Not You Came at Just the Right Time (5k)

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After putting away Miss Elf's "encouragement" for him, Kevin was still waiting.

Before long, the young green-haired female professor came out. She seemed to be in a hurry. After glancing at him, she hurried away, only to circle back a moment later and ask for his contact information.

Th-this shouldn't mean she wants to settle the score with him later, right?

Thinking of how disrespectful he had been to the green-haired professor in class, Kevin felt a little guilty. Yet Mei had specifically told him that he absolutely must not slight this professor. On top of that, he "just happened" to have no resistance whatsoever to beautiful girls. Left with no choice, Kevin gave the green-haired professor his contact information as she requested.

After that... the green-haired doctor hurried away... But it didn't seem to be time for class to end yet, did it?

Kevin was puzzled.

The person teaching in the room was no longer the professor, but her blond assistant... Hey! Come to think of it, it really was strange. In his entire life, Kevin had never encountered an opponent in terms of physical ability. Yet today, that seemingly delicate "blond beauty" had actually sent him flying! It seemed the old Shenzhou saying was true: there was always someone stronger, and there was always a higher mountain.

No way... He had to find an excuse to spar with her again later! Coveting that blond beauty's National Goddess-like looks was secondary... The main point was that there weren't many people who could put this much physical pressure on him!

Kevin believed that as long as he followed the encouragement in that "Pink Elf" lady's letter and continued believing in himself without wavering, there would be nothing in this world that he, Kevin, couldn't accomplish.

If he couldn't beat that blond older sister today, he could just spar with her more often. Maybe he would be able to beat her tomorrow! Never giving up and never losing heart—that was the whole point, wasn't it?

Kevin waited full of anticipation.

Or rather,

Kevin was still waiting.

Unbeknownst to him, in another corner at that very moment, Miss Pink Elf was holding Mei's personal information and planning millions of beautiful chance encounters between herself and Mei in her mind.

Inside the circular classroom.

"That's all for today's lesson. Class dismissed."

On the podium, Xu Ziling tidied up the USB drive and equipment brought by Mobius, then left the classroom through the front door to look for his doctor and see what method she planned to use to trick an innocent, ignorant female high school student.

Once Xu Ziling, who had been filling in as the teacher, left, the students who had come largely to feast their eyes also departed in ones and twos. After thinking for a moment, Mei quickly packed up her study materials. The philosophical knowledge Teacher Xu, the blond and blue-eyed one, had explained had deeply shaken her, and she planned to take advantage of the class just ending to ask him for further guidance.

What she didn't expect was that although Xu Ziling was only a half-baked substitute teacher, he left at lightning speed after class, carrying the spirit of never dragging out a lesson to its fullest. Mei had only just stepped out of the classroom when Xu Ziling had already disappeared.

When Kevin, who had been waiting outside, saw Mei come out, he cleared his throat and prepared to say something, only for Mei to cover his mouth with her hand.

Mei then said anxiously:

"Kevin, did you see where Mobius just went... No, I mean Professor Serpent and her assistant Xu? Where did they go?"

"...Huh?"

Sensing Mei's intense urgency, Kevin scratched his head in confusion before saying,

"I only saw a blond figure shoot past just now... Speaking of which, Mei, why are you asking? That professor and her assistant may have some skills... but surely that isn't enough to make you this anxious, is it?"

"This is an opportunity... You wouldn't understand, Kevin."

Mei shook her head at Kevin while hugging her notebook.

"Just tell me where they went."

"Oh..."

Kevin scratched his head, then pointed toward the main gate of Chiyu Academy.

"I just saw them heading toward the school gate... Maybe they've already gotten into a car and are preparing to go home?"

They were leaving already?

A trace of surprise flashed through Mei's eyes, but she quickly calmed down and made a decision.

Whatever the specific reason, the fact that Mobius, a top professor of biology, had appeared at Chiyu Academy in Changkong City was an exceedingly rare opportunity for Mei, who was still only a high school student. As long as she could earn Mobius's recognition, the papers she published in the future would inevitably receive explosive attention and acclaim. Even her father's listed company, ME Corporation, could benefit from it.

It had been inconvenient to speak during class. Now that class was over, Mei had originally intended to find Mobius, show her own potential, and gain her attention. But Mobius and her assistant were already hurrying away, and they had even gotten into a car. This meant that Mobius had not come here to look for her.

Yet the gap between a genius and an ordinary person was often only a moment of hesitation. Mei knew that if she missed this opportunity, she would have to spend ten or even a hundred times as much time making up for it. Since there was no other way, she would use the most ordinary, direct, and effective method—

Chase them!

"Hey! Wait... Mei! Why are you running?"

"There's no time to explain... Kevin, hurry and help me catch up to Professor Serpent!"

"Huh? Oh... Physical labor, huh? Sure thing!"

Kevin readily agreed. He then slipped his left hand beneath Mei's calves and his right hand behind her back, directly scooping her up in a bridal carry!

"???"

Mei, now in his arms, stared at Kevin in astonishment.

"Student Kevin, what are you doing?"

"Running with you in my arms, of course! How could someone as small as you possibly catch up to a car?"

After reading "Miss Elf's Letter of Encouragement," Kevin now believed wholeheartedly in everything he was doing. He laughed and said,

"But I can catch it! Mei, hold on tight. We're going to—run!"

As Kevin's voice fell, the muscles in his legs instantly tensed. After a gap of less than half a second, he shot forward like an arrow leaving the bow and vanished in the blink of an eye!

Su had only just walked out of the classroom when he saw this scene. He sighed helplessly, silently called a Didi, and also headed toward the school gate.

Meanwhile, in a patch of grass not far away,

Miss Pink Elf, who had climbed out through a window at home, had her pair of pink-and-blue eyes opened wide as she stared incredulously at Kevin, who was in a state of "mysterious self-confidence" and had just picked Mei up in his arms. She couldn't help swallowing.

"So it can be played that way too? Hmm... Let me think. Would this count as... a happy accident? Or admirable courage?"

Elysia scratched her head in confusion, but soon began smiling again. She took her notebook from her arms and said with a grin,

"Still... I've learned this technique now, haven't I?~ Let's just say I'll let you have this one, Kevin~"

On the other side, Su had just stepped out of the classroom when he saw the white-haired figure carrying Mei and sprinting toward Chiyu Academy's main gate. He helplessly shook his head and followed, if only to keep an eye on Kevin and stop him from causing more trouble.

However, the three of them were destined to lose track of their targets.

That was because the people they were chasing had never left the school in the first place, nor had they gotten into a car. Mobius had deliberately performed a feint, making Kevin think that she and Xu Ziling had finished teaching and were preparing to leave by car. Her true intention was merely to distract those meddlesome people so they would not interfere with her upcoming plan to abduct—no, persuade Klein to surrender.

"Doctor, is this really okay?"

In a secluded corner on the second floor outside the circular classroom, Xu Ziling looked at Mobius, who was holding a bottle of alcohol and going "glug, glug, glug." His expression was complicated.

"Even so, getting yourself drunk to win the sympathy of a female high school student and abduct her... This is a little too..."

"Mm... Ha~ Give me a break."

Before Xu Ziling, Mobius hugged a bottle that was already half empty. Her face was flushed.

"Heh... hic... Do you understand human nature better than I do, Little White Mouse? You don't understand, so watch and learn. Today, this doctor will teach you... hic... how a snake seduces her prey, little by little... hic..."

Xu Ziling looked at Mobius, who was already on the verge of collapsing after barely two sips. He helplessly scratched his head, then walked over and supported her arm.

"I'm not saying there's anything wrong with what you're doing, Doctor. I just think you really didn't need to drink the alcohol. You've actually gotten yourself into this state... It's somewhat inconsistent with your image as a doctor."

"Hic... Ha~... What do you know..."

After drinking, Mobius shoved Xu Ziling away and spoke indistinctly.

"This is... nothing ventured, nothing gained. If I can't stake myself at our first meeting, what right do I have to expect her to follow me wholeheartedly afterward?

"After teaching her that class, I've seen through that girl called Klein... Ha~... She really is excellent assistant material, and her talent is even greater than Blanca's. Blanca was lucky to find someone like her...

"In short, talent like this is rare. No matter what, I have to cling to her today... No, I should say I have to make her follow me wholeheartedly. No matter what method I use, I absolutely cannot let Blanca's tragedy happen to my new assistant again... This time, either I don't take an assistant... or I have to make her stay with me for the rest of her life... Mm..."

Hearing this, Xu Ziling's expression became strange. After thinking for a moment, he slowly said,

"Actually... Doctor Mobius, if I imitated Blanca's DNA, I could serve as your assistant too. And I already promised that I would devote all the rest of my time to pursuing you. Would you reconsider?"

"Get lost..."

Mobius shoved Xu Ziling irritably, then added,

"Little Mouse, use your brain and think about it. Can a boyfriend and an assistant be the same thing? What, if I let you be my assistant, are you planning to stay up all night handling documents for me? ...Hic... If you became my assistant, would you still have time to build a normal emotional relationship with me? Don't let me hear you ask such a stupid question again..."

"Uh... All right, Doctor. You're right."

Xu Ziling helplessly shrugged. Looking at Mobius, who was both serious and dazed, he knew that trying to dissuade her now would be completely futile. After thinking for a moment, he changed the subject.

"Then, Doctor, judging by the time, Senior Klein should be coming out of the classroom soon. Is there anything you need me to do next?"

"Play it by ear... and protect me from the shadows once I get drunk... hic... That's all..."

As she spoke, Mobius lifted the bottle in her hand and finished it with several loud gulps. She frowned.

"Tsk... This alcohol isn't strong enough. I finished an entire bottle and I'm still conscious... That won't do. If I'm not completely drunk, Klein might see through me and the whole plan will fail... Mm... No... Absolutely not... Little Mouse, do you have anything else that can numb the nerves? Hurry... hurry and bring it to me... Mm... hic..."

Something that could numb the nerves?

Xu Ziling pondered this. Looking at Mobius, who was gradually losing consciousness and preparing to approach the female high school student later to manipulate her emotions, he thought for a moment, then slowly reached into his robes. He took out an obviously expensive wine cup and handed it to Mobius.

"Doctor... Why don't you try this? It has quite a kick."

[Daily Mission Reward Item: Realgar Wine]

[Realgar Wine: Highly concentrated realgar wine. This was the host's daily mission reward on the first day after transmigrating. It has an extremely powerful nerve-numbing effect on dangerous snakes. The Honkai world is full of danger. Host, be careful not to let a woman from the third dimension eat you alive.]

Looking at the wine cup Xu Ziling offered her, Mobius, whose mind was already somewhat muddled from the alcohol, didn't think much of it. Her entire mind was focused on getting herself drunk so she could justifiably "encounter" Klein, then gain a good assistant through a series of clever lines.

She took the wine cup from Xu Ziling and downed it in one gulp.

"!!!"

The next moment, Mobius's body shuddered violently. Her aquamarine snake pupils rolled upward uncontrollably, and in the next instant, she went limp in Xu Ziling's arms.

Xu Ziling was startled as well. Based on his experience drinking at company team-building events after being dragged there by his awful boss before transmigrating, alcohol numbed the human body gradually. The feeling of drunkenness rose bit by bit; it wasn't like a game item that took effect immediately upon use.

Mobius's original plan had been to use the time before she completely passed out to reach a route Klein was bound to take, arrange a perfectly timed encounter, and then take advantage of the sense of justice that tended to inexplicably surge in young people. Mobius would only need to make herself look as though some evil scoundrel had gotten her drunk, and she could firmly capture the young girl's heart.

...But the problem was, Mobius had passed out less than a second after drinking the Realgar Wine! What was this? Was the alcohol from the system really that strong?

[Um... Host... Wasn't the item's effect already written in the notes?]

Shut up.

[Oh... All right...]

After dismissing the system irritably, Xu Ziling had to admit that he really had been reckless today. But he truly hadn't expected the system's alcohol to be so potent. Mobius had taken one sip and immediately lost consciousness.

Those were matters for later, however. The most urgent thing now was to carry Mobius to the route Klein would soon take before Klein came out of the classroom, then hide in the shadows and disperse the other students. If he did that, the plan would not be a complete failure.

Unfortunately, ideals were beautiful while reality was harsh. Drunk Mobius... kept moving around. She had no idea how to cooperate with Xu Ziling. People who passed out drunk were not truly incapable of movement. They would move unconsciously, and their strength could even increase compared to before they passed out.

Xu Ziling was genuinely troubled. With Mobius drunk and unconscious, he really couldn't use too much force to restrain her outright... Yet time waited for no one. If Klein finished packing her stationery and left, then the plan would truly be ruined.

"I'm sorry, my doctor. Please bear with it for a moment."

To avoid ruining Mobius's grand plan, Xu Ziling struggled briefly before making his decision. He grabbed Mobius's wrist and pressed it against the wall in a secluded corner of the school building, using this forceful method to restrain her movements first, then her body. It was one of the simplest grappling techniques.

Unfortunately, plans never kept pace with change.

"Hello, may I ask if this is Professor Serpent and Xu... Hmm?"

An unusual voice rang out. Xu Ziling, who was pinning Mobius against the wall in a kabedon, instantly turned his head.

He then saw a... green-haired, green-eyed female high school student.

Hearing the commotion, Klein had come over to take a look, and she stared at him in surprise.

More precisely, Klein was looking at Mobius, whose face was flushed and whose mind was clouded from the alcohol, and Xu Ziling, who had her pinned against the wall and was clearly in the "attacking position."

"Ah..."

Klein's mouth fell open in shock at the scene before her. She had originally come over after seeing the figures of "Professor Serpent" and "Teacher Xu," intending to ask them a few questions. But now... Klein felt that she might not live to see tomorrow's sun.

After a furious mental struggle, Klein swallowed and slowly turned around.

"Um... Sorry, Professor Serpent and Xu Ziling. I didn't know you were here doing... Well... In any case, I didn't see anything. Please continue... Sorry to disturb you..."