So Tesla wore a somewhat dejected expression.
"Well, nothing we can do about it. Does that mean we can rest for the next few days?" Tesla's gloom did not last long before she quickly looked liberated.
Aside from her lack of basic living skills, Tesla's schedule at this point was also a complete mess. She was the sort of person who could sleep in her room at any hour of the day.
"If Dr. Tesla has nothing to do, I have no objections." The blue-haired girl stretched lazily.
"?" Tesla caught an implication in Einstein's words. "Liesel, do you still have work? Something assigned from above?"
"Of course not." A faint smile appeared on Einstein's face as she glanced toward the empty air beside her. "I simply wanted to take this opportunity to show Liu Bai around London... Liu Bai, you have not explored London before, have you?"
"Of course not. It would be wonderful if someone were willing to show me around."
Liu Bai gladly accepted Einstein's suggestion.
"Hey! Wait! Isn't that basically a date?" Tesla spotted the key point.
"A date?" Einstein pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Dr. Tesla's description does make some sense. Although Mr. Liu Bai is a ghost, the essence of this is indeed a date. Come to think of it, I have no experience dating the opposite sex. Naturally, I have even less experience dating a ghost."
"Th-th-th-th-this—"
The moment she heard Einstein's answer, the innocent young woman Tesla suffered a bit of a mental overload.
What should she do? What should she do? What should she do?
Tesla, say something—!
"Liesel! I'm coming too!"
With her mind in chaos, Tesla chose the simplest and most direct idea that came to her.
"If Dr. Tesla has the time, then of course you may."
Einstein smiled at Tesla.
"Ahem... Is, is that really okay?" Having calmed down, Tesla's gaze darted about. "Th-this is also my... Ahem, never mind."
Tesla puffed out her chest slightly and looked toward the empty air beside her.
"You bastard, don't think you can use this chance to do anything vulgar to Liesel!"
Liu Bai: ???
Prelude to a Date
"I'm a ghost. What are you even thinking, my Lady Tesla?"
"Who, who is your lady?!"
Tesla's face rapidly flushed red. "Shameless!"
Her focus was certainly unusual.
"Fine, fine, no, no." Liu Bai offered a thoroughly perfunctory reassurance.
"Are you treating me like a child?"
"Some of Dr. Tesla's behavior does resemble that of a child." Einstein smiled and stretched lazily.
"Liesel! Why are even you saying that?!"
The first phase of the experiment ended perfectly. Perhaps you witnessed the birth of a titan, but compared to Einstein's invitation to a date, a titan's birth no longer seemed quite so important.
Einstein Compatibility +5% Tesla Compatibility +8%
The next day
Einstein still woke at her usual time. She leisurely made herself a sandwich, then sat on the sofa and ate it at her ease.
As for Tesla... there was no sign of her.
"Mr. Liu Bai, could I trouble you to knock on Dr. Tesla's door?" Einstein licked the salad off her finger. "Dr. Tesla should still be sleeping. If no one disturbs her, she may well sleep until noon."
"Is she some kind of little pig..."
Liu Bai grumbled. From last night until noon, that would be nearly twenty hours, would it not?
Liu Bai directly switched hosts and transferred himself to Tesla's side—namely, Tesla's room.
Seeing the assorted trash that nearly filled the entire room, starting from beneath the bed, Liu Bai could not help but break out in cold sweat.
He could see more than a dozen pizza boxes alone.
As for Tesla herself, she was sprawled across the bed, sleeping soundly. The blanket had been kicked aside, and she was even mumbling things like, "Truffles aren't mushrooms"—though even if Lao Tzu himself came down, truffles would still be mushrooms.
In short, the Tesla lying on the bed right now did not look like a lady in the slightest.
If she had not been wearing pajamas, Liu Bai might have seen everything.
Heaven knew, he had not realized Tesla slept so horribly.
Still, there were several stuffed dolls on Tesla's bedside table... Well, they were probably the most girlish things in this room.
"She's sleeping really soundly." Liu Bai's mouth twitched slightly as he floated outside the door, with no intention of waking Tesla directly.
There was no need to think about it. If he really woke Tesla up so directly, she would definitely blow up after waking.
Knock, knock, knock.
After knocking three times, Liu Bai stuck his head inside. Sure enough, Tesla merely turned over, showing no sign of waking up at all.
Liu Bai simply kept his head poking through the doorway while one arm remained outside to knock.
Knock, knock-knock, knock-knock-knock-knock, knock.
Liu Bai even knocked out a drumbeat.
"Liesel, stop knocking!"
Tesla finally woke beneath Liu Bai's rhythmic bombardment.
However, she seemed to have mistaken the person knocking for Einstein, so she unexpectedly did not seem too angry.
"That rhythm is even worse than your violin! Ten thousand times worse!"
"..."
Liu Bai fell silent. So this was why she had mistaken him for Einstein?
Liu Bai Compatibility -5%
Liu Bai silently added that little scene in his mind.
Though he did not seem to have ever seen Einstein play the violin.
"Dr. Einstein's violin is not bad at all." At some point, Einstein had come upstairs as well.
"Any instrument that plays while I'm sleeping is terrible."
Tesla, dressed in white nightgown pajamas, opened the door and looked at Einstein with some displeasure.
"..." Einstein silently examined Tesla before quietly rubbing her forehead.
Though she did not say a single word, her gesture already conveyed, This child might be beyond saving.
As an aside, Liu Bai's expression at the moment probably conveyed much the same thing as Einstein's gesture.
"Mm... Which one of us should say it?"
"Say what?"
Tesla seemed to think Einstein was speaking to her, and a confused look appeared on her face.
"I'll do it."
Liu Bai spoke slowly, but even so, Tesla was still startled badly.
"L-Liu Bai, why are you here?"
"I'm either by Ai's side or yours. Is there supposed to be a third place?"
Liu Bai said gloomily.
"By the way, your pajamas are cute."
Bang!
Tesla instantly realized something. Her face rapidly flushed red, and she slammed the door shut viciously.
About two or three minutes later, Tesla reappeared before them, changed into fresh clothes and carrying a shoulder bag.
"L-let's go! Didn't we say we were taking Liu Bai around London?"
Tesla absolutely refused to admit this was a date with Liu Bai!
"Shouldn't you touch up your makeup, Dr. Tesla?"
Einstein understood her colleague quite well.
"There's no rush to leave yet."
"Rather than saying I need makeup, Ai, you..." Tesla glanced at Einstein's still-messy natural curls.
Her clean and tidy clothes formed a perfect contrast with her completely uncombed natural curls.
Tesla seriously suspected that every time Einstein washed her hair, she simply let it dry on its own.
This woman had absolutely no intention of managing her appearance.
Well, she had known that ever since the day she met Einstein.
"Come on, Liesel. Take this opportunity to dress up a little too."
"Hm? Me? Forget it, Dr. Einstein does not really like cosmetics." Einstein froze for a moment, clearly not expecting Tesla to bring this up, before tactfully refusing.
"Fine." Tesla was not particularly surprised by Einstein's answer. As she headed downstairs, she took cosmetics and a small mirror from her shoulder bag.
The hot-tempered big sister Tesla actually wore makeup...
What an unexpectedly charming contrast.
Though Tesla and Einstein were both still very young right now.
It was 1954.
Tesla had just turned twenty.
Einstein was only sixteen, not even an adult yet.
The two of them were still brimming with youthful energy... Though future Tesla was quite energetic too.
...No, now that he thought about it, those two seemed to keep these exact personalities in the future as well.
Then, under Liu Bai's watchful gaze, Tesla quickly transformed into a youthful and beautiful young woman as she applied makeup before the mirror.
Tesla wore only light makeup, but though it was subtle, it truly gave people a striking impression.
Of course, Tesla's outfit today was also very fashionable.
As expected of someone who often went out on vacation.
"It... looks pretty good?"
"Hmph, of course." Tesla turned her head aside.
It seemed Tesla gladly accepted Liu Bai's praise.
...She really was quite the tsundere.
(It... really does look pretty good?)
Tesla secretly looked in the mirror once more.
A Date with Two Doctors
Empire Research Institute
Though it was called a "research institute," it was, in essence, actually an institution of higher education—a university dedicated to supplying talent to Schicksal Headquarters.
"It's even more 'aristocratic' than I imagined."
Liu Bai looked at the classical buildings before him, which exuded an air of history. After thinking for a moment, he gave what he felt was the most fitting description.
"'Aristocratic'? That is certainly a rare evaluation. Still, it is a university with seventy years of history, and it bears the name of the Empire... Looking at it that way, Liu Bai, your assessment is quite fitting too."
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