"Ifrit, I've come to see you again~"
In the hospital room, Ifrit once again heard the voice of the person who frightened her the most.
After many days of relentless effort from Mobius—
(specifically, showing up every day to "bother" Ifrit for a full hour)—
she had gotten used to her.
At the very least, she no longer froze up like a startled fool, stiff-limbed and slow to react.
Even the voice in her mind now carried a faint trace of familiarity.
Drawing upon her many years of "child-rearing" experience, Mobius quickly managed to get along with Ifrit.
"Why didn't you finish your homework yesterday?"
Mobius's face suddenly darkened, her voice cold as she scolded her.
"Dr. Mobius, Ifrit is still a patient," Silence, who was seated beside Ifrit's bed, calmly interjected. "She needs treatment and cannot take on such heavy study tasks."
Since participating in Ifrit's treatment process, Silence's once-idealized image of the legendary Dr. Mobius had shattered completely.
Not only did Mobius examine Ifrit's physical condition, but she also meddled in her psychological well-being.
As Ifrit's original caretaker, Silence had every right to refuse such interference.
However, Director Parvis had abruptly reassigned Dr. Mobius as Ifrit's official guardian for the project, stripping Silence of that role.
While she was still allowed to take care of Ifrit, Silence's authority was now limited to offering suggestions—final decisions rested with Mobius.
Fortunately, the only new rule Mobius imposed was that Ifrit had to study with her every single day.
"Dr. Silence, you can't care for Ifrit for her entire life," Mobius replied dismissively. "She needs to grow into someone useful."
"It's precisely because of her tragic past that she must work harder than most, to make up for the psychological scars she bears."
"But—"
"I am the project leader, Dr. Silence."
Mobius then carefully went through the homework Ifrit had completed.
"Tomorrow, I want to see all of it finished. If you don't, our little agreement to let you go out and play will be canceled."
"I'll do it! I'll do it!"
Ifrit wore a pained expression as she corrected the mistakes Mobius pointed out.
Her punishments were… creative: replacing Rhine Lab's delicious, nutritious meals with bland "nutritional-only" ones; telling Saria bad things about her; confiscating her favorite book, Morality and Law (Children's Edition) by Koshelna.
Yesterday, her lengthy medical checkup had delayed her, and later she played with Silence, leaving just a bit of her homework unfinished.
For the sake of going out tomorrow with Saria and Silence, and avoiding this terrifying woman, it's worth it, Ifrit kept telling herself.
While she was forced to immerse herself in the ocean of knowledge, Mobius handed a report to the worried Silence.
"Look here, Dr. Silence. Before, her academic level was roughly that of a kindergarten child. Now she's at the level of a fourth or fifth grader."
She spoke persuasively, almost coaxing:
"My educational methods are proven. I'm confident I can turn her into a capable individual… You can't possibly expect to care for her forever, can you?"
Looking at the test results showing Ifrit's dramatic improvement, Silence hesitated.
"I know I can't care for her forever, but isn't this level of intense study a bit too rushed? Could it be harmful to her mental health…?"
"It won't be, Dr. Silence."
Mobius glanced at Ifrit, who was bent over her desk.
Her attention was fully absorbed in the homework before her.
Mobius lowered her voice and leaned close to Silence's ear.
"You don't honestly think I didn't know about those times, do you? When Ifrit was in low spirits, you broke work regulations and privately approached her."
Silence instinctively took a step back.
The other person hadn't moved an inch, still wearing that half-smile.
Yet Silence could still hear the whisper echoing right in her ear.
"I don't care whether you broke regulations. On the contrary, I'm grateful—you've helped Ifrit keep her spirits up and study with energy every day."
"…I don't understand. Why do you value Ifrit so much? Is it because of Director Saria?"
"So the rumors have reached Structural Analysis too? …Of course not. I've simply seen it—Ifrit possesses a quality that ordinary people lack."
Mobius glanced over at Ifrit, who was chewing on her pen, stuck on a difficult problem.
"This one needs an auxiliary line…"
Ignoring Silence, she walked up behind Ifrit, took her hand holding the pen, and drew a faint dashed line.
Silence suddenly felt like an unnecessary presence.
While Mobius outwardly explained the solution with patience, inwardly she was thinking:
'Perhaps… I will soon have that very same 'quality' myself.'
---
How can I become someone important to Ifrit?
Saria gives her a sense of safety. Silence treats her with kindness.
Then what should I do?
How do I make her one of my own vessel?
Ah… she's afraid of me.
The Diablo fragment inside her senses something amiss.
A mere remnant… and it dares try to flee?
No complete memories—only fragments?
I see now.
I can use that fear to shape an image—authority, obedience, cold on the outside yet warm within.
Something like a strict father figure…?
That might be amusing.
---
"Mobius and Silence aren't going to argue, are they?"
After completing her mission, Saria returned home, letting the cold shower run as she thought.
She was aware of Mobius's recent actions toward Ifrit.
She also knew Silence disapproved.
Yet Saria supported Mobius. She thought what she was doing was right.
If her own duties weren't so heavy, she would also want to help tutor Ifrit.
Improving oneself is the foundation.
If she hadn't been diligent and eager to learn in her youth, she would never have become the current head of Rhine Lab's Defense Division.
Still, Saria believed in balance—you couldn't always be strung tight, or you'd exhaust yourself.
"Mobius asked me to come over tomorrow. Says it's about a task involving Ifrit… I should bring the child a gift."
---
"Why have you been pushing the test subject to study at such intensity lately?"
"We're aiming for a super-soldier, not a beast that merely follows instinct—correct?"
"…I see. I hadn't thought it through carefully enough."
"Don't test me. My patience is limited."
"…Understood."