Akira was the one who looked shocked now, shouting, "WHATTTTT?!" This time, he is completely shocked by the sudden development.
Selena, on the other hand, only turned to Erika and smiled gently.
"Are you sure about this? It's going to be more dangerous than you think."
Erika nodded with confidence and spoke. "I've thought about it more than enough. And now…I'm sure. I want to become a Star Chaser."
Selena's expression softened, and she nodded. "Alright then."
"Wait, wait, wait…what's this all about?!" Akira interrupted, looking completely lost. "No one told me anything about it!"
Selena shrugged as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Well, brother, while we were talking about your past life and backstories, I asked Erika-chan if she wanted to join the Star Chasers. She said she needed time to think, but now that she's decided, she's in."
"Yeah, no. She can't handle this," Akira said flatly.
"That's not for you to decide," Selena countered calmly. "If Erika-chan says she wants to join, then she can join."
"No, it's too dangerous for her," Akira shot back immediately.
"Excuse me, I'm not as weak as I used to be!" Erika argued. "I've trained with my brother all these years and gotten stronger too!"
Akira sighed. "Erika… I know you're stronger than before. But that's not the point. This won't be easy for you."
"You don't have to protect me all the time. I can protect myself, if that's what you're worried about," Erika said firmly.
"Erika," Akira's voice softened, "I promised you back then that I'd protect you. And I meant it. No matter how dangerous things get, I will protect you. Honestly… it'd be better if you just lived as a normal girl. I promise I'll even find a way to turn you human. You don't have to grow stronger. You're not like me or Selena; you shouldn't step into this dangerous world."
Erika's expression twisted with frustration. "What are you saying? That all my training was useless? That I'll always be weak?!"
"No," Akira shook his head. "Because, unlike me… you're truly kind-hearted. You're just a normal, kind girl."
"I can fight too," Erika said stubbornly.
Akira looked at her and asked quietly, "Yes, you can fight… but can you take the life of another person?"
This time, Erika went silent. Akira continued, "Erika, I've known you since we were kids. You're just a normal girl. The world I am living in is too heartless and cruel for you."
Erika went silent again and thought about what he said.
It was true she had never taken the life of a person before, not even a monster's life. She had unconsciously avoided thinking about it, and now Akira had put it straight to her. She didn't know what to say, even though she knew she couldn't take the life of a person easily, and in a life-or-death battle, her hesitation would cost her dearly.
But she also knew that if she remained silent, Akira would leave her alone and go far away from her. So she decided to speak her heart.
"Didn't you promise me… that you'd always stay by my side? Then why are you saying I can't stay by your side now?" she asked with all her emotions.
"I…No, I did mean it…" Akira faltered. He had promised. But it was also true that as long as she stayed near him, danger would always follow her, so now he is stuck.
Selena, who had remained silent until now, spoke up. "Brother, think about it. She is closely related to us. No matter what you say, as long as she is near us, she will always be in danger. So wouldn't it be much better if she became stronger and more powerful than she is now?"
Akira sighed. "Well, yeah, you're right. This kind of situation always goes wrong in so many anime… but I'm just worried about her."
"Then how about this?" Selena suggested. "Let her join the Star Chasers and go on one mission. We'll see how she does and decide the future after that. What do you say, Erika-chan? Is that okay with you?"
Erika nodded without hesitation. "Yes. That sounds good to me."
Selena turned back to Akira. "Well, brother?"
"Sigh, fine, but I'm still worried though…" Akira accepted with a sigh.
"Okay then, it's a deal," Selena said. Then she telepathically spoke to Erika, "Good for you, Erika-chan. My brother really cares about you".
Erika, still a bit annoyed by Akira's initial rejection, replied telepathically, "What do you mean?"
"Don't you get it?" Selena replied. "For someone who can't feel too much emotion, he is now seriously worried about you a bit too much, don't you think?"
"What? But isn't that normal? He would do that for everyone, right?" Erika asked.
"Nope," Selena replied with a chuckle. "He won't normally worry about others like this. Remember when I said our parents went to fight in a never-ending war? Did he even look a little bit worried?"
Erika thought back. He hadn't. he didn't look even a bit worried. She had thought he was worried inside but just didn't show it, but now that Selena mentioned it…
"And not just that, he's changed a lot too", Selena continued. "If it were him before, he would probably be more excited about you joining since it would mean going on an epic adventure with his childhood friend, just like in anime. But now he's so worried about you, he forgot about all the anime adventures, and that's not like him at all".
Erika did think it was more in character for him to react like that. In fact, she had never really seen him react like this before. So it was weird for him.
"And it looks like he doesn't even realize it himself, hehe", Selena added. "Normally, I would tell him now so he could realize it, but it's best for us to keep it to ourselves".
"Why? Wouldn't it be better to tell him?" Erika asked, a bit confused.
"No. It's best if he realizes his feelings on his own, rather than me telling him", Selena explained. "All I can do is create situations where he can realize it. And that's where you come in, Erika-chan. Make him completely aware of how he feels about you".
"Ok...W-Wait! What do you mean by his feelings for me?!" Erika began, but Selena ignored her flustered protest and spoke aloud again, changing the subject.
"So, Erika-chan," she asked with a playful smile, "are you ready to become a Star Chaser?"
Erika crossed her arms, still slightly annoyed and flushed. "Yes. I'm ready."