The corridor lights weren't very bright. A restless heartbeat was gradually accelerating, breathing was quick, making it hard to see the path underfoot, vision a blur. Einstein's theory of relativity seemed to be verified on her; a path and a time that usually felt incredibly long when walking alone now felt absurdly short. Before she could react, she had reached the end.
She began to resent why she followed him out of the ball. If she had insisted on staying, would he have stayed to accompany her? Then she realized her thoughts were far too embarrassing—things she wouldn't have dared to even think about before were now appearing bluntly in her mind.
It was all his fault! Mobius stared with gritted teeth at the helmeted man who reached the lab door and began taking out his ID card to open it. She blamed Lin for all these strange changes in her state of mind that hadn't changed in decades. If he hadn't been fully armored every day, she would want to bite his neck right now to vent her frustration.
"What is it?" Perhaps Mobius gaze was too intense; Lin hand with the ID card paused in the air, and he turned to ask.
"Noth—ing—at—all—"
The intentionally elongated tone made Lin gaze at her silently. After a while, he put away the ID card without opening the door.
"...Are you angry?" Lin asked tentatively.
"What, do I look happy?" Mobius brushed her long hair and snorted. "Or after your color perception disappeared, you can't even see others' expressions?"
As soon as she said it, Mobius regretted it. She didn't intentionally want to poke at Lin sore spot; in fact, she wanted to avoid mentioning it even more than Lin did. But the habit of being assertive and cynical she had developed over the years meant her brain couldn't stop her mouth.
The atmosphere instantly cooled, an awkward air diffusing between them. Mobius expression stiffened as she watched Lin retract his gaze and take out the ID card again, preparing to send her back to the lab and return to the ballroom.
"Wait." The hand about to swipe the card froze in mid-air.
"I have a place I want to go, so I won't go back to the lab yet." Mobius grabbed Lin sleeve, lowering her head and speaking in a barely audible voice. "Stay with me for a bit."
"..." Lin gaze slowly moved from Mobius hand to her bowed head, her expression hidden in the shadows of her hair. The hand gripping tightly seemed to say "please." And Lin was still the Lin who couldn't refuse others.
...
Saying she had a place to go was more like saying anywhere but the lab was fine. Mobius walked aimlessly, Lin followed without a word. Mobius didn't know how to speak, and Lin didn't want to. The ambiguous atmosphere from the ball had vanished, like returning to when they first met. Indifference, distance, and silence.
"...Are you angry?" What Lin originally said was now used by Mobius.
But compared to Mobius instinctive cynicism, Lin was much more blunt: "No." However, it was precisely this overly direct way of speaking that left Mobius, who had always been the one asked, unsure of how to proceed.
Of course, Mobius had the privileges of Mobius—privileges built on her identity as "Dr. Mobius." For example... using another topic to divert from what was just said, and no matter how clunky, Lin would buy it.
"We were interrupted by Nuwa and the others just now. Shall we try again now?"
"...What?" Lin questioning sentence was clearly a counter-question to Mobius absurd words.
"I mean that experiment. Continue now."
Just when Mobius thought Lin would agree without hesitation like before, he actually turned around. The scrutinizing gaze from inside the helmet made her nerves tighten instantly.
"Are you... truly doing this for an experiment?"
"Eh..." Lin sudden sensitivity took Mobius by surprise.
"Last time when you said we were doing an experiment, you told me to gargle and discussed the details of the process. Why not just now? And why now?" Lin sharp gaze scanned Mobius tense face.
"I... I was careless."
"Impossible. Mobius is never careless with experiments."
Mobius mood was very subtle at this moment. Hearing Lin praise her so categorically, she didn't know whether to be happy or...
"And from just now, your heart rate per minute is more than twice the usual, body hormone secretion is accelerating, and hormone index is rising." Lin loudly reported Mobius physical data, which he could easily see with his helmet. What he couldn't see was that with every word he spoke, Mobius cold face would melt a bit more, a beautiful crimson gradually climbing onto her face.
"After you said that sentence at the lab door, you've maintained—"
"I get it! I said! You wait for me right here!"
Mobius gave a self-abandoning roar, and when Lin saw her face, he froze. Mobius expression was very unfamiliar. He had only seen something similar on Seele's face...
The green-haired doctor stomped off, heading toward the ballroom. Lin stood there, puzzled, waiting for her to return. It didn't take long—less than ten minutes—before Lin heard footsteps again.
This time, however, the crisp sound of heels had become a bit messy. When he looked up, he saw Mobius leaning against the wall, walking toward him bit by bit. On the screen, Lin saw the reason for Mobius unsteady standing. The alcohol content in her blood was much higher than when she left.
But even with this level of alcohol, she shouldn't be this drunk, right? She only drank about five hundred milliliters of beer in that short time. Why...
Before Lin could figure it out, Mobius leaned in close and grabbed Lin neck.
"Hic... I-I'm telling... you... now... hic... listen..." Mobius stared at Lin azure visor with blurred, drunken eyes.
"...I'll take you back to rest."
"No!" Mobius suddenly shook her head, smacking her lips, and shouted in the quiet corridor, "Don't you... want to hear... then I'll... hic... say it!"
"I hate you! From the moment we met... our philosophies have always been at odds! I hate the way you survive! I hate how you can hand everything of yours over to me for the sake of others! I hate how you're still unwavering even after being hurt enough! I hate everything about you! I hate you as a person! Lin!"
"..." Her mature and beautiful face showed a little girl-like expression, tears in her eyes, hysterically saying things that left Lin silent.
"Do you know now..."
"I know..."
Just as Lin was about to nod, an even more intense voice pierced his chest.
"Do you know I'm a fool now! This fool who always says things that hurt people, a fool who can't be honest with others or herself!" Her slender fingers rubbed Lin neck. "Saying those things just now!"
"Want to know what this fool is going to do now?" She smiled silly. Lin, who couldn't smell, felt as if a rich aroma of alcohol and fragrance had flooded his nasal cavity.
Lin heard the sound of his helmet's lock being undone. In the next second, his helmet was flipped open, and she, with her girlish face, drew close. He couldn't feel it, but he could see it. Very close, close enough to see her fair neck and slender body under the white coat.
He wanted to push her away, but she pressed the back of his head down firmly. Fearing he'd hurt her with too much force, Lin could only let go and let her hold him. Even if he couldn't feel the softness, the increasingly difficult breathing and her near-frenzied taking were no fake.
After a long time, their lips parted... her face was completely crimson, breathing heavily.
"This time... I didn't lie." She drew close again. In her blue eyes, a misty intoxication like rich wine. But when he looked again, she was so sober...
Sakura Special: For You
"Wait, Lin."
Flickering lights, glasses filled with wine, the scene of clinking glasses reflected on the marble floor. Lin turned and saw Sakura holding a glass, the orange-yellow liquid flowing over expertly cut ice cubes. Her expression was different from usual, seemingly with an inexplicable determination.
"Anything else?" Lin, who intended to go to the stage, stopped. Seeing Sakura expression, he thought for a moment and walked back.
Seeing him return, Sakura let out a sigh of relief. "I want to talk to you... can I?"
"About what?"
"Anything." Sakura smiled gently, like an ordinary girl rather than an assassin and Fire Moth warrior. "Thanks for the drink. Can I order one and invite you to drink together?"
Lin remained silent for a while. Just as Sakura heart rose to her throat, he nodded. Sakura turned to the bartender: "One more of the same, please."
"Understood."
Water droplets sliding down the rim of the glass reflected the calm helmeted man in the light. His upright sitting posture looked out of place here.
"..."
"..."
Saying she wanted to talk, Sakura herself didn't know where to start. She had only asked Lin to stay on an impulse. She had put on her earphones to immerse herself in her personal space because she lacked a sense of belonging to Fire Moth and couldn't integrate with these people.
But beside Lin, she felt an inexplicable sense of peace. Even without words, they had an unspeakable understanding. Only, Sakura understood that Lin actually still loathed her. She understood this better than anyone.
"Enjoy." The drink was pushed in front of Lin. Perhaps considering a man's taste, the color looked more intense, likely a different ratio. Lin took the glass and set it beside his hand.
Once the ice melted, Lin would finish the drink and leave. The time she could still spend with him seemed to be only this much. Even Lin had many friends in Fire Moth; he had a far greater sense of belonging than she did. He couldn't stop today's itinerary just for her. If she had something to say, it was best to say it now.
"What kind of music do you like?" To her surprise, Lin spoke first, looking at the earphones around her neck. Sakura hesitated, looked around to see no one paying attention, and whispered a word.
"..." Although she couldn't see Lin expression, she felt he seemed surprised.
"...A very interesting hobby."
"Cough... Seele said the same."
Perhaps this simple dialogue made Sakura less formal. She asked in turn, "Do you have songs you like?"
"Yes."
"What type?"
"Eden's songs."
"..." Was "Eden" a type?
Sakura now knew why Lin appeared here. Her feelings were a bit complex, but this complexity would only make her feel bad and wouldn't serve any purpose. So she gathered her emotions, ready to leave.
"Want to take a stroll by the artificial lake?" At this moment, Lin said something that left Sakura stunned.
...
Perhaps it was the alcohol, or some other inexplicable reason, but Sakura felt her chest a bit tight under the moonlight of the transparent dome, her face seemingly burning.
Why did Lin pick this place? Tonight, after the ballroom, the artificial lake had the most people. Or rather... the most couples. After all, it was a night for relaxation, and with the atmosphere in full swing, the sounds of sweet talk reached Sakura overly sensitive ears, making her bury her head even lower, walking almost hunched over.
However, when a cold, helmeted man who seemed to drop hailstones as he passed came here, all the ambiguous and gentle atmosphere was sliced in half. His mere appearance in the view of those couples was enough to make them shiver. Sakura watched between laughter and tears as those people left quickly with looks like they'd seen a ghost.
"Why come here?" Sakura swallowed. She felt her words might be suggestive, but thinking about Lin invitation was also suggestive... No, her agreeing was also... Once the start was made, she couldn't stop overthinking.
Under the gentle blowing of the man-made wind, Sakura heard the clinking of stones and the light sound of lake water hitting the shore.
"You look out of place there."
"Uh..." Lin had actually noticed her abnormality so quickly, which was unexpected for Sakura, who didn't talk much.
"The first time you came to Headquarters, you fought me right here. So I thought you should be relatively familiar with this place." Lin cold words left Sakura unsure of how to speak again. She couldn't help but blame herself for not knowing how to talk; even Lin was trying his best to take care of her, yet she still...
"I... don't hate you." Lin sudden words made Sakura brain stall for several seconds.
She first stared expressionlessly at the surface of the lake, then turned to Lin head, then her facial muscles twitched. She didn't know what kind of expression to make. Why did Lin see through her thoughts so easily?
"I might be a bit dull about others' thoughts, but there's a kind of understanding between you and me. I can guess what you're thinking," Lin explained quickly. "If I'm right, you don't need to feel you owe me anything, and I don't harbor loathing toward you."
"B-but..." The calm Sakura was now gesturing wildly and stuttering. Her face was quickly occupied by a cherry red, and she even felt her face was burning. N-no, that's not right... Lin only said he didn't hate her, why... why was she now...
Her mind was a mess, and she no longer knew what she was thinking.
"And some of your thoughts about me, such as reproductive acts between genders..."
"Wait! S-stop talking, Lin, wait a second..."
Sakura clutched her head, shaking it hard, wishing she could shake her brain right out of her skull. After gasping for breath to calm down, Sakura was finally able to organize her words. "How did you know? Was I... was I that obvious?"
"You called me just now, and I thought your behavior was a bit strange, so I re-analyzed all your previous behavior and words and drew a conclusion. Because there were some previous experiences to refer to, I..."
"..." Sakura suddenly turned and stared at him intently. "Th-then what do you think? About me... this despicable and dirty assassin who hurt you and failed your expectations."
"To me, you are just Sakura." Lin nodded, speaking calmly. "You are just Sakura."