Noon
Yuna was hungry. She was wondering whether she could ask the teacher to spot her a meal, after all, the teacher knew she'd lost her money.
As for why she didn't borrow from a good friend?
Because Yuna didn't have any good friends.
In the Far East, she was just like Shiraha, someone who got bullied. Her situation was only a little better than his.
But Shiraha had the young lady Mei to stand up for him. She had no one.
The atmosphere in the Far East was peculiar. If word of someone's family situation reached the school, there was a strong chance it would affect their entire student life.
"Forget it. Skipping one meal won't kill me."
She sighed.
Losing money... she had a feeling that if her mother found out at home, she'd just get another earful of nagging.
Under the broader Far East culture, single-parent households tended to have an atmosphere that was, a fair bit worse than elsewhere.
"Mei-nee, the martial arts tournament's format is looking a little different from what we imagined."
Originally, it'd been nothing more than kids' casual playfighting, a club activity to be set up at the spring or summer festival at best.
But ever since Ryoma Raiden had expressed interest in investing, the boundaries between the elementary and middle school divisions had already grown very blurry.
And beyond that, there was even a youth division, a martial arts tournament at that age bracket felt more like some Red Bull-sponsored extreme sport.
Mei nodded in deep agreement, her long hair tied up in a high ponytail.
"It's fine." Her voice carried a small trace of pride. "Even if my dad turning a kids' activity into an adult business plan is pretty lame... the naming rights are still mine."
Mei didn't understand too much of it either. All she knew was that this event, the one she'd named had become widely known throughout both old and new Nagazora.
The two of them kept murmuring to each other, looking perfectly composed and at ease. Even Shiraha, isolated as he was, showed not a shred of unease.
From her corner, Yuna watched with a touch of envy.
Having an older sister who can fight is so cool.
"Sigh. The atmosphere in the Far East really is strange."
Elysia grumbled. She'd noticed the girl in the corner, and the look of envy in her eyes.
She felt that her previous era's lovely impression of school had been completely erased during this recent stretch of deeper exposure.
Shiraha followed Nee-chan's line of sight. Yuna noticed his gaze and quickly lowered her head, staring at the floor.
Mei noticed too. She tilted her head and spoke in a clear, crisp voice. "Classmate, aren't you going to lunch?"
The lunch break was quite long. Usually, several classmates would gather together to chat. The original cliques would break into smaller groups, some heading to their clubs, some pairing off.
But no one was ever just... alone.
"I-I'm going now."
Having been spotted, Yuna hastily stood up, ready to flee.
"Want to come with us?"
But Shiraha was already standing beside her, smiling, hand extended.
He had a pretty good guess that the ten yen from this morning belonged to this unlucky kid. She'd been the one crying so miserably, after all.
Not giving Yuna the chance to keep refusing, Shiraha continued, his tone perfectly natural. "If you go buy lunch now, it's obviously way too late."
"And Uncle Ryoma always packs way too much food for Mei-nee and me. Classmate... could you help us eat some of it?"
Shiraha put on a troubled expression. Mei checked the time. It really was a bit late.
Mei extended her hand as well. "If the good spots on the rooftop and in the hallways are all taken, you can come to our club in the future. Our club's still a little short on people anyway."
Mei understood the atmosphere in the Far East, too. Anyone still alone at this hour was most likely being isolated, exactly like Shiraha.
Maybe she's another Shiraha? Mei couldn't help but start fantasizing.
'I really want to run away.' Yuna kept her eyes lowered.
But if she just ran off like that, within the young lady Mei's social circle, she'd only become one more joke.
"Th-Then... thank you." Yuna murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
The Far East didn't seem to put much emphasis on lunch, at least not at school. Even for Shiraha and Raiden Mei, unless they specifically asked Uncle Ryoma, their lunches came cold.
Shiraha naturally withdrew his hand, but Yuna comically reached out with both of hers, grabbing his hand and Mei's at the same time.
Mei didn't mind. She just reassured her, "No worries. If you ever don't feel like coming in the future, just don't forget to go buy lunch in time."
After all, they weren't in the same class. Once this girl found her own little circle, she'd probably have trouble keeping up with both sides.
Shiraha shook his head. "By the way, why didn't you go buy lunch today?"
Yuna answered in a voice as faint as a mosquito's. "I... I lost my lunch money."
"That's really unlucky." Mei sighed sympathetically, then added as if it were the most natural thing, "Good thing Shiraha's and my lunches always come with way too much."
Why, you ask? Mei shot a glance at Shiraha. Because of Shiraha's fierce ghost friend.
And according to Dr. Tesla, there might also be a fierce ghost friend inside her own Stigmata. So their lunches came in four-person portions every single day, just in case.
The leftover food that couldn't be finished, Shiraha always fed to the stray cats and dogs by the roadside. Together with that fierce ghost friend.
Shiraha and Elysia exchanged a glance. Both were clearly thinking of that ten yen from this morning.
Shiraha kept his little face carefully composed. "How much did you lose?"
"Ten yen."
Shiraha nearly burst out laughing.
But his expression control was excellent. He held it together all the way to the clubroom. Only when Yuna had started eating her lunch with visible awkwardness did he sneakily start rummaging through his pockets, trying to piece together ten yen from his loose change.
Elysia narrowed her starry eyes, her voice subtle. "Shiraha... what exactly are you planning to do?"
She could read him perfectly.
Shiraha lifted his head. "Nee-chan still remembers our bet?"
Elysia's expression stayed calm. 'I remember. But I don't think this is about you thinking that girl has good talent. You just want to sweet-talk that little girl.'
"Shiraha, she's only ten."
After all, it was the last semester now. They'd already entered a new year. Even Shiraha had turned seven.
Shiraha acted as if he hadn't heard. Elysia's cheek puffed out slightly.
Then, on the club table, Shiraha slid over a five-yen bill and five one-yen notes. His voice was perfectly natural. "This morning, I found ten yen near the flower beds. At the time, I thought it was probably yours but you seemed preoccupied with something."
Yuna's lips quivered. She spoke in a tiny voice, "Actually... I lost a whole bill."
Elysia suddenly let out a soft laugh.
Shiraha spoke with righteous conviction. "What I picked up was a whole bill too. It just... sort of broke into smaller pieces."
Oh. Yuna lowered her head and didn't say anything more.
Off to the side, Raven, who'd been dozing, lifted her head. She glanced at Shiraha, then at the new little girl, and finally at Mei, who still hadn't caught on to anything. The corner of her mouth curled upward before she flopped back down onto the desk.
Sleep, sleep!
Shiraha really had picked up money.
When lunch break ended and Yuna returned to her classroom, she saw the teacher standing beside the lectern.
"Yuna." The teacher called her over. "Shiraha-kun from Class One found ten yen this morning. Take a look, is this the ten yen you lost this morning?"
The teacher held a not-quite-crisp ten-yen note in hand.
Yuna froze for a second. Without thinking, she glanced back toward the hallway.