Skadi, I Have a Girlfriend

"Yeah, yeah! Mizuki didn't do it on purpose!"

Croissant and Sora hurriedly held Exusiai back to keep her from fighting Laurentina. The problem was, they couldn't beat her. Laurentina had just dealt with the lot of them as easily as she would a bunch of chicks.

Mizuki himself was a little surprised. Laurentina might have been somewhat crazy, but she was obedient, and she was very protective of him. He had no idea why.

"Um, what's your name?"

"Laurentina."

With her eyes narrowed, Laurentina looked at Mizuki with delight and fervor. It was an emotion no one could describe. Just one look was enough to send chills down one's spine, as if she were about to eat someone.

"Ah, I've finally found you. We..."

"You two, get apart!"

Exusiai cut Laurentina off, stepping between them and shielding Mizuki behind her as she stared hard at the threatening woman before her.

"Who are you? You come right up and start putting your hands all over someone else's boyfriend. Have you no shame?"

"Oh my, fragile little insect. What makes you think you're qualified to become my lord's partner?"

A trace of mockery flashed through her scarlet eyes as Laurentina gave a disdainful smile. Exusiai merely held Mizuki close, and none of the three paid any attention to the Cat Gang leader lying on the ground. Seeing that Mizuki showed no resistance at all, Laurentina became displeased and kicked the nearly dead Cat Gang leader into the wall.

"Um, Laurentina, are you my sister?"

Mizuki asked uncertainly. He remembered Eis telling him that he had a sister unrelated by blood, and that she had been searching for him all this time.

Now, he felt a familiar sense of kinship from Laurentina, along with the way she kept saying she had found him. Mizuki instinctively felt that she might be the sister who had been searching for him all this time.

"Sister..."

Laurentina looked bewildered for a moment, then nodded like a pecking chick. Of course she could be his sister. Forget being his sister—even being his wife would be an honor.

"Yes!"

That answer completely stunned Exusiai. She had been there when Eis said it. So the rival she thought she had was actually Mizuki's sister? (Lemuen: Just you wait!)

Out in the wilderness, Skadi drove at breakneck speed, wishing she could teleport.

"Achoo!"

Whether it was because the night wind was cold or because Mizuki was thinking of her, she could not help sneezing.

"Mizuki! Your sister is coming for you!"

Skadi was nervous. Especially after meeting Muelsyse, what she feared most now was seeing Mizuki holding the hand of some unfamiliar woman, then smiling and telling her, "Sister Skadi, I have a girlfriend!"

No. That was already the stuff of nightmares. If it really happened, Skadi would definitely go dark on the spot and destroy the world.

But Skadi did not yet know that she herself had become the substitute.

Wei Yenwu naturally knew about such a huge commotion tonight. In fact, everything had been under his surveillance from beginning to end, including Laurentina's appearance, Amaia, and that mysterious Mr. K. He could not help tapping his pipe.

"How did it go?"

Looking at the Black Raincoats agent in the bamboo hat before him, Wei Yenwu still trusted their abilities. They were old subordinates who had followed him for many years—former imperial guards. Any one of them could easily have handled today's Cat Gang affair.

"Your subordinate has failed. We were unable to capture those two."

"Forget it. This is not your dereliction of duty. Since they dared show themselves, they must have had some tricks prepared."

Mr. K and Amaia were naturally no match for the Black Raincoats, but their methods of escape were rather strange. It was normal enough that the Black Raincoats could not catch them. Tonight had still yielded plenty of gains and information.

What interested Wei Yenwu most was likely the Cat Gang leader's rejuvenation and mutation. As a prince of Great Yan, he naturally knew what that form signified. Yet the Cat Gang leader had also spoken of immortality, and of his serum...

"Lord Wei, those two likely have not gone far. Shall we..."

"No need. For now, just keep an eye on Penguin Logistics. While you're at it, protect that man named Mizuki. What about Rhodes Island's envoy?"

"They have arrived in Lungmen."

Mizuki possessed a Rhodes Island operator's identification but had no background records. Between today's sudden events and Columbia's scrutiny, Wei Yenwu keenly sensed that Mizuki was a troublesome issue—but perhaps also an opportunity.

"Send him an invitation."

Overly Affectionate and Clingy Laurentina

"Um... Sister, is this really necessary?"

Sitting on Laurentina's lap, Mizuki felt that this was a little too much. Laurentina practically wanted to bury him in her arms, both hands tightly wrapped around his waist and refusing to let go no matter what.

"This is to protect my little brother."

With her face buried in Mizuki's hair, Laurentina inhaled its faint fragrance and could not help rubbing against him. Holding Mizuki felt so wonderful that it was beyond description. She liked it instinctively and craved even greater closeness with him.

"Say, isn't Mizuki's sister's mental state kind of off?"

The girls of Penguin Logistics were not fools. Anyone could see that something was wrong with Laurentina. She was a little unhinged, perhaps even suffering from some kind of split personality. But whenever she was near Mizuki, she became quiet and obedient, even asking for soothing gestures like pats on the head or cheek.

Rather than seeming like Mizuki's sister, Laurentina seemed more like an extremely possessive cat—possessive to the point of being unhealthy, yet also clingy and fond of acting cute. At least, that was how she was in front of Mizuki.

"Should we find a doctor?"

"I'm worried she'll send the doctor to the hospital with a chainsaw. Besides, compared to Mizuki's sister, I think there's someone here who needs comforting more."

Texas pointed at Exusiai, who was biting a handkerchief with tears in her eyes. Seeing the boyfriend she had only started dating a few days ago being held so intimately by a beautiful woman with a great figure and such an outstanding presence—even knowing that woman was Mizuki's sister—made Exusiai so jealous that the halo over her head was nearly too dim to shine.

"Damn it, he's my boyfriend! I was even planning to take him home to meet my family!"

She nearly bit through the handkerchief. The more Exusiai watched, the angrier she became. Especially after Laurentina casually pressed Mizuki's head against her chest, she nearly exploded. Then she looked down at herself—flat as an ironing board.

Come to think of it, according to some rather unreliable survey, female Sankta had the second-smallest average bust size on Terra, only slightly better than the Durin. (The average Durin was 1.3 meters tall.) On the other hand, the women of the Sarkaz, the natural enemies of the Sankta, even surpassed the Vouivre to claim first place in average bust size.

(Could it be that Mostima only got such a good figure after she Fell?)

Exusiai suddenly had a thought that betrayed both the Lord and her ancestors. But even if she said nothing, Mizuki could not possibly stay in Laurentina's arms like this forever. Tonight had not been overly exhausting, but they had been busy for quite a while.

"Sister, are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat."

"Not hungry."

Laurentina still held Mizuki tightly. It was not really because of some deep sibling bond or a fear of being separated again after so long. It was simply instinctive dependence and affection, like a wanderer longing for home or a high school student longing for bed early in the morning.

The scent of the sea was the fundamental reason Laurentina clung to Mizuki. Holding him like this gave her the feeling of returning to the ocean, of drawing near to the origin of all life.

"But I need to take a bath."

"We'll bathe together!"

"No. Sister, sit here and behave yourself!"

Hearing Mizuki's words, Laurentina could not help looking disappointed. She let go, pouting slightly, though the fervor in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

Only when Mizuki gently stroked her head did she narrow her eyes and rub against his hand comfortably again. Her little tantrum vanished in an instant.

Once Mizuki entered the bathroom, Specter became like a robot whose power had been cut. More accurately, she was like a nearly perfect statue. She simply sat quietly with her hands clasped before her chest, as if praying devoutly.

Exusiai could not help finding it strange. Something felt wrong about Specter as Mizuki's sister. Compared to a sister, she seemed more like someone playing the role of a sister. What she felt for Mizuki did not resemble familial affection, but rather the zeal of a fanatic.

Exusiai was not the only one to notice. Mizuki had noticed it too. As he changed out of his clothes and turned on the shower, he considered all the strange events.

Too many things had happened today. He needed to sort them out properly. First was the Cat Gang's attack on him. The Cat Gang leader, the only person who knew anything, was already dead. He had lost his mind and could not say a word, so there was no way to learn who was behind it. But Texas guessed that they were most likely the same people who had hired Penguin Logistics to send Mizuki to Columbia.

"So I need to be especially wary of people from Columbia."

He squeezed shampoo into his hand and rubbed it into his hair, confirming that point. Then he looked at his long hair. He did not really understand why his hairstyle was so strange. From the front, there was one especially long lock on each side and short hair at the back. But in reality, all his hair reached down to his calves. The hair in back was simply gathered into a bundle and hidden beneath his cap and raincoat, so it was not obvious.

Still, Mizuki liked the hairstyle. It was distinctive and did not get in the way. He was just a little curious why yesterday's explosion had ruined his clothes while leaving his hair completely unharmed.

"And tonight..."

As he rubbed his hair, Mizuki turned his attention back to what had happened tonight. He had sensed an aura from that Cat Gang leader that resembled his own, but it made him deeply uncomfortable. It was like comparing an authentic model toy with a counterfeit one. At first glance, they seemed similar, but on closer inspection, you found all sorts of corners that had been cut.

And Mizuki clearly remembered that man saying that obtaining him meant obtaining the source of immortality. But Mizuki did not feel that he had any ability to grant immortality to others. His own recovery ability was merely stronger than normal.

"But was his appearance related to me?"

A decrepit old man had not only become young, but also mutated into that form. Even Mizuki could not do that.

No, that was not right. It seemed Mizuki himself had another form—the flawless white version of himself from that dream. It could not be called a monster. His long hair spread like branching vines, and wherever he walked, life bloomed in his wake. But it could not be called human either. It possessed an indescribable blend of holiness and eeriness.

"It was probably just a dream."

A dream—but Talulah and Alina were real. Mizuki touched his hair, always feeling as if it too was filled with vitality.

But before he could think for long, a burst of noise came from outside the bathroom.

"Holy crap, big sis, what are you doing? Sis, sis, calm down!"

"Come help! Damn, why is she so strong?!"

"We can't hold her back!"

The voices grew louder and closer. Mizuki instinctively grabbed a bath towel. At the same time, the bathroom door was pushed open with one slap. Laurentina dragged—or rather, was being dragged by—Exusiai and the other three into the bathroom.

"Wow~" ×3

Seeing Mizuki's lovely skin, slender waist, and those delicate, tempting collarbones that made one want to take a bite, the three girls other than Texas and Laurentina could not help sighing in admiration.

Texas instinctively swallowed. Watching droplets of water slide down Mizuki's snowy white shoulders, her tongue became a little restless on its own.

"What are you doing?"

Luckily, he moved quickly. Though he had not managed to cover everything, there was no need to worry about censorship or mosaics. After thinking for a moment, Mizuki immediately understood what was going on.

"Sister, I'm bathing. Could you go out first?"

"..."

Specter simply stared at Mizuki. After thinking for a moment, she gently lowered her head. Mizuki skillfully reached out and rubbed her head.

(So that was all she wanted???)

The Penguin Logistics girls' mouths twitched. Sure enough, there was definitely something wrong with Mizuki's sister!

Exusiai's Green Lightbulb

The night was deep. Mizuki was held tightly in Exusiai's arms. The girl had completely forgotten that they had only officially been dating for a few days, constantly trying to stuff Mizuki's head into her chest.

Her figure might not compare to Laurentina's, but it was not bad at all. Mizuki had no objections. She was his girlfriend, after all, and Exusiai's chest was not uncomfortable. It was even a little nice.

"Are you mad?"

Mizuki could understand being held this tightly while asleep, since Exusiai's sleeping posture truly could not be called elegant. But the lights had just gone out, and he could clearly tell that his girlfriend was still awake.

"No."

"Really not?"

"Of course not."

As Exusiai spoke, she wrapped Mizuki up with both arms and legs. Though her face was so red it seemed ready to drip blood, she still wanted to use this method to assert her claim over Mizuki.

Laurentina's arrival today had made her feel threatened. Laurentina, who claimed to be Mizuki's sister, did not dislike Exusiai—it was that she did not care about her at all. In Laurentina's eyes, Exusiai, Mizuki's girlfriend, was practically insignificant.

It was not dissatisfaction, but outright disregard, and that was what Exusiai hated most. But she could not say anything directly, since Laurentina was Mizuki's sister. She could only find emotional comfort by holding Mizuki like this.

"Are you really not angry?"

"I told you, I'm not... What are you doing?"

Exusiai was getting impatient when she suddenly felt Mizuki's hand reach around her back and undo the fastening of her inner shirt.

(Does he want it?)

At that possibility, the halo over Exusiai's head nearly lit up the entire room. Her face turned almost as red as her hair.

Even though Exusiai did not think that sort of thing would be a first for them, she had been drunk last time. She had not even been conscious then. How could that compare to now?

"Don't move. This will be better."

After undoing Exusiai's inner shirt, Mizuki gently rested against the left side of her chest, then hugged her tightly. It was soft. Well, that was not the important part.

It had been a false alarm. Mizuki had not continued asking for anything as Exusiai imagined, but such extremely close contact still made her terribly shy. No matter how much of a tomboy she seemed, she could not hide the inexperienced side of a young girl. This was her first relationship, after all.

She had not even worn the jacket she usually used as pajamas today, only a set of inner clothes. That had already taken all of Exusiai's courage. If not for Laurentina, she would have at most hugged Mizuki from behind. Facing him from the front would take time.

Still, Mizuki's actions just now had truly frightened her. Feeling that texture and warmth, Exusiai did not know why she felt a little disappointed. She had hoped Mizuki would continue, because she still could not bring herself to ask for that step on her own. But if Mizuki wanted it, she could accept it.

"Are you really not angry?"

"...I'm not angry."

The moment she remembered how Laurentina had clung to Mizuki today, all of Exusiai's earlier disappointment and panic vanished. Her cheeks puffed up in displeasure. How could she not be angry? Another woman had been intimate with her boyfriend, and she could not even beat that woman. Laurentina's strength, speed, and combat instincts surpassed anyone Exusiai had ever seen, even far exceeding Laterano's gun knights.