"Should be... the Stigmata?"
Shiraha tilted his head, as if seriously trying to recall something. "When Mei-nee's Stigmata went berserk, it was Nee-chan who helped suppress it. So Nee-chan's very familiar with Mei-nee's aura."
He paused, like he was organizing his thoughts, then nodded earnestly. "That's probably why. Nee-chan herself can't really explain it either. There are lots of things Nee-chan doesn't understand she just... can do them."
Shiraha wasn't lying.
Elysia: ....
Her starry eyes narrowed slightly. She really didn't understand plenty of things. But Elysia was absolutely certain, Shiraha had not worded it this way just to spare her trouble later.
Einstein nodded. "That's true. That is how Stigmata works. Even without fully understanding it, as long as you follow your instincts, you can accomplish things."
For a mental-type ability like psychokinesis, having perception as an add-on was entirely normal.
As for why Shiraha's Nee-chan didn't know the exact principles, that was also perfectly normal. Because Shiraha himself didn't know anything either. A personality that existed as an appendage to Shiraha, how could she possibly know?
"In that case..." Einstein mused for a moment, her smile faint and calm. "Could Shiraha help me find someone?"
Siegfried.
No one was quite sure what Siegfried's state of mind was right now. Schicksal couldn't find him. Anti-Entropy couldn't find him. It was as if the man had completely lost himself in the frozen wastes of Siberia.
But they still had to search.
Siegfried's defection this time had been perfectly coordinated with Anti-Entropy, except Anti-Entropy hadn't made it in time. A debt that should have been repaid... had now grown even heavier.
Shiraha set down his controller, barely hesitating. His voice came out crisp and bright. "Of course, Ein-senpai."
I've been waiting for this.
Siegfried himself wasn't actually that important. What mattered were the Judgment of Shamash in his hands and K-423 by his side. As for Siegfried? Let's wish him the best of luck.
Elysia paid it no mind. This matter didn't require her power at all. Shiraha had it under control, and she was happy to take it easy.
She took over the controller, ready to show off her skills.
This was her biggest interaction point with the outside world. And this tiny interaction still relied entirely on physical contact with Shiraha. As she maneuvered the little character on screen to dodge obstacles, Elysia sighed softly in her heart.
Sigh. Good thing Shiraha's self-made. Otherwise, any normal adult would definitely tell a child to stay away from me.
No one knew what was running through Einstein's mind. She was quiet for a moment. Her gaze drifted past the three locked in intense combat and settled on Shiraha's little face, flickering bright and dim in the glow of the screen.
She spoke softly. "If things go smoothly... you might gain a new companion."
Maybe. After all, Anti-Entropy honestly still wasn't too clear on Siegfried's exact situation. They weren't sure about Kiana's survival status, or the test subject's, either.
Shiraha, as always, radiated anticipation. "I'll look forward to it. As long as they're not like Himeko-nee, who loves bullying kids."
A child's eyes were always so clear. Einstein sighed. As for Himeko... she felt there was no longer any point in expectations.
That girl couldn't even be a proper teacher. Sigh, Himeko. Sigh, young lady.
At dinner, Einstein brought the matter up. Ryoma Raiden fell silent for a time, ready to refuse.
With his standing in Anti-Entropy, he really could refuse if he wanted to.
But Shiraha spoke first. "I'll do my best to help."
Anti-Entropy was far too humane. So Shiraha was worried that Ryoma might appeal to emotion and reason and cancel the whole thing again.
Ryoma sighed. His gaze lingered on Shiraha's earnest little face for a few seconds, then swept across the other adults at the table.
You people... picking on a single child.
"There won't be any danger. I'll be going along too."
Tesla spoke up then, adding her reassurance.
Tesla might be brash and carefree, but she wasn't the type to leave a debt unpaid. Siegfried had brought Joachim's core back after everything, had saved his life. She wasn't about to stand by and do nothing.
"Tesla-sensei..."
Ryoma Raiden opened his mouth, then hesitated. He and Tesla got along well. Both were die-hard fans of mecha manga. That was how they'd met in the first place.
But with that level of combat ability of yours, wouldn't coming along just be dragging Shiraha down?
Tesla didn't read the look in Ryoma's eyes. She slapped her chest, her tone casual. "Relax. Even if I die there, nothing will happen to Shiraha."
Ryoma's expression turned helpless.
I know. Because if we're comparing combat ability, Shiraha's survival probability is honestly higher than yours.
Tesla looked at Shiraha. "Shiraha, scared to follow your big sister out there?"
Shiraha answered without hesitation. "Not scared."
Tesla nodded with satisfaction. Right. Boys should have this kind of courage.
Ryoma still wanted to object, but Welt shook his head and pointed at himself with a rueful expression.
Ryoma instantly relaxed.
"Can I come too?"
Mei asked curiously from the side.
Ryoma's face immediately hardened into stern lines. "Can you pass a test right now without dropping a single point?"
The corner of Mei's mouth twisted downward. She quietly went back to eating.
She ate fast. Once she was done, she just sat there, quietly watching Shiraha feed and eat on his own.
Shiraha hesitated for a long moment. Feeling the burn of Mei-nee's intense stare, he finally set down his chopsticks. "I'm done eating too."
He said it politely and was just about to hop off his chair when a large hand reached out from beside him and pressed firmly down on his shoulder.
It was Welt.
His expression was as calm as ever. "Eat until you're full first. Then go play."
Shiraha gave Mei-nee a helpless look.
Mei hung her head dejectedly. These boring adults. What's so good about dinner anyway? She'd rather go eat snacks in her room.
Eat until her little tummy was round and full.
"I'm going upstairs first."
Mei hopped off her chair, ready to head back to her room. She didn't really like being around grown-ups.
A delinquent senpai's age gap was about her limit. Even Himeko-nee felt too old to her.
Shiraha quickly resolved his own satiety issue and hopped off his chair once more. "I'm done eating."
Once Shiraha had also run upstairs, someone, no one knew who, let out the first sigh. In an instant, three more sighs echoed in unison across the dining table.
"That Siegfried... he's nursing a grudge." Ryoma Raiden's voice was helpless.
"He blames us."
But they hadn't gathered here to complain about Siegfried. When it came to Anti-Entropy, Siegfried had done absolutely nothing wrong, only right.
"Can we confirm his location?"
Ryoma spoke again. He didn't dwell on the question of guilt. Honestly, he and Siegfried weren't even that close yet, they were comrades in arms at best.
He was more concerned about Shiraha.
Einstein shook her head. "No."
"If we can't find him... we'll just treat it as taking the kid on a trip."
No one had any confidence right now. To be precise, no one had any idea what was going through Siegfried's mind.
Maybe Schicksal had some intelligence. But even Schicksal couldn't gamble on Siegfried's train of thought right now.
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