Just kidding, even if Elysia really became an ordinary girl, she wouldn't lose sleep fantasizing about the future.
After all, her future was right in her arms. The fantasy had a basis in reality... or rather, it wasn't really fantasy at all.
The next day, Mei appeared at the breakfast table with faint dark circles under her eyes. Because she'd lived so well before, the sleepless night had actually left faint marks on her fair face, so light they almost looked like makeup.
During the meal, Mei sneaked over to Shiraha: "When you train Honkai energy, does it affect your surroundings?"
Shiraha hesitated for a long moment: "Not for me.... but my situation is special."
"Mei, you know I have senpai with me."
So aside from the information in the story, Shiraha really wasn't sure what was normal for others.
Mei looked a little worried, but Bai Ye seemed not to notice her mood as he went back to feeding his ghost friend.
She puffed out her cheeks, rubbed her hands together until they were warm, then pressed them against Bai Ye's arm.
A faint but not weak current of electricity made Shiraha jolt, he looked at Mei in surprise. Mei, after rubbing her hands together, returned to eating her own meal with a calm expression.
This must be static electricity, the good student Mei guessed.
Elysia also glanced over, such a familiar power...
She felt she'd seen it somewhere before. Though a Stigma was just a key, its characteristics seemed to have some connection to her.
"So a Herrscher's authority can be passed down through Stigmas too?"
Elysia felt a little dazed, no wonder it hadn't felt difficult when she used her Origin authority to resonate with Shiraha's Stigma.
Mobius and MEI really had done impressive work studying Herrscher corpses and cores.
Mei hopped off her chair: "I'm done, Dad."
On the other side, Kiana had also finished her multi-portion breakfast.
Siegfried spoke up: "Kiana, tell your teacher, you're going to need to take a long leave in a few days."
"I got it, Dad."
She didn't ask where they were going.
Mei's lips started curling up again, the most disloyal one was about to be out of the picture.
"Are you going back to Europe? To the Kaslana estate?"
Shiraha pretended to recall what they'd read yesterday.
Siegfried glanced at the kid: "Siberia. The weather there's been artificially altered recently, and a lot of people's lives have changed."
He paused: "I owed some favors there from before."
Speaking of the weather, Siegfried looked at Shiraha again: "You want to come along?"
Though Shiraha wouldn't be much help there, he wouldn't be much help staying here either.
And little Kiana seemed to have no friends lately, just focused on working hard and earning money... wasn't the allowance he gave her enough?
Shiraha's eyes widened. Just then, Mei quickly rubbed her hands together until they were hot, then firmly grabbed Shiraha's arm.
The warm touch made Shiraha press his lips together: "Can Mei-nee come too?"
"No."
Siegfried's answer was tactful.
He had been tactful. Earlier, when he'd offered to take Shiraha, it was because he knew the kid could unleash power in dangerous situations and had strong self-preservation.
But adding Mei... not to mention the possibility of Anti-Entropy's second generation being wiped out, Siegfried wasn't confident he could protect all the kids.
If they ran into real danger, he could at most free one hand to carry Kiana. Shiraha could hold onto his back but with Mei added, there was no room.
Shiraha sighed with mild regret: "Then I won't go."
Just kidding. He'd find an excuse in the next few days. As long as you wanted to decline, there was always a reason.
Mei's eyes grew even brighter, that's right, siblings should be this close.
Kiana's gaze visibly dimmed, but such a small thing wouldn't bring her down.
Ryoma Raiden spoke up: "Go to school. Don't worry about this, maybe Kiana won't even need to go in the end."
He gave a pleading look toward "Rin."
Though she was a strange one, she did seem to have some real strength. And... Ryoma Raiden, Siegfried, Shiraha, Mei, and everyone around them didn't seem to dislike the miko or the fox.
On the way to school, Kiana was very quiet. She'd never been much of a talker before, but she was still a lively girl at heart. Today she walked at the back, her ponytail barely swaying.
Shiraha slowed his pace, waiting for Kiana to catch up before explaining: "I actually wanted to go with you, after all, you don't seem to have any acquaintances in Siberia."
Mei perked up her ears too. Shiraha was her good little brother, his only flaw in her eyes was that he spread his attention too evenly.
Couldn't he just be her loyal little sidekick?
Kiana gave a soft "oh," not clearly indicating whether she believed him.
"And I was also thinking about something else, Uncle Siegfried said he owed favors there." Shiraha continued without pause: "If you're going to repay those favors, it doesn't seem like I'd have a reason to tag along."
Kiana tilted her head, her sky-blue eyes full of confusion.
"Why?"
"Because I didn't owe those people anything. Mei-nee and I are siblings, but Kiana..."
Shiraha paused, looking hesitant.
He and Kiana, in a sense, didn't have that close of a relationship yet. They were good friends, certainly.
But the lines between friends were blurry. Friends who shared responsibility were indeed friends, but tagging along with someone and their dad felt a little off.
Kiana gave another soft "oh," her fair face filled with sudden realization.
That made sense.
She didn't even blush!
Miss Kiana hadn't thought that far.
"Yeah, true."
She nodded again. Only when they were almost at the school gate did she clap her hands together: "Almost forgot the real thing."
Kiana scanned her surroundings seriously, quickly deducing where the ghost friend was based on Shiraha's movements.
She casually sidled over and racked her brain for conversation topics.
"If you get bored in Siberia, you can try calling us, there might be a time difference, but I'm sure Siegfried will keep track of that."
Shiraha comforted her.
As for when he called Siegfried "Uncle", it depended on his mood, just like how Siegfried chose to call him "kid" or "Shiraha" on a whim.
Kiana pondered for a long time: "What kind of relationship do you think we'd need to have for you to come with me..."
Mei cut in decisively, her voice bright: "Let's buy drinks, consider it today's club perk!"
No reason at all, she was just happy. Just thinking about Kiana leaving for Siberia soon made her even happier.
Casually, Mei wedged herself between the two, bought five cans of cola at the school gate convenience store.
One for Rin, one for Yuna too.
Elysia walked behind with her hands clasped, her skirt gently swaying. In the past, being overlooked like this might have made the beautiful girl feel a little down.
But not now, after their heart-to-heart yesterday, she'd found new entertainment.
"Little Shiraha?"
Shiraha understood. The moment he opened the first can, he didn't even take the first sip.
But Elysia's entertainment wasn't that. She glanced at Mei, then at Kiana and Yae Sakura, and looked at Shiraha with a smile, saying nothing.
Shiraha blinked, stood on tiptoe, and offered it to his Nee-chan.
Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt his Nee-chan was becoming more and more "chubby cat", though it was rude to think that way.
The fairy lady's teeth were pearly and her eyes were like stars, simply smiling. Shiraha's throat moved, he had a bad feeling.
He tested cautiously: "Um, Nee-chan?"
Elysia reminded him sweetly: "Aren't you going to drink your cola?"
Shiraha held the cola, not drinking. It was still in front of the school gate. Though he never cared about his image, let people judge! He didn't care.
But he had some close friends around him, all with high favor already built.
"Shiraha, don't you love cola?"
Mei came over and asked. The group was waiting at the gate, from past experience, Yuna would arrive in about ten minutes.
Shiraha hesitated: "I... don't really feel like it right now."
Mei looked at him for a moment, then didn't press. Sometimes she didn't feel like it either, like when her dad was around.
The group stood in a row at the school gate.
Elysia sat on the steps nearby, legs together, her skirt brushing the ground. She said softly: "I'm a little thirsty."
Shiraha instantly relaxed: "Nee-chan, I was saving the first sip for you!"
Elysia's face bloomed with a smile, not calling him out. Though the fairy lady was also a talker, she was definitely better at it than Mei and the other little brats.
She took the cola, tilted her head back, and drank in big gulps.
Not elegant at all.
Shiraha sat nearby, not at all bothered about the cola, just curiously watching the middle school boys and girls. Even just standing at the school gate, he could see so many interesting things at this age.
Elysia set down the empty cola can, her lips moist, and held it up to Shiraha with a clear gesture: You still want some?
Shiraha nodded. Though he didn't think this little bit of ambiguity mattered much, maybe it'd build affection.
He took the can and found it empty, though there were a few drops left in the corners, it was essentially empty.
Shiraha blinked.
Before his Nee-chan could pull him over, he gritted his teeth and turned first, leaning up to kiss his Nee-chan's cheek, quick as a sneak attack.
A moment later, he lifted his little face, still looking confident.
"Nee-chan, how come you always leave cola on the corner of your mouth when you drink?"
It might not be the most hygienic, but ghosts were probably clean. Shiraha sat on the steps, half-leaning against his Nee-chan as he gently pressed her puffed cheek with his fingers. With a light push, he moved closer and tasted the cola at the corner of her lips.
Yae Sakura glanced over, turned away naturally, then looked back in disbelief.
"Shiraha, what are you doing?"
Shiraha had already pulled back slightly. Mei and Kiana blinked, unaware of what had just happened.
He explained simply: "Nee-chan drank all my cola."
Yae Sakura: "…"
So you were fighting over cola just now?
Why did that scene feel so familiar?
Yae Sakura was a relatively pure village girl, but because of certain past events, her perception might differ slightly from others. Still, she thought of herself as normal, at most she'd had a brief inexplicable crush once, but it had passed quickly.
Though her opinions didn't seem to matter much.
Elysia was just about to tilt her head in satisfaction, but this time Shiraha's gaze lingered only on her, carrying a hint of unease and testing.
She should have lifted her chin, she was the ever-all-powerful fairy lady, but as the one who had started this game, her throat moved. Then she… closed her eyes, looking a little nervous.
Yae Sakura shot to her feet. Little Shiraha really was possessed by an evil spirit, probably a fox spirit at that!
"Shira—"
Too late.
Once Shiraha decided to do something, he wouldn't give others a chance to interrupt.
Rather than letting his Nee-chan conquer him, he'd conquer his Nee-chan first, that way he'd have more control.
He leaned in again, this time pressing his lips fully against her wet lips. The cola was a little sweet, probably because the bubbles had dissipated. It wasn't as sharp as a fresh can, but carried a gentle sweetness… beautiful girls really were made of sugar.
"Looks like Yuna's here."
He looked into the distance, his tone calm.
Yae Sakura said nothing. Mei and Kiana stared quietly at Shiraha. Yuna... Yuna was ignored.
"It's fine." Yae Sakura finally spoke softly: "I know a thing or two about exorcism rituals."
Though these things had been classified as mental illness in this era, maybe it'd still help.
Mei nodded firmly: "Exactly, Shiraha, I respect your choices, but you really need to be more mindful of your image."
This was in front of the school gate, even if Mei, Kiana, and Yae Sakura had intentionally formed a circle around him, this was still too strange.
"It's fine, let them judge. I don't care."
Just then, Yuna finally arrived. She looked at the group, then pulled out a handkerchief: "Shiraha, your lips look a little swollen, did you eat something you shouldn't have?"
Shiraha: ?
He touched his lips instinctively, his expression turning a little bitter, shouldn't his Nee-chan, as the older one, be more careful about this kind of thing?
"Yuno, here's today's club perk."
Mei handed her a cola. The little clique that only existed before class was now fully assembled.
Today's lessons were pretty boring, but Shiraha was a bit busy, Mei and Kiana kept coming over to chat.
Also, the classroom lights kept flickering on and off, as if there was a circuit problem, but the electrician couldn't find anything wrong.
Shiraha finally found some downtime leaning by the window. Elysia had gotten used to Little Shiraha resting on her lap.
He lay on her thighs, and she leaned over him.
He squinted, looking through the glass into the distance.
"Fu Hua's really busy, she doesn't seem to rest even during breaks."
He watched Fu Hua emerge from the old school building and let out a soft sigh.