"I'm back. Come to the space station for dinner tomorrow, I'll make you all a feast… But speaking of which, Himeko… that distinguished guest… can they actually eat?"
Wende looked at the very gentlemanly and elegant robot on Himeko's phone, his face a mask of confusion.
"Err… This is Mr. Screwllum of the Genius Society. Since he agreed to this arrangement, he should be able to… right?"
Himeko wasn't entirely sure if he could eat either, but since it was Asta's request, they just had to do it.
"Alright, it is a commission from Station Master Asta, after all."
Wende nodded in understanding, then returned to the sofa and took the phone Stelle handed him.
"Hm? Why is your face so red?"
Seeing Stelle's crimson face, Wende raised an eyebrow in confusion, then looked at the game on the screen.
"Wow, Stelle, you're pretty amazing. You can multitask and still get such a good score."
Wende took control of his character in the game, not forgetting to praise Stelle beside him. He completely missed the awkward expression on March's face across from them, or the fact that Stelle's face was so red it looked like it might start bleeding.
"I don't know why, but the phone feels a bit sticky. Stelle, were your hands sweating? Have you been under a lot of stress lately?" Wende asked with concern, his focus still on the game.
"Err… she was overheating."
March scratched her cheek, looking a little embarrassed.
"Mmm…"
Dan Heng had somehow moved to the other side of Stelle, giving her and Wende enough space for their awkwardness.
"What are you guys talking about? The enemy team doesn't have any rage-based characters either…"
"March, hand me a tissue. The sticky screen is making it hard to play. By the way, why do I smell something funky? Stelle, have you been drinking fermented mung bean soda again?"
"...."
"Hiss...."
After learning the truth from Dan Heng, that evening, March 7th's dinner consisted of black bread and fermented mung bean soda. The now "overheated" Wende had used a Domain Anchor to teleport back to the Belobog Underworld and bought the most authentic "Belobog Specialty Black Bread" from Natasha herself!
"Wuwuwu, I was wrong! I won't do it again!"
March stared at the black bread before her, which was as hard as a rock. Eating this thing would probably kill a person!
---o---
The next day, Stelle, who had been forcibly dragged to the space station by Wende, looked at Asta with curiosity. Nearly all of the station's upper management was gathered here. Even Arlan was standing by her side, telling her that the person arriving soon was a real big shot!
Stelle was at the front with the station staff, preparing to receive the honored guest, while Wende was in the logistics department, so busy he was practically flying. This work shouldn't have been his to do as an outsider; he thought he was just here to cook. But as it turned out… he was still too young and naive.
Besides, the amount Asta was paying him was simply too much! It was utterly… impossible to refuse!
"You there, staff member, please go check on the A3 food service robot. And while you're at it, check the integrity of the adjacent robots."
"Yes… Acting Team Leader Wende…"
"So who usually does all this work around here?"
Wende rubbed his forehead, looking at the mountain of tasks before him. For a moment, he felt a surge of admiration for the person who usually managed to keep all this in order.
"Err… Team Leader Arlan."
"Oh, then never mind."
Thinking of the young man who had spent half a day learning to cook from him, Wende shook his head with a sigh.
"Right, where are the newly arrived supplies? Some of the ingredients are needed for today."
"In the support section, Acting Team Leader."
"Oh, I'll go get them myself then. You all carry on with your work."
"Hey! Acting Team Leader! There's still a pile of— he's so fast…"
The staff member stared, stunned, at the spot where Wende had vanished almost instantly. He suddenly had a bad feeling… that he was in for it.
"Phew… as much as I'd like to take responsibility for you all, please spare me. Qingque's slacking-off techniques are really useful. As expected of the woman who can slack off right under the Master Diviner's nose!"
Walking down the corridor toward the support section, Wende thought to himself with great admiration.
The support section wasn't far from their logistics department. It only took Wende a few minutes to reach the cargo storage area, where he began searching for the items he needed based on the list in his hand.
---o---
In the support section, inside a box in the supply warehouse, a small figure was operating a light screen in the darkness.
"Hmph, Herta Space Station. Even without a beacon, it's a piece of cake to get in! So what if there are two members of the Genius Society? You can't catch me. Let's see… the beacon I left before will come in handy. And that Aether Cartridge… I'll take this chance!"
Tap, tap, tap…
Suddenly, the sound of steady footsteps came from outside.
Damn it… someone's coming at this time… but that's fine too. I'll knock him out and use his identification as a second layer of insurance!
A cunning smile appeared on Silver Wolf's small face. The "Prometheus" in her hands was ready. She waited quietly as the footsteps drew closer…
One step… two steps… two meters…
Silver Wolf silently calculated the person's distance. By hacking into the station's surveillance, she tried to determine the person's size in order to land a single, decisive blow!
But with her mind completely focused on how to deal with Screwllum and get the Aether Cartridge, Silver Wolf paid no attention to Wende's appearance. Furthermore, Wende's current attire was completely different from his outfit in the Simulated Universe. For a moment, even Silver Wolf didn't recognize him, assuming he was just a member of the security department coming to inspect the warehouse.
"Now!"
Silver Wolf violently threw open the box hiding her, launching a sharp kick toward Wende's head.
"Pa…"
"?"
Wende looked at the slender ankle he was now holding, a million question marks floating in his head.
"Swish!"
Instantly realizing things had gone terribly wrong, Silver Wolf immediately activated her beacon, teleporting herself to the location she had set when she first hacked into the space station.
The slender, fair ankle in Wende's hand, along with the entire Silver Wolf attached to it, dissolved into a cloud of blue data and vanished.
"???"