A moment later, an alarm blared through the corridor. Shiraha's expression stiffened as he crouched down and poked the unconscious white-haired loli on the floor.
Theresa's eyes were tightly shut, her lashes trembling slightly, her breathing steady, she'd just fainted from sheer shock. No other issues.
Beside him, Elysia's expression was also a bit unnatural. So when this girl is terrified, she just flails wildly, huh?
She instinctively hugged Shiraha, and Shiraha instinctively shrank back, leaning into his Nee-chan's embrace.
"Still want to play like that again?"
After a moment of silence, Elysia recovered and teased him.
Shiraha stood on tiptoe, bumping his head against his Nee-chan's cheek.
"Not with someone who has such bad... drunk—no, fainting manners."
Theresa, Theresa... Shiraha was actually quite interested in Theresa. After all, Moonlit Stargazing really made it hard not to pay attention.
Setting aside that insignificant backstory, Theresa was also highly valuable as an ally, she had the Oath of Judah with her!
Just kidding. Theresa herself had great potential too, though not fully unleashed... actually, even fully unleashed, she was still probably weaker than Judah.
With that thought, Shiraha squirmed out of his Nee-chan's embrace and poked the white-haired shorty again. Theresa's skin was soft, a little baby-faced.
Shiraha sighed: "Sigh why would someone go out without their weapon? What if they run into danger?"
"If she'd brought her weapon, we'd be the ones in danger."
Elysia remarked from behind.
Don't underestimate Theresa just because she looked like a pushover. In terms of raw strength, she wasn't far off from an Emperor-class Honkai beast.
With that in mind, Elysia also crouched down: "Is she a Fusion Warrior too?"
Shiraha blinked: "Nee-chan, are you asking me?"
Theresa was a Fusion Warrior, the story had confirmed that. And her Fusion Warrior integration might even be more advanced than those from the Previous Era, since she'd been fused from the embryonic stage.
The Fusion Warriors of the Previous Era were mostly modified later in life... well, Griseo could be considered someone raised from childhood, though thinking that way felt a bit like a dark joke.
Elysia's starry eyes curved: "I thought the Omnipotent One knew everything."
Shiraha often acted as if he knew it all, at least, Elysia rarely saw him caught off guard.
She poked Theresa's cheek again. The nun's cheek was soft, not quite as soft as Aponia's, but still tender.
"Oh, right who is this again?"
"Theresa. S-rank of Schicksal."
After saying that, Shiraha looked at his Nee-chan with an expression that was hard to keep straight, wasn't this public knowledge? Had Nee-chan really never paid attention?
Elysia's cheeks flushed slightly, but once the name was mentioned, she had some recollection: "The one with Judah?"
"Yeah, too bad she didn't bring it this time."
Elysia looked thoughtful. Shiraha stood up with a smile: "Nee-chan, don't worry. The only reason I care about Judah is to bury it underground."
Elysia tilted her head slightly: "Are you sure you'd be willing to do that?"
"I'm confident that by the time I'm an adult, I won't need Judah to slowly change this world."
"But if Nee-chan were gone, I wouldn't be confident I could bring you back."
Besides he was a transmigrator. Transmigrators always went for the perfect ending.
With that thought, Shiraha reached out and clenched his hand in the air.
If he were purely chasing profit, he wouldn't have rejected that gift back in Siberia. But the authority of Origin wasn't important, Elysia was far more so. And also... the perfect ending, and his confidence that he could do anything, none of that should be compromised.
At that moment, Theresa groggily woke up. After all, this was an Anti-Entropy base. The only reason she'd fainted was because she was terrified of ghosts.
The moment her awareness returned, she felt someone holding her.
Shiraha quickly tightened his arms: "Big sis, you're awake? You suddenly passed out, are you okay now?"
"There's a medical room nearby, I'll take you there."
Elysia's expression was blank. She swore she'd been genuinely moved a moment ago, after all, this little guy who'd never hidden his dreams since childhood had still firmly chosen her along the way.
But could this kid act a little more like a kid?
Oh Shiraha wasn't really a kid anymore. Cute was slowly turning into handsome... mm, where was she supposed to get a replacement for her self-made, still-underage little kiddo?
Theresa's cyan eyes were hazy as she looked at the child so close to her face, her pupils slowly focusing. She instinctively looked around, no people, no ghosts, only the cake slowly being eaten by the air.
Bite by bite...
"Hmph." Elysia ate the cake expressionlessly, of course, she could only do so while touching Shiraha.
She could interact with the world, but only when connected to an anchor point and she couldn't interact with any living being.
The problem probably lay with Shiraha. He might be different from ordinary humans in this world.
Theresa's expression went blank. She pointed at the cake, her fingers trembling slightly.
Shiraha looked back, his lips twitching, but when he turned his head forward again, his smile was back to normal: "Nee-chan already ate it. If you want some, I can go get you some from the kitchen."
Theresa's expression was strained: "Is this some new Anti-Entropy technology? A breakthrough in quantumization?"
Shiraha tilted his head in confusion.
Theresa pressed on, her tone carrying a hint of desperate pleading: "Is this a breakthrough in quantumization?"
It had to be! It had to be!
Theresa understood quantumization, but what she was seeing now was completely beyond her comprehension.
Shiraha paused: "Just think of it as quantumization, big sis."
Theresa nodded her little head, her body slowly regaining some strength. The alarm was still blaring, but no guards came.
The reason was simple, Siegfried stood at the end of the corridor, his expression complicated.
This scene... looked like Theresa had been soloed by Shiraha.
Theresa, are you even okay?
Theresa hadn't noticed Siegfried yet. Her brain was operating at max alertness, gathering information quickly, but only within a few feet around her.
"Um, little brother, could you ask your friend to stay a little farther away from me?"
Just a little farther.
Shiraha thought for a moment, then nodded.
Though he'd love to recruit Theresa right now, if she defected immediately, someone would get restless.
Better to contact her discreetly, keep it from Otto. Once he learned to drive, he'd take his ghost rider and go find Theresa to play.
The cake rapidly disappeared into thin air. Theresa watched blankly: "Is your friend gone?"
Shiraha deliberately looked off to the side, some distance away, hesitated for a long time: "Nee-chan is gone."
It was clearly a lie, but Shiraha was looking to the right. Next, all she had to do was stand steady and dash to the left.
Theresa had always been confident in her speed.
She didn't look to the right. She quietly pushed Shiraha's arm aside, stood up, shifted her weight to her legs... three... two...
"Siegfried?"
Theresa's body went rigid: "What are you doing here?"
Oh you defected to Anti-Entropy. But didn't they fail to recruit you? Since when did you trust Anti-Entropy that much?
Siegfried's tone was wistful: "You should be asking how long I've been standing here."
Thinking about how he and Theresa had once been on par as S-ranks, his feelings were a little complicated.
And Theresa used to be so reliable, how was it that after a few years, sneaking into Anti-Entropy got her soloed by a kid?
Theresa smoothly glossed over that question. She turned to Shiraha, still not looking to the right.
"Little brother, is there a window ahead?"
Her tone was gentle.
Shiraha hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
You're not going to jump out the window, are you? Honkai phenomena are still hidden from the public, if you jump out, you'd be proving superpowers exist.
It's fine. Theresa didn't care.
"Oh, right, big sis, what were you doing in the backstage area?"
Shiraha looked at Theresa's tense expression and tried to lighten the mood.
Theresa: ....
Oh, right I came to scout for talent.
With that thought, she forced down her fear and looked at Siegfried: "Siegfried, we're good friends, right?"
Siegfried was silent for a moment. Shiraha also looked at him but the kid's expression was a little subtle, like he was watching a joke.
"Yeah... I guess so."
Useless Theresa, how did you end up fainting in a kid's arms?
I can't even find an excuse to bail you out.
"I need your help right now."
Siegfried paused. Theresa was asking for help? Well, she did ask for help pretty often.
Even as an S-rank, she used to get all emotional seeing A-rank colleagues lead teams.
"Go ahead—what is it?"
Theresa spoke urgently: "My St. Freya Academy is newly established, I need a batch of students."
Siegfried: ....
He rubbed his ears first, did Theresa really just say that?
She said: she wanted him, now with Anti-Entropy, to help her, still with Schicksal, poach Anti-Entropy's triennial batch of promising talent?
And she said it right in front of Shiraha.
Shiraha blinked, looking at Siegfried. Siegfried's lips twitched.
But just as Siegfried was about to refuse sternly, Shiraha spoke softly: "Big sis, I'll help you."
"You?"
Theresa looked surprised.
Shiraha explained: "I'm the adopted son of the Raiden family."
"Is that... really appropriate?"
Theresa stammered. Was the Raiden family in the Far East all about backstabbing and insubordination now?
Wasn't this betraying the organization?
Shiraha's expression instantly shifted, his smile completely vanished, his tone turning cold: "So you know it's not appropriate? Uncle Siegfried is currently a ME Corp employee. Weren't you just hoping he'd betray the organization and the club to help you?"
Theresa: ....
Kids these days change faces that fast? Weren't you calling me sweet big sis just a moment ago?
But Shiraha was still a child, so Theresa looked to Siegfried for help.
Siegfried's lips twitched, and he said tactfully: "Scram."
Theresa was quiet for a moment: "Siegfried! After everything we've been through... have you forgotten Cecilia?"
St. Freya Academy in the Far East had been Cecilia's dream. Theresa was merely carrying on her old friend's wish, she thought Siegfried should at least be accommodating.
Siegfried sighed: "Scram."
He wasn't crazy. In the current Honkai world, there was still no intelligence on the Herrscher of Corruption. Anti-Entropy chose to fight Honkai with mechs, even his own... daughter, Kiana, was currently having fun with Mei and Shiraha.
The kids were growing up healthy. He'd also seen the future of mechs, the unfinished Father Titan, and the other mass-produced models.
These Titans could even quantumize!
St. Freya Academy? Even if Cecilia were truly still alive, she'd probably embrace new technology and the new era.
Theresa said nothing more. She'd already felt the coldness of this world.
As she was leaving, Theresa looked back one more time: "Is Kiana doing well?"
Siegfried didn't answer, he really had no face to answer that question. Shiraha paused, then said crisply: "She's doing well, she's just been obsessed with making big money lately."
As for the real Kiana, she was probably taking horticulture classes with Ragna, aspiring to become a Valkyrie.
"That's good."
Theresa nodded. After leaving their line of sight, she stopped, intending to double back and use her silver tongue to make these kids understand the historical significance of Valkyries.
But Siegfried stood expressionlessly at the door, watching her.
Theresa: (O_o)
Siegfried: (._.v)
Siegfried pointed at the security camera.
Theresa: ....
On the other side, Elysia walked with her hands behind her back, stepping on the floor tiles in a catwalk, her waist-length hair swaying: "Weren't you going to make contact with Theresa?"
"I thought about it but with Siegfried around, there's no need for me to reach out to her right now."
Shiraha followed behind his Nee-chan, also amusing himself by stepping on the tiles, hopping seriously. As for Theresa, with Siegfried there, he could get her contact info one way or another.
"What about that Chen Tianwu?"
"I took a look from afar, his sister's too young, clearly not in my grade. No need to make contact."
Shiraha quickly gave up on the tile-stepping game. He hurried forward and grabbed his Nee-chan's wrist: "Come on, Nee-chan, while Rin-nee's being carried by the miko, let's go out and play."
Building favor was one thing but you couldn't neglect your Nee-chan's favor while building others'. Elysia was the most special, she was the beginning of everything for Shiraha in this world.
Without Elysia, Shiraha probably would've had to wait until school age to learn about this city through the Raiden family.
"Maybe even longer, ME Corp is in the electronics and chip sector, and as for the Raiden family... does anyone really pay attention to the city's richest man?"
Well, when I saw Nagazora and Chiba Academy, I probably would've figured it out, but I'd have to go through the classic 'save Mei' routine, and wait until high school.
Elysia blinked, her starry eyes curving into a smile: "I thought Little Shiraha was going to go back and keep Mei and Yuna company."
After all, most of the time she went wherever Shiraha went.
"Kids are easy to deal with!"
Shiraha said it with utter confidence. Today's miko, fox, and two little brats, all ditched!
Elysia was pulled along by the wrist, running out the back door of Me Corp under the strange stares of others.
The fairy girl's starry eyes shimmered, her smile uncontainable. Though she knew Little Shiraha was probably just feeling like he'd neglected her for too long.
But...
Maybe she was wrong?