"Everyone knows that Guillotine and I are part of the Extrinsic Squad, and our existence is top secret. We specialize in subduing or terminating Nikkes who have turned aberrant…"
Maiden gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with her slender fingers. Her expression dimmed, and her wine-red, once-vivid eyes looked dull, as if shrouded in a layer of haze.
"I thought I was doing good. But I've never once heard a thank you."
Worried Mo Chen might misunderstand, she hurriedly added: "Of course, I'm not saying I expect everyone to shower me in gratitude… but still, I can't help but feel… y'know, a little something. Sometimes, I just want to hear someone say 'thank you,' to prove that what I'm doing isn't meaningless."
"Thank you."
"Huh?"
Maiden suddenly looked up, stunned, eyes wide as she stared at Mo Chen.
"Wha—what did you just…?"
"I said, thank you." Mo Chen repeated himself, meeting her gaze. He said it sincerely, "What you do is never meaningless. Without your work, Ark wouldn't have the order it has today."
Due to Ark's unreasonable exploitation and forced servitude of Nikkes, their mental states were always under heavy pressure. It wasn't unusual for psychological deviations to occur, not just in mass-produced Nikkes, but even in elite unit members.
Maiden was silent.
She stared blankly at Mo Chen, as if her brain had frozen. She didn't snap out of it until Mo Chen softly called her name.
"Sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me today. I'm not usually like this."
"It's alright."
Mo Chen gave a small smile.
Honestly, she was just another affection-starved Nikke. A poor girl who'd never once been thanked.
Maiden wiped her tears. After a short pause, she suddenly blurted out:
"I love you."
Mo Chen froze, wondering if he'd just misheard.
"Haha, sorry!" Maiden quickly apologized, waving her hands in panic like a child caught misbehaving. "It just slipped out! I couldn't help it!"
Right then, her phone vibrated—it was a call.
Maiden took it out, hesitating between not wanting to waste Mo Chen's time and not wanting to cut their time short. She glanced at him and said, "Ah. Can you wait a moment?"
Mo Chen gestured for her to go ahead.
Not avoiding him at all, Maiden picked up the call right there.
"Yes."
"You're asking why I haven't moved from my coordinates since the mission ended?"
"President. I've found the love of my life."
Mo Chen: "…?"
Maiden didn't seem to notice his dumbfounded expression, and just kept talking.
"So please don't get in the way."
Even from across the table, Mo Chen could hear Ingrid shouting through the phone.
Maiden had anticipated this and held the phone far away from her ear.
"Dock my pay…? No way!"
"I'll head back now."
She hung up before the other side could finish.
Mo Chen cleared his throat. "That was… Ingrid?"
Maiden: "…Yes. I have to go."
She was reluctant to leave, clearly wanting to stay longer, but she had orders and couldn't disobey.
"Can we talk again sometime?" she asked hopefully.
Seeing the look in her eyes, Mo Chen nodded.
"Of course."
Maiden immediately took out her phone to add him as a friend. After exchanging contacts, she held the phone like it was a treasure.
"Then, Commander, I'll message you."
"Alright."
Maiden rushed off, leaving Mo Chen alone.
After sitting for a while, he paid the bill and headed back to his residence.
He had just gotten home, not even showered yet, when a message came in.
It was from Maiden.
Her ID was amusing: "Black Rose." It did suit her image.
"Commander, did you make it back?"
Mo Chen: "Yeah, I'm back."
"Are you… getting ready to take a shower?"
"…Huh? How do you know I'm about to shower?"
"No, no reason! I just wanted to talk to you a little more."
"It's getting late. Let's talk tomorrow."
"Alright, okay."
Just as Mo Chen put his phone down, another message came in.
Black Rose: "You're not just brushing me off, right? Like, you won't just forget me after this, will you?"
Mo Chen: "…I won't."
Maiden sent a smiley face emoji.
"That's good. Then, let's talk tomorrow."
Mo Chen tossed his phone aside, took off his clothes, and was just about to take a shower.
But as he reached the bathroom door, it suddenly opened—and to his surprise, a familiar figure appeared. It was Anis, flashing a sly grin that immediately caught Mo Chen off guard.
He hadn't expected this girl to lie in wait.
Before he could even say a word, Anis wrapped her arms around his neck, spun around, and pulled him straight into the bathroom. As the towel around him hit the floor, the bathroom door shut behind them.
"What are you doing here?"
Mo Chen suddenly felt something soft pressing against him. Looking down, he realized Anis was wearing a very thin swimsuit. With the two of them tangled together, that flimsy fabric did nothing to block the sensation of her softness, especially given Anis's figure, which far surpassed that of most Nikkes.
She was extremely well-endowed.
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him, like a big bad wolf sizing up a little lamb. Only this time, the lamb was a bit too big, and the wolf a bit too cute.
The grin at the corner of her mouth had a mischievous tilt to it—borderline predatory. If she licked her lips, Mo Chen wouldn't be surprised if someone called it a lecherous smirk.
Her dainty little hands rested on his shoulders, fingers curling midair like a witch gloating over a prey that couldn't escape her grasp.
"Hehehehe… Commander, looks like you've fallen into my hands."
That naughty laugh was straight-up pervert.
"Girl, you're bold, huh? We'll see who's really caught who," Mo Chen replied, not about to let her get the upper hand. He reached out and gave her a sharp smack, the bounce-back of her body jiggling and springing right into his palm.
"Don't cry later."
But Anis wasn't one to admit defeat. She immediately leapt onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist, raking her nails across his chest as she huffed, "Tell me—why didn't you return my call?"
Mo Chen then remembered: Anis had indeed called earlier. But he'd been busy at the time and hadn't picked up.
"What was the call about?"
Anis puffed up her chest with pride, standing tall and confident as she replied with righteous conviction, "To check in on you!"