Skadi, I Have a Girlfriend — Chapter 3

"So... that's going to be a bit of a headache."

It seemed his identity was even more mysterious than he had imagined. Mizuki felt troubled; he did not even have proof of identification, so living in Lungmen would not be easy.

"How about joining Penguin Logistics?"

Once Texas said that, Croissant, who was in the middle of signing a series of unequal treaties with Exusiai, Exusiai herself, and Sora, who had just returned after paying the hospital bill, all froze.

Everyone did feel somewhat guilty toward Mizuki, but inviting him to join Penguin Logistics? What kind of grudge did they have to drag such a well-behaved, sensible-looking kid into this mess?

Of course, this was not Texas's own idea. It had come from Emperor behind her. For some reason, Emperor thought highly of Mizuki and told Texas to do her best to recruit him into Penguin Logistics. Penguin Logistics had even paid Mizuki's hospital bill, making Texas wonder whether Mizuki was Emperor's relative.

"What does Penguin Logistics do?"

Having somewhere to go was naturally a good thing, but Mizuki was no fool. He had the vague feeling that this was not the first time he had heard someone say something like this.

"Emmmm... we deliver packages, I guess."

After hesitating for quite a while, Texas gave an answer that was technically correct, yet not exactly true to reality.

"I see."

"Meals and lodging included."

"I'm in!"

The moment he heard meals and lodging were included, Mizuki's eyes lit up. Even Texas's cold expression nearly cracked. She had not expected Emperor's trick to actually work.

This Welcome Ceremony Cannot Be Described in Detail

"Bang! A warm welcome to Penguin Logistics's fifth official member!!!"

As the party popper went off and colorful paper scraps fluttered through the air, Texas worried that they might land in the food. To welcome Mizuki's discharge from the hospital and his joining Penguin Logistics, they had ordered an entire table full of delicious dishes.

Cooking? Don't joke. Other than Exusiai's apple pie, Penguin Logistics's kitchen had never produced anything edible.

The two cleanest things in Penguin Logistics were Exusiai and Croissant's wallets, followed by the kitchen. They usually ordered takeout.

"Thank you, everyone!"

Although they had only known each other for a short time, Mizuki's naturally adorable personality got along surprisingly well with Exusiai's energetic cheerfulness. As long as nobody mentioned how he had lost his first kiss earlier, they could get along perfectly fine.

Providing food and lodging alone was enough to lure Mizuki in. He had not even asked about his salary, though Penguin Logistics's pay had always been worthy of the difficulty of their work.

Then what does Exusiai spend all her money on?

As she picked colorful scraps out of her hair, Texas curiously looked at Exusiai. That girl was quick to make friends, and she was already chatting with Mizuki.

"Mizuki, look at all this food tonight. We can eat as much as we want! Say, are you an adult yet? Can you drink?"

Since he had no ID, Mizuki did not even know where his home was, much less his age. Though his clothing made him look rather small and cute, he was actually 161 centimeters tall. He counted as a teenager.

"It's fine. The identification documents boss got for Mizuki say he's exactly eighteen, so it's legal."

Croissant handed Mizuki a paper bag containing all sorts of documents Emperor had prepared for him.

"Ah, what a shame. Boss said he had to go to Columbia to deal with some things, so there'll only be the five of us at today's banquet."

Setting aside what Croissant meant by "legal," Mizuki opened the paper bag. Besides an ID card and residence permit, there were several strange certificates: A, B, and C motor vehicle licenses, a master chef certificate, an appliance repair certificate, and even an aircraft pilot's license.

"Why are there so many certificates?"

Mizuki was completely baffled. He did not even know he could drive or fly a plane. Cooking and fixing appliances, however, did feel like things he could probably do.

"They're all necessary for work. You'll find out eventually. Don't worry. As long as no one checks, they won't know they're fake."

Croissant patted Mizuki on the shoulder, looking immensely proud.

"Give it a rest. Your income from forging documents isn't even enough to cover the fines, and you've already poured all your salary into them. If boss didn't have some influence in Lungmen, the Lungmen Guard Department would practically be your second home by now."

Exusiai mercilessly exposed just how much criminal history was hidden beneath Croissant's pride, then opened a can of beer and handed it to Mizuki.

"Give it a try. It's not very strong."

It was as if she had forgotten all about accidentally giving away her first kiss. Exusiai acted perfectly natural. Texas guessed she had needed quite a long time to come to terms with it. No matter how much of a tomboy she seemed, it had still been her first kiss. How could she not care?

"Thank you, Sister Exusiai."

Mizuki took the beer, brought it to his lips, and stuck out his tongue for a lick. The taste was a little strange, but it was neither unfamiliar nor unpleasant. In other words, he could drink it.

"Glug glug glug~"

A whole can of beer went into Mizuki's stomach just like that. He instinctively licked his lips and looked up at Exusiai, whose face had turned red for some reason.

"It feels great."

"Th-That's good..."

After all, it had only happened yesterday. Exusiai could not forget it so easily, especially when she saw Mizuki lick his lips. It made yesterday's events vividly replay in her mind.

And this person a few years younger than her was clearly already a teenager, so why did even licking his lips look like he was seducing someone? Yet his eyes and smile made it obvious that he was not doing it intentionally. Too terrifying. Was this what natural adorableness was?

Exusiai had a feeling that, with Mizuki's personality and appearance, plenty of people would definitely like him. Not just girls; even boys probably would not be able to resist.

"Looks like Exusiai still hasn't forgotten about yesterday."

"Obviously. It's not like you lost your first kiss. Don't forget you still owe her a whole pile of terms."

Sora poked Croissant in the waist. To compensate Exusiai for losing her first kiss, Croissant had signed a series of unequal treaties—the sort that even the Qing Dynasty would not dare send her to negotiate with.

"Don't mention it. Having my pay cut in half for three months is one thing, but three Guardian Guns? Is that something I can afford? Even selling myself wouldn't earn that much money!"

Guns were extremely expensive in Terra. They were scarce despite their price and monopolized by Exusiai's homeland, Laterano. Other companies had tried to imitate them, but so far, no company had been able to use them on a large scale. Being able to simply fire etched bullets was already impressive, let alone using Originium Arts in combination with them like the Sankta—like Exusiai.

The black-market price of a single gun was enough to buy a fully paid-off home in Lungmen's Third Ring. And Croissant had to compensate Exusiai with three guns.

"Sora, tell me where I can find a time machine. I want to go back to yesterday afternoon and beat myself to death!"

"Accept reality, Croissant."

Sora patted Croissant on the shoulder and gave her a look that said, Just accept your fate. Then she walked over. They would be coworkers from now on, after all, so she needed to build a good relationship with Mizuki. Unlike Texas and the others, who only felt vaguely familiar with him, Sora genuinely felt that she had definitely seen Mizuki somewhere before. She just could not remember where.

Could it have been during one of her performances or tours? But Sora had only ever carried out idol activities in Lungmen.

The night breeze blew across the deck of Rhodes Island. Skadi leaned against the railing and looked out at the endless wilderness, humming an unknown yet beautiful song.

With her eyes closed, she recalled her past: every little moment in Aegir, the loneliness of becoming an Abyssal Hunter. She had already lost far too much—her family, her comrades. She did not want to lose another little brother. Even though they had only known each other for a month, she had already regarded Mizuki as family.

As for Mizuki's identity as a Seaborn, Skadi did not care at all. Mizuki was fundamentally different from the Seaborn she knew. He possessed his own consciousness and was completely independent of the Seaborn Brood.

"Little brother... where are you now?"

They would depart tomorrow. This time, Skadi planned to go to Kazimierz and see whether she could find clues about Mizuki. Rhodes Island was headed to Lungmen, which was not on her route. Skadi currently suspected that Mizuki might be in Iberia, but that country had sealed itself off, fought against the Seaborn, and rejected Aegir. It would not be easy for Skadi to go there.

Naturally, Mizuki had no idea someone was thinking about him. He was currently facing another predicament: he had somewhat overestimated the drinking capacity of the Penguin Logistics girls.

Other than Texas, the rest clearly could not handle alcohol very well. Even Texas, the best drinker among them, had collapsed. One could only imagine what the remaining few, with their terrible drinking habits, might do.

"Come on, Mizuki. Hey, how did you get drunk after only five bottles? Learn from me... urgh!"

Croissant could not help dry-heaving, though she had apparently not gotten so drunk that she lost all sense, because she ran toward... the kitchen. All right, she was definitely drunk.

"See? Croissant is such a lightweight. She only had a few bottles. Hey, Mizuki, why are there more of you?"

Exusiai sat beside Mizuki, wrapped one arm around his neck, and forcibly pulled him close against her. She held the bottle beside his mouth.

"Ah, it's so annoying. That was my first kiss! Do you know how important a girl's first kiss is? Say, were you wearing lip balm? It felt a little sweet back then."

After getting drunk, people inevitably let their mouths run loose. Mizuki knew that, so he let Exusiai complain for the moment, though his eyes remained fixed on the television screen. The Penguin Logistics girls knew how to enjoy life. Besides music, they especially liked games, and when they had played together earlier, they discovered that Mizuki was rather talented at gaming.

"Give me some kind of reaction!!!"

"I was wrong. Sister Exusiai, please don't be angry."

"That apology isn't sincere! Your hands haven't even left the controller!"

Exusiai became extremely noisy when drunk, but Texas and Sora had also passed out. No one could restrain her now.

"But why was it sweet... I can't figure it out."

With that thought in mind, Exusiai decided to use practical action to confirm whether she had been mistaken before.

Then... Mizuki finally understood something: it was best not to let Exusiai touch alcohol in the future. Drunk people really did whatever came to mind.

What happened afterward? Better not write it. Better not write it.

Mizuki Is My One and Only!

The night was deep, but Iberia's coastline remained anything but peaceful.

"Fire! Fire!"

"The second coastal position on the left has fallen! Retreat!"

Inside Iberia's coastal defense command center, Saint Carmen stared intently at the map before him with his weathered eyes. Three dashed lines were drawn across the coast, representing the three defensive positions Iberia had established.

The Seaborn. Iberians had dealt with this species for decades. Their once-glorious golden age had vanished beneath the Great Silence caused by the Seaborn, and the war between humanity and the Seaborn had begun.

Decades of attrition had made Iberia increasingly unable to rise again. Yet Carmen had always understood that the Seaborn had never launched a true assault on land. Until seven days ago, every observation post along Iberia's coastline began reporting the same thing.

Iberia's coastline was receding. The sea was devouring the land, driven by Seaborn that had suddenly gone berserk for reasons unknown.

They had not yet adapted to the conditions of land? That did not matter. They would turn the land into sea as well. The Brood needed to go onto land.

"Your Excellency the Saint..."

"I know. Seven days. Seventy meters."

In seven days, Iberia's coastline had receded seventy meters inland. That was already the result of Iberia resisting desperately. The situation elsewhere remained unknown, but Great Yan and Rim Billiton had surely encountered no small number of problems as well.

During this time, the Seaborn had continuously adapted to battle, adapted to attacks, and evolved into entirely new forms. According to reports, today the Seaborn had already evolved a new form capable of resisting a certain degree of high temperature.

A war of attrition? Iberia could not afford one, and neither could Terra. The Seaborn evolved far too quickly and existed in vast numbers. They used the corpses of their dead kin as nourishment for the newborn. They shared their thoughts, learned rapidly, and adapted to environmental changes.

"Tell every member of the Inquisition: there must be no mistakes on the third defensive line. Even in death, we cannot allow Iberia to lose another inch of land!"

Carmen picked up his weapon and lifted a lamp. He did not know what had provoked the Seaborn, causing them to desperately seek to advance and assimilate the entire land into ocean.

But as one of Iberia's few remaining Grand Inquisitors, and as a Saint, Carmen had to stand here. Even if he died, he could not fall.

There was no sound where they fought the Seaborn. It was quiet—strangely quiet. Yet if Mizuki stood here, he would hear the Seaborn whispering. They were calling out: Ishar-mla, the Brood needs you. The Brood is in danger.

The so-called Great Silence was essentially just that. The sounds made by the Seaborn drowned out all other sounds, yet humans could not perceive the Seaborn's language. To humans, it naturally became an eerie silence.

"Ishar-mla, the Brood's survival is threatened. Ishar-mla, where are you? Why are you not in the sea?"

Such voices drifted faintly through her ears, making Skadi feel deeply uncomfortable. She pulled the blanket over her head.

"Mmm... so noisy..."

Fortunately, the voices soon weakened, and she drifted back into her dreams. This dream seemed connected to the previous one, yet was completely different. Skadi dreamed that she stood upon the sea wearing pale green clothes, surrounded and followed by countless Seaborn.

Before her stood only two people.

One was Mizuki. He held open the transparent umbrella he had always loved, sheltering the hooded figure beside him from wind and rain. A cute black teru teru bozu swayed in the breeze.

The Brood would not participate in this battle. This was a struggle between two newly born primal Firstborn. No matter the outcome, the Brood would continue.

Mizuki was dreaming as well, but his dream was like a prelude to Skadi's. He dreamed that he and a faceless person were pressed tightly together inside a narrow, dark cavern, hiding from order's assimilation.

Names and nostalgia for the past no longer held any meaning. Even their own race had to be abandoned. Mizuki held that person tightly. Facing him in his extreme weakness, Mizuki showed the most perfect smile of his life and said:

"Eat me, Doctor."

It was an excessive proposal, but rather than let the person before him die, Mizuki was willing to become the nourishment that would sustain him. Using his last strength, he would provide enough safe, life-sustaining nutrition. In other words, he was the only "healthy" food.

As for Doctor's name, whether Doctor was male or female, none of that mattered. Mizuki loved him more than anyone and wished for him to live.

Doctor refused through tears. Later, after some time, Mizuki helped him overcome that barrier. Watching him cry, Mizuki felt that nothing could be better. As for why Doctor agreed to do it? No, the reason did not matter at all. So long as Doctor could still live...

But would such days ever end? How much longer could they endure? The smile on Mizuki's face could not conceal the bitterness in his heart. He only hoped that, in another different time and space, Doctor would not fall into such an irredeemable fate alongside him. At the very least, Doctor should not end up like this.

Perhaps because the dream was too real, tears slid from the corners of Mizuki's eyes. The whispering of the Seaborn Brood reached his ears as well. Since he was farther from the sea, he heard it much later than Skadi did.

Yet instinctively, Mizuki sent a response to the Seaborn Brood in his dream. It was a simple message, one whose meaning even the dullest Terrorfish could understand—silence.

Curled up on the clean living room sofa, Mizuki was surrounded by colorful, dreamlike bubbles that reflected against his face. They soon burst, yet gave him a more peaceful dream.

Along Iberia's coastline, Carmen suddenly sensed the Seaborn offensive weakening. No, it would be more accurate to say that the Seaborn had begun retreating. They showed almost no hesitation. The sound of waves reached his ears, and this silence came to an abrupt end.

"What... are they thinking?"

Wrinkles covered Carmen's weathered face. Although the Seaborn were not particularly intelligent, they would not normally be so aggressive. Something must have provoked them, yet something had also soothed them.

Could it be related to Aegir? Or were they trying to find something on this land?