"Uh, internal air circulation system?"
Absolute Shadow looked completely baffled.
Did Mecha Girls even have something like that?
She kept reading.
[...How can you tell whether your Mecha Girl's internal air circulation system has been contaminated by tar? Please cut open her base bodysuit along the chest and check whether there are black, spiderweb-like scars near her chest. If there are, it means the internal air circulation system has already been contaminated. If there are not, that still does not fully rule it out... If you suspect there may be a problem with your Mecha Girl's internal air circulation system, you may bring her to Old Wilson's Repair Shop at Longxing Street, Alley 721. I will personally inspect her for you!]
Absolute Shadow: "..."
Wasn't this just one of those shady little ads tucked into the corner of a newspaper?
How was it any different from those "rich woman seeking a child, generous reward" scams?
Old Wilson's Repair Shop? More like Old Pervert's Repair Shop.
"Stella, this is all fake. You really believe anything you read!" Absolute Shadow sighed helplessly. Her anger had long since faded completely. "Besides, you've never even seen whether I have spiderweb-like scars on my chest. How did you jump straight to the conclusion that I was contaminated by tar?"
"I have seen it," Stella muttered softly.
"What?!" Absolute Shadow froze, instinctively covering her chest as she leaned back. "When did you see it?"
"When I was taking a bath a while ago. I was in the bathtub, and you suddenly rushed in to shower. Then I... I saw those large patches on your chest..." The more Stella spoke, the more upset she became, and tears began falling one after another.
Absolute Shadow finally realized which time she meant.
After all, she had only taken a shower at the club once.
Back then, when she entered the bathroom, she had even wondered why it looked like someone had used it already, and why the bathtub was full of bubbles.
So Stella had been inside the bubbles that whole time.
But because she was so small, the bubbles had completely buried her, and Absolute Shadow had not noticed!
"I didn't believe it at first either, but it looked so much like what the newspaper described. I didn't want Absolute Shadow's internal air circulation system to keep getting darker, so I put mustard in the cigars. I hoped it would help Absolute Shadow quit smoking."
So that was what happened.
A look of understanding appeared in Derek Su's eyes.
But did smoking really make an internal air circulation system turn black?
He did not know much about Mecha Girls, but he had the feeling that a creature capable of punching a hole through a load-bearing wall should not be affected by something as minor as tar.
"Uh, Stella, what you saw was probably the tattoo on my chest." Absolute Shadow scratched her head, a little embarrassed.
Every Mecha Girl in her series had spiderweb and spider tattoos on their chests. It was a feature of the JY model.
Just like how the DL series Mecha Girls had black rose tattoos on their arms and backs.
The bathroom had been filled with steam at the time, and Stella probably could not see clearly, so she mistook the tattoo for scars.
As part of Mecha Island's management, how could Absolute Shadow not understand a Mecha Girl's structure?
Internal air circulation system? Complete nonsense!
"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought they were those scars." Stella blinked her big, teary eyes and obediently bowed to Absolute Shadow in apology. Then she promised, "I'll never touch Absolute Shadow's cigarettes again. I'll accept Absolute Shadow's punishment too. I won't eat... I won't eat pineapple for a week!"
After saying that in an aggrieved little voice, Stella lowered her head again and retreated into shutdown mode.
The misunderstanding had been cleared up. Stella did not argue or make a fuss. She simply accepted everything obediently.
That quiet, undemanding state instead filled Absolute Shadow with a heavy sense of guilt.
Stella had clearly done those things because she was worried about her health. It was completely understandable.
Yet Absolute Shadow had misunderstood her intentions and even wanted to punish her?
Absolute Shadow felt her heart clench, and she almost slapped herself.
[I really deserve to die!]
She cursed herself inwardly, feeling even less sure how to face Stella.
Fortunately, Tunbao stepped forward at that moment and gave her the perfect way out.
"Stella, even if you put mustard in the cigars for Absolute Shadow's health, what about me?" Tunbao crossed her arms, her eyes full of suspicion. "What exactly did you mean by putting chili oil in my nutrient solution?! You're not going to say that was for my health too, are you?!"
She was not as easy to fool as Absolute Shadow.
Absolute Shadow did not know Stella that well.
But Tunbao did!
She had seen a huge pile of novels in Stella's room.
How much knowledge had Stella picked up from all that?
People who read books were all crafty!
Faced with Tunbao's aggressive questioning, Stella did not argue or make a scene. She simply took another slip of paper out of a different pocket.
Even Derek Su was stunned.
What was this?
Some kind of genius contingency plan?
Was it specially prepared to help her out of trouble?
Stella unfolded the slip of paper. It read:
[According to research, high-performance Mecha Girls who consume chili oil have a chance of awakening into top-tier Mecha Girls. Although there are currently no known cases, expert experiments show that this possibility absolutely exists. Looking toward the future, perhaps... blah blah blah... I-Count-to-Three Brand Chili Oil makes only premium chili oil. Make your Mecha Girl burning hot and fiery, and let her wear the magic cloak!]
It was another little ad clipped from a newspaper.
The first half was pure nonsense, and the second half was promoting their own chili oil.
Ads like this were nothing new in the internet age.
Tunbao narrowed her eyes. "So you put chili oil in my nutrient solution because you wanted me to have a chance of awakening into a top-tier Mecha Girl?"
"Mm." Stella nodded obediently, her pale fingers twisting together in front of her chest as she bit her red lip. "Tunbao, I know you really want to become a top-tier Mecha Girl."
"And I also know you really want to become master's Mecha Girl, so, um..."
Stella was about to keep speaking.
Tunbao had already sprinted a hundred meters over to her and covered her mouth.
"Stop! Stop!" Tunbao's cheeks flushed red, her whole face filled with shame.
Under the slightly startled gazes of the surrounding Mecha Girls, she wished she could crawl into a hole. She did not dare meet Derek Su's eyes at all.
Become Derek Su's Mecha Girl? She knew exactly what she was capable of. She had never seriously thought about that.
But wanting to become a top-tier Mecha Girl was true. After all, who would not want to become stronger?
Still, reading those novels to become a top-tier Mecha Girl was way too embarrassing to say out loud!
By now, not a trace of anger remained in her heart.
After all that, it turned out Stella had done so much to help her.
She was too ashamed to face anyone!
Tunbao completely broke. Feeling too embarrassed to show her face, she covered her pretty face, which was red all the way to her ears, and fled.
Because she was covering her eyes, she did not watch where she was going.
With a loud boom, the already shattered floor-to-ceiling window was smashed open again, leaving a huge gap.
Glass shards scattered all over the floor.
The logistics Mecha Girl captain, who had just finished cleaning the floor, twitched at the corner of her mouth, gritted her teeth, and felt her eyelid spasm wildly.
...
At this point, the matter seemed to be resolved.
Absolute Shadow sat in her seat, her face full of self-reproach.
Tunbao had fled in defeat.
Stella sat obediently in the lower seat near the door, her hands placed on her knees, sitting perfectly straight and proper. Even an elementary school student could not have sat straighter.
But Derek Su still felt that something was not quite right.
He silently observed Stella's expression.
Yet the grievance and bewilderment on Stella's face did not seem fake.
So here was the question.
After Stella tampered with Absolute Shadow's cigars, why did she draw Tunbao's face on the back?
How was she going to explain that?
There was no way that could have been for Tunbao's own good too.
He instinctively exchanged a glance with Imperial Scale beside him, who was also deep in thought.
Their eyes narrowed.
Good grief. What an actress.
If this were his previous life, Stella would have been an Oscar-winning actress for sure!
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
p-@-treon/GhostParser (40 Chapters Ahead)
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.