The next day, the Raven sprawled over her desk as usual and pushed a printed report across, her tone lazy. "The family agreed."
The agreement had been practically a given. Grey Serpent's nod wasn't solely because of Elysia's status as "Master", the chance to legitimately enter ME Corp was also a tempting factor.
ME Corp, the theoretical main artery of Anti-Entropy's core. Being able to plant an inside eye there... Grey Serpent naturally wouldn't refuse.
"Senpai, you can trust ME Corp's integrity completely."
Mei kept her little expression neutral, her voice solemn. But once she returned to her seat, taking advantage of the Raven's distraction, she secretly flashed Shiraha an "OK" sign behind her textbook. Only a few fingers showed, though the circle wasn't quite visible.
Perfect!
Yuna blinked and ventured cautiously, "Are we still training swordsmanship today?"
Mei shook her head. "We're doing review sessions these next couple of days. After all, we'll be taking the day off tomorrow. Can't let our grades drop on the next exam, or it'll be harder to get leave next time something comes up."
Yuna let out a quiet "oh." It actually sounded... pretty reasonable?
She had no complaints about free tutoring anyway, even if most study sessions only served as review.
Raven watched Shiraha naturally join the review session and opened her mouth as if to say something.
Forget it. Let Mobius wait another couple of days. A child really should prioritize academics.
Far East high school girl, Raven, thought to herself. Right. A student's priority should be academics.
"Dr. Mobius can be a little petty, you know."
Elysia sat beside him, resting her head on his shoulder, her voice carrying an airy "I did warn you" lilt.
Shiraha shook his head. "It's fine. I'll be studying seriously these next few days."
Studying the knowledge in that book.
That way, when the time came, he could let Mobius-nee see that he'd been studying all along, he'd just been genuinely too busy to visit often. If all else failed, he'd just say Elysia-nee told him not to come too often!
"Sigh~ Don't keep bullying Dr. Mobius like that~"
Elysia drew her words out long and slow.
After all, in normal social interactions, Dr. Mobius rarely ever bullied anyone or got bullied. When she did get bullied, it was mostly Elysia teasing her. When she did bully others, it was mostly Klein on the receiving end.
The thought of her own ecological niche being occupied by Shiraha filled Elysia with an inexplicable unease.
Shiraha glanced at Nee-chan, the corner of his mouth tugging. His voice dropped very low. "Nee-chan should start looking forward to me not running into Kalpas in the Realm."
Elysia paused. The feigned worry on her face instantly turned genuine.
Kalpas, huh...
That really would cause a headache.
For once, the Hokushin Ittō-ryū Youth Training Camp spent an entire day studying.
As Yuna wrote, the corners of her mouth unconsciously lifted. She'd never imagined that studying could actually be something that wasn't lonely.
On the way home, she was clearly looking forward to it, looking forward to tomorrow's club activity.
Raven was still pondering: how was she supposed to tell Mobius that Shiraha was a student who couldn't just spend all day playing with a wicked older sister like her?
"Shiraha, I think Dad will be really happy with this."
After all, for a dad who'd always been so stern and constantly buried in work... being able to make money should make him pretty happy, right?
That was all Mei could guess.
Shiraha prayed, "I hope Uncle Ryoma won't be mad that we kept this a secret for so long."
Mei slowed her steps beside him. She imagined the scene, her expression turning indignant. "Then we'll just have to take the scolding."
Shiraha looked at Mei-nee. That indignant face didn't look fake. It was clear enough, Ryoma Raiden hadn't left the best impression in Mei's heart.
Because the club had held a study session after school, they were heading home as late as usual. Uncle Ryoma was already home.
"You're back."
Ryoma Raiden offered his daily greeting.
Mei and Shiraha exchanged a glance. She steeled herself. "Dad, I brought an investment deal to ME Corp."
"That's right. Mei-nee's been working on this for a long time."
Shiraha stood at the side, cheering Mei-nee on.
Ryoma Raiden said nothing. Only the corner of his mouth, hidden behind the newspaper, kept twitching upward before swiftly flattening out again.
"Ahem!"
After two coughs that carried a faint trace of delight, Ryoma set down his newspaper. His expression returned to its usual sternness. "Your primary task at this age is your studies."
"But since it's an investment you two brought in, I can't exactly ignore it. Go on. Tell me what this is about."
Ryoma Raiden still wore that wholly serious demeanor.
Mei's little mouth scrunched to the side. She knew it. Dad wouldn't take it seriously. But because it's me and Shiraha, he has no choice but to listen.
"A senpai from our club, her family's company works on virtual reality projection and brain-machine interfaces." Mei spoke very fast, as if trying to blurt it all out in one breath. "Earlier in the club, I tried their product. It felt really realistic. Way more fun than the game consoles at home."
With that, she slapped the printed file Senpai had given her onto the table, then grabbed Shiraha and went clomping upstairs.
Grown-up matters are for grown-ups to worry about. Talking to adults is the absolute worst.
"Uncle Ryoma, we're heading upstairs!" Shiraha, dragged along, only managed to call out over his shoulder.
Ryoma Raiden was left in the living room, expression placid. Children really were capricious. Why was Shiraha's mood so stable, then?
He thought of Sovereign Welt. Then he thought of Tesla. Alright. Makes sense. Perhaps women's emotions really were unpredictable.
He picked up the file and slowly leafed through it.
Clean data. A well-crafted report. A company with real potential. As for the product... without seeing the actual item, Ryoma didn't take it too seriously.
Brain-machine tech, that was something both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy had already long since played out. Still, for a private company to develop this level of technology was worth his attention.
He kept flipping through the report. It was truly well-made, concise, no fluff. It almost seemed like Mei and Shiraha had actually found him a hidden gem.
Ryoma Raiden's gaze grew a touch more focused.
"Uncle Ryoma?"
Only when Shiraha stood beside him did Ryoma slowly come back to his senses. "What is it, Shiraha?"
His attitude was always a few degrees gentler when facing Shiraha. It wasn't favoritism, it was just that Shiraha was always so well-behaved and obedient. Over time, Ryoma had found himself unable to keep up the sternness around him.
Sigh. If only he were my own child.
"Uncle Ryoma... did you find that friend of yours?" Shiraha's voice was somewhat soft.
Ryoma Raiden paused.
He was quiet for a moment. His gaze shifted from the file and settled on Shiraha's small, upturned face. He squeezed out a smile. "Found him."
Shiraha: ?
"No need for Shiraha to worry about this. Speaking of which, it seems your club is coming to observe the martial arts tournament tomorrow. I've saved the best spectator seats for you all."
Ryoma ruffled Shiraha's hair.
"Alright. Go on and play now. There's nothing in this world your Uncle Ryoma can't handle."
Siegfried? Never heard of him.
Let Shiraha risk being discovered by Schicksal's assault squad just to search for Siegfried?
Impossible!
Shiraha lifted his little face and looked into Uncle Ryoma's eyes, eyes that brooked no argument. In the end, he nodded.
"Mm."
Elysia drifted behind him, hands clasped behind her head, her voice carrying a note of schadenfreude. "Well, well~ Looks like your scheme fell through, Mr. World's Number One Killer."