Please Do Not Enter via the Ramp

A gentle breeze came from behind her, and she clearly felt the girl's soft, delicate body pressed against her back. Slender hands, a beating heart— Persephone embraced her from behind.

She didn't find it strange at all; after all, similar things had happened before, and more than once or twice. In her opinion, as long as she left it alone and continued with what she was doing, Persephone would soon give up—after all, her movements weren't being hindered, so having a little something to hang on her wasn't a problem.

But--

"Surtr." She heard Persephone's voice. It was softer and sweeter than usual. "Do you know why I changed into a school uniform?"

"To be educated?" Surtr replied casually.

"Hmm..."—She heard a faint nasal sound from behind her, and a whisper that seemed to be right next to her ear. "And right now, there happens to be a good teacher here. Do you think she... would want to 'discipline' this restless, naughty student?"

"I don't think Alina would do that," Surtr replied.

"Huh?"

"What's so strange? Alina is nearby, isn't she? Am I wrong?" Surtr tilted his head slightly. "Before I saw you, I smelled Vanilla ice cream on the side of the road—I can't be wrong about the ice cream I've touched. It was obviously the one I left in Alina's room."

"Eh...!?"

"Hmm, could I be wrong? Impossible. Alina would be here, with ice cream. Obviously, you and Alina were watching from a distance while Talulah and I were in the room. Is there some plan you're not comfortable telling me? Hmm... I won't ask any more questions... Persephone, aren't you going to call Alina over?"

She spoke to herself, and then she felt the girl behind her gradually stiffen—

She found it a little strange.

Section 79. Do not enter via ramps.

That's strange.

But as strange as it may be, the meals still need to be prepared.

She remembered Persephone's tastes—strictly speaking, Persephone wasn't picky about food. Even mustard and onions were just not her primary food choices, not completely avoided. Perhaps in this Maiden Doctor's eyes, fine wine and simple meals weren't so different.

—The loneliness of the immortals...? Hopefully, some sweets will cheer you up.

Miss Surtr thought to herself. She prepared Italy dishes, which in Terra would be Siracusa- style cuisine. Shrimp risotto, cheese rolls, braised meat in white sauce, and a delicate dessert called Panna cotta in Siracusa, made primarily with cream and rock sugar—she cooked quickly, after all, she had dabbled in dream worlds like "Food Wars!" and "Cooking Master Boy." Although she had never dreamed of the more fantastical "Food Wars!", she felt that her cooking skills, which were comparable to Liu Angxing's in his early days, would at least prevent her dishes from being deemed unpalatable.

The fragrance quickly spread. And the stiff female body behind him gradually softened again.

She heard the girl behind her chuckle softly.

"Ah, ah... this shame and anger, this resentment. This entanglement of wanting but not getting... phew, actually it's quite good food. It's been a long time since I've tasted human emotions so carefully."

"Could you please stop with the riddles? I just said I'm not doing reading comprehension exercises," Surtr, slightly pursing her lips. She didn't quite understand what was going on with the guy behind her now.

"I'm sorry, but this is the only thing I don't want to give up," Persephone replied softly. "If I were to speak frankly now, the chance of success would be less than thirty percent. But if I could say the right thing at the right time, the chance of success could triple. I won't act rashly because I don't care about the consequences, and besides, this challenge can't be relived."

"Then do as you please." The Flame-haired maiden shrugged. "But let's make it clear beforehand, when you're telling riddles, don't blame me for pretending I didn't hear a word you said."

"Yes, I've got it." Behind her, Persephone still gently hugged her, his little head pressed against her back, as if that would bring him closer to her heartbeat.

She answered Surtr's earlier question.

"Don't worry about Miss Alina. She's currently meeting with some local students and has been invited to sample a dish prepared by a Boy Scout-born Ursus student. I suspect she won't have time to come over right now."

"Who are those students...?"

"Sonia, Rada, Rosalyn, Anna—they were all original students at this Peterheim Middle School. I assigned them a work-for-relief task; they would receive rations by helping out on the construction site."

—Grani, Gummy, Vigna, Closure ... The Bear Clan can actually be reassembled.

"Was this also part of your plan?" Miss Surtr began preparing a vegetable soup and fruit salad. She carefully chopped the fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables into appropriately sized pieces and arranged them in an elegant pattern on the plate. "You figured it out again?"

"Yes, I figured it out. Right when you mentioned the request to establish a student council to Natalia, I used big data to locate these students. Then I arranged some coincidences so that they met each other half an hour ago... They get along very well, they are natural friends. So, I arranged for them to bump into Alina."

"Is that so?" Surtr seasoned the soup and plated it. "And what about little Natalia? Have you made arrangements for her?"

"Yes. Alina is a key intermediary. Because she will be your administrative assistant. She is the head of the education department in this training center. Through her, this small group will come into contact with and get to know Natalia. Then I will focus on training them, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will all become Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals operators."

"They have the talent." Surtr nodded slightly. With one hand she picked up a large plate full of dishes, while with the other she deftly lifted Persephone, who was clinging to her back, around the waist—the latter letting out an expectant cry—and then she was precisely placed on the chair in front of Persephone at the dining table.

"But you also need to respect their own ideas. And—" She saw the Maiden Doctor squirm in her chair in dissatisfaction. "I hope you won't always 'arrange' everyone on Rhodes Island like this in the future. I don't care, but the others still want some freedom of choice."

"This is a huge limitation for me." The purple-clad Maiden Doctor pouted slightly. "Moreover, only by having all variables under my control can I ensure the smooth operation of Rhodes Island and the safety of my operators to the greatest extent possible. Treating my soldiers like my own pawns, and employing them like chess pieces, I am confident that when the situation is clear enough, I can prevent the opponent from even having a chance to exchange pieces. But if the pieces move randomly on their own..."

"Then at least don't let them sense it, and don't let me find out. Okay? I'm begging you."

Persephone remained silent for several seconds.

"I want compensation." The purple-haired girl's voice had a slight upward inflection. "This chair is too hard and uncomfortable to sit on. Besides, I don't have the strength to pick up food with my arms anymore."

"You chose the tables and chairs yourself..." Miss Surtr sighed softly. But she still understood the unspoken meaning and picked up the suddenly stiff-looking Maiden Doctor, placing her on her lap. She let the girl's thin back lean against her chest, while she herself sat in the girl's original chair.

She could clearly feel the pounding heartbeat, the surging blood. And when she used the utensils to pick up food from the Persephone and put it into the latter's mouth, she felt the delicate body in her arms tremble slightly.

—Is it too hot? Or did it get too much soup on it?

She was a little confused, so when she picked up the next bite of food, she blew on it before handing it to Persephone.

She heard the sound of the girl in her arms swallowing.

"How is it? Is it to your liking?" she asked with a hint of anticipation.

"Very delicious," Persephone replied—her hands were awkwardly hanging in the air, as if she didn't know where to put them—she seemed somewhat at a loss.

"But only this once, right?"—Even the question he posed sounded idiotic.

"I'll cook for you, anytime is fine." Miss Surtr pouted and answered casually as she continued to pick up food. "As long as you come over when I'm not out, I'll make whatever you want to eat. It's okay to hold you and feed you like this, after all, you have so much to do. At least here with me, you can relax a little."

She felt Persephone's body suddenly tense up, as if he had made up his mind. But in the next moment, he deflated like a punctured balloon.

"You... never mind." A hint of sorrow seemed to linger in her voice. "These are indeed the words you would say, these are indeed the things you would do. If I didn't know your true nature, if I didn't know the chances of you speaking now were slim, I might have taken the gamble no matter what..."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear your riddles, Persephone." Miss Surtr continued with her work, never bothering to understand or think about such nonsensical remarks.

"...That's good." Persephone turned her head slightly, avoiding the cutlery she was about to put to her lips, indicating that her small stomach was full. As Surtr lowered his hand, her body completely relaxed, clinging to Surtr gently like a dodder. "Haste makes waste. If a 100% vow is permanent, then the current maximum affection level is only 50... I'm tired. Let me lean on you and take a nap."

"Hmm." Surtr raised his free hand and gently stroked the soft, long hair of the girl in his arms. "Would you like me to sing you a lullaby? Although I'm not very good at singing."

She received no response.

Because Persephone's hands fell silently to her sides, and her breathing and heartbeat became even and long. It was clear that she had near-absolute control over her own body. She could switch between different levels of sleep simply by closing her eyes.

However, it is only the body that is asleep, not the mind.

Because a few seconds later, a drone flew over and cleared the food and utensils from the table. And this Mobile City called Chernobog continued to operate under the control of the Shadow of Rhodes Island.