Since the waitstaff knew that the Inn had been booked by the same group for the past few days, they didn't intervene when Elysia and Durandal headed toward the kitchen.
Thus, Elysia and Durandal made their way unimpeded into the backyard where the kitchen was located.
Before they even reached the kitchen door, they could already hear Mobius' voice.
"Klein~"
That tone… Why did it sound a bit like how the two of them had called each other's names during their confessions last night?
Both of them paused for a moment.
Durandal whispered, "Elysia, maybe we should just go somewhere outside to grab a bite?"
However, Elysia shook her head and said, "The shops outside aren't open this early. Besides, I don't think anything's happening inside."
"After all, this is a kitchen—a public space. Mobius and Klein are both rational researchers; they probably won't do anything reckless."
Her reasoning sounded perfectly logical, and straightforward Durandal took it at face value.
But what Elysia was actually thinking was: Hmph! They messed things up for us yesterday afternoon, so today it's our turn to return the favor.
Then Durandal watched as Elysia tiptoed stealthily toward the kitchen door.
After a moment's thought, Durandal didn't go quite as overboard as Elysia, but she still lightened her footsteps.
By the time they reached the kitchen entrance, both of them peeked their heads in, one above the other, to see what was unfolding inside.
Let's rewind a minute earlier.
After finishing her sandwich, Mobius set down her plate.
Just as Klein reached out to take the plate away for washing, Mobius placed a hand over Klein's.
"Klein~"
Klein's body trembled slightly at Mobius' touch.
She looked up at Mobius, her expression one of utter disbelief.
Because Mobius' tone right now was exactly the same as when she'd been drunk the night before.
Mobius seemed quite pleased with Klein's reaction.
She took another step forward, and Klein instinctively stepped back.
But since Mobius still held her hand, Klein couldn't retreat far before her back met the counter.
Klein forced herself to stay calm and met Mobius' gaze. "Doctor, are you still hungry? If so, I'll make another sandwich for you right away."
As she spoke, Klein glanced down at her trapped hand. "So, Doctor, could you let go first? I can't work like this."
"Klein, I have a very low alcohol tolerance. I've known that since the first time I drank as an adult."
Mobius watched as Klein's face grew increasingly flushed and said this matter-of-factly.
"Mm."
Klein nodded, offering no opinion or comment.
But she knew her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of her throat.
She was terrified Mobius' next words would be that she never truly blacked out when drunk.
If that were the case…
Thankfully, Mobius' next sentence wasn't what Klein feared.
Though perhaps it was even worse.
"So, most of the time, I deliberately control my drinking based on my limits to avoid actually getting drunk."
Mobius lifted Klein's hand to her own chest, her eyes shining with utmost seriousness.
"Take last night's sake, for example. After one cup, I knew I could still drink at least two more without getting drunk. Of course, a fourth cup would've been too much."
Klein: !!!
So, she'd assumed Mobius was drunk last night.
But in reality, she wasn't?
Then… why had Mobius fallen asleep so quickly after kissing her?
As if sensing Klein's confusion, Mobius continued, "Even though I wasn't drunk, alcohol always makes me terribly drowsy. If I stay upright, it's fine, but once I lie down…"
By now, Klein understood everything.
And precisely because she understood, her mind was thrown into even greater turmoil.
She'd been comforting herself all along—that last night's kiss meant nothing because Mobius was drunk, and she was only trying to mimic the others, accidentally kissing her only because she'd fallen asleep mid-action.
Most importantly, when Mobius woke up this morning, she hadn't said a word about it, clearly having forgotten the whole thing.
In that case, the best choice for Klein was to forget it too.
But now Mobius was telling her outright that she hadn't been drunk last night.
If she wasn't drunk, then the foundational premise no longer held.
Mobius pulling her onto the tatami to imitate Elysia and Durandal couldn't be dismissed as drunken mischief anymore.
And now that Mobius was bringing it into the open… what about her?
What choice should she make?
Ever since joining Fire Moth and learning the truth about the Honkai, Klein had lived in constant fear.
Only by burying herself in work could she temporarily forget that fear.
This state had actually been worsening the longer she stayed in Fire Moth.
Because the more time passed, the more pessimistic Klein grew about the future.
As an insider, the more Klein learned, the more she understood that an organization like this could never truly lead humanity to victory.
So when she heard that Mobius' lab—the busiest one in all of Fire Moth—was recruiting, Klein didn't hesitate to apply.
She wasn't afraid of the various rumors circulating within Fire Moth about Mobius.
To her, compared to the things she truly feared, a purely wicked person like Mobius might actually feel more reassuring.
At least she knew Mobius' wickedness was directed at fighting the Honkai.
The wickedness of other insiders she knew about… well, that wasn't necessarily the case.
Because other researchers in Fire Moth were all terrified of Mobius, Klein was the only one who responded to the recruitment call, so she was naturally hired.
As for Fuxi and Nuwa, according to them, they were forcibly assigned later.
The specific reason was that Fire Moth's council had notified Mobius to quickly settle the lab's affairs and head to Nagazora City as soon as possible.
So the logistics department in charge of personnel allocation directly assigned two newly joined researchers to the lab.
Only such newcomers, unaware of the lab's 'reputation' and without established connections, would be assigned to such a position.
Anyway, that was how Klein ended up following Mobius to Nagazora City and inexplicably joining the Schicksal organization.
It's worth noting that even though they hadn't conducted many experiments within Schicksal, Klein strangely felt some of her inner fear dissipating.
--+--