Mobius was ready to cause trouble for Saria.
For her, the mission of this body had long been completed. Now, the most important thing was to keep her mind sharp.
"I remember this is where they hold the interviews for the Defense Department members."
Mobius arrived at a door marked In Use. She slid her shareholder card—granting her inspection rights—through the reader and quietly pushed it open.
The moment the door cracked, she heard a sentence that would remain lodged in her memory for decades:
"Put down your gloves and be my woman. It's not too late."
Mobius froze. The door was already halfway open—too late to pretend she hadn't come, yet stepping in now would be far too awkward.
Seriously? This man was here interviewing for a senior security guard position. Did he not realize that Saria was one of Rhine Lab's founders—a young, highly capable entrepreneur?
Saria's strength alone was enough to be ranked among the top in Mobius's thousand years of experience.
For Mobius, revenge was about making Saria angry and watching her helpless expression—not about getting caught in the crossfire.
Should I slip away quietly so I don't get blood on my new white coat?
Just as she was debating whether to advance or retreat—
"Don't come in yet, Dr. Mobius. I have something important to deal with. Can you wait a few minutes?"
"No problem."
Mobius stayed exactly where she was, door half-open. After years of working together, she could clearly sense the anger beneath Saria's calm tone.
That guy had just made Saria mad.
Bang!
"Unarmed?"
"You really underestimate me!"
"(Colombian swear word) — what a monster!"
"Wait—"
"Stop! Stop hitting me! I'll die if you keep—"
"I… I admit my words were inappropriate before—"
"Aba… Aba… Aba…"
The once-confident voice of the man dissolved into the slurred mumble of a defeated fool.
Mobius could tell Saria was holding back with her punches.
"You can come in now."
Mobius pushed the door fully open. A burly Sarkaz man lay on the floor, only slightly bruised but drooling, eyes vacant, looking utterly witless.
"Impossible… Impossible…"
Saria was crouched beside him, treating his injuries.
"You didn't just beat him stupid, did you?"
"No. I was measured. He's just… experiencing a mental collapse after his pathetic male chauvinism was shattered by reality."
"His mentality shatters and he turns into a fool?"
"His mentality was simply too fragile."
"…You're something else. Are you sure you're not still angry? Want me to send him to the Humanitarian Care Lab? It's a new project I've been developing—it could be useful."
"…Thank you, but no. According to standard rules, we can simply refuse to hire him."
"Looks like you're really angry."
"It just brought back some bad memories… What did you want from me?"
"Ah—right. I came to ask how much you know about Ifrit."
"That's right. You just participated in the Ifrit rehabilitation experiment. You should be informed… I'll send you the relevant data later."
"Then I'll head out. By the way, do you want me to call a psychiatrist? Turning a strong Sarkaz into a hopeless fool might have some… implications for Rhine Lab's reputation."
"Thanks."
"No need to thank me—we used to be good colleagues. I'll be going now."
Mobius closed the door softly, careful not to provoke Saria any further.
She knew the difference between making a joke that merely embarrassed someone and creating an enemy who would haunt her thoughts and disturb her sleep.
This guy can be sensible sometimes.
Seeing Mobius leave without deliberately using a sarcastic tone to provoke her, Saria felt a faint touch in her heart.
Maybe everything really is a matter of comparison.
She had originally assumed that Mobius was here to cause trouble in retaliation for that punch.
With a sigh, Saria used her communicator to call the Defense Department, instructing them to take the Sarkaz man lying on the ground to the infirmary. Once the call ended, she rested her head on her desk, exhaling deeply.
How can someone be born a diamond?
---
"Dad, my car broke."
A little Vouivre girl stood crying, clutching the broken toy car in her hands, speaking to the middle-aged man sitting on the sofa with a newspaper.
"Cry! Go on, cry! Will your tears fix your car?"
The man didn't comfort his daughter. Instead, he set down his newspaper and shouted:
"If someone bullies you, fight back! What's the point of crying?"
---
The little girl's eyes lingered on the harmonious family passing by on the street.
The parents walked hand in hand with their child, and the child's face glowed with a happy smile.
"Hurry up! Why are you so slow? No one will wait for you once you're out in society!"
The middle-aged Vouivre turned and glared at the little girl.
"Yes!"
She broke into a run, trying desperately to match her father's long strides. But her legs were simply too short.
---
Is this her childhood?
Mobius stood at the doorway, adjusting the monocle over her left eye.
She hadn't left after the medical staff and Defense Department members departed.
The emotional waves radiating from Saria had allowed her to capture fragments of the woman's memories with precision.
The best way to understand someone is to start from their childhood—always a reliable approach.
"…Whether physically or mentally, this woman is as hard as diamond~"
Mobius slipped away quietly, casting a playful smile toward the surveillance camera at the door.
Curiously, Rhine Lab's recorded footage showed that Mobius had already left long ago.
---
The little girl had grown into a young and promising entrepreneur.
Countless scientists competed to join the company she and her friends had founded.
She became a stern director—respected, yet distant in the eyes of others.
But she didn't care.
Her heart remained as unyielding as diamond.
And she still had friends who shared her ideals.
Perhaps there is also a kind of existence the public calls "bad friends."
She would protect such a friend and help her realize her dreams.
She would also give those same "bad friends" a good punch when their jokes crossed the line.
Recently, she had made new friends.
She had also met a poor child.
Saria took a piece of candy from her pocket and studied it for a moment.
Because of her father's strict discipline, she had never eaten much candy growing up.
Carefully, she unwrapped the paper, placed it neatly into the non-recyclable bin, and popped the candy into her mouth.
Too sweet.
Her gaze shifted to the table, where—at some point—a cup of steaming coffee had appeared.
Beneath it lay a slip of paper.
"Dear bodyguard, don't be angry. There's no need to argue with him. Scientific research shows that if you're always angry, you'll get more wrinkles on your forehead~"
At the bottom was a chibi drawing of a green snake.
"…"
Saria picked up the coffee, about to take a sip, but stopped mid-motion.
"…Forget it. I'll take it to the lab for testing first."
"If there's nothing wrong, it won't be too late to drink it."
---
"Cold coffee tastes terrible."