Shiraha was very calm as well. After being kissed, the faint blush on his face quickly faded. A little shy, but not overly emotional, at least he didn't look flustered.
Elysia narrowed her eyes slightly, her voice drifting and plaintive. "It seems a perverted older sister who sneaks peeks at children will definitely evolve into an older sister who sneaks kisses from children."
"Sigh. This world truly is a strange place~♪"
Though the lilt at the end of her voice rose again, Shiraha couldn't shake the feeling that Nee-chan wasn't really that happy.
Not long after, the little ones who'd been running their 500 meters reassembled in somewhat loose formation.
Himeko, in her role as PE teacher, put on a few seconds of stern authority then said the words children most wanted to hear.
"Everyone, free time from here on."
The moment the words left her mouth, the crowd scattered rapidly, as if they'd been injected with adrenaline.
After briefly explaining something to the others, Mei walked through the crowd and stood expressionlessly before Shiraha.
"Mei-nee is amazing!" Shiraha lifted his face and said with utterly sincere conviction, "You ran 500 meters and there's not a single drop of sweat on your forehead."
Mei let out a soft huff. Forget it. Shiraha's young. He really shouldn't be running with everyone else.
Sigh. A seven-year-old little runt, truly not the same as a ten-year-old big sister like herself.
A big sister could run 500 meters with ease. With her physique, she could even run another 500 meters without breaking a sweat.
She brushed aside the stray bangs on her forehead with a touch of deliberate melancholy. "Shiraha... what kind of present should we buy that would make Dad happy?"
That—actually hit a blind spot in Shiraha's knowledge. Love in Shenzhou was far too reserved, all the more so within families.
But he had an adult's solution.
"How about introducing the delinquent senpai's family business to Uncle Ryoma?"
The two of them walked toward the other class. Yuna's group hadn't disbanded yet, but her cyan eyes were already gazing longingly in their direction.
Over here! I'm over here!
Mei glanced at Yuna, waved calmly, then withdrew her gaze and resumed her earlier contemplation. "But didn't we promise the delinquent senpai we wouldn't tell Dad about this?"
Shiraha shook his head. "So we need to convince the delinquent senpai first. ME Corp is so huge, and Uncle Ryoma is so kind and understanding, he'd definitely be able to help the delinquent senpai's family company develop at high speed!"
Truthfully, that reasoning didn't hold up at all. ME Corp wasn't a charity, and Uncle Ryoma wasn't some indiscriminate good Samaritan who'd extend a helping hand to every small company he saw. But a kid could only understand things framed this way.
Mei was clearly still hesitating. "Let's ask Senpai at noon."
She'd clearly already taken the matter to heart. It was just that she'd promised Senpai earlier not to tell her parents and that made her feel like she'd be losing face.
The young lady of the Raiden family always had to keep her word.
"Mm."
Shiraha nodded, his smile radiant.
Mei felt a little happy too. Smiles were contagious, even if she didn't quite know what there was to be happy about right now.
She truly didn't understand Shiraha's sources of amusement. Raven. Grey Serpent. ME Corp. Anti-Entropy. Just thinking about those words made Shiraha's mood inexplicably buoyant.
"By the way, Mei-nee, the day after tomorrow, the martial arts tournament Uncle Ryoma's been organizing is starting. Should we take the day off and go watch?"
Afraid Mei might not be interested, Shiraha added, "If we manage to convince the delinquent senpai, we might even be able to discuss this along the way then. It could be a surprise for Uncle Ryoma."
After a brief moment of contemplation, Mei arrived at a conclusion: as the loyal subordinate of the great President Mei, Shiraha could truly be called "full of wisdom and resourcefulness".
Shiraha could always point out a clear path whenever her thoughts were tangled. And Mei herself was a sovereign skilled at listening to counsel. At this thought, she nodded solemnly.
"Approved!"
They didn't have to wait long. Yuna's class disbanded shortly after.
Every time PE class let out, cliques would rapidly coalesce. Yuna stood alone, still clutching her jacket, a look of awkward embarrassment on her young, tender face.
But Shiraha's voice rang out loudly. "Over here! Over here!"
The boy waved his arms with vigor. Mei had wanted to maintain her cool aloofness, she was the Raiden Queen, after all but Shiraha had already lifted her arm, and she was waving along with him.
That was because Shiraha had grabbed her hand. As everyone knew, Mei and Shiraha were as close as real siblings. She was always magnanimous and tolerant toward him. So this didn't affect her image at all. Mei told herself this.
As if afraid Yuna hadn't heard clearly, Shiraha rose onto his tiptoes, pressed close to Mei-nee's side, and raised his arm even higher.
"Yuna! Over here!"
The boy's voice rang a little loudly across the sports field. But this, this disregard for others' opinions, this pure, sunny warmth, Yuna had fantasized about it for so long.
She pressed her lips together. It must be the sun today. It's too bright. She felt hot even after taking off her jacket.
She straightened up slightly and broke into an unconscious little run.
"Shiraha. Mei."
She'd called their names. What was she supposed to say next? Yuna had no experience whatsoever. In her past fantasies, how had those conversations gone? Hello? Or I'm here?
She stalled out.
Shiraha had already launched into a topic. "Yuna, want to skip class with us the day after tomorrow?"
"Eh!"
Yuna's already scrambled little brain shut down completely.
"It's not skipping class!"
Mei forcefully rebooted Yuna, emphasizing, "It's taking a leave of absence. Yuna, you..."
Mei, whose heart was fairly perceptive in its own way, paused. "This is our club's very first activity. Yuna, do you want to participate?"
Shiraha added, "Mm. We just happen to have a little club activity budget. And with Yuna, it'll be just right."
As for where the club activity budget came from?
Ryoma Raiden was on the school board. Why couldn't the funds he provided be considered club activity funds?
Yuna blinked, slowly recovering from her system crash. Her voice was tiny. "Will... will the teacher agree?"
She instinctively felt a flash of worry. For so long, the only way she could earn a teacher's attention was through good grades. Something like asking for leave made her feel inexplicably guilty.
Yuna quickly added, "Of course, I'll definitely agree!"
She couldn't miss the very first club activity. Yuna reassured herself. At worst, the teacher will scold me a little. As long as they don't tell my parents, it won't be a big problem.
When it came to this, Mei's expression was confident. Shiraha's was even more so.
"They will. I'm first in our grade. Mei-nee and Yuna are the same, well, close but still both in the top twenty. After this, I can tutor you. A good student asking for leave always gets a little preferential treatment."
Yuna thought it over. There was logic in that. It made her relax a little more.
Besides, even if her mom scolded her at home for neglecting her proper duties, she'd be able to timidly retort that she was playing with the top-ranked student in the grade. And the young lady of the Raiden family.
Mei's face was expressionless. That "well, close" part hadn't been necessary.
The smile on Yuna's face didn't last long. Mei gripped her hand tightly, and this high-and-mighty young lady spoke with utter seriousness.
"Yuna. The day after tomorrow, you'll witness the true essence of martial arts. Let's go train."
A great sovereign never hoarded the legacy of the sword.
Hearing this, Shiraha's gaze drifted a little. Come to think of it, the reason Mei-nee was so passionate about training seemed to be because his fierce ghost friend had put her under a lot of pressure.
And that very fierce ghost friend, was standing off to the side, watching all of this with a grin.
"Shiraha."
"Mm?"
Shiraha lifted his head.
Elysia pursed one side of her pretty face, a dimple sinking faintly into her cheek. She looked like she was holding back a laugh, or perhaps brewing some mischief. "If I'm not mistaken... aren't you supposed to be the World's Number One Killer?"
In the fairy lady's mind, World's Number One Killer, Shiraha, Forget-Me-Not, Sakura these, too, were words that could lift a beautiful woman's spirits.