"Little guy, I'm hungry~"
"Then let's eat."
"No time~"
Mobius didn't even raise her head, but just looked down at the terminal in her hand, with a pen and paper in her hand, constantly recording some data.
"sigh..."
"I'm busy~"
"No, what I mean is that you don't need to deliberately speak to me in the tone of Elysia."
Nozomi was reminded of some headache.
"...Ha~ Little guy, you are really different from others."
Mobius paused for a moment, then raised her head and looked at Nozomi with a meaningful look.
"Obviously everyone else prefers that way of speaking."
"Because that way of speaking makes you look friendlier, Doctor. Um... or more inexplicably attractive?"
Nozomi moved the documents in front of Mobius away and placed the portioned food plates in front of Mobius.
"Just this once, Doctor. Next time, I'll invite you to eat over at the table."
As he spoke, Nozomi picked up the document he had just moved away, briefly checked the data in his hand, and after confirming that there was no problem, he put it down by category and continued to check the next document.
"I told you, I'm busy~"
Mobius did not take her eyes off Nozomi; she just narrowed her eyes and continued speaking.
She had no intention of putting down the terminal, pen, and paper, but she also had no intention of continuing to record data, as if she was just waiting for something.
"Little guy~ don't you understand?"
Mobius deliberately stuck out her tongue and teased it lightly, and even her words carried some special meaning.
"...Doctor, I still have things to do later."
Nozomi put down the documents in his hand with a headache.
"I have another new type of weapon to test at the Operations Department. The same goes for the special combat uniform and special weapon that Vill-V is going to provide. The Engineering Department is already urging us to do so... In addition, I have to help you apply for the body research of the Third Herrscher, and the data needs to be analyzed and processed before the evening..."
"Shouldn't we just leave the data analysis to Cang Xuan and Dan Zhu?"
"...Doctor, if you want me to stay and work overtime, there's no need to be so troublesome."
"What does it matter? I'm always in the lab anyway~"
"Doctor, please pay attention to your rest time."
When this was mentioned, Nozomi immediately became expressionless, as if there was absolutely no room for negotiation.
"Otherwise I'll have to consider using some special means."
"Oh? What do you want?"
Speaking of this, Mobius simply put the terminal, pen, and paper in her lap, and then covered them with her hands. Although her hands were freed, she had no intention of using them. Instead, she laughed and stared at Nozomi closely, looking forward to his answer.
"Nothing, I'm just going to switch your three meals a day to the [Healthy Meals] in the cafeteria... um, for about a week."
Nozomi answered expressionlessly and then turned his gaze to the data in his hand. After quickly checking it, he quickly sorted it out and put it away, and then continued to check the next one.
"......"
When Mobius heard Nozomi's "threat," her whole face twisted.
You have to know that it is the cafeteria's [Healthy Meal], not the [Nutritious Meal]. It is provided for those who want to maintain their figure. Although it can meet the needs of the human body and can make people full, and the styles of dishes will also vary, but in terms of taste... it is really bland.
If she really had to eat this for a week, Mobius wondered if her taste buds would become bland... But even so, she had no intention of cooking for herself.
She even picked up the terminal, pen, and paper on her lap and continued to make her own records, as if she were angry with Nozomi.
"...sigh."
In the end, Nozomi sighed, pulled a chair from the side, sat next to Mobius, and slightly adjusted the position of the plates and documents on the table to ensure that the two would not affect each other.
Then he used a spoon to mix the food in the plate a little bit to ensure that the taste of the food was not too bland or too strong. Then he scooped a spoonful of food and fed it to Mobius' mouth.
As if she was finally satisfied, or as if she had won some unknown competition, although Mobius' eyes still did not move away from the terminal in her hand, she had a hint of a smile on her face. The pen in her hand did not stop, but the writing speed was a little faster.
"ah..."
Mobius opened her mouth and ate the food on the spoon. Seeing this, Nozomi breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around and continued to feed Mobius with one hand and picked up the information with the other hand to continue checking. He began to do two things at the same time, and during the whole process, there was no problem with the actions of both sides...
"Well..."
On the other side, Dan Zhu, who had already been forced by Nozomi to sit at the dining table to eat, tilted her head slightly, moved closer to Cang Xuan, and asked quietly.
"By the way, isn't there something wrong between Senior Brother and the Doctor... And it turns out that the Doctor's way of speaking is learned from Elysia?"
"You ask me, how do I know?"
Cang Xuan also responded in a lowered voice.
"But this is how the Doctor originally spoke... How strange."
Dan Zhu secretly glanced at Nozomi who was still feeding Mobius, and then whispered.
"Hey, does Senior Brother dote on the Doctor too much? I heard that Mobius was not like this at the beginning. Senior Sister Blanca once said that the Doctor used to eat instant noodles, but she was forcibly corrected after Nozomi came..."
"You're still talking about the doctor, aren't we the same..."
"Oh, isn't it because the food that Senior Brother cooks is delicious..."
Dan Zhu tried to justify herself.
"I really don't know how Senior Brother arranges his time. I clearly heard from the senior sisters that he was very busy before, either studying this or that, and he was in the laboratory, teaching building, and dormitory all day long... How could he have the time to learn how to cook..."
"Obviously, he has a lot of things going on, and one can tell at a glance that it's not something that can be done by one person in one day, but... Senior Brother managed to do it in the blink of an eye."
"Oh no, could it be that Senior Brother really has some [superpower] related to time? For example, he can stretch time, or even reverse the flow of time?"
Dan Zhu covered her mouth in disbelief.
"Could it be that... Senior Brother is the powerful [Psychic] hiding in the city?"
"Don't fantasize about situations that only appear in novels or anime..."
The corners of Cang Xuan's mouth twitched slightly.
"You've seen how our senior brother works hard... He really does divide his attention into several tasks, and the speed at which he handles things is not something we can compare to..."
"only..."
Cang Xuan paused for a moment before speaking.
"What's even more worrying is that, in addition to maintaining such a high-intensity work efficiency, the senior brother also has to spend extra time to arrange his daily schedule, and even consider his doctoral work... It's hard to imagine how his body can support it."
"This is probably the difference in physique between people..."
"No, this shouldn't be explained by physical differences, right?"
"Can't you? Look at the new guy in the Operations Department... his name is Kevin. He's just a high school student, but the physical fitness data he got from the test was so terrifying that it shocked everyone in the Operations Department."
Dan Zhu curled her lips.
"I heard that during the [Third Great Eruption], he fought against the Honkai Beasts alone with only a baseball bat... and he actually won in the end. When the Operations Department found him and Mei, their jaws almost dropped."
"...Okay, maybe the physical differences between people are really that big."
Cang Xuan could only helplessly hold her forehead... Compared to Nozomi's ridiculous time arrangement and terrifyingly efficient way of doing things, Kevin's situation was even more ridiculous...
"Ah... mm... little guy, I'm full."
After swallowing the last bite of her meal, Mobius spoke, but she still did not look up, and the pen in her hand did not stop.
"...OK."
Nozomi looked at her strangely. He had clearly calculated Mobius's appetite, but there was only a quarter of it left on the plate... But in the end, Nozomi didn't say anything, just nodded in agreement.
He spread the remaining documents on the table, glanced at them one by one, and at the same time, holding the dinner plate in one hand and the plate in the other, he quickly but politely stuffed the remaining quarter into his mouth.
And when Nozomi finished eating, he happened to see the last one... After quickly going through them in his mind, Nozomi sorted out the remaining documents and put them in order.
'Huh? What? The spoon Mobius used? Indirect kiss? Saliva?'
Nozomi won't mind this... Oh, are you asking about Mobius' attitude?
Mobius herself didn't say anything, so why should others worry?
But if this scene is seen, it is hard not to think too much...
"So... should we remind the doctor and senior brother...?"
Dan Zhu asked cautiously.
"I don't think so..."
Cang Xuan tried hard to control her vision and voice.
"And I think if I say it now, the doctor will most likely target me..."
"Brother just doesn't want to waste food..."
Klein responded slowly while eating and flipping through the data that needed to be analyzed and processed later.
"The meals that Senior Brother prepares are usually calculated, especially the portion for the doctor... Senior Brother has been preparing meals for the doctor every day since he came here, so he knows how much the doctor eats."
"But the doctor sometimes reduces her food intake due to some special reasons... At this time, he will be responsible for processing what the doctor has left."
"After all, wasting food is not good, and getting sicker is not good either... You didn't get along with my senior brother when you were in school, so you didn't realize how serious he was about this... But he has always been like this."
Klein put down the spoon in her hand, took another sip of water, and swallowed the last bite of rice... She was full, and the food on her plate was just finished.
Then, Klein first glanced at Nozomi who had already run into the simple kitchen. After a brief pause, she looked at Cang Xuan and Dan Zhu beside her and asked curiously.
"Aren't you guys going to eat yet? Otherwise, Senior Brother will nag you again later."
"Ah! I forgot!"
Dan Zhu shouted in panic and quickly started eating. Cang Xuan on the side didn't even say a word and just kept eating.
After a while, the unique aroma of coffee came from the kitchen, mixed with a hint of sweetness from milk tea.
"Doctor, coffee, be careful, it's too hot, drink it later. After you finish, remember to rinse the cup and then drink it with water."
"Got it little guy, put it aside."
"Well, and... Klein, this is your milk tea, be careful it's hot... Sorry, conditions are limited, so we can't make you some pearls to put in it... There's more in the kitchen, you can go get some when you're done, but remember to drink less and drink more water."
"Thank you, Brother."
Klein nodded, took the cup obediently, blew on it gently, and found that it still seemed undrinkable. She put it down with a little regret and waited for it to cool down.
"Brother, where are ours?"
Seeing this, Dan Zhu, who had only a few mouthfuls of rice left, quickly put down her spoon and shouted while chewing the food in her mouth.
"Go to the kitchen and prepare it yourself."
Nozomi obviously did not look happy when facing these two people who only added to the workload of himself and Klein.
"Don't forget, you are responsible for washing the dishes this week... If you are late again this week, your time will be extended."
"Ah?! No…"
"Stop talking nonsense. Have you finished the task at hand? Why are you so leisurely?"
Nozomi glared at them with a slight warning.
"Don't think I don't know that you guys were slacking off again... Have you finished the statistics and analysis of the last experimental data?"
"Uh... already... already halfway?"
"Haha, your progress is about 40%, and it should not be there yet. If you don't want to work overtime today, hurry up and do it."
"Brother, how did you know?!"
"You forgot to clean up your desktop when you were slacking off on the forum yesterday. I saw it after just one glance... Stop talking nonsense and get moving. I don't want to help you clean up afterward."
"Well... that is to say, if we still can't finish it in the end, you will still help us... right?"
Cang Xuan noticed the subtext in Nozomi's words and asked cautiously.
"If it affects the progress of the doctor's and my experiments, that's another matter."
Nozomi responded as he walked towards the door, while at the same time holding the terminal to reply to the message from the engineering department... They were urging him again. It was obvious that Vill-V had really created something incredible, which made them so excited that they couldn't wait to let Nozomi see it.
"Doctor, I'm leaving."
"Okay~ Come back early~ I'll wait for you in the evening~"
"OK."
Nozomi left the laboratory.
However, his final conversation with Mobius... left Dan Zhu and Cang Xuan with a lot of question marks on their heads.
???
'What riddle are they talking about?'
'And this conversation... I always feel like something is wrong?'
Dan Zhu hurriedly tugged at Cang Xuan's sleeve, and helped her clean up the plates for several people, then returned to the kitchen. While washing the dishes, she whispered with the help of the sound of water.
"Do you feel that there is something wrong with the conversation between Nozomi and the Doctor just now?"
"Yes, a little..."
"And... at night... do the Doctor and Senior have any extra plans at night? It seems that even if the Doctor stays overnight, he will stay in the laboratory. As for the Senior... it seems that he rarely goes back to the dormitory to rest?"
"You mean they don't really have... that kind of... relationship?"
Dan Zhu spoke mysteriously, and when she mentioned this topic, she did not forget to wink.
"Before, there was a rumor in "Fire Moth" that Nozomi was a gigolo kept by the Doctor... I didn't believe it before, but now I feel that this statement is somewhat possible?"
"And Nozomi should have been able to walk out on his own by now, right? Not to mention the 'Soulium' he and Miss Vill-V had researched together, the method that can solve the Honkai erosion is enough..."
"People in the Engineering Department are always complaining on the forums about why Nozomi is not from their side. There have also been similar signs in the Operations Department recently, with various hints emerging one after another..."
"Nozomi obviously has a better place to go, but he still stays in the Doctor's laboratory..."
"And considering the Doctor's reputation outside... Honestly, under this situation, I can't think of any other reason for Nozomi to stay with the Doctor."
"......"
"...Hmm? Cang Xuan, why don't you say anything?"
Dan Zhu asked curiously.
"shoo--"
As if it was intentional, a gentle blowing sound came from behind Dan Zhu, which made Dan Zhu shudder.
"Ah…Ahahaha…"
She turned her head stiffly and looked at Mobius, who was leaning against the door behind her, taking a sip of the still hot coffee and then blowing gently. Dan Zhu met her snake-like sharp eyes and smiled awkwardly.
"M...Dr. Mobius..."
"What's wrong? Keep talking, I'm quite interested~"
Mobius used that slightly sweet tone again, but to Dan Zhu, it was as if a snake was slowly crawling onto her body, with an inexplicable sense of fear.
"Uh... this... that... um..."
"Can't you guys move faster?"
Mobius' tone remained the same, but it was somewhat colder.
"You keep the tap running. Are you planning on helping pay for the lab's water and electricity bills?"
"Or are you guys so free that you can just stay here and play in the water?"
"Sorry, Doc, we'll get to work now."
Cang Xuan, who had already finished washing the dishes silently, lowered her head and said while turning off the faucet and pulling Dan Zhu out.
Mobius just stood there without moving. She just watched them return to their seats and start working, then she slowly withdrew her gaze.
"...snort."
Taking out the terminal and flipping through the message from "Fire Moth" again, Mobius snorted.
It's nothing more than some "suggestions", along with some warnings and some hints.
However, most of these were irrelevant to the experiment, and Mobius had no interest in them. Therefore, after taking another look at a few paragraphs in the message, she put the terminal back.
"...boring."
After a moment of silence, Mobius slowly uttered two words.
Her tone was cold, yet with a hint of barely perceptible hesitation, as if she herself did not want to say this.