Ding-dong, ding-dong...
Inside the room, an abrupt ringtone sounded.
"At this hour, who would be looking for me?" The Herta, who had just returned to reality, muttered in confusion when she heard the noise.
Beside her, the Fourth Mirror immediately lit up. "Madam Herta, it is very likely that your lunch delivery has arrived. There are also nutritional supplements, milk, and papaya!"
The Herta's face darkened at once. She turned her head and fixed the Fourth Mirror with a serious stare. "My current figure is already perfect. I don't need supplements. Understand?!"
"I understand, I understand, Madam Herta. You're just being tsundere, aren't you?" After conducting a big data analysis, the Fourth Mirror replied earnestly.
"Your instincts long for growth. Otherwise, you wouldn't have developed a second personality—Herman—due to excessive loneliness!"
The Herta's lips twitched slightly. "I'm not tsundere. And I, Herta, am perfect. It is impossible for me to develop a second personality because of loneliness!"
"As for Herman's existence, he is..."
She paused at that point. Thinking of how mysterious Herman, her cheat, was—so mysterious that even the machine head could not detect him—she helplessly changed her tone.
"Fine. Just treat him as my second personality."
"As expected." The Fourth Mirror nodded with certainty and said happily, "That way, aside from me, the Fourth Mirror, you will also have a second personality to keep you company, Madam Herta. That's a good thing!"
"This way, you won't continue being lonely. You won't be alone anymore."
Not alone anymore?
The Herta froze for a moment. Then she looked seriously at the Fourth Mirror. "You're just a mirror. At most, you're AI Herta with a portion of my data. As for Herman, he's not even human..."
The Fourth Mirror showed no dissatisfaction at those words. In its view, Madam Herta was simply being stubborn.
As for Herman, at that very moment he began teasing her. "The Herta, since when did I become your second personality?"
Faced with the teasing, The Herta maintained her composure and responded inwardly, 'Of course you're not my second personality. I only told the Fourth Mirror that to hide your existence.'
'After all, the Aeons of this universe—existences like that machine head—are far too insidious!'
'The moment I solved the Solitary Waves Theory, an existence like Them locked onto me almost immediately!'
'To prevent you from being exposed to the outside world, I can only claim you're my second personality!'
Herman suddenly understood. "So that's how it is. What terrifying possessiveness. So you're actually a yandere, The Herta!"
A string of question marks seemed to pop above The Herta's head. 'What nonsense are you talking about, Herman???'
"You said before that you wanted to research me. Now you want to hide me and keep others from discovering my existence. The way you've been acting—isn't that exactly what a yandere does?!"
The Herta's eye twitched, and she felt utterly speechless. In the end, she replied:
'I'm not wasting words with you. I'm going to open the door!'
'After writing the answer to the Solitary Waves Theory, I am honestly a little hungry!'
Tap, tap.
With her exquisite legs wrapped in black silk stockings, The Herta quickly walked to the door, twisted the handle, and opened it—only to discover that the people outside were not delivery staff, but Lanvelle of the Blue Federation, along with a stranger.
"You're not here with the delivery?" The Herta's brows furrowed slightly.
"No," Patavia had barely finished speaking when she saw The Herta begin to close the door. Reacting swiftly, she immediately reached out to brace it, preventing it from shutting, and said, "Miss Herta, we are not here to harass you. Please don't turn us away. We truly have important matters to discuss!"
"I will not join the Intelligentsia Guild. Even if you come three times, my answer will not change in the slightest." The Herta's tone remained as cold and genuine as ever.
At the same time, she quietly increased the force with which she pushed the door—she even used the recently surging energy of the Path of Erudition.
"We are not here to invite you to join the Intelligentsia Guild this time," Lanvelle said.
"I am here on behalf of the Interastral Peace Corporation to discuss cooperation in scientific research with you—the 83rd Seat of the Genius Society."
"Interastral Peace Corporation? Research cooperation?" The Herta's grip on the door eased slightly as she stared at Patavia. "Explain in detail."
"The Interastral Peace Corporation can provide you with investment as research funding. After your products are developed, you may cooperate with the Corporation. We will attempt to commercialize and monetize them."
"So it's investment." The Herta finally opened the door fully. "That works."
At the very moment the door opened, she communicated inwardly with Herman.
'I don't care about commercial investment matters. That's too boring. You handle it for me. As for me, I'm going to the Simulated Laboratory to think about my next research project!'
As her words fell, control of The Herta's body shifted to another operator.
...
The door stood open.
Lanvelle and Patavia finally saw The Herta dressed in a magical girl cosplay outfit—an eighteen-year-old university student radiating youthful beauty.
Looking at her like this, Lanvelle could not help but sigh inwardly.
Earlier, she had regarded The Herta as nothing more than an ivory-tower student and even believed her refusal to join the Intelligentsia Guild was unwise. Yet in less than half a day... The Herta had already received an invitation from an Aeon and become a member of the Genius Society, an existence above the Intelligentsia Guild.
As for Patavia, the moment she saw The Herta's youthful face, she finally understood the gap between an ordinary scholar like herself and a genius of the cosmos.
When Patavia was eighteen and a freshman in university, she barely understood how to write a thesis, let alone what scientific research truly meant...
Yet at eighteen in her freshman year, The Herta had solved the Fourth Cosmic Conundrum—the Solitary Waves Theory.
Patavia—and even the Intelligentsia Guild—had established research teams and conducted countless rounds of study on the Solitary Waves Theory, yet they had never managed to solve it...
The difference in intelligence between people was simply too vast!
Like the ends of the earth!
Patavia pushed up her glasses and said, "Miss Herta, I am Patavia, representing the Interastral Peace Corporation. We wish to cooperate with you. May I ask if you are willing?"
The Herta folded her arms. "Of course."
Entering work mode, Patavia swiftly took out a notebook from her pocket and began recording. "May I ask what your next research project will be? I need to submit a report to the Corporation and apply for a budget."
"The project? Haven't decided yet. And there's no need to apply for a budget."
The Herta directly extended her hand.
"Just transfer the money."