Honkai, but Spirit Simulator

"Weren't you very tired?" Liu Bai asked quietly.

"Just a little shopping, don't underestimate women!"

She was practically bursting with energy.

With that, Tesla bounded up the stairs, and soon the sound of things rolling around and drawers being rummaged through came from upstairs.

"...What's with her? Why the sudden burst of energy?"

"Because Dr. Tesla doesn't want to lose face in front of Liu Bai," Einstein explained nonchalantly. "After all, if Liu Bai were to see her room in that state, she'd probably want to crawl into a hole."

Thump!

Another loud thud came from upstairs.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch... why would anyone put pizza boxes in a place like this!"

Wasn't that you...?

Liu Bai mentally retorted, then looked at Einstein, who was drinking cola as if nothing had happened.

"Seriously, I don't doubt Tesla's enthusiasm, but some things... I don't think enthusiasm alone is enough."

Liu Bai said softly, trying to be as tactful as possible.

"Maybe, Einstein, you could go up and help?"

"Dr. Einstein suggests that Mr. Liu Bai quietly follow Dr. Einstein and help together."

"No problem, Einstein, remember to cover for me."

If Einstein went up, Tesla would definitely suspect that Liu Bai was also following, after all, fifty meters wasn't that far, but it wasn't that close either.

"I will say that Mr. Liu Bai is being a gentleman and staying at the bottom of the stairs."

Einstein put down her cola and slowly got up to go upstairs.

"Einstein? What are you doing here?"

The moment Einstein went upstairs, Tesla immediately looked wary.

"Don't worry, Mr. Liu Bai is being a gentleman and staying at the bottom of the stairs."

Einstein explained as she squatted down to pick up the pizza boxes on the floor.

"R-really?" Tesla looked suspicious, then her expression turned to anger. "That pizza box over there is moving on its own! Do you take me for a fool?"

"Why is someone looking around everywhere while talking!"

"Because I knew you'd come following me!"

"So, Dr. Tesla actually wanted Mr. Liu Bai to come help?"

"No way! It's just that this guy is making too much noise!"

Chapter 24: Beautiful Scientist Girls

"So... how many pizza boxes have you accumulated, Tesla?"

"None of your business!" Looking at the newly renovated room, Tesla still stubbornly said, "What do you mean accumulated? I'm just too lazy to throw them away."

"...Appalling."

Einstein gave her assessment.

"You two!"

Tesla was embarrassed and annoyed that Liu Bai and Einstein were united in mocking her.

"This kind of thing is just a coincidence! A coincidence!" Tesla waved her hands, her face flushed. "And Liesel, don't stare at my truffle with a blank expression! It's not a mushroom!"

"...But having said that, after cleaning up, Tesla's room is surprisingly cute."

"Stop commenting on it!"

She already wanted to crawl into a hole.

Tesla closed the door, pushing Einstein away. Seeing Tesla like this, Liu Bai obediently went downstairs.

If he teased her any further, Tesla might explode.

The next day, London Airport—that is, the future Heathrow Airport.

Today, Einstein had unusually changed her clothes into a cute dress, coupled with Einstein's already petite figure, she really looked like a doll out of a fairy tale.

—It must be admitted, Tesla's taste was quite good.

That's right, this set of clothes was chosen for Einstein by Tesla, and Tesla even paid for it.

Einstein herself would never buy such clothes.

Tesla next to her was still dressed in the same fashionable outfit as yesterday.

"Um..." While picking up someone, Tesla seemed to want to say something, "Yesterday... uh, thank you for yesterday."

"You're welcome."

Liu Bai patted Tesla on the shoulder, "This is also an opportunity for me to gain experience."

"..." Although Tesla was grateful, she really wanted to punch the ghost beside her.

What do you mean, "an opportunity to gain experience"? Are you seriously saying my room is messy beyond anything seen in a century?

It's not that exaggerated, okay!?

Considering they were at the airport, Tesla decided to endure it.

"They're here."

Einstein watched the crowd starting to surge out and said softly.

However, Einstein didn't seem to be in a hurry to find her teacher.

Before long, half of the people waiting to pick up others had left.

"Einstein! Tesla!"

A tall, green-haired woman with hair reaching her waist greeted Einstein and Tesla with a smile.

Standing next to this woman were two others. One was a brown-haired girl with a single Roman curl and a cat-ear headband, waving her hand in a perfunctory manner.

The other one…

"Great, just my luck, why is that guy here?"

Seeing the person next to the green-haired woman, Tesla's face showed a rare and obvious look of disgust, but she instantly shrank her neck like a quail, unsure if it was defiance or cowardice.

What made Tesla unhappy was a capable, blue-haired girl wearing men's casual clothes and tying her hair in a ponytail.

A woman dressed as a man... a rare attribute indeed.

"The tall one is Professor Planck, my doctoral supervisor, and also the nominal head of Destiny's North American Branch."

Einstein introduced in a low voice.

"The one next to her wearing the cat-ear headband is Schrödinger, Professor Planck's assistant. As for the woman dressed as a man beside her..."

Einstein paused, a rare occurrence.

"Nancy Edison, the chairman of Universal Group, the person who 'created the modern world'... the actual person in power of the North American Branch. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she bought the North American Branch from Destiny... However, I didn't send her an invitation."

Einstein's last sentence carried a hint of confusion, but it was also an explanation for Tesla.

After all, she knew that the relationship between these two was really...

Good grief, all famous scientists who left their mark on history.

But even without Einstein's introduction, Liu Bai could recognize the people in front of him.

"Liesel, darling, this outfit is so cute. It seems like you've gotten taller, too?"

Professor Planck reached out and pulled Liesel into her arms, speaking in a motherly tone.

—In fact, Planck had been Einstein's guardian since she was eight years old.

Saying she was like a mother didn't seem out of place at all.

However, Planck was full of youthful energy, and she didn't look thirty at all.

"Tesla, how have you been lately?" Planck, while giving Einstein a hug, didn't forget to care about Tesla.

"...I was doing great until you brought this old hag here."

Tesla just stared warily at Edison, the woman dressed as a man, who was gradually approaching her.

She radiated an aura of cowardice, but also defiance.

"Um... ahem."

Einstein finally struggled out of Planck's embrace—or rather, was released.

The intense impact from all sides made Einstein feel a little dizzy.

"By the way, old hag! Why is she here too?"

Tesla pointed at Edison, who was gradually approaching her, while backing away.

"Because I was discussing things with Nancy when the letter arrived, so I showed it to Nancy as well."

"I'm just curious about the mech project that stumped two great scientists like Einstein and Tesla," the woman dressed as a man said with a light smile.

"You have the nerve to say that! Didn't you reject this project in the first place?!"

"Don't remember," Edison shrugged. "But I really hate weapons that are specifically for secular hegemony."

Edison revealed a sneer on her face at the end.

The conflict between these two was really something...

But Liu Bai couldn't easily step in to mediate in this situation.

"I'm warning you! I'm going to get angry if you come any closer!"

The woman dressed as a man paused at these words and said in a strange tone, "Ooh, that's so scary~"

"I~ re~mem~ber~"

"Baack~ then~"

"You~ were~ just~ a~ little~ peeved~"

"And~ almost~ burned~ my~ entire~ office~"

"To~ the~ ground~ -- am~ I~ right~?"

Nancy Edison smiled, using an odd tone to state, word by word, something that sounded truly terrifying.

Liu Bai gave Tesla a strange look.

Good grief, she really is a short-tempered old lady...

Just how intense were these two's conflicts in research, anyway...?

"I say, you two..."

Finally, Schrödinger, who had been as transparent as air, spoke up, breaking the tense atmosphere between Edison and Tesla.

"Let's decide what to have for lunch first."

Schrödinger directly threw out the ultimate, eternal problem of human history.

Chapter 25: Let's All Fool Otto Together

"We already decided on a restaurant, but..."

Einstein looked at Edison.

"Didn't reserve a spot for me? It's fine, I can take care of lunch myself."

Once she wasn't targeting Tesla, Edison seemed quite agreeable.

"No, we do have a spot, it's just that as the person in charge of the North American Branch, is it really okay for you to come to Europe alone?"