Elysia: Would You Like to Touch My Ears? (Continued)

And when you learned what had happened, why was everything already over?

"Elysia..."

Looking at her, who seemed unchanged on the surface, Xi Wang softly called her name.

"Long time no see, Wang~"

She was still as lively as ever, her smile as dazzling as before, making people instinctively like her and want to draw closer.

"Wang, this mission of yours took so long~ You worked hard~"

"Mm. It was merely a little tedious, not an especially troublesome mission."

Mainly because there were too many people whose panic had sparked riots, and because he had to deal with the "failed products" created by all sorts of messy plans, it had taken him quite some time to "handle" them.

"So? Did you notice any little differences about me?"

Elysia leaned forward slightly and deliberately turned her face to the side before him, as though showing something off.

"...You're cuter?"

Xi Wang glanced at her now-pointed ears, like those of elves from legend. After a brief pause, he made a small joke in a calm tone.

Ah... though for Elysia, that probably did not count as a joke~

"Mm! I'm happy to hear you say that, Wang~ But it's better to say things like that to Sakura~ I think she'd be even happier than I am!"

"Take another look?"

Elysia deliberately moved a little closer to Xi Wang, her blue-and-pink eyes full of anticipation.

"...Your ears?"

Only then did Xi Wang give the answer.

"That's right~ They're cute, aren't they~ Just like elves from legend~"

Having received the answer she wanted, Elysia smiled happily. She took Xi Wang's hand and placed it against her cheek, blinking with slightly sly eyes as she asked with a smile.

"Would you like to touch them?"

"...Yes."

"You really are something, Wang~ At a time like this, you should be a little more reserved~ Well... but I like how straightforward you are, too~"

As she spoke, Elysia tilted her head slightly, lowered her lashes, and gently placed his hand upon her altered ear. Feeling his careful strokes, as though he were afraid of hurting her, the corners of her lips unconsciously rose.

"Is that a side effect of that surgery? Like the low temperatures around Kevin?"

"Something like that, but this is only a secondary effect~ The real side effect isn't this~"

After satisfying his curiosity a little, Xi Wang withdrew his hand. Elysia seemed somewhat dissatisfied by his "timid" action, but she quickly smiled and answered him, blinking as she awaited his response.

"Then what is it?"

Xi Wang asked at the appropriate moment.

"Hehe~ Actually, my side effect is quite a serious one!"

"Now my body's metabolism is completely out of whack! Super serious!"

"Wouldn't that be terrible?"

Though he had long since seen that the actual situation was nowhere near as exaggerated or terrible as Elysia made it sound, Xi Wang still said so at the proper time, in an extremely calm tone.

Elysia clearly knew that as well, so she did not mind his unconvincing tone at all and simply continued along with it.

"Actually, it's nothing like that~ It just means I won't gain weight no matter how much I eat from now on, and I can maintain a beautiful figure even without exercising properly~"

"My skin is getting better day by day, too. I don't know whether messing up my schedule will affect it in the future, but for now, it seems like it won't matter at all..."

"And my hair, too. I don't even need to spend time taking care of it for it to stay perfect. Sigh... I'll never have time to spend on dressing up again. How sad..."

"...Wouldn't other girls get angry if they heard you say that?"

Xi Wang tilted his head after listening to her and asked an entirely reasonable question.

"Hehe~ I usually don't say it~"

Elysia stepped forward and whispered into his ear.

"So this is our little secret between the two of us~ You have to keep it secret, okay~?"

After saying that, she quickly backed away again, stuck out her tongue at Xi Wang, and made a sly yet adorable expression that left him feeling helpless.

"By the way, Sakura has changed a lot too~ Aren't you going to go see her soon? She's in Mobius's laboratory undergoing an examination right now~"

Elysia shifted to another topic.

"Sakura might really need you right now~ Oh, and don't be startled by how she looks when you see her~"

Elysia tilted her head and thought for a moment, then added that last sentence.

"And Dr. Mobius too~ Her appearance has changed a lot as well~ Don't let her looks fool you~ Dr. Mobius is very cute, you know~?"

"I understand."

He had been planning to go there anyway.

"Then I won't disturb you anymore~ Do your best!"

With that, Elysia ran off briskly without waiting for Xi Wang's response.

"..."

Hearing that, Xi Wang paused slightly before quickly returning to normal and heading toward his original destination. Then, for the first time, he personally knocked on the door to Mobius's laboratory.

"Who is it? Hm? Wang? What brings you here?"

A petite girl with long brown hair and vermilion eyes opened the door. The lab coat looked far too large on her, its long sleeves covering her slender arms and even its hem dragging on the floor, but she seemed not to care. In fact, she appeared particularly fond of wearing it that way.

She seemed surprised to see Xi Wang and reminded him.

"Your surgery won't be scheduled that soon, and even your physical examination is tomorrow, you know?"

"I came to see Mobius."

"Ah... I see. That makes sense. Sakura happens to be here too, so you came to see her, right?"

"...More or less."

"That's what I thought~"

As though she had uncovered some great truth, Danzhu smiled and nodded, leading Xi Wang deeper into the laboratory.

"Sakura's surgery was a success. Though it did leave behind some... um... rather noticeable side effects, she was still lucky enough to survive, and she became really cute too! When you see her later, make sure to praise her lots!"

"...Mm."

"Honestly... why are your reactions always so flat... Ah, right. Have you thought about what I suggested before? I already told Sakura and Elysia about it~ They both agreed, and I've even picked out the roles you'll play. I prepared the cosplay outfits too, and I even bought a brand-new camera! When the time comes, I'm going to take tons of pictures!"

"...Whatever."

"Then I'll take that as a yes! Hehe~ It won't take up much of your time~ Once the photos are done, I'll send them directly to all of you! Ah, maybe I could make figurines of you as keepsakes too! I'll sculpt them based on how you look. I happen to have the materials..."

Seemingly imagining some especially wonderful scene, Danzhu cupped her face and smiled blissfully, muttering things like, "It's so great... having a couple around me who perfectly fit the character settings and backstories is so great~ I can perfectly recreate the scenes from the animation~," and, "Afterward, I absolutely have to post lots of pictures on my social account so everyone knows that real life has people as handsome and beautiful as those in animation too!"... and so on.

By the end, it almost seemed as though strange pink heart-shaped bubbles were floating around her. Who knew what exactly she had imagined.

"Then it's settled!"

Danzhu excitedly reached out and grabbed Xi Wang's sleeve, as though afraid he might change his mind.

"...Wang, instead of agreeing to my little sister's strange requests, why not consider mine?"

On the other side, a girl with features and a build similar to Danzhu's silently approached Xi Wang. She had azure eyes, a small streak of blue in her brown hair, and even wore the same clothes as Danzhu. Tugging on the sleeve of Xi Wang's other arm, she spoke in a tone as calm as his.

Xi Wang naturally knew who she was... Danzhu's twin older sister—Cang Xuan.

"If you're willing, I can get in touch with several skincare companies. I have connections in cosmetics too. With my methods, your looks, and your unique qualities..."

Cang Xuan reached out and seemed to habitually touch Xi Wang's side, as though she could feel his skin through his sleeve and clothes.

"We can definitely make a fortune! Of course, you won't be short on advertising and endorsement fees either. I... I'll give you five percent of the sales, how about it?"

"..."

Seeing Cang Xuan's expression nearly turn into ($_$), Xi Wang was speechless.

"Cang Xuan! Wang already agreed to take photos with me first! Sakura and Elysia agreed too! You wouldn't want to ruin an agreement between three... no, four people including me, would you?"

"Taking pictures can be done anytime~ You said yourself it wouldn't take much time, so naturally I can make my request with whatever time remains, right? And what do you know? Money, only money is the most important thing! Haven't you noticed that our laboratory's funding keeps shrinking?! If this keeps up, we'll have to live on instant noodles for another two or three months!"

"Do you have some dissatisfaction with the laboratory's condition, Cang Xuan?"

A dangerous voice, like that of a predator, drifted over. Xi Wang could clearly feel the two girls clutching his sleeves shudder violently, goosebumps rising even on their skin.

"Of course~ If you're willing to help solve the laboratory's difficulties, I'd be very happy to oblige~"

Mobius slowly approached, her pupils no different from those of a snake as she stared at Cang Xuan and Danzhu. Watching the two shrink behind Xi Wang after being caught gossiping, she narrowed her eyes slightly. Her tongue slipped out like a snake's, giving off a feeling of seduction and danger.

"Ahem... Doctor, that was only a suggestion just now... Wang hasn't agreed yet."

Cang Xuan spoke with some embarrassment from behind Xi Wang.

"Oh? I think that if it's the two of you~ he'll definitely agree~"

Mobius shifted her gaze to Xi Wang and smiled beautifully.

"After all, this fellow~ is very gentle with children~ Sometimes I wonder, if I had a body like yours, would I be able to easily drag him onto the operating table?"

As she spoke, Mobius leaned closer. Like a serpent tempting someone to eat forbidden fruit, she spoke in a more enticing voice than ever before.

"Would you agree, White Rat~?"

It was seductive, yet dangerous. Even the two who had been hiding behind Xi Wang unconsciously released his sleeves and quickly retreated several steps, putting distance between themselves and Mobius so that she would not include them within her "hunting" range.

"Dr. Mobius, I need to speak with you."

Xi Wang merely answered calmly. After a slight pause, he added,

"...Also, I want to see how Sakura is doing."

When he spoke the latter half, Xi Wang's tone weakened slightly, carrying a faint note of request.

"Ha~ You really are impossible to win over, aren't you~"