I've already said this isn't a life simulator!

………………

"Dr. Möbius, Dr. Möbius, and... is everyone here?"

On their way back, Eden and Sakura, whom they met, entered Möbius's laboratory together.

"Eden, Cherry Blossom".

They nodded to each other and exchanged brief greetings before Mei stepped forward and asked.

Have you noticed anything unusual about Xi Wang lately?

"Something's wrong? Did something happen to him?"

"In a sense, I guess so... Let me ask you this: has he rejected any of your requests recently?"

"……No."

Eden and Sakura were both taken aback, their faces showing confusion, as if wondering why Mei would ask such a question... But in the end, the two shook their heads and answered truthfully.

"...Is he usually like this?"

"Ah."

"...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you this question...and it's no wonder we didn't notice."

Mei took off her glasses and rubbed her temples with a headache... Thinking about it carefully, it made sense. Given Xi Wang's feelings for them, he wouldn't have rejected them in the first place, so they naturally wouldn't have noticed... Tsk, that's exactly why it's troublesome.

"Xi Wang... something's wrong, isn't it?"

"Yes, and it's a problem that... seems insignificant, but is actually quite serious."

Mei put her glasses back on and gestured for the two of them to follow her deeper into the area.

“Based on our previous examination, Xi Wang is currently experiencing some mental issues... He has lost the ability to refuse, but neither Su nor Aponia could detect any mental damage in him. We also cannot find any signs of injury to his brain or body, not even a trace, as if this is not an injury, but a condition that is taken for granted.”

Mei gave a brief overview of Xiwang's current situation.

"According to our speculation, this should be the last effect of the Eighth Herrscher on Xiwang... Logically speaking, this effect should dissipate after the Eighth Herrscher dies. Aponia also described this point. If the caster dies, then the power should also dissipate, and the recipient will slowly recover... As for the subsequent issues, they should be the effects that the recipient has on themselves."

"Furthermore, Xi Wang acted no differently than before, which made us lower our guard and thus we didn't discover any problems...tsk."

Unusually, Mei smacked her lips without regard for her image, her tightly furrowed brows revealing her anxious state of mind.

"You won't... refuse?"

Eden and Sakura glanced at Xiwang, who was being held down on the experimental table by Möbius. When they saw him smiling and greeting them, they smiled back, then looked at Mei with concern.

"Would you like me to demonstrate? Hehe..."

Möbius's voice remained flippant and possessed a strange allure.

With a slightly amused glance at Eden and Sakura, as well as the others who were concerned about Xiwang but remained silent, Möbius turned his gaze back to Xiwang.

"For example... a white mouse, kissing me."

?

The others slowly typed a question mark, while Mebius pinched his brow in exasperation... Ever since discovering this, Mebius seemed to have been on a whim, constantly "playing" with it.

"why?"

Xi Wang did not express any intention to refuse, but asked a question out of curiosity.

"There's no why... Just consider it me having feelings for you, little guinea pig."

"Like this...now?"

"Well, now."

As he spoke, Mebius laughed again.

"Before Eden and Sakura."

???

Everyone else was completely baffled.

"Okay~"

However, Xiwang agreed without even hesitating for long.

Then everyone else watched as Xiwang... lightly tapped Mebius's forehead.

“What a pity~”

"What else do you want, Mebius...?"

Even Alicia looked at Mebius speechlessly.

"is it not OK?"

Xi Wang blinked, looking somewhat puzzled, and asked... He didn't even think there was anything wrong with what he had just done.

"No, this is fine."

Mebius waved his hand, then chuckled and glanced at Alicia.

"And you're one to talk, Alicia... You were thinking the same thing before, weren't you?"

"No, no, no, I just wanted to see if I could comb Xiwang's hair, okay?"

Let's just say that's how it is~

Möbius remained noncommittal... In any case, she shifted the focus elsewhere, leaving the verification to others.

"...In short, that's roughly it."

Mei rubbed her forehead, looking a bit of a headache, and said this.

"And what's more troublesome is..."

Mei stepped forward slightly and walked up to Xi Wang.

"Xi Wang, just kill yourself."

? !

Mei looked at Xi Wang with a calm gaze and spoke in her usual tone, but her words... were startling.

"……Why?"

You can vaguely sense the confusion and doubt in Xi Wang's words, but... he doesn't mean to refuse.

"Because we don't need you anymore."

"Is that right?"

"Ah."

"Now...?"

"Now."

"I understand."

Xi Wang nodded and reached out to grab something... but was then restrained by Qian Jie.

"Hey, is it ready yet?"

Beneath Qianjie's calm questioning lay a raging rage, and beneath the mask, his gaze toward Mei carried a hint of danger.

“…Xi Wang, that’s enough. I was just joking.”

"is it?"

"Ah."

"Ok."

Only after confirming that Xi Wang had returned to "normal" did Qian Jie slowly release his grip on Xi Wang's hand.

"...Why didn't you refuse just now?"

Mei suddenly asked again.

Why should I refuse?

Xi Wang asked back, sounding quite puzzled.

"What you said makes no problem, and none of it is a big deal..."

"Are you joking?"

Qianjie let out a low growl.

"I was serious."

Xi Wang said this.

"Dr. Mebius didn't make any unreasonable request; Alicia made the same thing before..."

"And what about what I said?"

Mei's tone became somewhat serious.

Do you think your life is something I can just throw away with a casual remark?

"Of course not, like you said, it was just a joke, wasn't it?"

Xi Wang tilted her head, seemingly wondering why Mei would ask such a question.

"And...this might even solve a big problem..."

"……What did you say?"

"Well……"

Just as Mei was about to press for answers, Xi Wang looked away, glanced at Eden and Sakura beside her, gently took their hands, and rubbed her fingertips against their palms a couple of times, as if to soothe their anxious and flustered hearts.

She shifted her gaze slightly, then looked at Qianjie's unusually quiet demeanor, then at Aponia... She didn't speak, but simply watched him silently, her eyes filled with concern and... pity.

Finally, Xiwang's gaze settled on Alicia.

“Dr. Mei, if one day… all I need to do is command me to die, just like you did…”

"Xi Wang, I was just checking on your condition."

Mei said very seriously.