Morning, at the training grounds.
"Doctor, you've only run one lap. You're nowhere near today's goal yet," Silas said, keeping pace beside the panting Mobius. "Pardofelis has already run two laps."
"C'mon, Snake Sis, you got this! Silas said you only need to run two laps today!" Pardo cheered from the sidelines.
"You two… shut up…" Mobius weakly retorted.
How had things ended up like this?
After the experiment's accident, Mobius had planned to continue a detailed analysis, but soon realized… the core of Śeṣa was gone. Her Śeṣa's core—gone?!
"Klein, where's the container I brought earlier?" Mobius asked her ever-reliable assistant.
"The container? Hmm… last night, when you went out, Silas came by and took it," Klein recalled.
Silas? What would he want with the Śeṣa's core? Could it be that he was going to…
Mobius's tone grew colder and more agitated. "Where is he now?!"
"Right here." Silas pushed open the lab door and walked in. "I've already handed the Śeṣa's core over to Vill-V for safekeeping. For now, Doctor, you shouldn't be touching it again."
"What?!" Mobius froze. Vill-V? Why give it to Vill-V? She had only made one mistake… there was no way she'd lose to a latecomer like Vill-V in this field!
"Klein, where do you keep the Doctor's instant noodles?" Silas asked, ignoring Mobius's complicated stare.
Klein opened a drawer beside her. "They're all in here."
Silas nodded, walked over, and began packing the entire stash into a special box he had brought.
Mobius: "???"
What was he doing? Why was he confiscating her instant noodles?
"This box was specially made by Vill-V. Doctor, don't even think about opening it," Silas said as he shut the lid. "And in case you're thinking of using… other methods, I should warn you—this box has been modified by a magician."
Mobius: "???"
She glanced at Klein, who said, "Yes, Doctor, Silas already told me about your situation. I agree with him—you need to take a break for a while. As for your diet… Silas said he'll be supervising it."
Mobius's eye twitched, and before she could say anything, Silas grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the lab.
Before leaving, he told Klein, "Klein, make sure you keep track of your own schedule too. And help me keep an eye on the Doctor."
"Wait, Silas, what are you doing?"
"You'll see when we get there."
Watching the two of them leave and the lab door close, Klein took out her communicator and sent a message to Blanca: "Situation normal—Silas has started interfering with the Doctor's diet and schedule."
Blanca's reply came quickly: "Isn't that a good sign? He must have some feelings for Dr. Mobius. Keep it up, Klein, and keep me posted."
Klein simply replied: "Oh."
And that was how the scene at the start came to be.
Elysia and Sakura watched as Mobius staggered around the track after just one lap, already half-dead from exhaustion. Silas had explained the situation to Elysia earlier—after all, it's hard not to draw attention when you drag Mobius out of the lab at dawn for exercise.
So Elysia had asked, and he'd answered.
In the end, he had said this:
"When I was running at full speed, I didn't realize that you were being forced to run as well. I suppose… this is my way of reflecting on myself."
Since Pardofelis was training as a reserve fighter anyway, Elysia didn't press further.
Kevin and Kosma weren't there—yesterday, after Silas left, their training intensity had been cranked up far too high, and now the two of them were still lying flat in bed.
Especially Kevin—Vill-V had even gone out of her way to try her new N-001 combat gear on him.
As for Kalpas, his physique made training pointless; he'd already been sent out to clear Honkai Beasts.
"Dr. Mobius' physical condition... certainly has room for improvement," Sakura commented, doing her best to put it politely.
"Mm, I'm a little jealous, but it seems Silas has finally learned to express his concern for others directly." Elysia nodded. "Little Pardo has worked hard today too."
If only she weren't so preoccupied with Silas, that would be even better.
Finally, after struggling to finish two laps, Mobius stumbled and nearly collapsed face-first onto the ground, never to rise again. Silas reacted quickly, catching her just in time.
Silas sighed. "Doctor, I was mentally prepared for this to some extent, but isn't your stamina just a little too poor?"
Mobius didn't reply, simply leaning silently against Silas.
Elysia: "?"
Mobius, you… Forget it. Seeing you this exhausted—almost like Kevin—I'll let it slide for now.
Standing behind them, Pardo tilted her head in thought. So basically, as long as you're tired enough, you can lean against Brother Silas too, right?
"When we get back, I'm eating at least three cups of instant noodles…" Mobius muttered.
"Forget it. Until the Honkai energy erosion symptoms in your hand are gone, you can't eat instant noodles," Silas said with a blank expression. "Also, even after you recover, you need to cut back on them."
Still thinking about instant noodles? He hadn't expected that Mobius was already eating them every day during a time like this. No wonder her physical fitness was so bad.
Mobius: "?!"
What? Why?!
She really wanted to question why Silas was managing her life this much, but when the words reached her lips, they instead came out as: "My business doesn't need you meddling in it! You're being nosy!"
Silas's expression didn't change. Mobius's words were the sort you could just let wash over you—especially when her voice was clearly lacking any strength.
After a moment, Mobius asked weakly, "Just one cup, then?"
Silas: "No. Not negotiable."
Elysia: "…"
Why does this scene seem off somehow?
She had considered asking Silas to let her handle managing Mobius's eating habits instead, but after thinking it over, she dropped the idea—if it were her, Mobius would probably rather die than obey.
The fairy lady was starting to feel a little displeased.
Silas helped Mobius to a resting spot. At that moment, Ato walked over, and upon seeing the girls around Silas, his eye twitched.
A flawless peer, a steady and reliable comrade, a lively and adorable junior, a tsundere and unhinged senior, and someone not present here—a patient with dissociative identity disorder…
What is this, protagonist-level treatment? Did this junior save the world in his past life?
Also… he had come because he'd received a message from his wife, instructing him to keep an eye on Dr. Mobius and Silas, so he had hurried over.
Elysia, why are you just standing there watching? Don't you know you're going to lose at this rate?
Ato felt utterly distressed over this.
He decided to go all out to create an opportunity for the junior he valued so much: "Pardon me, Dr. Mobius, and all you young people here—I have some news to share with you."
Mobius: "…"
Ato, with a tongue that smooth, you must really have a death wish.
Silas: "…"
The last guy who was this bold was Kevin—and now he's still lying in bed, unable to move.
Feeling the killing intent radiating from Mobius's gaze, Ato braced himself and continued, "The Honkai Beasts around Changkong City have basically been wiped out. From now on, the Far East Branch just needs to monitor the area periodically. Śeṣa's remains have also been mostly recovered. To celebrate this victory, HQ is planning to host a banquet."
"A banquet…" Silas thought for a moment. Ah, this was the same banquet in his previous life where Elysia first met Kevin. Back then, he was still a 'rookie' in training.
"I heard this banquet will even have a ball—the kind young people love," Ato added with a smile. "If you're interested, you'd better start preparing early."
Elysia considered it. A ball? That means she could dance with Silas! She thought it was a wonderful idea and looked at him. "Then I'll have to think carefully about what outfit to wear~"
Silas was silent for a while before saying, "Forget it, I won't go."
In his past life, he had only attended three similar banquets: after the Fourth Herrscher, the Sixth Herrscher, and the Ninth Herrscher were defeated. The Fifth Herrscher never had one because Kalpas literally tore them apart. He only went to the Sixth Herrscher banquet to confess, and the Ninth Herrscher banquet because Lilith dragged him over to confess to him—he didn't even make it to the venue that time.
Other than that, he never went to such events. No matter how lively they were, they had nothing to do with him. In the end, he was not someone who belonged to this world…
From start to finish, he only cared about the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, only cared about the Fallen Angels he led. As for everyone else, he didn't even bother remembering their names.
That was why he remained isolated from the world.
Elysia froze for a moment, recalling that Silas had never been fond of lively events like banquets.
Ato frowned. This won't do. A young man should have some spirit—how could he skip such a grand event? "You're one of the key contributors to the defeat of the Third Herrscher," he said. "You have to go."
Silas raised an eyebrow. Trying to coax him, huh? In his last life, he had defeated Surya and Ravana on his own and still skipped the banquets afterward. What do you mean he has to go?
He'd rather use the time for training.
Just as he was about to refuse again, Elysia cut in: "Silas, you should also learn to interact with more people. Besides, this will be your first banquet since joining Fire Moth—you can't miss it~"
Silas looked at Elysia, remembering the banquet he hadn't shown up for in his past life. He decided to compromise. "Since you put it that way, Elysia… I'll give it a try this time."
Nice save, Elysia! Ato discreetly gave her a thumbs-up.
But Silas quickly added, "Just so we're clear, I'm not dancing." He knew nothing about music—how could he possibly dance? Even though Lilith had taught him a bit, he still had the feeling that if he tried, something disastrous would happen. Better to claim he couldn't dance at all.
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