Cake

A month after the Herrscher of Rock, Elysia still hadn't spoken to Yoshikage Kira.

Elysia was emotional, and she knew she had simply been too overcome with grief at the time, leading to her emotional breakdown.

She also understood that she shouldn't blame Yoshikage Kira; no one but the Herrscher of Rock was responsible for the sinking of the Mu Continent.

But she still couldn't convince herself, couldn't convince herself to accept Yoshikage Kira's words.

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

The stark contrast left Elysia reeling.

"Pardo, can you come here for a moment?" Seeing Pardo, who wasn't with Yoshikage Kira for once, Elysia waved her over.

"Huh? Sister Elysia, what's up? Do you need help finding something?"

"This might be a bit sudden, but I wanted to ask... what do you think of Yoshikage Kira?"

"Ah... this... Sister Elysia, my opinion is very subjective, are you sure you want to hear it?"

"To me, the Boss is my whole world!"

"When I'm hungry, the Boss cooks for me, and when I'm bored, the Boss takes me out to play."

"Sister Elysia, you know, I used to be afraid of thunder. Every time it thundered, I couldn't sleep."

"I couldn't help it, so I went to find the Boss."

"Originally, the Boss went to bed at ten every night, but then, to coax me to sleep, he pushed his bedtime back to eleven."

As the girl spoke of Yoshikage Kira, her eyes seemed to sparkle.

She talked endlessly about Yoshikage Kira's good qualities, excited like a child sharing their treasures with a friend.

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

"In fact, I'd be very happy, extremely happy, if the Boss only cared about me."

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

"Mm... sorry to bother you."

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

'I'll go ask someone else.'

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

"Hm? Elysia, what's the matter?"

"Um... I joined the team a bit late, so I might have some misunderstandings about Yoshikage Kira. Could you tell me about him?"

Considering their previous conflict, Kevin nodded and began to recount their story.

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

"As a victim at the time, it was Yoshikage Kira and Elysia who saved me."

"Speaking of which, I've never heard you call her Senior Elysia," Elysia interjected.

Kevin shook his head and explained, "Elysia didn't like us calling her that, saying it felt too formal among friends."

"As for Senior Kira... honestly, he's more like a benevolent father figure to me."

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

"When I couldn't go on, Senior Kira would encourage me, and when I completed a mission, he'd take me out for noodles."

"When I didn't know how to get along with Mei, he'd also give me advice."

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

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

Kevin nodded and then shook his head.

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

"It was Senior Kira who delivered the finishing blow to the Herrscher at the critical moment."

"If it weren't for him, the Herrscher would have caused even greater casualties."

"Then why did the Herrscher of Rock..." Realizing she had lost her composure, Elysia quickly shut her mouth.

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

And so it went, Elysia asking everyone for their opinions on Yoshikage Kira.

Listening to Yoshikage Kira through different people's eyes, Elysia's perception of him became more three-dimensional.

In the evening, sitting on the living room sofa, Elysia drank to pass the time.

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

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

"Can I? Sister Elysia? Then I won't be polite."

"How is it, did you find Yoshikage Kira today?"

"Sigh, don't even mention it. I didn't see Boss all day, and Sister Vill-V is nowhere to be found. They wouldn't have gone on a date behind our backs, would they?"

"I ate cafeteria food all day today, ah... Canned Food, I want to eat the food Boss makes."

Watching Pardo play with her cat, Elysia smiled.

"Canned Food isn't even afraid of you."

"Hehe, yeah. Ever since I became a Fusion Warrior, the little cats are too scared to come near me. Thankfully, I have Canned Food."

"Meow." Canned Food responded to Pardo, rubbing against her cheek.

Suddenly, the villa's main door was pushed open.

"Ah! It's Boss, and Sister Vill-V and Sister Aili too! Where did you three go?"

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

"Boss, do you know how I spent my day? 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.

Watching Yoshikage Kira prepare to make a cake, Elysia wanted to speak but stopped herself.

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

Hearing Elysia speak, Elysia was a little shocked.

"...Yes."

Elysia smiled, a very happy smile.

"Hmph, don't forget mine."

"Aili, be careful not to get fat."

"Eh! Elysia, why are you starting to say things like that too?"