Chapter 842: Hirata Kotomi
"Hehe, don't be angry, Terestina." Kihara Gensei, seemingly having anticipated his granddaughter's reaction, calmly chuckled and said, "That was just a metaphor, not meant to belittle you. You should know what this old man means: a title obtained through such an abnormal method can easily be lost again—as long as you lose once, then..."
Therefore, after inheriting the name of "Kihara," Terestina could only become more aggressive, proving herself through continuous victories.
"So what? I just need to keep winning," Terestina said.
"That's the spirit!" Kihara Gensei clapped his hands in admiration. "That's the confidence a Kihara should have!"
With a cold snort, Terestina said earnestly, "I'm serious. I will keep winning."
"So what do you plan to do?" Kihara Gensei asked. "You know best how you won this time... If you rely only on yourself, do you really have the confidence to go all the way?"
How did she win this time? By doing nothing!
She did nothing; she only won because her ally, Lin Wuming, won, so she also achieved ultimate victory without shedding a drop of blood...
On the surface, it seemed that way, but in reality, Terestina had done many things. Besides acting in secret and providing intelligence, the most important thing was—making the right choice.
Terestina poured a lemon-flavored candy from a candy box—one of her favorite flavors.
"The process isn't important; winning is winning." She picked up the candy but didn't put it in her mouth. Instead, she held it up to her eyes, looking at the woman opposite her through the chaotic yet crystal-clear candy sphere.
Making the right choice is sometimes more effective than putting in effort yourself.
Terestina's approach was purely results-oriented; it was one-sided and narrow-minded...
But in this world, many things are decided by the outcome.
Seeing that Terestina had already formed her own methodology, Kihara Gensei said no more.
Ultimately, what Terestina did was essentially very similar to what he had done before.
—They both just used Lin Wuming and his group.
The only difference was that Kihara Gensei treated Lin Wuming and his group as research subjects and test subjects, while Terestina treated them as partners or even as her backing.
"Be careful, you will die by Lin Wuming's group sooner or later," Kihara Gensei said, shaking his head.
Terestina was too weak. With excessive cunning and unequal strength, she could easily become the sacrificed party in a collaboration.
"I know," Terestina said nonchalantly. "But that's unlikely. Lin Wuming isn't someone who likes to kill easily."
"You are putting your life's hope on the other party's benevolence."
"You're right. But as long as I don't become his enemy, it's not difficult," Terestina said with a relaxed expression.
Terestina was best at making choices; as long as she didn't choose wrongly, there would be no problems, and the worst outcome Kihara Gensei spoke of would not occur.
After a moment of silence, Kihara Gensei sighed softly: "Since it's your choice... I wish you all the best in the future. This old man will make his exit now."
"You..." Terestina looked over in surprise. "Grandpa, you're leaving the stage?"
"Of course. After all, this old man was severely weakened and suffered heavy losses this time," Kihara Gensei said, shaking his head. "I have to admit, your decisive actions indeed disrupted this old man's plan for a comeback. Now I can only honestly retreat."
"One last thing," Kihara Gensei looked up again, pointing to his body, "Hirata Kotomi was once this old man's student. Although she isn't famous, her abilities are trustworthy; otherwise, this old man wouldn't have entrusted those projects to her."
Terestina looked at the stack of documents on the table: "She really did it herself?"
"Hehe, those who aren't skilled enough aren't even qualified to be this old man's substitute," Kihara Gensei said. "Take her in; consider it this old man's last gift to you."
"Hmph, you think I'd believe that?"
"This old man said, the authority of the 'External Brain' has been completely reclaimed by Shiokishi. So once this old man leaves, he won't be able to come back and control the substitute. You can use her with confidence."
"Then where exactly are you?"
"Just assume this old man is dead, Terestina. Make good use of this inheritance and let this old man see how far you can go."
As he spoke, Hirata Kotomi suddenly lowered her head, losing consciousness.
Terestina approached, holding a handgun.
"Troublesome..." After an examination, she found that Hirata Kotomi was merely unconscious, with no other problems apparent. "How should I deal with this person?"
"You... who are you?!" Hirata Kotomi slowly regained consciousness and saw a woman holding a handgun standing in front of her. The surroundings were also an unfamiliar place, and she immediately became flustered.
"I should be asking you—who are you, and what are you doing here?" Terestina retorted.
"I..." After careful recollection, Hirata Kotomi showed a look of sudden understanding. "I'm here for a job interview!"
"You're right, but please go back. You haven't been hired."
"Huh? How is that possible?" Hirata Kotomi looked surprised. "Didn't Professor Gensei say...?"
"Hmm? What did that old man say?" Terestina narrowed her eyes.
"Uh..." Wary of the handgun in her hand, Hirata Kotomi flinched slightly and whispered, "Professor said this was his former Institute, and you are his granddaughter, so you would definitely hire me..."
Terestina frowned: "Why did you leave your previous laboratory?"
"Because Professor told me to?"
"Heh, you're really obedient."
"I respect Professor Gensei very much," Hirata Kotomi said. "And Professor also gave me a lot of help."
As she spoke, she looked at the stack of documents on the table.
"Without Professor's guidance, I wouldn't have been able to complete these projects."
"So, these were really all completed by you alone?"
"Professor Gensei gave me a lot of help, and the initial ideas were also provided by Professor," Hirata Kotomi quickly explained.
—This woman... could she be very easy to use?
Terestina suddenly felt that this Hirata Kotomi was truly too naive and simple... if she wasn't acting.
Capable, obedient, and never doubting her teacher...
If not for the Kihara Gensei factor, Hirata Kotomi could be said to be the most perfect research center director—Terestina wouldn't mind entrusting these research facilities to her management.
"..." After a moment of hesitation, Terestina changed her mind. "Alright, since Grandpa said so, then stay."
"That's great! Thank you!" Hirata Kotomi beamed with joy, looking as if she had become much younger.
"One more question, how old are you?" Terestina asked. When she looked at the documents earlier, her focus was on the research results at the back, and she only quickly skimmed the personal information at the front.
Now that she thought about it, Terestina felt something was off, so she reopened the first page of the resume.
"Me? I'm 30 this year," Hirata Kotomi answered honestly.
