Skadi, I Have a Girlfriend Now

"What exactly?"

Exusiai instinctively avoided Mizuki's gaze. In truth, she had always been afraid to look into Mizuki's eyes. They were simply too clear.

"Exactly this: compared to roses, I think I prefer the red of Exusiai's hair."

The slightly bashful Exusiai froze. Texas and the others who heard those words were stunned as well.

This was probably the first time in Exusiai's life that someone had praised her like that. She accepted the bouquet, not knowing what to say. Could she take this as a confession?

She could, right? This was a confession, wasn't it?!

Skadi's Resolve!

Dusk blanketed the city. Mizuki and Exusiai wandered around for a long time before heading back, and Mizuki had only suggested it after noticing that Exusiai seemed unable to keep going.

"Wow, everything's been delivered. But isn't this way too much? Did we really buy this much stuff?"

After returning home and opening the door, Exusiai looked at the things filling over half the living room and began to wonder how much money she had spent today.

"It really is quite a lot. Is it okay for us to spend this much?"

"It's fine. The fines Boss pays for us every month cost more than this anyway."

Exusiai casually took Mizuki's hand and led him over. She was already mostly used to holding hands with him, and would even take the initiative to hold his hand herself.

"Let's see... a humidifier, an air conditioner... Mm, other than the custom clothes and bed, everything else has arrived."

"Exusiai, I have a question."

Just as Exusiai was about to call and ask when the installation technician could come install the air conditioner, Mizuki sensed that something was off.

"What is it?"

"Texas and the others haven't returned yet, right? Then who signed for these deliveries?"

Mizuki had spotted the blind spot. Exusiai quickly realized that was indeed the case. Damn it, she had gotten way too immersed in Mizuki's tenderness today. Her reaction had actually become this slow.

"I signed for them. Quite a few were cash-on-delivery, too. I had to pay quite a bit out of pocket."

The speaker emerged from the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee. He was a tall man in a suit wearing a strange mask. A red streak on the mask was probably his only means of seeing the outside world.

The moment she saw him, much of Exusiai's vigilance faded. If it was him, then he really could enter this place whenever he wanted.

"Eis, why are you back? Where's Boss?"

Strictly speaking, Eis was not a member of Penguin Logistics, because he was Emperor's secretary assistant. Exusiai did not know much about him, but one thing was certain: Eis was elusive and unpredictable.

"Mr. Emperor needed to catch up with an old friend he had not seen in a long time, so I returned first."

After saying that, Eis looked at Mizuki. The gaze behind his mask seemed to carry a deeper meaning.

At some point, countless colorful bubbles had appeared in the air around Mizuki. His clear, water-like eyes were icy cold as they looked at Eis. For some reason, Mizuki sensed an aura from him that he disliked—no, even loathed. It was the instinctive disgust a Great Yan person would feel upon seeing strawberry mapo tofu.

"Please do not be alarmed, Mr. Mizuki. I am not your enemy. I was merely entrusted to return something to you."

Seeing that the situation seemed to be turning bad, Eis quickly withdrew his gaze and took something from behind his back, handing it to Mizuki.

It was a transparent, brand-new umbrella. Its tip resembled a sharp harpoon, and a cute black teru teru bozu hung from its ribs.

The instant he saw it, Mizuki's hostility vanished, and the bubbles around him burst apart. Exusiai scratched her head in confusion. She had not seen those bubbles, nor had she realized that Mizuki had nearly attacked Eis just now.

"This originally belonged to you. I have repaired it for you. Please take good care of it. If it needs repairs again, you may call me directly."

Eis placed the umbrella in Mizuki's hands. The instant Mizuki gripped it, an image flashed before his eyes.

He was in a dark, narrow cave. That damaged umbrella could not even block the slightest wind. Its canopy was riddled with holes, and its handle had broken in two. From a first-person view, he could only see himself holding that black teru teru bozu in his hands as he said, "I'm Mizuki."

The flashback lasted only an instant. Mizuki clenched the umbrella and looked at Eis.

"You know who I am?"

"Yes. Though we cannot really be considered acquainted, I know a little about your origins. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you."

"Why?"

Exusiai was the one who asked. She did not understand, but then suddenly realized why Emperor had asked Texas to invite Mizuki into Penguin Logistics.

It was not because, as they had previously guessed, he wanted to make up for some mistake or ease his conscience. It was because Emperor had known Mizuki from the beginning.

"Because you are currently lost."

Eis was exceptionally courteous, while Mizuki pointed at himself in confusion.

"Lost?"

"Yes. Do you know who you are?"

Eis asked as he crouched down to meet Mizuki at eye level. It was a sign of respect.

"I'm Mizuki."

"Is that so? Are you certain that is your name?"

It sounded like a meaningless question, but Mizuki keenly sensed Eis's intention.

"You mean..."

"Yes. Having lost your memories, you have nothing besides this name. If I told you about those events from the past, you would probably only nod and say, 'I understand,' rather than, 'I remember.' There is a difference."

"I understand" meant that Mizuki would know who he was and what had happened in the past, but he would not truly remember it himself. No matter how much others told him, he would only see himself as an outsider.

In other words, Mizuki could only recover his memories by finding them himself bit by bit. Hearing about them from others would be useless.

"Mr. Emperor asked me to bring you a message. He said that he hopes you can remember the past—the later, the better."

It was a contradictory statement. If he wanted Mizuki to recover his memories, then logically speaking, the sooner the better. Yet with Emperor, it had become the later the better. Mizuki could not help becoming curious about this boss he had never met.

Eis and Emperor were different from Texas and the others. The two of them clearly knew Mizuki's identity. Still, Exusiai was certain that Mizuki's accident had nothing to do with Emperor. There was at least that degree of trust between them.

"Additionally, in approximately three days, a representative from Rhodes Island will arrive in Lungmen to discuss cooperation with Penguin Logistics. By then, you may be able to learn some of what you wish to know."

"Thank you."

Although Eis had not told him many things, Mizuki still thanked him sincerely. His instinctive dislike would not affect his heart. At the very least, Eis really had helped him.

"May I ask another question?"

"Of course, as long as it falls within the range I am permitted to answer."

Eis did not refuse. If possible, he did not mind telling Mizuki directly about his past, but Emperor had said that doing so would instead be detrimental to the recovery of his memories, so he could only let it go.

"Do I have any family?"

That question was somewhat difficult for Eis to answer. After a brief hesitation, he still spoke frankly.

"You have no blood relatives, but you do have an Aegir sister. She is probably searching for you right now."

Eis did not know much about Mizuki's sister. He had no connection with Mizuki in the past at all. Emperor should know a great deal, but he was not here right now.

"An older sister?"

"Achoo!"

The wilderness wind was a little cold, but compared to the sea, it was practically warm. Skadi should not have been able to feel cold, so she came to a conclusion: Mizuki must be thinking about her!

Once she found Mizuki again, no matter what, she would never let her little brother leave her—not even leave her sight!

Mizuki and Exusiai's New Room

"Master, what kind of work do you do?"

When Croissant returned to Penguin Logistics and saw Mizuki sitting on a ladder installing the air conditioner, she could not stop herself from asking.

She could not be blamed. It truly felt as if there was nothing in the world that Mizuki could not do. He had chef-level cooking skills, driving skills worthy of the god of Mount Akina, and now his electrical skills did not seem bad either.

"???"

Several question marks seemed to pop up over Mizuki's head. What did she mean by asking what he did for work? Weren't they coworkers already?

"Ignore her. By the way, aren't you planning to hire someone to install it?"

"Ah, it's fine. Mizuki said he seemed to know how to install these things too. Oh my, my Mizuki is so capable with his hands!"

Exusiai, who was in charge of unpacking the deliveries, sounded immensely proud. Texas and Sora could not help rolling their eyes at her. She was already calling him hers? Could she have a little shame?

Croissant could not stand Exusiai's smug expression either. She hooked an arm around her neck, pulled her aside, and asked in a low voice.

"Don't get too proud. Hey, tell me, what exactly is the relationship between you two now?"

"What relationship?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I saw it all. We sisters saw how you were today. Your face was red. And where are the flowers Mizuki gave you?"

If Exusiai still did not understand what the three of them were up to today after hearing that, then she would be truly stupid.

She was so angry that she wanted to punch Croissant, but Mizuki was still installing the air conditioner behind them, so she had to restrain herself for the sake of her image.

But when she thought about how everyone must have seen her embarrassed state today, Exusiai felt that her image had suffered greatly. What a disaster.

"You still haven't answered."

Texas and Sora went over to help Mizuki, leaving him temporarily unable to pay attention to Exusiai's side.

"It's... it's going pretty well."

For some reason, Mizuki's unconscious words of affection automatically surfaced in Exusiai's mind. He had actually compared roses to her hair. Mizuki really was something else. Did he not know what embarrassment was?

And wasn't dating supposed to take time and progress slowly? Why did the two of them seem to be moving at rocket speed?

Exusiai could not figure it out herself, but she was certain that she liked Mizuki very much now. Forget kissing or anything like that—at the very least, holding hands and hugging were definitely fine.

With all five of them working together, the room came together much faster. They installed the air conditioner and television, then the game console, wardrobe, and desk. Exusiai had originally planned to buy Mizuki a desktop computer, but switched it out for a laptop in the end.

The wallpaper was aqua blue, the ceiling lamp looked like a jellyfish, and there were a few potted plants. It was pretty and tidy. Croissant took away all the cardboard boxes, saying they were worth fifty cents per jin.

Since they still had to eat, Mizuki went to cook halfway through. After all, Exusiai had helped pick out the overall layout of the room and everything they bought today, so he trusted her completely.

But as soon as Mizuki left, Exusiai began to feel uncomfortable.

She did not know whether it was just her imagination, but it felt as if a thick barrier had appeared between her and Texas's group.

"Exusiai, where should this go?" Sora held up a bookshelf.

"Put it against the inside of the bed. Mizuki likes reading comics before sleeping, so if it's there, he can grab them whenever he wants. Just use strong adhesive to stick it in place."

"What about this humidifier?"

"The corner over there is fine, the one beside the desk."

Looking at this scene, anyone who did not know better would think they were setting up a room for Exusiai, not Mizuki. But when Texas thought about it, it did not seem wrong. Exusiai was living with Mizuki now, after all.

Still, once they finished decorating it, the room looked quite nice. Mizuki liked clean and orderly rooms, so most things were placed against the walls, making the room feel much more spacious.

"This bed looks really comfortable. I want to replace mine too."

"Yeah, and it's a double bed. Wouldn't it be too wide for Mizuki to sleep in alone?"

"How dare you assume he'll be sleeping alone? This is a newlywed room for two."

Croissant and Sora played off each other, making Exusiai pull out her gun.

"That's enough, you guys!"

Mizuki, who was cooking, could not help smiling when he heard the commotion upstairs. His hands moved a little faster.

With his room finished, it was as good as officially joining Penguin Logistics. However, the promised barbecue party had been postponed. All they could say was, next time for sure.

He had officially become a member of Penguin Logistics, found a place to belong, and met several noisy yet interesting friends. Color had returned to Mizuki's life, which had once been painted blank.

But he still cared deeply about what Eis had suddenly said. Was being told about his past really different from remembering it himself? What exactly had happened in his past?

And Eis had said that he had a sister who was not related to him by blood, and that she was searching for him. It made Mizuki feel anxious. He hoped to find news of his sister soon.

"Mizuki, Mizuki, is the food ready?"

After spending a long time chasing Texas and the others around, Exusiai had finally exhausted herself. She was hungry too, so she ran into the kitchen to find Mizuki.

Well, it was also because she truly could not stand being teased by her good sisters anymore, especially Croissant. That bread girl was absolutely determined to dig out some gossip. Mizuki's side was still better.

"Almost. Go call everyone to wash their hands and eat."

"What about my apple pie?"

"Have that after dinner."