Grey Serpent gained yet another task. It was a rather lengthy undertaking, after all, this seal had relied upon the Key of Binding.
And Grey Serpent couldn't possibly choose to trigger a Great Eruption right here in this city, under Elysia-nee's watchful gaze, forcibly drawing out the Herrscher of Corruption.
He could only proceed slowly. Fortunately, waiting was what Grey Serpent did best.
...
...
A new year arrived. 2009.
Shiraha leaned against the window, a pendant hanging around his neck. He pointed outside. "Nee-chan, guess which one of them is Grey Serpent."
Grey Serpent was, of course, no fool. Although Yae Village had left only scattered fragments in the county records, he had, step by step, eliminated every possibility and finally locked onto Chiba Academy.
Shinano Province was present-day Nagazora. Yae Village was a subordinate hamlet. And the Academy City that had risen in the late 20th century was situated on the outskirts of Nagazora. Chiba Academy was a chain school within that very Academy City.
The location matched. All that remained was to dig that fox—hidden for five hundred years, out of its hole.
Elysia-nee strained to widen her starry eyes. Yet none of the people down there looked anything like Grey Serpent. They were all, at minimum, human, and their Honkai resistance appeared decent. Most of them were even beautiful young women.
Shiraha sprawled over Nee-chan's lap, drawing out his voice. "Nee-chan~"
Elysia-nee earnestly ruffled his hair. "Don't talk. I'm still observing."
The fairy lady believed she still possessed this much observational skill.
Shiraha quietly snickered. "How could Grey Serpent possibly show up at the primary site? He's a simulacrum."
My all-capable Nee-chan... lately, it seems she's thoroughly sunk into the routines of everyday life.
Elysia-nee let out a soft "Eh," her brain seeming to finally catch up.
Shiraha's fresh young brain really was better.
Elysia-nee lifted Shiraha's face. Shiraha looked at Nee-chan with clear, innocent eyes. "What is it, Nee-chan?"
Elysia-nee was quiet for a moment, then suddenly turned her face away. "Shiraha... you're growing up so fast."
It clearly felt like not so long ago, Shiraha had been a tiny little dumpling, so small, only able to hug her around the waist. Now he was already a slightly bigger little dumpling.
Though he'd gradually become less adorable, he'd grown more reliable.
Shiraha lowered his head again, watching the construction crew in the distance. "After all, I have Nee-chan expecting things of me. I can't stay a child forever."
"Let's go, Nee-chan. Time for the club..." He paused, glancing at the figures coming and going across the sports field. "Looks like today's another fruitless day."
Chiba Academy wasn't short on funds, so Grey Serpent couldn't carry out large-scale earthworks here. But using certain methods to get the people here to accommodate him, slowly investigating the surroundings, was still possible.
The clubroom was the same as always. Only the perpetually leisurely delinquent senpai had, of late, begun to wear a gradually solemn expression.
Grey Serpent had laid it out plainly for the Raven: either repeat a grade, or graduate university within two years and earn a doctorate within four years of self-study. Pick one.
The Raven simply couldn't do it. The more solid her academic foundation grew, the clearer she understood just what kind of monster that always-smiling, kid-kissing, youthful college girl Himeko truly was.
That was a genius among ordinary people. And she, Natasha Cioara, could not do it...
Kiana, in the end, hadn't joined this club either. She was running all over the school, pondering how to make money. How to make big money. She had absolutely zero interest in joining this club and playing house with Mei.
"Someone's looking for you."
Raven took advantage of the moment when Mei was still playing house with Yuna, discussing training matters, to quietly tell Shiraha.
Shiraha nodded. This was probably something concerning the Realm.
Elementary school life, truth be told, wasn't really worth describing. Even going out for odd jobs, no one wanted elementary schoolers.
He put on the helmet. His vision gradually blurred. As his Stigmata continued to develop, even in a place as special as the Elysian Realm, the time required for cognitive synchronization was slowly lengthening.
"Today, Mobius-nee is also sparkling and radiant."
Before he'd even adjusted to his surroundings, Shiraha hopped off the raised platform beside him. Lab One had practically become his fixed spawn point.
Mobius didn't greet him with her usual smiling face. Shiraha tilted his head and naturally sidled up to her.
"There are others here."
Mobius blocked Shiraha's cheek with her small hand. The child shouldn't get too close, otherwise her image in others' eyes would completely crumble.
Others?
Shiraha looked to the side. Mobius under the lights, and a simulacrum standing in the shadowed corner. Those crimson eyes were unmistakably distinctive.
"Grey Serpent-senpai. Hello."
Grey Serpent nodded. This was his first meeting with Shiraha. Though curious, Grey Serpent had never once taken the initiative to create an opportunity to meet.
"It seems Lord Elysia's condition is very poor."
Grey Serpent's voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a mechanical edge.
Shiraha tilted his head slightly. Grey Serpent elaborated, "Rin has already escaped. I had thought the Lord would have noticed."
It seems Elysia's condition is truly dire. No wonder she's been wholeheartedly teaching this child. She's likely preparing to pass everything down as an inheritance.
Shiraha froze.
"Just a few hours ago, several trial-goers, just like Raven, began showing signs of emotional anomalies."
World Serpent naturally had more than just Raven and the Jackal. There were quite a few who'd entered the Elysian Realm for trials, and some hadn't even survived the process.
But among these people, the Raven was the most outstanding. The earliest to become a MANTIS soldier. Also the strongest.
To use a slightly crude analogy, Raven was like Kevin. The rest of the trial-goers were like nameless MANTIS soldiers.
Though the Raven wasn't a top-tier powerhouse, the other trial-goers were even less impressive.
"Afterward, I breached Chiba Academy's surveillance. I discovered all the monitors here had gone black. There aren't significant traces of Honkai energy."
Grey Serpent continued his report. Judging from the direction in which the monitors went black, Rin seemed not to have left Chiba Academy yet.
Shiraha paused. Was World Serpent this incompetent at handling things?
As expected, this world truly can't function without me.
"If I run into her, I'll handle it."
Shiraha lifted his head.
Grey Serpent: ....
Mobius hurriedly corrected him. "He's telling you to be careful. Don't run into Rin head-on."
Rin might indeed not be particularly strong. But taking down a nine-year-old Shiraha was still entirely within her ability.
After saying this, Mobius sighed. "Shiraha, during this period, stay by my side. Or follow Sakura and study her arts. Or listen to Eden tell stories. Those items, you give—... Shiraha?"
Shiraha had already exited the game.
Mobius might truly fear Rin. Grey Serpent would also fear her, both had suffered losses at Rin's hands. Mobius had even suffered after Rin had been sealed inside the box.
But Shiraha truly wasn't afraid. Rin had already nearly gone mad. After fifty thousand years of isolation, she was the true embodiment of schizophrenia mixed with delusional disorder.
Once his awareness returned, Shiraha quickly pulled off the helmet.
Mei paused. "Got tired of the game already?"