That look… she's got to be kidding, right?!
Silver Wolf suddenly thought of an utterly terrifying possibility. She shook her head instinctively, unwilling to entertain the idea.
This Herta… she couldn't be a masochist, could she?
The mere thought made Silver Wolf's vision blur with panic. If that were true, wouldn't all her "revenge" up to now make her look like a clown?
Silver Wolf took two steps back, turning to flee.
No way, she absolutely couldn't stay in this cursed place any longer. She had to get back and play a couple of matches to cool off!
But… but what about the "All-Round Gloves"? They were the ultimate gaming artifact. If she left without them, wouldn't this whole humiliating trip be for nothing?
"Silver Wolf, things have come to this. Stop trying to run away," Stelle suddenly grabbed her, her expression serious.
Silver Wolf struggled fiercely. "You little punk, what do you know? Let me go!"
"Even someone as socially anxious and timid as Herta threw a straight ball, and you're trying to run? Are you even a woman if you do that?!"
"If you run today, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
I'll regret it for life if I don't run! Silver Wolf was on the verge of tears. She glanced at Herta nearby, her heart pounding with fear—Herta was gazing at her with affection, her eyes practically sparkling.
Stop looking at me like that! I hate you!
I really hate you!
Silver Wolf broke free from Stelle's grip and stepped back. "Herta, are you an idiot? I hate you so much, can't you see that?"
Herta nodded earnestly. "Mhm, I'll try harder!"
Silver Wolf: ???
She's insane, completely insane! What kind of absurd logic is this? No, reasoning with her is impossible.
Silver Wolf grabbed a nearby curio—a colorful, cheese-shaped object—and held it high. "If you come any closer, I swear I'll smash your collection!"
"It's just a Temporal Prism, Wolfie. Smash it if you want!"
"You—!"
Seeing Herta unfazed, Silver Wolf kept retreating. But as she passed a display case, something caught her eye—
A pair of white gloves, with a smiley-face emoticon on the back.
These… are the All-Round Gloves?
The very thing she came here for?
What a stroke of luck!
Silver Wolf, overjoyed, snatched the gloves, her panic replaced by smugness. "You two idiots! I'm done with your bizarre logic. I don't have time to play role-playing games with you!"
"My goal's accomplished. Time to say goodbye!"
Seeing the gloves, Herta froze, then her expression changed. She reached out to stop her. "Silver Wolf, quick, put them down! That thing will—"
"Put them down? Stupid Herta, you think I'm dumb? I came here for these!"
Whoosh—
But just as Silver Wolf was about to use her Aether Editing to leave, the All-Round Gloves suddenly came to life, wrapping around her hand like an octopus without warning.
Stelle and Silver Wolf: ??
What's happening now? Silver Wolf was stunned. Her brain raced, and two seconds later, she got it.
They say high-level curios have their own consciousness and choose their own masters.
Without a doubt, she, Silver Wolf, had been chosen by the gloves!
Hahaha… ha?
Before Silver Wolf could celebrate, she suddenly noticed her hand moving on its own, smacking her chest with a dull thud.
Half a second later, the emoticon on the gloves changed to "shocked."
Two seconds later, it shifted to "disdain."
The gloves then flipped Silver Wolf the middle finger.
Silver Wolf: ?
"What… what's going on?"
Silver Wolf was dumbfounded. She tried to use Aether Editing to escape again, but her hands wouldn't obey, let alone activate her ability.
"This is bad…"
Herta, looking like she was about to cry, cautiously stepped forward, guilt in her voice. "I'm sorry, Silver Wolf. I couldn't stop you in time."
Silver Wolf: "Don't give me that fake pity. I'm not falling for… you?"
Silver Wolf watched as her hand, out of her control, reached out and lifted Herta's chin.
Silver Wolf: ???
Herta: "W-Wah—" (kettle whistling sound)
Stelle, watching the drama unfold, thought to herself, These two are getting a bit spicy.
Herta's face flushed red, her stammering worsening. "S-Silver Wolf, d-d-don't mind it. I know it's not your fault. It's all the gloves' doing."
Of course I know it's the gloves' fault!
Silver Wolf was even more desperate. She never imagined she'd get this close to Herta.
"Herta, what's going on here?"
Stelle, also confused, asked.
"This… ugh, it's my fault for not sealing this curio properly," Herta said quietly. "This curio is called the All-Round Gloves. They make the wearer's fingers incredibly agile, a gaming godsend from Punklorde."
"But the downside is, the gloves have a mind of their own. When the wearer tries to operate them, it often leads to 'hand-brain disconnect,' where you watch the gloves mess up at critical moments, losing the game."
Silver Wolf exploded with rage. "What kind of trash curio is this? And it made the news?"
The gloves poked her chest again, then flipped her another middle finger.
Gloves' emoticon: (contempt).
Silver Wolf: ?
"Herta, you'd better explain why these gloves keep giving me the middle finger," Silver Wolf growled through gritted teeth.
"Well… I'm sorry, I don't know either, but from my tests, these gloves don't just love gaming—they also like… pretty girls."
"So it's a pervy glove?" Stelle's eyes widened as she asked.
Herta nodded shyly. "Mhm, to be precise, it's not just being pervy. It's used to rating the figures of girls it sees."
The gloves cooperatively bent two fingers, as if nodding.
Gloves' emoticon: (smug).
"Eek—"
The next second, the gloves yanked Silver Wolf forward, making her crash into Herta uncontrollably. Her entire body heated up—
Why did I crash into her?! This damned glove deserves to die! No, no, no, she smells too good, I'm gonna die—
But the gloves' antics didn't stop. They guided Silver Wolf's hand to play a delicate, lute-like motion—slowly strumming, plucking, and teasing. The process took five seconds, ending with one hand giving a thumbs-up and the other signaling a score of "six."
Gloves' emoticon: (decent).
But this robotic glove didn't realize its actions had just set off two people.