Chapter 59: A Girl’s Growth Always Comes with Pain and Scissors

(Children, skip this chapter immediately)

“As expected, one shouldn’t expect Grace to be normal.”

Phaga sighed softly, tilting his umbrella slightly to watch the intelligent machine atop the unfinished building.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.
“Retreat!”

At once, Ellen and Phaga leapt backward. Grace, startled, fidgeted for a moment before quickly retreating as well.

Boom!

Eous froze as a deafening crash erupted. In the next instant, he felt his body grow lighter, his legs fluttering helplessly as his vision pulled farther and farther from the ground.

...

Dozens of miles away in the video store, Wise, watching through the H.D.D., still hadn’t registered what had happened.

But Belle, sharing senses with Eous, felt it clearly—a warm chest pressed against her back. An arm slipped under Eous’s armpit, a broad hand wrapping around his chest and stomach.

This feeling... this feeling...

Belle’s teeth chattered as her vision spun into dizzying loops.

Phaga, oblivious to the proxy’s strange thoughts, only understood one thing: love had granted Greta its strength. Even Hans tried every means to escape, yet Greta leapt down without hesitation, determined to defend her love for Mr. White to the death.

Wait—who even was Mr. White?

Holding Eous tightly, Phaga darted to the side, glancing at Ellen.
Since this is all girl stuff... any idea who this Mr. White is supposed to be?

“Grace aside—don’t you dare treat a machine like a girl!”

Ellen, still tense from battle, deflated at his question. With a sigh, she dragged her hand down her face, making the teardrop-shaped mole beneath her eye seem to shift as she pondered aloud:

“A mechanical girl’s lover probably isn’t human. It’d have to be some massive thing that could merge with her... Mr. White... something white?”

At once, both Ellen and Phaga turned toward the very building Greta had leapt from earlier.

Ellen raised a brow, muttering, “Could it be...?”

Sure enough, Greta’s angry voice rang out, confirming Ellen’s guess.

“Damn it! Don’t you dare slander Mr. White!”

Consumed by love, the girl ignored the disparity in strength, relying only on her towering steel frame as she brought her foot down on Ellen and Phaga.

The two exchanged a glance beneath the shadow of her step, then split left and right. Greta’s stomp missed.

But her fury didn’t wane. She hefted the demolition saw from her back, aiming it at Ellen as she roared:

“I’ve already decided to stay with Mr. White forever! Take back your rude... words...”

Thud!

From the ground, Ellen’s massive scissors shot upward, their icy blades flashing brilliantly in the sun. In an instant, they pierced through Greta, leaving a gaping wound.

And it didn’t stop there. Beneath her trembling frame, frigid cold spread rapidly outward, freezing even the Ether fuel. The two mechanical legs nearest the wound seized up completely.

“Phew~ As I thought, it’s best to finish this quickly.”

Stepping out from the sunlight, Ellen let the shadows fall across her face as Greta’s gaze fixed on her. Her crimson eyes darkened with every step, her gaze pressing down with the crushing force of the deep sea.

Thud!

Ellen advanced, gripping the scissor’s handle tightly and yanking outward. The blades tore free with a shriek of grinding metal, Greta’s entire frame shuddering violently.

The noise was so piercing Ellen had to shut one eye, but she didn’t loosen her grip. Instead, she pulled harder, drawing in a sharp breath.

“Wait! You can’t just rip something out of a girl’s body like that! Be gentle—at least give me time to prepare myself!”

As if realizing Ellen’s intent, Greta’s voice shifted, turning coy and tearful, like a flower trembling in the rain.

On the sidelines, Grace shouted encouragement, her face lit with excitement.
“Don’t be afraid, sweetheart! This is a necessary step in a girl’s growth! You must overcome it!”

Tsk. Did you ever go through anything like this yourself?

The words only deepened Ellen’s scowl.

Her eyes flicked sideways—Eous was staring wide-eyed, utterly stunned by the scene. And Phaga... his expression was even harder to read, his lower lip caught tightly between his teeth.

Enough.

Ellen’s eyes went blank. By the time she came back to herself, her grip on the scissors was iron-strong, her aura cold as frost.

“Hah!”

With a sharp cry, she wrenched the blades free. The ice-blue steel gleamed brilliantly, shards of frost shattering from Greta’s frame. The freezing cold combined with the explosive force, unleashing devastating power.

Boom!

The roar shook the air as half of Greta’s body was destroyed in the icy blast, crashing to the ground with a thunderous thud.

“I’m sorry... Mr. White...”

Greta collapsed in the sunlight. Amid the towering shells of abandoned buildings, only her broken figure lay bathed in golden light.

Like a spotlight falling on a ruined doll, its stitched seams had long since split apart. White, cotton-like stuffing spilled out in clumps across the ground.

Discarded, like a toy no longer wanted.

I lost... to the villain’s giant scissors... they took everything from me…”

Her voice wept soundlessly beneath the sun. The colossal frame trembled faintly, as if her innocence had been torn away, and the expression formed by countless light-points on her display began to fade away.