Chapter 200. Mobius: How about leaving that pink-haired one and coming with me?
"Ah—ow!!"
A sudden pinch at her waist made Dan Zhu spring up in pain.
"What are you doing!!"
Glaring at the Cang Xuan beside her, Dan Zhu snapped, annoyed.
"Weren't you the one saying you were dreaming? I just wanted you to understand this is reality."
"You…"
Cang Xuan's expression stayed calm, but if you looked closely, you could catch the faint smile at the corner of her lips.
As twins, the two of them looked like they were carved from the same mold: the same cute face, the same long, straight black hair, and the same petite, adorable body with a perfectly ordinary chest. Staring at that face identical to her own—only cooler—Dan Zhu puffed up her cheeks in anger.
"Forget it. I won't argue with you."
Too lazy to bicker with Cang Xuan, Dan Zhu had more important matters right now. She tugged Cang Xuan's sleeve and pointed toward the depths of the lab. "Cang Xuan, an anomaly—this is an anomaly!"
"Isn't the Doctor just putting on makeup? What anomaly? Why use such strange wording?"
"Hehe, I saw that 'background story' phrasing on the Gensokyo official site yesterday. They use it for weird happenings. It sounded fun so I borrowed it. I didn't think this company had started writing stories to coax people into playing… no, no—weren't we talking about the Doctor?"
The topic had drifted. Realizing it, Dan Zhu shook her head quickly. "But that's Dr. Mobius! The Dr. Mobius who's forever in the lab! She actually dresses up too?"
"Everyone loves beauty. What's wrong with dressing up? Just like you—out there you look quiet and proper to strangers, but behind the scenes you're a shut-in who likes making lewd figurines."
"Eh??! Why are you exposing me!!"
They hadn't exchanged two serious lines before the sisters were quarreling like always. They walked all the way to the office like that, and at the sound of their ruckus, Mobius set down her lipstick and looked over.
She hadn't been that surprised from the side profile just now, but when she turned to face them, the exquisite beauty of her features made Dan Zhu and Cang Xuan widen their eyes.
On ordinary days, Dr. Mobius was already beautiful; with careful makeup, her face looked like a work of fine art—delicate yet natural. Measured shadow and highlight sculpted her features into striking relief; the light pink eye makeup made those emerald eyes shine brighter; her lips were a deep red, alluring yet elegant. When Mobius looked at Dan Zhu and Cang Xuan, the perfect smile at her lips made the two forget to breathe for a moment.
If it had been a stranger of such beauty, they might not have reacted so strongly. But this was the Dr. Mobius they respected most; the contrast with her usual self was simply too great.
"D-Doctor, you look so pretty…"
Face flushing, Dan Zhu stammered at Mobius. Even the usually stoic Cang Xuan had her eyes opened wide, her small face tinged pink.
"Do I? Seems I haven't forgotten the old techniques."
Murmuring softly, Mobius was quite satisfied with their reaction. That faint smile soon faded, and she returned to her usual cool demeanor—leaving the two feeling rather regretful.
"Doctor, why did you suddenly decide to wear makeup today?"
Seeing Mobius not planning to respond further, Dan Zhu hurried to ask.
"There's a gathering today, so I thought I'd try dressing up."
"A gathering? But you've never dressed like this even for those investors' banquets…"
Muttering inwardly, a spark flashed through Dan Zhu's mind.
A person who never uses makeup and dislikes banquets suddenly puts on a flawless face—she'd seen that kind of abnormal change plenty of times in romance manga!
No way, no way… don't tell me…
Hiss~ Which unlucky soul has been targeted by Dr. Mobius?
She sneaked a glance at the obviously cheerful Doctor. Just as she was about to probe further, Dr. Mobius had already put on her most familiar earrings. She closed the compact and stood up.
She ran her fingers through the smooth fall of her green hair; the silky strands cascaded over a pale-green knit top. From the front, the knit stretched high; her full chest stood lofty and proud. A waist-length pencil skirt cinched her slim waist; lower still, past those enticing hip-and-leg lines, was a pair of glossy, tempting black stockings. Just looking at them, one could almost feel their silky smoothness, as if you couldn't help wanting to trace down to the slightly arched instep, then slip off those short boots to savor those delicate toes.
Standing straight, Mobius showcased every advantage of her figure. The two girls were stunned again; they instinctively crossed their arms over their chests. The utterly ordinary feel there left them rather empty inside.
She walked to the cabinet in the corner, took out the white coat she wore for experiments, thought for a moment, and put it back. From deep inside the cabinet she drew a long black overcoat. She lifted it to her nose for a sniff—the lavender fragrance made her nod in satisfaction.
Glancing at the time, Mobius picked up her handbag, tucked the coat in her arms, and headed for the lab door. Passing Dan Zhu and Cang Xuan, she seemed to recall something and added:
"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you—I'm probably not coming back today. The lab gets a day off."
With that, she opened the door and left, not realizing how shocking that final sentence was to the twin sisters.
"What did Dr. Mobius just say? I think I heard her say we have a day off today?"
This time, even Cang Xuan was dumbfounded. One could say this news was even more shocking than seeing Dr. Mobius in makeup.
No wonder there was no sign of Senior Klein pulling an all-nighter today—so they finally got a day off?
"Hiss!! You—"
The stab of pain at her waist made Cang Xuan's face contort. She glared at the smiling Dan Zhu beside her.
"Just helping you realize it's not a dream. Don't thank me~"
...
The lab wasn't far from St. Freya. After stepping outside, Mobius put on her coat, hailed a ride, and soon arrived at the appointed place.
Having reserved ahead of time, Mobius wasn't stopped by the guards and quickly stepped into the Academy.
Her mature, cool beauty naturally drew quite a bit of attention. A few bold ones wanted to strike up a conversation, but before they got close—just meeting Mobius's gaze made their bodies go stiff. That chilly look coiled around their necks like a clammy, cold snake, the fine-grained fear almost strangling their breath.
Mobius had no interest in strangers. Following the map and the shortest path, she headed straight for Eden's residence; even the scenery along the way couldn't make her pause.
In contrast to Mobius's haste, Eden's home was quiet.
All the lights on the first floor were off, and the heavy curtains by the windows were drawn tight, plunging the living room into pitch darkness.
"Will this be okay?"
On one side of the door, Seele asked softly.
"With something this sudden… will it scare her?"
Beside Seele, Bronya added.
"Oh, come on, relax—Mobius will absolutely love this surprise!"
A playful voice piped up on the other side, and at the same time, something soft quietly pressed up behind Xander.
"?"
He remembered he was the only one on this side. His hand reflexively reached back—and touched a bit of warmth.
"Mm~"
With warm breath, a stifled little moan sounded by his ear.
"Kiana? Why are you hiding behind me?"
"I—I'm just curious! And hurry up and move your hand!!"
Neither of them dared raise their voices. As Xander withdrew his hand, before he could say more, Elysia's voice came: "Everyone get ready—Mobius is coming!"
Right on cue, the doorbell rang.
"Please, come in~"
Leaning to the intercom, Eden spoke gently. Then she undid the lock and quickly stepped back.
Creak—the door opened, and light spilled into the living room again. The glare made everyone inside squint. Stepping into the entryway, Mobius—who had just been wondering why the living room was so dark—soon heard a sound by her ear.
Bang, bang, bang~
A series of soft poppers went off. Then countless streamer ribbons fell from above, landing all over Mobius.
"Mobius—happy birthday!!"
Standing front and center, Elysia held a golden crown and, smiling, set it on Mobius's head.
The sudden move left Mobius a bit dazed. Not until Mei turned on the living-room lights, the curtains were yanked wide by Griseo's quick little trot, and Eden pushed a cake cart in, singing the birthday song as she came, did Mobius return to herself. She immediately shot a glare at the beaming, over-cheerful Elysia.
Always doing something extra.
She thought that in her heart. Facing Elysia, her expression remained displeased, but when her eyes landed on the big cake, the smile tugging at her lips refused to be pushed down.
Come to think of it, she'd nearly forgotten her own birthday. This feeling of being cared for by friends (except for a certain pink-haired one) actually wasn't bad. Although the time wasted on this sort of thing would be better spent tormenting another lab mouse, since she was already here… playing along with these people wouldn't hurt.
Only Elysia and Eden were singing; the others, not yet acquainted with Mobius, simply played along as the crowd.
Soon, the song ended. Eden eased the cake up to Mobius. "Go on, blow the candles and make a wish?"
"Yeah, yeah, and don't say it out loud. If you say it, it won't come true. But you can secretly tell me~"
"In your dreams."
Snapping at Elysia, Mobius looked down at the cake—and noticed the decoration on top: a portrait painted in pale-green cream.
Judging from the silhouette, it was a person's head, but no matter how she stared, she couldn't tell what it was supposed to be. Only when she spotted, at the ear, a familiar four-leaf earring did her face go dark.
"Hiss—who drew this?"
She asked even though she already had an answer in mind.
"I did! Well? Pretty amazing, right!"
Hands on hips, Elysia announced proudly.
"Heh. Amazing. Truly amazing…"
Mobius snuffed the candles in no time, spent a few seconds making her wish, then took up knife and fork and utterly obliterated the face that looked like it had caught the derpy virus.
Elysia yelped at once. "Eh?!! I didn't take a picture yet! It was so cute—what a waste!"
"You should relearn aesthetics, Elysia."
"Nonsense! You're the one who doesn't know how to appreciate art!"
Elysia huffed at Mobius, but soon burst out laughing, hurried around behind her, and started steering her toward the banquet area.
"Come on, come on, Mobius—come see the birthday party we prepared for you~"
"Don't push me. I can walk on my own!"
"Aw, don't be so shy. There are lots of new friends to introduce to you. Make sure you leave them with a good impression~"
With the star of the show present, the party officially began.
Of course, with so many people, the first step was introductions.
First were Bronya, Seele, Kaguya, then Kiana and Sirin. Maybe because Mobius was in a good mood today, she was quite generous—she even smiled as she spoke, and her tone was much softer than usual. Elysia got teary-eyed with emotion, like a mother whose child had finally learned to behave—which, in turn, nearly made Mobius lose her temper.
Next came Mei. Mobius studied her for a moment, until Mei grew a bit uncomfortable, before saying, "You're Raiden Ryoma's daughter?"
"Eh? You know me?"
Mei blinked in surprise.
"Yes. At that banquet two months ago, you were at Raiden Ryoma's side. I remember you."
"Two months ago… ah, that one!"
Prompted by Mobius, Mei quickly recalled it.
Back then, she'd gone home for a visit and accompanied her father to a supposedly important banquet. She had no interest in that sort of socializing, so after a few perfunctory greetings, she hid in a corner to eat and called Seele and the others.
So, she honestly had no impression of Mobius.
Seeing Mei's embarrassment, Mobius waved it off. "I despise that kind of social scene myself. After that one, I've been sending my assistant in my place."
"Sorry about that. But—it's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Mobius."
Having heard of Mobius's deeds from Bronya, Mei admired her greatly.
"Mm. Next—little Griseo, come here~"
"Griseo?!!"
Hearing Elysia call the name, Mobius repeated it in surprise.
Soon the hidden Griseo poked out a cute little head. Noticing Mobius looking her way, she hopped out and ran over happily.
"Griseo, why are you here?"
Griseo's mother, Blanca, had once worked in Mobius's lab, so Mobius knew Griseo well. When Blanca was still around, this adorable child was basically the lab's mascot. Dan Zhu and Cang Xuan still brought her up now and then.
Running into her here was a delightful surprise.
"I came here to study manga…"
Leaping into Mobius's arms, Griseo smiled and chirped, "Granny Mobius~"
Mobius: "?"
Her smile froze.
Without thinking, Mobius looked straight at Elysia. At this moment, her face was thundercloud-dark.
Whistle~ Whistle~
Elysia whistled, hands behind her back, playing innocent. With Griseo hugging her, Mobius couldn't thrash about. She could only grit her teeth and mark another big, fat tally against that pink-haired menace in her heart.
"Is Granny Mobius unhappy? But Elysia-younger-sister told me calling you that would make Granny Mobius happy."
Seeing the awkward smile on Mobius's face, Griseo tilted her head and asked softly.
"Happy. I'm very happy, little Griseo."
She even taught Griseo to call her "younger sister." What a shameless woman!
At that moment, no one noticed Griseo quietly curve her lips at those words.
"By the way, little Griseo, where are you staying now?"
"Right next door—with the knight and my big sisters~"
"'Knight'?"
Puzzled, Elysia shot up a hand. "That's Xander! Since the elders on both sides are old acquaintances, Xander became Griseo's guardian while she studies manga here~"
Finally mentioned at last, Xander—who had been waiting at the side—stepped forward.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Mobius."
Looking at that familiar face from memory and a figure that could rival even Aponia's, Xander felt a twinge of awe. Big, truly big—but why did it feel like she didn't have the little-serpent charm?
At the same time, Mobius was studying him with interest.
So that bouncing pink-head had set her sights on this man?
His looks seemed passable. As for his character, she couldn't judge yet. She put Griseo down and, swaying her enticing steps, glided closer.
"Xander Masato, right?"
Her soft voice carried a teasing lilt. Though he felt something off, Xander still smiled and offered his hand.
"Mm."
Mobius glanced at the hand he offered—and chuckled. She ignored it, stepped in again, and crossed into his intimate distance in a single stride, her whole body nearly pressed to his.
A faint, unfamiliar fragrance twined around like a soft snake, tinting the air with a trace of ambiguity. Before everyone's astonished eyes, a pale hand reached up and tipped Xander's chin. A sultry voice drifted into every ear:
"I like you. How about leaving that pink-haired one and coming to me?"
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