"Seele, that’s your na, right?"
Watching Seele, who was leaning over the table, carefully picking up a few grains of rice with the tip of her chopsticks and then chewing them for a full minute without swallowing, i seed to recall sothing and spoke up abruptly.
"Yes... yes. Uh... how do you know my na, Senior i?"
"Michael told !" i crossed her hands, resting her chin on them, her smile filled with an intoxicating gentleness.
"Michael..." Seele repeated the na in a low voice.
She was sure she had never heard this na before, but subconsciously, this na... she couldn’t say it was familiar, but every ti she heard it, every ti she said it, her heart couldn’t help but beat faster.
"Um... Senior i..."
"What is it?"
"Um... may I ask if you have a picture of Michael? Seele... uh... Seele..." She had never been good at lying, or rather, she couldn’t lie at all. She just thought that maybe seeing Michael’s appearance would help her rember sothing, but for a mont, she didn’t know what reason to give. Or maybe, she should just be more direct?
"Seele... Seele just thinks this na is a little familiar. But Seele really can’t rember who he is."
"Oh? Is that so?" i placed a large piece of beef on top of the white rice in Seele’s bowl. The latter’s lips opened and closed silently. She wanted to refuse out of embarrassnt, but seeing the beef already in her bowl, she felt that any refusal would only be more embarrassing, so in the end, she could only passively accept it.
"Um... Seele, you’re also a student at Chiba Academy, right?" i seed to have been infected by Seele, and accidentally picked up the habit of saying "um." She didn’t seem to notice it herself.
"Eh! Yes! But I’m a transfer student who just enrolled the day before yesterday. Senior i probably doesn’t have an impression of ..." Seele glanced at the school badge on her chest and kept her head down while speaking.
"No, Seele!" i wagged her index finger. "You should have an impression too, right? Although you just enrolled the day before yesterday, we passed each other at the school gate both yesterday and the day before yesterday in the morning."
"Ah... ah... is that so..." Seele wasn’t that forgetful, but the gentler i was, the more nervous she beca, to the point where she even forgot these shallow mories...
No, actually, there was another possibility—her nervousness didn’t co from the pressure i was putting on her, but just because she sensed that she was getting closer to so truth about the na "Michael," hence the nervousness.
"Yes. Do you rember? The big brother who looked like a driver and was with these two mornings is Michael!"
"Eh!"
Thump— The man’s face automatically appeared in Seele’s mind, and then her heart suddenly contracted—this man, she had indeed seen him before!
Where... where was it... can’t rember... but I’ve definitely seen him sowhere...
Thud—
"Seele, what’s wrong?" The sound of the rice bowl falling to the ground and shattering, as well as i’s concerned cry, brought her to her senses for a mont, but only for a mont. She buried her head in her hands on the table, her whole body convulsing. i wanted to help her, but she didn’t know what was happening, let alone what she could do.
She thought for a mont, took out her phone, and dialed Michael’s number.
"Beep—beep—Hello? What’s wrong, i?"
"Michael, Seele, she..."
"I know. I’ll be back as soon as possible."
i wanted to say more, but the receiver only gave a busy tone. Besides that, everything around her was silent.
"Seele!" She turned her head sharply. Seele was still lying on the table, but she was completely still.
i quickly went over, and like in a TV drama, checked Seele’s breathing and pulse.
Normal breathing, normal pulse. Fortunately, she was fine.
"Is she... asleep? Or did she faint?" i had seen too many strange things in the past two days, none of which had been truly answered. Of course, she was curious about Seele’s abnormality, but there were too many unanswered questions in front of her, so she didn’t pay much attention to it.
"Sleeping like this, her arms will get numb, and it’s not good for her cervical spine, right?" i stood with her hands on her hips, looking at Seele, whose brows were gradually smoothing out in her sleep, and sighed with pity.
"I’ll carry her to the bedroom."
i thought. Although she was a girl, she had been practicing kendo for many years, and her strength was no less than that of an ordinary boy. Seele looked so small, she estimated that she should be able to carry her.
"Ugh—hmm—" In fact, Seele was even lighter than she had imagined. i easily carried her horizontally, but then her eyes were flashed by a light from an unknown source.
"Eh? This is..." i quickly rushed up to the second floor with Seele, laid her flat on the bed she had slept on last night, and then, unable to hold back her curiosity, she panted heavily and gently lifted the girl’s shirt with her trembling fingertips...
"It really is this!" i lifted her own clothes. The red mark on her left waist was very conspicuous, exactly the sa as in her mory. And Seele’s chest clearly had the sa thing, just with a very different pattern.
"What on earth is this?" i pressed her palm against the mark on her left waist. Michael said it was a "birthmark." No, it was sothing that "could be called a birthmark for now."
What on earth was this? The day before yesterday, i’s mind was all on her father. Besides the initial shock when she heard it, she had almost forgotten about it afterwards, so she naturally didn’t ask Michael again.
She had read many stories. Could this be proof of so kind of superpower? Or so kind of sacrifice chosen by a god? No, no, these are all story tropes... uh... that being said, the abilities Michael had shown several tis didn’t seem like sothing that would appear in the "real world" she was familiar with, right?
Right! Michael also seed to have ntioned the major illness eight years ago... yes! i finally rembered. This mark appeared right after the illness that almost took her life eight years ago...
Then the current Seele, could it be...
Too much saliva suddenly secreted under her tongue. i stiffened her neck, wanting to swallow, but because she was too nervous, her muscles lost control, and the saliva got stuck in her throat, unable to go up or down.
Thud—
"Ahem!" A heavy pat on her back suddenly brought her back to her senses.
"What are you panicking about?"
"Michael, you’re finally back!" Just as i turned around, Michael flicked her forehead lightly. She pouted, then stepped aside, giving the spot by the bed to Michael.
"How is she?" i rubbed her forehead and asked gently, looking at Michael’s back as he bent over the bed.
"No major problems." Michael’s hand ca back from Seele’s forehead. "Not everyone is like this, but for a small number of people, when they first awaken their Stigmata, it is accompanied by severe pain, and can even be life-threatening. But Seele’s situation is fine. It looks like she’s just exhausted. In the next few days, she will probably fall into a deep sleep from ti to ti. It will be fine after this period."
Michael turned around after speaking and t i’s confused yet relieved eyes.
"Michael, the Stigmata you ntioned is..." She foolishly lifted the hem of her shirt, revealing the red mark on her waist.
The corner of Michael’s mouth twitched. He sighed, took a step forward, and pulled i’s clothes down. Before i could say anything, she was flicked on the forehead again.
"First, as a girl, be more careful. Don’t lift your clothes in front of the opposite sex. Second... that mark, which is the Stigmata, unless it’s soone you trust very much, don’t ever reveal it."
"Oh!" i pouted, rubbing her red forehead, looking very dissatisfied.
But then she smiled again, "But, with you, Michael, it doesn’t matter, right?"
Strictly speaking, she and Michael had known each other for less than four days, but she had an extraordinary dependence on him. No matter what difficulties she encountered, he would be the first person she thought of, and she would never question whether he could handle it...
This strange sense of closeness was different from the one she had with Kiana. Although she had been unwilling to admit it, and dared not admit it, Michael had indeed filled a certain void in her life in these short four days, sothing that was extrely lacking in her life even before her father’s accident.
It was a kind of care from an elder. In these short four days, he had sotis played the role of her father, sotis like her brother, and sotis like a teacher... i felt that it was because of him and Kiana that she could laugh like a normal girl now...
Thinking of this, her smile couldn’t help but take on the silly air of another girl.
Then, as expected, her forehead was flicked again.
"Speak! Are you that idiot Kiana in disguise!" Michael pressed his heaving chest hard and cursed angrily, "I’m obviously referring to the first rule! The first rule! Do you think I’m a girl!"
"Hahahaha..." Although her forehead was flicked hard, i’s smile was filled with unprecedented ease. There were still a few tears in the corners of her eyes, it was unclear whether they were from the pain or the laughter.
After laughing for a while, a warmth suddenly spread on her forehead. When she opened her eyes, Michael had already withdrawn his hand, but the warmth still lingered on her forehead, and the previous pain naturally disappeared.
"Shh! Be quiet, don’t wake Seele up." Michael was clearly talking to i, but his gentle gaze was always on the small figure on the bed. Of course, the latter was still imrsed in the warmth just now and didn’t see this scene at all.
After that, she was pulled out of the room by Michael’s wrist. Neither of them seed to have realized a problem—this mansion was clearly i’s property...
It was only when they were on the stairs that i rembered sothing and asked, "Then... Stigmata, if I rember correctly, this is a term used by Schicksal to describe a supernatural miracle, referring to the proof of a person’s voluntary suffering... but, Michael, what exactly is a Stigmata?"
Michael’s footsteps paused. He bit his lip lightly and finally explained, "I didn’t want to say it, because with your current understanding of the world, you wouldn’t understand even if I explained. But, since you asked... let’s put it this way, in a sense, it is indeed a ’miracle.’ People who have it often have power far beyond that of ordinary people, if they can fully awaken it."
"But I don’t feel any special power... uh, I an, if I can fully awaken my Stigmata, will I have the sa... that Michael you showed before..."
"No way!" Michael pouted and shook his head, in a tone of coaxing a child. "I also have a Stigmata, but most of the abilities I’ve shown are not related to it. They are sothing else... forget it, it’s useless to say more now. After so ti... wait, what’s with that look?"
Feeling i’s gaze roaming all over his body, Michael warily pulled back a little.
"Um, Michael... can I see your Stigmata? Just a peek!"
"No!" Michael covered his chest without another word and quickly walked down the stairs. But after a mont, he turned back to i.
"By the way, i, I’ll have to trouble you with dinner today too. I might need you to make a little extra, because..."
"Ah!" Before Michael could finish, he heard a scream from i.
"What’s wrong?"
"Damn it, I almost forgot... Michael, aren’t we going to pick up Kiana?"
"..." Michael didn’t speak, just looked at i with an incredibly flat expression.
"Wh-what’s wrong?" The sa question, but this ti from a different person.
"Nothing." Michael shook his head, his expression unruffled. "But... Kiana and the others should be here soon."
"Eh?"
"It’s all your fault for calling back in such a hurry. I thought sothing had happened... Don’t worry, everything that needed to be done today is done. And given the ti, Mobius should be back with Kiana soon. And not just her, there’s another girl about your age. So prepare extra for dinner; we’ll have two more mouths to feed for a while. As for what happened from last night until just now... you should just ask the two of them directly later."
"I understand..."
Ding-dong—
i’s reply and the doorbell rang at almost the sa ti. She paused, then saw Michael nod, and rushed excitedly to the mansion’s main door.
The door had barely opened a crack when a familiar white figure threw herself at her.
"Boohoo, i! I almost didn’t get to see you again... Hey? Is there any lunch left?"
"Alright Kiana, don’t block the doorway." Mobius gently pushed Kiana’s shoulder, then pulled another smaller girl past her.
"Eh? She is..."
The girl turned her head, her face devoid of much expression, her voice as calm as still water, "My na is Bronya. May I ask, where is Seele?"
---||---
"Ah? Bronya is so pitiful. At such a young age, she’s being used as a weapon and sent on all sorts of dangerous missions... But don’t worry, now that you’re here, it won’t be like before."
Except for Kiana, who was feasting on the dinner just served, both i and Bronya seed a little reserved. However, after hearing what had happened last night, i didn’t bla Bronya. She didn’t even have a trace of hostility. On the contrary, whether in her expression or her words, she was filled with nothing but pity.
"What a kind child." In front of the railing on the second floor of the mansion, Mobius praised her with a sneer.
"Let’s talk inside." Michael nodded, then shook his head.
Click— The door lock closed, separating the two worlds once again.
"Seele is still sleeping. Mobius, are you sure there’s no problem?"
"You’re asking ? How would I know?" Mobius sat down on the edge of the bed in a huff. "I’m not so omniscient god. If I had to say, although I am the creator of the Stigmata, my understanding of it might not be as clear as yours, a Stigmata holder."
"Alright." Michael stood by the bed, a little disappointed. He pulled open the thin curtains. The sky above was pitch black, but in contrast, there were countless bright, dense points of light. If one were used to the night of the past, one might think that heaven and earth had been reversed.
"By the way, what was the result of your negotiation with Cocolia? How did you bring that Bronya back?"
"Ah, I was going to tell you anyway... You can go find her tomorrow. She will join World Serpent in her personal capacity. Bronya and Seele are considered hostages, and Natasha will stay by her side to monitor her."
"Tsk! Such harsh conditions... hehe, well, she has no choice."
"That’s right." What could Cocolia do? She was also desperate.
One second, she was imrsed in the joy of a successful coback due to her own vigilance, and the next, the situation reversed again... Of course, for Michael, this series of actions was a bit redundant. He didn’t even know how he could lose.
In addition, the few children Cocolia had tried to transfer to the Corp building were intercepted by Mobius on the way. She had lost all her bargaining chips at once. She had no choice but to et Michael’s conditions.
"But, she didn’t get nothing. I promised her that I would help her complete the plans she wanted to complete, whether it was the Gem of Conquest or the Gem of Serenity... In all honesty, she is indeed a talent, so I will also give her a ticket to witness the final stage play. That’s it."
"Heh! Killing with words." Michael smiled silently. He turned to look at Mobius and suddenly said, "So, Mobius, before, you asked if I rembered your forr dream... what exactly did you want to say?"
"I... why are you so hung up on this question?" Mobius turned her head away guiltily, complaining while her mind raced.
Actually, she had nothing to hide from Michael. It was just about that dream, about what she wanted to do now... she wasn’t ntally prepared to let Michael know yet.
Or, if Michael knew, it would only aggravate his rebellious ntality.
But what way could she use to get past this? She couldn’t just make up an excuse. Michael would easily see through it, and then if he used the power of Sentience directly, then...
Suddenly, countless images flashed through Mobius’s mind. There was i and her squeezing together in the kitchen making breakfast, there was Seele lying quietly on the sofa, being teased by her without restraint...
"Um... Michael, do you know what I want now?"
"Hmm? Huh?"
Mobius smiled and walked over to Michael, took his hand, and said in a tone softer than ever before, "Michael, let’s have a child, shall we?"
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