Skadi, I Have a Girlfriend

Mizuki took three seconds to shove all those matters to the back of his mind, then held Exusiai's hand and bit into another candied hawthorn.

"Ah! My candied hawthorn! Pay for it!"

"I paid for it. I can eat two, can't I?"

The two left amid playful bickering, failing to notice Texas emerging behind them. There was a faint, barely noticeable envy in her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it and followed closely behind them.

Of course, she did not have any special agenda. She was simply a little worried. Exusiai had been cheated on just last night, after all, and Texas was concerned that her best friend might still have some lingering feelings about it.

If there happened to be a crack in the young couple's relationship, then she would have a chance—pah! Then she could step in promptly and help mediate between them.

"Seriously, what am I even thinking?"

Unable to stop herself, Texas patted her own head and continued after them.

Meanwhile, at the Penguin Logistics base, Mizuki was gone, and Laurentina had nothing to do, so she simply went back to her room to sleep.

Of course, she would not take this opportunity to run off and find Mizuki. She was very obedient. To her now, Mizuki's words were no different from divine revelations. She really was asleep.

Once Sora and Croissant confirmed that, they both breathed a small sigh of relief.

Mizuki and Exusiai, the two people best able to keep Laurentina in line, had gone on a date. Texas had also gone out to handle something. That only left the two of them. If Laurentina started making trouble, they would be meat on the chopping block.

"That's so nice. I want a sweet romance too."

Slumped on the sofa, Sora's eyes were as dim and lifeless as a salted fish's. Croissant opened a bottle of cola and poured her a cup of tea.

"Didn't you say yourself that you wanted to devote yourself wholeheartedly to the idol industry? What, are you trying to imitate Ai Hoshino?"

The Ai Hoshino Croissant was teasing was a character from an extremely popular anime that had aired some time ago. Sora shot her an annoyed glare.

"Lots of idols have secret lovers now. My manager told me too that dating is fine, but it's best not to give myself away. I could even use scandals to boost my popularity a little, but I don't like that kind of thing."

After taking a sip of tea, Sora pinched her stomach. She still could not understand why Mizuki never gained weight no matter how much he ate. His appetite was already beyond human.

"To be fair, if I ever get a boyfriend, I think someone like Mizuki would be perfect. Gentle and considerate, hardworking and capable, and understanding too."

"Yeah, yeah. So very yasashii."

Croissant drank her cola, then remembered something and could not help adding another remark.

"Then one night, you wake up just like a certain Sankta and discover someone else is using your boyfriend as a motorcycle."

"Pfft!"

Mizuki's Direct Confession

"Boss, two bowls of noodles! One small bowl of mixed noodles, extra scallions and less chili. The other, a large bowl of noodle soup, with extra salt!"

After shouting toward the back, Mizuki casually set the chips and other snacks he had bought against the wall side of the table, then sat down nearby with Exusiai.

"Texas and the others come to this noodle shop all the time. It's delicious. It's one of Lungmen's classic old establishments, and it's been here for over twenty years."

Mizuki nodded and looked around. The shop had quite a bit of Great Yan's old-fashioned charm. Its interior was simple, yet it carried a profound feeling. It was understated, but there was not a single flaw to be found anywhere. The tables were spotless too, with menus laid out on them. One side was in Great Yan script, while the other was in the more commonly used Victorian language, listing various noodles and the prices of extra dishes.

One bowl of noodles obviously would not be enough for Mizuki, but he was here on a date, not attending a banquet. Naturally, he did not care how much he ate. Besides, he suspected he would not feel hungry even if he went half a month without food.

"It really is a good shop."

As Mizuki spoke, he pulled his handheld console from his pocket. Exusiai froze for a moment, then said nothing. She merely rested lightly against his shoulder and watched her boyfriend play.

It had been mentioned before that Mizuki's gaming skills were absolutely top-tier. Whether it was racing games, shooting games, action games, or even board games, he was incredibly good at all of them.

"Why don't you find some time to become a gaming content creator? You could specialize in guides or high-difficulty streams. You'd make a lot, right?"

"I could give it a try."

Mizuki was quite interested in the idea. He did not know why, but whenever he played games, he easily entered a certain state. Just like when he fought, his reaction speed and thinking abilities rose to an extremely high level. At the very least, he could beat master-level chess computers.

What Mizuki did not know was that whenever he played games, the Seaborn Brood was always puzzled as to why Izumik had suddenly begun drawing upon the Brood's collective processing power. Yet he did not use much—only a tiny bit.

Compared to the computational power of the entire Seaborn Brood's neural network, the portion Mizuki occupied was negligible. Sometimes, to prevent the possibility that he had some important purpose for it, the Seaborn would simply connect him to those ancient stone tablets. Those relics from who knew how many years ago were still operating even now, guiding the future of the Seaborn Brood.

A large part of why Mizuki could sometimes foresee what would happen next was because of those things.

Naturally, Mizuki knew nothing about that. He simply enjoyed the fun of gaming, and even more, the time spent with the person beside him.

Falling in love with someone was not actually difficult. All it took was realizing that they wanted to love you too. Then, the two hearts would draw close together. Just like now: they were merely linking arms, yet Mizuki seemed able to hear Exusiai's heartbeat.

"Your noodles are here!"

The server placed two bowls of noodles on the table and looked at Exusiai and Mizuki in surprise, especially at their posture. Anyone could see that they were not merely ordinary friends.

"This..."

"What, you didn't think I could get a boyfriend?"

Having come here so many times, Exusiai was fairly familiar with the server. She blew out a breath, and her red hair shifted slightly, revealing those beautiful eyes.

"It is a little surprising, but congratulations on getting a boyfriend, Miss Exusiai. The shop will throw in a small side dish."

"Give my boyfriend two extra duck legs."

"Coming right up."

The server glanced at Mizuki and only felt that he and Exusiai were indeed a perfect match. Red and blue had always made a great couple.

Mizuki turned off his console and began eating noodles with Exusiai. Even while eating, he did not forget to offer a few unconscious critiques.

"The soup is seasoned well, but it was simmered a little too long. The heat should have been lower. The noodles are slightly too soft too. They were probably cooked beforehand and set aside for later use. What a pity."

Though it was a common flaw at many noodle shops, Mizuki could not help commenting on it. The young server did not think he was deliberately picking a fight. He merely assumed Mizuki had to know cooking, and know it very well, because the soup really had not been cooked properly. Even the cook in the back had said so. As for the noodles, that was for convenience.

"Whew... It's still a little hot."

Exusiai blew on her noodles, then slurped them together with Mizuki. The two were so in sync that even their movements looked similar, though Exusiai knew perfectly well that Mizuki was deliberately copying her.

"Isn't noodle soup hot?"

"It isn't. For some reason, it only feels warm."

Seeing that Mizuki truly did not seem to react, Exusiai reached her chopsticks into his bowl, picked up a noodle, and put it in her mouth. Then she immediately spat it out because it was so hot.

"Bleh, it really burns."

"Are you okay, Xiao Le?"

"I'm fine. Mizuki, you seriously don't think it's hot?"

With so many people around, Exusiai was too embarrassed to call Mizuki darling like she had while sleeping last night.

"A while ago, I was still somewhat afraid of heat, but... never mind, it's nothing."

Mizuki remembered that it seemed to have started after the day he blocked the explosion for Texas and suffered scalds and burns on his back. After recovering, he no longer felt heat. It was as if his body's heat resistance had improved even further.

But he was not certain himself. Saying it would only make Exusiai worry, so it was better not to mention it.

"Oh, right. Later, let's go to one of those stores that sells game consoles."

"Sure, but Xiao Le, aren't you not that into games?"

The consoles at Penguin Logistics had only been bought to pass the time and relax. They had only truly started being used after Mizuki arrived.

"It's nothing. You just looked really happy playing, so I want to give it a try too."

Exusiai answered casually. She did think it might be worth trying, but more than that, she felt that Mizuki might get a little lonely playing alone, even if she watched him from the side. So she might as well buy a console. When they had nothing to do later, they could play games together.

Naturally, she could not hide such thoughts from Mizuki. But he did not expose her feelings. He merely put down his chopsticks and looked at his little girlfriend.

"A-Neng, there's something I need to tell you."

"Mm, what is it?"

Exusiai turned toward him with a mouthful of mixed noodles still between her lips. Her wine-red hair covered her left eye, while faint confusion filled her right orange eye, making her look unusually adorable.

Texas, hiding at the second table behind them, also put down her chopsticks and pricked up her ears to listen carefully to what Mizuki was about to say. She only hoped it would not be something that affected their relationship.

"I love you~"

Mizuki spoke with more joy and happiness on his face than ever before. That straightforward shot pierced Exusiai's heart on the spot. Her mouth fell open, and her noodles nearly dropped onto the table, but Mizuki caught them quickly.

Hearing those words, Texas looked at the Siracusan pasta in front of her and found herself losing her appetite the more she looked at it.

There Was Something Green on Exusiai's Head

Time passed astonishingly quickly. By the time Exusiai came back to herself, she found the setting sun waving goodbye to her.

She was a little tired, so she simply found a quiet park with Mizuki. Mizuki sat on a bench, while she sat beside him, then lay down with her head on his lap and enjoyed the leisurely moment.

It seemed as though everything had been forgotten. Exusiai forgot her work at Penguin Logistics and the awful experience from last night. Mizuki temporarily set aside his search for his past and all his doubts about his sister.

After an afternoon of shopping and fooling around, the already intimate bond between them had grown even deeper. While lightly lifting Mizuki's tank top and sliding her fingers across his lower abdomen, Exusiai chatted with him about trivial matters concerning her family.

"My sister is really great. She's pretty and gentle, but sometimes, when it comes to friends and family she's close to and likes, she shows her scheming side."

When she mentioned her older sister, Exusiai's tone was full of complaint, yet she could not help laughing. She had already written home that morning. And to make sure her sister learned the good news, she had directly hired a Laterano express courier. Her family would know in three days at most that Lemuel had managed to find someone to marry after all!

"My family always says I'm destined to stay single for life. Heh heh, when we get the chance, you have to come home with me. I'm definitely going to show you off to my sister. She hasn't found anyone yet."

As she spoke, Exusiai's expression gradually turned smug. Mizuki only smiled. He did want to meet Exusiai's family, and he was also curious about the sister Exusiai spoke of. After all, there were truly few people whom Exusiai both loved and hated.

"Do Xiao Le's parents and sister like apple pie too?"

"More or less. We Laterano people are basically hardcore dessert lovers."

Exusiai thought about it. Laterano was so utterly out of place with the rest of Terra that it could practically be called a paradise on earth.

There was no shortage of food or clothing, and people even had time to hold dessert parties. Anyone who traveled to Laterano would certainly be won over by the warm, hospitable locals and their somewhat fierce customs, leaving with an unforgettable impression that would last a lifetime.

"Oh, right, stop saying 'my dad' and 'my mom' all the time. You should call them Father and Mother. From now on, my sister is your sister too!"

Exusiai patted Mizuki's shoulder with great loyalty, then continued lying on his lap and rubbing against him. Remembering the envious looks people had given her while they shopped earlier, she felt utterly delighted.

No matter what, Mizuki really was an exceptionally good-looking boy. Though that was not quite the right way to describe him, even Sora had said that if Mizuki became an idol, he would definitely become wildly popular. Especially when he smiled, he made people feel comfortable from the bottom of their hearts—not because it was an innocent smile.

Simply seeing Mizuki smile made people feel as if he were greeting them, like a polite salutation.

"So this is what having a boyfriend feels like. It's amazing!"

Exusiai could not help taking a deep breath. Mizuki smelled nice too. Thinking of the envious looks her close friends had been giving her these past few days made her feel immensely satisfied.

"Xiao Le, you feel really strange like this."

"What's strange about it? You're my boyfriend. Or is it that you can't take me acting like this?"

As she spoke, Exusiai wore a sly smile. She looked around. This was a relatively secluded corner of the park, and there was no one nearby at the moment.

"If you want it, this place isn't impossible. But to prevent accidents, I can only use my mouth at most."

As for why she would not use her chest, those who knew, knew. Exusiai simply did not have the assets for it.

"Stop messing around."

Mizuki naturally knew Exusiai was teasing him, but he felt that if he really nodded, Exusiai might genuinely reach for him. If it were Laurentina... she probably would not care even if people were around.

"Fine, I'll stop. By the way, you were way too strong last night. Seven or eight hours, and that much... Didn't it hurt?"

"At first, it was a little hard to get used to, but afterward it got much better."

Thinking back on last night for a moment, Mizuki suddenly realized something: his ability to adapt really did seem absurdly fast.

"It's probably related to your bizarre recovery speed. Forget it, let's talk about something else. Have I told you about Mostima? She used to be a Sankta too. She's a nice person and used to be my idol, but she can be a little scheming too. Still, not as scheming as my sister."

"She used to be a Sankta?"

"Yeah. Ah, you don't know yet, do you? If we Sankta violate the Law, we Fall and become a mix of Sarkaz and Sankta. Well, you'll understand when you meet Mostima. I'll introduce you then. Come to think of it, both of you have blue hair..."

Exusiai reached out and grabbed a lock of Mizuki's hair. Unlike Mostima's deep blue hair from her memories, Mizuki's was the clear blue of the sea, with a pink gradient at the ends that looked especially pleasing.

"Still, Mostima and my sister are both single too. She used to tease me all the time about nobody wanting me. Heh heh, now I can mock her instead!"

There were so many benefits to being in love. Exusiai had only discovered that today. Before, she simply had not found the right person. Not everyone could tolerate her antics like Mizuki did and be willing to indulge her nonsense.

Nothing else mattered; all of Mizuki's confessions to her could not compare to that one sentence: "I'll blow up Pope's Hall with you." Seriously, what Laterano person could refuse a confession like that?

"Mm, I'll go buy two milk teas. Wait here for me a moment. What flavor do you want?"

"The same as yours is fine."

"Alright." Exusiai held out her hand. "Give me money."

"Don't lose it."

Mizuki directly handed her his wallet, then watched Exusiai stick out her tongue, make a face at him, and run off. He could not help smiling and waving after her.