Given how proactive Screwllum was being, 'Jingliu' hesitated for a moment before telling him what she was thinking.
After all, it was in the name of Planet Screwllum.
Screwllum probably wouldn't go blabbing to Herta about it.
When it came to that, she still trusted the guy's reputation.
And after Screwllum heard what 'Jingliu' had in mind, his very first reaction was:
The dynamic between Herta and Bai Ming was pretty interesting.
And also...
[Screwllum: Inference: After this plan is put into action, the probability of you being hunted down by Madam Herta exceeds 90%, yet you appear to be quite enthusiastic about it.]
Seeing this, 'Jingliu' felt a strangely subtle sense of being touched.
Just to go along with this playful little scheme, Screwllum had even thoughtfully used some exaggerated adjectives.
Honestly? I'm dead serious. He really did.
Of course, in Screwllum's eyes, his description wasn't exaggerated at all. He genuinely believed Bai Ming would be literally, physically hunted down.
[Nameless: Well, how should I put it... I guess people probably don't feel tired when they're doing bad stuff.]
[Nameless: Besides, Herta gets obsessed with the Simulated Universe and just abandons everything else. Don't you think that's a bit much?]
[Screwllum: I see.]
It was only after hearing Bai Ming's complaint that Screwllum understood.
So it all started because Madam Herta hadn't responded to Bai Ming's research invitation.
That special bullet, the one named "Countertemporal Shot," Screwllum knew about it too.
But, well...
If his understanding was correct, that kind of behavior in human society could usually be classified as a form of intimate emotion, a desire for the other person to notice you.
And also, the dissatisfaction that arises from that person not reciprocating your feelings.
Hm.
So, based on this logic, one could conclude that Lady Bai Ming actually likes Madam Herta quite a lot, and clearly has a possessiveness that goes beyond ordinary friendship.
[Screwllum: Conclusion: Lady Bai Ming likes Madam Herta very much and wants her attention. Correct?]
[Nameless: ???]
[Nameless: Wait, no, that's not right—how did you even come to that conclusion?]
'Jingliu' stared at the screen, her eyes wide.
What kind of thought process led Screwllum to that conclusion?
When you got right down to it, the reason she chose to mess with Herta was because the new character card she'd pulled was Little Herta.
She needed to collect those emotional values.
And then, just for the fun of it, play a little mischievous prank on the side.
How did it get linked to that kind of direction...
[Screwllum: Inference: Lady Bai Ming wants to attract Madam Herta's attention and elicit an emotional reaction from her.]
[Nameless: ?!]
[Screwllum: And the root cause is that Madam Herta was too busy with the Simulated Universe and failed to respond to your expectations in a timely manner.]
[Nameless: Sheesh...]
[Screwllum: But as a means of retaliation, your actions are far too gentle and restrained, precisely measured to maintain the right boundaries. This proves you don't truly want to anger Madam Herta.]
[Nameless: Uh, well...]
[Screwllum: Hypothesis: If Madam Herta suddenly lost interest in the Simulated Universe right now and came to you to research that bullet together, would you still proceed with this plan?]
[Nameless: ...No.]
Of course not. She could just earn the emotional values directly then, and since Herta would be back, there'd be no point in going through with the prank.
'Jingliu' thought this was only natural, and then Screwllum delivered the final blow:
[Screwllum: Conclusion: You do not dislike Madam Herta, and you feel happy being able to attract her attention.]
[Nameless: Is... is that right?]
'Jingliu' looked at the argument Screwllum had sent in the chat log, utterly bewildered.
No, wait—is this right??
She was doing it to earn emotional values! And it's not like she had a grudge against Herta, so of course she'd show some restraint.
Uh, well...
No, no, no.
Was this really how her actions looked to an outsider???
Actually, if she stepped back and looked at it, going through Screwllum's logic again...
It really did seem kind of ambiguous.
Seeing it from that perspective, it really did seem like she liked Herta a lot.
Was... was that right?
Oh no, even Screwllum was saying stuff like this.
How did Ruan Mei actually see her, then??
No way, right? That can't be right! Anything but that!!
For a moment, 'Jingliu' was frozen in place, stunned.
Her brain started a weird left-brain-right-brain war with itself, getting pretty close to being genuinely convinced by Screwllum.
Her sudden stop and dazed sitting caught Ruan Mei's attention.
Curious, Ruan Mei walked over and glanced at the chat log, especially the last part with that bewildered rhetorical question.
For a moment, that feeling of speechless exasperation, that helplessness, welled up inside her.
It was... hard to imagine whether this person had any self-awareness at all about being kind of "marinated" in Herta's essence.
And, taking a step back, a while ago, in the lounge of the Simulated Universe space station, when they were alone, hadn't she been pretty direct with her words?
How could she still not be thinking about it at all??
If she had just extrapolated a tiny bit, she should have thought about what her own feelings were.
Ruan Mei was utterly shocked and deeply perplexed.
Why, even now, could this person still ask such a question?
If it weren't for her usual restraint and composure, she'd really want to lean in, get close to her face, and ask:
"Seriously, dude?"
Ruan Mei held back her impulse, forcing herself to turn and walk away. Otherwise, she was really going to see just what kind of dense, unfeeling blockhead this person was.
As if sensing Ruan Mei's disdain, 'Jingliu' turned her head, but only caught a glimpse of Ruan Mei's back.
She opened her mouth, but in the end, she felt that if she brought up this kind of topic herself and tried to explain to Ruan Mei that she wasn't like that, wouldn't that just look like she was being stubborn and making excuses?
The moment she thought about how she could never clearly explain why she wanted to provoke Herta, 'Jingliu' felt her vision go dark.
Damn it.
This image of her being a dense blockhead, completely unaware of her own obvious crush, was probably going to be deeply rooted in Ruan Mei and Screwllum's minds.
It was a total character assassination!
And if, by some chance, Herta ever found out about this, she didn't even dare to imagine how many Amber Eras Herta would mock her for it.
She'd probably have it carved on her tombstone even after she died, as proof of Herta's unparalleled charm.
"..."
Just thinking about the expression Herta might have made 'Jingliu' feel terrible all over.
No way. There was absolutely no way Herta could find out about this!!
[Nameless: Screwllum, regardless of whether your reasoning is right or not, just promise me—this conversation absolutely, positively cannot get back to Herta!]
[Nameless: This is the one request of my entire lifetime!]
[Screwllum: Please calm down, Lady Bai Ming. I can understand the shy feelings of having one's thoughts seen through. I also have no intention of disturbing such a romantic scene.]
[Nameless: I... forget it. Let's just talk about the details of the 'Personality Completion System' for now.]
[Screwllum: Of course. It would be my pleasure.]
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL