"Mobius, tonight Rhine Lab is holding a banquet… do you want to attend?"
"Oh, Saria, have you finally accepted me as one of your own? I am truly moved. As expected, sincere dedication always brings rewards."
"Mobius, could you act normal for once… or at least express your emotions a bit more subtly?"
"I can't. My tears simply won't stop. This feeling is like raising a child with great care for years, only for them to finally learn how to repay their parents. Of course, I don't mean that in an inappropriate way."
"…Actually, it's fine if you don't come."
"Oh, this is my loyal and powerful bodyguard's first invitation. How could I possibly refuse and embarrass you?"
"…This is a Rhine Lab banquet, not a personal invitation."
"That stubborn attitude is really cute. Still, I don't have any suitable clothes for a banquet. How about you accompany me to buy some after work?"
"No need. Only a few directors, the chief administrator, and you as a consultant will attend. It's not a formal event."
"That simply won't do. A banquet worthy of my presence could never be informal... Saria, don't walk away."
___
In the end, Saria still accompanied Mobius to buy clothes.
Mainly because she really did not want to see Mobius, wearing a white lab coat and standing half a head taller than herself, rolling around on the floor like a child without any concern for her image.
Mobius might not care about appearances, but Rhine Lab did.
At the very least, those employees absolutely could not be allowed to see such a scene.
Inside a shopping mall in Columbia.
Saria and Mobius, both dressed casually, were selecting clothes.
"Saria, do I look good in this outfit?"
Mobius had changed into a warm-toned set of clothes.
"It's fine."
"Oh, is that so?"
Saria, wearing a brown leather jacket, quietly let out a sigh of relief.
'Good. Now can I finally take this troublesome person away?'
But soon, she numbly watched Mobius head back into the fitting room and emerge again, this time in a pure black suit with a tie.
"Saria, what about this one?"
"…It's fine."
"Then compared to the previous one?"
"…Either is fine."
"I see."
Mobius instructed the staff to pack up the suit as well.
Then she dove back into the clothing section.
The Black Snake had always enjoyed trying new things.
'…What a hassle.'
Saria, of course, was not going to just stand there doing nothing.
To avoid wasting time meaninglessly, she began browsing the clothing section herself, seeing if there was anything she liked.
Despite always wearing Rhine Lab's protective gear during work, that was only because most of her time was spent on duty.
In private, she did read fashion magazines and did not neglect her appearance.
It was just that very few people knew about that side of her.
Unfortunately, the Black Snake, who had a habit of prying into others' private lives, knew this very well.
No, wait.
This was called caring about a colleague's mental well-being.
By the time Saria had grown visibly impatient, she finally knocked on the fitting room door under the curious gazes of the staff.
"…Come out already. The banquet is about to start."
"Alright~"
Mobius's disappointed voice came from inside the fitting room.
Yet when she stepped out, Mobius was once again wearing her white lab coat.
"…After giving it some thought, this outfit still suits me best."
"..."
Saria clenched her fist, but in the end, she did not act.
After all, the person before her was an ageless being of unfathomable depth. No matter how frivolous she appeared on the surface, that fact could not be ignored.
'Don't get angry, don't get angry… Saria, you can't let emotion cloud your judgment.'
As Saria took a deep breath to steady herself, Mobius, burdened with numerous shopping bags, walked over to where Saria stood at the entrance.
"I'm exhausted."
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Mobius looked up at the sky.
It was already night. The cold winter wind of Columbia made Mobius shiver.
Snakes were sensitive to the cold.
She had not felt it earlier when they stepped outside, as it was still daytime then. The warmth of the sun had felt pleasant, and she had not expected to become so absorbed in shopping that time slipped by unnoticed.
The Black Snake enjoyed coordinating outfits, even if most of the time it was purely self-indulgent.
"Saria, wait here. I'll go buy a coat as well…"
"No need. We're about to be late."
Saria glanced at the watch on her wrist, then looked somewhat helplessly at Mobius, who was already breathing a little heavily from fatigue.
A Phidia's physical endurance was difficult to compare with that of a Vouivre.
'Is her body really this weak… or was she never particularly strong to begin with?'
After all, nothing dictated that an ageless being had to possess a powerful physique.
Live long enough, and anyone could call themselves immortal.
Saria took off her leather coat and draped it over Mobius's shoulders, then took all the shopping bags from her hands.
"Hurry up. The banquet is about to begin. Next time, please pay attention to the time."
"Uh… why not take a cab?"
"…Sigh. This is exactly the time when drivers change shifts. How can you be sure you'll even get one? Let's go."
"…Alright."
'But my Snake Scale driver doesn't need rest at all.'
'…'
'This leather coat is quite warm.'
The Black Snake disliked using other people's belongings, though not to an obsessive degree.
Still, she felt awkward and uncomfortable.
Not from the physical cold, but from a more subtle, harder-to-name sensation.
That feeling, however, passed in an instant.
'…Forget it.'
The Black Snake abandoned the thought.
She wanted to continue teasing Saria.
___
Mobius and Saria arrived at the chief administrator's narrow apartment.
At least, it was narrow from Mobius's perspective.
Seeing Saria arrive carrying numerous shopping bags, dressed in nothing but a thin shirt, while Mobius walked in empty-handed and wrapped snugly in a leather coat, the people present all revealed varying degrees of disdain.
After all, those seated here, veterans of Rhine Lab, were thoroughly familiar with Mobius's way of doing things.
Yet there was nothing they could do about it.
Saria was responsible for monitoring Mobius, so it was only natural that Mobius would voice her dissatisfaction.
In fact, considering that Mobius merely harassed Saria through pranks, this outcome was already relatively mild.
"Saria, to thank you, I've specially prepared a gift for you~"
"What is it?"
The members of Rhine Lab all turned their curious gazes toward this pair of "sworn enemies."
This was truly a rare sight.
For Saria, however, it was nothing unusual.
She pressed a hand to her forehead and said in a helpless tone:
"Mobius, this is a banquet. I don't want the atmosphere to become too awkward."
After all, Saria had learned from experience.
Chili-flavored plain water, a certain unidentified canned item with minimal impact but an overwhelming stench, pens that exploded with ink halfway through writing…
Mobius's previous pranks had made Saria realize just how good her temper actually was.
At the very least, she had never laid a hand on this troublesome person.
"…Alright~"
Mobius looked dejected, the hands holding the shopping bags drooping weakly.
"Ah~ I really can't fit in with you people after all~"
She let out a heavy sigh.
Then she leaned against the window, gazing sorrowfully at the countless lights outside.
For a brief moment, the lively atmosphere of the banquet seemed to freeze.
Watching Mobius's lonely, desolate back, Saria felt a fleeting sense of guilt.
'…Did I do something wrong? Maybe Mobius really did want to give me something this time?'
After all, Mobius's past pranks had already conditioned Saria to react defensively.
She hesitated, then picked up the shopping bag that had fallen to the floor.
Mobius's expression changed instantly.
She hurried over to Saria, eagerly opening the packaging inside the bag for her.
Inside was a sharply tailored women's suit, stylish and commanding. Intricate patterns adorned it, elegant without being ostentatious. The fabric was of exceptional quality, and its texture felt remarkably comfortable to the touch.
"Well, Saria? This is the gift I got for you~"
This time, Mobius did not put on an exaggerated show of sentimentality. Instead, she wore a serious and earnest expression.
It made Saria feel slightly unsettled.
"You see, I'm actually a rather nostalgic and sentimental person."
"Of course… what I'm saying now may sound strange to everyone here."
"After all, no matter how you put it, 'nostalgia' has nothing to do with you."
"You're all still very young. Well, not including Director Parvis."
"But even setting aside the possibility that we might fall apart for various reasons along the way, how long can I actually stay with you?"
"One year? Ten years? A hundred years?"
"A span of time like that may already be beyond imagination for you, but for an ageless being like me, it's nothing more than a small ripple in the long river of life."
"Perhaps after some time, all of you will fade from my memories, just like the many short-lived beings I have already forgotten, becoming nothing more than blurred shadows."
"But at the very least, I hope our bond can grow a little deeper, our memories a little more complete. I want the moment when I forget you to be delayed, even if only slightly."
"Haha… perhaps researching the differences between ageless beings and short-lived ones would make for a rather interesting topic."
Mobius once again turned her gaze toward the window.
At that moment, she looked profoundly out of place.
"…Dr. Mobius, discussing such matters now might be a little premature."
Parvis adjusted his glasses and spoke with a hint of helplessness.
"Exactly. Mobius, why bring up such an ill-timed topic at a banquet?"
Even Muelsyse, who had been quietly shrinking into a corner ever since Mobius arrived, spoke up to criticize her for ruining the atmosphere.
"Dr. Mobius, with the advancement of technology in the future, terran lifespans will surely grow longer and longer. Perhaps one day, we'll all be qualified to call ourselves 'ageless beings.'"
Ferdinand Clooney, director of the Energy Department, could not help but offer a rebuttal.
"..."
Chief Administrator Kristen remained silent.
She was still leaning against another window, only now her gaze had shifted from the starry sky to the ageless being she could never quite comprehend.
"…Fine, fine. I'll accept it."
Saria intended to carefully store the suit away.
But Mobius was not about to let her have it that easily.
Her prank had not yet been carried out.
'…'
'Is this really a good idea?'
The Black Snake pondered briefly, but soon her innate love of mischief kicked what little conscience she had left aside.
The Black Snake could feel melancholic…
But only for a moment.
"Saria, hurry up and try it on to see if it fits. I was in such a rush earlier that I forgot to ask for your size. If it doesn't work, I can still return it."
'Heh heh heh, Saria, how does public embarrassment feel? How does it feel to be socially ruined in front of everyone at Rhine Lab?'
"…Is it really that urgent?"
"Yes! Very urgent, extremely urgent. The shop's policy only allows unconditional returns within twenty-four hours."
'If you don't put it on soon, the Originium Arts I attached to it will expire!'
Mobius had deliberately added a "surprise" to the suit, one that was guaranteed to shatter the composure of the ever-serious Saria.
"…Alright then. Kristen, may I borrow your bedroom?"
After receiving Kristen's permission, Saria entered the bedroom and locked the door.
Before long, Saria emerged, now dressed in the suit.
"..."
Everyone at Rhine Lab was stunned.
It had to be said that Saria suited this kind of attire perfectly. The beauty of a well-proportioned, powerful physique was displayed to the fullest.
That blend of sharp heroism and restrained elegance even left Kristen, who had always been close to Saria, momentarily taken aback.
Off to the side, Muelsyse quietly raised her camera.
After all, clothes really could make the person.
But Mobius did not care about the beautiful scene unfolding before her at all.
On the contrary, her urge to play a prank was surging.
'Now's the moment!'
Just before Muelsyse pressed the shutter, the suit on Saria's body suddenly changed.
More precisely, after everyone blinked, the outfit they saw on Saria was no longer that crisp, tailored suit.
Instead, it had become a pink Lolita-style dress, adorned with all sorts of cute accessories.
"What's wrong? Is something about this outfit not fitting properly?"
Saria looked at herself in the living room mirror.
'Looks perfectly normal?'
In Saria's eyes, it was still just an ordinary suit.
But she quickly sensed something was off.
'Why does this outfit feel heavier and heavier? And the texture is different too…'
The Originium Arts Mobius had applied to the dress were slowly fading.
"It fits! It fits perfectly!"
Mobius applauded solemnly.
She snatched the camera from the furious yet silent Muelsyse and began pressing the shutter like mad.
"I think a Defense Department Director with such a girlish sense of style is truly a treasure of Rhine Lab."
"The dress itself is quite nice. It's just a shame there's a person growing out of it."
In Saria's mind, the string called reason finally snapped.
To begin with, wearing such a pink dress was already pushing her psychological limits.
That oversized, childlike outfit, covered in absurdly juvenile patterns…
Not to mention enduring the strange looks from her colleagues and close friends all this time.
And on top of that…
In any case, Saria's fist clenched tightly.
"Ah! Saria, how dare you hit me! I'm an ageless being!"
"That hurts. Don't hit my face~"
"I'm wrong, I know I'm wrong. This time I really took the joke too far."
"If you don't stop, I'll get angry!"
"…I'm sorry. I admit I raised my voice just now."
'That went too far.'
'It hurts like hell…'
That was the first time Saria ever laid a hand on Mobius.
From that day on, strange noises could often be heard coming from the Defense Department office at Rhine Lab.