As Long as It Doesn't Kill Anyone, It's a Success! (Part 2)

"Hey! This is persecution! No! It's murder!" Elysia protested, raising her hand.

"Murder is unlikely, don't worry. I didn't add anything strange... at least it's all stuff you can find in a proper kitchen."

"For example, a dishcloth? Or a steel wool scrubber?" Elysia added precisely.

"... Elysia, do you really think I'm such a person who lacks common sense?"

"Yes, it's perfectly normal for a scientific madman like Dr. Mobius to be labeled as 'lacking common sense'!" Elysia replied righteously without hesitation.

"... To correct you, these are all ingredients and seasonings that can be found in a proper kitchen. Or to put it more bluntly, if I put something that could kill someone in there, I would put on a gas mask first."

Mobius finished with a cold laugh.

"But if you don't want to eat it, that's fine. Someone else will be willing to eat it—but you have to stay here."

"I understand, I understand the rules. It means that if I leak information, I'll be 'dealt with,' right?"

Elysia's tone became cheerful again.

"Since you put it that way, Doctor, it seems you've already found someone, haven't you?"

"Of course, I've already contacted Klein, and she'll be here soon."

"Um... Klein, if I remember correctly, that child is your assistant, right?" Elysia asked with a strange expression.

"Yes, she's a very capable child, much better than her predecessor who was blinded by love."

"Her senior, Miss Blanca, right?" Elysia recalled for a moment and said, "But even so, didn't you still send little Gretel a gift when she was born?"

"Just a little bit of affection left—by the way, if Klein tries to run away later, hold her down for me."

"Okay! Leave it to me~?" Elysia replied enthusiastically.

Although Elysia had absolutely no curiosity about what was in the Mobius's little cauldron, she was tempted to watch others try it...

Isn't it interesting just to think about it?

Wait a moment...

"Um... if I can't beat you guys, then I'll be the one here enjoying this stuff?"

Elysia seemed to realize something.

Mobius glanced at Elysia expressionlessly, his expression practically saying, "Is that even a question?"

"... Dr. Mobius, you'll have no friends if you keep going like this."

"Do I look like I have friends now?" Mobius sneered. "Next time I'll put a hypnotic spray here."

"..."

This kind of move that completely kills the conversation is something even calling Elysia wouldn't be able to save!

"... Speaking of which, Dr. Mobius, where did you get this induction cooker from? Before..."

"I went out for a walk and found a reason to confiscate it."

"... That's a really terrible way to obtain it."

Elysia felt that today might not be a good day to chat with Dr. Mobius.

Dr. Mobius seems to be in a bad mood today?

In short, the aggression seems a bit too strong.

Most topics can easily become dead ends after just three sentences.

Well, Elysia wasn't really good at livening up the atmosphere, but her intuition told her to forget about it.

"Well... Dr. Mobius, why did you suddenly decide to cook?"

"..." Mobius glanced at Mei, who was flipping through a book as if nothing had happened. Could she say she was provoked by Mei? "A sudden whim... is there a problem?"

"...without."

Sure enough, Dr. Mobius was in a bad mood today. Trying to start a conversation would only lead to trouble, wouldn't it?

Although she doesn't mind livening up the atmosphere, she'd rather not if it backfires.

Elysia leaned over and glanced at what was in Mobius's pot.

Hmm... at first glance it looks pretty normal, and after sniffing it, there doesn't seem to be anything strange about the temperature... such a small pot of fried rice, even if it's not very tasty, it can't be that bad, right?

However, Elysia's gaze then shifted to another item on the table—a faceless metal doll.

"Huh? This doll is made of Soul Steel? That seems a bit strange... Hmm, why doesn't it have a face?"

Elysia lifted the doll high—fortunately, Liu Bai wasn't on the doll at the moment.

"But if you don't look at her face, she's still pretty cute, right? Dr. Mobius, how about you make one for me? Make it look like me!"

"... I don't have time. Also, put the doll down; it's very expensive."

Mobius tried to maintain a calm expression—she knew that if she showed too much excitement at this moment, it would definitely arouse Elysia's curiosity.

Elysia perfectly fits the criteria of being young, beautiful, and having a likable personality; she's practically an insurmountable foe.

We absolutely must not let her meet Liu Bai!

"Hey... how about I draw a face for this doll? Dr. Mobius, what kind of face do you want? I'm quite confident in my drawing skills."

"Then you can just stay here and be confident."

Mobius responded irritably.

"Also, put it down quickly. This is a product that Dr. Einstein and I developed together. If it is damaged, the consequences will be very serious."

This isn't exactly a lie, since the research on this thing was indeed primarily led by Einstein, who possessed the technology for Armed Dolls.

So when Elysia heard this, although she felt it was a pity, she still put the doll down.

Not long after, there was a knock on the office door.

"Dr. Mobius, I've arrived."

"Come in." After receiving permission from Mobius, a green-haired girl in a white lab coat walked in.

"Doctor, what can I do for you?"

"I'll treat you to a meal."

Mobius pushed the chopsticks and the small iron pot out together.

"Huh? For... for me?"

The green-haired girl clearly hadn't expected her professor to call her over for something like this.

"... I thought I had a new job."

The green-haired girl Klein, sighed, whether with regret or relief.

"But... can I really eat this?"

Klein glanced at the people present.

She didn't recognize the girl reading the book next to her.

"Of course, this is a reward for your hard work these past few days."

Mobius said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Elysia silently covered her mouth, and Liu Bai, who was watching the scene unfold, was speechless.

Mobius really knows how to talk about rewards for hard work and overtime.

Isn't this just bullying honest people?

Liu Bai looked at the green-haired girl in front of him with a heavy heart, feeling quite reluctant to do so.

Well... as an observer who watched Mobius cook the whole time, Liu Bai knew very well what kind of monstrosity Mobius's seemingly decent fried rice actually was.

But... well, as Mobius said, it certainly won't kill anyone.

Klein gratefully accepted the chopsticks and small iron pot, but upon looking at them, he was immediately dumbfounded.

The amount in the pot was pitifully small. To use scientific data as an analogy, it wasn't even half a bowl, only about a third of a bowl. This amount seemed pitiful in a small iron pot that was larger than a bowl.

"Um... Dr. Mobius ..."

It wasn't that Klein was pushing her luck, but rather that this situation... wasn't it really a joke playing on her?

"Don't worry, you eat first, there will be more after you finish."

A bright smile appeared on Mobius's face.

"I... I understand!"

Seeing the smile on her doctor's face, Klein had no more doubts and immediately put another mouthful of rice into her mouth.

At this moment, everyone, including Mei, put down their books and stared intently at Klein's reaction.

"Hmm... it seems... well... it should be considered alright?"

Completely different from what he said, Klein's expression was clearly distorted as he swallowed a mouthful of rice.

"No, this expression is definitely not alright, is it?"

Elysia looked helplessly at Klein, who was putting on a brave face. "Dr. Mobius, are there any more chopsticks?"

"Yes, I confiscated a lot," Mobius said, taking a large handful of chopsticks from a drawer.

... Who is this unlucky guy? No, there might be more than one. Could it be that Dr. Mobius has wiped out the entire department?

"I'll try it."

Although Elysia had previously refused to try anything, seeing Klein's expression, Elysia couldn't suppress her curiosity and carefully picked up a piece...

Wait a minute, isn't this piece of "rice" a bit hard?

For a moment, Elysia had a regretful thought, but since she had already picked it out, she couldn't very well put it back. So she could only bite the bullet and elegantly put the piece of rice into her mouth.

"... How are you, Elysia?"

"...salt blocks." Elysia's beautiful face contorted. "They taste like pebbles."

Mobius's face darkened immediately. "No, no matter what, it can't be like stone..."

However, before Mobius could finish speaking, a "crunch" sound came from Elysia's mouth.

It's worrying whether the problem lies with the salt or with Elysia's teeth.

"... The same as the child, right?"

Mobius fell silent. Facts speak louder than words; everyone present had heard the sound of something hard cracking.

"No, it's not just the pebbles... there's also... a bitter taste, that's because too much MSG was added..."

Here, water.

Mei had already poured a glass of water and handed it to Elysia without her noticing.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Mei."

"It's okay, because in some ways... I'm quite experienced."

Very experienced?

The word was indeed strange, but Elysia didn't think much of it at the moment.

After gulping down a glass of water, Elysia's complexion improved considerably. Then, she looked at the tiny bit of rice left in the small iron pot with a strange expression.

"I really don't know whether to say it's unbelievably bad or unexpectedly safe."

Like I said, at least no one died from eating it.

"And the rice grains are also very hard... Dr. Mobius, if you don't have the talent, don't try to learn cooking."

Elysia spoke very directly—because she felt she was saving lives.

"Or... could you try giving it to the Honkai?"

Mobius's eye twitched, but he didn't reply. Instead, he looked at Mei.

"... Mei, you make one."

We're all raised by the same person, I just don't believe there's such a big difference!

"Fried rice?"