"Legacy?"
"Or 'remnants,' I suppose." Elysia tilted her head, pressing a finger to her chin like she was giving it serious thought. "Actually, isn't the proper term 'remnants'?"
Her eyes were impossibly clear, like a spring untouched by impurity.
Shiraha nodded, but didn't push the conversation further. This whole "remnant" thing went over his head anyway. He was just a poor, innocent transmigrator. His knowledge of the Previous Era was limited to scraps of lore from a game.
"Elysia-senpai, could you help me with something?"
"That's Elysia-nee."
Shiraha adapted without missing a beat. Calling her "nee-san" cost him nothing. "Elysia-nee, I don't want to stay at the orphanage anymore. Could you… adopt me?"
It wasn't that the orphanage was bad, exactly. But for a transmigrator like Shiraha, the outside world offered so much more freedom.
Plus, Elysia already knew he was special. He wouldn't have to keep up the innocent child act around her. That alone was a massive upgrade over sitting in a playroom watching other kids fight over toys.
"..."
Elysia blinked, striking a deliberately cute pose.
Shiraha blinked back, choosing understanding and adaptation.
"So, um, Shiraha~ my current situation is a little… unusual. I might not be able to adopt you."
She reached out and squished his cheeks again. Honestly, they were even softer than Eden's face.
'Touching little kids feels so nice!'
Shiraha paused to think. "Is it… because you don't have any life skills? That's fine. I do."
He was guessing. What Elysia could actually do was still a mystery. If you wanted to be dramatic about it, she seemed capable of anything, reading fate, debating theology with nuns, discussing biology with researchers. When everyone else fell into despair, she was the one who could do it all.
But… that was all too vague. Too lofty. When Shiraha tried to pin down a single practical life skill Elysia might possess, his mind went completely blank.
Elysia, what can you actually do?
Elysia's expression froze for a second, but she shook her head anyway. That wasn't the reason.
"Then… are you still homeless?"
Shiraha gave her a once-over, taking in her appearance. She looked well put together… ahem, beautiful. Didn't exactly scream "vagrant." But hey, anime logic. Don't question it.
Elysia shook her head again.
"…You're not undocumented, are you?!"
This time, Elysia thought about it for a moment and nodded.
She was undocumented. Just not in the sense of lacking papers for this country. She lacked papers for this entire era.
Aside from the little boy in front of her, it seemed no one else could even see her.
The thought made Elysia pause, her brow furrowing in contemplation. Then... ah!
She reached out with mischievous intent toward a pretty young woman walking by!
"Stop, stop!"
Shiraha's reflexes kicked in. He lunged forward and grabbed Elysia's wrist with both small hands, holding tight.
The passerby glanced at the little boy with mild curiosity, but a six- or seven-year-old kid randomly jumping around on the sidewalk wasn't exactly unusual.
Shiraha immediately switched to his most angelic, harmless expression. "Sorry for bothering you, Onee-san~"
The young woman smiled and ruffled his hair.
"It's fine. You're forgiven."
Once she was out of earshot, Shiraha turned and shot Elysia a deadpan look.
Elysia clasped her hands together and pitched her voice high and syrupy. "So~ sorry~ for bothering you~ Onee~ san~"
Shiraha: "...."
"Do you actually have something you need to be doing right now?"
He ignored her theatrical teasing. Elysia could be genuinely impulsive sometimes like that random grab just now. The passerby hadn't even glanced in Elysia's direction once.
Thinking back on the scene, something about it nagged at Shiraha.
Something was off.
"I think~" Elysia stretched the word out, spinning lightly on her heel in a playful circle around him.
Then inspiration struck. She smacked her fist into her palm.
"I think… my only task now is to stay by your side and watch you grow up!"
Shiraha tilted his head, genuinely puzzled.
'Sis, you sure you want to be here messing with a kid instead of looking for Kevin, Su, and Hua?
Wait, hold on. Is this even the Current Era of Honkai?'
Shiraha was being way too calm about all this, and Elysia was getting zero emotional feedback in return.
She pursed her lips. "Don't you ever get embarrassed? Or flustered? Anything?"
Shiraha's voice came out complicated. "I just think you're putting on an act, Elysia-senpai. I'm not actually a little kid."
Elysia let out a small huff.
She couldn't help it.
It was like the entire world had walled her off. Over on the other side, everything was noisy and alive, crowds bustling, people laughing and here she was, huddled alone in a corner, only able to watch everyone else's warmth from the outside.
Then, just when the isolation felt absolute, someone pushed open the door to that tiny, empty room.
Someone actually noticed her.
Ugh, why did Shiraha have to be an old soul too?! If little Shiraha had been a real child, she couldn't even imagine how moved she'd be right now.
She could have claimed his childhood fair and square. Filled it with gentleness and companionship. Molded him into a hero who'd surpass even Kevin!
And then, when the time inevitably came for them to part, she could pass on her Authority of Origin to him. Through the power of infinite love, he could rewrite any bad ending life threw his way.
Shiraha paid no attention to Elysia's wistful daydreaming. He was busy analyzing things coldly. "Since you don't have anything pressing to do, Elysia-senpai, why not come back to the orphanage with me? It's practically in your wheelhouse. You're already familiar with the environment."
Elysia: ...?
What do you mean "in my wheelhouse"?
"First, we get you settled at the orphanage. If we really are the 'legacy of the Previous Era' like you said, then sticking together during the early stages makes sense."
Shiraha kept one hand clutching his book, and extended the other, open palm facing up toward Elysia.
Elysia blinked, taking in the determined look in this tiny kid's eyes. And then… she reached out and took his hand without a second thought.
"Here's hoping we can make a good life for ourselves in this era."
Shiraha's hand was so small that after the handshake, he found himself momentarily stuck. Not that it mattered. He simply turned around, kept the grip as it was, and started leading Elysia back toward the orphanage.
A few passersby glanced back at the sight, a little kid walking along with one hand awkwardly stretched behind him, as if someone invisible were holding it. But he was so young that no one gave it more than a brief, amused look.
The orphanage wasn't far. Shiraha couldn't exactly wander too far from it without permission… though, to be fair, he hadn't exactly gotten permission for this little excursion either.
The iron gate had some rust spots, but it still looked sturdy, the kind of solid barrier that gave a sense of security, completely separating the world inside from the world outside.
"Next, I'll introduce you to the director. I'll try to make your story sound as pitiful as possible. You don't mind, do you, Elysia-nee?"
While Elysia stood there in a bit of a daze, Shiraha tossed his book up into the air, took a quick running step, planted his foot against the wall, executed a textbook backflip, and landed with well, intended flair.
The book… look, don't expect perfection. He's still just a little kid. Missing the catch was inevitable.
Without a change in expression, Shiraha bent down, picked up the book, dusted off the cover, then looked back toward the gate.
"Nee?"
He called out to her.
Elysia slowly snapped out of her trance. She looked at Shiraha, and a smile gradually spread across her face. Then… she simply walked through the gate.
Now it was Shiraha's turn to stand there dazed.
You can phase through solid matter? First we had Starlight Elysia, and now Quantum Elysia too? Since when?!