Synchronized Humiliation

My lips are sealed.

I wouldn’t even tell Ruka sister what happened with Leidi on the way back.

Yes! I absolutely will not say a word!

Seeing Ruka sister approach, I silently resolved myself.

“Ping-chan~ You used your power four separate times on the way back, didn’t you?” After sending Brother Mingdao away, Ruka sister quietly leaned toward Leidi and me, revealing a fact she had no business knowing.

“Er, yes…” I stammered, my eyes darting around as I gave an incredibly unnatural reply.

‘How could Ruka sister possibly know?! And she even knew the exact number of times?! Did she secretly follow us?! No, that’s impossible, there’s nowhere to hide here!’

“Why would Ruka sister know?” Leidi was just as bewildered as I was. But…

Her face was flushed…

“Well, you see…”

Ruka sister scratched the back of her head, looking a little embarrassed.

She then materialized a tablet out of thin air in front of her chest and handed it to us.

Leidi and I leaned in close, lowering our heads to peer at the illuminated screen.

“Uh…” — from a very shocked me.

“I knew it…” — from a now even more crimson-faced Leidi.

“Sorry~” — from a grinning Ruka sister, winking her left eye.

On the screen were numerous windows displaying rapidly refreshing data.

Though I couldn’t tell what most of the windows were for, the function of one particular display was immediately obvious…

This unique window showed two detailed, three-dimensional human models of similar height.

Their appearance… gave me an unsettling sense of déjà vu…

Their posture… was that of two people leaning in close, heads lowered to look at something…

This! This! This! In other words!

The movements of these two models were synchronized with ours!

‘Doesn’t that mean she knows everything Leidi and I did on the way back?!’

‘Ah! I wish I could just die of embarrassment! Why did she have to find out?!’

“Leidi-chan, you’re surprisingly lewd. Your hand movements were just like a pervy old man’s~ Fufu~ But I get it. Ping-chan’s butt, waist, and thighs are truly irresistible~” Ruka sister shot Leidi a mischievous glance.

“Ah~ No, please don’t say it out loud! I won’t be able to show my face in public anymore~ Ooh—” Leidi’s face grew redder and redder, her voice trailing off until she finally covered her face and let out an unintelligible moan.

‘Leidi, want to die of shame with me… I’ll share…’

‘And… don’t remind me of the pajama party last night! Being forced into that practically transparent chiffon nightgown was humiliating enough, thank you very much!’

“A bashful Leidi-chan is so cute~ Ah, and a flustered Ping-chan is adorable too~”

‘Ruka sister, that’s enough, please stop! Just let us be! We’re both about to die of embarrassment… Where’s a hole! We need to crawl into it!’

“Actually, the large equipment behind us is used to analyze the raw data sent back by the micro-robots inside your bodies. Once the analysis is complete, the results are sent to this tablet. So, I really did see something quite extraordinary~”

‘No… we don’t want to know… We’re seriously going to die!’

‘Wait… Don’t tell me Brother Mingdao also…!!!’

“Fufu~ Don’t worry. Number Two doesn’t know. I didn’t show him this window.” As she spoke, Ruka sister gently patted both my head and Leidi’s.

“Thank you so much! A hundred times thank you! A million times thank you!!!!” ×2

Leidi and I chorused, nodding frantically at Ruka sister.

‘If Brother Mingdao had found out… Leidi and I would have immediately gone and jumped into the sea to kill ourselves, with weights tied to our feet!!!’

****

“So, does this mean you’ve analyzed the specific conditions for triggering Xiaobai’s power?” Leidi asked Ruka sister, her expression having returned to normal.

The four of us were now resting, leaning against the side of the coffin. As for what just happened… Leidi and I were just going to pretend it never occurred… Yes… it never happened…

“To be precise, it’s more about the phenomenon that occurs when the trigger conditions are met. Looking at it from the other way around, as long as that phenomenon is achieved, Xiaobai’s power can be activated,” Brother Mingdao answered in Ruka sister’s stead.

‘Ahem, Brother Mingdao is pretty easy to fool. He doesn’t know a thing. Thank goodness.’

“Based on a comparative analysis of multiple data points, the simplest and most direct indicator is Ping-chan’s heart rate,” Ruka sister added. “Essentially, when Ping-chan’s heart rate exceeds one hundred and thirty-five beats per minute, she can use her power. Of course, if it drops below that number, she’s just an ordinary person.”

“It feels like I can’t really use this power at will…” ‘How am I supposed to get my heart racing without some external stimulus… What a pain.’

“Imagining something intense should work, right? Like scaring yourself by thinking about hitting a wall or jumping into the sea…”

Brother Mingdao made the innocent suggestion guilelessly, but it caused both my and Leidi’s expressions to suddenly stiffen.

‘Why did he have to pick those two examples of all things…’

‘It has to be a coincidence… Please, let it be a coincidence!’

“What kind of weird suggestion is that? Wouldn’t it be easier to just drink some really spicy chili water? The effect should be outstanding!”

“One wrong move and I’d send myself straight to the hospital…” Ruka sister’s suggestion was a bit more practical than Brother Mingdao’s, but I still shot it down.

‘Ruka sister’s idea is probably feasible. But if possible, I don’t want to ruin my sense of taste. That’s a chef’s lifeblood!’

“Let’s send a copy of this data to Liliya. She might have some good suggestions,” Leidi proposed, bringing up the absent Liliya.

“I will, but I still think the chili water idea is better,” Ruka sister insisted, sticking to her proposal that was equal parts good and bad.

‘For the sake of my tongue, it looks like I’ll have to play my trump card…’

I covered my mouth with my hand and whispered quietly in Ruka sister’s ear:

“Ruka sister… if my sense of taste is ruined, I won’t be able to cook… And if that happens, I can’t teach you. How will you capture Brother Mingdao’s heart through his stomach then?” After speaking, I gave her a little wink.

“Er… I’ll think of something else…” Ruka sister’s expression clearly wavered. Of course it did.

‘Hmph, hmph~ A lover’s weakness is their beloved! I know that much.’

‘Don’t blame me, Ruka sister~ It’s your own fault for not being as good a cook as I am, right!’

“Ruka sister,” Leidi said, having taken out her phone to check something.

“It looks like it’s almost time for the maids to call us for lunch. We should probably head out. How about we resume training this afternoon?”

‘Is it almost noon already? I guess organizing all this large equipment and moving the coffin took a lot of time.’

“Mm—alright. The robots inside you are about to degrade anyway. Let’s go out for lunch first.”

As she finished speaking, our vision distorted once again, just as it had when we first entered the corridor, and we found ourselves back in Leidi’s bedroom.

But…

“I-I-I’m so sorry!!!” Ruka sister apologized to us frantically.

The four of us were now standing on my and Leidi’s bed… wearing our shoes…

“Next time, you need to confirm our relative positions, Ruka,” Brother Mingdao said, climbing off the bed with a guilty look on his face…

‘Brother Mingdao, you totally forgot to remind Ruka sister, didn’t you… Didn’t you?!’