“Ah-le?”
Makima noticed Su Xinran’s tearful expression and paused what she was doing, then crouched down at Su Xinran’s bedside.
“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t kill a treasure like you,” she said. “Even though I really want to confirm what I read in those books right now… I wouldn’t go so far as to destroy such a valuable specimen over something like that. I’ll just keep you locked up in my dungeon, and then… heh…”
“?!”
Before she could finish, she noticed the tear sliding down Su Xinran’s face — and then suddenly stuck out her tongue and licked it from the corner of her eye.
“Ah… so different from my world… are human tears in this one salty…?”
I’m doomed… I’m completely doomed…
No — to be more precise, even dying would be a luxury…
She imagined herself chained in a dark, damp dungeon, never seeing the sun again, being cut up bit by bit for research…
Su Xinran’s psychological defenses completely collapsed.
Her eyes blurred with tears, and soon, they fell like rain onto the pillow, soaking it through.
“Ah… ah-le…”
Seeing Su Xinran crying, Makima suddenly froze.
She stopped her deranged actions.
“Mm… mm-mm…”
At first, it was silent sobbing, but before long, the sadness and helplessness in Su Xinran’s heart could no longer be contained, and it broke into full-blown weeping.
“Eh…”
Makima stared blankly at Su Xinran’s tear-streaked face — so delicate and sorrowful — and suddenly clutched her own head.
“What… what am I doing…”
“Ah…!”
Makima suddenly snapped, her expression twisting in anguish.
She began slamming her forehead against the metal bedframe again and again, without holding back, striking it so hard that even her hair tie flew off — her single ponytail unraveling into a cascade of red hair.
Su Xinran became even more terrified and tried to shrink away from the crazed Makima, backing into the bed.
“Ah…”
After a long while, Makima finally stopped.
Blood still dripping from her forehead, she lifted her face and stared blankly at the ceiling.
“Miss Makima…”
Su Xinran called out, her voice trembling with fear.
“Ah… hmm? What is it, Su Xinran?”
Makima suddenly seemed to return to normal.
She stood up and leaned in with concern, her face showing none of the madness from earlier.
“Is it the vampire virus fever? Hasn’t gone down yet?”
She reached out to feel Su Xinran’s forehead, but as her hand approached, Su Xinran flinched and shrank away in terror.
“Eh… did I do something, Su Xinran…?”
Seeing Su Xinran’s fearful eyes, Makima looked genuinely hurt, sadness crossing her face.
“Enough!”
Su Xinran shouted loudly.
“What is this?! Toying with your prey?! Are you doing the whole amnesia-act to screw with me?! Giving me hope just to crush it again?! Enough! I said enough!”
On the verge of a breakdown, Su Xinran shouted angrily through her tears:
“If you’re going to kill me, then make it quick!”
Makima looked even more confused, until blood from her forehead dripped into her mouth.
Tasting her own blood seemed to snap her out of it.
She touched her forehead, stared at the fresh blood on her fingers, and gasped in shock.
“Did… that thing come out again…?!”
Seeing Makima’s strange reaction, Su Xinran gave up hope and turned her head away, eyes shut tight.
“I’m sorry, Su Xinran… I… I don’t even know how to explain this to you… sigh… I really…”
Makima gestured awkwardly for a while, mentally struggling to find the right words.
In the end, it all condensed into one long sigh.
“To put it in terms people in this world would understand… I have dissociative identity disorder. That… thing just now wasn’t the real me.”
“Split personality?”
Su Xinran opened her eyes upon hearing that.
“Yes. That was my alternate personality. Her temperament is awful. I don’t even know what kind of cruel things she did to you to make you this scared… I’m truly sorry…”
“Really…?”
Su Xinran turned away and wiped her tears on the pillow, not quite convinced.
“It’s true. Sigh. You should be detoxed by now, so I’ll untie you.”
As she spoke, Makima pulled out a pair of scissors from her waist pouch and snipped the bandages around Su Xinran’s legs.
Then, she reached into the pocket of her lab coat and pulled out a ring of keys to unlock the handcuffs on Su Xinran’s wrists.
Fwip!
In a flash, Su Xinran leapt up, stood at the edge of the bed, and activated her basic exoskeleton armor by touching the collar — now fully alert and on guard against Makima.
“Ugh!”
“Watch out!”
Having been lying down for so long, Su Xinran sat up too quickly.
Blood rushed to her head, and the sudden dizziness made the world spin around her.
As she stepped backward at the edge of the bed, her foot slipped into empty air, and she staggered.
Just as she was about to fall, Makima flashed forward and caught her.
“Let me go!”
Falling into Makima’s arms, Su Xinran shouted angrily and tried to break free.
She pushed against Makima, but Makima firmly grabbed her hand.
“!”
Su Xinran was shocked — she was wearing her mechanical exoskeleton, and even though it wasn’t running at full power, her strength was still far beyond normal.
For Makima to stop her so effortlessly… her strength was anything but ordinary.
“Sigh… I tried to keep the handcuffs loose, but being restrained all day still left bruises.”
Makima gently touched the ring of bruises around Su Xinran’s wrist.
The moment her fingers brushed against it, Su Xinran grimaced from the pain.
Makima released her hand, and with a bit of force, scooped Su Xinran up into a full princess carry and walked over to sit down in her office chair.
“Here, give me your hand.”
Makima took out a small bottle filled with a thick, green liquid.
Pop — she uncorked it.
Still wary, Su Xinran extended her hand.
Makima poured the potion onto the bruises and rubbed it in.
The liquid was chillingly cold at first, but then a soothing warmth spread across her skin, and the bruises visibly faded before her eyes.
“Give me the other hand.”
Half of Su Xinran’s suspicion had already faded by now.
Sitting in Makima’s lap, she handed over her other hand.
Makima repeated the treatment.
Soon, the aftereffects of a full day of restraints were gone, and the dizziness had cleared.
Su Xinran jumped off Makima’s lap.
“So… that state of yours earlier wasn’t really your intention, huh… Wait, what are you doing?!”
As Su Xinran pondered aloud, Makima suddenly reached out to lift her skirt.
Su Xinran immediately slapped her hand down, demanding an explanation.
“I’m checking if your legs were injured from the restraints.”
Makima replied with a perfectly serious expression.
“Oh… is that all…”
Reassured, Su Xinran lifted her skirt herself, raising it just enough to avoid revealing her panties.
Makima leaned in and gently pinched Su Xinran’s thigh, making her almost yelp in surprise.
“Hmm… no problem.”
Looking at the utterly serious Miss Makima, Su Xinran found it hard to reconcile her with the twisted, obsessive Makima from earlier — the one who had been like a deranged maniac.
Now, she just looked like a kind-hearted medical professional.