[Mu Continent · Fire Moth Base]
[Mobius Laboratory]
"What even is this supposed to mean? You said it'd be a huge surprise, but you won't tell me what it actually is. Dr. Mobius, you're so mean!"
Mobius's lab was a high-security zone. Plenty of higher-ups had planted covert observers to keep an eye on her every move, just in case she decided to pull off something wildly out of bounds.
Naturally, none of that could stop Elysia.
She slipped carefully through crisscrossing detectors and surveillance lines, light on her feet, and arrived at the door of the Mobius Laboratory without much trouble.
But… just as she reached the door, the pink-haired girl hesitated.
"Wah! I'm not under some illusion, am I? Why does this feel so familiar? Yesterday's memories and today's scene are completely overlapping! Meow meow meow!"
Elysia: (O_o)
Same place, different time.
Yesterday, the Pink Fairy had been force-fed a ton of useful knowledge by Mobius and the cat working together. Today, what awaited her future self?
"Mm… wait, you're not going to make me study again, are you?"
Tears welled up in the pink pig-cat's eyes. Her hand trembled as she reached for the door, and at that moment, it opened from the inside.
"You're wasting time again! Elysia, did you bring what I told you to bring? Tch… judging by that guilty look, you didn't lose the kitten, did you?"
The snake-like doctor in her white coat grabbed the conflicted pink pig-cat and dragged her straight into the lab.
"All right. Hand over your cat-paw badge."
Mobius extended her hand toward Elysia, completely matter-of-fact.
"Hey! What are you planning to do to her? You promised me a surprise, but I don't see anything at all. I thought you'd at least wear a pink dress!"
Elysia puffed out her cheeks and handed over the Curious Relic: Curiosity and the Cat. "Oh, and don't research her recklessly, okay? She said the power inside is extremely violent and dangerous."
"Oh? Interesting. Just how dangerous are we talking?"
"…Mm?" The pink pig-cat stroked her chin. "Well, back during the Fifth Honkai, after the Herrscher of Ice was confirmed dead, there was that pillar of fire shooting into the sky over the Rosentina Islands. Something like that? Honestly, I don't really get it either."
What Elysia knew now was something she had heard at lunchtime in the Fire Moth cafeteria, shared by Himiko from the Fifth Squad while she was drinking. After all, back then she had been taken over by destructive power.
"All right, all right. I get it."
Dr. Snake waved her hand dismissively. "You said earlier that this cat experimented on herself and ended up like this. Can she still nod, shake her head, or meow at you?"
"Nope," the pink pig-cat replied. "She's a broken kitty now. Still small and cute to pet, but totally unresponsive. Sometimes she's cold, sometimes hot, and she blows air. I have no idea what she did to herself!"
"Hmph. I'm going to fix this stupid cat."
Mobius's expression turned resolute.
She did not know about the whole turning-into-a-cat thing. From her perspective, it was likely her fault. She had exploited the cat's ability to perceive experimental progress and stuffed her with too much forbidden knowledge, until curiosity got the better of her and she experimented on herself.
After all, there was an old saying. Curiosity kills the cat.
And now the cat had ended up half-dead.
If Mobius had another chance, she would have trained the cat step by step, feeding her knowledge from simple to complex, giving her a proper foundation in biological science.
Ten minutes later.
"…So what exactly is this thing?"
Mobius stared at the one-seventh-scale cat on the experiment table, then turned to look at the Pink Fairy sitting on her chair, spinning in circles with a blank expression.
Was Elysia getting dumber by the day? That thought surfaced instinctively.
But that was not important.
What mattered was this strange cat.
She was breathing. There was a faint heartbeat. By common sense, she should be alive. Yet every piece of equipment in the lab insisted she was dead.
Mobius: (⊙_⊙)
I've done experiments for so many years. I've seen everything. Kids, what is this? I've genuinely never seen anything like it. The anomalies on this cat alone could overturn half of Honkai biological science.
How to put it?
There were plenty of traces of self-modification via Honkai bioengineering, but none of them made sense. Many were outright contradictory, like the left and right brain fighting each other. And yet, when all those contradictions came together, they somehow formed a self-consistent whole.
It was unbelievable.
As a biological science expert, Mobius wanted to dissect the cat and see what was inside.
But she could not. Doing so would probably blow the entire Fire Moth base sky-high and kill countless innocent people.
A vein popped on Dr. Snake's forehead.
She could already feel a headache coming on. Existing problems were unresolved, and new ones kept piling up. Was she going to pull another all-nighter? Forty-eight hours without sleep should still be fine, right?
Because she had suddenly stopped her research, the life-detection equipment shut down, and the pink-haired girl's lively voice became clearly audible.
"Mm… let me see. Research notes, research notes…"
"?"
What was Elysia doing now? Mobius turned her head, only to see Elysia pouting and spinning in her chair.
Was this auditory hallucination from too much sleep deprivation? Mobius was starting to lose confidence in her own health.
"Elysia, stay away from my experiment table."
Something about the pink pig-cat felt suspicious. Dr. Snake's tone turned sharp.
"Hi, my dear Mobius. Are you finally done checking? What's the final result?"
Elysia stopped the chair and jumped to her feet, full of energy. After taking two steps, she held her forehead. "Ahh, I spun too long. I'm a little dizzy!"
Here's a joke. A Fire Moth warrior who could duel a Herrscher one-on-one got dizzy from spinning in an office chair.
Mobius sneered internally, but she had no intention of prying further. "Elysia, didn't you say this cat has some curious little abilities? Show me."
"Huh?"
The pink pig-cat looked utterly lost.
She really was lost.
Elysia, focus on this tail. Think, I want world-shaking power. That was all she remembered about how to use this relic, plus something about a magic shield triggering when she got hurt.
"Elysia, you're the one who understands cats best, right?"
Provocation. It was Mobius's provocation. The clever pig-cat saw through it instantly, but she had already bragged about being super close with Inori-cat. She could not back down now.
World-shaking power was definitely a no-go.
Inori-chan said it was dangerous, so let's try something else.
Elysia held the one-seventh-scale cat and thought, Anything but world-shaking power is fine. Just something that really amazes Dr. Mobius!
"Oh! It's blowing air! What kind of principle is this?"
The cat relic suddenly started blowing wind, prompting an exclamation from Mobius.
"Wait, now the air is hot?"
The wind turned warm.
"Wow, now it's cold! It's impressive, but aren't these functions kind of useless, Elysia?" Mobius said, evaluating from a practical standpoint.
"Huh? Isn't this super convenient?"
Trying it for the first time, Elysia thought it was fun and had the cat blow air at Mobius.
"But you can buy something like this for fifteen yuan at a supermarket, right? It's just the appearance that's unusual." Mobius's pale green hair was blown a bit messy. The wind was actually pretty strong.
"That's true. Maybe there are other functions?"
Elysia focused again and made another wish.
This time, a gentle, pleasant humming came from inside, followed by several girls chattering noisily.
"…"
"…"
"Wow, Uika-chan, you're amazing at singing! You could totally be the lead vocalist!"
"Hehehe, really? Then I'll enjoy it to the fullest! Sumimi's lead singer is mine now. Sorry, Mana-chan, I took your spot the moment I showed up."
"Inori, Inori, don't just stand there like a statue!"
"Ah… it sounds really nice. Does this song have a title?"
"I say, Elysia, isn't this something only a pervert would do? Did you put bugs on those girls with the cat?" Mobius covered her mouth lightly, her eyes full of provocation.
Pink pig-cat: (⊙_⊙)
The Pink Fairy's eyes went completely blank.
It connected.
She had made a call.
She had experienced this once before, so she knew exactly what was happening. She had used the cat to call another world, and Dr. Mobius just happened to be right beside her. If this was noticed, it would be troublesome.
But… it did not matter anymore.
Why? Why was it always like this?
Every time she called, Inori-chan was surrounded by a bunch of girls, having the time of her life.
This was already a music party. A lead singer, songs, the whole deal. Inori-chan sneaking off to have a music party with cute girls did not bother the Pink Fairy at all.
What bothered her was this. Why was she never there? Why could she only listen through the call? Were they not from the same world? Oh right, they actually were not.
"Hello… my dear Elysia?"
A cool, clear voice came from the other end. Kiyono Inori had noticed the commotion.
So you really are going after minors, Elysia? You're beyond saving. I need to punch you hard. That was the message Elysia read in Mobius's gaze.
Pink pig-cat: (╯>д<)╯
What even is this? Inori-chan throws a music party, and I'm the one getting judged like a criminal by Mobius. Meow!
…
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Let me know if I got a name wrong. I know basically nothing about MyGO.