Asta cast an apologetic look at Stelle and explained slowly.
"From what happened earlier, you roughly already know. Not long ago, one of Lady Herta's dolls was attacked for unknown reasons and has gone missing."
"The signal from that doll has also been impossible to locate."
Stelle became even more confused. "I'm asking why I suddenly appeared here."
Leon: "Because someone treated you as a suspect in the attack on Herta, so you're here."
"Hah?" Stelle's eye twitched as she swept her gaze across the three people present.
Screwllum didn't seem likely. Asta was even less likely. So it was this person called Ratio?
Was it also him who caused her to lose consciousness earlier?
Thinking of this, Stelle's gaze immediately turned unfriendly.
Good people deserve to have guns pointed at them, huh? Why? Because kindness invites bullying?
"The culprit who attacked the Herta doll managed to avoid all of the space station's surveillance?"
"Yes. No surveillance captured the culprit, and no surveillance was damaged either…" Worry was written all over Asta's face.
Stelle: "What about Herta herself? What does she have to say about this?"
Asta: "Lady Herta didn't take this matter to heart. She went out on an inspection tour."
This… Stelle rolled her eyes.
Such a familiar style.
Screwllum: "Before the incident occurred, she received an invitation from the company."
"More precisely, from the company's Technology Development Department."
Dr. Ratio interjected and explained in detail.
"Lady Yabuli is a capable person, but her subordinates are all amateurs."
"They are ambitious and full of enthusiasm, but their brains are no better than primitive humans'."
"This group wants to cooperate with Herta and invited me to accompany them as a technical consultant."
"I gladly accepted so I could observe up close how this club of big smart people squanders the company's assets."
"However, the timing was too perfect. Perhaps someone leaked the information, allowing the attacker to find an opportunity to take advantage of it."
"Herta seems accustomed to these provocations, which has made me quite curious about the oddities involved."
Asta: "I've long heard that Mr. Ratio is a leading figure in the Society. Your willingness to assist is our honor."
"Save the flattery. Both your time and mine are precious—"
At this point, Dr. Ratio glanced at Screwllum.
"—Besides, discussing the leading figures among mortals in front of a Genius strikes me as rather humorous."
Leon struck at the core issue: "Attacking Stelle based solely on the reason you gave strikes me as even more humorous."
Dr. Ratio: "People engaged in academic research often find it difficult to believe something. On the contrary, questioning it is much easier."
"If you want to break that doubt, she needs to explain exactly what she did the last time she saw that doll."
Upon hearing this, a mocking expression appeared on Leon's face.
"In my understanding, although most members of the Genius Society are people who live off the scraps of actual geniuses,"
"at the very least, there are still some normal people with real ability."
"Did no one ever tell you the correct order—first obtain substantial evidence, then arrest someone without a word?"
"—It wasn't Stelle who did it. She has no obligation to step into the self-incriminating trap you dug."
"Instead, I want to ask you—how did you know Stelle was the last person to see that Herta doll?"
"Was it Asta, Screwllum, or did Ruan Mei tell you?"
"You'd better think carefully about who the one who should explain first really is. Even if I killed everyone in the Genius Society, the company wouldn't have the guts to trouble me."
Dr. Ratio's gaze sharpened slightly. "You're threatening me."
"That's the second sentence you've said that shows self-awareness."
Leon's expression remained indifferent, yet his entire body exuded an oppressive aura forged by the passage of time.
"Every scholar has their own bad temper. I can't control it, and I have no right to."
"But if it's directed at my companion, I'm sorry—I side with family, not reason, and I won't indulge anyone."
"Besides, you're not even in the right."
"I advise you to rein in that arrogant attitude. I never warn the same person twice."
"Questioning is much easier than believing—that was your original statement."
"So next—how are you going to answer my question about the real purpose behind you questioning Stelle? If you say you're seeking justice for Lady Herta, I really will laugh."
"Using one doll to make a fuss… don't you think there's a certain beauty in cerebellar atrophy?"
Was it because Stelle looked like the softest target here?
Not necessarily. It was probably because Stelle was the most suitable candidate for this role—and that was exactly why his tone was so cold.
Since you used my companion, you'd better be mentally prepared for me to come after you.
Leon's long speech left Ah Xian completely satisfied.
For someone who immerses themselves in the protagonist, this feeling of being fully protected from all sides nearly made her faint from sweetness and happiness.
Although… this was just a game. Just a sense of security brought by a game character.
But as long as it could provide an experience that reality couldn't offer, that was already enough, wasn't it?
Admittedly, this was a form of escapism, but so what if it was escapism?
If reality wasn't so muddled and exhausting, if people weren't constantly unable to obtain what they wanted, who would seek comfort in a virtual world?
[Leon is very similar to my real father… When I was little and got into fights, he would always protect me first. Only after finding out it was my fault would he make me apologize…]
[Everyone in front, take my envy and properly be filial to your dad. I'm miserable—whenever something happens, I'm the first one suspected.]
[Childhood trauma needs a lifetime to heal. That hit hard, everyone.]
[Ah Xian, take it easy. Be careful or the stream moderators will ban you.]
Ah Xian was going overboard. The scale was dangerous, and the super moderators could step in at any moment.
Fortunately, she knew exactly where the kill line was and stopped in time.
"To be honest, in this part of the plot, Leon isn't even acting anymore. The overprotective heavy-male attributes are on full display."
"The words are also quite straightforward, without any subtlety. It's a clear 'if you don't give a reasonable explanation, you're in for it' attitude."
"You grown men might not understand how lethal these words are to young girls."
"But for people who have read early domineering-CEO novels, this is a guaranteed kill."
"Now it's being used in a game in a different way. Although it's not new and could even be called cliché,—"
"Don't even mention pure-hearted young girls—us old women in our twenties are eating it up!"
[The problem isn't big. We male players who immerse ourselves from the perspective of viewing Leon as Father also eat it up.]
[If it weren't for Dr. Ratio delivering this for free, the drama caused by this character's setup would definitely be bigger than Ruan Mei's.]
[Stop talking. I didn't choose Leon's branch line. The feeling of being interrogated like a prisoner is very unpleasant.]
Stelle was not someone who couldn't read the room.
Seeing Dr. Ratio's silent expression, the displeasure in her eyes gradually faded.
She felt that if she didn't say something soon, things would probably get bloody.
No one here understood Leon better than she did.
"Mr. Ratio, I can prove my innocence, but I have one condition—"
"If I prove I have nothing to do with this matter, you must apologize to me for your own actions."