Iron Witch

[All the colors in the world are inextricably connected to one another.]

—Griseo

The sun shone high in the sky, and the flowers smiled at me...

One noon, at a construction site belonging to the private construction company Belobog Heavy Industries.

Various intelligent machines stood idle here. Several half-finished building frames rose beneath the blue sky, while the long arms of tower cranes hung silently overhead.

If they had all started up at once, this place should have been bustling and lively.

But at this moment, the ones truly hard at work were the Bear Thiren laborers.

Groups of two or three moved through the rebar and concrete—

Some squatted in the shade and chatted, occasionally bursting into hearty laughter.

Some carried materials at a brisk pace, their furry ears twitching slightly under the sunlight.

Others lay beside an excavator, carefully inspecting its wiring with testing instruments.

Anton stood in the middle of the site, his hard hat sitting perfectly straight as he held a stack of blueprints and directed the work in an orderly fashion.

Anton was brimming with enthusiasm. His voice was loud and powerful, and a single shout could carry across half the construction site.

"Hey, over there! Stack those materials properly! Don't block the way!"

"You checking the wiring, come lend a hand when you're done!"

At the rest area beside the site, a sky-blue-haired girl stood before an easel, absorbed in waving her paintbrush.

Behind Griseo, Aria held a palette, but her gaze was nowhere near the painting. She looked around fearfully, as though ready to flee at any moment.

"Griseo, are you sure this is okay?" Aria asked in a lowered voice.

Whenever she thought of the legend of the "Steel Witch," she could not stop herself from trembling.

Someone who could have made a living with her beautiful feet instead had an extreme obsession with machinery.

The kind that would frighten even Optimus Prime and the Decepticons.

Rumor had it that quite a few Intelligent Construct sisters had already fallen victim to her, being disassembled and reassembled over and over.

At this moment, Aria felt that her prospects were grim.

The reason she had brought Griseo out to paint from life was that Nangong and Sunna had to attend school, while the two owners of the video store claimed they had some major scheme to plot.

Griseo stopped painting and looked back at Aria.

"Big Sister Aria, don't be afraid. Big Sister Grace is actually very gentle. Her color is warm."

Aria paused before complaining, "You're not a Construct, so of course she's gentle with you."

"Besides, Big Sister Grace should be busy today. Eous is over there!" Griseo added with a nod as she sensed the various colors around the construction site.

Not long ago, the [True Self] Signet had lit up, then dimmed again. Griseo had discovered that the color of [love] came in many forms, not just the kind Trigger had for Big Brother Wise.

To completely illuminate the [True Self] Signet, she seemingly needed to collect many different kinds...

But no matter how hard she searched, Griseo could not find the color from her memories—the one that belonged to Little Sister Elysia.

Inside a tightly closed room in the Belobog Heavy Industries dormitory.

"Eous, you've become even cuter after just a few days apart!!!"

Grace sat on the bed, wrapping both arms around a Bangboo and pressing it tightly between the magnificent peaks of her chest as she vigorously kneaded it.

Eous's scarf had been squeezed crooked to one side, and his entire body changed into all kinds of shapes beneath the soft pressure.

The Bangboo's electronic eyes flickered on and off...

Grace's face overflowed with happiness, satisfaction, purity, and a smile belonging to a complete pervert.

On an ordinary day, Eous would have probably sounded an alarm in protest long ago. But Eous did not do so today. It could be said that something was a little off.

On the bed, Grace was so blissful that she had not noticed at all.

She merely hugged the adorable Bangboo, her eyes filled with indulgence and tenderness. "Eous, why are you being so obedient today? You're not even struggling?"

Outside the door, the Bear Thiren Ben Bigger held Koleda and silently listened to Grace losing her mind.

Ben hesitated before voicing his concern. "President, is Grace really okay like this?"

Ben's concern was not unfounded. They had lost to Vision Corporation in the bidding not long ago...

"Damn it, Big Sis!!! You never do any actual work!!"

Koleda jumped down from Ben's shoulder, a trace of displeasure in her tone.

"Big Sis, can you be serious for once? What if outsiders see you?"

Although Koleda looked furious on the surface, she was actually more concerned about her sister.

"Oh, I just can't help it! Seeing Eous is like seeing you when you were little!"

Grace lifted Eous and gestured toward Koleda.

"They look so alike!"

"...No, damn it, Big Sis, why are you saying that..."

Koleda, who had originally intended to demand answers, blushed.

Her gaze could not help drifting to Eous as well. "No, Big Sis, why do I feel like Eous is acting a little strange today? He looks shifty."

"Hm?" Hearing that, Grace turned Eous around by 180 degrees and inspected him suspiciously. "He does seem a little..."

At that moment, in the Sixth Street video store, Wise and Belle were carrying out a grand operation!

Seeing that they had nearly been discovered, Wise hurriedly controlled Eous.

"Mhm, mhm."

"Brother, it's my turn! Look, you almost got caught!!"

Belle stepped forward and unhappily grabbed Wise by the ear—her older brother was always hogging everything for himself!!

"Alright, alright, here... I-I'm going to cook!" Wise's voice carried a hint of surrender.

"You should've said so earlier. Hand it over!" Belle shoved Wise aside with her hip, linked herself to the HDD, and said, "Fairy, synchronize my senses at maximum!"

[Request accepted, Master!]

Hearing Koleda's words, Grace froze, her brows knitting slightly.

She lowered her head and carefully examined Eous in her arms. Today, the little cutie was far too quiet, like a puppet being remotely controlled.

Controlled! Phaethon!

Suddenly realizing it, Grace shouted, "Damn Proxies—you siblings actually joined forces to fool me!!!"

Grace sprang to her feet, lifted Eous in one hand, and strode toward the door.

Koleda and Ben hurriedly moved aside, watching that furious figure sweep past them.

The full curves her black tank top could barely contain heaved violently with every breath.

"Grace, calm down—"

"I am calm!!"

Yet just as Grace stepped out of the dormitory, her sixth sense exploded!

Her gaze turned toward the rest area, where Aria, accompanying Griseo, came into view.

The Iron Witch instantly discovered a new continent, her voice brimming with surprise and obsession.

"Oh my god, is this heaven's compensation!"

"That pink hair accessory, that round little body, I love it!"

Grace glanced at Eous and tossed him backward. Right now, she only wanted to learn everything about this cute pink girl, from head to toe and inside out.

On the other side, Aria's danger radar immediately sounded an alarm!!!

"Ah!! The Iron Witch is here!!"

Aria instantly activated escape mode, scooped up Griseo and the easel, spread her wings, and vanished from the spot with a whoosh!

"Anton, hurry and stop Grace!"

At the dormitory entrance, Ben and Koleda hurried outside to stop Grace as they watched her chase after them.

Koleda quickly called out to Anton, hoping Grace would not cause any trouble.

Ben picked up Eous from the ground, his voice helpless as he said, "President, we also need to send Eous back!"

Koleda: "..."

Also, how do you know Nangong didn't lose the 50/50? ≡ω≡