Chapter 201. Mobius: Don't Come Any Closer!
"Wha—wh—"
Not great at socializing and wearing a goofy grin since a moment ago, Kiana widened her eyes at Mobius's move. It wasn't just her—Sirin's expression froze in stunned disbelief, as if she'd turned to stone on the spot; Mei even clapped a hand over her mouth.
Weren't we just supposed to introduce ourselves? How did this suddenly turn into snatching someone away?
On the other side, Bronya blinked, then a playful look appeared on her face. She quietly tugged back the Seele who wanted to rush over, telling her not to butt in and rescue her good brother, and she didn't forget to block Kaguya either—dragging the two of them to stay put and watch the drama in silence.
Hearing Mobius's words, Griseo was dazed for a second. She looked first at Grandma Mobius, then turned her head to Little Sister Elysia. Her cute brows knitted slightly as she stepped back a few paces and shielded Eden behind her. Seeing this, Eden only gave a gentle smile, patted Griseo's little head, and said nothing more.
In an instant, it felt like the whole space had been cleared out, leaving only the center stage to three people.
The one taking this head-on—Xander Masato—was the most shocked. No, not just shocked—startled.
When he came back to himself, he hurriedly pushed Mobius away and took two steps back, speaking a bit guardedly: "Dr. Mobius, that joke just now wasn't funny."
Casting a glance at Elysia's unreadable look beside him, he took two more steps back until he was shoulder to shoulder with her.
"A joke?"
Xander hadn't pushed very hard; Mobius only retreated a little before steadying herself. She lightly flicked the hand that had just lifted Xander's chin, and, smiling as if casually, said, "Then just treat it like a joke~"
Her green eyes narrowed slightly—those serpent-like pupils that flare when spotting prey made Xander shift uncomfortably.
Honestly, using him as a prop just to provoke Elysia rubbed him the wrong way; his gaze on Mobius cooled.
Stripped of the rose-tinted filter of old memories, the Mobius now before him was, to him, just a stranger. Compared to Elysia, the gap in his heart was worlds apart. Saying something like that—she really didn't know her place.
Just as the atmosphere stretched tauter and tauter, Elysia finally spoke.
"What a shame~~"
Her playful voice seemed to inject life into the congealed air, drawing everyone's attention.
She lifted her hands and wrapped them around Xander's arm, giving a little tug as if she genuinely felt sorry about something.
"Xander, why didn't you agree to Mobius just now~?"
The coquettish lilt echoed through the living room, even startling Bronya—who'd been happily spectating—into a blank stare.
Xander: "?"
Mobius: "?"
Truth be told, the moment she saw Xander and blurted that line, Mobius regretted it a little. After all, Xander is a living, breathing person. Dealing with people isn't the same as dealing with experiments. People are emotional. Asking Xander to leave Elysia to choose a stranger he'd just met—come on, that's impossible.
She really shouldn't have used such a low-level provocation. So why had it come out so naturally just now?
Because the day's surprise had her riding a high?
Of course, she couldn't show weakness in front of Elysia—time to keep up the act.
But she hadn't been "acting" long before Elysia's single sentence sent her reeling.
Come on, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?
That was basically everyone's inner voice—everyone except Eden. They all stared at Elysia's head in disbelief, as if she'd put on a bright green hat herself—and voluntarily at that.
"Do you have a fever?"
Puzzled, Xander lifted a hand to Elysia's forehead. She didn't refuse—in fact, she rubbed against his palm happily. When he pulled his hand back, she shook her head: "Nope~ Don't worry about me, Xander~"
"If you don't have a fever then it must be a mental problem."
Bronya muttered under her breath.
"Th—this…"
Seele had no idea how to refute that. If she herself tried to push her brother out, she wouldn't need anyone else—her other self would be the first to cuss her out. Kaguya gave an awkward little smile beside her.
No matter how generous she might be, there's no way she'd shove her own husband out the door.
Skipping past the trio whose brains had clearly short-circuited (Kiana and company), only Griseo's eyes were growing brighter and brighter.
Looking at the three in the middle, her hands almost itched. Inspiration had struck. She really wanted to paint this!
"What nonsense are you on about now?"
Mobius's voice turned cold. Elysia giggled: "Why, to make sure Mobius stays, of course~"
"Hm?"
Mobius glanced at the baffled Xander, then asked, "And what would you have me stay for—aren't you afraid I'll steal your lover?"
"Not at all~"
The answer came almost without hesitation. Elysia smiled and said, "Nothing can break Xander and me apart."
Her sure tone made everyone's hearts jolt. Then they heard Elysia continue, "If I can keep Mobius here, those cute little dresses I've had ready in my closet—I could have you try them on, couldn't I?"
Chin in hand, Elysia's eyes brimmed with longing. "A maid outfit, a nurse uniform, office lady, Lolita… So, so many outfits I want Mobius to wear. I really, really like Mobius. Xander, you should've said yes just now!"
"…"
With every item she named, Mobius took one step back. Who knows what she was remembering—by the end, she outright crossed her arms over her chest, cheeks red, and glared at Elysia in shame and anger: "No way. Don't even think about it!!"
"Hehe, don't be shy. And it just so happens today is Mobius's birthday. To celebrate, how about we both put on maid outfits?"
As she spoke, Elysia let go of Xander's arm, raised both hands, and lunged at Mobius, grinning like an infatuated maniac.
"Don't—don't come here—don't come any closer!!!!"
Keeping his face carefully neutral, Xander lifted his chin and stared up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling a little foolish for having worried about Elysia.
Just then, he met Elysia's gaze. She had Mobius's arms pinned from behind and was steering her toward Eden's walk-in closet. As they locked eyes, Elysia smiled slightly and tossed him a cute wink.
Realizing what she was up to, Xander Masato looked around. The stiffness in the air had already vanished without a trace. Thanks to her little commotion, the party's mood had turned lively again.
You've really got a way with things.
Xander smiled too, stepped closer, and asked, "Want me to get you a camera?"
"Then I'll be counting on you~ Eden, lend a hand~"
"Eden, you too!!"
"Sorry, Mobius. I can't say no to Elysia's requests."
"Uuuu…"
Before Mobius could say anything else, Elysia clapped a hand over her mouth. Like a hostage being hauled off, Mobius was dragged into the closet by the two of them, leaving everyone else exchanging looks—then bursting into laughter together.
Soon, Elysia came out wearing an exquisite, rather risqué maid outfit, tugging along a crimson-cheeked, utterly mortified Mobius. The scant fabric left large swathes of creamy skin exposed—especially that tightly pressed, all-but-overflowing cleavage—which made Sirin's eyes flush with envy.
The party's atmosphere grew even more exuberant. With fine food and good wine, joy spilled everywhere.
After a few rounds of drinks, night deepened.
Aside from a few regular drinkers, the other girls couldn't really hold their liquor—Kiana especially was down after a single glass. It wasn't long before they were all slumped over. With no other choice, Xander and Elysia worked together to carry the girls back to their dorms.
In the end, the only ones still on their feet were Xander, Elysia, Eden, and Mobius. Seeing the tipsy horde sprawled everywhere, and finding it too much trouble to haul them upstairs, they decided the living room was big enough—why not make a giant shared bedding space on the first floor? They spread out a few quilts and lined the girls up side by side.
The weather wasn't cold anymore; a few thinner blankets over them would do.
When they finally finished and returned to Eden's house, Elysia and the maid-clad Mobius were still drinking and chatting. The girls' drinking capacity was nothing to brag about—they hadn't gotten their fill.
With the food nearly gone, the four of them put their heads together, grabbed a few bottles of red, and moved up to the third-floor terrace. Under the moon and stars, with a cool night breeze, they kept drinking.
After a whole evening in a maid outfit, Mobius had shed the initial shyness. Leaning back in her chair, she relaxed and stretched her alluring body. The wine in her hand swirled gently, dark red ripples rolling in the glass.
Drowsy warmth hazed over her thoughts; her face glowed pink. The chill in her gaze had softened considerably.
Through half-lidded eyes, she looked at that infuriating pink-haired woman currently draped over that man. Their arms were entwined; they were doing arm-linked toasts. She couldn't help smacking her lips.
What a sickly sweet stench of romance.
"By the way, I heard you were doing research at Shencheng Technology. How'd you end up in the Far East?"
The Far East is basically Anti-Entropy's turf—Shencheng Technology would be on the weak side here.
Hearing the man's curious question, Mobius figured she had nothing better to do and answered, "It's nothing special, just a joint project with Anti-Entropy."
"Anti-Entropy?"
"Mhm. Come to think of it, your Gensokyo Company counts as a subsidiary under Anti-Entropy, doesn't it?"
Given Xander's identity, Mobius didn't bother with discretion.
"Virtual reality tech—heard of it?"
"I've tried it firsthand."
Mobius shot him a look, then asked, "How did it feel?"
"Great. It's like being in a real world. Aside from mental fatigue after staying too long, it doesn't really have any flaws."
"That's the problem my research is aiming at."
Mobius straightened up, interested. Chin propped on the table, she started to explain. "People only have so much time in the day, and they need rest at night. That makes it hard for many to enjoy the wonders of the virtual world."
"Of course, that's just the official line—capitalists whitewashing their push to maximize profit."
She let out a short laugh, then continued, "Still, the project's interesting enough for me: getting humans into the virtual world while asleep—that has real research value."
"It can do that?"
Xander was intrigued. He knew exactly how taxing the virtual world could be on the mind.
"With current tech? Not yet. What we can achieve, for now, is letting people enter a light sleep state while in VR. Think of it like taking an intense dream during sleep—it has a resting effect, but not much."
She shook her head and didn't go deeper. Different fields—explaining more would just be pearls before swine and a waste of time.
"Then here's to your success."
When she finished, Xander raised his glass with a smile. Elysia lifted hers as well.
"Exactly! Go, Mobius~"
"I'll take the blessing from you. As for you—forget it."
Mobius clinked glasses with Xander, then quickly shot Elysia a disdainful side-eye.
"Such a tsundere. But Mobius is cute like this too~"
"You… forget it."
She'd meant to bicker with Elysia the way they had before, but as soon as she opened her mouth, the laziness washed over her and the mood was gone. Mobius downed the wine in her glass, then slumped forward onto the table like a puddle.
She'd reached her limit.
"Down for the count?"
Just as Mobius closed her eyes, Elysia's voice—drowsy with drink—drifted into her ear.
"What do you mean, down for the—!"
Mobius lifted her head to retort, but the fog in her mind had her collapsing again.
"I—I'm just a little tired. I'll… I'll just rest… a while…"
Her voice dwindled with each word, soon melting into the night air. In its place came the sound of slow, even breathing.
"Mobius really fell asleep."
Still sprawled across Xander, Elysia tried to lean her body over. Xander had to circle an arm around her waist to keep her from losing balance and tumbling off him.
Her cheeks were rosy. Elysia finally managed to lean close to Mobius; she couldn't hold back a tiny drunken hiccup, then reached out a finger and tapped Mobius's face a few times. The corners of her lips curled up as she let out a silly "hehe."
"They seem pretty close."
Watching them, Xander asked Eden curiously. Elysia hadn't really told him much about this.
Eden took a sip; a deep blush colored her face. Her dewy eyes slid to Xander, a smile that could bewitch the world at her lips, her voice as gentle as ever. "A long time ago, Elysia and Mobius were roommates—they rented a place together."
"They had that kind of connection? No wonder."
A bit surprised by their bond, he felt Elysia start to wiggle in his arms again and hurriedly tightened his hold so she wouldn't fall.
He picked up the last bottle, gave it a shake—about half left. Eden suggested, "Finish it?"
"Let's finish it."
With Mobius already out, the remaining three each poured themselves half a glass.
The night deepened. Quiet slowly settled over Eden's home. And just then, a pair of blue eyes slowly opened in the darkened living room.
Enjoyed the story? Support me and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at: Patr*eon*.com/Resium
Free members can read 10+ chapters ahead of webnovel
Paid member can read 150+ chapters ahead of webnovel
Stories Available
Honkai? No, This Is Daily Life
Hogwarts Pet Master
Pokémon: Who Let Him Leave Pallet Town!
Scrolling Yu-Gi-Oh! Shorts