"Is that Tratt? This is Inaba Tsukiyo. Do you have time right now? I... want to talk to you."
Inaba Tsukiyo's voice made the upset Tesla freeze. She hadn't expected Inaba Tsukiyo to call her at this moment.
To confirm the authenticity of the call, Tesla specifically moved her phone away and found that the phone number displayed on the screen was indeed Inaba Tsukiyo's.
This was interesting. One second, Einstein was planning to have Inaba Tsukiyo join Anti-Entropy, and the next second, Inaba Tsukiyo herself called. Had they conspired?
"What's wrong with you? Tes..."
Noticing Tesla's unusual behavior, Einstein was somewhat puzzled and intended to ask Tesla what was going on.
But just as Einstein was about to say "Dr. Tesla," she was suddenly silenced by Tesla's other hand covering her mouth. Tesla's eyes were frantic, signaling her not to speak now.
She knew very well that Inaba Tsukiyo's ears were extremely sensitive. If Inaba Tsukiyo heard Einstein call her 'Tesla,' wouldn't her disguise be completely exposed?
This was the first time Tesla had done something like this to Einstein. Einstein looked at Tesla with some surprise.
After seeing Tesla show her the caller ID displayed on the phone screen, she nodded, indicating that she understood.
Just as Tesla sighed in relief and was about to let go, the dampness in her palm made Tesla let out a cute yelp. She instantly jumped back a few steps, glaring at Einstein.
Facing Tesla's gaze, Einstein smiled indifferently, sticking out her tongue and making a ghoulish gesture.
"Hello? What's wrong? Tratt. Is something going on there? If you're busy, I'll call again next time."
Inaba Tsukiyo on the other end of the phone waited a long time without hearing a response from Tesla, and even heard Tesla make strange noises. Assuming she was doing something important, Inaba Tsukiyo instinctively prepared to end the call.
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Tsukiyo. I'm fine, I'm completely free! It's just... someone is playing a prank on me. I've already found a quiet place."
Tesla waved her hand. Her self-made hovering robots floated around Tesla, closely following Einstein's every move.
As long as that guy made any unusual moves, these hovering robots would release electric currents, making that bully taste some bitterness.
"Is that so? You must be working hard, Tratt. Is studying at Schicksal tough? Do researchers have a lot to do every day?"
"Eh? Hmm~ it's alright. Actually, there are main research projects every day, and as long as you research in that direction, you can complete your tasks."
"Moreover, I really enjoy researching these things, so there's no thought of whether it's hard or not, Tsukiyo."
Yes, Tesla and Einstein were both geniuses. Research was a pleasure for them, otherwise they wouldn't have invented so many treasures.
The two chatted casually about recent events. Einstein looked at Tesla with some surprise; this was the first time she had seen Tesla talk to someone so calmly.
Einstein found a chair and sat opposite Tesla, resting her head on her right hand, curiously watching Tesla. She wanted to see what unexpected things Tesla would bring her.
After chatting for a long time, Tesla noticed Einstein giving her a signal. Now was not the time for small talk; it was time to get to the point.
Tesla nodded, falling silent for a while, thinking about how to bring up the matter.
"Um, Tsukiyo. Actually, this is a rumor I just heard. Your current situation seems to be very bad."
"Oh? What's wrong? Am I wanted? Just like Mr. Siegfried or others in the rumors?"
Inaba Tsukiyo had no doubts. Such a big incident had happened at St. Freya Academy, and Otto's spies planted in the academy must have sent information to headquarters.
If she wasn't mistaken, with the power she displayed and her taking away the real Kiana, Schicksal had probably already started looking for her.
"No... I don't know yet. It's just, I didn't expect you to call me at a time like this. If Schicksal is monitoring my phone, your location might be exposed."
"Even if it gets exposed, it doesn't matter. Since I've already done this, I've considered such consequences. However, I don't regret it."
Turning to look at Kiana, who was talking to Yae Sakura behind her, Inaba Tsukiyo smiled.
If her plans were initially disrupted by Kiana's appearance, then she truly didn't regret what she had done now.
To be able to see Kiana smile so brightly again, what did it matter if her future life would be hunted by Schicksal?
"However, after this call, I probably won't be able to use this phone anymore. Although I found someone had set up a tracking system on my phone and temporarily disabled it, I can't use this phone anymore."
To prevent big shots like Bronya from discovering her location, Inaba Tsukiyo could only abandon her phone as a communication tool.
In fact, when she realized she still had this phone, Inaba Tsukiyo wanted to destroy it, but after seeing Tesla's call, for some reason, she directly dialed out.
"Now, this might be the last call I make to you. I'm sorry, it was so hard to make such a good friend like you, and I didn't expect us to become enemies so soon."
"With your abilities, you'll probably achieve a very high position in Schicksal in the future. I congratulate you in advance, Dr. Tratt."
"Then... goodbye, my friend."
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Don't just talk to yourself there! Who allowed you to simply assume things would develop this way!"
The moment Inaba Tsukiyo hung up the phone, Tesla's roar came through.
From Einstein's perspective, Tesla's eyes were red, and tears were welling up in the corners of her eyes.
Originally, it should have been her to persuade Inaba Tsukiyo to join Anti-Entropy, but because Inaba Tsukiyo believed herself to be a member of Schicksal (fuhai: believed herself to be), she could only become an enemy after leaving St. Freya Academy.
She didn't want that. Although her friendship with Inaba Tsukiyo was an accident, she didn't want it to end like this.
"...Tratt?"
"Shut up! Now, you shut up and listen to me! You absolutely cannot hang up the phone without my permission! Understand?"
"...Understood."
Although she didn't know what was happening, this was the first time Tesla had shown a different attitude in front of Inaba Tsukiyo, which left Inaba Tsukiyo a bit taken aback.
However, she didn't dislike Tesla's somewhat forceful attitude. If her previous demeanor was just a pretense, then after realizing that she and Tesla might never be friends again, the attitude Tesla displayed now must be her true self.
After all, the purpose of doing this was merely to salvage her friendship with Inaba Tsukiyo, so there was nothing wrong with it.
Einstein, on the other end of the phone, wiped the cold sweat from her brow. She was still a bit worried that Inaba Tsukiyo might get angry because of Tesla's attitude.
Judging by the tone coming through the phone's speaker, Inaba Tsukiyo didn't seem as angry as expected; in fact, she seemed... happy?
What was going on? Did Inaba Tsukiyo have some strange interests? Or was Inaba Tsukiyo the kind of person who was very forgiving of her friends?
Einstein had never directly conversed with Inaba Tsukiyo; her understanding of Inaba Tsukiyo was based solely on Cocolia's reports about her.
It was only during Inaba Tsukiyo's conversation with Tesla that Einstein once again understood the saying, "seeing is believing."
"Can we meet now, Tsukiyo?"
"Huh? Meet? But my current situation isn't suitable for meeting you, is it?"
"Don't worry about it! Don't treat me as a member of Schicksal; just treat me as your friend. This is a meeting between friends, nothing more!"
Tesla somewhat forcefully interrupted Inaba Tsukiyo, her tone direct as she exclaimed.
"Anyway, with your ability, if I tried any tricks, you could probably deal with me immediately, right? I want to meet you! Don't refuse me!"
Although her attitude was very forceful, for some reason, Inaba Tsukiyo heard a hint of 'if you refuse, I'll cry' in Tesla's tone.
This left Inaba Tsukiyo a bit puzzled. What was this child thinking? Did she have something to tell her? Or was she trying to invite her to Anti-Entropy?
Inaba Tsukiyo was well aware that Tesla was a member of Anti-Entropy. Since she had already left Schicksal, Tesla would undoubtedly want her to join Anti-Entropy the moment she found out.
'If that's truly the case, then things just got a lot more interesting.'
Although she detested Cocolia, if she truly joined Anti-Entropy, it would be good for Kiana; at least there would be a place where she could be protected.
"I understand. Since you want to meet, I'll send you my current location. However, I don't want to see a large group of Schicksal Valkyries show up with you, or else I..."
"...will go on a killing spree."
Even though it was over the phone, Inaba Tsukiyo's killing intent in her voice was fully felt by Tesla on the other end.
This made Tesla swallow hard. To some extent, her idea of meeting Inaba Tsukiyo alone was indeed very unwise.
But if this plan succeeded, Inaba Tsukiyo would have a high chance of joining Anti-Entropy, and Schicksal would undoubtedly suffer a huge blow.
After the call ended, Inaba Tsukiyo let out a long sigh. Although she had decided to meet Tesla, whether the other party's goal was simply to invite her to join Anti-Entropy remained unknown.
However... joining Anti-Entropy didn't seem so bad. To some extent, Anti-Entropy's mechs were truly very cool.
"Ring! Ring! Ring!"
At this moment, Inaba Tsukiyo's phone rang again.
When she looked at the number displayed on the screen, her eyes widened, and she stared at the phone in her hand, somewhat at a loss.
"Bronya..."
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