The rooftop was utterly quiet for a time, only the faint sound of the wind remaining.
In the end, Elysia didn't cry. She'd weathered too many great storms. Even when the Previous Era's humanity had reached its final chapter, she'd still persisted in seeking new possibilities.
If she'd come through all that, what was this little disappointment?
It was just... for the fairy lady who'd always been so warm, so optimistic, so fond of interacting with others, a situation like this, where the world itself had rejected her, made it very hard to keep a smile on her face.
Anyway—anyway, Shiraha had always been reliable.
So it'd be okay if she didn't force the smile so hard, just this once. Right?
Who knew how much time had passed. The class bell had long since rung. They were definitely late. Only then did Elysia loosen her hold.
She wiped at nonexistent little tears, her voice a shade less buoyant. "The corner of your mouth twitched upward just now, didn't it, Shiraha."
Shiraha thought for a moment, then shook his head rapidly. "It didn't!"
Elysia pulled Shiraha close again, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and drawing him near. This was the only child in the world she could still tease.
"You should be honest with me!"
Anyway, the corner of his mouth definitely twitched up for a split second. Don't underestimate the fairy lady's perception!
Her voice was sullen. This world isn't beautiful at all. Damn it. Someday, she was going to reshape this world into the one she'd always hoped for. She absolutely would.
Shiraha pressed his lips together, then decisively confessed. "Fine. I admit it. Thinking that, for a long time to come, Elysia-nee would only be my friend... I failed to control my emotions properly."
Elysia froze.
'It was you, you little possessive brat! Do you have any idea how un-cute that smirk is at a time like this?!'
Elysia put on a fierce act, pressing her chin down firmly on the top of Shiraha's head.
Shiraha didn't dodge. His voice was serious as he continued to explain. "I'm sorry, Nee-chan. I did my best. But I'm not as radiant as you, and this selfishness... I probably won't be able to get rid of it."
He didn't intend to get rid of it either. He liked all sorts of delicious food, and all sorts of things that made him happy, including spending time with older girls.
Though he was only seven this year, and the older girls were already dazzling, lovely young women. 'What a shame. By the time I'm an adult, those older sisters will only be able to quietly cough up gold coins as middle-aged relics.'
Elysia paused, then wiped again at tears that hadn't fallen. 'Yes. In the Previous Era, I was so radiant. Shiraha's impression of me must be so very good.
Uuu—wah!
It still hurts so much.'
In the end, she rubbed her cheek fiercely against Shiraha's. "Nee-chan only has you now."
Shiraha corrected her. "For now. Nee-chan's problem can definitely be solved."
Maybe
Anyway, now that the fantasy had been stripped away, Elysia couldn't help but consider a question: at the end of the Previous Era, she'd cheated and altered fate itself. Would the world still offer her any leniency?
This world didn't have an Alaya or a Gaia.
Still, while Shiraha might be a little mischievous, most of the time he really did know how to comfort someone.
Sigh.
"Let's go back. You're already late for class."
Elysia pulled herself together once more. She was, after all, the all-capable fairy lady. Having a self-made companion was wonderful, but a mature Elysia wouldn't rely on that companion forever.
She let go, her eyes still reddened but resolute.
Shiraha shook his head. He sat on the concrete ledge at the edge of the rooftop. "I'm skipping class today. Nee-chan, stay with me a while. I'm... feeling a little nostalgic for the Previous Era myself."
Elysia pressed her lips together and sat down beside him.
"What was so good about the Previous Era?"
When it came to the Previous Era, Elysia had never really talked about it properly with Shiraha. Those memories were far too heavy. And a tragic story that could only leave its hope for the future, no one ever wanted to bring that up on their own.
Shiraha was still young. Even if he was pretending to be a child, that was fine because children should just be happy.
Shiraha mused for a moment, then smiled. "This should be called 'recalling past hardships to savor present sweetness.'"
"Nee-chan, think about it from my perspective. The Previous Era had Kevin, You, Kalpas, and Heng on the surface. And in the shadows, there was Sakura, Kosma..."
He paused. "Everyone had their own glory."
"During its most prosperous period, I genuinely believed the world would flourish. Back then, the MANTIS soldiers' reputation hadn't soured so badly. Back then, even though Kevin's body was already cold, he was still full of hope."
"Everyone believed. The Fire Moth was even still seen as a decent organization in most people's hearts, not the cold, ruthless, salvation-at-any-cost machine it became."
"The terror brought by the Herrscher of Flame seemed to have been completely driven out by the MANTIS soldiers."
"An era so glorious and I was just a nobody. But now, this era hasn't reached that glory yet, and I have the chance to become a great hero."
Shiraha's voice was very light. In the past, he might not have understood what that calm, reminiscing tone felt like, recounting the past without any lingering emotion attached.
But after spending so long with Nee-chan, he'd gradually come to understand it. That tone of pure recollection, where all that was left were the memories themselves.
Elysia spoke softly. "It really was beautiful back then. The Fire Moth still had Mu to keep it in check. Even without the Fire Moth, people still had somewhere to put their faith. The two were in competition, and Mu, because of its arrogance, was developing even slower than the Fire Moth."
As she spoke, she unconsciously leaned toward Shiraha's shoulder.
The position was a little awkward, Shiraha was still small, his shoulder narrow. But no one was around to see anyway. The fairy lady tilted her body and found a spot to lean.
Shiraha's expression didn't change. So Mu Continent actually served as a counterbalance? He'd always thought Mu was just part of the background setting.
Looking at it that way... in the Previous Era, the Herrscher of Earth hadn't just destroyed Mu. He'd also shattered the chains of the Fire Moth's greed.
Elysia sighed. "Actually, for a little while after Mu's destruction, the world genuinely became a better place. The Star Sea Concord, which almost no one could use effectively, finally had Eden as its pilot."
And after that... there was no after that.
Not a single one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers could change the world. Their military power, at the time, wasn't enough to quell the world. Everyone lost their way in that era.
Slowly recollecting the past, Elysia gradually emerged from the earlier incident. After all, the past had been far worse. This present era seemed decent enough. At the very least, it could still make Elysia's lips unconsciously curve upward.
A long while passed.
Elysia shifted sideways and lay down on the concrete ledge of the rooftop.
No need to worry about getting dirty—being a ghost did have that one advantage.
Before Shiraha could even react, Nee-chan had already naturally pillowed her head on his lap. Her long pink hair spilled across either side of his knees, fanning out like a blossom on water.
"Shiraha... don't you think we're really strange right now?"
Shiraha was quiet for a beat. You're only realizing that now?!
His voice came out helpless.
"I know. I keep thinking... I should be the one resting on Nee-chan's lap."
But then he remembered this was Elysia, and he accepted it with a sense of resignation. Nothing Elysia did ever felt truly strange to him.
Elysia let out a long sigh. The redness around her eyes hadn't yet faded, but the corner of her mouth had lifted once more. Lying lazily on a child's lap, looking up at that young face, one that understood so much, she suddenly realized...
This isn't so bad.