Awakening a Stigmata was no simple task, let alone for someone like Shiraha, who wasn't even a natural Stigmata bearer to begin with.
There was another problem: Shiraha was a data body. He wasn't physically entering the Elysian Realm.
Mobius's fingertips gently brushed against Shiraha's arm. The sensation was warm and soft, almost indistinguishable from a living creature. But she knew it was ultimately just data. To enable cognitive synchronization, this body had sacrificed far too much.
"Mobius-nee, if I want to get stronger fast, what do I need to do?"
Mobius didn't answer right away. She withdrew her fingers, pressed her index finger to her chin, and sank into thought.
"You're far too young to train under Kalpas." She paused. "Sakura won't do either. Kevin's not suitable, too."
The most fitting choice, really, was the Elysia inside the Realm. That fairy lady seemed to be capable of anything. But Shiraha already had an Elysia outside.
One was enough. Two, and Shiraha would probably end up dyed entirely in Elysia's colors.
Mobius added this silently in her heart.
"Can you find time to come over to this side?"
"And bring that lingering-attachment Elysia with you," Mobius added offhandedly.
"That would be very difficult." Shiraha shook his head. "Mobius-nee, I'm only seven this year. And World Serpent's main base is quite far from the Far East. Uncle Ryoma would never let me come over there."
Shiraha didn't actually know where World Serpent was located. But based on the occasional mentions in the story, it was probably somewhere in Africa, Egypt, or Europe.
The Egyptian queen had once been World Serpent's spokesperson, though she'd been discarded without mercy once her usefulness ran out. Now, World Serpent's public face was Shenzhou Medical, risen to prominence in Europe since the year 2000.
Mobius clicked her tongue softly, her slit pupils narrowing.
Age truly was an insurmountable problem. In some ways he was too young, in others too old, stuck right in the awkward middle.
In the end, Mobius could only think of this solution. "Are you willing to study under me?"
She wasn't omnipotent either. She didn't know how to condense and reshape a Stigmata, strictly speaking, the technology to recombine the Stigmata fragments within a person's body, allowing even ordinary people to gain a Stigmata through trial, was something World Serpent only mastered shortly before the Skyward Voyager storyline.
Shiraha inwardly groaned, but his expression remained resolute. "I'll work hard studying under you, Nee-san."
"Next time you do a full-body checkup, remember to bring me a copy of the data."
Mobius paused, the end of her voice lifting slightly. "After all, isn't my little grown-up Shiraha trying to get stronger?"
Shiraha wanted to grow stronger, and Mobius couldn't find a reason to refuse him. She'd just have to grudgingly agree.
But that was fine. Mobius didn't dislike a little Shiraha who'd cling tightly to her.
He hadn't even sought out any other sisters in the Realm. Aside from Eden, he was only close to her. And as everyone knew, Mobius didn't dislike Eden. In fact, she and Eden got along exceptionally well.
That was the sheer weight of their bond: across twenty combined background recollections, Mobius and Eden each spent a fifth of their screentime talking about each other. Even Elysia didn't get that much.
"Now that the goal is decided, no more stories for my little grown-up today."
Mobius slowly guided her flier toward her bookshelf, rummaging through it. "Wanting to save the world, words alone won't get you anywhere."
Shiraha was crying inside. 'As if I don't know my own limits.'
The only reason he could pose as an academic genius on the outside was simply because he knew the plot and when the story proper began, he'd only just entered his first year of high school. After that, studying was never needed again.
"If you want to get stronger, right now there are only two simple paths. One is Stigmata. The other is becoming a MANTIS."
At this, Mobius paused for a long moment. Becoming a MANTIS was far too early for a seven-year-old. But just a few years older than Shiraha... there was one child Mobius had, with her own hands, experimented on.
Griseo.
She paused briefly, then continued her introduction: "The future potential of Stigmata is theoretically very high. MANTIS soldiers offer more direct power."
Shiraha's eyes lit up. "Can I have both?"
Mobius laughed despite herself. "Of course you can. But you're far too young right now. Reaching too far beyond your grasp won't help you become a great hero, you know~"
She rarely left her flier, but this time she did, settling onto the sofa and patting the spot beside her.
Shiraha instantly, obediently sat down next to her, his eyes brimming with anticipation as he gazed up at, the not particularly tall, Mobius.
"But whether it's becoming a MANTIS or forming a Stigmata, as long as you can only come here through a data body... your sister can't help you very much."
"So first, study. Once you understand a little biology, then we'll discuss these matters."
Mobius's eyes held a trace of nostalgia, and a trace of helplessness.
She'd experienced far too much in her previous life. She knew very clearly that many people weren't exactly fond of MANTIS soldiers, even though, with Mobius's current level of skill, there would no longer be any overt side effects.
"Mm." Shiraha nodded, then added, "I'll listen to Nee-san."
Mobius reached out, her fingers curling slightly, and flicked his forehead, not too hard. "Who was it, just moments ago, who declared, 'Then I'll leave Nee-san'?"
She mimicked Shiraha's tone, the end of her voice lifting.
Shiraha clutched his forehead but remained utterly unrepentant. "I said I'd go find other people. I didn't say I'd leave Mobius-nee."
Mobius sighed. Children really are wonderful. Just like Griseo. Such a pity. Lately Griseo hadn't been as clingy with her. Wouldn't even call her "Nee-san" anymore.
"Has Eden taken you to meet the others yet?"
A sudden thought struck Mobius.
Shiraha shook his head. "Eden-nee wanted to take me to meet everyone before, but I didn't agree."
"You should go meet them. Griseo is only a few years older than you. You two might have a lot in common."
That way, she could openly use "looking after Shiraha" as an excuse to shoo Kosma out and then look after both children herself.
Shiraha didn't respond. Mobius went on, half to herself. "Griseo is just like you. Very cute. Very obedient. You two might become very good friends."
She was even fantasizing about the future but then she reconsidered. One Shiraha already took up so much of her time. Add Griseo on top of that, and her work hours would probably be squeezed down to nothing.
Besides, Griseo's situation was a little special. Sigh.
"It's not the same. Griseo—"
Shiraha paused, making absolutely sure he hadn't gotten the name wrong, before continuing. "She might be very cute. But 'cute' isn't a reason for me to go make friends."
"I think... having Mobius-nee and Eden-nee here is already enough."
More importantly, Shiraha had no intention of meeting Griseo or Aponia. If he could help it, he didn't want to meet Su, Sakura, or Kalpas either.
Until he was a bit older, until he could be a little less transparent, Shiraha felt it was best to only know Mobius and Eden.
As for Elysia of the Realm and Pardo, those two were absolute loudspeakers. Knowing the two of them was equivalent to knowing everyone in the Realm.
Mobius pressed her lips together. Shiraha didn't notice her expression. He simply opened the book, put on the perfect model-student face, and prepared to listen.
Mobius's voice softened even further. "Let's start with your studies, then."
If only, back in the Previous Era, there had been a child like this at her side, one who clung to her this tightly.