Mei was a little nervous, but when Yuna came running over, she, too, nervously called out, "President Mei. Shiraha-kun."
Compared to Mei, who was scared of club members quitting, Yuna was far more scared of being kicked out herself. A school life spent as someone invisible was no fun at all.
The two fell silent as they faced each other, the air thick with awkward tension. Mei seeing Yuna so nervous made her nervous. And Mei being nervous made Yuna even more nervous.
Shiraha cut in at just the right moment, his voice bright and crisp. "Hi~ Good morning, Yuna. Were you really happy to see me and Mei-nee?"
Yuna's small face froze again, then she nodded hurriedly. The corners of her mouth tugged open unconsciously, her smile a little goofy.
Mei exhaled in relief. Wonderful. Yuna hadn't handed in a withdrawal letter.
Elysia: .....
Having steadied her emotions, Mei extended her hand and very naturally took Yuna's. "Yuna, how are your grades?"
"I-I'm okay." Yuna, hand being held, still spoke softly, but her voice was a little steadier than before.
She wasn't sure what Mei was about to say. But as they walked onto campus, Yuna's green eyes still instinctively darted toward their surroundings.
Shiraha, both of his own hands now occupied, walked alongside them. He searched his memory for a moment. "Around top twenty of the grade. I saw Yuna's name when I asked the teacher for the grade list earlier."
Her grades had genuinely surprised him a little. But it was perfectly understandable.
Many people, after being bullied and isolated, saw their grades drop visibly. But just as many would double down and push themselves harder, maybe to prove something, maybe to ingratiate themselves with others, maybe just for the sheer sake of studying.
A quiet "Eh?" escaped Yuna's lips. Had she been noticed before?
Hearing this, Mei released Shiraha's hand and spoke in an earnestly coaxing tone. "Yuna, you have to study hard during this time. When we move up to fifth grade, they'll definitely reshuffle the classes. Let's do our best to end up in the same class."
The ambitious President Mei, after months of dormancy, had gradually cooled down.
Her club had no applicants, and she genuinely couldn't take it anymore. Whether they'd joined for fun or actually wanted to be part of the club, everyone always quit by the second day. Little Mei couldn't bear this kind of blow anymore.
So rather than casting a wide net, targeted cultivation was the way to go.
Yuna nodded heavily. "Mn!"
She added silently in her heart: Thank you, old classmates. I, Yuna, am going to push myself to the limit. Next semester, I'm cutting ties.
They still had to part ways at the classroom door, after all, they weren't in the same class. Having confirmed that Yuna had no intention whatsoever of handing in a withdrawal letter, the corner of Mei's mouth curved upward. "Shiraha! Our club has finally expanded!"
No longer a tiny three-person club. Even if four was still very few... at least there was hope now.
As long as someone could endure it, as long as someone was willing to learn Hokushin Ittō-ryū, then her hope would reignite.
Shiraha's expression was utterly sincere. "Congratulations to Mei-nee on her ascension to Empress!"
Mei hurriedly reined in her smile, forcing herself to look composed. "This is no time to celebrate. What if Yuna can't handle the truth about the other world?"
Though the corners of her mouth simply refused to settle down.
"She definitely can." Shiraha guaranteed with absolute conviction. "Mei-nee is the chosen one. A little prodigy who can bear Mei-nee's training, how could she possibly be scared of something as small as Honkai!"
Shiraha showered Mei with genuine, heartfelt flattery. Kids could be a little chuunibyou, it wasn't annoying at all.
The corner of Mei's mouth curved upward even more fiercely.
Back in the classroom, Mei had her own little clique, a few girls chattering away. And during this time, Shiraha would chat with his fierce ghost friend.
"Hi~ Why does Nee-chan look so gloomy?"
Shiraha copied Nee-chan and sat sideways on the windowsill. This position was pretty dangerous for a kid but for a kid, no one ever seemed to think it was dangerous.
Elysia sighed, her voice filled with melancholy. "I'm just... feeling a bit stuck."
After all, being unable to touch anything, the problem was simply too big. It always left her with a faint, lingering sense of detachment from this world.
She gently gathered Shiraha into her arms, buried her face in the crook of his shoulder, and rubbed hard against his soft, squishy cheek.
Hmph. This cold, indifferent world, only a child's soft cheeks can let me feel a little warmth.
Shiraha's voice was very light. "Then just go make contact."
Elysia was still whimpering, basking in a child's warmth, when she paused a beat later. What did Shiraha just say?
She straightened Shiraha's little face, cupping both of his cheeks in her hands, her starry eyes blinking and blinking.
"Mr. World's Number One Killer, what did you just say?"
Make contact? How? Did Dr. Mobius in the Realm give you a good method?
I knew it. Shiraha has me in his heart. Even in the Realm, he's still thinking about my problem.
As expected, a self-made child companion really is the best.
"I said," Shiraha's voice was serious, "Nee-chan should just go make contact."
An Origin-level combat power exclusively his own was truly too tempting. Shiraha had his own little schemes. But he believed that on the path to holding the seals of six kingdoms, he still needed to think long-term, slow and steady growth.
"How?"
Elysia's voice softened. Her starry eyes shimmered and sparkled. She seemed to have already guessed what Shiraha was about to do.
Shiraha took hold of Nee-chan's hands, stopping her from cupping his cheeks and pointed at himself.
"I'll take Nee-chan to socialize."
He wasn't afraid of any problems arising. Because this entire process would only make himself appear even more important.
Shiraha also hoped Nee-chan could form deeper anchors with this world. Because he vaguely remembered, when he'd first met her, Nee-chan had already been ready, with quiet acceptance, to simply fade away.
Elysia's lips parted slightly. "Isn't this a little..."
Too crazy?
Shiraha gently bit the tip of Nee-chan's index finger. As expected, even as a ghost, her fingers smell fragrant.
He composed himself a little. "I've said it before. Nee-chan doesn't need to treat me like a child."
Shiraha glanced at the clock on the wall. The hands were unhurriedly creeping toward class time.
"After class. I'll take Nee-chan to make some friends."
With that, he hopped off the windowsill and returned to his seat, already thinking about who the best first friend would be.
Raven. Choosing her would give his major shareholder, Grey Serpent, something to look forward to. Not only would it solve Nee-chan's friend problem, it'd also make his identity as heir to World Serpent even more stable.
Himeko. No need to say much there. Himeko was a college graduate, she'd probably be more accepting.
Mei-nee and Yuna were ruled out first. If Nee-chan got to know too many actual children, Shiraha genuinely feared she'd turn into a pervert, though she wasn't much better off right now, honestly.
The class bell rang. The classroom settled into quiet. The teacher began writing knowledge across the blackboard.
Only Elysia remained seated on the windowsill, gently nibbling the tip of her index finger, her starry eyes glimmering.
A child companion who could take care of everything, fully self-made, this was too wonderful.
Eden~ and Doctor~ I've just realized, Kevin might be powerful, but when it comes to problem-solving, he really doesn't seem to measure up to my World's Number One Killer kid.
The corner of her mouth curved upward.
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