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Five minutes later, in Herta's room.
Under the boost of Hiroshi's first-stage Gene Lock—which doubled his physical output and dulled his sense of pain—the now-shrunken Herta was left breathless. No... I can't take it anymore. Why did this little fellow's physique suddenly spike so much? I was almost... shaken apart by him...
Looking at Herta, who now lay weak and docile like a doll that had been played with far too much, Hiroshi felt a wave of lingering fear. The effect... is actually this strong! Luckily, I didn't use the second stage, otherwise Madam Herta would probably be... He shook his head, not daring to think further.
"Madam Her... Herta, are you alright?" Hiroshi inquired, his voice full of concern.
Herta raised a soft, weak arm and lightly tapped his chest with a small fist, her face in a charming pout. "You idiot! Why were you so heavy-handed? Are you trying to break me? If you do this again... I won't cooperate with you anymore."
"I'm sorry, Madam Herta. I didn't mean to," Hiroshi apologized sincerely.
"Forget it. But seriously... why did your strength increase so much?"
Hiroshi began to explain the rewards he had received from the System, but as he spoke, Herta's expression turned to one of confusion. To her, his mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out. It was as if a cosmic silence had been draped over his words.
"Hmm? What are you saying?"
Hiroshi froze. Damn it! Whenever it concerns the System, no one can hear me. It's like a mysterious law is censoring my truth. He sighed, wanting to be honest with the woman he trusted most. "I'm sorry, Madam Herta. I... I can't say it."
Herta studied his face. Can't say it? Based on what I know about him, he isn't hiding it on purpose. It's like an Aeon or some higher entity is preventing him from speaking. If I press him, I might actually cause him harm.
"Fine," Herta said, relenting. "If you can't say it, then forget it. It's late. Let's go to sleep."
Hiroshi hugged her tightly, enjoying the softness of her petite form and rubbing his face against her cheek. Herta opened one eye, a smug smile curving her lips. He really has no resistance to this appearance of mine. But then again, who could resist a genius like me?
Over the following weeks, Hiroshi divided his time between his duties and the Simulated Universe. Through constant battle, his endurance improved significantly. His limit for the first stage of the Gene Lock extended to 8 minutes, and the second stage reached a full 90 seconds.
One afternoon, while recording supply data, Hiroshi's phone buzzed.
Herta: Come to my room. Pack your things.
The message was cold and brief. Hiroshi's heart hammered against his ribs. Pack my things? Is she taking me to the Azure Star? Or... He didn't ask. He simply obeyed.
When he returned to her room, Herta was standing by the window, her back to him. When she turned, her face was as cold as the ice on Belobog. There was none of the gentleness from the nights prior.
"You're here," she said, her arms crossed. "If you're packed, leave the Space Station."
Hiroshi's world stopped. "Eh?"
"Did you not hear me?" Herta's tone was sharp, devoid of emotion. "Leave."
"Madam Herta... why are you kicking me out?"
A look of disdainful amusement flickered across her lips. "It's simple. The Simulated Universe has been successfully developed. You were a useful test subject, but now... you are useless to me. The Space Station doesn't keep freeloaders, and I don't want people gossiping about why I keep a 'pet' around. Do I need to be more specific?"
Hiroshi felt those words strike him like a physical blow, shattering his heart into a thousand pieces. So... it was all just research? The nights, the gentleness... was it just because I was a useful tool?
"No... it can't be... Madam Herta... you aren't that kind of person!"
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