The trip to the Americas had already been announced to the students by the teachers.
Even the meals and accommodation along the way had been booked in advance.
Kiana was still uneasy when she got home, after all, her dad had made it pretty clear that if she didn't make the cut, she'd just have to stay home.
But Mei was always bolder. She grabbed Shiraha's hand. "Shiraha, you got first place. Can you ask my dad for me?"
Shiraha had no reason to refuse.
After all, without Mei or Kiana on this trip to the Americas, it would be… pretty dull.
He couldn't just spend the whole time building affection with Yuna.
Elysia suddenly had a thought, her starry eyes lighting up. "Little Shiraha, could you be a little mischievous?"
Shiraha blinked.
As everyone knew, Shiraha never killed the mood. So he pretended to stumble, falling flat into his Nee-chan's arms with a pained expression.
He only had about two years left before he'd be too old to pull this off.
Elysia let out a soft "mm," wrapping her arms around Little Shiraha's shoulders and looking down at his scrunched-up little face.
She didn't kill the mood either, she just said, "When I said mischievous, I meant subtly steering things so Mei and Kiana can't go to the Americas."
Not that kind of mischievous. But Little Shiraha had changed too, he used to be a kid who'd never even been in love, with clear, innocent eyes when she caught him off guard.
Sigh.... fledglings always grow up. Maybe that's the trouble that comes with youth.
Shiraha's expression shifted from pained to thoughtful, then he firmly shook his head.
"Kiana should go to the Americas. She doesn't have a deep connection with Anti-Entropy yet."
"I always say Siegfried is a good person, and good people are easy to push around, but Siegfried and Anti-Entropy don't have much of a connection either."
"Siegfried just has nowhere else to go, he hasn't fully joined Anti-Entropy."
Siegfried didn't really identify with Anti-Entropy. It's just that Anti-Entropy didn't seem problematic right now, so he kept it to himself.
Old-school strong types usually thought that way, everything they'd learned and experienced told Siegfried that personal power mattered most.
Shiraha gave a simple justification for his actions. Elysia thought about it, that made sense.
She sighed again. "Sigh.... it feels like Little Shiraha never does anything without a reason."
Shiraha was quiet for a moment, then looked up at his Nee-chan. "Because I always find a reason for what I do."
His Nee-chan should understand that, after all, the fairy's own behavior was clearly something she could relate to.
But they could discuss that later.
At dinner, Shiraha suddenly spoke up. "Uncle Ryoma, do you really have to be in the top ten to go to the Americas?"
Ryoma Raiden had been in a good mood, but his expression darkened instantly.
"Haven't you been running study groups? How did Mei's grades drop so much?"
Mei kept her head down, eating, only occasionally glancing at Shiraha. When she saw that he didn't seem flustered, she relaxed a little.
"Mei's been busy with a lot of things, she might have slacked off on her studies."
Shiraha paused, thinking. "I'll make sure to tutor her over break, help her catch up."
He added, "Just like I tutored Kiana before, consistent effort will pay off."
Probably. Shiraha wasn't really sure what Mei had been up to, maybe "pretending to work hard" was the best way to describe it.
Ryoma Raiden's expression softened when he looked at Shiraha, after all, Shiraha had always been well-behaved and… reliable.
He suddenly said, "Mei?"
The young lady immediately straightened up. "I'll study hard with Shiraha… starting today."
Kiana snickered and kept eating.
Ryoma Raiden sighed. "You should all get ready too. Don't study tonight, take it easy."
"You should come to the Americas. After all… you're already inseparable from the real world."
This was really Shiraha's fault, but Ryoma couldn't help thinking, with such a promising kid, how could he not let him touch the Honkai world?
Siegfried? His talent wasn't even close to Shiraha's.
Awesome! Mei's expression lit up, her smile bright.
Ryoma's lips twitched at her joy, but he didn't say anything to dampen the mood.
Kiana put on an obedient look. "What about me, Uncle Ryoma?"
"You're coming too, Dr. Tesla and the others have been asking about you for a while."
Ryoma thought of Tesla complaining about Siegfried and sighed, yeah, Tesla was really worried about Kiana.
And so the trip was set.
When Shiraha got back to his room, it was around 8 PM. The lights were on, and the stars on the ceiling swayed gently.
No tutoring tonight, Shiraha tidied up his books, then flopped lazily onto the bed.
"Finally over."
Elysia muttered quietly, "You've built up a lot of affection during this time."
At least there was some good news, Sirin hadn't shown up lately.
Elysia leaned against the headboard, still holding that unnamed storybook. It seemed to mean a lot to her.
Shiraha also reached over and picked up a real storybook from the nightstand, its cover showing a castle and a princess in a long dress.
Elysia suddenly asked, "Aren't you going to ask why I like reading fairy tales?"
Shiraha was quiet for a moment, then shook his head with a puzzled look. "No idea."
Then he smiled openly. "But the reason I like reading fairy tales is that every time I'm with my Nee-chan, I feel like the prince from one of these stories."
Elysia let out an "mm," her starry eyes blinking. "Don't say such flirty things right now."
She turned her face slightly away, but still looked at her illusory book, one long leg bent against her chest, propping it up.
"Actually, my first fantasy of paradise came from this storybook."
Her voice rose, bright and innocent. "Even the name, Elysia, came from this book!"
"But you probably don't know what's in it, Little Shiraha, with your personality…"
Given how wary Shiraha had been when they first met, his past probably wasn't happy, he wouldn't have had the heart for fairy tales.
Shiraha tilted his head, leaning against his Nee-chan's shoulder.
He spoke softly. "I have read this book."
Back in the Elysian Realm, he'd filled in all the basics.
But this time, he paused, waiting for his Nee-chan's look of surprise before continuing. "I read it in the Elysian Realm. I was always curious about everything about you, so of course I didn't skip it."
"Back then, I thought, my Nee-chan really is the fairy who stepped out of a storybook."
Elysia's starry eyes curved, he was curious about her past like that? Good, she loved mutual feelings.
Her voice lifted, sounding playful and almost teasing. "Little Shiraha, can you say that reason for liking fairy tales again?"
Shiraha tried to look dreamy. "I said, every time I'm with my Nee-chan, I feel like the prince in a fairy tale."
"Then, my prince—"
Knock, knock, knock!
The sudden knock cut Elysia off mid-sentence.
Shiraha waited, but his Nee-chan didn't seem inclined to continue. He said helplessly, "Come—"
Before he could finish, Mei had already pushed the door open on her own.
It wasn't about disrespecting privacy, Mei felt she could do the same to Shiraha.
She saw him leaning against the headboard and blinked. "You read fairy tales too?"
How childish.
But then she remembered he was two years younger than her, it made sense. She'd stopped reading fairy tales at ten.
Shiraha looked at the book in his hand, paused, and put on a shy expression. "Because I've always believed in the legend, if you read a fairy tale before bed, the princess will come out of the book."
He looked up at Mei.
"Just like now, Mei-nee."
Elysia shifted uncomfortably.
She'd thought fairy tales were her own little story, but Shiraha's silver tongue really knew how to talk.
A few words were enough to make Mei blush.
But the young lady was still a young lady. Mei shook her head. "You're still so smooth-talking."
"That's fine, after all, someone only says nice things when the king's out of earshot."
Mei teased. Shiraha pressed his lips together, looking a little shy when they were alone.
But Mei had her own business. She held up her textbook. "But an all-powerful princess can't settle for rank forty-one."
Mei flopped onto the bed, crossing her legs comfortably, her princess dress wrinkled against the blanket.
Shiraha had no choice but to go along.
He should've just not gotten first every time, but without that, he wouldn't have kept such a good image with the adults.
Still, Mei was a little different from Kiana. When Mei felt she'd done enough, she rubbed her eyes.
"Let's stop here for today, Shiraha, we still have to get ready for the Americas tomorrow."
"Sigh... I feel like I lost all my face today. I'll definitely make up for it tomorrow."
Mei, who usually hovered around rank 20, had suffered her first major setback.
She found her slippers, thought for a moment, and left her textbook on Shiraha's desk instead of taking it.
Shiraha walked her part of the way, though he didn't really need to get out of bed.
"Sigh.... this world's so unfair. Mei and Kiana can just sit on your bed, even pull the blankets over themselves, drag you around by the hand all day, and even hug you once in a while."
"But if I did that, even if no one could see me, they'd think I'm a pervert."
"This world is sick."
Elysia pretended to puff up with indignation.
Why couldn't everyone be treated fairly?
She, Elysia, was both a sudden arrival and a childhood friend, why did she have to be treated with such suspicion?
Shiraha closed the door. "There's a difference between early romance and being a creep."
He'd always portrayed his Nee-chan as a beautiful older sister, like Himeko, or like the "Rin-nee" others thought was Yae Sakura.
Not as a little kid.
Elysia's expression turned wistful. "Even Little Shiraha isn't on my side anymore."
"Of course I am. I still see myself as the Omnipotent One, as a grown-up, as Big Shiraha. But since you keep calling me 'Little Shiraha,' what can I do?"
Shiraha fumbled for the light switch, then slipped under the covers, reaching out to hold his Nee-chan's hand so she could slowly connect with reality.
Not call you Little Shiraha, should I call you Big Shiraha?
Elysia suddenly thought of something and let out a laugh. In the darkness, meeting Shiraha's puzzled gaze, she chuckled again to herself.
Big Shiraha… just thinking about it was fun.
"Sleep well, my Omnipotent One... Big Shiraha."
The stars on the ceiling quickly dimmed, never disturbing their owner's rest.
The next day, when everyone gathered at the school gate, Yuna's hopeful expression flattened the moment she saw Mei and Kiana.
She blinked. "Mei and Kiana are coming too?"
Why? Hadn't they not made the top ten?
Wait.... wasn't the university tour supposed to be for the top ten?
Yuna's expression stayed neutral, but inwardly she felt a little down.
"Yeah, I'm visiting some elders in the Americas. Kiana too. Yuna, we get to stick together again!"
Mei looked radiant, last night's tutoring session didn't seem to have affected her energy.
Since it was break, she wasn't wearing her uniform, instead, she had on a pretty purple dress, its hem sitting just above her knees, showing a bit of fair skin.
Kiana wasn't wearing a dress, she was dressed casually.
Shiraha spotted Fu Hua nearby. "Don't worry, Fu Hua, this trip is fully covered. And the university we're visiting is probably where we'll end up studying."
He came over to get closer to her, he'd been neglecting her for a while. It was time to chat, maybe even bring her to the Elysian Realm to help her recover her memories and get her on his side.
Fu Hua adjusted her glasses, her communicator was offline again.
Probably Shiraha's or Mei's Stigmata interfering, that was her guess.
"Yeah, I'm not worried!"
She smiled genuinely. She didn't dislike these Anti-Entropy kids, Mei, Shiraha, even K423, none of them.
If only this world didn't have Honkai.
Shiraha had planned to sit with Fu Hua on the bus and the plane, but Kiana dragged her away. Mei sat with Yuna.
Bronya, holding her black rabbit, noticed Shiraha had picked a corner seat and was about to come over.
Shiraha's smile was apologetic. "Sorry.... this seat's taken."
Bronya: ….
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