Ring ring ring ring ring...
The alarm at five in the morning rang, marking the beginning of a new day's work.
Vill-V reached out with the back of her hand and smacked her pocket watch, only to realize that it wasn't the watch alarm that was ringing. Her entire mind was still foggy.
Hm? That sound just now didn't resemble a mechanical alarm clock at all. It sounded more like some pleasant voice imitating the ringing of one.
Sniff sniff There seemed to be a faint scent of lilies by the bedside.
Did she ever use lily-scented shampoo or body wash?
As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw a dazzlingly beautiful pink-haired girl. Even in the dim room lit only by the flickering lights of machines, she remained captivating and radiant.
"Hehe, Elysia, hugs!"
Although Vill-V could switch personalities without any lag once fully awake, her startup speed after waking was always slow. After all, she had to "load" so many personalities, each of which needed to be awakened.
Of course, there was also an emergency wake-up mode. It could even allow the Id to remain asleep while other personalities woke first. But that was only necessary when she was outside. When she was alone, there was no need to rush. Slow was comfortable. Slow was healthy.
And so, in her groggy state, Id Vill-V reached out and tried to embrace Elysia. Elysia, however, deftly stepped back half a step, neatly avoiding Vill-V's grasp.
Elysia understood the boundaries between people. Feelings were not about relentless advances. Otherwise, she would have long since become someone else's wife—or worse, someone others found annoying.
"My, my~ It's only been a few months, and the great magician has become so proactive."
"But something like this let's save it for next time, okay?"
"Ah, though saying it like that makes it sound like I rejected you, doesn't it? I just didn't want to take advantage of you, so please forgive me."
"Awkwardness isn't what you want, right? Once you're a little more awake, you can do whatever you like to me~"
It was obvious Vill-V had just woken up and was still dazed. Elysia felt that taking advantage of her now would only lead to awkwardness later.
Creating lasting embarrassment for the sake of a fleeting moment of passion was not good for a lovely girl's date. Elysia preferred something sweet and romantic.
After hearing Elysia speak so much, Vill-V finally woke up. The Id recalled what she had just tried to do, and her face instantly turned bright red—so red it was almost steaming. She could only hope the dim lighting would hide her expression.
"Who would have thought that the great magician who stands calmly before countless eyes on stage would turn out to be such a blushing cutie?"
At Elysia's teasing, Id Vill-V's face grew even redder.
Elysia did not press further. Instead, she smoothly changed the topic.
"By the way, you look really tired, Vill-V. It's fine if you sleep a little longer."
At the same time, she plopped down onto the bed without hesitation, not minding the messy sheets at all.
She patted her thigh, wrapped in white stockings—soft and full of elasticity—and smiled lightly.
"Come here. As compensation for disturbing your sweet dream, Elysia's elf magic will help relieve your accumulated fatigue~"
Faced with the somewhat suggestive lap pillow invitation from Elysia—a pink-haired girl born on November 11, 163 cm tall, weighing 54.8 kg—Id Vill-V was at a loss.
So, by habit she let Expert take over.
"..."
Expert grumbled inwardly: Why me? Shouldn't this be handled by Conductor? I'm socially anxious too.
Id: Sorry, sorry! Lately it's just been the two of us active every day, so it became a habit—haha.
Id: Please, other me!
Expert: Conductor, you're watching this, aren't you?
Conductor: Stare~
Expert: Why are you just watching.
"The cute and charming Vill-V is staring at me in a daze my heart is racing~"
"You suddenly went silent. Is there something troubling you? What are you thinking about?"
"Let me guess—you're thinking about why Elysia is so adorable, right?"
"Come on, smile a little. Are you unhappy being with me?"
Seeing Expert remain silent, Elysia thought she was being deliberately ignored. So she began tossing out one topic after another, trying to catch Expert's interest.
Expert's expression remained stern and indifferent. Faced with Elysia's teasing, she showed not the slightest reaction.
(Id: Expert, my hero. Incredible.)
In reality, Expert simply had no idea how to respond.
Expert sighed. Her dim, lifeless eyes turned toward Elysia as she spoke in a cold, serious tone:
"Miss Elysia, this room is located inside a massive gyroscopic mechanism. How did you enter?"
Vill-V's demeanor and tone shifted drastically, making Elysia let out a soft "Ah." Expert's cold style was vastly different from Conductor, Id, or Magician.
Mood swings could explain some things, but a person suddenly being shrouded in a bleak, heavy atmosphere was not something simple emotions could account for.
Anyone else would likely find Vill-V difficult to deal with. One moment she was a shy girl blushing, the next she became a cold and distant iceberg—anyone would be at a loss.
But Elysia was different. She quickly accepted this version of Vill-V. Elysia's love could embrace everything.
"Don't be so distant. Just call me Elysia~"
She pointed at the only window in Vill-V's workshop.
"I came in through that door. You don't mind, do you?"
Expert nodded, then pulled out a small notebook and made a note.
"Defect Management Manual":
Level 3: "Window concealment requires improvement."
The Defect Management Manual was Expert's work log for recording issues that needed improvement or repair. It was divided into five levels. Level 5 could be ignored, while Level 1 required urgent attention.
Expert continued her questioning expressionlessly:
"Then how did you locate this place, Miss Elysia?"
Elysia placed a finger against her glossy lips and tilted her head cutely.
"Hmm by the resonance between beautiful girls' hearts. In other words, I felt Vill-V's anticipation. That explanation should be easier to understand, right?"
Naturally, Vill-V didn't believe such an explanation. In the original storyline, even MOTH had exhausted every method and failed to find Vill-V. Yet Elysia could easily locate her hiding place.
As Vill-V, she had full confidence in her counterpart from that storyline. Ordinary methods could never catch such a cunning Vill-V.
Hadn't Conductor always said: a backup plan needs its own backup plan no, even the backup plan's backup plan needs yet another backup plan
Just think about how many backup plans that made.
And yet Elysia was like a Vill-V radar—she could find her whenever she wanted. Truly worthy of being Elysia.
Mm. Expert pulled out the Defect Management Manual once more and wrote:
Level 1: "Elysia" (pinned).