All You People Want to Sneak a Taste of Mizuki, Huh?

A familiar voice, tinged with warmth and nostalgia, called out. Lemuen turned around and saw a hooded figure standing behind her, with a red-haired Liberi woman beside her.

"You're back?"

"After all these years, it's hard not to miss home. I didn't expect to run into you at the post office."

Mostima smiled. Despite the sweltering weather, she still wore her hat. Now that she had fallen, openly showing herself in the city could cause a commotion.

"Xiao Le's letter."

"I thought so. Though your expression was rather interesting. What did she write?"

Exusiai had grown up under the watchful eyes of Lemuen and the others. Mostima was practically her senior, too, and the two of them were very close.

"Xiao Le found herself a boyfriend."

Lemuen covered her mouth as she laughed, her eyes and brows brimming with delight. A playful glint crossed her gaze as she looked at Mostima and her friend Fiammetta, both wearing expressions of disbelief. It made her feel even happier.

If they were worried, why not take some time off and go to Lungmen? They could check up on her little sister and see what kind of person her future brother-in-law was.

And they'd have to bring Mostima, too. Xiao Le would love to show off in front of her.

"Ugh... Why do I feel a chill down my back?"

After taking Mizuki's hat off, she wrapped a dry towel around his head and rubbed it all over. Exusiai snapped back to her senses and couldn't resist pinching her boyfriend's soft, squishy cheek.

"You two are such idiots. What's the harm in buying an umbrella at a supermarket? You had to end up soaking wet."

The rain had been heavy, and Mizuki's umbrella wasn't big enough to cover them both. On top of that, they'd each tilted it toward the other, so both of them got drenched. Before long, they were both soaked to the bone.

"Besides, taking a taxi wouldn't have cost much. Honestly... Raise your arms."

Exusiai grumbled as she kept drying Mizuki off. He could have done it himself, of course, but she insisted on showing off her feminine side at times like this. After all, she couldn't deny feeling nervous when she'd seen Texas and Mizuki come back under the same umbrella.

"I just didn't think of it. Besides, I kind of like getting soaked."

"Then why not just soak in the bathtub? Honestly."

After helping Mizuki out of his clothes, Exusiai dried his hair and gently nipped his ear to show her displeasure.

"The bathtub's too small. Hmm, how about we go to the beach sometime?"

"The beach... Come to think of it, should we settle down in Siesta or Dossoles someday?"

Siesta and Dossoles were both famous summer destinations. Mizuki, being an Aegir, was sure to like them.

"Weren't we going to settle down in Laterano? And I remember housing there isn't cheap."

As a Sankta, Exusiai had an advantage when it came to buying a home in her hometown. Then again, Laterano looked after its own in every way.

"Oh, it'll be fine. We don't exactly earn bad money."

That was true enough. Penguin Logistics only delivered packages, but the work was extremely dangerous, and the pay was correspondingly high.

Exusiai gently wrapped her arms around Mizuki's neck and leaned against him from behind. She was wearing nothing but a shirt, and Mizuki could clearly feel the soft yet springy warmth of her against his back. He instinctively rubbed his cheek against hers.

"I've saved up quite a bit over the years. By the end of this year at the latest, we'll have a place of our own."

As Exusiai spoke, all her usual boisterousness faded away. Her voice was low and gentle, like a soft breeze brushing past Mizuki's ear. He could clearly feel her body growing warmer.

He wasn't embarrassed, just a little guilty. Exusiai had saved up all that money herself, and given her personality, it must have taken her a long time.

"Don't overthink it."

Exusiai tightened her arms around her beloved and buried her face in his hair.

"We'll share everything from now on, so don't think about things like that."

From accepting each other to sharing everything, Mizuki listened to Exusiai's breathing and gave a slight nod.

Still, he felt he had to do his part. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

Chapter 67: All You People Want to Sneak a Taste of Mizuki, Huh?

It was late at night. Kal'tsit returned to her hotel room but didn't turn on the lights. Instead, she walked out onto the balcony by the light coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The rain fell without end, but not a single clap of thunder sounded. It washed the air clean and left everything feeling fresh and damp.

"This rain..."

Something was wrong. Kal'tsit had noticed it as soon as she arrived. The rain clouds seemed to be hovering over Lungmen, with no intention of moving on.

But reports from the Rhodes Island Landship said strong winds were expected in Lungmen around this time. How could the rain keep falling without letting up?

"Mon3tr!"

Kal'tsit hadn't even finished speaking when the monster hidden within her spine sensed the approaching danger. It burst out through her exposed spine, its sharp limbs clashing with its attacker.

A metallic clang rang out, and sparks lit up the entire room in an instant. Kal'tsit furrowed her brow. In the dim light, she could only make out a figure wearing a mask that seemed to be crying and laughing at once.

"Mr. K?"

Mr. K didn't seem surprised that Kal'tsit knew who he was.

"I'm honored that the illustrious Miss Kal'tsit knows who I am."

"You secretly usurped the Cat Gang and went after Mizuki. Was that on the orders of the Columbia military?"

It wasn't strange that Kal'tsit knew of Mr. K. Although she hadn't known him personally, quite a few members of the Cat Gang had seen him. After the gang's leader died and the Cat Gang fell apart, Wei Yenwu had naturally sent people to question its members about who had been pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Since Kal'tsit also knew about the Demons in northern Terra, she was entitled to know about Mr. K, too. She'd always had a feeling he would come looking for her.

"Lungmen lies on the border between Ursus and Great Yan, but it's still a Great Yan city. Columbia doesn't want to make things ugly. As for that old man, we merely gave him a little test sample, and he actually thought he could gain eternal life. Heh. Surely there's no one more qualified than you to speak on the subject, Miss Kal'tsit?"

Kal'tsit's pupils instinctively contracted. Mr. K knew about her past?

Since arriving in Lungmen, Kal'tsit had found herself surprised more often than ever before. First there had been Mizuki, then Laurentina, and now this Mr. K. He was like someone who'd jumped out of a rock.

Mr. K had blocked M3's claws with his right hand. That hand had been completely transformed into a similarly sharp claw, but, strangely, Kal'tsit could see mechanical parts within it.

"Has Columbia's research really advanced that far?"

"No, no, you misunderstand, ma'am." Mr. K politely dismissed Kal'tsit's guess. "Columbia and I are merely partners. Those short-sighted mortals only care about longevity and war."

They remained locked in a standoff, each watching for the other's next move. Mr. K knew his assassination attempt had failed, and Wei Yenwu's people would arrive soon. He'd only meant to test the waters. Kal'tsit was extremely alert; she must have been watching out for him all along. Was it instinct?

"They underestimated Izumik's power. So did you. If you'll forgive my bluntness, having Mizuki meet the Doctor right now is a terrible idea."

"You know the Doctor, too?"

Kal'tsit's frown deepened. Something wasn't right. How could there be someone who knew the Doctor whom she didn't? She ran through the possibilities, but still couldn't figure out who Mr. K was.

"I know a lot of people. Actually, you know me, too. But taking off my mask now would make the whole story rather dull, wouldn't it?"

Mr. K backed away of his own accord. M3 moved to shield Kal'tsit, its fearsome appearance enough to make children cry.

"Until we meet again, ignorant ma'am."

As he spoke, all the markings on Mr. K's mask lit up. Kal'tsit immediately realized what he was about to do, and M3 swiftly moved in front of her.

With a deafening boom, the entire hotel shook violently. The explosion was so loud that Mizuki, all the way over at Penguin Logistics, heard it. He turned to look in that direction, puzzled.

The instant the explosion went off, Mizuki sensed something. It was an intensely unpleasant feeling.

He could sense the movement of water. He could feel every person carrying an umbrella on the street. The explosion had just evaporated a great deal of moisture.

"Hmm..."

Perhaps sensing Mizuki's displeasure, his tentacles emerged from beneath the bed. One gently rested on Mizuki's head and rubbed it in comfort, while another fed him a potato chip.

"Thanks."

Although Mizuki could control his tentacles as easily as his own limbs, he still preferred to think of them as friends. Sensing his displeasure, they gestured to each other for a while. Their general meaning was that they'd take care of the matter for him.

"Oh, I see..."

Before Mizuki could finish speaking, all the tentacles disappeared from the room. He had no idea where they'd gone.

"Is that really a good idea?"

Mizuki sighed helplessly, then went back to his game. He'd bought quite a few games, but hadn't played many of them yet. He'd even picked up one called "Song of Saya" out of curiosity, only to realize halfway through that he'd bought the wrong game.

For some reason, the Brood was unusually enthusiastic today and kept urging Mizuki to play more fighting games. Mizuki was happy to oblige. He thoroughly thrashed a female player named Beat Char Siu Cat three times, but she still refused to give up and sent him another friend request, challenging him to a few more rounds.

[gameover,youwin]

Another easy win. This wasn't even a warm-up for Mizuki. Meanwhile, in her dorm room at the Lungmen Guard Department, Ch'en stared at the [youlose] on her screen, overcome with self-doubt. This made no damn sense. She, Ch'en, had at least taken second place in the Lungmen Fighting Game Tournament! How could someone beat her so easily?

"Just who is this 'izumikun'? No, where'd this little troll come from?"

Ch'en couldn't remember ever seeing a player this good in Lungmen. To make matters worse, her opponent sent her a taunting message: "You don't have to hold back just because I'm a girl." Damn it, did Ch'en want him to hold back? He'd been beating her senseless!

[Fine, I won't hold back. I'm going to bed!]

"Oh, she's going to bed already? Being an adult sure is hard. You hardly get any time to play games."

Mizuki sighed. He was probably an adult, too, but judging by his looks, he definitely seemed like a boy. Exusiai looked young, too.

Lungmen was full of talented players, though. Just yesterday, Mizuki had raced against someone called "Lungmen Speed Legend" and narrowly won. He didn't know who the big sister from just now was, but she'd already managed to interest him during his warm-up. She'd surely be a powerful opponent once she got serious!

But then Mizuki was matched with a player called "Lungmen Underworld Heiress." The moment he saw the trophy icon from the championship tournament beside her name, he immediately got serious. This was a formidable opponent! Time to give it his all!

That night, several members of House Lin heard their young lady's wails and furious pounding on the table. It went on for a full three hours.

"Find this 'izumikun' for me! I won't accept this! If you've got guts, fight me in real life!"

"Going to bed? You want to run away just because you won? Keep playing! I refuse to believe you can keep beating me without taking a hit!"

Hearing the furious voice, the guards standing in the courtyard looked up at the lit room on the second floor.

"What do you think's wrong with the young lady?"

"Who knows?"

The girls at Penguin Logistics had no idea that their mascot and part-time babysitter had stirred up trouble with one of the people in Lungmen you least wanted to mess with.

Skadi had just finished her bath and was about to find Mizuki to dry her hair. Laurentina went along with her, while Ho'olheyak was busy with something in the kitchen.

Sora curiously eyed Exusiai, who was sitting on the sofa. She'd already washed up, and going by her usual personality, she should have gone straight to see Mizuki. It wasn't that they were clingy; they just liked sitting together, playing games and chatting.

But Exusiai seemed to be looking something up. Sora wandered over and saw that she was browsing housing prices in Dossoles and Siesta.

Because of Originium dust in the atmosphere, Terra's communications technology still couldn't reach the entire continent, and information didn't travel very quickly. So the latest housing prices Exusiai could find were already a month old.

"Are you planning to buy a house?"

"Yeah, but I'm just going to buy one for now. We probably won't move in until ten years from now."

That was Exusiai's estimate. She still enjoyed life at Penguin Logistics. But after she married Mizuki, she'd have to rein herself in a little, especially if they had children.

Housing prices in Siesta and Dossoles weren't so high that Exusiai wanted to shake her head. She just didn't know what the education system was like in either place, and she had to consider the children's future. Letting them run wild back in her hometown of Laterano was definitely out of the question. Exusiai herself was the product of parents who'd let her run wild.

"Ten years from now... We'll probably all be retired by then. Wherever you and Mizuki live, I'll come by and join in the fun."

As an idol, Sora knew that careers like hers usually didn't last long. And they'd known each other for so long that they were close. If they ever had to part ways, she'd be sad. She didn't have any real ties holding her back, so she might as well move with Exusiai.

"Sure! You're always welcome. I bet Croissant will open a little shop by then."

"Then I'll lead the morning dance group. As for Texas... she can be the security guard?"

Listening to the chatter in the living room, Texas turned on the shower and let the warm water rinse the foam from her body. She couldn't help reaching out to touch her back.

All her old scars were gone. Mizuki had put himself in danger to protect her that day, and then there was what had happened today. Texas admitted that she felt guilty toward Exusiai, because she'd fallen for her best friend's boyfriend.

Even though she'd been drenched on the way home, Texas still wished the walk back had been longer. She liked how it felt.

"Ah-choo!"

Well, she didn't like catching colds. After spending so long in the rain with her tail and hair soaking wet, it was only natural she'd caught one.

Mizuki didn't seem to have been affected at all. Texas got the impression he actually liked getting rained on—or rather, liked being surrounded by water.

Texas had met other Aegir before, but she'd never encountered anyone as unusual as Skadi and Mizuki. Ordinary Aegir couldn't breathe and live so easily underwater.

"Mizuki..."

Murmuring the name of the man she loved, who was also her best friend's boyfriend, Texas looked at herself in the mirror. Her ears twitched slightly. She reached out and gave one a gentle pinch, but felt nothing like an electric shock.

Exusiai and the others had been curious enough to touch her ears and even her tail. They all knew each other well, and they were all women, so nobody was particularly shy about it. But when they touched her, Texas had only felt uncomfortable.

But when Mizuki had put his hand on her ear, Texas didn't know how to describe the feeling. It was more pleasant than eating ice cream on a sweltering day—and a little addictive.

She couldn't help wondering what it would be like if Mizuki touched her tail instead.

She'd probably make an expression unlike anything she usually showed. If she hadn't held herself back so stubbornly today, she probably would've blushed a lot harder.

"Phew..."