Although the Simulated Universe Project was a major undertaking, the geniuses didn't get too fixated on it.
After a couple of days of serious research, they would leave and go back to their own projects.
They would probably only visit occasionally to push the Simulated Universe Project forward.
Bai Luan was overjoyed by this.
Oh yes, oh yes, this simulated universe must be thoroughly researched and slowly advanced. Everyone, please don't think about making DLC for the simulated universe.
If you must, wait until I have a reason to be absent, please.
Although Herta was still stationed in the simulated universe, since the simulated universe was already built, being her assistant wasn't as exhausting as before.
For the first time in a long while, Bai Luan felt relaxed and comfortable.
As for spending time with Herta, how strange.
Bai Luan himself was almost pickled by the Herta in the Little Black Room.
Once Herta's period of interest in the simulated universe passed peacefully, his workload would decrease again.
When Herta's attention was drawn away by other more interesting things and she left the Space Station, he could resume his delightful life of slacking off.
Hmm... rather, his current life was already like a vacation compared to the past two months.
Bai Luan was a content person, so he was very happy about this.
But his comfort didn't last long.
During their daily interactions, Bai Luan noticed a slight oddity.
Because he was very familiar with Herta, Bai Luan quickly identified the source of the strangeness.
It seemed like Herta was acting strange.
He didn't know why, but ever since his last lapse in composure...
He kept feeling that Herta now... seemed... as if... compared to the Simulated Universe Project, she seemed more interested in him?
This... is this right?
Bai Luan subconsciously felt that this idea was too self-indulgent, even a bit "cringey."
But that feeling of being subtly watched, always present, was so real and persistent.
He recalled that the beginning of everything going awry was his lapse in composure.
Could it be that he had charmed Herta back then?
Pah!
Bai Luan shook his head.
He kept rubbing his arms.
His own cringey thoughts had given him goosebumps.
Clearly, Bai Luan couldn't figure out Herta's thoughts, so he decided to ask her himself.
So he went into the Little Black Room and told the Herta inside all his conjectures.
After Herta finished listening, a knowing, even playful smile slowly curved on her lips. She nodded and said:
"That's right, she is interested in you."
"..."
Bai Luan looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"Are you sure? She's Ms. Herta..."
"What?"
Herta in the Little Black Room tilted her head slightly, her purple eyes sparkling with amusement, and retorted:
"Am I not Herta?"
"But..."
Bai Luan felt a sense of unreality.
Ms. Herta had been interested in him before, but it was always an interest in a part of him.
This part could be his abilities, his curios, his eyes... But this time, the part of him Ms. Herta was interested in was not something else, but him himself.
The difference between this interest and previous interests was... the former could be possessed by others, while the latter... Bai Luan himself, was unique in the entire universe.
Could he really... make someone like Ms. Herta interested in him?
Herta in the Little Black Room looked at the silent Bai Luan and instantly guessed what he was thinking.
"As my assistant, why are you feeling inferior?"
Bai Luan looked up in confusion, gazing at Herta.
"Don't you think about how long it took me to turn you into this, the most suitable version of you for me."
"Eh... wait, are you saying..."
"Yes."
Herta in the Little Black Room chuckled, spreading her hands elegantly, with an air of matter-of-factness.
"What I mean is, your current appearance is the result of this genius's careful training, my favorite appearance."
Bai Luan froze on the spot. At this moment, his brain was overloaded. As someone who had been single his entire life, he didn't know how to deal with this.
He looked at Herta, with whom he had spent an unknown amount of time in the Little Black Room, and for a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Herta moved closer, leaning in to look at Bai Luan's face, scrutinizing him for a moment, then reached out and gently pinched his cheek:
"Silly, be happy, knowing this genius likes you?"
"It's a bit... unbelievable."
"What's so unbelievable? Don't you think about how long you've been here with me?"
Herta stood still, looking at the Herta Puppet's physical form. In an instant, her consciousness returned to the Herta Puppet's body.
"Since I came here in this body, countless hours have passed, and during all that time... you have never been absent.
You waited for me for over nine hundred years, and you've spent far more than nine hundred years with me, saying more than just 'hello.' Why shouldn't I fall for you?"
Bai Luan didn't know how to answer for a moment.
He had never thought... Wait, had he really never thought about it?
After spending so much time together, even if another woman besides Herta expressed interest in him, could he accept it?
...Not really.
His ideal type... seemed to have unconsciously become Herta's image long ago.
"Is it a bit too late to realize I like you now?"
"Yes, you're such a blockhead."
Herta crossed her arms and looked up at Bai Luan:
"Sometimes I wonder, am I the puppet, or are you the puppet?"
Bai Luan scratched his head a little awkwardly, saying softly:
"I'm so slow, I'm sorry..."
"It's fine, at least we've reached this stage."
Herta's consciousness returned to Herta's body.
"The real me has finally started to take an interest in you."
"Then what should I do? Confess?"
"No, not yet. I am her; what do you think is the difference between her and me?"
"I haven't been with her this long?"
"Exactly."
Herta nodded with satisfaction.
"It's normal for the real me to be attracted to you. Because the current you is the most suitable person in the entire universe to be with me."
Herta looked at Bai Luan, as if admiring her own masterpiece.
"I put a lot of effort into this, you know."
"That must have taken a lot of effort. Why were you willing to spend so much time?"
"Naturally, it's to make the real Herta just like me."
Herta looked at Bai Luan and said, word by word:
"You are mine. The you in the Little Black Room is mine, and the you outside the Little Black Room is naturally also mine. I cannot tolerate things I don't want to share being touched by others."
Then Herta revealed a smile:
"Oh my, you're blushing~"
Bai Luan covered his face, his words squeezing through his fingers:
"Who could resist that..."
"Indeed, no matter who I said that to, they wouldn't be able to resist. But this genius will only say it to you, so be grateful."
After a long while, Bai Luan finally suppressed his emotions and managed to return to normal.
"I never thought that you, who once asked me for the right to end myself, would become like this."
"I will not leave the Little Black Room."
"Isn't it too small here?"
Herta said indifferently:
"It's not like it can't be expanded."
"It's a trivial matter."
"Besides, wherever you go, have you ever truly 'forgotten' me? The environment here can change. Essentially, we've already been to many places together."
Herta's home, the Botanical Garden, the Space Station, the First University of Truth, Beta Star... We have indeed been to many places together.
"As long as you're willing."
"You said that here, I am the only Herta. After leaving, this unique Herta will also disappear, right?
That can be considered... the starting point where this genius truly began to care about you. I don't intend to lose it, nor do I want to lose it.
So, I won't leave here."
"I understand."
Hearing this, all the jumbled thoughts settled, solidifying into an incredibly clear, incredibly firm realization that shone with a gentle yet fervent light in his eyes.
He looked up at this unique consciousness, the origin of all his affection, and gave a genuine, slightly shy, yet incredibly solemn smile.
"I think in this life... I will only ever love Ms. Herta."
T/N: Mythus ██████ this chapter