As I continued to pant, repeatedly slapping my thighs, Mob let out a soft chuckle and inquired.
“By the way, about that look you just had.”
“……Why? Are you going to tease me…?”
I pouted, my lips jutting out, and replied with a sulky tone.
‘Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Finally, his moment to tease me has arrived.’
‘But alas for you, Mob.’
‘This genius Doctor already anticipated everything, you see.’
‘Absolutely, never! This Doctor would never be embarrassed by what just occurred.’
‘The kind of reaction you’re hoping for? It will never, ever materialize!’
‘Ahem.’
‘And yet……’
“……You were incredibly cute.”
“Uh.”
At the words Mob uttered, my mind instantly froze.
“Wha-what……?”
Such was my bewilderment that I found myself stammering involuntarily.
The man, seemingly embarrassed by his own pronouncement, gently scratched his cheek and elaborated.
“No, it’s just that, Doctor, you usually act in a way that makes me want to flick your forehead. And that side of you was… well, good too.”
“No, wait a second. What is this sudden…?”
‘What on earth is he talking about?’
‘Are my ears deceiving me?’
“I just thought that sometimes, a docile look like that isn’t so bad.”
“……”
My mind went utterly blank.
‘Pshhhhhh……’
I felt a sensation as though steam were billowing from the top of my head.
“Doctor?”
Mob tilted his head, a quizzical look on his face, and called my name.
I instinctively placed a hand over my heart.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump. My heart was racing wildly.
‘……Why? Why has my heart rate surged so dramatically?’
I hastily took a series of deep breaths, striving to collect my thoughts.
‘Calm down, I told myself, calm down.’
‘He’s just… he’s just being a really good friend, not teasing me, and being considerate so I wouldn’t feel bad after being scolded by The Boss.’
‘But why do I feel so……’
‘Ah, I see now.’
‘It’s simply because it’s so utterly unfamiliar for the usually sharp-tongued Mob to utter a compliment.’
‘You know how it is—when someone does or eats something they normally wouldn’t, everyone around them gets chills.’
‘This is precisely one of those instances.’
‘It’s the cognitive dissonance occurring in my brain, confronted with Mob uttering kind words—something that should absolutely never happen. And the resulting irregularity in my heartbeat… It’s exactly that.’
‘Moreover, having just been scolded by The Boss, my emotions are already soft and vulnerable.’
‘It’s only natural to be flustered and unable to cope with such an unexpected situation.’
‘Yes, that must be it.’
“Doctor? What’s the matter?”
At the man’s voice, repeating his question, I shook my head and quickly responded.
“It’s nothing, Mob.”
Then, I forced a smile and added, almost as an afterthought.
“By the way, Mob, you’re quite the smooth talker, aren’t you……”
At my loaded words, Mob tilted his head slightly in confusion.
“What do you mean?”
At that moment, I flashed my characteristic mischievous grin, a playful glint in my eyes, and retorted.
“To deliver such cringeworthy compliments without hesitation. You surely used such honeyed words to easily entice and ‘devour’ that last hero, didn’t you?”
Chuckles. Giggles.
As if nothing had happened, I had reverted to my usual teasing tone with Mob.
Yet……
“……No.”
Then, Mob spoke in a quiet, steady voice.
“Words like these, I only say them to you, Doctor.”
“……Hmph.”
I momentarily lost the playful smile I had been wearing, finding myself frozen in place.
The man shifted his gaze to the side, his voice continuing in a low murmur.
“You are my benefactor, after all…… and someone closer to me than anyone else.”
His voice had sunk to a low, resonant tone.
It was an echo imbued with profound sincerity.
“And…… back when you first took me in, I also feel a sense of regret for only thinking of myself and acting so recklessly…… so, I wanted to take this opportunity to apologize.”
Blink. Blink. I blinked blankly, my mind in a daze.
My mind reeled with a jumble of thoughts.
“……”
Just like that, I took large, hurried strides, quickening my pace as I surged forward.
Behind me, Mob’s flustered voice trailed.
“Do-Doctor?”
But I did not stop.
‘Hmph, Mob, of all people……’
Murmuring curses at the audacious Mob, my footsteps quickened with each passing moment.
‘Have I been pampering him too much lately?’
‘Lately, his skill at striking back has only grown, truly……’
As I walked, shaking my head from side to side, a shadow suddenly stretched over me.
“Doctor?”
It was Mob.
Even though I was clearly walking at full speed, our audacious Casanova was calmly matching my pace, not showing a single hint of exertion.
‘Why is he so fast?’
My gaze inadvertently drifted toward his lower body.
Unlike mine, his two long, robust, and dependable-looking legs were clearly visible.
‘……So that’s why. How enviable.’
‘While someone else’s most important central leg has become a negative……’
“Doctor, why are you acting so suddenly?”
Mob’s voice, as he tilted his head to one side and inquired, remained as calm as ever.
So utterly indignant was I that I didn’t even grant him a glance, retorting curtly.
“……Be quiet.”
I stated firmly, my gaze fixed resolutely forward.
‘Because I’ve coddled this fellow, he’s now doing things he never used to, unsettling my mood for no good reason.’
‘As if he’s the protagonist of an eroge (TL Note: Eroge (Erotic Game) is a Japanese term for a type of video game featuring erotic content, often with dating sim or visual novel elements.).’
‘If you’re a protagonist, then act like one and go collect your CGs (TL Note: CG (Computer Graphics) refers to special event illustrations in visual novels or games.).’
‘Not here, bothering this genius Doctor and chuckling to yourself.’
‘And shouldn’t he express his gratitude through his actions?’
‘I told him to repay me by offering up heroes with incredible physiques.’
‘In any case, perhaps it’s because he was a virgin, but he utterly lacks tact. Utterly.’
“……”
As I walked, fuming furiously within, I eventually found myself standing before the laboratory door.
Yet, my mind remained stubbornly vexed.
No matter how much I pondered it, the situation felt utterly absurd, so after opening the door and stepping inside, before Mob could follow……
Bang!
I slammed the door shut with a resounding thud.
“……!”
Soon, a flustered voice echoed from beyond the door.
“Doctor? The door, um, could you… the door……”
Hearing the flustered Casanova’s voice brought a peculiar sense of satisfaction.
It felt as though I had once again reclaimed my position as the absolute ‘alpha’ (TL Note: ‘Gap’ (갑) is a Korean term referring to the party in a superior position in a relationship or transaction.).
‘Hehehe. Yes. This is precisely how my relationship with our foolish Mob should be.’
‘Only now has it returned to normal.’
Smiling brightly, I tapped the corner of my mouth with a finger and declared.
“You are to stand there for ten minutes and reflect. This is your punishment, Mob, for daring to tease the genius Doctor.”
“Wha-what? No, I was merely……!”
The man hastily tried to offer an excuse, but I casually cut him off.
“Consider it a punishment delivered in place of Zap-Zap (TL Note: A nickname for a character, likely related to electricity or a shocking personality.), so accept it gratefully, Mob……”
After making that declaration, I skipped towards the sofa, my steps feeling significantly lighter.
“Hee-hee~”
Hemming a little tune, I picked up the mug resting on the table.
Within the mug, a sweet-hued liquid was visible. It was cocoa.
‘Still, it seems he prepared what I asked for quite well.’
‘He is obedient, I’ll give him that.’
After thoroughly savoring the distinctively sweet aroma of cocoa wafting up, I then.
Sip.
I took a hearty gulp of the victory cocoa.
“Mmm……!”
‘It’s delicious.’
‘Delicious, yes, but.’
“Minus fifty points.”
Delivering a merciless verdict, I shook my head from side to side.
This was because the cocoa had completely gone cold, and there was barely any left, as if he had stopped pouring halfway.
‘Cold cocoa is a grave offense.’
‘It’s a heresy that shouldn’t exist, akin to hot bibim-myeon (TL Note: A Korean dish of cold spicy mixed noodles, meant to be eaten chilled.) or hot cola.’
‘……I’ll have to add a charge of insolence for this.’
‘To fail to keep the cocoa intended for this genius Doctor in optimal condition.’
‘That sin is so egregious that even drying my hair a hundred times wouldn’t be enough to atone for it.’
Nodding decisively, I once again raised my voice towards the door.
“I’ll open it in ten more minutes!”
“……Huh? No, why? I haven’t done anything yet!”
Mob’s aggrieved voice, echoing from beyond the door, resonated throughout the laboratory.
Hehe. I chuckled softly and replied.
“It’s all your karma, Mob…… You should have conducted yourself better.”
And then, with a quick slurp, I downed the last remaining cocoa in one go.
“Mmm. Delicious.”
Even though it was merely ordinary cocoa, it tasted much sweeter than usual for some inexplicable reason.
‘Could it be because I disciplined Mob so thoroughly?’
‘No, that’s not it. I definitely taste something different than usual. Did he put honey in it?’
‘Should I ask him later?’
“Hwaaahhh……”
By the way, perhaps it’s because I drank cocoa…… but I feel a little sleepy.
I rubbed my eyes for a moment, then plopped onto the sofa.
“I’ll just sleep for ten minutes and then open the door……”
My eyelids slowly drifted shut.
At that moment, for some reason, my nose twitched involuntarily at a fragrant scent.
Sniff. Sniff-sniff.
For some reason, it was a comforting, reassuring scent. But this, I’ve smelled it somewhere before…… What was it?
“Hooo, mmm……”
As I tried to recall the familiar scent’s identity, I couldn’t fight the weight of my constantly drooping eyelids and eventually, softly, I drifted off.
I had embarked on a journey to dreamland.
****
After The Doctor had fallen asleep.
Knock, knock. Knock, knock.
“Excuse me, Doctor?”
The man’s questioning voice echoed through the laboratory.
“……It’s been thirty minutes now. When are you going to open the door?”
Separated by the door, a low, subdued voice vibrated.
The sound of him shifting, as if his legs were starting to ache, could also be heard.
“Doctor? Doctor……?”
The voice grew increasingly exasperated.
But from within, there was still no response.
Only a gentle breathing.
The Doctor’s breaths, softly sleeping like a cat, buried in the sofa, were the only sounds filling the room.
And so, the time when Mob, who had been unceremoniously locked out, was finally able to re-enter the laboratory was nine PM.
It was after The Doctor had indulged in a sweet five-hour nap.
