The next morning, Shiraha shook his head groggily and pushed Nee-chan's face aside. Elysia murmured something indistinct, rolled over, and kept sleeping.
Shiraha ignored her. Barefoot on the floor, he walked to the window and pulled back the curtains. The sky had cleared; last night's rain had stopped, leaving only the occasional puddle glinting by the roadside.
"By the way... does this mean we don't have to do PE today?"
He spoke casually and looked back toward the bed.
Nee-chan didn't answer, she was still on the bed, sound asleep. Once again, due to collision physics, she was slowly being squeezed out from under the covers. Her Herrscher raiment, which had already shifted into pajamas, was looking a little rumpled.
e didn't wake Senpai. Her alertness far surpassed his own; if she hadn't stirred yet, it meant she wanted to doze a little longer.
This wasn't the late stages of the Previous Era. Sleeping in a little on a bed wasn't going to cost the world its salvation.
Shiraha changed, pushed the door open, and stretched lazily, even rising onto his tiptoes, arms straining upward, his whole body feeling instantly alive again.
The living room was quiet. Uncle Ryoma had been very busy lately. First, searching for the missing Siegfried. Second, finding time to hold a martial arts tournament in Nagazora, classified as an extreme sports event (sponsored by ME Corp).
There was already someone in the living room. Himeko. She'd probably just gotten up too. She stood before the mirror by the hallway, face tilted slightly, bending forward to touch her cheek, almost as if she were... admiring herself?
"Shiraha~ As a boy, this is when you should say to me: 'You look so beautiful, Himeko-nee~'"
Himeko's voice suddenly rang out, carrying a teasing lilt, though her gaze remained fixed on the mirror.
Shiraha was silent for a moment. But your future ceiling feels so low. Without an artificial Stigmata, you're not even on Yuna's level.
But after a brief pause, he still put on a bright smile and spoke. "You look so beautiful, Himeko-nee."
Himeko shot a glance at the little brat. "Sigh. When you grow up, you'll understand just how important it is to have a smooth tongue."
Kids this age spoke entirely on instinct. Sure, most of the time they were obedient and well-behaved but at this age, the prime time to farm affection points, all they thought about was playing.
"What do you want for breakfast?" Himeko laughed lightly, stepping away from the mirror. "After all, it seems I've got your PE class today. If you don't eat enough, don't blame me if you faint from hunger."
Shiraha: ....
What kind of threatening statement is that?!
Shiraha opened his mouth, expression tangled, caught in hesitation.
"Alright, alright. I'm just teasing you. It just rained last night, PE class will be free time today."
After all, Murata Himeko had also grown up in the Far East. She understood all too well what kids wanted.
"Long live Himeko-nee!"
Himeko crouched down and pinched the little guy's cheek. The texture was so soft, it made her pinch it again involuntarily. Then, without any sense of formality, she spread her arms, scooped Shiraha into a full hug, and rested her chin on the top of his head, nuzzling lightly.
Seeing the boy's utterly unembarrassed expression, she momentarily doubted the judgment of Dr. Tesla and Professor Welt.
Are you sure a kid this age even understands what "like" means?
"Your big sister's going to make you something good this morning. I really don't get why Ryoma-senpai eats so blandly every day."
Today, they were having rich, greasy, meaty food!
"Long live Himeko-nee~"
A copycat voice drifted over from behind.
Nee-chan's pajamas had already switched to a youthful, sporty outfit. Now she leaned against the hallway wall, hands clasped behind her back, starry eyes curved into crescents.
Shiraha let out a helpless, muted laugh.
While waiting for breakfast, Mei also came out of her room, rubbing her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the absence of her father in the main seat of the living room, and she immediately let out a yawn, her whole frame visibly sagging with relief.
"Dad's off working again today, huh."
Shiraha answered casually, "Uncle Ryoma seems really busy with work lately."
Mei paused for a beat, then ran downstairs with a serious expression. "Shiraha. When Dad's not home, you're supposed to join me in complaining about him."
Shiraha: .....
Mei continued, "I know Dad works hard. And we can find other things to do after school to surprise him. But when I'm complaining, you should match my attitude."
Not stand there being a good kid, even though Mei knew Shiraha really was a good kid.
Shiraha adapted instantly, his demeanor flipping to dissatisfaction. "Yeah, seriously. Uncle Ryoma's been so busy lately. It's like he doesn't even care about us anymore."
Mei nodded with satisfaction. "Do you think we should buy Dad a present after school?"
Shiraha blinked. I think the best present we could give Uncle Ryoma is doing absolutely nothing and not causing him any trouble.
But he still nodded. "I'll follow Mei-nee's lead."
Maybe, for adults, a little bit of trouble wasn't such a bad thing. Sometimes the emotional lift was worth more than anything.
Only then did Mei settle contently onto the other chair. Shiraha ought to be just like her, in sync with her own lifestyle and habits.
As for her adapting to someone else? Don't be ridiculous. A Mei who'd never been through bullying and all those incidents? A ten-year-old Mei?
Impossible.
"Breakfast's ready, you two."
Himeko was still wearing her apron. The housekeeper had taken the day off; she was the only one who could cook. The good news was, her skills were quite decent, certified by Welt and Einstein, no less!
"So? Tastes pretty good, right?"
Himeko didn't pick up her chopsticks. She rested her chin on her hand and quietly watched the two children.
Mei pressed her lips together, chewed carefully twice, and felt... it was about the same as usual. Maybe even a little worse than the aunties they'd hired before.
She looked at Shiraha. Shiraha was silent for a moment. "Delicious. A million times better than the boxed lunches from the convenience store in front of school!"
Mei instantly followed suit. "Definitely a million times better than the school lunches."
Himeko narrowed her eyes. Having lost her own mother at a young age, she knew perfectly well what convenience store boxed lunches tasted like.
She smiled warmly, her voice gentle. "Eat up, now. In PE today, I'll let you run 200 meters less."
Shiraha: .....
Mei exhaled in relief. Before, their PE teachers always made them jog three or four hundred meters. Running 200 meters less would be a lot easier.
After breakfast, the three of them, plus one ghost, headed out together.
Himeko trailed behind the two children, hands tucked into her jacket pockets, strolling leisurely. She planned to take a look at that club Mei had founded.
Mei walked at the very front, radiant and glowing, carrying the full bearing of a young lady. Her chin was always slightly lifted; she rarely ever looked downcast.
The flow of people at the school gate was always heavy. Plenty of students bumped into familiar classmates here and exchanged greetings.
In the crowd, Shiraha spotted Yuna.
She stood before a puddle, head slightly lowered, gaze resting on the water's surface. Hard to tell what she was looking at, maybe her own reflection, or maybe just lost in a daze.
Yuna spotted them too.
She hastily pulled her gaze away from the puddle and straightened up, looking a little nervous.
"Sure hope she's not here to hand in a withdrawal letter."
Mei muttered quietly.
Shiraha didn't respond. He glanced at Yuna, then put on a bright, clean smile. "You look beautiful, Yuna."
Yuna's tense expression froze for a split second, then her small face flushed red. She'd been staring at her reflection in the puddle after all and someone had noticed!
Himeko, watching this scene from behind, halted mid-step for just a moment.
This kid... was his ability to learn and apply things really that strong?
The words she'd just taught him this morning and he'd already turned around and used them on another little girl?
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