In truth, what Pardofelis meant was already quite obvious by this point.
At least to Elysia, who fully understood what she was implying.
"That's right! What Felis said makes sense! Maybe there's something in Hokuto's room… But even if there is, we probably can't get to it, can we?"
She had a flash of realization—then quickly shook her head in disappointment.
"Umm… Elysia-san, about that—I'm actually kinda good at this… I think I can help with something this small…"
Just as Elysia was growing discouraged, Pardofelis softly chimed in again.
"Eh?! That's right, we have you, Felis!"
Elysia's eyes lit up.
"In that case, let's act quickly—before someone gets off work from the MiHoYo studio and comes home."
...
Roughly five minutes later.
Elysia jogged up to Hokuto's room, only to find several people already waiting outside.
Aside from Pardofelis, the "professional" you'd definitely expect to be there...
Mobius and Vill-V had also shown up?
Well, Vill-V turning up for the fun wasn't all that surprising—after all, that was just her personality.
But Mobius being there… that was a bit unexpected.
"Mobius? You came too…"
"Elysia, stop talking."
Before Elysia could finish her question, Mobius raised her hand and cut her off.
She even deliberately put on a serious face.
"Don't distract Pardofelis."
"Uhh…"
Elysia still glanced doubtfully at Mobius's stern expression.
Because, based on her understanding of Mobius, Elysia felt that—most likely—Mobius was harboring some thoughts she didn't want to admit aloud.
That was just how Mobius was… not always honest, although maybe that was one of her more adorable traits?
As she thought about that, she also wondered what Mobius was really thinking.
Was it related to Klein? Or to Elysia herself? Or… maybe both?
Before she could figure it out—
Clack—
Pardofelis had already unlocked the door.
"Little Felis is quite something! Impressive!"
Vill-V, who had been attentively watching her pick the lock, offered genuine praise.
"Hehe~ It's the only thing I'm really good at…" Felis scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"Alright, let's get inside already," Mobius urged, seeming even more eager than anyone else.
With that, she pushed open the door and walked in first.
The other three exchanged glances before following her in.
"That thing should be in his bedroom?"
Mobius looked at Elysia. "Elysia, you know which room is his, right?"
"First room on the right," Elysia answered briskly, without hesitation.
"Mm."
Mobius nodded slightly, as if to say, "Of course you'd know."
And not just knowing which room Hokuto slept in—
If Elysia even knew Mobius had just bought a Snake-sis hairpin… ahem, it wouldn't be that surprising.
Because—well—it was Elysia!
That super magical Miss Pink Elf♪
...But, let's not get distracted.
Mobius shook off the thoughts and turned her eyes toward the door to the first room on the right.
She lifted her foot, just about to walk over—
Click—click—click—
Suddenly, strange sounds echoed in the quiet living room.
"Vill-V, now's not the time to mess around!"
Mobius didn't even hesitate to toss the blame at her.
"That wasn't me." Vill-V denied it on the spot.
"Then the sound…"
Mobius frowned and looked toward the noise.
There—
Some strange, misshapen machines rolled out from the shadows.
"?"
"Vill-V! Still saying it's not you?!" Mobius raised her voice.
"I really didn't do this." Vill-V's tone remained firm.
"Are you seriously saying these machines weren't made by you?"
"Umm…"
Faced with Mobius's accusation, Vill-V thought for a moment, then responded:
"I mean, yes, I made them—but I didn't secretly place them here just now to surprise everyone."
"Hokuto is one of my two main investors. It's totally normal for him to have some of my Marvelous Inventions at home, right?"
Mobius: "..."
"'Marvelous Inventions'? I'd say they look more like… non-recyclable junk…"
"Snake-sis! Vill-V-san! Don't fight right now—I think something's not right."
Pardofelis's anxious voice rang out.
Turns out, while no one noticed, those weird machines had already surrounded them.
Mobius had to swallow her retort and ask the more urgent question:
"Vill-V, what do these machines do?"
"Hmm… even though their appearance got a bit weird, they should still be the security bots I gave Hokuto. They're designed to stun intruders with electric shocks. And right now, well, we kinda look like intruders."
Vill-V casually dropped a bombshell of a statement.
"…Why did you even give him something that dangerous?" Mobius's mouth twitched.
At that, Vill-V's expression grew complex. She sighed lightly.
"Ah, Dr. Mobius, you of all people should understand—the pain of seeking funding for research."
"Plus, you know the kind of people willing to invest in my inventions are… well, a bit rare. So I treasure every investor. Giving them some 'good stuff' is normal, right?"
"True…"
Mobius couldn't help but show a look of deep empathy.
Whenever researchers started discussing funding, the shared suffering among the "scientist gang" came out in full force.
After all, Mobius also often faced budget problems for her own work.
Talk too much about it… and even she wanted to sigh.
"Snake-sis! Vill-V-san! Stop with the side talk already! Think of something—I don't want to get zapped!!"
Poor Cat Cat was still the only one reacting like a normal person—frightened and trying to find a way out of their current predicament.
"Don't panic, little Felis. If I remember right, when I designed these security bots, I left a backdoor access as usual… What was it again…"
Maybe she was just used to this.
Or maybe it came with experience?
After all, an engineer who's never been electrocuted by their own machines isn't a real engineer.
She rested her chin on her hand and calmly thought.
"Oh! I remember now."
"See that status light? It reveals the bot's next move. I think this model type is known for its explosive strength, but shuts down briefly if hit hard enough."
"So, as soon as the lights turn green, we hit—"
WHAM!!
Before Vill-V could finish—
Mobius had already grabbed the nearest thing (like a small chair) and whacked the security bot square in the head.
However…
"Vill-V, I don't think your plan is working."
Mobius looked at the completely unaffected robot and gave Vill-V a look.
"No effect? That's impossible!"
Vill-V's face finally showed disbelief for the first time.
"But the facts speak for themselves…"
"Then…"
She frowned—could it be someone had tampered with her brilliant, cross-era invention?
Hokuto?
No, no, no. Everyone has their specialty—no way it was him.
Then who…
Before she could figure it out, Pardofelis's increasingly panicked voice rang out again.
"Vill-V-san! Snap out of it! Think of something else!!"
"A plan?"
Vill-V returned to the moment, saw Felis's hopeful gaze, and simply shrugged.
"Find a comfy spot to lie down? So we don't hit our heads when we faint?"
Pardofelis: "..."
She stared at the approaching security bots, and the sparking electricity in their hands—
And couldn't help but shut her eyes.
"AHHH!!"
"What are you doing?!"
Just then, a man's voice came from the door.
Hokuto had returned home—only to see Cat Cat jumping, shouting, and flailing around with her eyes shut tight.
His expression instantly turned… complicated.
"You come to my place… and start doing spirit dances?"
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