As Shiraha left, he looked back at Fu Hua once more.
Schicksal did have technology that could shrink a person's size, but Fu Hua clearly hadn't used it.
This was just a standard 165cm, and these days, elementary schoolers developed well. Reaching 165cm around middle school age wasn't really all that exaggerated.
Shiraha withdrew his gaze and stepped out of the convenience store.
The cold wind hit his face. Holding the little fox in his arms, he still couldn't hold it in, a smile crept across his face.
Elysia, meanwhile, still had that look: fair little face, pure daze and confusion.
She seemed to have spotted someone familiar, but the sheer absurdity of it made her doubt herself.
Elysia's tone was subtly odd: "That person seems to have the air of an old acquaintance."
It should be Hua's child in this era, inheriting some of Hua's genes from the MANTIS lineage.
Probably. That's what Elysia told herself.
Shiraha's smile widened even more: "That's Hua. I've seen her in the Elysian Realm."
Actually, he hadn't but Elysia clearly didn't know everything about Shiraha's experiences there.
Elysia could only stay silent: "...Maybe it's Hua's child. After all, a lot of people in this era look exactly like people from the past, like little Mei."
Shiraha pressed his lips together: "Could Hua even have a child?"
He didn't add anything else, but Elysia understood what Little Shiraha meant.
After a moment's silence, Elysia couldn't help but let out a quiet, clear laugh. True, when you really think about it, it could only be Hua herself.
"Why is she here?"
Elysia looked back toward the convenience store, her starry eyes curving, a nostalgic smile on her face.
Shiraha had already schooled his expression, his voice steady: "Not sure. But it's probably related to me."
At that moment, Rin stood on Shiraha's arm, her fox head resting against his little shoulder, gazing back at the convenience store.
So these long-lived MANTIS weren't dead yet, they were still living somewhere in this era.
Then she looked back at Shiraha, but at that moment, Shiraha pressed her little head against his cheek and rubbed.
Rin's thoughts were forcibly interrupted, her ears flattened askew, and a muffled "kyuu" escaped her throat.
Back in the convenience store, Kiana was still working. The tall classmate beside her occasionally glanced her way.
"Senpai, are you trying to make big money too?"
Kiana asked casually.
Fu Hua paused briefly, her movements not stopping, and nodded: "You could say that."
Otto had spent two years urgently contacting Fu Hua before finally tracking her down, she'd been traveling the world, righting wrongs.
The Second Eruption had dealt a heavy blow to many. Theresa had lost her vitality, Siegfried had fallen into despair. Even the strongest among them, Fu Hua, had wandered the world after the Second Eruption, trying to find another organization that could save it.
She'd gone to North America and met with the executives of Anti-Entropy. In the end, she found... sigh. Schicksal was at least passable, unlike Anti-Entropy, which was a constellation of all-too-human geniuses.
"Senpai, do you know any other ways to make money?"
Kiana thought for a moment, then added: "Not the kind that promises to double your money tenfold."
Fu Hua froze. Her usually deadpan gaze flickered with surprise: "There are activities that double your money tenfold!?"
Are you sure that's legit?
Even Schicksal wouldn't dare claim to tenfold an investment. The only company in recent years that had come anywhere close to that kind of growth was Shencheng Pharmaceuticals, which had risen in Europe, but that was years ago during its ascent.
Kiana nodded seriously: "I think it's called a pyramid scheme. Shiraha told me those are all scams."
Fu Hua: ....
She sighed: "Yeah, those are scams."
K423's brain didn't seem too sharp. Kiana had been pretty clever as a child.
Had Sirin's influence started kicking in?
Fu Hua asked, already knowing the answer: "So you know Shiraha?"
"Yeah, we're both staying at the Raiden estate right now."
Kiana nodded her little head. She actually had an allowance too, not from Uncle Ryoma directly, though from what she'd later observed, the money her dad gave her also came from Uncle Ryoma.
Sigh. Dad. Sigh. Always spending other people's money.
"...Then why are you still working here?"
"I want to earn big money! So I can properly repay Uncle Ryoma and Shiraha."
Kiana's little head was sharp, she also had to find a way to support her dad, who only knew how to fight.
Hearing this, Fu Hua nodded. Good kid, much better than Sirin.
She thought for a moment: "I do have quite a few job connections. If you still feel the same way by middle school, come find me then."
Fu Hua didn't mind helping K423 with small matters like this. Though Otto's primary focus had shifted to Shiraha, he was still the Overseer of Schicksal, there was no way he'd only run one plan.
K423 needed monitoring, Shiraha needed watching, and if she had the chance, she'd also keep an eye on Anti-Entropy's economic lifeline.
After that, Fu Hua kept busy, occasionally chatting with Kiana and asking about Shiraha.
It wasn't until 10 PM that the convenience store closed.
When Kiana got back home, the first thing she saw was Mei in the living room, earnestly studying a map and muttering to herself. Kiana's lips curled, she had no interest in playing house with the young lady.
"Kiana, are you free the day after tomorrow?"
Shiraha called out to her, still holding the little fox in his arms.
Kiana thought for a moment: "I'm on shift at the convenience store the day after tomorrow."
Mei spread her hands with feigned regret: "What a shame. We're planning to invite Yuna to go check out the second Martial Arts Tournament."
This time, she, Mei, as destiny's favorite and the fated sovereign, absolutely would not give up halfway. At the very least, she had to witness just how intense, even deadly, these matches could be.
Kiana let out a casual "oh": "Then I'll ask for the day off."
Mei's expression froze.
"You can just take time off whenever you want at your job?"
Kiana's lips curled: "Why not? Besides, there's someone who thought a whole group could just go work a day to 'experience life,' right?"
Who was that? Oh, it was the young lady right in front of her, Raiden Mei.
Mei puffed out her cheeks: "I didn't know! You have to learn things slowly, step by step."
Damn Kiana!
Treacherous minister!
Rebel!
Ambitious schemer!
Big bully!
Watching the two of them go at it, Shiraha let out a sigh.
"I'm heading upstairs first, Mei-nee. I ate too much ice cream today, my stomach hurts a little."
He held the fox in his arms. Yae Sakura had been relatively quiet these past few days, so much so that the three little ones had started to see this "delinquent miko" in a somewhat better light.
"The fox stays!"
Even while bickering with Kiana, Mei didn't forget, she pointed at the little pink fox in Shiraha's arms.
Shiraha wore a helpless expression, bent down, and prepared to set the little fox on the floor.
But the next moment
Rin sprang up from Shiraha's arms, landing lightly on his shoulder with all four paws, her tail held high, looking down at Mei with a haughty gaze.
Damn it. Mei's cheeks puffed out even more. Even a fox won't get close to me?
Kiana had already slipped into the kitchen, the sound of the fridge opening came from inside.
Only Mei was left in the living room.
She drew another circle on the map, then slapped her pen down on the table with a sharp thwack.
"Hmph."
It wasn't loud, but in the empty living room, it was especially clear.
...No one responded.
The next day, when Kiana went to work, she had zero intention of asking Fu Hua to cover her shift.
She'd just been talking big yesterday. She wasn't interested in fighting and killing, she just wanted to make money.
But Fu Hua spoke up first.
"Kiana, I might need to be away for a while tomorrow, could you cover my shift?"
Her expression carried a hint of apology, since the two of them weren't exactly close yet.
Kiana looked up at the "adult" in front of her.
"The Martial Arts Tournament?"
She had a hunch.
Fu Hua blinked: "You're going too?"
"I'm not." Kiana's expression was flat: "I'll cover your shift."
Fu Hua's face cracked into a rare smile: "Thanks for the trouble."
K423 really was such a good kid, hardworking, willing to help others.
The truth was, she didn't have any mission tomorrow. It was just that hearing the words "Martial Arts Tournament" had made Fu Hua instinctively want to check it out.
"By the way, will Shiraha be going tomorrow?"
Fu Hua suddenly remembered her primary mission target.
"You're interested in him?"
"We're classmates in the same year, I doubt anyone isn't curious about him." Fu Hua thought for a moment, then added: "Always alone, living with the young lady Mei, and having an invisible ghost friend."
She didn't know about other kids, but Fu Hua herself was extremely curious, though calling herself a kid felt a bit strange.
But Fu Hua had been to Siberia. Everything there had not only delighted Otto but also given Fu Hua a strange sense of familiarity.
She'd stayed there for half a year, watching the frigid lands of Siberia produce grain yields approaching those of the mainland. It brought back many memories, though they were blurry and unclear.
Still, keeping an eye on Shiraha couldn't be wrong.
Kiana looked up, then pointed at her own head: "Shiraha's mental state is a little off. If you want to be friends with him, you have to accept that."
At the very least, you had to tolerate your friend talking to thin air all the time. And because his psychic ability was telekinesis-based, his imaginary friend could occasionally interact with reality.
When Kiana got home that day, she found Shiraha still playing house with Mei. She looked away.
Shiraha noticed her and reminded her: "Kiana, tomorrow we're planning to pick up Yuna first. If you want to sleep in, we can come get you after we pick her up."
"I'm not going tomorrow." Kiana refused flatly. After taking two steps, she had a sudden thought: "If the ticket isn't going to be used..."
"Never mind, I'm not close with that senpai anyway."
She'd considered giving the ticket to Fu Hua, but then realized she didn't have her senpai's contact info.
Even if she got the ticket now, there'd be no way to give it to her. And giving it away for free stung a little, ever since she'd started working, Kiana had become a bit sensitive about money.
Shiraha tilted his head. He felt like he was having a harder and harder time reading Kiana these days.
"Oh, right, Rin-nee, are you coming tomorrow?"
He looked at Yae Sakura.
Yae Sakura was lounging on the sofa, holding a cup of hot tea, quietly watching TV.
She still hadn't explained that she wasn't actually Rin, maybe she just couldn't be bothered, or maybe Rin was forcing her. After all, Rin had recently taken to using Yae Sakura's body to bully the kids.
Yae Sakura sighed. She didn't want to go, but the fox spirit probably wouldn't agree.
"Yes."
Ok, then tomorrow's lineup was set, Yae Sakura, himself, Mei, and Yuna.
"Great!" Mei declared on the spot: "Then it's just the four of us!"
No treacherous minister Kiana, fantastic!
...
The second Martial Arts Tournament was even livelier than the first.
In fact, the first one had already gotten pretty rowdy by the end. Natasha had looked like nothing more than a young girl, but her raw physical strength had left experts around the world scrambling for an explanation.
In the Far East, where everyone still carried a faint touch of chuunibyou, many believed that superhumans existed in this world.
Market-wise, talk shows about psychic abilities had been popping up one after another over the years, with ratings through the roof.
Theresa stood at the entrance of ME Corp, hands on her hips, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.
It was hard to imagine, an S-rank of Schicksal, standing here so brazenly.
"Martial Arts Tournament?"
She smiled smugly, a hint of pride in her voice: "Isn't this just the admissions office for my St. Freya Academy's very first year?"
At least this year, before Anti-Entropy could react, she, Theresa, wanted to take a few promising talents, who could possibly stop her?
She'd been in a pretty good mood lately. Ever since leaving Schicksal headquarters and fully embracing her slacker lifestyle, the world suddenly felt vast and free.
Theresa hopped onto a nearby bench and scanned her surroundings. First, she ruled out most of the men, no matter how muscular they looked, in a world of Honkai, those muscles mattered far less than Honkai resistance.
Then she ruled out those who were too old.
Even if older participants had decent Honkai resistance, their potential was limited. Ideally, she'd find a few girls around 16, like last year's Natasha, that was the perfect age. Old enough to begin tapping into their inner strength, but young enough to still be allowed to compete.
"Theresa..."
A familiar voice suddenly came from behind her. Theresa immediately looked around warily.
Who!
It was Fu Hua.
Fu Hua stood behind her, staring expressionlessly at the white-haired shorty: "Are you planning to defect?"
Theresa blinked. Oh, right, since I'm already all the way out in the Far East, why stick with this godforsaken Schicksal?
She looked down at the girl before her: "You're that A-rank Valkyrie from the... what department?"
Theresa had a vague impression but couldn't quite remember. She was already used to this kind of memory fuzziness, getting older, memory slipping, it was normal.
Fu Hua replied calmly: "Intelligence Division. Fu Hua."
Theresa didn't jump down from the bench. She grabbed Fu Hua's hand: "Fu Hua~ Would you like to join me in starting our own little faction here?"
As for defecting to Anti-Entropy? Absolutely not!
Though Schicksal and Anti-Entropy were known as the world's two poles, Anti-Entropy fell far short.
Take the recent incident with Siegfried, Anti-Entropy had botched even seducing him to defect. Theresa didn't trust them.
She had to take responsibility for the Valkyries under her. The Valkyries in the Far East branch now included many who were tired of Schicksal's darkness, but most were still the children she'd rescued from the Babylon Labs back then.
Because of the experiments, many of those children had short lifespans, but Theresa had to be responsible for them. Declaring independence would at most put her open defiance on the table, and Otto would just chuckle and let it slide.
Defecting to Anti-Entropy? That would truly be the end.