Chapter 54: That's a Separate Fee!
Defeating the Skaracabaz hadn't taken much time at all. Finding the terrifying cosmic bug and then casually one-shotting it into oblivion had been ridiculously simple.
Beside him, Ruan Mei didn't show the slightest hint of surprise. Her serene expression remained entirely undisturbed, as if a catastrophic Swarm entity being swatted like a common housefly was simply a matter of course.
"Do you want to board the Astral Express with me?" Leon asked, extending a casual invitation.
"No need," Ruan Mei replied, shaking her head gently. A faint, elegant sway of her hair accompanied the motion. "If I miss you, I will contact you."
Ruan Mei had no real intentions of boarding the Express. The sterile, perfectly controlled environment of a laboratory was where she felt most at home. It held her favorite precision instruments and her endless, unfinished research—things a trailblazing train clearly couldn't provide.
Of course, if Leon had remained stubborn and unwilling to cooperate with her biological inquiries, she wouldn't have minded trailing after the Express, wearing his patience down day by day until he finally nodded in agreement. When it came to securing precious experimental samples, a true genius of the Society was never stingy with her time.
'So am I winning or losing here?' Leon mused inwardly.
Her answer was crisp and decisive, and Leon didn't bother pushing the issue. Indeed, in this universe where Paths intertwined and cosmic rails bridged galaxies, physical distance had never been a true barrier. Whether he went looking for her or simply dragged her to his side, it was all just a matter of a single, effortless thought.
'And if I want to see you?'Ruan Mei's voice echoed softly in his mind.'Send a message,'Leon shot back telepathically with a lazy grin.'I'll pull you right over.'
"By the way," Leon added aloud, shifting gears entirely. "I'm planning to make a video game soon, and I want to add you to the roster as a character. What do you think?"
"Of course you can." Ruan Mei didn't even blink, completely unbothered by the prospect of Leon using her likeness.
"Perfect. Also, hand over a few of those Cat Cakes..."
The elevator doors slid open with a soft mechanical chime.
"Eh? Why are you two coming down from the elevator?"
Waiting on the sleek metallic platform of the Herta Space Station were the Herta puppet, Asta, Arlan, and the rest of the Astral Express Crew. Seeing Leon and Ruan Mei stroll out of the station's internal lift—rather than descending from Ruan Mei's private ecological ship—prompted the puppet to cross her jointed arms and tilt her head in inquiry.
Asta's eyes darted between the two of them. Her cheeks flushed slightly as her imagination ran wild. 'Oh my god, could it be that they were alone in the Space Station's private lab... This is just... too exciting!'
"I was processing some experimental materials I had left behind in the Space Station..." Ruan Mei spoke softly, her tone smooth and practiced. She had clearly prepared this excuse long in advance.
And as far as excuses went, it was flawless. The Skaracabaz clone she had secretly cultivated in the secluded zone was already dealt with. Even if clueless researchers accidentally wandered into her sealed lab in the future, they would no longer face the threat of a giant, killer bug.
"I see. Did you get the sample?" Herta pressed, her synthetic voice laced with mild curiosity.
Ruan Mei offered a slight nod, providing no further elaboration.
On the other side of the platform, Leon found himself instantly swarmed by the long-awaiting trio: Stelle, Caelus, and March 7th.
"Big brother! How was it? How was it?" Stelle leaned in close, her golden eyes scanning him up and down with intense curiosity. "Ms. Ruan Mei didn't do any weird experiments on you, did she?"
"She didn't perform any inhumane biological research on your body, right?" Caelus added, leaning in from the other side, his face a mask of utter seriousness.
Leon cleared his throat, adjusting his posture as he prepared to deliver a masterclass in storytelling. "Well, it went a little something like this. Ruan Mei invited me to her private lab, saying she wanted to do some... experiments." He paused for dramatic effect, throwing his hands up. "Then, out of nowhere, she suddenly hugged me!"
"Whoa—!" Stelle and Caelus gasped in perfect unison, their eyes widening to comical proportions.
Asta's face practically glowed with the pure, unadulterated thrill of a gossip-monger hitting the jackpot. The sudden exclamation was so loud that even Himeko, Welt, Herta, and Ruan Mei paused their own conversation to look over.
"I don't know why either," Leon continued, placing a hand over his heart with a look of mock bewilderment. "Could it be that she was utterly conquered by my overwhelming charm?"
March 7th stared at him, her expression deadpan. "...Narcissist! Are you for real?"
A few steps away, Ruan Mei blinked slowly. "...Mm."
Himeko offered a polite, elegant smile. "...I don't believe it."
"Big brother is amazing! As expected, your charm is completely invincible!" Stelle and Caelus, however, cheered him on with zero reservations, acting as his ultimate hype-men.
Leon glanced over. Wait, that's not right—Asta, why are you nodding along so vigorously?!
Asta gripped her clipboard tightly, her inner thoughts racing. 'I literally saw Ruan Mei fall in love at first sight yesterday! Isn't what he's saying right now just the logical progression of events?!'
"So, let me guess. You didn't refuse her?" March 7th crossed her arms, curling her lip in a look of deep disgust.
"Are you kidding? I pushed her away immediately!" Leon gestured wildly, pantomiming a dramatic shove. "Right, so Ruan Mei suddenly hugs me, I don't react at all for a second, and then I push her away immediately!"
He pointed a finger toward the ceiling, his voice ringing out across the platform. "I looked her dead in the eye and said—that's a separate fee!"
The sheer absurdity of the twist caught March 7th completely off guard. She stared blankly for a split second before her composure broke, and she burst out laughing. "What do you mean, a separate fee?!"
The unexpected punchline sent a ripple of chuckles through the gathered crowd.
"As expected of big brother! To be able to calmly negotiate business terms at a critical time like that!" Stelle clapped her hands together, her face glowing with sudden realization.
"Write it down, write it down!" Caelus frantically patted his pockets, pulling out a small notebook and a pen. He solemnly scribbled down the golden rule: That's a separate fee!
"Is that true?" The Herta puppet tilted her head, her painted lips curling up slightly as she looked toward her fellow Genius Society member.
Far away, the real Herta, controlling the puppet from her private office, found it incredibly hard to imagine such a ridiculous development. But then again, this was Leon they were talking about... so it was entirely plausible.
"Mm... more or less," Ruan Mei replied. A soft, stunning smile graced her lips, and she made absolutely no effort to refute his wild tale.
After all, looking back at the situation from last night, aside from a few minor details being slightly exaggerated for theatrical effect, that was exactly how things had played out.
Indeed, it was a separate fee.
Ruan Mei casually lifted a delicate, plum-colored pastry to her lips and took a small bite.
"And then?" Herta pressed, clearly invested in the drama now.
"Later, I launched a sneak attack on him," Ruan Mei answered frankly, her tone as casual as if she were discussing the weather.
"A sneak attack?!" March 7th whipped her head around to stare at the elegant scholar in pure shock. Although her voice wasn't particularly loud, the platform was quiet enough that every single member of the Express Crew heard the confession loud and clear.
"That's right! Ruan Mei sneak-attacked me!" Leon eagerly snatched the conversation back, his hands moving in crisp, exaggerated martial arts motions. "But do you think I'd just take that lying down? I just learned Grappling Techniques!"
He clapped his hands together with a loud, sharp smack. "With a 'pa' sound, I pinned her right there!"
"This development is truly surreal..." March 7th rubbed her temples, utterly speechless.
Every ounce of logic and reason screamed at her that she shouldn't believe a single word of this ridiculous story. But for some inexplicable reason, because it was Leon telling it, it felt entirely reasonable! It fit his chaotic character perfectly!
A few paces away, Himeko, Welt, Asta, and Dan Heng all quietly shifted their gazes toward Ruan Mei. To their collective astonishment, the esteemed genius still wasn't refuting a single word.
Not only that, but the corners of Ruan Mei's lips had curled upward, forming a shallow but incredibly genuine arc.
Welt adjusted his glasses, his stoic facade cracking. It was getting incredibly hard to hold it in. Could this actually be true? The seasoned trailblazer felt his composure slipping, a laugh threatening to bubble up from his chest.
Ruan Mei was smiling because every single word Leon had spoken was the absolute truth. She had, in fact, been pinned down by him. This wasn't a lie.
"Wow, amazing! As expected of big brother! Completely undaunted by a legendary genius of the Genius Society!" Stelle gave him a deeply sincere, double thumbs-up.
During her short time aboard the Herta Space Station, she had heard endless praise and terrifying rumors about Herta from the researchers. She naturally understood the heavy, crushing weight of the word 'genius.' She never expected her brother to be so unyielding in the face of absolute power—it practically brought tears of pride to her eyes!
Beside her, Caelus nodded furiously, his face a mask of pure admiration as his pen flew across his little notebook.
"These are for you."
Ignoring the bewildered and awestruck gazes of the crowd, Ruan Mei stepped forward.
Soon, a chorus of soft, squishy sounds echoed across the floorboards. A group of round, plump, incredibly bouncy Cat Cakes came hopping out from behind her legs. Ruan Mei hadn't forgotten the specific request Leon had made earlier.
"Wow, what are these? They're so cute!"
The moment March 7th laid eyes on the squishy little creatures, her eyes lit up like supernovas. Beautiful girls inherently possessed very little resistance to things this adorable.
"These are Cat Cakes. Little lives that I created," Ruan Mei introduced them softly. As she looked down at the bouncing blobs of pastry and feline features, her usually detached voice carried a rare, subtle hint of genuine tenderness.
"Oh? I didn't expect someone like you to create such cute creatures." The Herta puppet leaned in, her synthetic eyes scanning the Cat Cakes with sudden, intense interest.
"They were just accidental results." Ruan Mei smiled faintly, offering no further explanation as the little creatures happily bounced around Leon's boots.
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