Watching Seele being led by Bronya towards the "Bronya Support Area," Shu felt his heart beat faster.
He was genuinely afraid that Seele might actually notice something and then turn around to share her newfound discovery with her big sister Bronya.
The dense flow of customers forced Shu to distract himself.
"Hmm... the distribution of visual focus and the application of color psychology here are somewhat interesting..."
Shu turned his head at the sound and saw a panda-person...
No, it was a woman with somewhat disheveled flaxen long hair, wearing a slightly wrinkled researcher's lab coat and sporting two prominent dark circles under her eyes.
She was holding a Shiro pig-cat—it was probably a cat—in her arms, squinting and tilting her head slightly to examine the overall layout of the Kiana booth.
The creature, indistinguishable between a pig and a cat, was yawning lazily, its tail swinging idly.
Schrödinger?
Wait, again?
Schrödinger at this moment looked like an exploited worker who had just desperately escaped from a certain Otto's sweatshop laboratory factory. Her face was written all over with the words "I might die of exhaustion."
And the cat in her arms... seemed to have gained another round of fat. It seemed that no matter how busy Schrödinger was, she hadn't mistreated this "partner."
Just like the reason she became the last partner to get on board.
She really knew how to raise pigs.
Schrödinger seemed to have been attracted by the booth's exquisite art design. She squinted and leaned closer, only realizing it when she almost touched the glass cabinet displaying the figures.
"Ah, it's the booth for the little girl from the Kaslana family... Sorry, escaped... cough, came out in a hurry, didn't bring my glasses."
...
Wait, so you really escaped?
Otto, you really don't do human things. Are you truly not afraid of being overthrown by public outrage...
Since she was here, Schrödinger wasn't in a hurry to leave.
She began to examine those Kiana figures and merchandise with great interest. The fat cat, whose name was unknown at this moment—whether it was Little Shiro or Little Kuro—adjusted its posture in her arms and continued to fake sleep.
"The craftsmanship is excellent..." Schrödinger's comment carried the scrutiny characteristic of a scholar. "Not only is the likeness captured, but it also captures some... flavor of dynamic 'state superposition.'
"Especially when expressing her impulse of 'knowing it cannot be done but doing it anyway,' the state where determination and a trace of confusion coexist in her eyes is very interesting."
She suddenly turned her head to look at Shu. A trace of a desire to share flashed in her tired eyes, and her tone became a bit like a researcher who wanted to find someone to discuss an interesting experimental phenomenon with.
"Speaking of which, the little girl from the Kaslana family and that kid Shu, and I can be considered 'acquaintances' who dealt with each other in that muddy water in Siberia.
"We also traveled together for a while on that train called the 'Hyperion.' I actually observed some small details that you fans might not know. Want to hear?"
Do you think you know more than I do?
Shu almost rolled his eyes, but on the surface, he still showed just the right amount of expectation and curiosity.
"Really? Dr. Schrödinger! Please tell us!"
Schrödinger seemed very satisfied with the listener's attitude. She gently stroked the cat in her arms and organized her words.
"Mmm... actually, don't look at the little girl from the Kaslana family acting like she's very greedy. In fact, she controls her food intake at every meal, leaving a suitable portion for others. She actually knows everyone's appetite very well..."
Is that so?
Then why did you almost not get a single bite of food the first time you ate on the train, because Kiana snatched it all?
Shu still remembered the expression on Schrödinger's face when she turned around and found that even the plate of the dish in front of her had disappeared.
Rather than sharing small details about Kiana, Schrödinger was more like a scientific researcher who couldn't get food and was squeezed crazily in the laboratory, causing her to be a bit confused, and she had started to speak without thinking.
But...
"So Lord Kiana has such a delicate side!"
"As expected of a doctor, your observation is so careful!"
Shu was still perfectly playing the role of a fervent fan absorbing precious anecdotes. It was really because Seele's suspicious look just now gave him a strong sense of crisis about his cover being blown.
Schrödinger seemed to be chatting quite happily, and her tired look faded a little.
Finally, she picked up a mini figure of a chibi Kiana working hard to practice Gun Kata, looked at it carefully, and muttered softly.
"The craftsmanship is really good... If only I could make one for that annoying guy 'Heisenberg' too, to shut his mouth that always says disgusting things... Forget it, better not make one for him."
She pursed her lips, obviously having a bad impression of "Heisenberg."
"'Dirac' should like it... 'Pauli' would probably pick faults saying the symmetry isn't perfect..." She shook her head, seeming to come back from a brief distraction, and looked at Shu. Her tone was casual but carried a hint of seriousness.
"You sisters have such good craftsmanship. If you need any help in the future... hmm, technical issues within the non-confidential scope, you might try contacting me.
"Of course..." She gave a small yawn, "If there could be freshly ground coffee of the level of the central laboratory rest area as a 'medium of exchange,' my response probability would significantly increase."
She paused and emphasized, "However, it's best not to call.
"Emails, or... hmm, running into each other like this is nice.
"The act of observing the phone ringing easily leads to the collapse of my thought wave function, usually towards the eigenstate of 'impatience.'"
Shu held back his laughter and nodded quickly: "Understood, Doctor. Thank you for your sharing and recognition!"
He knew clearly in his heart that Schrödinger's half-serious, half-joking words were, to some extent, an expression of goodwill towards him, and even clarified her preference of "can be bought with high-quality coffee."
Schrödinger nodded with satisfaction and teased the fat cat in her arms again.
"Little Shiro, we should continue to 'traverse' other exhibition booths. We have to go back before the observation threshold of Overseer Otto breaks through the critical point..."
Holding the cat, she waved to Shu, and her footsteps drifted somewhat erratically into the crowd.
Shu had just put the disturbed price tag back in place when he looked up and saw a few more familiar faces in front of the booth.
Is there no end to this!
Is today some kind of Acquaintance Expo?!
He almost subconsciously let out a silent scream in sync with [Shu] inside.
This time, it was the three children from the Bunny Team of ARC City.
Sora, Adam, Lyle, and Natasha leading them.
Natasha, who had shed her iconic "Raven" combat suit and changed into daily casual wear, had lost a bit of the sharpness and alienation of a mercenary and intelligence agent, and gained a bit more of the gentle temperament belonging to a "teacher" and "guardian."
Although a trace of capability could still be seen between her brows, her overall aura had softened a lot.
Okay, she hadn't softened one bit.