After Luo Hong adjusted the territory to daytime, the cafeteria looked bright and orderly, a far cry from the eerie atmosphere Mei first encountered. Warm sunlight poured in; despite being empty, everything was in its place. Except for Bronya, who looked... strange.
"That... that's lucky..." Even though she knew Theresa was real, Bronya didn't dare expose her.
As Luo Hong sat down with her in his lap, she reached for a spoon to drink some soup. But because she was shaking so violently, almost all the soup spilled. Only a fraction reached her mouth.
"Bronya, are you okay?" Mei noticed her hand trembling. "I know the training was tough, but surely not to this extent? You were steady when cutting vegetables... are you pushing yourself?"
Mei felt something was off with her perception, but she couldn't pinpoint the issue.
"Better explain quickly~" Luo Hong whispered into Bronya's ear. "If the explanation isn't convincing, the 'mental distortion' I put on Mei might break. If that happens, you—Ssss!"
Before he could finish, Bronya gave him an "answer" of her own, making him hiss in pain.
"I-It's not fatigue," Bronya shook her head, her face flushed. "B-Bronya just wanted to... skim the oil off the top of the soup."
"Isn't that... a bit extreme?" Mei looked puzzled. However, her suspicion eased. It was a weak excuse, but not entirely impossible.
"Congrats on passing!" Luo Hong smiled. "As a reward, I'll feed you."
He didn't wait for her to refuse. He picked up a bright red sausage with chopsticks and brought it to her lips.
"Eh?" Mei looked surprised. "You can even use Project Bunny to help you eat? How convenient!" she said with envy.
"N-No..." Bronya's lips twitched. "This is... this is Bronya's... accuracy training for Project Bunny." Then, Luo Hong stuffed two pigeon eggs into her mouth.
"You even think about training while eating?" Mei's eyes were filled with respect. But the more she looked, the more she felt Bronya's face was excessively red. "Bronya, is it too hot?" She looked up at the central air conditioning. "Can we turn on the AC?"
Immediately, a cool breeze blew through the cafeteria. "It really works... Mr. Luo Hong's world is so convenient." Mei smiled gently. "When I deliver the bento to him later, I must thank him properly."
"Mmph... Yes!" Bronya groaned as she felt the scoundrel behind her getting "enthusiastic." The cool breeze helped a bit, but she was nearing her limit. It had only been two minutes, but the presence of Mei and Theresa acted as a massive stimulus.
"Thirty seconds left," Luo Hong's demonic whisper echoed. "Here's a tip: if you expose Theresa now, it'll distract Mei. Otherwise—" he pressed down firmly, "Mei's attention will be entirely on you."
"Oh... ngh!" The sudden impact made Bronya moan, instantly drawing Mei's gaze.
At this point, Bronya didn't care about "betrayal." Before Mei could ask what was wrong, she blurted out, "Sister Mei... have you... noticed... the Principal's eyes... they just... blinked?"
She had to break the sentence into three parts just to get it out. Fortunately, once Mei's attention shifted to Theresa, the three minutes were up. Bronya's state was refreshed. She survived the round.
But there was a catch: this "unfulfilled" experience acted like a Gold Experience Requiem—she could never reach the "truth" she wanted, which only fueled her inner desire. Though her state was refreshed, she was actually more sensitive and "hungry" than the previous round. If Mei weren't looking at Theresa, she would have noticed Bronya's undeniably "lewd" expression.
Mei couldn't see it, but Theresa—sitting right across—could. To keep up the act, Theresa had to keep blinking at a steady pace. She saw everything. Why does Bronya look so... comfortable?
Due to the distorted perception, Theresa couldn't grasp the meaning behind the expression. Even without the distortion, her innocent mind wouldn't have understood. But she knew something was weird. She felt like there was someone else behind Bronya... Why would I think that?
"The Principal is about to notice me," Luo Hong whispered, his smirk widening. "If you don't attack her, she's going to attack you."
You bastard! Bronya cursed internally. She turned to Mei. "Bronya felt something was wrong just now." She tried to regain her composure.
"Hm?" Mei's curiosity was piqued. "What's strange?"
"Sister Mei," Bronya said with a dead-serious face. "NPCs in this world do not follow our orders."
As soon as she said it, the cafeteria fell silent, save for the hum of the AC.