A moment later, the three of them returned to the entrance of the Mind Research Association. Just as they pushed the door open, a smiling staff member greeted them as before. Freya spoke up immediately, “I suddenly remembered something I forgot to finish saying. Is it alright if I see your branch president again?”
“Of course.” The staff member clearly remembered Freya and didn't refuse. He actively led them inside.
Right then, Freya spotted the chubby Doctor Ansel again. He was carrying a backpack and walking out. He couldn't help but freeze when he saw Freya. “You guys are...?”
Left with no choice, Freya repeated what she had just said and then asked, “By the way, what are you doing?”
Doctor Ansel said, “Getting off work. It's clock-out time, so of course I'm going home. If you're looking for the branch president, you'd better hurry. He should be leaving soon too.”
However, Freya glanced around at the surrounding staff. These people didn't look like they were about to get off work at all. Seeing this, Ansel said, “Don't bother looking. They absolutely love working. They usually volunteer to work overtime for a bit. Once all the official doctors have left, they'll stay behind to clean up and head home only after everything is fully organized.”
Hearing this, Victor said, “Really? There are actually employees this honest and hardworking?”
Victor didn't know the inside story, but Freya did. She pursed her lips and said, “So, doesn't this count as using extraordinary abilities to exploit and bully ordinary people?”
Ansel retorted, “Hey, don't talk nonsense. What do you mean by bullying ordinary people? Do you know how much these ordinary staff members get paid? Eight thousand a month! That's already more than double the average wage in this city! And we haven't done anything terrible to them. We merely eliminate their negative emotions during work hours to prevent conflicts with customers and the like. As for working overtime, they really do it voluntarily!”
“Eight thousand!” Freya recalled that her original body's wage for working part-time at the restaurant was only two thousand. If Ansel wasn't lying, then the Mind Research Association's treatment of these ordinary people was indeed quite good. Just staying behind to clean up every day was nothing compared to an eight-thousand-dollar salary!
After crossing paths with Ansel, Freya and the other two continued forward, quickly arriving at the third floor. Coincidentally, Freya saw the branch president, Thorne, coming out of his office, locking the door.
Freya immediately waved and said, “Branch President, sorry to bother you! I suddenly remembered something I forgot to mention. I might need to trouble you again.”
“You guys? What is it?” Thorne knew it was Freya just by her voice. After all, her voice was soft and cute, making it highly recognizable. Only after locking the door did Thorne turn around to look in their direction, and then he suddenly froze.
Through micro-expression observation, Euphemia could tell that Thorne's gaze had locked directly onto Victor. He was staring straight at Victor, scanning him up and down without any disguise.
Euphemia's eyebrows knitted slightly. She thought to herself, Do these two have a grudge?
Thorne quickly walked over to the three of them before shifting his gaze back to Freya. Freya then said, “It's like this. My friend Victor was asked by someone to find someone at the Mind Research Association. Can you help us find out where this person is?”
“Oh~ Is that your request?” Thorne's eyes immediately lit up. He turned to Victor and flashed an... indescribable smile. The moment Euphemia understood it, she wore an expression of disbelief, while Victor also felt something was off, the hair on his body instinctively standing on end.
Thorne asked, “Who is it? What's his name? What does he look like?”
Victor braced himself and said, “His full name is David Lancaster. He's a guy who's just over 1.7 meters tall and looks a bit thin.”
Thorne wore a thoughtful expression and asked, “What did this David come to the Mind Research Association for?”
Victor said, “To pursue extraordinary power. He probably came for the Mind potion, right?”
Thorne said, “To get a Mind potion, one must join the association. In other words, there's a high probability this person has already joined the Mind Research Association? But at least in this city, in my branch, I haven't heard of this name.”
“However, I can help you ask the Mind Research Association branches in other cities. It should be much faster than you going around to look for him one by one yourself.”
Victor immediately cursed his past self in his mind. He's such a good person, yet I was actually on guard against him? I'm such a jerk. Victor said, “Really? Thank you so much!”
But Thorne immediately added, “However, this doesn't come without a price!”
Victor's expression froze, and he cursed his past self in his mind again. Damn it, why did you curse your past self? Your previous judgment was clearly spot on!
A drop of cold sweat appeared on Victor's forehead at some point. “W-what price?”
Thorne smiled and said, “Don't worry, it's nothing difficult. You just need to... go on a few dates with me~!”
Euphemia facepalmed, wearing an 'as expected' expression. Meanwhile, Freya tilted her head slightly, completely stunned, wondering if she had misheard. “Huh?”
As for Victor, after being dumbfounded for a moment, he wore an expression as if he had eaten fly dung. “Are you serious? I don't like men!”
Thorne said, “It's fine, as long as I like you!”
Victor suddenly felt his scalp go numb. “Normally, shouldn't gay guys like fair and delicate young boys? I'm sloppy, I smoke, I drink, I'm constipated, and I haven't showered in days. Are you sure?”
Although they knew Victor said this on purpose to disgust Thorne, Freya and Euphemia still couldn't help but take a few steps away from him after hearing it.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Thorne not only didn't show any disgust, but instead licked his lips and said, “Stop saying things that trigger my fetish like that.”
Victor: “?”
Euphemia: “?”
Freya: “?”
Victor immediately cursed, “Holy crap, are you out of your fucking mind?!”
Thorne said, “Baby, has anyone ever told you that your cursing sounds like you're acting cute?”
Victor's expression froze. “I am fucking done.”
Thorne said, “So, with dating me as the price, I'll help you find the person you're looking for. Do you agree to this deal?”
Victor hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he still nodded. No matter how he looked at it, it was just a few dates to successfully complete this commission. It should be a guaranteed win, right?
Probably?
Victor said, “But let me make this clear beforehand: it's just dating. You absolutely cannot do anything out of line! And don't think a few dates will change my sexual orientation! I like fragrant and soft girls like Miss Freya!”
Hearing this, Freya immediately wore a look of disgust. As for Euphemia, she straight-up started hissing like a cat. “You smoking, drinking, constipated, unshowered guy, stay away from my Fufu!”
Thorne then said, “See? They don't like you. But it's okay... I do!”
Victor shuddered violently. “What the actual fuck. How did I run into this kind of thing just by taking a commission? I have to make the boss pay me extra when I get back!”
Thorne said, “So, how about tonight?”
Victor shook his head frantically and waved his hands in refusal. “Not today. I just arrived in this city and still have a bunch of things to do. We'll talk about it later!”
For the first time in this conversation, Thorne showed a look of disappointment. “Alright then. Will you come see me tomorrow? We can talk about that David, and talk about the person you're looking for?”
Victor said with a pale face, “We had better talk about David.”
Once their conversation ended, Freya finally said, “So, Branch President, the deepest desire of your heart that you didn't mention earlier is actually... you like older guys like Victor?”
Thorne scratched his head and said, “Well, I can't hide it anyway. That is indeed the case.”
Freya grumbled, “So, theoretically, you just need to go on dates with older guys to accelerate your potion digestion?!”
Thorne corrected her, “Not just dating. It can also be other things on a deeper level.”
Euphemia suddenly realized something. “Wait, if this is the fastest way to digest a Mind potion, doesn't that mean all extraordinaries on the Mind Pathway are more or less perverts?!”
As everyone knew, human fetishes were incredibly diverse, and nothing was too strange to exist. Coupled with the Mind Pathway's ability to manipulate minds through hypnosis and other means, just thinking about it was terrifying!
Thorne said, “I understand your concern, and that is precisely one of the reasons why the Mind Research Association exists. Unregulated Mind Pathway extraordinaries would definitely cause unimaginable, massive chaos. The Mind Research Association is responsible for restraining these Mind Pathway extraordinaries.”
This was also why one had to join the association to obtain a Mind Pathway potion. The Mind Research Association knew best what would happen if Mind potions were widely distributed without regulation.
Thorne looked at Freya and said, “Remember what I told you before about how the Mind Research Association can provide you with a very safe place to satisfy your desires? It's true. We will give you a room that is large enough, and we will do our best to provide whatever props you want. You can also bring anyone inside to play any way you want.”
“However, after you are done playing, a higher-ranking member of the Mind Research Association will inspect the other person's mind to ensure it hasn't been influenced.”
“For example, since I like older guys, I can use any method to try to turn this older guy gay, but I absolutely cannot use extraordinary abilities to directly twist his mind. Therefore, this privilege itself is also a form of surveillance.”
After listening, Freya wore an expression of sudden realization. After all, the Mind Research Association was a very famous, legitimate organization, so it definitely had a reason for its existence. If the association weren't a good thing, it would have been shut down by the imperial authorities long ago.
Thorne explained after finishing, then turned to look at Victor. “So don't worry, I won't use any Mind Pathway extraordinary abilities on you. I will rely on my own charm to conquer you!”
Victor said in horror, “But I don't want to experience your charm at all!”
In the end, Victor fled the scene. Freya and Euphemia also bid farewell to Thorne. The three of them then went out for dinner, found a decent inn, and booked two rooms.
This time, Euphemia didn't make up a bunch of excuses like last time. Instead, she hugged Freya's arm and said softly, “Fufu, please?~”
Since they had already slept together many times anyway, Freya wouldn't refuse. In fact, even if Euphemia hadn't acted cute, she would have naturally assumed she was sharing a room with Euphy.
Besides, staying at an inn and saving the cost of one room was great.
After entering the inn room and washing up to prepare for bed, Freya sat by the bedside, still pondering what her deepest desire was.
Euphemia, wearing a thin nightgown, walked over to Freya while drying her hair. Freya had showered first, followed by her. But even though Euphy was already done, Freya was still deep in thought.
Euphemia said, “Sigh, you can't force yourself to think of this kind of thing. My advice is to just get a good night's sleep, rest up, and leave the problem to tomorrow's self!”
“Alright.” Freya was easily convinced. She spread out her blanket and crawled in, ready to sleep.
The bed was very large, and Freya and Euphy naturally used two separate blankets. Although they were in the same bed, they slept separately.
At this moment, Freya suddenly thought of Life Freya. A trace of desire bloomed in her heart: If only I could hug the fragrant and soft Life Freya to sleep right now.
Then, Freya turned her head to glance at Euphy, who had just crawled into bed next to her. After thinking about it, she decided not to say anything. After all... suddenly saying, “Can I hug you to sleep?” at a time like this felt a bit weird no matter how she thought about it. What if she was misunderstood?
So Freya clamped a portion of her blanket between her legs, curled herself into a ball, and her breathing gradually stabilized. She soon fell asleep.
Euphemia looked at the soundly sleeping Freya, completely unaware that she had just missed a jackpot. She couldn't help but gently poke Freya's cheek. “Mnh, Fufu is just too cute.”
Time quickly passed to the next day. Freya still woke up early due to her biological clock. However, this time she didn't get out of bed efficiently like usual. Instead, she lay flat on the bed for a while before rolling over.
Although she was wide awake and not sleepy at all, she still chose to follow her current desire. She was too lazy to move and wanted to lie down for a bit longer.
Right then, Freya seemed to understand what her most fundamental desire was.
That was... laziness!
...
Rate on N.U.
