Hoshino gave Saria no chance to dwell on it.
Time was running out.
She stepped forward and placed the [Crown of Thunder] atop Lightning Empress's head. The amount of charge it could store broke through its limit almost instantly. Red light flickered, and human and divine radiance alternated within Lightning Empress's eyes.
What a contradiction.
Yet in Saria's eyes, Lightning Empress had clearly been smiling all along. That smile was like sunlight piercing through dark clouds, laying all the beauty in the world before her and sweeping away the gloom in her heart.
"What are you thinking about?"
Hoshino held Lightning Empress in her arms and said proudly, "See? I told you. She's a strong child."
"Mm."
Saria nodded, her expression surprised.
Light shimmered from Lightning Empress's body. Lightning Empress exited, Shadow Dash appeared, and the lightning blanketing the skies above the laboratory vanished.
The mission should be complete now, right?
Hoshino felt a little uneasy. Mei, in her Shadow Dash state, had swiftly fallen unconscious after appearing, leaving little opportunity to speak with anyone. She feared the assessment had not yet ended; if the Shadow Clone failed to display the intelligence it should have, they might be exposed on the spot.
"What happened to her?"
"The power of lightning had been buried too deeply within her body. She probably can no longer sustain that half-divine visage."
Hoshino answered for Lightning Empress.
The shrine maiden's fingers gently brushed across Shadow Dash's skin. "Look, it no longer feels like lightning is crackling beneath the surface. I suppose her wish has come true."
She had always wanted to touch others without reservation.
Now, her wish had been granted.
Hoshino suddenly thought of something else interesting—what if she kept Raiden Mei on Rhodes Island and had her hug girls everywhere? Just how many