Skadi, I Have a Girlfriend

Exusiai was so excited that the halo above her head began to flicker. She knew Croissant and Sora were still watching, but she had never expected Mizuki to be so proactive. In her embarrassment, she ignored the itch coming from her wound.

"Chu..."

Mizuki gently pulled away, then wiped the saliva from Exusiai's face.

"Now it won't look ugly anymore."

"Huh?"

Only then did Exusiai realize why Mizuki had done that. She touched the wound on the side of her face in disbelief. It had vanished without a trace.

"Mizuki, how did you do that?"

"Mm, I only discovered it recently. My saliva and blood can speed up wound healing."

He still had that dream to thank for it. After trying it once on Texas, Mizuki had learned that his blood probably had some unusual effects. At first, he had merely wanted to see whether Exusiai's saliva could do the same thing. It seemed the results were good, perhaps because Exusiai's wound was not that large.

"Seriously, you could've said something. I thought you were trying to do something else."

The blush on Exusiai's face had yet to fully fade. She did not know what to say. Mizuki had meant well, but how could he do something so suggestive in front of Croissant and Sora, her two gossip-loving best friends? Those two practically wanted to spread it everywhere. At least go back to the bedroom first.

"??"

Mizuki's eyes were full of confusion. For a moment, he could not understand why this was something to avoid.

Seeing his innocent gaze, Exusiai instead felt guilty, like a thief with a guilty conscience. Mizuki had never even thought in that direction. She was the one who, after getting a boyfriend, kept letting her imagination run wild.

"Ahem, you two, do you need us to give you some privacy?"

Sora and Croissant could barely hold back their laughter. Exusiai and Mizuki were genuinely a little amusing together. This was adorable. Absolutely adorable.

"Croissant, three guns!"

Exusiai, embarrassed into anger, brought up old grievances, making Croissant hurriedly cover her mouth. But just as Exusiai was about to ask where Texas was, Texas's voice suddenly came from the bathroom.

"Mizuki, sorry, could you bring me a bath towel? I accidentally dropped the clothes I was going to change into on the floor, and they got wet."

It might have been a bar, but this was Penguin Logistics territory. Aside from the girls, no one came here, and it was never open to the public. Even with the bathroom on the first floor, Texas's voice reached everyone's ears clearly.

In an instant, Exusiai, Sora, and Croissant all imagined an extremely elaborate scene. Exusiai stared at Mizuki with wide eyes, utterly incredulous.

Sora looked as though she had been struck by lightning and nearly fainted. Croissant was frozen too. What the hell was this? Why was the plot taking such a strange turn? Wasn't this supposed to be a pure romance story?

"Damn it!"

After pressing Mizuki down onto the sofa, Exusiai ran to Texas's room. Once she confirmed there was no suspicious scent or suspicious disposable item, she breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed a bath towel, and slipped over to the bathroom door.

Exusiai lightly knocked on the door without saying a word. Texas inside did not suspect anything and simply opened the door, extending a flawless white hand.

Taking advantage of that opening, Exusiai slipped straight into the bathroom and met Texas's eyes.

Her skin was dotted with water droplets, and her hair was wet. Texas looked at Exusiai in confusion. For a moment, she had almost thought Mizuki had barged in, though she also felt somewhat relieved.

"What are you sighing for? Are you disappointed that I'm here instead of my boyfriend?"

Making a slight declaration of ownership, Exusiai handed Texas the towel. Texas shook her head and accepted it.

"No. I just thought Mizuki wouldn't do something like that. And I didn't expect all of you to be back already. We were planning to come find you after we finished cleaning up."

Texas answered calmly, clearing up the nature of her relationship with Mizuki in just a few sentences. Still, whenever she thought of what had happened earlier, her blood could not help rushing to her face.

Fortunately, she had just taken a bath. A little extra color in her skin would not be misunderstood.

Exusiai did not doubt the explanation, but as she looked at Texas's expression, it seemed no different from usual. Yet the longer she looked, the more something felt off.

What exactly was wrong?

"Wasn't just my imagination after all..."

Using the bedroom mirror, Texas could see her smooth, fair back. It all felt like a dream.

She remembered it clearly. Even without yesterday's attack, her back had carried quite a few old injuries. They were scars that had been difficult to fade, yet now they had all disappeared?

"What exactly happened? Was it Mizuki?"

It could only have been Mizuki. Texas remembered his astonishing recovery ability. He had taken the worst injuries yesterday, yet not a single scar had remained. But how had Mizuki made her recover so quickly, without even leaving behind a scar?

Unable to figure it out, Texas decided to ask him later. Still, she had never expected Mizuki to have such a good figure. His waist was so slender that Texas wondered whether he might actually be a girl.

After changing into her clothes and equipment, Texas went downstairs, just in time to hear Croissant, Exusiai, and the others discussing something.

"Not a single scar was left behind."

"Yeah. So Mizuki's saliva can do that? Just one lick can make a wound heal?"

Croissant touched the part of Exusiai's face that had been injured earlier, clicking her tongue in wonder.

"Looks like Penguin Logistics can finally queue as a five-stack. Texas jungle, Sora mage, me top lane, Exusiai marksman, Mizuki healer and crowd control. You two are a couple, so you can go bot lane together. Perfect lineup!"

Mizuki's saliva could heal wounds without leaving scars? The moment Texas heard that, an unspeakable image formed in her mind. She froze where she stood, completely at a loss for what to say or do.

"You really have too much to say."

Exusiai irritably slapped Croissant's hand away, then sat beside Mizuki. It was wonderful that neither her boyfriend nor her best friend had been hurt. Exusiai noticed Texas coming downstairs and waved at her.

"Texas, why are you blushing? What are you standing over there for? Come here."

"Ah... right, I'm coming."

Though her heart was surging like a stormy sea, Texas's expression remained cold, as though nothing had happened. She even forced herself to stay calm and keep her ears from twitching so quickly.

But whenever she thought of the conclusion she had reached and the scene she had imagined, she felt an indescribable strangeness. Shyness and helplessness mixed together. Part of her wanted to punch Mizuki, while reason told her that he had not done it on purpose. Circumstances had forced it. Circumstances had forced it.

Yet when Texas came closer, she could not help stealing a few more glances at Mizuki's lips. That strangely itchy, tingling sensation from when his index finger had lightly brushed across her back returned, that particularly unbearable feeling of an itch she could not scratch.

In the end, Texas sat beside Mizuki. Of course, it was not because she wanted to do anything. There just happened to be an empty seat beside him.

"Let's go over things for a moment. Whether it was yesterday, today, or perhaps even that earlier attack, something may be suspicious."

Trying her best to calm herself, Texas began reviewing what might have been wrong behind these attacks.

"Indeed. The Cat Gang may be old, but Rat King suppressed them years ago. They only have a little over a hundred people. This time, they've probably emptied out their entire reserves."

"And explosive crossbows aren't something just anyone can get their hands on."

Explosives were strictly prohibited in Lungmen. Though they were not completely unavailable, products with that kind of power were difficult to obtain even on the black market.

"Those aren't products from some tiny workshop. They're military-grade."

Texas frowned. When she and Mizuki had left the slums, they had been surrounded and pursued for quite some time. Back then, she had noticed that the enemy used explosive crossbows as though they cost nothing, and they were incredibly powerful.

The elevated highway yesterday, the commercial street, and the slums today—the losses caused by large numbers of explosive crossbows could not be ignored. This incident could absolutely be considered the most vicious one Lungmen had seen in the past ten years.

"No, about yesterday... why is the Cat Gang still alive today?"

Exusiai suddenly realized something. Given what had happened, how could Wei Yenwu possibly swallow his anger? Emperor had told them before that Wei Yenwu did not have many reverse scales, but touching one meant certain death. Lungmen happened to be one of them. Anyone who dared disrupt Lungmen's order would never see the sun again for the rest of their life.

"Was it tacit approval, or some kind of deal? If they can get military weapons, there must be someone else behind the Cat Gang."

"When it comes down to it, what is their goal? Our grudge with the Cat Gang itself wasn't that serious. Why would the people behind them target us?"

Things seemed to have become somewhat complicated. Emperor was not here now, so Penguin Logistics's biggest backer could not do anything.

But the girls were not worried about that. They had never expected their boss to fight their battles for them anyway. Many times before, Emperor had chosen to follow them into group brawls himself.

"Um... I think they're probably all after me."

Mizuki weakly raised his hand and offered a conclusion no one had considered. Yet after Texas and Exusiai thought it over, they found it seemed the most likely possibility.

First, Emperor's enemies could be ruled out, because there were too many of them to guess who might do this. Besides, Emperor's enemies were mostly important figures. They would not risk offending Wei Yenwu over something like this. Therefore, the mastermind behind the Cat Gang had to be an outsider, someone beyond Lungmen's sphere of influence.

Furthermore, the Cat Gang's first attack on Penguin Logistics had happened on Mizuki's first day at work. Yesterday, they had also chosen a time when Texas and Mizuki were together and inconvenient to attack. They had attacked the Penguin Logistics base first, then retreated quickly.

Yet they had kept tracking Texas and Mizuki from yesterday until this morning without giving up. In other words, their targets were Texas and Mizuki?

"My enemies could only come from Siracusa. It seems those people really are after Mizuki."

"Sorry for causing everyone trouble."

"What are you talking about? Are you treating me like an outsider?"

Exusiai could not help forcefully patting Mizuki on the shoulder. They were in a relationship now, after all. Hearing Mizuki say something like that made her uncomfortable. But this was also what made Mizuki endearing—he always had a habit of considering his own faults first.

"You're part of Penguin Logistics now. Your problems are our problems."

With an arm around Mizuki's neck, Exusiai pulled out her gun and slapped it onto the table.

"Anyone who touches my husband, I'll wipe out their whole family!"

Her domineering aura overflowed. Croissant and Texas did not know what to say, and the three exchanged looks.

(How did she become like this? She's already treating Mizuki like her husband?)

(Love makes people lose their heads. You and Mizuki disappeared for half a day, and she was worried sick. She almost loaded live rounds. The person she finally found herself is dealing with this kind of trouble, so she's at her most volatile right now.)

(Exusiai in love is terrifying.)

The three looked at one another and decided it was better to go along with her. Besides, they could not possibly compromise on this matter anyway. Mizuki was one of Penguin Logistics. Did they have no pride?

The Temptation of Immortality

His face hurt. Even though no one had hit him, Wei Yenwu felt that his face hurt. His heart hurt too, and more than anything, he was furious.

"Good. Very good. Is this how Columbia's military operates? They actually dared to reach into my Lungmen!"

He slammed his palm onto the expensive sandalwood desk, shattering the heavy wooden table into pieces. Wood chips flew past Ch'en's eyes. She lowered her head slightly. Other than Wei Yenwu's wife, Fumizuki, no one dared say another word to him right now.

Only by standing at his side could one understand that the killing intent was completely genuine. Wei Yenwu had not become Lungmen's Chief Executive through royal connections alone. He was a ruthless man who had fought his way out of a sea of blood. Back then, no one knew how many opponents he had killed to seize Lungmen.

Perhaps decades had passed, and someone had actually forgotten who he was. Forgotten his sword.

"Inspector Chen, I want you to immediately gather personnel and seal off all of Lungmen."

"Chief Wei, does that include the slums?"

Lungmen's slums were a gray area, one that even the Lungmen Guard Department found difficult to manage. Wei Yenwu had once tried sending people there, but it had not worked. In the end, he could only leave it to an old friend he trusted.

In truth, the existence of the slums was tacitly permitted by Wei Yenwu. It gave all sorts of people a place to gather. Though it caused chaos, it ensured that the rest of Lungmen remained peaceful, like throwing all the garbage into a trash bin. The trash bin might be filthy, but the rest of the room stayed clean.

That was why Ch'en asked. She disapproved of Wei Yenwu's approach and hoped to use this opportunity to let the Lungmen Guard Department take over the slums openly and legitimately. Many people there should not have to suffer such discrimination and prejudice.

"No. You don't need to concern yourself with that place."

Wei Yenwu naturally understood what Ch'en was thinking. However, moving against the slums at this time was indeed an inappropriate decision, and his old friend would certainly not agree to it either.

Lungmen had two sides. One side was Wei Yenwu, and the other was Rat King. Wei Yenwu was the lofty Chief Executive, while Rat King was an elderly retired boss who woke early every morning for a walk, then found a shady spot beneath a large tree to play chess with people.

He did not let Ch'en take over the slums partly because of Rat King's wishes, but also because Wei Yenwu knew very well that Columbia military spies were there. The slums were a mixed bag of people, and sending the Lungmen Guard Department in would inevitably alert them.

"Yes. Then, Chief Wei, forgive me for asking directly, but are the Columbia military personnel... here for Mizuki?"

Though Ch'en usually gave people the impression of being strict and rigid, she was naturally intelligent. From Wei Yenwu refusing to let her continue investigating Mizuki's case, to the Cat Gang's reckless attacks, it had been many years since anyone had done something so equivalent to declaring war on Wei Yenwu.

Columbia's military had surely promised some benefit, one great enough for the entire Cat Gang to risk offending Wei Yenwu.

"I don't know."

Wei Yenwu only gave that answer before waving Ch'en away for the moment.

After leaving Wei Yenwu's office, Ch'en took a slow breath to settle her emotions, unable to stop herself from clenching her fists. She knew Wei Yenwu was hiding something from her, but it was not out of malice. In Wei Yenwu's eyes, Ch'en simply was not yet qualified to be drawn into it.

But setting aside the possible connection between Mizuki and her sister Talulah, the casualties caused by the Cat Gang's widespread attacks alone meant Ch'en could never stand by and do nothing.

Meanwhile, in the slums, the Cat Gang's second-in-command frowned as he looked over the reports his men had sent up. Exusiai, Sora, and the others had counterattacked far more quickly than expected. They had already lost more than half their manpower.

"Second Boss, the brothers have suffered heavy losses. Some people are also demanding to see the Boss."

"Tell them the Boss is unwell and cannot receive visitors."

"But the brothers said..."

"Said what? Do they think I killed my own big brother?"

The underling delivering the message trembled at those words and did not dare ask further, merely lowering his head.

"No, this can't continue. Even if Wei Yenwu does nothing, that old Rat King will soon lose his temper. Tell the brothers to withdraw for now. Let those who want to see my big brother come tonight."

Whether this succeeded or failed, the Cat Gang would not be able to remain in Lungmen afterward. Wei Yenwu and Rat King would never give them a second chance.

The young second-in-command felt his heart ache. The weapons and equipment were not theirs, but the manpower was. Over the years, they had painstakingly built their forces in secret to more than three hundred people, without even Wei Yenwu or Rat King knowing. Yet this single operation had cost them more than a fifth of their men.

He could not help looking at the masked middle-aged man seated across from him at the tea table. If the other man's offered terms had not been so enticing, how could he have gambled the entire gang's future and even betrayed his own brothers?