"Uh..."
Looking at little Aha sitting blankly by Nero's feet, Arlan twitched the corner of his mouth.
After Nero returned to the space station, he had been the one walking the dogs most of the time. Especially after that group of little ones was made, he had to take a whole pack out every day...
"As for Peppy, it should be with Adler right now..."
"Adler! Arlan, do you know where he is? I've been looking for him!" Hearing the name, Stelle spoke up.
"Huh? You're looking for him too?" The Security Department staff member froze for a moment. "What a coincidence. So are we."
Then he sighed, sounding both helpless and annoyed.
"That guy's got way too much nerve. He ran off to investigate the scene by himself."
"Since we're all heading to the same place, why don't we go together?" Nero said.
Stelle nodded. Of course she had no reason to refuse Nero's suggestion.
The Security Department staff member nodded so hard it was like pounding garlic, almost cheering.
"Sure, sure, sure..."
Then he suddenly remembered Arlan was standing beside him.
His face instantly stiffened, and he felt incredibly awkward.
Fortunately, he was wearing a mask, so no one should be able to see the change in his expression.
"Um... Boss, you agree too, right? Haha..." he said weakly as he looked at Arlan.
Arlan took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.
"...Let's go."
This batch of juniors was really hard to manage.
After that, everyone followed Arlan. On the way, he asked Stelle, "Why are you looking for Adler?"
So Stelle told him about Herta asking her to search for the Curio.
Arlan completely agreed. He said Adler really was the right person to ask, clearly having great confidence in his abilities.
By the time they found Adler and Peppy, the man and dog were being cornered by a Stormbringer. They had arrived just in time.
But from another point of view, the Stormbringer was the unlucky one.
As one of the monsters born from Fragmentum corruption, the power filling its body happened to be the type Nero was best at using. So even though this green centaur was much stronger than the Wind Construct, it was still like a toy in Nero's hands.
Nero didn't even need to attack.
He only had to move a finger.
With a flick of that finger, the wind centaur dropped to its knees and couldn't get back up.
By the way, Stormbringers worked as transporters in Nero's Fragmentum Factory. Basic supplies, mined ore, and newly captured employees were all hauled around by them pulling carts.
Afterward, Stelle explained what she was doing to Adler. Adler seemed to come up with an idea, or perhaps an answer, but Stelle couldn't remember what she had said that had inspired him.
So the contradiction in her memories once again pointed to the second name Asta had mentioned.
As she continued remembering, Stelle recalled even more.
It wasn't only Herta's puppets that had disappeared. Some of the researchers had vanished too. The space station had begun to suffer from growing distrust, giving Asta quite a headache.
Still, the situation with the Nero Fan Club made Asta feel a little more at ease.
Those people were still happily doing their own thing. They had even reached the point where repeating the same work every day still made them happy because of their expectations and faith.
Also, whether it was because an "idol" really could have such a strong influence, or because of the preaching done by the Knight of Beauty named Argenti during his visit to the space station, the members of the Nero Fan Club were all very warm-hearted.
That meant things were much less likely to get completely out of control, because those people would definitely step in and help keep things together.
After thinking seriously for a while, Stelle finally remembered the second person's name, Emily.
She seemed to have been talking with Esther in the Base Zone earlier.
Emily had mentioned a species from the Xianzhou, which immediately made Stelle think of the Flint Emperor that Nero had brought back.
Living beings without physical bodies. As close relatives of Wubbaboos, the formless Heliobi also fit that description.
And Heliobi were spirits of flame...
Arlan seemed to have mentioned that every researcher's disappearance had been accompanied by mysterious fires. He said the people on the space station called the phenomenon "spontaneous human combustion."
Most of the Heliobi Stelle had seen, even if they had fixed shapes and appearances, always looked as though they were quietly burning.
But as far as she knew, although Heliobi could possess people, their abilities mostly affected the mind rather than space itself.
Still, there had to be some common point that had inspired Adler.
Ideas began appearing in Stelle's mind, and her first conversation with Herta also became clear.
That Curio, just like Wubbaboos and Heliobi, could also be considered an energy life-form.
And Herta had also said that it was connected to the Genius Society.
After recovering all her memories, Stelle told all of this to Ratio.
However, the man who often wore a plaster head didn't seem to like listening to her long story. He preferred efficient communication in just a sentence or two.
After organizing his thoughts a little, the professor from the Intelligentsia Guild suddenly fixed Stelle with a stern gaze.
"You accepted Herta's request and spent your time searching everywhere for the Curio, knowing nothing about the other events until Miss Asta contacted you."
"If that is your claim, then let me ask this: can anyone prove it?"
"Logic: Herta herself can verify it," Screwllum said.
But after looking around the room, Ratio replied, "Hm. If we start running now, we might catch up to the IPC shuttle in about four system hours. At the moment, there is no third party who can testify for her."
"Mr. Ratio," Screwllum said, "your way of asking questions always carries a certain bias from the start."
Ratio gave a light chuckle.
"My apologies. It's a bad habit of mine. People who do academic research tend to find it difficult to believe something. On the other hand, doubting it is much easier."
"Experience has also shown that this is the most efficient approach. Seeking answers while assuming denial is still a form of seeking. It can lead us to the correct conclusion just the same."
Screwllum said nothing more. Only his "eyes" flashed softly.
Ratio turned back to Stelle.
"If you truly are innocent, then clear yourself with your answers."
A debate was about to begin.
Stelle frowned slightly and took a deep breath to calm herself. She was fairly confident.
She hadn't argued with people very often, but she had watched Nero shut people down many times. She had learned a lot from those experiences. She was no longer the dumb little Stellaron baby who could only repeat herself.
She had evolved.
Ratio narrowed his eyes slightly.
"According to your statement, the reason you met Herta was because you received a well-known commission."
Stelle said, "If you know Herta, you wouldn't think that's strange..."
"Don't interrupt when someone else is speaking. Didn't anyone ever teach you basic manners?" Ratio scolded her like a strict teacher lecturing a student.
Stelle froze for a moment, then began thinking seriously.
Kafka had left in a hurry and had never taught her these things. Mr. Welt and Ms. Himeko managed everyone rather loosely and had never given lessons on etiquette.
Dan Heng knew a lot, but he was too quiet. Nero and March spent every day hanging around with her, while Pom-Pom never cared about this kind of thing...
After giving it careful thought, Stelle looked up. With an innocent and sincere gaze, she looked at the strict professor and answered earnestly,
"Actually... no."
Nero had once said that no matter when, sincerity was always the ultimate move.
So the little Stellaron girl didn't hide the truth about her etiquette education.
Ratio: "..."
The professor was speechless. The words he wanted to say caught in his throat. For a brief moment, it felt as though the person standing before him wasn't the gray-haired girl at all, but the white-haired boy he had been observing these past few days.