Honkai, But I Have Too Many Mods

(Was the angle the cup was presented at adjusted?)

(She wouldn't harm Mr. Liu Bai, so she anticipated that given Mr. Liu Bai's personality, he would choose the closest one?)

(No, choosing the closest is most people's habit, so...)

So, is the cup closest to her the poisoned one?

Or, to go for an unexpected twist, is the cup farthest from her, the one in front of Natasha, the poisoned one?

Under the current circumstances, neither choice seems optimal for Rita.

Rita had considered the possibility that all three cups were poisoned, but she immediately dismissed the thought.

Actually, Rita wasn't afraid of regular poisons. As a Valkyrie, Rita had resistance to toxins—the opponent should have it too.

But Liu Bai is an ordinary person; he couldn't possibly have resistance to regular toxins.

If all three cups were poisoned, Liu Bai would be in the most danger.

As for poisons specifically designed for Valkyries, their mechanism of action would likely target Honkai energy, but that would also be effective against Natasha.

If both were poisoned, it would essentially be a stalemate.

Natasha might have a backup plan, but Rita also had the Undying Blade. In the end, even if a fight broke out, it would only result in mutual destruction, and Liu Bai's safety might not even be guaranteed during that time.

(A choice that cannot be predicted at all... Is this your counterattack?)

Rita maintained her elegant smile and chose the coffee closest to her.

There was no need to choose; this would be a gamble.

Seeing this, Natasha naturally picked up the remaining cup.

However, the atmosphere between Rita and Natasha remained quite tense.

...As expected, it's gone off the rails.

Giving up the struggle, Liu Bai calmly took a sip of coffee.

Liu Bai couldn't stop it—do you really think that smile on Natasha's face was just to scare Rita?

So sweet...

Perhaps because the Elixir of Love was added, this coffee tasted excessively sweet.

Liu Bai's action broke the stalemate between the two.

Rita maintained her composed smile, while Natasha wore a provocative smile. Both drank their coffee in one gulp, completely skipping the usual "sip lightly" or "savor" process.

[Natasha Affinity: 3550 (Elixir of Love)]

[Rita Affinity: 2757 (Elixir of Love)]

As both of them finished their drinks in one go, two notifications popped up in Liu Bai's system, one after the other.

Natasha was prepared, but Rita seemed to have quite a few preparations as well.

"..." Rita, not feeling many unusual effects, frowned slightly and then chuckled, "So, Elder Sister, you like such overly sweet coffee."

"Hmph..."

Glancing briefly at Liu Bai, Natasha realized the drug's effects had kicked in.

No matter how many times she experienced it, Natasha found the speed of its effect to be absurd.

"It's already good enough that a pest like you gets something to drink."

Not good, I'm involuntarily bringing up Liu Bai... This thing affects judgment due to the filter.

Natasha's mind was fighting against itself.

Even though Natasha didn't want to focus her attention on Liu Bai, she was somewhat beyond her own control right now—after all, including this time, Natasha had only tried it three times.

The first time she fell victim without any defense, and the second time was a simple experiment.

To put it bluntly, would the affinity gained from this stuff be the same as affinity gained through normal affectionate interaction?

Rather than that, this should be called "inducing affinity."

And as for the computer accessories in adult videos, those who know, know.

"Ming Ming Liu Bai Xian Sheng is still alive (didn't say anything,) Elder Sister, you've been a bit petty for a long time."

Rita naturally linked her arm with Liu Bai's.

...Could it be that I was just overthinking things?

Rita rested her head on Liu Bai's shoulder and gave Natasha a provocative smile.

"Mr. Liu Bai, don't you think so too? Elder Sister is being a bit too stingy? Elder Sister, she lacks the generosity a lady should have? And her attire... is also very plain."

"Um, Miss Rita, you're a bit too close."

Liu Bai wanted to subtly remind Rita.

But clearly, Rita's defenses weren't very high—although Natasha's defenses didn't seem to be very effective either.

"As a lover, isn't this distance just right?"

Rita offered Liu Bai a slightly seductive smile.

"How are you holding up? Still able to stay seated?"

Rita glanced sideways at Natasha.

"If you don't do something soon, I'll whisk your little brother away."

"..."

Natasha was grinding her teeth so hard they creaked.

No... I need to stay calm, calm down. I absolutely cannot be provoked.

These feelings are just illusions.

This kid and I aren't even real siblings. The whole 'little brother complex' thing was just an act for this slut who only knows how to seduce men... This kid isn't important at all.

Right now, this is just a hallucination brought on by the drugs.

Calm down... I can't lose my composure.

"What's going on? Why is it starting to get weird?"

Gray Serpent continued to stare at the monitor. As one of the world's top anthropologists who had delved deeply into human behavior, Gray Serpent immediately recognized the strange atmosphere of the situation.

—Ever since they drank that coffee.

The atmosphere between these two seemed to have shifted from a subtle rivalry to outright jealousy.

...Are you two playing house?

This was a confrontation between the major power Schicksal and the viper hidden in the world's shadows.

Can we please stop treating this like child's play?

Gray Serpent didn't know what emotion he should be displaying right now. If he had to say, Gray Serpent's relationship with Natasha was less like mere colleagues and more like mentor and student. Raven's combat fundamentals were taught by Gray Serpent, as was her diplomatic ability. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Gray Serpent raised her himself. While he knew Natasha always had thoughts of retiring, Gray Serpent understood and was satisfied with Raven's professional capabilities, which is why he agreed to her retirement—one must know that Mobius wouldn't bother with these trivial matters outside of her experiments. However... this was the first time Gray Serpent had ever seen Natasha exhibit "jealousy."

"Gray Serpent, what's wrong? This is the first time I've seen you look so conflicted."

"Honored Master..."

Gray Serpent respectfully bowed to Mobius, who had walked up from behind.

"Oh... what's this situation? Are my little test subjects in trouble?"

Mobius looked at the monitor. Although her sensitivity to interpersonal relationships was average, she was still over thirty, so she could tell something was off.

Well, rather than noticing something was off, Mobius was more concerned about...

"Why is this woman touching my little test subject?"

Mobius was a little displeased with Rita.

Touching someone else's little test subject, who the hell do you think you are?

"She's Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie, Rita Rossweisse."

"Hmm... she's quite the character, isn't she?"

Hearing Gray Serpent say that, Mobius suddenly became interested.

"It seems she's interested in my little test subject. Can we give her a flyer and invite her to participate in our mating experiments?"

"..."

Can you stop talking nonsense?

Even Gray Serpent found this statement somewhat speechless.

"Just kidding. My little test subject doesn't need to worry about these things yet."

Mobius smiled at Gray Serpent's somewhat frightening mechanical face.

"However, isn't Raven also acting a bit strange? Even if my little test subject is that charming, he shouldn't be able to capture the hearts of two girls in such a short period, right?"

"You speak wisely."

"Continue your surveillance... Oh, by the way, where is Jackal? I need her for something."

"She's right under your feet."

"Oh... this girl really doesn't pick a place to sleep."

Mobius unhappily kicked Jackal twice.

"Forget it. Useless disciple, all you do is cause me trouble."

"…What are your thoughts on Mr. Liu Bai?"

Gray Serpent finally asked the question he had been wanting to ask.

This was the first time he had seen Mobius so enthusiastic about someone.

"To find you a dad?"

Gray Serpent: "..."

This was hopeless. If she put it that way, no matter how high Gray Serpent's social skills were, he wouldn't be able to respond.

"Look at you, just kidding—Gray Serpent, you don't understand what dreams are."

"...Your dream is my dream, my lord."

"That's why you don't understand."

Mobius shrugged in response.

Gray Serpent respectfully watched the woman who was both his lord and his mother, his creator, depart.

...Wait a minute, where did his lord just turn?

"This is Shencheng Pharmaceuticals' industrial building…"

Natasha tried her best not to sound angry.

But…

"Mr. Liu Bai, if you have the chance, shall we go to the amusement park in the Sky Dome Zone? I heard people say the amusement park in the Sky Dome Zone has a very high rating."

…Although I wanted to see this woman wallow in the ugliness of love, I couldn't stop my anger.

I was here first. Why are you ignoring me now and flirting with someone else's younger brother?

Shameless wom