Cake

A month after the Herrscher of Rock incident, Elysia still had not spoken to Yoshikage Kira.

Elysia was an emotional person. She knew that she had only lost control of her emotions because she had been too grief-stricken at the time.

She also understood that she should not blame Yoshikage Kira. Other than the Herrscher of Rock, no one should bear responsibility for the sinking of Mu Continent.

But she still could not convince herself, could not convince herself to accept Yoshikage Kira's words.

Yoshikage Kira, who was so gentle with everyone, had been so cold-blooded.

The enormous contrast left Elysia unable to recover.

"Pardo, could you come over for a moment?" Spotting Pardo without Yoshikage Kira for once, Elysia waved to her.

"Hm? Elysia, what is it? Do you need me to help you find something?"

"Though this may be a little abrupt, I wanted to ask... what do you think of Yoshikage Kira?"

"Ah... well... Elysia, my opinion is pretty subjective. Are you sure you want to hear it?"

"To me, Boss is my whole world!"

"When I'm hungry, Boss cooks for me. When I'm bored, Boss takes me out to have fun."

"Elysia, did you know? I used to be afraid of thunder. Every time there was a storm, I'd be too scared to sleep."

"When I really had no other choice, I went to Boss."

"Boss used to go to bed at ten every night, but afterward, to coax me to sleep, he pushed his bedtime back to eleven."

As the girl spoke of Yoshikage Kira, there seemed to be light in her eyes.

She went on and on about Yoshikage Kira's good points, as excited as a child sharing her treasure with a friend.

"So, Elysia, if you're still thinking about what happened last time... then sorry, but I'll support Boss unconditionally."

"Actually, if Boss only cared about me, I'd be happy. Really happy."

"Well then... if there's nothing else, I'll be going now, Elysia?"

"Mm... sorry for the trouble."

"Strange, where did Boss and Vill-V go?" Pardo scratched her head and began looking for the two of them.

I should ask the others, too.

"Kevin, may I bother you for a moment?"

"Hm? Elysia, what is it?"

"Mm... I joined the team rather late, so I may have some misunderstandings about Yoshikage Kira. Could you tell me about him?"

Considering the conflict between the two of them earlier, Kevin nodded and began recounting his experiences with Yoshikage Kira.

"I met Senior Kira when the Third Herrscher appeared."

"As one of the victims back then, I was saved by Senior Yoshikage Kira and Elysia."

"Come to think of it, I've never heard you call Elysia 'Senior,'" Elysia interjected.

Kevin shook his head and explained, "Elysia doesn't like us calling her that. She says it makes friends sound too distant."

"As for Senior Kira... honestly, he feels more like a kind father to me."

"When I first joined the Flame Chasers, Senior Kira was the one who trained me."

"When I couldn't hold on any longer, Senior Kira would encourage me. When I completed a mission, he would take me out for noodles."

"When I didn't know how to get along with Mei, he gave me advice too."

"Elysia, do you know about the Herrscher of Death?"

"Yes, I read her file. You were the one who defeated her."

Kevin nodded, then shook his head.

"Not entirely. In fact, when I was about to kill the Herrscher, I thought she had briefly regained her humanity, and I hesitated."

"It was Senior Kira who finished the Herrscher off at the crucial moment."

"If not for him, the Herrscher would have caused even more casualties."

"Then why did the Herrscher of Rock..." Realizing she had lost her composure, Elysia promptly fell silent.

"...I can't judge whether he was right or wrong. I should go train now, Elysia."

Again and again, Elysia asked everyone what they thought of Yoshikage Kira.

Listening to the Yoshikage Kira seen through different people's eyes, Elysia's understanding of him became more complete.

That evening, Elysia sat on the living room sofa, drinking wine to ease her boredom.

"Elysia, is it good?" Pardo watched Elysia drink red wine, curious about its taste.

"Little Pardo, would you like to try some?"

"Really, Elysia? Then I won't hold back."

"So, did you find Yoshikage Kira today?"

"Sigh, don't even mention it. I didn't see Boss all day, and Vill-V was nowhere to be found either. Don't tell me they went on a date behind my back?"

"I ate cafeteria food all day today. Ah... Canned Food, I want to eat food Boss made."

Watching Pardo tease her cat, Elysia smiled.

"Canned Food isn't afraid of you at all."

"Hehe, yeah. Ever since I became a Fusion Warrior, little cats haven't dared come near me. Good thing I have Canned Food."

"Meow." Canned Food answered Pardo as well, rubbing against her cheek.

Suddenly, someone opened the villa's front door.

"Ah! It's Boss, and Vill-V and Elysia too! What were you three doing?"

"...Australia Continent needs to be rebuilt. We went there to survey the current environment."

"Boss, do you know how I spent today? I ate cafeteria food all day!"

"But if Boss makes me a cake, I'll forgive you."

Yoshikage Kira smiled helplessly and pinched Pardo's chubby cheek.

Seeing Yoshikage Kira preparing to make a cake, Elysia wanted to speak but stopped herself.

"...Could you make one for me to try as well, Mr. Yoshikage Kira?"

Hearing Elysia speak, Elysia was somewhat shocked.

"...Sure."

Elysia smiled, and she smiled very happily.

"Hehe, don't forget my share."

"Elysia, be careful not to gain weight."

"Eh! Elysia, why are you saying things like that too?"