If there was a word to describe his current feelings, it would be “zen”. Aleph’s thoughts went to the trash bin. All that was left were his instincts to cuddle with the girl sitting in his p.

  His hands were pei’s waist. His face was buried on her neck.

  The vender-like smell assaulted his nose further. Along with Mei’s soft body, Aleph ced in a state of inexplicable fort.

  Mei was startled by his as before she swiftly calmed down. It was her turn for her heartbeat to qui.

  ‘He’s like… a cat.’

  Cats were usually very ‘vigint’. Most of them don’t like it whenever a stranger brings them closer, uhey were trained.

  If one happens to bee closer to these fluffballs, however, they always take the initiative t themselves closer.

  ‘This is fioo.’

  Although Mei lost trol of what she could do, she let it be. The weight of Aleph’s head on her shoulders made her realize there were much more beautiful things thahought—that ignorance was sometimes not a bliss.

  If she did not take that crucial step, she would have missed these moments.

  Just as the two were immersed in their own world, Mei felt something on Aleph’s p. It was unknown as to when, but Mei moved closer to Aleph. As such, it did not escape her.

  ‘It’s—!’

  That realizatio a tinge of red all over her face. Her body jolted. Aleph woke up on his reverie as a result.

  A split sed was enough for him to realize what happened. His embarrassment was far strohan what Mei felt now.

  Dum.

  Dum.

  Dum.

  …

  His pulse became strong enough to feel it on his ear. The st time he felt something like this was when he nearly died against a chariot-css honkai beast. Now, fighting Herrschers and Emperor-css honkai beasts was no longer enough to make him feel this nervous.

  ‘What should I do?’

  ‘Break this situation? Or…’

  ‘...testing the limits..?’

  Aleph’s choice of taking multiple girls pced him the responsibility of taking care of eae of them. That includes seeing through their vague boundaries areating when necessary.

  It was tiring, yes, but it was one of the responsibilities he willingly took when he chose everyone instead of someone.

  These thoughts took Aleph less than two seds to process. His face rose up. Mei turned her head and looked at him in a daze. Due to Aleph’s height, he saw how much vision was obstructed by her chest, her nebsp;

  Simply put, many things.

  Aleph made a choice to step further.

  He came close to her face; his lips toug hers. The soft sensation assaulted his mind… but he did not stop there. He used his too pry Mei’s lips open.

  It elicited a widened gaze from her underh her gsses. However, she ultimately did not stop him.

  After all…

  This was what she expected (wao happen.

  It was a clumsy kiss. Aleph missed her tongue on several occasions. He was the only one who moved at first, but it began to ge when Mei began her own attack. She went from being passive to the one doing most of the attag.

  Due to their altered physical bodies as a MANTIS, they did not easily run out of breath. It took more than three minutes for them to separate. During that time, Aleph’s hands slightly wrihe bottom of Mei’s long sleeves. The upper portion remained untouched.

  “Huff…”

  When they separated, Aleph fot to breathe due to Mei’s alluring looks. It was simir yet different from her usual self. She still had that petitive side that ‘defeated’ him in many ways, but he also saw her vulnerable side.

  The vague atmosphere around her office tinued. Aleph tiaring at her eyes, to which he uood what she wanted.

  Knock-!

  Just as they were about to tihe sound of a knoterrupted their hectic thoughts.

  “Direei?”

  Klein’s voice came from the other side.

  Mei instantly regained her crity. She smiled at Aleph and stood up from his p. She went to the chair behind her desk as she said:

  “Yes? e in.”

  Klein’s short figure was revealed as the door opened. She was holding a pile of paperworks that blocked her face. She had to lean her head sideways to see where she was going.

  Seeing this, Aleph stood up and took the paperworks from her. He pced everything that transpired now as well as the prompts from his Achievement Hunter at the back of his mind.

  “...Thank you, Sir Aleph.”

  “There’s o say thanks.”

  He replied as he pced them on Mei’s desk.

  “I will be going.”

  Klein said these words as she left the office. Somehow, she had the slightest feeling that she interrupted somethiween them.

  ‘Doobius gave them to me ten minutes ago. It’s bad timing.’

  Click.

  Looking at the paperworks, Mei narrowed her eyes.

  ‘Is it a ce or one of her pns..?’

  It would have been fine if it was a ce. If it was not, it only meant that Mobius wao send her a message—

  To not keep Aleph to herself.

  “Ahem. You still have things to dht?”

  “...Yes.”

  Aleph finally regained his scious thoughts as he answered. He remembered his agenda for today.

  “Let’s ti… ime.”

  His heart skipped a beat once he heard Mei’s words.

  *****

  An Emperor-css honkai beast represehe current pinnacle of the honkai beasts created by the Honkai. Eae of them has an authority that defies normal physics.

  Kevin’s Devesha gave him the ability to trol heat.

  Sakura’s Yaksha gave her the ability to move extremely fast.

  Hua’s Garuda gave her multiple abilities that spanned from cell regeion to enhanced mental strength.

  It was the same for Mobius. Aside from the ability to “shed” her skin, she had another ohat she kept under s—her enhanced intuition.

  There were only two types of reas that she received—a huge event to herself and all things reted to Aleph.

  Mobius thought it was stra first—that she had a special se for Aleph—but she accepted it.

  Right now, she felt that ‘something bad’ was about to happen regarding Aleph. It was not bad for him, but for her.

  ‘Klein should have arrived by now.’

  Mobius did not halt her as. She tinued operating on one of the soldiers sent by MOTH. Si warranted her attention, she was naturally operating an Emperor-bsp;ICHOR.

  ‘It should not be her. Mei is the only o.’

  She briefly looked at her own shadow before she tinued paying attention to the operation.

  “When will you e out?”

  The moment she said these words, a portion of Mobius’ shadow turned dark red. It was her than Kurumi.

  With her tinued recovery, she regained her authority to use her City of Dev Time to appear in people's shadows.

  “It is o meet you, Mobius-san.”

  Kurumi did her usual elegant bow as she held the hems of her dress.

  “It is now my turn to speak with you alone, no?”

  “I expected this to e.” Mobius replied with a hint of sarcasm. “Tell me. What do you want?”

  “You must have met with Mei-san already. Therefore, I only wao ask.” Kurumi spoke with a smile. “Do you have the same stance as Mei-san?”

  “...Yes. Is that enough?”

  “I believe so. Pardon me for the intrusion~”

  With yet another elegant bow, Kurumi sunk into the shadows. All that was left was Mobius’ snake-like pupils flickering ihe cold room.

  *****

  A/N: If we trahis from their terms, it was simir to asking others "Are we good?"