Skadi, I Have a Girlfriend

They fled with the food, but not before cutting off Alina's horn and stealing the only ring she had left.

The pressure of survival and fear of death turned people into demons. Alina somewhat regretted going out alone. It did not matter if she died here; she was an Infected to begin with, and she would not live long anyway. But if she died, the last thread holding Talulah's sanity together would become dangerously fragile. Once her mind wavered, the monster hidden within her heart would completely turn her into a demon.

"Tal..."

There were footsteps. With death drawing near, Alina's senses instead became exceptionally sharp. She heard the footsteps approaching from afar, neither hurried nor slow.

Had the Grim Reaper come to take her away? No, there should not be any gods in this world. Even if there were, they would only be a bunch of cold-blooded creatures. Otherwise, how could they turn a blind eye to all the tragedies of the human world?

"Alina, Alina, please don't let anything happen to you."

Talulah ran wildly. Ever since the children had told her that Sister Alina had not returned, she had been unable to suppress her worry. A terrible premonition rose in her heart, and she hoped it was only an illusion.

Yet the farther she ran, the more nervous Talulah became. Her boots were soaked by melting ice water, cold wind pierced her lungs, and pain tormented her mind. The glare from the snow nearly prevented her from seeing what was ahead, but she kept running tirelessly.

But when she finally saw the figure of the person she cared about most, she nearly lost her footing. After the great battle and then this desperate run, her strength had yet to recover. She only felt her blood rushing to her head.

Alina was lying in the arms of a white figure, gently resting across his lap. He was an Aegir, and he looked very young—white as Ursus winter snow. His hair was long, its ends resembling Spreading Branches.

A god. That thought instinctively surfaced in Talulah's mind. To anyone, the pure white youth before her might have seemed most fittingly described that way.

One of his hands rested over Alina's left chest, while the other was pressed against his own chest. As for Alina, Talulah could hardly believe what had happened to her.

"Are you her friend?"

The pure white Aegir youth spoke, his voice as pleasant as newly melted spring snow. He raised his head, and a gentle smile appeared on his unnaturally snow-white face.

"I'm sorry. When I arrived, her heart had already stopped beating."

"You..."

"So I could only give her my own heart. I think she'll be all right."

As he spoke, the youth pointed his hand at his own heart in front of Talulah.

"Mizuki, are you all right?"

Then came Texas's concerned voice. Only then did Mizuki notice that he had accidentally fallen asleep in the car. It seemed Texas, who had only recently gotten her crash-course driver's license, was still quite cautious behind the wheel. The ride had not been bumpy at all.

"I accidentally fell asleep. Sorry."

"Are you tired?"

"Probably not. I just suddenly got sleepy."

He yawned softly and squinted at the sunset. The sky was gloomy, and it would probably rain tonight. Even a crash-course driver's license took at least most of a day. Texas had not originally been allowed to take the test, but considering that driver's licenses were useless to Penguin Logistics anyway—they drove whenever they wanted—they had simply let her take it as well, so paying fines would be more convenient.

That was why driving had been handed over to Texas, while Mizuki had dozed off just now.

Perhaps because he had discussed Talulah with Ch'en earlier, this dream had also been about Talulah. It had even been recorded with unusual clarity. Still, Mizuki could not help reaching out and gently touching himself. He was not sure whether the person in the dream had really been him.

Although the face and hairstyle were exactly the same, Mizuki's hair was not so flawlessly white, nor did it branch apart like spreading willow boughs.

What happened afterward? Mizuki did not know. Perhaps a future dream would show him the continuation.

"We don't need to cook tonight. We can just go get barbecue. Do you know how to grill?"

"I probably do."

Mizuki rubbed his chin. For some reason, he felt especially confident answering that question. Maybe before losing his memories, he had been a barbecue master?

Just as he was thinking that, Mizuki's communicator began vibrating. He picked it up and saw it was Exusiai. There had also been several missed calls from three minutes earlier, but he had been asleep then, and Texas had been driving without noticing, so no one had answered.

"Hello, A-Neng?"

"Mizuki! Those Cat Gang people have come after us again. You and Texas need to be careful."

Exusiai's voice was somewhat hurried. He could also hear the repeated fire of her gun and the sounds of explosions.

"Damn it, my bedroom! I only renovated it yesterday! I'm going to kill you all!"

It seemed Mizuki's newly renovated bedroom had suffered a small accident. But Exusiai had already started treating it as her own room so quickly. That was surprisingly fast.

Because Exusiai was speaking loudly, Texas heard her too. She also noticed that a car behind them had begun chasing her and Mizuki.

"We've been spotted, Mizuki. We'll take a detour."

It was the evening rush hour, and there were plenty of people on the elevated road. Neither Texas nor the Cat Gang dared make things too big at a time like this, so they could only take a detour.

"A-Neng, are you okay over there?"

"I'm fine. It's just that our bed is covered in dust. Damn it, we'll have to switch safehouses tonight."

"Then go to the bar."

Texas cut Exusiai off. Why did it feel like, after confirming her relationship with Mizuki last night, this girl truly had not treated her sisters as outsiders at all? How long had the two of them even known each other? Confirming their relationship was one thing, but why had she directly assumed they would sleep in the same bed?

No, did this girl just not see her sisters as people at all?!

"Okay, then we'll meet at the bar. I'll break out of here soon. Mizuki, remember to protect yourself. Don't get hurt."

Those final two sentences carried not only a hint of reminder, but also some anxiety. Although Mizuki had indeed demonstrated some power beyond human comprehension that morning, Exusiai still had no real understanding of her boyfriend's combat ability. Mizuki simply looked far too harmless.

After hanging up, Mizuki was about to say something when he saw the Cat Gang's car pull something out in the rearview mirror.

"Explosive crossbows? Are these people trying to get themselves killed?"

Texas's pupils contracted. Using explosive crossbows in an area with such heavy traffic would certainly cause no small disturbance. Since when did the Cat Gang dare risk their lives doing something like this?

Several explosive bolts shot out and struck at tremendous speed, followed by the blast's heatwave.

In that instant, Texas only noticed what seemed to be the sound of waves crashing against a beach by her ears, followed by the sound of fish blowing bubbles, and then a sheet of white light.

With a boom, flames shot into the sky. The roadway immediately descended into chaos, with countless vehicles crashing into one another and causing an extremely serious traffic accident.

Yet the Cat Gang members simply got out and ran to Penguin Logistics's burning vehicle. After confirming that neither Mizuki nor Texas was inside, they continued tracking them.

Operation: Rescue Texas

It was late at night. The sky was dark and gloomy, lightning flashed from time to time, and the rain continued without end.

Croissant and Sora sat on the sofa, watching Exusiai pace back and forth restlessly. But the two of them were just as anxious.

Two hours had passed since the last call. There was still no news of Texas or Mizuki, and all three of them were nearly worried to death.

Yet going out to search was too dangerous, so the three had decided to wait and see whether they could at least get some news. What if Texas and Mizuki returned just after they left?

But now two hours had passed without a word. The three exchanged glances and decided they could not wait any longer.

Texas and Mizuki must have encountered some kind of accident. They needed to find the two of them first. This time, the Cat Gang had gone far too far. That Penguin Logistics safehouse was located in a busy district with an enormous flow of people, and the Cat Gang had injured quite a few bystanders.

There was no way this debt could be settled privately. Even if Mizuki, Texas, and the three of them were willing to settle it, Emperor would not be.

Besides, had Penguin Logistics earned its name in Lungmen by saving lives and healing the wounded?

While Exusiai and the others prepared to set out, Mizuki was facing some trouble on the other end. Although he had instinctively protected Texas at the moment of the explosion, the powerful shockwave had still knocked her unconscious. Some flying fragments had lodged themselves in her body, and she was bleeding continuously. Fortunately, she had not been infected by Originium.

He just needed to remove those fragments from her body in time to prevent infection, and he also needed to examine her carefully. Although Oripathy would not cause a rift between her and the Penguin Logistics girls, it would inevitably affect the rest of her life.

"Texas, hang on. We're almost there."

Carrying Texas, who was about the same height as him, through the alleyways, Mizuki was sincerely glad his weapon was an umbrella. He had brought it with him when leaving, and it could shield them from the rain so Texas's condition would not worsen.

He himself was also wearing a raincoat, and his boots were waterproof, so he was not afraid of getting soaked.

This was Lungmen's slum district. Mizuki had once heard Exusiai talk about it. Most of the people living here were either illegal immigrants or pitiful people infected with Oripathy. Lungmen's light did not reach them; they could only struggle to survive in the cracks.

But at least in Lungmen, they could still survive.

There was an underground clinic ahead. Mizuki carried Texas to its entrance and knocked on the door. A middle-aged man answered, his expression somewhat impatient.

He was not surprised to see Mizuki and Texas. At this time of night and in a place like this, the only people who came knocking on a clinic door were either dying or injured in gang fights. But the Penguin Logistics insignia on Texas and Mizuki's shoulders made him frown.

"Penguin Logistics people? If I take you in, I'm afraid I'll stir up trouble... You should treat her yourself."

Because of Penguin Logistics's consistently straightforward style and certain gray-market dealings, they had quite a few enemies in Lungmen. That was not something a small underground clinic could afford to provoke, but Penguin Logistics was also not someone he, a doctor, could afford to provoke.

So this decision was a way of offending neither side. Mizuki did not blame him, because Mizuki had intended to do the same. Texas's injuries were serious, but she probably would not want a stranger to see her body.

As for Mizuki, he had also suffered quite a few injuries. He had even taken most of the explosion's force and the flying fragments, but those fragments had somehow been rejected by his flesh and blood. The burns on his back had already healed, perhaps without even leaving scars.

There might still be some Originium fragments. Mizuki was not sure whether his body had expelled those as well, but Texas was the priority now.

The underground clinic's doctor helped bring Texas into the operating room. It was better than Mizuki had expected. At least the air smelled of disinfectant, and there were no bugs. It was only rather messy, but at a time like this, they could not be picky.

"Please step outside for a while. Don't reveal anything about us."

"I know the rules. Don't worry."

The doctor took a pair of bloodstained gloves and a used scalpel from the trash can. He had originally intended to wash them tomorrow. Of course, he did not dare use something that had been washed several times on Mizuki, so he pointed to a cabinet and indicated that Mizuki could use anything inside. Then he went out and shut the door.

Mizuki gently laid Texas face-down on the bed and reached out to undo her clothes. All of Texas's injuries were on her back, and her clothes had been badly torn. Mizuki carefully removed them to avoid hurting her anywhere.

"Good. She wasn't burned. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if her clothes had stuck to the coagulated flesh."

Mizuki closed his umbrella and tried hard to suppress the anger in his heart. He truly regarded Texas as a friend, and seeing her in such a state filled him with an indescribable rage.

He opened the cabinet, took out new surgical tools, put on a mask and gloves, and began the operation.

The moment he picked up the scalpel, just as when he had gripped the steering wheel before, an indescribable sense of familiarity surged into his heart. Looking at Texas, Mizuki immediately understood what to do. This was merely a not-so-complicated surgical procedure.

He needed to disinfect first, then cut open the flesh and remove the shattered glass and metal fragments. He had to be especially careful. Texas had first been thrown by the shockwave and hit her head against the car door, then lost a great deal of blood. That was why she had remained unconscious. Otherwise, she had no major issues.

Still, after this, Texas's back would inevitably gain quite a few more scars. She already had many scars, though they were usually hidden beneath her clothes and difficult to see. Mizuki had intended to wrap her in bandages, but he suddenly remembered the dream about Alina and Talulah from that afternoon.

After hesitating for a moment, Mizuki bit his finger and smeared his blood across Texas's back before wrapping her in bandages.

Meanwhile, the clinic door was knocked on again. Mizuki immediately became alert. He first finished bandaging Texas, then hid her beneath the bed and gripped his umbrella tightly.

"Coming, coming."

Putting on bloodstained gloves, picking up a scalpel, and wearing a new mask, the doctor went to the entrance and opened the door. Two Cat Gang members stood outside.

"Do you have any Penguin Logistics people here?"

"Come on, sir. Why would Penguin Logistics people ever come to a place like this?"

"Then who are you operating on at this hour?"

"An Infected. Otherwise, why would I put on a new mask? You know how clinics like ours are—we'd love to wash one mask and use it for another half year."

There did not seem to be anything wrong with that excuse. The Infected were never welcome, and the slums never lacked Infected. Underground clinic doctors always used their dirtiest equipment on the Infected, but masks had to be brand-new, at least to prevent respiratory transmission.

"Fine. We're leaving."

It was already late, and the doctor stood in the doorway with the light behind him. The two men only saw that his gloves were indeed stained with blood; they did not notice that it had dried.

Once he sensed that the two men had truly left, Mizuki relaxed slightly. He then pulled Texas back out and checked whether she had any other wounds or had been infected.

In short, they had escaped danger for the moment.

Exusiai's Rage

It felt like she had had a very long dream. Texas dreamed that she was walking across a boundless wilderness. She did not know why she was there; she simply kept walking.

After traveling a great distance, Texas reached the end of the earth. Before her was a vast ocean, its waves raging. She suddenly woke with a start and saw two figures standing upon the sea.

One was so enormous that Texas did not know how to describe it. The other was a flawless white figure, his hair like Spreading Branches, his entire body giving off a gentle glow.

Each collision between them made the ocean churn and the earth tremble. The dark clouds in the sky were torn apart, revealing the true face of the starry heavens.

But Texas knew that white figure. She simply could not believe it, and she immediately realized this was her dream.

"Mizuki?"

As Texas's consciousness cleared, the dream shattered. But she was certain that the person she had seen at the end had been Mizuki.

"Mizuki..."

She groggily opened her eyes. Her back and head both hurt, and Texas could not help clutching her head. Only then did she realize she was lying on a bed, with one of her hands tightly held by Mizuki.

Mizuki sat on the floor with his head resting against his knees, his other hand tightly gripping his umbrella. He had fallen asleep, and he was sleeping soundly.

There was an indescribable cuteness to Mizuki when he slept. Honestly, he did not have feminine qualities, nor was he overly handsome or dashing. Yet he was simply very likable.

Just as Texas thought that, she noticed that her clothes seemed to all be piled on the cabinet beside Mizuki. She instantly understood something. Looking down, she saw that most of her upper body was wrapped in bandages. No wonder her chest felt so uncomfortable!

But what made Texas even more embarrassed was that she could more or less guess that Mizuki had done this for her. Judging by their surroundings, this was clearly an underground clinic.

"Why did something like this have to happen..."

Unable to help covering her face, rare helplessness appeared on Texas's usually cold expression. The key was that she could not even blame Mizuki. He had performed surgery on her.

And now that she had regained consciousness, Texas also remembered that Mizuki had blocked most of the damage for her yesterday. Otherwise, she would have had to lie in a hospital for at least a week.