I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

Furthermore, by the time you found out, why was it already over?

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"Alicia..."

Looking at her, who seemed unchanged, Xi Wang softly called out her name.

"Long time no see~ Wang~"

She was still as cheerful as ever, and her smile was as dazzling as ever, making people unconsciously feel good about her and want to get closer to her.

"Wang has been away on this mission for a long time~ You must be exhausted~"

"Well, it's just a little tedious, not a particularly troublesome task."

The main reason was that there were too many people causing riots due to panic, plus the need to deal with all sorts of messy "failures" resulting from the "plans," which took up a lot of his time to "deal with" them.

"So? Did you notice anything slightly different about me?"

Alicia leaned forward slightly, deliberately turning her face to the side in front of him, as if intentionally showing off something.

"...Even cuter?"

Xi Wang glanced at her pointed ears, which resembled those of a legendary elf, paused for a moment, and then made a small joke in a calm tone.

Ah... but for Alicia, this shouldn't be considered a joke, right?

"Hmm! I'm happy that Nozomi said that, but it's better to say things like that to Sakura. I think Sakura would be even happier than me!"

"Take another closer look?"

Alicia deliberately moved closer to Xiwang, her blue-pink pupils filled with anticipation.

"……ear?"

Xi Wang then gave the answer.

"Yeah, isn't it cute? Just like a legendary elf!"

Alicia smiled happily after getting the answer she wanted. She took Xiwang's hand and placed it on her face, blinking her slightly mischievous eyes as she asked with a smile.

"Want to touch it?"

"……think."

"Nozomi, really~ You should be a little more reserved at a time like this~ Well... but I like your straightforwardness too~"

As she spoke, Alicia tilted her head slightly, lowered her eyes, and gently placed his hand on her transformed ear. Feeling his careful, gentle caress, as if afraid of hurting her, she unconsciously smiled.

"Is it a side effect of that surgery? Like the low temperature surrounding Kevin?"

"Pretty much, but this is just a secondary effect~ The real [side effect] isn't this~"

After satisfying his curiosity for a moment, Xi Wang withdrew his hand. It was Alicia who seemed a little dissatisfied with his "cowardly" behavior, but she quickly responded with a smile, winking at him and waiting for his response.

"what is that?"

Xi Wang asked at the opportune moment.

"Heh heh~ Actually, my [side effects] are pretty severe!"

"My metabolism is completely messed up now! It's really bad!"

"Wouldn't that be terrible?"

Although she had already realized that the actual situation was not as exaggerated or bad as Alicia had described, Xiwang still said this in a very calm tone at the right time.

Alicia was clearly aware of this, so she didn't mind Xiwang's uncharacteristic tone and continued along with it.

"Actually, no, it's just that I won't gain weight no matter what I eat, and I can have a great figure even without exercising!"

"My skin is getting better every day. I don't know if messing up my sleep schedule will have any impact, but it doesn't seem like it will..."

"And my hair too, it stays in great shape without me having to spend any time on it. Sigh... I won't have time to spend on dressing up anymore, it's so sad..."

"...Won't other girls get angry when they hear you say that?"

Hearing her words, Xi Wang tilted her head and asked a perfectly reasonable question.

"Hehe~ I usually don't say that~"

Alicia stepped forward and whispered in his ear.

"So this is a little secret between the two of us~ You have to keep it a secret, okay~?"

After saying that, she quickly stepped back, stuck out her tongue at Xi Wang, and gave him a sly yet cute expression, which made Xi Wang feel helpless.

"However, Sakura has changed a lot too~ Shouldn't you go see her soon? She's currently undergoing examinations in Möbius's lab~"

Alicia then brought up another topic.

"Sakura might really need you right now~ Oh, and don't be scared by her appearance when you see her~"

Alicia tilted her head and thought for a moment, then added one last sentence.

"And Dr. Möbius too~ Her appearance has changed a lot~ Don't be fooled by her looks~ Dr. Möbius is very cute~?"

"I see."

Anyway, he was going there anyway.

"Then I won't bother you anymore~ Good luck!"

Without waiting for Xiwang's response, Alicia ran off quickly.

"........."

Upon hearing this, Xi Wang paused slightly before quickly regaining his composure and heading towards his intended destination. Then, for the first time, he took the initiative to knock on the door of the Möbius Laboratory.

"Who is it? Hmm? Brother Wang? What brings you here?"

A petite girl with long brown hair and crimson eyes opened the door. The white coat she wore looked a little too big on her, with long sleeves covering her slender arms and the hem dragging on the ground. But she didn't seem to care, and even seemed to like this way of wearing it.

She was somewhat surprised to see Xi Wang and reminded him.

"Your surgery isn't scheduled anytime soon, and even your physical exam is tomorrow, okay?"

"I'm here to see Möbius."

"Ah... I see. That makes sense. Sakura's here too. You're here to see her, right?"

"……Roughly the same."

"I knew it!"

As if she had learned some truth, Danzhu smiled and nodded, leading Xiwang into the laboratory.

"Sakura's surgery was a great success! Although she did have some... well... noticeable side effects, she was very lucky to survive and has become even cuter! When you see her later, be sure to praise her a lot!"

"……Um."

"Seriously... why is your reaction always so calm... oh right, did you want what I suggested before? I've already talked to Sakura and Alicia~ and they both agreed. I've even picked out the roles we'll play, prepared the cosplay outfits, and even bought a brand new camera! I'm going to take a lot of pictures!"

"……whatever."

"Then I'll take that as your agreement! Hehe~ It won't take up much of your time~ I'll send you the photos once they're taken! Ah, how about I make you some figurines as souvenirs! I'll make them based on your likenesses, and I happen to have the materials..."

Seemingly imagining a particularly wonderful scene, Danzhu cupped her face and smiled happily, murmuring something like, "It's so great... It's so great to have such a perfect couple by my side who matches the characters and experiences~ We can perfectly recreate the content from the anime~", "I must post lots of pictures on my social media accounts later, so that everyone knows that there are people in the real world who are just as handsome and beautiful as those in the anime!"... and other similar things.

In the end, she even hallucinated that strange pink heart-shaped bubbles were appearing around her, and she had no idea what she was thinking.

"Then it's settled!"

Danzhu excitedly reached out and grabbed Xiwang's sleeve, as if afraid he would change his mind.

"...Young Master Wang, instead of agreeing to my sister's strange requests, why don't you consider my situation instead?"

On the other side, a girl with a similar appearance and build to Danzhu, but with azure blue eyes, a small tuft of blue highlights in her long brown hair, and even the same clothes as Danzhu, quietly approached Xiwang's other side, grabbed the sleeve of Xiwang's other arm, and spoke in a calm tone similar to Xiwang's.

Xi Wang naturally knew who she was... Dan Zhu's twin sister—Cang Xuan.

"If you're willing, I can contact a few skincare companies. Of course, I also have connections in the cosmetics industry. I believe that with my methods, your looks, and your unique qualities..."

Cang Xuan reached out and touched Xi Wang's side waist as if it were a habit, as if he could feel Xi Wang's skin through the sleeve and clothes.

"We're sure to make a fortune! Of course, you'll get your share of the advertising and endorsement fees too. How about I... I'll give you five percent of the sales?"

"........."

Seeing Cang Xuan's expression turning into a mix of anger and disbelief, Xi Wang was speechless.

"Cangxuan! Brother Wang already promised to take pictures with me first! Even Sakura and Alicia agreed! You don't want to break the promise of the three... no, the four of us including me, right?"

"Taking photos can be done anytime~ You said it yourself that it won't take up much time, so I can naturally make a request for the rest of the time, right? Besides, what do you know? Money, money is the most important thing! Haven't you seen that our lab's funding is getting less and less?! If this continues, we'll have to eat instant noodles for another two or three months!"

"Are you dissatisfied with the state of the laboratory, Cang Xuan?"

A dangerous, predatory voice echoed out. Xi Wang could clearly feel the two girls gripping her sleeves tremble violently, and goosebumps even appeared on their skin.

"Of course~ If you'd like to help resolve the lab's predicament, I'd be happy to~"

Mebius slowly walked forward, staring at Cangxuan and Danzhu with pupils that were indistinguishable from those of a snake. He watched as the two cowered behind Xiwang, having been caught gossiping. He narrowed his eyes slightly, and his tongue, like a snake's forked tongue, darted out, giving off a sense of both allure and danger.

"Ahem... Doctor, I was just making a suggestion... Brother Wang hasn't agreed yet."

Cang Xuan hid behind Xi Wang and said somewhat awkwardly.

"Oh? I think if it were the two of you, he would definitely agree."

Mebius shifted his gaze to Xi Wang, smiling sweetly.

"After all, this guy is really gentle with children. Sometimes I think, if I were as big as you guys, could I easily pull him onto the operating table?"

As he spoke, Mebius leaned forward, speaking in a more seductive voice than ever before, like a snake tempting someone to eat the forbidden fruit.

"Do you think you'll agree, you little guinea pig?"

It was both tempting and dangerous. Even the two people who were originally hiding behind Xi Wang unconsciously let go of Xi Wang's sleeves and quickly took a few steps back to distance themselves from Mebius and avoid being included in her "hunting" range.

"Dr. Möbius, I need to speak with you."

In response, Xi Wang simply replied calmly, and after a slight pause, continued.

"...Also, I'd like to check on Sakura's condition."

When she spoke the second half of the sentence, Xi Wang's tone softened slightly, carrying a hint of pleading.

"Ha~ You really are stubborn, aren't you~"