The following day, the atmosphere in the facility seemed normal at first glance, but in one corner of the building, two scientists were huddled together, their voices low and filled with spite.
"That Holo kid," one of them sneered. "He's so pathetic. What's he even doing here? He can barely handle himself, let alone these girls."
"I know," the other replied, laughing bitterly. "It's ridiculous. Why do they even trust someone like him? I could do a better job with my eyes closed."
"It's obvious he's just lucky. The girls are only tolerating him because he's an easy target. No way they actually care about him."
Their jealousy dripped from every word, their disdain for Holo thinly veiled. Unbeknownst to them, their conversation wasn't as private as they thought. Trixie and Scarlet had been passing by when they overheard the mocking laughter and cruel remarks. They stopped in their tracks, their expressions darkening as they caught every word.
The two girls exchanged a glance, their mutual dislike for each other momentarily set aside as their shared fury toward the scientists took precedence. Without a word, they silently agreed to take matters into their own hands.
Trixie tracked down one of the scientists, finding him alone in a storage room, taking inventory. Her footsteps were quiet as she approached, her eyes glinting with a dangerous intensity.
"Hey," she said casually, her voice low and almost playful.
The scientist turned, startled by her sudden presence. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, trying to sound authoritative but failing miserably under her piercing gaze.
Trixie smiled sweetly, taking a step closer. "I just wanted to have a little chat. You know, about Holo."
The man frowned, his nerves starting to show. "What about him?"
Her smile widened, but there was no warmth in it. "I couldn't help but overhear what you were saying about him earlier. You know, all that trash you were talking."
The scientist's face paled, and he took a step back. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, don't play dumb," Trixie said, her tone darkening as she closed the distance between them. "I heard everything."
Before he could respond, Trixie grabbed him by the arm and twisted it with unnatural strength. The sickening sound of his elbow snapping echoed through the room, followed by his scream of pain.
"Oops," Trixie said mockingly, tilting her head as she watched him collapse to the floor. "Guess I don't know my own strength."
The scientist clutched his arm, his face contorted in agony. "Y-You're crazy!"
"You haven't seen crazy yet," Trixie said coldly. She knelt beside him, grabbing his leg and pinning it down with one hand. "Do you know what really makes me mad? When people talk badly about Holo."
"Please," he begged, his voice trembling. "I didn't mean it—"
Before he could finish, she pressed down on his knee, forcing it to bend in the wrong direction. He screamed again, the sound muffled as Trixie leaned in close.
"Do you feel that?" she whispered, her tone icy. "That's the sound of your own weakness. If it wouldn't upset Holo, you'd already be dead."
She stood up, looking down at him with a mix of disgust and satisfaction. "Remember this the next time you even think about saying his name. Because if I hear you talking about him again, I won't stop with your knees."
Meanwhile, Scarlet had done her homework. She had spent the morning gathering information on the second scientist, using her charm and cunning to piece together details about his personal life. When she finally approached him in his office, she had all the ammunition she needed.
"Hello, Doctor Failure," Scarlet said, her voice dripping with mock sweetness as she leaned against the doorway.
The scientist looked up from his desk, frowning. "What do you want?"
"Oh, nothing much," she said, sauntering into the room. "I just thought we could have a little chat."
"I'm busy," he said curtly, turning back to his work.
Scarlet smirked, pulling up a chair and sitting across from him. "Too busy to talk about how pathetic you are?"
His hand froze mid-scribble, and he looked up at her, his expression hardening. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," Scarlet said, her smile widening. "It must be hard, living with the fact that your wife's cheating on you. Oh, wait—you already know that, don't you?"
The color drained from his face, and his jaw tightened. "How did you—"
"I know everything," she said, cutting him off. "Like how your kids don't even respect you. Can you really blame them? I mean, who could look up to a deadbeat like you?"
He stood up, his face red with anger. "You have no right—"
"Oh, sit down," Scarlet said, rolling her eyes. "You're not scaring anyone. Do you think yelling at me is going to make you less of a failure? Because newsflash—it won't."
The scientist clenched his fists, but he didn't move. Scarlet leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand as she continued. "You're pathetic. A cuckold, a useless father, and let's not forget—a terrible scientist. Do you even know how to do your job? Or do you just sit here all day pretending to be important?"
"You don't know anything about me," he said through gritted teeth.
"I know enough," she said coldly. "People like you don't even deserve to breathe the same air as Holo. He's worth ten of you. No—a hundred. You're just trash. A useless waist of egg and sperm, wasting the earth's fleeting natural resources just to keep you alive, just so you can keep living your miserable, sad, pathetic life. Do us all a favor and go die in a place where no one would miss you... which I suppose is every place, isn't it?"
Her words cut deeper than any blade, and the man slumped back into his chair, his confidence shattered. Scarlet stood up, brushing her hands together as if dusting off dirt.
"Let this be a lesson," she said, her voice soft but menacing. "The next time you think about talking behind Holo's back, remember this moment. Because I won't be so nice next time."
With that, she turned and walked out of the office, her smug smile firmly in place.
Both Trixie and Scarlet returned to Holo later that day, their moods light and cheerful. Neither of them mentioned what they had done, but they couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction knowing they had put those scientists in their place.