"Aren't you curious about who I am and why I'm here so late?"
"Hmm..."
After hearing what Mobius said, Ifrit's little head didn't turn back, but her occasional glances showed her curiosity.
"Heh~ Of course, I'm here for you~"
"?"
Mobius' words completely piqued Ifrit's curiosity, and she couldn't help but look back in the dark again to observe the little girl in front of her who looked similar in size to herself.
Normally, if someone else had said these words to her, Charmander might have been on high alert by now. But because of Mobius's current appearance and childish voice, which were too disarming, she didn't raise her guard in this "weird" situation.
"Little white mouse, do you want to cure your illness and become an ordinary child?"
After seeing Ifrit's reaction, Mobius wasn't surprised at all. Instead, she couldn't help but curl her lips slightly and continued to coax with her childish voice.
As for why she wasn't surprised, it was, of course, because Mobius knew the "advantages" of her appearance.
Without knowing her and not being aware of her details, there were few people who could resist her "pitiful" and childish appearance, and most would relax their vigilance...
What's more, to make herself "popular," she had also learned the way of speaking from "Elysia."
"...?"
After listening to Mobius' words, Ifrit looked puzzled but still nodded obediently.
No one likes being locked up every day in the name of guardianship, and no one likes the super painful "treatments" that come every few days. If it weren't for Silence and Saria who accompanied her through the treatment, Ifrit might have exploded and refused to cooperate.
"If you want to, then cooperate with my research, little white mouse~ But don't worry, I won't treat you as roughly as those guys during the day."
When coaxing her to this point, Mobius paused for a moment, lowered her eyes, and thought briefly before continuing:
"If you cooperate well, I can also erase the pain in your body~ How about it, do you want to agree?"
"…"
This time, after listening to Mobius' words, Ifrit didn't agree as quickly as before. Instead, she stretched out her hands to cover her head and fell into silence, and a little fear—even terror—appeared in her eyes.
Many things may not be understood by Charmander, but she clearly grasped the meaning of the word "research" from Mobius' mouth... This instinctively made her feel fear and terror.
"So, that's why I said I'm not good at taking care of children~" Looking at Ifrit, who was caught up in her own emotions, Mobius slightly lowered her eyes, hiding the darkness and impatience within, and whispered.
Then, without giving Ifrit any chance to react, she suddenly stepped forward and stuffed a round object into her mouth with her armored fingers.
"!"
Ifrit was frightened by Mobius's actions again. She instinctively wanted to fight back in self-defense, but... before she could start, an indescribable taste spread in her mouth.
She was stunned on the bed, the fear in her eyes receding, replaced by a bit of confusion.
"Think about it yourself, my patience is limited~"
However, Mobius didn't care about Ifrit's expression at the moment.
After doing all this, she stopped looking at the person on the bed, simply left a brief statement, and exited the room to continue her research outside.
After all, what happened just now was just a small episode caused by her own bad taste.
Her main purpose tonight was Rhine Lab...
To be precise, Ifrit's information and data that the Structural Section had collected.
Whether Ifrit would cooperate with her research and keep it secret didn't concern Mobius from the beginning. Since she had come, she was fully prepared.
Even if the little white mouse didn't cooperate, it would only make the process a bit more troublesome.
"..."
After Mobius left the room for a while, Ifrit came back to her senses. She turned her head, and stared through the observation glass at the person busy outside without blinking.
To be honest, Charmander was a little confused now and didn't know how to make a decision regarding Mobius's last words.
In Ifrit's view, Mobius's words and actions were full of contradictions that puzzled her.
Obviously, the name and words she used weren't friendly, but her actions and behavior didn't make Ifrit feel any malice.
Thinking about it, Ifrit subconsciously pursed her lips, and the refreshing sweetness in her mouth spread again, calming her complicated emotions and comforting her.
---
"…"
Finally, after copying all the relevant information with a special method and restoring everything to its original state, Mobius seemed to remember Ifrit's existence and cast her eyes over again.
Then, what caught her eye was a little girl looking at her through the glass.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Have you made a choice, little white mouse~"
While speaking, Mobius once again used the black mud attached to the ground to sneak into Ifrit's room.
"…Ah."
Looking at the "little girl" who came to her side again, Ifrit opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but in the end, only uttered a meaningless syllable. This inevitably made her face flash with a trace of anxiety.
"Heh~ I don't understand, little white mouse. You need to tell me your choice in person~" Watching Ifrit's anxious look, Mobius' mischievous side surged again, and she then softly spoke, word by word.
"Otherwise, I can only assume you've given up this opportunity, which is a pity. I don't know when you'll be locked up in this place again, and you'll have to continue to endure those guys' rough experiments~"
At this point, Mobius paused for a moment, then stretched out her hand and gently stroked the corner of her lips before continuing.
"Besides, maybe I won't be able to eat candy anymore in the future. It's scary to think about~"
"Hmm..."
After listening to Mobius' words, Ifrit tried to open her mouth again, but she was so anxious that she bit down on the remaining candy in her mouth and still only managed to utter meaningless syllables.
"It seems that it didn't work. Then let's say goodbye and never see each other again."
After saying that, Mobius spread her hands to Ifrit "regrettably" and pretended to turn around and leave.
"Wait... Don't go!"