Siegfried waited for a good while. Seeing the two "Stelles" express "agreement" with blank faces but bodies full of disgust, even he felt an inexplicable weirdness.
If you said they agreed with Siegfried, the disgust emanating from them was practically tangible.
If you said they didn't agree... they had nodded.
If you said they were being insincere and lying...
Hey, blank faces!
But at least the fact that they could nod meant that in their minds, this matter was definitely not the most important. Siegfried was relieved.
"I~ told~ you~ so~!" Siegfried showed a triumphant expression, applauding with his hands, as enthusiastic as a mother hen.
"You see, you look so much alike, it's fate that you appeared here together. You should support each other and advance hand in hand!
"Whatever the matter, just talk it out. Don't keep it bottled up, and definitely don't give each other the cold shoulder... uh..." At this moment, Siegfried suddenly remembered that he had come over because he heard the sound of a fierce battle.
He silently glanced at the baseball bats still clutched in their hands, then recalled the scene he had just witnessed where they almost ended in mutual destruction. He suddenly felt a little ashamed.
"How hurtful to your relationship..."
It could only be said that he was truly Siegfried. After just a couple of awkward laughs, he immediately activated the Kaslana family's ancestral "interpersonal relationship mediation" mode, beginning to ramble on about the importance of sisterly affection, and then started recommending "The Art of Speaking" to them.
He even cited a few examples about himself and his imaginary brothers or non-existent friends, the details of which he might not even remember clearly.
The two "Stelles": "..."
Watching Siegfried try to infect these two "new friends" who seemed to have a "tense relationship" with his clumsy yet incredibly sincere enthusiasm, the disgust between them actually loosened a bit.
You think they were persuaded?
Actually, the target of their disgust had changed.
They maintained stiff smiles, listening to Siegfried's sincere and off-the-wall persuasion, their hearts silent.
Explain?
Actually, I'm Shu, he's the imposter, and our conflict is just that we want to kill each other... Shu would bet his ID number that the other guy wanted to say the same thing.
And regardless of whether the other guy would say it, Siegfried, upon hearing the news, would definitely let out a sharp, explosive cry.
No way to explain.
Deny it?
Lie to a Kaslana? Interesting.
They could only nod and vaguely reply with "mm," "yes," "we'll be careful," while frantically exchanging signals with the corners of their eyes: "what do we do," "end this quickly," "find a chance to slip away."
And Cecilia, who had been standing quietly by Siegfried's side the whole time, as if she were wearing a Mosquito's Breath and was invisible, her eyes were like the calmest lake, reflecting every subtle expression and movement of the two "Stelles."
The two of them only knew not to lie to Siegfried, but in reality, they had started lying from the moment they met.
When the two announced their name as "Stelle," Cecilia had already keenly captured the fleeting guilt in their eyes...
This was really the fault of their disguise being too good, even being able to reproduce such subtle changes in their eyes. If this had been a Mosquito's Breath disguise, Cecilia might not have noticed such a detail.
But in Cecilia's eyes, the flaws in the other's eyes were too numerous.
The slight hesitation when saying their names, the nervous observation when staggering their positions...
And the way their eyes seemed to be frantically communicating in an encrypted channel... Cecilia was already trying to hold back her laughter.
But Cecilia said nothing, just smiled gently, listening to her husband's enthusiastic "lecture."
It was precisely because she understood the eye contact between the two that she had no intention of exposing them.
It wasn't some set of eye signals, but a communication based entirely on their understanding of each other. If these two had spent even one day less together, they wouldn't have this level of familiarity.
And isn't it normal for twins who grew up together and are incredibly close to have this level of familiarity?
Could these two guys possibly be one person split into two?
Siegfried's "Interpersonal Relations 101" finally ended with a very Kaslana-esque analogy.
"...Anyway, relationships are like cooking curry. Too much heat will burn it, not stirring will cause it to stick to the bottom, but as long as you remember to add a bit of the all-purpose spice called 'honesty' from time to time, you'll eventually stew a pot of... uh, at least edible hot stuff!"
He didn't even boast that the curry would be delicious.
The two "Stelles" nodded with blank faces, having already given up on understanding, with only the prayer of "end this quickly" left in their minds.
Siegfried looked at their obedient nodding and clapped his hands in satisfaction.
Another day of making a humble contribution to the harmony and stability of the base.
"Alright, I won't keep you from getting familiar with the place!" Siegfried waved his hand cheerfully. "The living area has everything. The cafeteria should still have hot food, and the training grounds are open. Feel free to look around! Come find Cecilia and me when you have time!"
It was finally over!
The two "Stelles" almost burst into tears, but their strong rationality forced them to pull out stiff farewell smiles, preparing to watch the couple leave.
However, just as they were about to turn and leave, Cecilia, who had been quietly observing, suddenly took a step forward and spoke softly, her voice like a spring breeze brushing over flower petals:
"You two must get along, okay?"
The words themselves were nothing, but the next moment, Cecilia very naturally extended her hands and took the hands of the two "Stelles" hanging by their sides.
Then, in the instant neither of them dared to use any force, she gently brought their hands together, letting their fingertips touch, and then gently clasped them.
?
A shuddering sensation, as if being electrocuted, shot from their touching fingertips throughout their entire bodies!
And of course, Shu wouldn't think this was some kind of suspension bridge effect. He knew very well that this feeling was based on a physiological discomfort!
It made his skin crawl more than facing the most ferocious Honkai Beast!
It was more unbearable than being grazed by high-temperature plasma!
The bodies of the two "Stelles" instantly stiffened into fossils, the fake smiles on their faces completely freezing and cracking.
They could feel the other's hand was equally cold, stiff, and even trembling slightly.
Where their skin touched, it felt like countless tiny needles were pricking them, or like they had touched something extremely filthy or dangerous. Their instincts screamed at them to pull away, to escape!
But Cecilia's gentle yet unquestionable gaze fell on their faces, her eyes as clear as water, as if she were just an older sister encouraging her bickering younger sisters to make up.
Siegfried was also watching happily from the side, his face full of "my wife is so thoughtful" approval.
You two are being a bit tacky.