"Mobius? What brings you here?"
It was almost time for the Sky Screen to light up.
A knock came at the door.
Mama Kiana went to answer it.
Kiana lifted her head, glanced over, and spotted the serpentine figure. She couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
"What's the matter, my dear~? I came to see you. Aren't you happy?" Mobius cooed, her voice dripping with sugary sweetness as she gazed at Kiana.
It sent a shiver down Kiana's spine. She exaggeratedly rubbed her arms.
"Eww, I've got goosebumps! Cut it out, will you? Just act normal."
"Tch."
Miss Mobius pouted.
She'd been mimicking Elysia's mannerisms, and yet she got this reaction? It didn't make sense... Why did Elysia get away with it, but she couldn't? According to her analysis, wasn't this exactly Kiana's type?
But since that's how it was, she dropped the act.
Carrying bags large and small, she stepped inside.
It looked like she was moving in, too.
"My dear Mobius, you're here as well?" Elysia, who had just stepped out of the bathroom, lit up at the sight of Mobius and glided over with a cheerful smile.
As she spoke, she took some of the luggage from Mobius's hands, not giving her any chance to reconsider.
Not that Mobius had any intention of backing out, anyway...
Meanwhile, Mama Kiana smiled warmly and added, "No worries, we've plenty of rooms. How about it, Dr. Mobius? Why not settle in on the other side of our Nana's room?"
"What do you think, Nana?" She glanced over at Kiana.
Kiana had no objections.
So what if she's got two devoted attendants flanking her?
Didn't matter much.
The room on her other side was empty anyway—it was only a matter of time before someone moved in.
If anything, having Snakey around might take some of the pressure off. Elysia had been getting more and more unpredictable lately, after all.
Truth be told, whether it was Elysia, Mama Kiana, or Mobius herself, they all knew the score.
Given how the Sky Screen videos usually went, this whole series was probably going to be all about the young lady's... admirers.
Since Mobius's name had already been teased, there was basically no escaping it.
Mobius herself didn't mind all that much.
In fact, being able to legitimately get close to Herrscher of Finality, to the Origin—nothing could make her happier.
If it hadn't been for all the tedious red tape holding her back, she would've been here much sooner.
"Doctor, are you sure your research won't suffer?" Mama Kiana still held a great deal of respect for Mobius.
Even if Mobius was most likely going to become her daughter-in-law, well, some things were best kept separate.
"It's fine."
Mobius shook her head.
"Fire Moth is planning to relocate its headquarters to Sapphire City anyway. My lab will have to move here eventually."
"Even if that weren't the case, I can still conduct research remotely. It's not like my work grinds to a halt just because I'm not in the lab."
"Not a big issue."
"..."
When she brought up Fire Moth's higher-ups, her tone carried a hint of disdain.
She sniffed dismissively.
After all, Fire Moth moving its headquarters here meant the top brass would be following along.
First off, it was a way of showing their stance—to align themselves closely with the young lady, the Herrscher of Finality, and move forward under her lead.
Even if the young lady didn't exactly hold them in high regard, at least she wouldn't think too poorly of them.
Secondly, they were well aware that as long as the young lady didn't have one of her... episodes, or turn dark, being near her was probably the safest place in the world.
But if something were to happen to her, well, needless to say, it wouldn't just be Sapphire City—the whole world would be in deep trouble.
Not much difference there, really.
Weighing the options, sticking close to the young lady obviously offered more security. And if she had any instructions, they could act on them immediately. Talk about being obsequious—they were practically falling over themselves.
She hadn't even said anything, and they were already bending over backwards.
Mobius found it frankly embarrassing to be associated with them.
"Speaking of which, Mobius~ your timing is perfect," Elysia suddenly chimed in, as if remembering something, and grinned at Mobius.
Mobius raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh?"
"Because the Sky Screen's next reveal is about to start, and it's your turn! We can watch it together," Elysia explained.
That brought a flicker of surprise to Mobius's eyes. She looked thoughtfully at Kiana.
But before she could dwell on it, Mama Kiana jumped in to clarify.
She explained that as the Herrscher of Finality, Kiana could sense the Sky Screen's presence. So, whenever it was about to appear or change, she could usually feel it ahead of time.
Clearly, this only made Mobius even more enthusiastic about Kiana.
She was so eager she even skipped dinner—not that she had time for it anyway—as if she'd completely lost interest. All her focus was on Kiana now. With clear purpose, she sidled up clingily, almost like she was acting like she was spoiled, hoping Kiana would tell her more about how it all worked.
"Later, later,"
Kiana said, sounding a bit exasperated.
It wasn't that she disliked Mobius getting close—after all, she was quite fond of Snakey too.
Big Snake or little snake, she liked them both.
And Big Snake, with her soft, plush figure, felt wonderful to lean against, almost like marshmallow.
On any other day, she wouldn't have minded stringing Mobius along a little.
Or, depending on her mood, sharing a tidbit or two.
But right now...
"The Sky Screen's about to start, Snakey. Once you're settled, let's head to the balcony and watch it together."
"You wouldn't want to miss your own feature because I got distracted telling you stuff, right?"
"Hmm?"
"..."
Kiana smiled.
Miss Snake wasn't all that hard to handle—at least, not as tricky as Elysia—so she could manage just fine.
Mobius thought it over and had to agree.
Questions like what the young lady had been feeling lately, what it was like to wield such power, or other curiosities… there'd be plenty of time for that later.
Even if she wasn't exactly thrilled about her own exposure video, she was still curious to know what she'd done in the future, how things would turn out.
She felt a twinge of annoyance, sure, but it wasn't enough to make her resist outright.
This time, they were clearly better prepared than last.
Don't get the wrong idea—she was talking about the balcony setup.
Last time, it'd just been Kiana and her mom watching together; they hadn't put much thought into anything else.
But now, thanks to Elysia's suggestions, several recliners had been set up on the balcony, angled perfectly for Sky Screen viewing.
She'd also laid out fruits, snacks, tea, and pastries— turning the whole thing into a cozy, enjoyable viewing party with good food and casual chatter.
It sounded pretty delightful.
And it wasn't just them. Over the past few days, these specially angled recliners had been selling like hotcakes all over town.
People might not know when the Sky Screen would appear again, but it never hurt to be prepared. Buying one, keeping it on hand—where was the harm in that?
It had sparked a bit of a consumer trend, really.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.