"Well, well, well, the culprit's dealt with. There's absolutely nothing between us now!"
Silver Wolf tossed the charred remains of the gloves into the trash, her neck stiff with defiance.
But she didn't realize her panicked tone and bright red ear tips had already betrayed her inner turmoil.
As for Herta? Oh, she'd been catatonic for a while, slumped on the floor in silence. If this weren't the real Herta in the flesh, Stelle might've thought she'd logged off from embarrassment.
The pervy gloves had sacrificed their life to break Silver Wolf's defenses and send Herta into a spiral.
"I-I-I'm saying it again, what just happened has nothing to do with me!"
"I didn't touch you on purpose, I didn't want to!"
"Don't get the wrong idea. Our relationship isn't changing because of this, got it?"
Even though Herta had been gone for a while, Silver Wolf kept reiterating her stance, trying to convince herself.
"You two have such a great relationship."
Stelle cupped her face, sighing wistfully. Sigh, it's been a while since I've seen such pure friendship. I wish March 7th could learn from this instead of always thinking weird stuff.
Silver Wolf: "Great, my ass!! I've said it a million times, we're archenemies! The kind that fight to the death!"
Stelle: "Love turning to hate? That's kinda interesting."
"You—!"
Silver Wolf was about to unleash a verbal barrage, but just then, Herta suddenly grabbed her leg, her eyes pitiful and her voice full of apology. "Silver Wolf, I'm sorry."
Silver Wolf's words caught in her throat, her face visibly reddening as her heart raced.
"W-Well… it's not like it's some deep grudge…"
Silver Wolf swallowed hard, stubbornly tilting her head up. "I-I-I… I just want an attitude."
"Then… then I'll give you my most precious thing to make up for it, okay?" Herta said earnestly.
Silver Wolf's petite frame trembled. "N-No need! I'm not… I mean… ugh, it's just…"
"It's not a big deal, I'm not that petty. We're all friends, friends, no need to be so polite."
Silver Wolf was at a loss, stomping her foot in frustration. "Elio's giving birth at home, I-I-I gotta go!"
With that, she didn't dare linger a second longer, activating Aether Editing and fleeing in a panic.
"Silver Wolf—"
Herta reached out to stop her but was too late. She covered her face dejectedly, murmuring, "Miss Stelle, w-was I too forward just now? Did I embarrass Silver Wolf? It's all my fault, sob…"
"No, you're not wrong."
Stelle shook her head. "Sincerity is always the ultimate weapon."
…
Silver Wolf stumbled back onto the spaceship, breathing heavily, her face in an unprecedented state of red-hot panic.
Wait, what just happened?! Why did I say those things?
Did I just forgive her?
And what's wrong with Herta? I treated her so badly before, and yet… yet she still sees me as a good friend. Is this girl an idiot?
"What's wrong, Silver Wolf? Your face is so red," Kafka asked as she passed by.
"Who's red?!" Silver Wolf huffed, storming into her room and locking the door.
She opened her computer, staring at the tens of thousands of provocative comments she'd left under Herta's videos, her emotions a tangled mess.
Ding!
The comment section refreshed with an aggressive remark from an anonymous user: This is a genius? She looks so naive. Is "genius" just a persona? Disgusting.
If it were the old Silver Wolf, she'd probably see this person as a kindred spirit. But now, her gaze was icy. After a few seconds of silence, she quietly activated her doxxing tools.
…
Tap, tap, tap.
Stelle brought Herta back to the office. As soon as they entered, they saw Screwllum and Asta huddled over a laptop, engrossed in something. Seeing the two arrive, they quickly closed it, acting as if nothing had happened.
Screwllum: "Her, back." (You're finally back, Herta.)
Herta nodded. "Mhm, sorry… something came up earlier, but I've adjusted now!"
Screwllum: "Back, good, bad." (Good to have you back, but there's bad news.)
"Huh? Even you think it's bad news?" Herta asked nervously. "What happened?"
Screwllum: "Sim, broke, fix." (The Simulated Universe seems to have broken. It needs fixing.)
The Simulated Universe was an academic project created by the collaboration of four geniuses—Herta, Screwllum, Ruan Mei, and Stephen Lloyd—to explore the mysteries of Aeons and Paths. As its name suggests, it's a miniature universe.
Herta had initially wanted to call it the Metaverse, but after getting flamed online for "jumping on trends," she scrapped the idea.
"Eek—" Herta froze, rushing to her computer to check the data. A few minutes later, her face fell. "There's another bug… Do we really need to send someone in to debug it?"
Screwllum: "Yes."
Screwllum: "I, out, guide, you, in." (I'll handle external guidance; you go in to fix the bug.)
Herta: "Eek? Me? But… Asta, can you contact Miss Ruan Mei or Mr. Stephen? If they're here, maybe…"
Asta shrugged. "I already tried. Miss Ruan Mei's busy with a new child, and Stephen's off at a concert. Neither can make it."
Herta's face crumpled. Suddenly, she thought of something and looked pleadingly at Stelle. "Miss Stelle, could you help us out?"
As expected, classic plot.
Stelle sighed. "Fine, fine. Who am I if not a helpful Nameless? Since I'm here, I can't just ignore it. Come on, let me test this Simulated Universe of you geniuses."
"Thank you so much!"
Herta hadn't expected Stelle to agree so readily. She rushed over, giving Stelle a deep ninety-degree bow.
"Hey, no big deal…"
Zzt, zzt—
At that moment, the office projector suddenly turned on, and a petite figure appeared. Silver Wolf tilted her head, feigning arrogance. "Hmph, since Herta's not going, I'll reluctantly help out."
"Don't get it twisted, I'm just in the mood."
"Oh, and you should thank me, though I don't really care."
Everyone present: ?
Seeing their puzzled looks, Silver Wolf was confused too. "What's with those faces? Didn't you just say the 'Simulated Universe' has a problem and no one can fix it?"
"…"
"Pfft—" Asta couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. She quickly stepped out of the office. "I'll go check the network signal."
Screwllum: "Guess: late, chosen." (Guess: your surveillance feed is delayed. We've already picked someone.)
Silver Wolf: ?
What's this robot saying? And why's that pink-haired girl laughing?
What's with these people? She made such a monumental, ancestor-defying decision, and she's not getting the respect she deserves?