"Mei? I remember that name..."
"Mm. Elias' first love. Her combat power is probably on par with Elysia. Today is her birthday."
"...Did I come at the worst possible time?"
Mobius' eyelid twitched. She had finally managed to seal that most troublesome fairy inside the Elysian Realm, and now there was another boss of the same level in the Current Era charging up her ultimate.
She really should have made her entrance a little later.
"But Mobius, you came at the perfect time. We're short on hands to decorate the birthday venue in the dorms. With you and Klein, it should be enough," Sakura said.
"Hah? Are you kidding me? I just came out of the Elysian Realm and haven't even seen Elias yet, and you're already making me decorate my rival's birthday party? Do I, Mobius, have no dignity at all?!"
"Oh, stop being stubborn. You delivered yourself to my doorstep—how could I possibly let you go?"
As she spoke, Sakura grabbed Mobius with one hand and lifted Klein with the other, dragging them toward the dorms.
Klein let out a bitter sigh. She had thought she could finally catch her breath, but unexpectedly, new work had appeared right in front of her in the strangest way possible.
Inside the Valkyrie dormitory, the girls warmly welcomed the new labor force brought by Sakura. Even MEI gave a thumbs-up, clearly saying that Mobius had arrived at just the right time.
Mobius: "..."
Many people might forget that although Snake wasn't as much of a tragic loser as MEI, she still couldn't escape the fate of constantly getting shut down.
Although the dorms were being decorated for the birthday party, Mei and Elias were not at home at the moment. After all, anyone could guess that for Raiden Mei, the best gift was monopolizing Elias.
So the two of them were currently on a date outside the academy.
Though the girls usually fought among themselves, on this special day, everyone was willing to let Mei have the white-haired boy all to herself and offer their blessings.
Aponia: "Mobius, Klein, please come help. Hang that banner over there, and inflate the balloons as well."
Mobius: "Don't stop me—I want to go back to the Elysian Realm!"
Klein: "...Doctor, did you forget? To prevent Elysia from coming out, you sealed all the exits of the Elysian Realm yourself."
Mobius: "Damn it!"
...
While the girls were decorating the dorms, Elias and Mei's date was proceeding pleasantly.
"I didn't expect you'd choose this place, Mei. But it really does suit you," Elias said, looking around with emotion.
"Will Elias think it's unoriginal?"
"Of course not. Besides, today is your birthday, Mei. The world revolves around you on this day. So wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do—it's all fine."
Elias gently stroked Mei's purple hair. Since it was her birthday, the cook had dressed up especially carefully.
On her upper body was a pure white blouse adorned with a blue bow. Below, she wore a delicate black skirt with white stockings and blue high heels. Lace gloves covered her hands, and blue rose earrings swayed at her ears. She looked mature and captivating.
Elias had also put effort into his appearance. Dressed in an immaculate white suit like a groom about to step into a church, he wore a dark blue tie to match the girl beside him. He had even styled his hair more handsomely than usual.
In short, this was the limited-edition birthday version of Elias.
Mei: (Suddenly I want it to be my birthday every day!)
The two were sitting side by side on a bench atop a school rooftop, basking in the warm sunlight. Since it was Saturday, the once lively campus was now quiet.
This was Chiba Academy—the place where they first met.
It felt as if everything had returned to the very beginning.
Mei leaned against Elias' shoulder, utterly content. She couldn't help but hope that time would remain frozen in this moment.
She wasn't the type who liked to make her birthday overly grand. For a girl like Raiden Mei, as long as she could stay at home with the person she loved most and quietly spend the day together, that would be enough.
That alone would be the best birthday.
But their home—the Valkyrie dormitory—was a little too lively right now. For a girl who wanted a private world with Elias, she needed to choose somewhere special.
So she chose Chiba Academy, the place where she and Elias first encountered each other.
Moreover, this was Raiden Mei's origin. Unlike the warmth and happiness she experienced at St. Freya Academy, Chiba Academy carried her painful memories.
Yet it was also here that she gained her life's salvation and met the most important person in her world.
"It's incredible. Looking back now, those painful memories feel trivial. Elias, sometimes I think... if the bullying I endured back then was the price for our fates to intertwine, then that price was far too insignificant."
"I'm happy to hear you say that, but our meeting never required any price. And on your birthday, don't say things like that. Let's do something happy instead. Whatever wish you have today, I'll grant it."
Elias patted his chest.
Today, he was an all-purpose wish machine.
Even if Mei said she wanted the stars in the sky or this entire world, it would be fine. As long as she asked, Elias would pluck a star down from the heavens and make his girl the queen of the world in minutes.
"Haha~ Isn't that the same as usual?"
Mei smiled blissfully. And she wasn't wrong—it really was no different from normal.
Elias fulfilled all their wishes on a daily basis.
He spoiled them far too much.
"Ah, that's true. This is bad, bad. What am I supposed to do now?" Elias showed a troubled expression.
Since he had already been spoiling them without limit on ordinary days, even if he wanted to treat Mei even better on this crucial day, he didn't know how to show it.
"How about I wrap myself up in a gift box and present myself to you?" Elias joked.
"That sounds great. I'll take it!" Mei's eyes immediately lit up as she looped her arms around Elias' neck.
She didn't actually want much. Being able to spend the day like this with Elias was already enough. But clearly, the white-haired boy didn't think so.
Because to Elias, this day was just like the lyrics of a certain song...
"The day you were born is the most important day in the world—more important than Christmas, more important than Valentine's Day, more important than any other holiday."
Watching the white-haired boy rack his brains, trying to figure out how to fill this day to the brim with happiness, Mei couldn't help but let her lips curl upward. She felt incomparably happy.
Then she began to think—if she allowed herself to be a little more willful, a little more greedy, what else did she want?
"Elias, can I have a hug from you, your lap pillow, your kiss... and more of your secrets?"
"Oh? Just that is enough?"
"Then~ add one more promise. And today, you're only allowed to look at me."
Mei's cheeks flushed slightly, a little embarrassed. She hadn't expected that she would want so many things.
"No problem, my queen~"
The white-haired boy curled his lips into a radiant smile, as brilliant as the sun. Within those dazzling golden eyes, only Mei's reflection existed, as if his world contained her alone.
Then Elias gently tightened his embrace around her delicate body and pressed a deep kiss to her soft lips, as if he wanted to offer everything he had to the girl named Raiden Mei.
This kiss wasn't lustful. Instead, it felt pure and sacred.
On the rooftop, beneath the brilliant sunlight, the white-haired boy and the violet-haired girl embraced—like a beautiful, holy painting brought to life.
When the long kiss finally ended...
Both of them were slightly out of breath. Even though they hadn't done anything strenuous, their hearts were beating faster than in any battle they had ever experienced. At the same time, a special emotion filled their hearts completely.
Elias patted his thigh.
Mei happily rested her head on it. Although she liked giving Elias lap pillows, switching roles once in a while wasn't bad either.
"So, what should I tell you..."
Kiss, hug, lap pillow, secrets, and promises.
Elias intended to fully satisfy Mei's birthday wishes. After a brief hesitation over which secret to reveal, he quickly made his decision.
He would give her his greatest secret as a birthday gift.
"Let's go with this one. My dear Mei, you'd better prepare yourself."
"Eh? Prepare myself?"
"Mm~ because what I'm about to tell you is Elias' greatest secret—my origin, my true self that I have never revealed to anyone since coming into this world."
Elias gently brushed aside the bangs of the girl resting on his lap, then began to tell her everything.
"I... am actually a traveler from another world. Someone who originally did not belong to this world—a transmigrator."
"!!!"
Mei's beautiful eyes widened instantly. For a moment, she even forgot to breathe. She listened intently to every word Elias spoke, while subconsciously pressing a hand against her chest, as if afraid her heart might leap out.
...Several hours later...
Elias finished telling the story of his previous life.
He hadn't been any kind of savior. He hadn't possessed any great power. He had simply been an ordinary boy, living a short and unremarkable life.
Compared to the life he now lived alongside the girls in this world, it was far too plain and ordinary. And considering he had also been an orphan in that life, it even sounded a little pitiful.
If one ignored that fact, then it was nothing more than the life of a boy you could find anywhere—completely different from the man in this world, praised by countless people as a "savior."
But Mei listened with exceptional focus. The light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter. The love in her heart, already beyond saving, now completely fell beyond redemption.
"How was it, Mei? Even though it's my biggest secret, it's a pretty boring life, right?"
"No! Not at all! No matter which world you're in, Elias, you've always lived with all your strength. If that bus hadn't cut your life short, your future in that world would have definitely been brilliant too."
Mei spoke with a serious expression.
At this moment, her entire being was filled with both shock and joy.
She had never imagined that the person she loved had such an incredible past.
Just as Aponia once said in her hymn—
[One day, he fell from the sky. People looked up and saw the stars. The world sent forth a boy from a distant land...]
And just as the Flame-Chaser of [Preservation] she had once met in a ramen shop had said—Elias was the most special person. Even if one searched through every bubble world in the Sea of Quanta, there would never be another like him.
Elias had called his past life boring and ordinary—but Mei didn't think so.
Even without becoming a savior or a hero, he had still lived with everything he had.
Mei couldn't help but feel resentment toward the bus that had taken Elias' life, ending what should have been a brilliant future without reason.
But at the same time, she felt a trace of gratitude.
Because without that bus, Elias would never have come to this world—and she would never have met him.
"I really am the luckiest person in the world."
Mei gently stroked Elias' cheek, sighing softly at how fortunate she was to be in love with him.
"I used to think that meeting you was the greatest stroke of luck in my life. But now I realize... this encounter is far more extraordinary than I ever imagined. It's a one-of-a-kind miracle."
Was it a one-in-a-billion chance? A one-in-a-trillion? Or something so small it approached zero, beyond even the reach of decimals?
Only now did Raiden Mei understand that the encounter that changed her fate was far more precious than she had ever imagined—countless times more so.
She used to think Kiana was the luckiest person in the world.
But now, Mei believed that person was herself.
If there truly existed something that had arranged this encounter behind the scenes, she would offer it her most sincere gratitude.
"Silly girl, you don't need to thank anything. Our meeting wasn't a coincidence—it was inevitable," Elias said.
"What?" Mei blinked in confusion.
"Because it was my own decision. Mei, from the moment I arrived in this world, I decided that I would come to see you, protect you... and fall in love with you."
Elias smiled as he looked at the stunned girl before him.
"If I were to put it in Jyahnar's style..."
He leaned down and kissed Mei once more. At the same time, he activated the authority of the Herrscher of Sentience, sending his thoughts directly into her mind.
(From the moment I descended into this world... I was already in love with you, Raiden Mei.)
Mei's eyes widened instantly, tears welling up as they spilled from the corners of her eyes.
(Elias... saying it like that is completely unfair...)