After Ye Feng presented several sets of clothes, Mobius finally lost her patience.
She frowned, a hint of annoyance on her face.
"Is there something wrong with what I'm wearing? How troublesome."
"Huh?"
Ye Feng's face first showed shock, then silence.
He wore an expression of heartbreak, as if to say, "How did my child grow up so warped?"
Mobius could tell that he was genuinely concerned for her... even if this "her" was another version of herself.
Ye Feng paused for several seconds, then placed his hands on Mobius's round, smooth shoulders, a warm smile on his face that felt like a spring breeze.
He stared into Mobius's vertical pupils and said patiently and gently, "Snakey, it's because this outfit isn't convenient for showing your stomach."
"What?"
What is he talking about...?
For a moment, Mobius thought she was hearing things.
"Showing what?"
"Showing your stomach."
Ye Feng said with a serious and earnest expression.
Mobius confirmed it.
Even having become an ordinary person, she hadn't misheard him. And he didn't seem to be joking.
Although this combination of words was more niche than a dying minor language from the Mu continent, Mobius was not one to be easily flustered.
She straightened her back, her skirt swaying, offering a fleeting glimpse of her exquisite, fair, jade-like feet.
"That won't be necessary. I'll wear what I have on."
"..."
Then, Mobius saw her "supposed father" look at her with an indescribable expression.
It was as if she were about to do something utterly heretical.
But Mobius prided herself on having long since been walking further and further down the path of heresy.
"In any case, this is final."
"..., Alright."
Ye Feng nodded helplessly.
His expression seemed to say, "No matter what you do, I will follow you to the ends of the earth in your madness."
"..."
That look reminded Mobius of the only one who had ever understood her.
...A blurry image of Klein flashed through her mind.
"Hmm~~"
Ye Feng pinched his chin, sizing up Mobius seriously.
"What is it?"
Then, he gave her a thumbs-up. "It's alright. Snakey looks very beautiful in this outfit too."
"Tsk."
Mobius clicked her tongue.
What an annoying guy. Don't you know your stare is very uncomfortable?
And, "Snakey"? He's been calling me that since earlier. Is it a nickname?
It's not an unpleasant one, I suppose.
---o---
Morning.
Nagazora City, Academy City, near Senba High School.
The traffic light turned green.
Mobius disgustedly shook off the hand Ye Feng had taken and was the first to walk across the street.
This city looked somewhat familiar to Mobius's eyes.
'Senba High School... MEI's school? I remember it was destroyed during the Third Honkai Eruption.'
Mobius was once again convinced that this might really be a parallel world.
"Oof—"
A sharp pain from something pressing into the side of her waist caused Mobius to let out a muffled grunt.
A woman carrying a large cardboard box had bumped into her, her center of gravity unsteady.
"I'm sorry. I'm truly very sorry."
"It's fine..., huh?"
Just as Mobius turned her head, she saw the woman place the box on the ground and, with an apologetic expression, unbutton her shirt to apologize.
"!!"
The people around them showed not a hint of confusion or surprise at her actions, as if it were the most commonplace of occurrences.
Mobius instantly understood what Ye Feng had meant earlier by "not convenient for showing your stomach."
Watching the woman leave, Mobius composed herself and glanced sideways at the perfectly calm Ye Feng.
"When apologizing... you have to expose your stomach?"
Ye Feng looked at Mobius strangely. "Exposing your stomach when apologizing or showing gratitude is common sense."
"If that's the case, then why did you recommend a sukumizu earlier? Isn't that even less convenient for exposing it?"
"[Swimsuit-type] outfits don't require you to specially expose your stomach. Snakey, what's with you today?"
"..."
"Snakey?"
"Be quiet. Let me think."
Mobius pressed a hand to her forehead.
There was something else that had been bothering her for a while now. Apart from the man in front of her, why was everyone else here female?
Furthermore, their looks and figures were all relatively high. Most crucially, in Mobius's original world, their attire could only be described as "strange and exotic."
No, because everyone was dressed in "strange and exotic" clothing, Mobius herself had become the "odd one out."
As a result, strange looks were constantly being cast her way.
This kind of attention was by no means comfortable; it was even embarrassing.
But the man by her side showed no shame at all. Instead, he stood like the sturdiest of trees, shielding her from all the wind and rain.
How boring.
I am not that fragile.
Mobius looked at the man beside her, her eyes flickering slightly.
"Are you 'Little Feng'?"
"It's not polite to be so direct."
Ye Feng raised his hand to ruffle Mobius's hair, but she dodged it.
Mobius noticed the disappointment in Ye Feng's eyes and slowly moved her head back into place.
Hmm, it seems he should be the "Little Feng" that Aponia mentioned.
'So he's just such an ordinary person?'
'But isn't Aponia a bit too concerned about him?'
'What's so special about this guy?'
'And, he doesn't seem to have any special abilities...'
'Forget it. I'll put these matters aside for now.'
The matter Mobius needed to consider was definitely not prying into Aponia's gossip—though such things were certainly interesting.
But the most pressing task was to first understand this world.
Then, study this world.
Finally, analyze this world.
Her exploration of[Infinity] was endless.
Therefore, she could not be confined to a single corner.
---o---
Evening.
After a day of indirect questioning, Mobius had extracted a great deal of information from Ye Feng.
'Hehe, this guy is really dense. But that's good, it makes things much more convenient.'
Mobius now had a rough idea of this world's "self":
It seems she is his daughter. The reason it was "seems" was because Ye Feng never gave a direct answer; Mobius was just guessing based on her feelings.
But there was no doubt that Ye Feng's doting on "herself" was beyond imagination.
At the same time, this spoiling had led her to become like a princess, oblivious to the ways of the world.
The Mobius of this world also possessed the same thing—a high IQ.
Her grades at school were always first place. Skills and knowledge that ordinary people needed to sweat over to master, she could easily surpass with just a few hours of practice.
Based on this high intelligence, Mobius possessed a maturity beyond her years, yet also had traits consistent with her age. Additionally, it seems she was athletically challenged and a shut-in...
So, after a full day of playing outside with Ye Feng, when Mobius returned home, she felt as if her entire body was about to collapse from exhaustion.