Shiraha really enjoyed bath time, the reasons had been mentioned before. The rare moments of solitude were genuinely relaxing.
Another thing was that soaking didn't interfere with his thinking. He could get clean, put on some kids' lotion, and just feel good.
But he was a boy after all, he didn't plan to soak too long. Soon enough, he changed into clean spare clothes and stood in front of the mirror, studying himself.
"Looking good."
He murmured to himself.
Elysia smiled sweetly. "Mm-hmm."
Shiraha smiled instinctively, then froze, turning his head.
On the small bed in the changing room, the fairy woman was leaning back, her long legs together, palms braced against the mattress. She looked completely at ease. The room was still filled with steam, and the light made her appear soft and hazy.
Shiraha blinked. His Nee-chan leisurely tilted her head in response.
"How long have you been here, Nee-chan?"
Shiraha asked softly. He had a habit of talking to himself, not a great one, but he'd never broken it, because it helped him adapt to his Nee-chan's presence.
Though they shared a body, they were still two people. You couldn't rely on mutual understanding for everything, so talking to himself was often useful.
Elysia blinked back, her fair face looking innocent. "It's too cold outside, Little Shiraha."
"Your Nee-chan swears she's not the kind of pervert who peeps on kids bathing."
Shiraha was quiet for a moment, then laughed. "Yeah I trust you, Nee-chan."
After all, he had no choice but to trust her.
He patted his cheeks in front of the mirror, but still, no reflection of his Nee-chan appeared.
This time, Shiraha didn't acknowledge her. He traced her silhouette on the fogged-up mirror with his fingertip.
"Let's go out, Nee-chan. I don't really like looking at mirrors."
But pretending didn't help, especially since his Nee-chan couldn't feel cold anyway.
He pushed the door open, and the cold wind rushed in, but his skin was warm, so the chill passed in an instant.
"Why?"
Elysia glanced into the waiting room. Besides Siegfried, neither Mei nor Kiana had come out yet.
Girls were like that.
"Because I don't like being a kid." Shiraha didn't hide it from Siegfried, he kept talking to his Nee-chan. "I want to grow up fast. Then you won't be able to bully me anymore, and I can pay back all the grievances I've put up with."
Being a kid was often too powerless. Shiraha couldn't be bothered to count how many inconveniences it brought. Sure, it had its advantages in some ways, but he'd already reaped what he needed.
He didn't need to keep up the kid image anymore.
Elysia blinked, tilting her head. Shiraha looked up, meeting her gaze without flinching.
After a moment, Elysia's cheeks flushed. With her flirtatious nature, she'd probably thought of something not quite appropriate.
Siegfried couldn't watch anymore. "Hey, hey kid, watch yourself."
There were other people here. If Shiraha weren't so young, talking to himself like that would be genuinely unsettling.
Shiraha blew his hair dry. "Uncle Siegfried, don't you find it strange?"
"What?"
"Our experiences since we got here, don't you think it's odd? Who would put a bounty on us?"
Siegfried scoffed without hesitation. "Otto."
No reason, no evidence, he just knew it was Otto. Not even intuition, just pure hatred.
"Yeah." Shiraha nodded, his hair now mostly dry. "But from what Dr. Tesla and Welt-senpai have said, Otto doesn't seem like the type to just give up."
He'd definitely do something else.
Elysia sat nearby, but she wasn't in the mood to tease, the topic was a bit too serious.
She didn't keep her distance, but she did straighten up.
Siegfried sank into thought. "So... what do you want to do?"
Shiraha's expression was flat. "Go back to the Far East."
He'd already met Bronya. He had no other goals in Siberia.
As for training, "training" was a pretty vague concept. Shiraha figured that when he was a bit older and could visit World Serpent, there'd be plenty of time and opportunities.
And they'd definitely be world-class.
Siegfried: ….
He was reluctant, they'd finally gotten out, but the thought of Otto made him lean toward playing it safe.
Shiraha was about to say more, but he scanned the room and felt something was missing.
"The little fox!"
He shot up and ran outside to the car. His coat was on the back seat, Rin stood on the seat, staring at him expressionlessly.
Her ears were pressed back slightly, her tail drooping, perfectly still.
She could've left, but for the sake of keeping up appearances, she'd stayed put.
Elysia commented, "Rin really has patience, she's willing to keep playing the fox."
Shiraha didn't respond. Seeing the fox still there, he let out a breath, then turned and walked away.
Rin was stunned for a moment.
Foxes really have no rights, huh.
Still, Shiraha was happy she was willing to play the part, he'd be thrilled if she played it forever.
"What were you doing?"
"Just checked on the little fox, she's still there, didn't sneak off."
Shiraha replied casually.
Just then, Kiana pushed the door open, shaking her head vigorously, though no amount of shaking would dry her wet hair. The warm air made her squint.
She blew her hair dry on her own, speaking casually. "Where to next?"
"Probably back to the Far East. The three of us together are too valuable, there's no point taking unnecessary risks."
Sure, you couldn't see a rainbow without rain, but with someone clearly targeting them, the risk of all three getting caught was just too high.
Kiana ran her fingers through her now-dry hair. "Works for me, though I wonder if my print shop found a replacement."
She looked around, then sat beside Shiraha, right where his ghost friend usually sat.
"Where's your friend? When we were being chased, didn't she say anything?"
"Nee-chan doesn't really like that kind of scene."
Kiana couldn't help but laugh, a ghost who doesn't like that kind of scene?
But now wasn't the time. She grabbed Shiraha's shoulder. "Mei's probably going to talk to you when we get back. I hope you'll spend less time with your imaginary friend, but I don't recommend joining Mei's clique either."
She pressed on earnestly. "I've watched that group a lot. Its core is Mei. Without her, the others split into smaller groups, and a lot of them aren't even close."
Mei's status was too big, people flocked to her for all kinds of reasons: admiration, fear of being bullied, or just free snacks.
Mei was the standard Far Eastern normie, but Shiraha wasn't. He only had a few friends, and his gentleness wasn't for everyone.
"I feel like she keeps us at a distance at school. She seems really concerned about her image lately… it's weird."
Just as Kiana finished, Mei pushed the door open.
The young lady wasn't delicate, she glanced around, lounged lazily in front of the hairdryer, holding her hair up so it wouldn't soak her clothes.
She called softly, "Shiraha, come dry my hair."
Kiana blinked, did she really need help with something so simple?
"Coming, coming."
Shiraha glanced at his Nee-chan. Elysia looked thoughtful. He smiled instinctively, stood behind Mei, took her hair, and carefully kept it from wetting her clothes.
Mei let out a soft hum. "The outside world is pretty fun."
"Shiraha, after we graduate, I'll bring you here again. You just stand behind me and hold my sheath."
Sure, Hokushin Ittō-ryū might be low-tier, but Mei had noticed that when she rubbed her hands hard, the static seemed to conduct through the blade.
She decided to pick it back up, maybe it'd have unexpected results.
Shiraha deftly arranged her hair. "I don't think Uncle Ryoma will let us leave again before we graduate high school."
Mei huffed, scrunching her nose. "Who cares about Dad, we'll sneak out."
"But only after my ghost friend appears too. I feel like my Stigmata is calling out to me."
She instinctively lifted her chin with pride, brushing her damp head against Shiraha's neck, cool and wet.
Shiraha paused. "Can you hear your Stigmata talking too?"
Mei paused. "…No."
Shiraha pressed, "Can you slowly use your special abilities yet?"
Mei didn't answer this time. After a long silence, she clenched her fist to bolster herself. "If I can fight a Honkai beast, I'll probably be able to use it."
That reassured Shiraha. If possible, he didn't even want Mei to become a Herrscher.
Even if she did, he hoped she wouldn't trigger an eruption, and at least keep some rationality.
Mei glanced at the dazed Kiana, stood on tiptoe, leaned her head back slightly, and whispered, "Let's find an opportunity to sneak off. I feel like one real battle is all I need to unlock my Stigmata's power."
"Think about it, Shiraha, even though your imaginary friend is strong, you only truly awakened your power when I was in danger."
"Crisis triggers potential, that's what manga and anime always say."
Mei nodded to herself... yes, exactly.
Shiraha said nothing, just kept drying her hair.
Mei whispered again. "Shiraha?"
Shiraha replied helplessly, "Mei-nee, that's too dangerous."
Mei said confidently, "The bigger the waves, the pricier the fish!"
"Besides, a club president can't leave everything to her subordinates. I need to have my own strengths."
Shiraha said softly, "Mei-nee is already excellent."
Flattery but Mei really was pretty good.
Mei's lips curled up slightly, but her heart, driven by a desire to grow stronger, or perhaps just her chuunibyou nature, simply couldn't calm down.
"Not enough!" Mei shook her head, her hair wasn't even dry yet, but she wasn't one to fuss over small details.
Shiraha shot a helpless look at Siegfried.
Siegfried's lips twitched. He glanced at Kiana, who was staring blankly, and sighed. "We're heading back. We've clearly been marked since we got here, staying any longer is too dangerous."
He suddenly realized that Ryoma Raiden probably had good reason not to worry about Kiana.
Mei seemed a little proud, but her bond with Shiraha was just too strong.
"Leaving so soon? Aren't we going to tour all of Siberia?"
Mei muttered. Going back was boring, this frozen wonderland was way more fun. Every now and then, assassins would spawn, and maybe a Honkai beast or two.
Way more interesting than the Far East.
Siegfried blinked. "Who told you we were touring Siberia?"
Mei blinked back. "When you go out to have fun, you visit all the places you can, right?"
Siegfried's face darkened. "Who told you we were out here for fun?"
"Whatever, kids can't change what adults decide anyway."
Mei understood, her dad was the same way.
She grabbed Shiraha's hand. "Come on, let's go buy some ice cream."
The young lady never isolated anyone, so she reached out to Kiana too.
Elysia was still lost in thought. Shiraha wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but when he looked back at his Nee-chan, her usually fluffy hair seemed a little damp.
He had a bad feeling. But then again, his Nee-chan becoming more human-like, more alive, that wasn't so bad either.
Night fell, theoretically Shiraha's last night in Siberia.
Elysia sat by the window, gazing at the moon. Her hair was wet, droplets falling from the tips, but they vanished the moment they left her.
She was in a so-so mood. Shiraha hadn't helped her with her wet hair, sigh, men. He was so happy helping Mei, but when it came to her… sigh, little man.
She began to hum softly. "She stirs the heavens' wrath and earth's disdain, no more smiles in this world remain~"
It was a modern-era song, though she couldn't remember the name.
Shiraha rushed over and covered her mouth. "Nee-chan, don't sing that song. It's bad luck."
If he remembered right, there was a line about souls scattering and spirits flying.
Elysia lowered her head, not struggling against his hand, her eyes sparkling. "Since when did Mr. Omnipotent One believe in that kind of thing?"
Shiraha's face was tense, it wasn't about belief. With your hair wet, sitting by the moonlit window, singing that kind of eerie song, it was really unsettling.
He decided to indulge his Nee-chan's whims. "Nee-chan, let's dry your hair and go to sleep."
Elysia was even more satisfied. But the fairy was kind-hearted, she didn't keep teasing the little guy. After all, what she did now… she'd probably get payback for later.
At that thought, Elysia froze—eh?!