Little girls were a precious crystallization of subculture, symbols of cuteness and moe, treasures bestowed upon humanity by the anime world-the very embodiment of justice from another dimension!
Little girls gave humanity tremendous courage and motivation!
They were blooming flowers, singing birds, the future and hope, the beauty of life. They represented God's miracles...
All right, lolicons, stop making excuses. Straight to the electric chair!
Direct current shocked you nonstop; alternating current took turns.
How to Griseo: Belle, when are you coming back?
Phaethon (younger sister): Griseo, I'm already at the Sixth Street convenience store. I'll be right back!
(Yes, exactly the Little Griseo you're thinking of!)
Sixth Street was one of the most ordinary corners of New Eridu.
Many untold stories lay hidden here.
Behind every unremarkable shop might lurk an earth-shattering secret-or, of course, it might really just be unremarkable.
At the convenience store at No. 101, Belle put away her phone and pushed open the door. The owner poked his head out from behind the shelves.
"Oh! Belle's here! This is the art supply set you ordered. It just came in."
The owner placed a parcel on the counter and peeled back the layers of newspaper, revealing the paint box and brushes inside.
"Take a look. Imported, with really true colors." Belle glanced down, nodded, and prepared to pay, but the owner was in no hurry to take her money.
Smiling, he pulled a box out from beneath the counter and pushed it toward her.
"This one's my gift to our little princess of Sixth Street!"
"Huh?"
Belle froze for a moment.
The owner explained with a smile, "I heard Little Griseo got into the New Eridu Academy of Fine Arts. Sixth Street finally has a child prodigy of its own!"
"Um... we don't know the results yet." At his words, Belle felt a little lost and could only offer a strained smile.
"She'll definitely get in! That child's paintings look just like the real thing!" The owner pressed the box into her hands. "Take it, take it. Just a little something from me."
Belle opened her mouth, unsure what to say.
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it! Go tell Little Griseo the good news!"
Belle left the convenience store, and the door closed behind her.
Good news?
She thought... if rejection counted as good news, then only in a very particular sense.
As for why things had turned out this way, it all started that morning...
"What do you mean, 500,000 Denny for one brush? Five million for a set of paints?"
The admissions director's office at the New Eridu Academy of Fine Arts.
Belle slapped a rolled-up painting onto the desk. The name "Griseo" was written in the upper-right corner, beside a bright red annotation: full marks (300 points).
"Why wasn't my little sister admitted when she got full marks?"
A middle-aged man sat across the desk, his bald head gleaming and his smile perfectly polite.
His name was Meipu, the admissions director, and he had held the position for twelve years. He lifted his teacup and took an unhurried sip.
Meipu looked up, his appraising gaze passing over Belle's clothes, accessories, and backpack... After confirming that they were all bargain-bin goods, his eyes settled on the perfect-scoring exam piece.
"And you are...?"
"I'm her older sister."
"Oh-"
Meipu drew out the sound, set down his teacup, and offered a professional smile. "Here's the thing, miss. Our academy's admissions aren't based on scores alone."
"Then what are they based on?"
"Griseo is indeed an outstanding student. We fully acknowledge that." Meipu touched his Schrödinger's hair. "However, our academy cultivates artists with pedigree."
"Pedigree?"
Belle was about to press him further, but when she saw the price list the bald teacher had "inadvertently" revealed... all her questions vanished.
Beside Meipu's teacup lay a sheet headed "New Semester Purchasing Requirements." A closer look revealed an itemized list.
TOPS Shenglin Group custom brushes... 500,000 Denny each
Weifedi Premium Porcelain Pigments (12 colors)... 5,000,000 Denny per set
Premium Xuan paper, the same type used for Yunkui Mountain talismans... 500,000 Denny per pad
Ether Purified Fixative (professional grade)... 300,000 Denny per bottle
Essential back-to-school starter pack (textbooks not included)... 200,000 Denny per pack
"..."
Belle stared at the string of numbers for a long time. Her initial confusion gave way to nothing but anger and resentment!
The bald teacher noticed her gaze, too, but did not hurry her. He merely drank his tea in silence. After all, he had engineered this deliberately.
"Do students... have to use these materials in class?"
"Of course they don't have to, but we strongly recommend them!" Meipu then launched into his usual official spiel.
"Only works created with professional art supplies can bring out a student's best abilities!"
"After all, we're the finest academy in New Eridu. Our goal is to provide the most professional materials and the very best teachers!"
"Of course, this was also the founding policy established by our board, carrying on an aristocratic tradition."
Belle said nothing as she listened. She simply put away Griseo's exam painting and turned to leave.
As she walked out of the office, she heard a faint, derisive laugh behind her.
"Director, every worthless nobody thinks they can get into our academy!" After Belle left, a female teacher who bore a striking resemblance to the Cart Titan could not help laughing.
"Young people these days are far too prone to delusions! This year's special admission slots have already been reserved by the group's young heiresses."
After savoring a sip of tea, the bald teacher said, "Cart, how about a drink after work?"
At his words, the female teacher instantly adopted a bizarre, fawning expression. "OK, Director. Wait for me!"
By the time Belle returned to the video store on Sixth Street, it was nearly noon.
She stood outside the video store, her hand hovering over the handle as she hesitated to open the door.
She could already picture what would happen next...
Griseo would be leaning over the little table at the front counter, painting, her long sky-blue hair hanging down and a brush held in her paint-stained little hand.
Then, at the sound of the door opening, she would raise her head, her eyes shining with innocent anticipation.
She would say happily, "Belle, you're back!"
And under that gaze, Belle would have to say, "You didn't get in."
Belle clenched her fists. Although this Little Griseo of unknown origins had only arrived a year ago, she had already become an inseparable part of their family.
Such a gentle, thoughtful child had become everyone's darling on Sixth Street. They all called her the princess of [The Stars].
Why should a child like her have to hear news like that?
Just then, a strange sound came from inside the store-"Oh, Griseo, ooh~ So good. Feels sooo good~"
Belle's brows instantly knitted together. That voice was... her brother's?
"Griseo, a little lower. Harder!"
Immediately after Wise's voice, a clear, childish voice rang out. "Like this, Wise?"
???
Belle's brain crashed for half a second. Then she shoved the door open and practically shouted, "I'm back!!"
The next second, time froze.
Wise lay face down on a tatami mat spread across the floor, his eyes narrowed in bliss.
Griseo was walking back and forth on his back with her little bare feet, her long blue hair swaying gently with her movements.
Wise raised his head and met Belle's gaze.
Belle's expression shifted from shock to confusion, then to an indescribable look of... contempt.
"Hmm? Wise, what's wrong?" Griseo stopped and tilted her head. "Your color turned gray, like the sky before it rains."
Belle fell silent for one hundred-thousandth of a second. Then she whipped out her phone, her fingers moving so fast they left afterimages.
"Hello, Public Security Department? Sixth Street video store. There's an absolutely monstrous, perverted lolicon here!"
Wise: "??? No, Belle, let me explain!!"
Note: The world of Zenless Zone Zero is relatively small and can't compare to Honkai Impact 3rd's. On top of that, I want to write about Griseo and the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, with more of a slice-of-life focus. So this book may have all sorts of problems-power scaling, out-of-character portrayals, plot issues, and so on. Please try to be understanding.
Before you continue