CHAPTER 148:Violet’s Growth

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After walking a few steps into the fortress, Shen He reacted.

Jeanne seemed to be out today, likely participating in another Guardian mission.

In fact, ever since most Guardians had matured through various combat scenarios, Jeanne's direct interventions had become increasingly rare. However, just a few days ago, several crystallized alien lifeforms—newly purified from Kree influence—had been accepted as provisional Guardians. Jeanne had taken one of them out personally, worried their raw power could unintentionally cause collateral damage.

Shen He pondered this for a moment, then turned and headed for the training ground.

To his surprise, both versions of Shiki were absent. Within the vast training space nestled in the castle's lower levels, only one figure was engaged in silent, rhythmic combat against the automated defense stakes.

Misaka Mikoto (Alter).

She wasn't practicing her signature Electromaster abilities. Instead, she was immersed in hand-to-hand combat drills, emphasizing evasive maneuvers and counterblows.

Regardless of origin or alignment, followers gained a baseline enhancement in physical aptitude upon summoning. Mikoto Alter's raw physicality now rivaled that of a typical Level 2 esper from Academy City, despite her focus on lightning abilities.

Cough, cough. Shen He cleared his throat deliberately.

Misaka Mikoto Alter paused her training, pivoted toward him, and regarded him with an inquisitive frown.

"I just wanted to check… are you settling in all right?" Shen He offered a friendly smile.

"No."

"…?"

His smile froze. The abruptness caught him off guard.

"It's boring," she said bluntly, her gaze unflinching. "Jeanne's always at your side. If she's not training, she's holed up reading. Violet's constantly writing. I want to go out and explore, but no one's ever free. Back then—well, in what fragments I remember—there were always people around me."

Shen He opened his mouth to respond but hesitated. That was a fair complaint. He had, perhaps unintentionally, left her isolated.

While Mikoto Alter lacked the tsundere flamboyance of her original, she was still a teenager at heart—curious, restless, and in need of companionship.

She wasn't like Lelouch or Kusuo, who found solace in planning or observation, or like Violet, who had latched onto purpose through writing and emotional healing. Mikoto Alter was adrift.

"Do you… want to try going to school again?" he asked cautiously.

"Are you dumb?" she replied, visibly irritated.

Shen He winced. Yes, it was a naive suggestion. Incognito attendance might work for some heroes, but not for a summoned follower. Their aura, temperament, and history often clashed with normal societal structures. The generation gap, emotional dissonance, and their sheer anomaly would almost guarantee rejection.

But Shen He wasn't talking about this world's schools.

"What about Tokiwadai Middle School?" he said. "We have a pseudo-domain echo within the Chaldea system. I could let you attend in a contained pocket timeline. Go to class during the day, return at night. You must miss Shirai Kuroko… even a little?"

"…"

She hesitated, visibly conflicted. Then, softly: "Yeah… I do."

She didn't know how she'd face Kuroko again, not after becoming something else entirely—but enough time had passed. She didn't want to run forever.

"So calm?" Shen He teased. "Shouldn't you be hugging me and crying 'Big Brother!' right about now?"

"Wanna die?"

A black pulse of electricity flared between her bangs, crackling with annoyance.

"Tsk." Shen He clicked his tongue. "Not cute. I'll leave you to your drills. Going to check on Violet instead."

He turned and began to walk away—

"Wait."

The word stopped him.

Misaka Mikoto Alter bit her lower lip. "I could call you 'Brother'… but I won't do it for free."

She wasn't naive like the original Misaka Mikoto. She'd observed the social web forming here. If she wanted to integrate, she needed to tie herself more clearly to Shen He. If calling him Onii-san helped secure her place, then so be it.

Shen He turned around, surprised. But it made sense. This version of Mikoto had lost her purpose. What she needed wasn't direction—but security.

She was afraid of being discarded.

"In that case," Shen He said softly, walking back to her and gently ruffling her hair, "you're my little sister now."

She didn't resist the gesture. If anything, she leaned into it slightly.

After idling a bit more, Shen He finally continued toward Violet's room.

Just as he reached the door, it swung open. Violet stood there in oversized hamster-print pajamas, blinking at him with gemstone-bright eyes brimming with joy.

Like a pet awaiting its owner's return.

The comparison came unbidden, and guilt struck Shen He immediately.

Before things with Jeanne deepened, Violet had followed him everywhere. Even when left behind, she would try to find him. But since Jeanne's presence became more constant, Violet had often been left alone.

And yet—according to the bond ratings reported by the system—Violet's affinity remained higher than Jeanne's.

"What are you doing?" he asked gently, stepping inside.

"Writing."

She hesitated, then reached out and clasped his hand, leading him to her desk.

There sat a carefully arranged set of notebooks and volumes—books Shen He had gifted her. They were unblemished, neatly marked, clearly cherished. A page of delicate prose lay in view, half-completed.

He skimmed it and found it hauntingly beautiful. It was either a free-verse poem or literary prose—the title was The Opposite Shore.

Most of the books he'd given her had been of that ilk—elegant texts filled with bittersweet or inspiring tales. Violet, molded from the crucible of battle and obedience, was emotionally blank in many ways, like a canvas untouched. Yet, paradoxically, she bloomed both as a white lotus and a deadly mandrake, embodying purity and lethal grace in equal measure.

"Violet," he said, lifting her onto his lap, "is there anything you don't understand?"

"…Mhm." She nodded, pulling out a particular storybook. "This part confuses me. Why would people… let themselves be killed? Isn't life the most important thing?"

Shen He blinked.

It wasn't the story that startled him—a mother sacrificing herself for her child—it was the way Violet phrased it.

Even the original Violet, after learning love, had never placed such weight on her own life.

"You think life is the most important thing?"

"Previous…Master…" she murmured. Her eyes grew distant. "Once ordered Violet to die… but I did not follow that order. That was the only order I ever disobeyed."

Shen He fell silent.

She referred, no doubt, to the noble who once owned her—terrified of her, unable to destroy her, and eventually abandoning her to his brother.

It was canon from her original tale.

Violet only killed in two instances—when ordered, or when her survival was threatened.

Yet now… she was contemplating the value of life on her own.

"Life is important," Shen He replied slowly. "But its value differs depending on who you're willing to live—or die—for. That mother put her child's life above her own. On the battlefield, your own life—and mine—matter more than the enemy's."

But even as he spoke, he worried. Violet's heart, slowly flowering with human emotion, might one day recoil from her past. Like Natasha Romanoff, who once carried her red ledger like a curse.

"Understood," Violet said after a long pause. "Then… Master's life is more important than Violet's."

"…"

He exhaled softly.

To hear such a thing from Violet—even if calmly spoken—meant everything. This wasn't about command compliance. It was about choice.

She had defied a previous order once. And now she chose loyalty anew, by her own volition.

He said nothing further. Instead, he picked up a different storybook from the stack and began reading aloud, voice gentle.

They stayed like that for hours.

Joan returned around midnight.

"Thanks, Jeanne."

Shen He rose and met her at the door.

Joan shook her head, smiling faintly. Her eyes drifted to the two behind him, and a flicker of envy sparkled in them.

"Violet knows all the letters now," she muttered, puffing her cheeks. "But Master hasn't taught me properly in ages."

"Haha…" Shen He chuckled awkwardly.

It wasn't that he hadn't tried. But every "lesson" with Jeanne inevitably spiraled into intimate flirtation—or worse.

Violet glanced between the two, then squeezed Shen He's hand softly, as if to say: Don't let go.

"It's late." Shen He looked at Violet in surprise, "You should try to rest earlier."

"Violet wants to be with Master too." The girl's crystalline eyes blinked earnestly. "What Jeanne can do, Violet can learn to do as well. Even if it doesn't work at first... I can train, and I'll definitely succeed…"

"Ahem…"

Shen He quickly cut in, his expression turning slightly awkward.

Even with Jeanne, moments like this made him flustered.

Tong Yan Wuji, he repeated silently, Tong Yan Wuji—a child's innocence, that's all. Shen He shook his head gently, as though trying to dispel the implications.

"Alright, go rest," he said, ruffling Violet's hair with a fond gesture. "Tomorrow, we're going to visit Lelouch's world. I'll also introduce you to a new friend."

"…Order?" Violet tilted her head slightly, her silver-blue hair swaying gently with the motion.

"Order." Shen He put on a mock-serious tone.

Only then did Violet finally release her grip on his sleeve, retreating step by step toward the bathroom to wash up—reluctant, but obedient. She had learned much, but when it came to direct commands, her programmed discipline kicked in seamlessly.

Once she was gone, Shen He left with Jeanne d'Arc and returned to his own room.

"Master, we're going to Lelouch's world tomorrow?" Jeanne asked as she gracefully helped remove his coat, her voice carrying a note of curiosity and calm.

"Yeah." Shen He nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I spoke to Dr. Gutai earlier. He said he's assessed Nanaly's condition and can begin treatment anytime. Something's going on with Lelouch as well, so I thought we'd just settle it tomorrow. Nana… she's a wonderful girl. The sooner she recovers, the better."

For a kind and resilient girl like Nanaly, it was hard for anyone not to be fond of her.

Moreover, after hearing Lelouch speak about his world's complications and political pressures, Shen He had grown curious. His innate sense of justice—and his nature as a stabilizing figure among universes—drove him to take a closer look.

"Master really does like cute little girls, doesn't he?"

Jeanne's golden ponytail fluttered slightly as if expressing a subtle pout, the holy maiden's voice tinged with faint jealousy.

"Who said that?" Shen He grinned, leaning over to wrap his arms around Jeanne's waist. "I clearly prefer mature women."

With a teasing smirk, he pulled her down onto the bed.

...

The next day, everything resumed as usual after the early morning system wipe.

It had been a while since Shen He had undertaken a short one-hour dungeon world. The lighter pace today gave him a rare sense of ease.

Indeed, these "long grass" periods—interludes between large missions—had their perks.

Today's trip to Lelouch's world was supposed to be leisurely, even relaxing.

With that in mind, he brought most of his followers with him. Only Accelerator (One Side) and Dr. Gutai stayed behind to manage ongoing research and defense operations in Chaldea.

Their group materialized in a large, elegantly furnished villa.

Lelouch had prepared well in advance. He had even brought Nanaly back from her boarding site the previous night.

"The duration of the travel card is a full day," Shen He said brightly, his expression refreshed. "Lelouch, you're the host here. You decide how we proceed."

"I want to bring Nanaly to the castle for treatment first," Lelouch replied without hesitation. "If she's not treated today, we'd need another travel card just to return."

"That makes sense," Shen He nodded.

The dimensional castle functioned with a strict access system—only Shen He could open gates between realms. If non-followers remained beyond the card's time limit, they'd either be stranded indefinitely or require another travel card's activation for extraction.

"Nanaly is still resting," Lelouch added, a rare softness entering his voice. "I'll go wake her."

He had once promised Nanaly that he would heal her legs and restore her sight. For him, that vow was sacred.

And today, that long-held dream was finally within reach.

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