Just as Kosma expected, the moment he sat down, Dystopia immediately spoke up:
"Yo, Kosma, why'd you come sit here? Don't tell me…"
Kosma cut her off without hesitation:
"Sakura will be bringing Rin over soon. When it comes to looking after kids, I'd say I have some experience, so I thought I'd sit here."
Dystopia narrowed her eyes at him.
"Funny, I don't remember you ever being good with kids. Kosma, if you're going to make excuses, at least make them convincing. Besides, couldn't you have just sat next to Hua?"
(Damn. I slipped and let my memories of looking after Griseo mix in… In this timeline, I've never taken care of a child before.)
Cold sweat broke out across Kosma's forehead. While he was trying to think of a way out, Hua spoke up:
"Sorry… Kosma and I aren't exactly close yet. Maybe he thought sitting next to me would feel a bit… awkward."
Elysia gave both Kosma and Dystopia a flat look. Couldn't these two just talk things through properly, like she and Silas did? Did they really have to be this complicated? On top of that, she needed to state something clearly.
"Hey, Kosma, when you say you have 'experience with kids,' you mean because you and Rin can communicate through games, right?" Silas gave him a sharp glance. "She's only a child. Don't go corrupting her."
Mobius, chin propped on one hand, also turned her gaze on him.
Kosma… playing games now? If that was true, then once Griseo was born, she'd have to seriously cut down his time with her. What if he ended up leading Griseo astray?
Kosma stayed quiet for a moment, then finally muttered:
"…Of course I'll be careful."
But then he pivoted:
"Then tell me, Dystopia, why exactly are you so bothered by me sitting here?"
"!"
Since when did Kosma learn to counter like this? Well, well… so you've learned to put me on the spot, huh? Fine! Today, I'll show you that your senior will always be your senior!
"You've got no real experience with children, and yet you use that as your excuse. I don't buy it," Dystopia shot back, eyes fixed on him.
(Come on, just admit you wanted to apologize and I'll forgive you already!)
Kosma met her gaze steadily.
"That excuse was just to cover for Hua. She and I don't really know each other, and our personalities are a bit too similar. Sitting together would just make things stiff. So what's wrong with me sitting here instead?"
"Then why not just say that outright?" Dystopia pressed.
Kosma's reply was firm, even righteous:
"If I said that directly, wouldn't it cause even more misunderstanding? At the end of the day, why are you so concerned with where I sit?"
Dystopia froze. He actually countered that? If she couldn't answer, wouldn't that mean admitting she'd been waiting for him to come over, to apologize first? And worse, Pardofelis was right here—if she didn't handle Kosma properly and instead let this blockhead get the better of her, how was she supposed to help Pardo steal Elysia's Silas later?
Elysia looked at Dystopia oddly. Something about her expression made it seem like she was plotting something ridiculous.
Silas, on the other hand, had long lost interest in this back-and-forth. He pulled out his phone.
"Elysia, have you already ordered dinner?"
"Mhm! Of course I did. It'll be ready for pickup soon." Elysia also took out her phone and held it up for Silas to see. "But I wasn't too sure about your tastes. Should I add a few more dishes?"
One glance told Silas everything: none of the dishes were heavy or greasy. Understandable—most of the people here were girls.
Girls who constantly said they hated oily food because they didn't want to get fat… while happily indulging in every dessert imaginable.
"I don't have any particular preferences. Everything you ordered looks fine." Silas nodded. Then, noticing Mobius trying to sneak a look at the screen beside him, he added, "Maybe add a few more vegetables. Mobius needs a balanced diet."
"???"
Mobius blinked. She had just leaned in to sneak a peek, and now she was being told that?
Elysia's smile curved sweetly.
"You're right. Honestly, I hadn't thought Mobius—who usually holes herself up in her lab and refuses to step outside—would even come. So I didn't consider that."
(As if! I knew from the start Mobius would show up. Even if Silas hadn't asked, I would've found an excuse to bring it up to him anyway.)
Mobius's eye twitched. After a cold snort, she said:
"Hmph. Don't flatter yourself, Elysia. Don't forget, Silas asked me to keep an eye on Dystopia. I just came to report today's situation to him. Since I was already here, there was no reason not to sit down and eat together, was there?"
"Sigh… I was just curious, that's all. After all, Mobius, you've always hated going out. On the rare occasion you don't eat instant noodles, it's usually Klein bringing you food." Elysia shrugged lightly. "Speaking of which, where is Klein?"
Mobius answered flatly, "She went to check on Blanca."
Pardofelis looked left, looked right, and came to one conclusion—she probably shouldn't even be here. Kosma and Dystopia were locked in a contest of wills over who would apologize first. Elysia and Mobius were in their usual cycle of teasing and sniping…
Come to think of it, maybe Hua felt the same way?
Hua, meanwhile, only felt baffled. Why did it feel like she was both here and not here? She glanced at Pardo, who happened to be looking back at her.
A silent confirmation passed between them—yep, both of them were the kind of people who couldn't wedge themselves into this kind of conversation.
On the other side, Dystopia had already thought of a reply. She said, "Well, someone did tell me before that he wanted to go his own way. I thought you sitting here meant you were ready to apologize."
Be frank, but only halfway.
Say "I thought," not "I wanted."
That way, if Kosma picked up the topic, it'd force him to show his hand. If he didn't, she could retreat and claim it was just her assumption. Logically speaking, that was a perfectly reasonable deduction, wasn't it? Which meant Kosma couldn't accuse her of trying to make him apologize first.
Besides, the one who owed an apology was obviously Amo!
"My thoughts haven't changed. I don't think I said anything wrong." Kosma crossed his arms. "Why would you think I'd be preparing to apologize to you?"
Dystopia: "…"
Kosma, why must your emotional intelligence choose now to shine?
The truth was, when people got stubborn, their ability to spot loopholes in what others said suddenly multiplied several times over.
Pardofelis: "…"
Since when did Kosma get so good at this? This was bad—Dystopia seemed to be in trouble. She had to help her out somehow!
So Pardo piped up: "But Dystopia has been running back and forth these last few days because of what you said, Kosma. First following up with Mobius's treatment process, and then maybe even going to see Brother Su later. She's gotten busier all because of you. Isn't it normal for people to expect you to feel guilty and apologize?"
Dystopia: (Good job, Pardo!)
Kosma: "…"
(Felis, you too…? No, I can't handle both of them at once. I need backup…)
He cast a pleading look at Silas. Silas glanced his way once, then casually went back to discussing what extra vegetables to order with Elysia.
Mobius looked ready to tear her hair out, but there was nothing she could do.
Kosma: "…"
C'mon, Silas! You can't just abandon me like this! Aren't we brothers?!
Silas's attitude: Real brothers give you a push. Quit dragging things out—are you trying to treat this like one of my agonizing life-or-death choices?
The last thing Kosma expected was Hua stepping in to break the deadlock.
"These past few days… did something happen?"
Pardo immediately rushed to explain what had gone down during that mission.
But Hua only looked more confused afterward.
"I think Kosma wasn't wrong, though. Maybe his wording was a bit off, but overall, there wasn't really a problem… right?"
Pardo: "…"
Hua, that's a huge problem!
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