"...What is 'a bit special'?" Lin tilted his head. He really had no concept of this suddenly appearing, broad term. After all, he had always considered the few people he associated with to be the "special" ones.
"Simply put, it means there are some things you only do to me and not to others, and some words you only say to me and not to others," Mobius said, her teeth practically itching at Lin innocent look. She couldn't keep being angry, so she could only suppress it and say, "Got it?"
"For example?"
"For example... like at the ball just now. You can't do that with other women."
"...Then why are men okay?" Lin asked, puzzled. "Didn't you say 'special'?"
"Because..." Mobius truly couldn't understand Lin mind, which was sometimes brilliant and other times as single-threaded as an old computer. "Because there's a difference between women and men, isn't there? That's a kind of special treatment in itself."
"...Is dancing divided by gender? While there are different poses, anyone can dance regardless of gender."
Mobius was completely at a loss for a rebuttal. What should she say? No matter what she said, Lin didn't seem to get it. Why couldn't he just say "Okay" this time? Was the concept of being special to her that hard to understand?
"Are there any examples? For instance, something only I am allowed to do to you?" Lin was patient; he always maintained an attitude of not speaking rashly about things he didn't understand.
Mobius gave Lin a surprised look, then rested her chin on her hand and thought for a long time. Suddenly, she remembered something. Before, she and Lin had thought about doing an experiment regarding hormone research. It had ultimately been shelved due to her sense of shame, but she had never said that experiment would never be conducted.
"Do you remember the experiment I wanted to do... about... about kissing..." Mobius voice trailed off. Even with artificial respiration, she wouldn't have felt this resistant...
She was a mature woman several years older than Lin, so why did she feel like a high school girl right now! Stuttering and afraid to speak! Mobius was caught in a contradictory state of self-blame.
"The experiment regarding kissing?" Lin remembered too. He asked, puzzled, "What about it?"
"Things on that level of experimentation—you can't do them with others. That's it."
"...I don't understand."
"If you don't understand, you don't understand. Anyway, that's how it is."
Mobius finally managed to make herself clear. She let out a long breath, trying to return to her usual Dr. Mobius state where arrogance, mockery, and cynicism were always on her lips. But Lin next sentence left her completely frozen.
"You mean, you want me to kiss you and not others?"
Don't suddenly become sharp at a time like this!
Dr. Mobius would never admit to her dying day that her next action was of her own volition. Instinctively, she nodded.
...
"Eh? Where are Senior Klein and Dr. Mobius?" Nuwa, wearing sunglasses and holding a glass of wine, walked over to Fuxi, who was playing a game. She looked around but didn't see any sign of the two green-haired women.
"Senior Klein probably went back to work overtime; she didn't want to come anyway." Fuxi raised an eyebrow and put away her handheld console. "As for Dr. Mobius... I saw her on the dance floor earlier."
"...For real?"
"I don't know. Maybe I saw wrong?"
"Haha, don't joke. With the Doctor's physical stamina, she gets out of breath after walking a few steps—to the point where she wishes she had a wheelchair. How could she go dancing?" Nuwa said dismissively, taking a sip of wine.
"Nuwa, the Doctor."
Pffft—
Nuwa spat out a mouthful of red wine, drawing strange looks from those nearby. She frantically looked around for that terrifying figure, only to realize she had been tricked by Fuxi.
"Fuxi! You lied to me again!"
"...Well, most of the time you talk behind the Doctor's back, you get caught." Fuxi pointed toward the door. "I need to go back to the lab to get a game cartridge. Come with me."
Nuwa looked at her unapologetic sister, speechless. "Can't you go alone?"
"Everyone's at the ball right now, and it's so quiet outside it's like no one's there. Going out alone is too scary—it's like walking onto a horror movie set."
"Fine... fine..."
Nuwa could only shake her head and sigh, walking out with her sister. Although Fuxi looked much more mature than her, Nuwa knew her sister's nature perfectly well—she was a jokester just like her, and greedy too. Most importantly... Fuxi needed her younger sister to take care of her. In comparison, Senior Klein was too self-sufficient; it felt like she was an outsider to the two of them.
After leaving the noisy venue, Fuxi stretched. "Senior Klein reminded me today, and I noticed Dr. Mobius has been getting angry much less lately. She seems a lot more pleasant—even Nuwa hasn't made her mad."
"Hey, don't make it sound like I try to make her mad on purpose..." Nuwa offered a small protest, then nodded in agreement. "The Doctor's temper has indeed gotten a lot better, but I think it's more like she's absent-minded. She used to be focused on everything she did, which is why she'd get mad when we made mistakes. Now... it's like she has something on her mind."
"..."
"..."
"Is she in love?" they both blurted out.
Then they looked at each other and burst into giggles. "Hahaha, impossible. The Doctor looks like the type who'll spend her whole life with Honkai beasts, zombies, and the lab." Fuxi laughed as she denied her absurd statement.
"Exactly. The Doctor is strictly demanding of everyone equally. And she's a shut-in who never leaves her room; you can't tell when she's in a lab coat, but she's probably got a bit of 'thick legs' since she doesn't care about her figure at all," Nuwa added, having no filter whatsoever. "We don't know the Doctor's exact age, but she must be around thirty. She's definitely planned on being single for life."
"Yeah, she—"
Fuxi's laughter suddenly cut off as if she were being strangled. Her pupils dilated, as if she were seeing a terrifying scene.
"Hmm? What is it, Fu—"
When Nuwa looked in the direction Fuxi was staring, she also stopped abruptly. Fuxi was right; the Headquarters at this moment truly felt like a horror movie set. And the most terrifying person occupying their minds was currently turning her expressionless face toward them from right in front of Lin face.
The distance was less than two centimeters—their lips were about to touch. In the next second, Mobius started walking toward them.