“Herta, is there any medicine that can temporarily block pain?
I’m afraid of pain.” Kazuki shoveled in the egg fried rice that the fried rice robot had just served, looked up at Herta, who was busy at the experimental bench, and asked casually.
Fried rice robot Herta was staring at a blood sample without even lifting her head, her tone carrying a hint of casual warning: “What do you want that stuff for?
Blocking pain isn’t a good thing.
If you aren’t careful, you won’t even notice how you died.” Upon hearing this, Kazuki lowered his head and shoveled in two more bites of fried rice, his cheeks puffed out roundly, and he didn’t mention the medicine again.
A few minutes later, Herta caught a glimpse of him finishing his meal.
She set down the sample in her hand, pulled out a wet wipe to clean her hands, and said: “That stuff is sold everywhere on the market.
Just go ask Asta.
I’m not your personal nanny; such trivial matters aren’t worth my time.” “Oh~” Kazuki nodded obediently.
“Then can I go out now?” “No problem.” Herta replied casually and nodded.
She knew very well that they were currently in a cooperative relationship, not a supply-and-demand relationship where one was begging the other.
Besides, she didn’t want such a once-in-a-century research subject to just run off like that.
Kazuki stood up, took out his phone, and opened the beta version of the Herta Space Station map he had downloaded earlier.
Just as he lifted his foot to slip away, he suddenly seemed to remember something.
He turned around and said in a solemn tone: “Herta, I said before that when I arrived at the Herta Space Station, I would make you agree to one condition.
Now I want you to fulfill it.” Herta’s movements paused.
She looked up at him with interest and raised an eyebrow: “Go ahead, what condition?
As long as it’s within my capabilities.” Kazuki stared at her steadily, mentally running through her code of conduct.
He thought about how it would be inevitable for these “if” route characters to appear in public in the future, and finally gritted his teeth, making up his mind: “I hope you can help me extend the duration my companions can stay in the current world.” This statement was vague, and Herta hadn’t fully grasped what it meant.
As soon as the words fell, Kazuki mentally grasped the card and confirmed the summon.
A flash of white light streaked before them.
[Student Himeko] fell directly from mid-air.
Her high ponytail was shaken loose, with a few strands coming undone.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly and braced herself against the ground so her head didn’t hit the floor.
She looked around the unfamiliar laboratory environment in a daze.
When her gaze swept over to Kazuki and Herta, she instantly understood what was going on.
[Student Himeko] immediately walked to Kazuki’s side with a dejected expression.
Staring at the footprint left by Herta on his clothes, she said, both angry and anxious: “You were actually caught?
Why didn’t you tell me?
I have a black belt in Taekwondo; I could have at least blocked a hit or two for you.” After saying this to Kazuki, she immediately turned around, held her head high, and shouted toward Herta, looking like she was ready to go all out to protect her own: “Whatever tricks you have, come at me!
He doesn’t know anything; I know much more than he does!” In reality, she didn’t know a damn thing.
From beginning to end, she didn’t understand any of the inside story, and she actually knew even less than Kazuki.
She was purely bluffing to act like a hero.
Upon hearing this, Kazuki immediately pretended to be moved and wiped away non-existent tears.
With a look of reluctance, he said to Herta: “In that case, Herta, the condition I just mentioned is this.
I’ll leave her to you.
If you discover any results, remember to let me know.
I’ll be taking my leave.” [Student Himeko]: ಠ_ಠ She froze on the spot, whipped her head around, her eyes wide, completely dumbfounded.
Kazuki, you really deserve to die!
Is this the loyalty and righteousness you keep harping on about every day?
So you just turned around and sold me out, right!
…
After explaining to [Student Himeko] that it was a joke, Kazuki headed toward the Master Control Zone.
During this time, he thought about role-playing [Emanator of Beauty Herta] to tease Asta, but he didn’t put it into action because he asked [Emanator of Beauty Herta] why she had requested to exit the role-play at that time.
The conclusion he got was—the power of an Emanator is powerful, and the impact it causes is also huge.
If you go around the Herta Space Station now, you can experience the joy of a succubus.
“Woof woof woof…” A few barks brought Kazuki out of his memories.
He looked down and discovered it was Peppy—which is to say, Asta’s pet.
Peppy The classic “humans aren’t as good as dogs” series.
Moreover, this was a pet dog with high intelligence.
Usually, when it barked “woof woof woof,” the meaning was just “woof woof woof.” If there were other meanings, although it didn’t speak human language, one could understand what it was saying through a Synesthesia Beacon.
In the department of acting like a dog, no one could compare.
“Good dog.” Kazuki praised it casually and then walked forward quickly.
However, Peppy closed its mouth but kept walking along with him.
The cold white light of the Herta Space Station corridor covered the floor.
Among the passing researchers, there were always those with sharp eyes who spotted Kazuki, as well as Peppy, who was following closely behind him.
It was as if they had been hit by a curse; their footsteps stopped in unison, and their chattering gossip drifted far down the corridor.
“Whoa?
Who’s this?
Never seen him before?
An outsider?” “No, the point is Peppy!
Peppy is actually following him?
Last time I asked someone to bring the top interstellar beef jerky, it didn’t even sniff it, and now it’s actually wagging its Tail and following a stranger?” “Doesn’t this dog ignore everyone except station master Asta and Captain Arlan?
What’s this handsome guy’s background?” “Look at his outfit, it’s strange.
It’s a bit like mine.
How come Peppy took a liking to him?
Why not me?” These mutterings weren’t loud, but every word drifted into Kazuki’s ears without missing anything.
His footsteps paused, and he looked down at Peppy, who was trotting along energetically with its short little legs by his feet.
Turns out he just casually praised it as a “good dog,” and this little guy had doggedly followed him for half the corridor, and he couldn’t shake it off.
He simply stopped, turned around, and crouched down, waving his hand at Peppy: “Go back.
Go find your station master.
I have things to do here.” As a result, Peppy tilted its head, its fluffy big Tail wagging even more happily.
Not only did it not leave, but it trotted forward two steps, rubbed its furry head gently against his trouser leg, and made soft whining sounds in its throat, without the slightest intention of moving.
Kazuki had no choice.
He couldn’t be angry with a dog, and he certainly didn’t dare to forcibly drag away Asta’s precious darling.
He could only stand up resignedly, thinking he’d better detour to Asta’s place and return the dog first.
Just as he turned around, a rush of hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor, accompanied by a male voice full of anxiety, calling out one after another: “Peppy?
Peppy, where did you run off to?” It was Arlan.
Such a familiar routine; in the plot, it was always Arlan looking for the dog.
Before Kazuki could react, a figure in a security uniform had already rushed in front of him.
Arlan’s forehead was covered in a light sweat.
His usual calm and tense demeanor was completely gone, and his face was full of undisguised panic.
His eyes first locked firmly onto Peppy on the ground, and after confirming that not a single hair was missing, he suddenly looked up at Kazuki, his gaze instantly shifting from anxiety to full-blown vigilance.
“Hello, I am Arlan, the personal guard of Herta Space Station station master Asta.” His voice was kept steady, but the vigilance within it couldn’t be hidden.
His eyes scanned Kazuki up and down several times, as if assessing his danger level.
“May I ask who you are?
Why is Peppy with you?” As the head of security for the Herta Space Station, Arlan could recognize every familiar face in the Master Control Zone with his eyes closed.
He had absolutely no impression of the person in front of him; it was a purely unfamiliar, outsider face.
Moreover, Peppy was the darling Asta held in the palm of her hand.
Now that it was actually following a stranger, the string in his heart tightened instantly.