Night—
As the night deepened, almost everyone in the Rhine Lab office building went home or rested, except for the guards and researchers on night shift. After all, for researchers who need to use their brains constantly during the day, a good rest every night is very necessary.
But... this need is not absolute, at least not for MANTIS like Mobius.
You see, recently, due to her research and obsession with learning, she has stayed up many nights and hasn't had a good sleep for a long time. But except for occasional mental fatigue, her body is not too tired.
"Ding—"
"Ding...Pa."
At this moment, Mobius, who was still sitting in her office looking at information, slowly put down the items in her hands after hearing the sound of the alarm clock, and then turned off the alarm clock beside her.
She then looked up at the dark window and sighed.
"It's so quiet~"
"It's almost time; I have to go meet my precious little white mouse. I hope I won't be disappointed~"
The tone of this sentence became more and more childish, until the last word fell. When Mobius stood up, her figure was no longer as plump and mature as before, and the white coat on her body was replaced by clothes designed by Eden, which even looked a little "sensual."
"I haven't used this body for a long time; it feels a bit nostalgic." Mobius looked down at her childish body at that moment and sighed softly.
While she sighed, the black mud that occasionally flashed with a faint green light quickly spread under her feet. After covering the entire office, it still spread outward unsatisfied.
However, unlike the overwhelming erosion and covering in the office, the black mud began to "carefully" avoid all cameras after leaving the office and acted as Mobius directed.
...
"Heh~"
After a while, in her office, Mobius slightly raised her lips, and a smile of success flashed in her eyes, as if she had done something mischievous.
Then, without hesitation, she took out the 'seat' that Vill-V had made because Mobius found it inconvenient to move after becoming smaller.
She then sat on it lightly and left the office in a swagger.
---
In a semi-enclosed room in Rhine Lab—
"…"
At this moment, on the huge bed, a Sarkaz girl was curled up, with her eyes closed and in deep sleep.
However, compared to the sleep of normal people, she looked quite restless, as if she were having a nightmare, and even a trace of sweat hung on her forehead.
"...!"
Finally, as the dream changed, the girl curled up on the bed suddenly opened her eyes, and her expression looked a little frightened.
After a while, just as the girl was about to sit up and take a break, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark shadow on the transparent observation glass next to the semi-enclosed room.
This discovery made her subconsciously slow down her breathing and stiffen her body, not daring to move any further.
However, sometimes, even if you stop moving in time, it doesn't mean you haven't been discovered...
"…"
Mobius, who was standing outside and observing everything, couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly, with a strange expression.
However, she soon thought of something, and a hint of mischief quickly flashed in her gradient vertical pupils, which emitted a faint light in the darkness.
Then, without any words, Mobius quietly dived into the black mud as she had when she arrived, and disappeared in front of the observation glass.
"...Huh."
The girl lying on the bed—no, Ifrit—waited for a moment after noticing the disappearance of the figure in front of the window, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However... not long after she relaxed, a childish voice full of teasing suddenly sounded beside her.
"Hehe~ Which little white mouse is still awake so late~"
"!..."
This sudden sound made Ifrit's pupils shrink slightly, and burning flames instantly appeared beside her, as she subconsciously prepared to shout out.
However, before she could speak... a slender little hand wearing black gloves was placed in front of her lips, physically helping her to calm down.
"Shh~"
"You don't want to call people over and get two injections, do you? If you don't, just be quiet."
"…"
Although she was startled just now, after seeing Mobius's "childish" appearance and hearing her words clearly, Ifrit's mood calmed down a lot, and she also retracted her flames.
But after doing all this, she raised her head and looked at Mobius with a puzzled expression, as if asking the purpose of her visit.
"You still can't speak... is it because of psychological reasons?"
Facing Ifrit's suspicious look, Mobius did not answer her but instead muttered thoughtfully.
Before coming in, Mobius knew that Ifrit couldn't speak yet, because she had just checked the information and "treatment" progress of this little white mouse.
However, while the researchers here might not know, Mobius was clearer that Ifrit's current inability to speak was not so much due to physical damage and insufficient language reserves as it was purely psychological.
Generally speaking, only strong stimulation could make Ifrit speak again, just like the plot that Snake saw before crossing: painful experiments plus Saria's candy.
Of course, Mobius definitely did not intend to give Ifrit any strong stimulation; after all, she was now considered to be infiltrating.
Besides, whether the little white mouse could speak or not didn't matter to her, because it did not affect her experiment (treatment).
"…"
Looking at the "little girl" in front of her who completely ignored her and was immersed in her own world, Ifrit glared at her unhappily, then turned her head to the side and avoided the hand that Mobius had placed on her lips.
"Oh, what a naughty little white mouse~"
Mobius was not angry about Ifrit's behavior. After teasing her, she continued slowly.
"Aren't you curious about who I am and why I came here so late?"