips together, her smile helpless. "Elysia really does know how to burden others."
She stood up, smoothed her skirt, then crouched down again to meet Shiraha's eyes. "But little one... you truly can trust me."
"Here's what we'll do. It's your first time here, let me first show you around. You're still young. Everything else can wait."
Shiraha's expression was perfectly obedient. He ventured hesitantly, "Um... Eden... nee-san?"
"Call me 'nee-san.' I'll consider it taking a little advantage of you."
After all, by age and appearance, Eden was old enough to be his mother. She'd been far from young when she chose to be buried alongside the Previous Era.
But MANTIS soldiers didn't care about age.
"Eden-nee..." Shiraha's voice dropped even softer, as if confiding a secret. "Elysia-nee... outside, she often falls into these melancholy moods. I'm a little worried about her."
He paused, lowering his head slightly, looking almost shy. "Could you tell me some things Nee-chan likes? And... maybe things from the past that might have made her unhappy?"
In other words, starting from the end and working backward.
Eden crouched down again, looking into those clear eyes. There was worry in them. Curiosity. And something else she couldn't quite read, something like a boy's admiration and fondness.
Her lips parted, but no refusal came out.
Her smile was languid and beautiful. "Alright. I'll show you around first. Then we'll find somewhere to sit and talk."
Shiraha silently gave himself a thumbs-up in his heart.
Perfect! Elysia would tell the early stories, Eden would tell the later ones, and he'd fill in the gaps himself based on the plot. He was starting to think the Manticores really could pull a "World's Number One Killer" out of thin air.