Skadi, I Have a Girlfriend Now

"Seriously, hug this."

Mizuki stuffed the pillow into Skadi's arms and was about to leave when he suddenly heard faint rustling at his door. Without a word, he lay down and shut his eyes.

The door opened gently. First came the slender tail, then Ho'olheyak's head. She looked around and saw that all three of them seemed to be asleep, and couldn't help marveling at how effective the Melnade Foundation's medicine was.

In reality, Exusiai was the only one who had been drugged from start to finish, and she had even gotten a double dose. Skadi was only sleeping so deeply because Mizuki was beside her. She had naturally let down all her guard. Besides, to a Seaborn, Mizuki was like the ocean itself—the safest and most beloved place.

(Damn it, I was still too late.)

Mizuki couldn't help thinking that. Ho'olheyak was actually this impatient? The lights had only been off for less than half an hour. Sister, weren't you afraid of getting caught?

Naturally, she wasn't. Ho'olheyak had already experienced the feeling of having her body nourished by Jellyfish-chan's vitality. Even if she had taken it in the wrong way, and only received perhaps less than a tenth of that vitality, it was already enough to extend her life by a year. She had no doubts about Mizuki's codename, Immortal. Jellyfish-chan alone could extend someone's lifespan by ten years. That was terrifying.

Ho'olheyak did the math. Optimistically, her original lifespan was only around fifty years, but she wanted at least three hundred. That meant she still needed 249 more times.

"Even if I come every day, it'll still take more than half a year."

(Huh? You're planning to do this every day for half a year?)

Mizuki was dumbfounded. It would have been one thing if she came once or twice, but she wasn't even taking days off? Was she sent by Columbia to monitor him, or to drain him dry?

Ho'olheyak skillfully lifted the blanket. Her night vision was just as excellent, and she even had time to comment on Mizuki's clothes.

"It'd be even better if you weren't wearing anything."

Fine, that probably didn't count as a comment. Mizuki truly wished his tentacles were still here, but it seemed like even they wouldn't stop this behavior. That only made it worse.

Mizuki really couldn't figure out what about him had attracted Ho'olheyak enough to make her do something like this. No, wait. Thinking back to what she had said when she first arrived, could it be that this was what she had come here to do?

(It's fine. At this level, it probably doesn't count as betraying Xiao Le. But this still isn't okay.)

Pretending to be asleep was truly painful. Mizuki wished he could genuinely fall asleep. It would be better if he knew nothing. If he woke up now, everyone would probably be embarrassed.

Mizuki could even feel the warmth of Ho'olheyak's tongue.

(Should I wake up at a time like this? Or wait until tomorrow... No, I can't do that. It'd be nice if someone woke up.)

"Hm?"

Just as Mizuki thought that, both he and Ho'olheyak heard the sound of the door lock being picked. Without thinking, Ho'olheyak tried to crawl under the bed, only to realize that, so Skadi could sleep well too, Texas had replaced the bed with a solid one that had no space underneath to hide in.

She looked around, then slipped into Mizuki's wardrobe at the very last second before the door opened. She even remembered to pull the blanket back over Mizuki, though one piece of his pajamas was now missing.

"Hm?"

(That voice is... Texas?)

Mizuki and Ho'olheyak quickly recognized the owner of the voice, though neither understood why she was here.

But for Mizuki, it didn't matter who had come. As long as Ho'olheyak had been interrupted, it was fine. He couldn't help letting out a breath of relief, already thinking of making something delicious tomorrow to thank Texas.

To be honest, Mizuki didn't really like Ho'olheyak doing this. He could understand Specter, so he worried that Ho'olheyak might have some unspeakable reason of her own as well.

(I should tell Xiao Le about this tomorrow.)

Out of consideration for Exusiai's feelings, Mizuki hadn't mentioned what happened last night. He was worried that she had already been too stimulated, and also worried that if Exusiai flew into a rage and exposed everything, Ho'olheyak would be forced into a corner.

But if this kept happening again and again, Mizuki couldn't keep it from Exusiai anymore. This was the kind of attitude they owed each other.

"Why does it smell like Ho'olheyak? No, it seems more like Mizuki's scent... Was that just my imagination?"

Texas furrowed her delicate brows slightly. After thinking about it, she shook her head. Why would Ho'olheyak come here? It couldn't be that she was planning to make a move on Mizuki, could it?

Compared with Ho'olheyak, Texas had her own business to handle. It seemed the sleeping pills had worked well. Exusiai was sleeping deeply, so was Skadi. As for Mizuki... Texas wasn't sure whether he would wake up. Forget it. She just had to be gentler.

If he woke up, he woke up. As long as Exusiai didn't wake up, it was fine. Texas wouldn't steal a man from her best friend. Mizuki being Exusiai's husband didn't stop him from being Texas's boyfriend.

Just as Mizuki was pondering Ho'olheyak's motive, he suddenly sensed something was wrong. Another pair of hands had lifted his blanket.

"Hm, does Mizuki sleep like that?"

Texas was briefly stunned by the sight before her, but soon felt there was nothing strange about it. Exusiai was Mizuki's girlfriend in the real sense, and Skadi? She wished she could do things with Mizuki that couldn't be posted on Hedgehog Cat.

(Wait, what is Texas trying to do?)

Mizuki's mind was lagging. He had thought Texas came because she heard movement in the room. Why did things now seem completely different from what he had expected?

Wait, why are you climbing on top of me, Texas?

Her legs pressed down on Mizuki's, while Texas's tail lightly brushed against his calf. She looked down at Mizuki from above, then gave Ho'olheyak a vivid hands-on lesson. Well, Mizuki wasn't sure whether it counted as biology or physical education.

In any case, Ho'olheyak couldn't help giving a thumbs-up. Incredible. Her best friend sleeping right beside them had instead stimulated Texas's nerves, making her even wilder and harder to tame.

Mizuki's response was that he might as well just pass out. No, this had to be a dream. Otherwise, there was no way to explain it!

Meanwhile, in Croissant and Sora's bedroom, Sora simply couldn't sleep. She felt hot all over and thirsty, so she climbed out of bed. Seeing half a cup of juice still sitting by the bedside, she picked it up and drank it.

Then... she found it even harder to sleep, because that half cup of juice was what Texas had given Mizuki, and he hadn't finished it.

"What's going on? Seriously."

Sora licked her slightly chapped lips. After tossing and turning for half an hour without falling asleep, she helplessly got up, intending to get a cup of water from the living room.

"Why isn't Texas here?"

Looking somewhat confusedly at Texas's empty bed, Sora didn't suspect anything. She merely assumed Texas had gotten thirsty and gone to get water. Well, in reality, she was eating water. Or rather, eating Mizuki.

But just as she picked up her cup and stepped outside, she suddenly heard what seemed to be some noise coming from Mizuki's room across the hall. Yet even when she pressed herself against the door to listen, she couldn't hear it clearly.

"I..."

Something immediately came to Sora's mind. At this hour, though it was only a little past eleven, it still counted as late at night. Exusiai and Mizuki had both gone to bed after ten.

Timing-wise, it seemed normal. Sora even felt it hadn't been very long. But then she suddenly remembered that Skadi and Mizuki were also sleeping in the same room.

(Could this be the legendary multiplayer game?)

That possibility instinctively surfaced in Sora's mind. After all, everyone could clearly see how Skadi felt about Mizuki.

But Sora soon noticed that Mizuki's door seemed to be unlocked. She didn't know why, but ever since that thought had entered her mind, her improper thoughts had become impossible to stop. She swallowed involuntarily, then carefully pushed open the door.

"Mmm~ Mizuki?~"

It was Texas's voice. Texas was in Mizuki's room!?

Once Sora realized that, she froze in place. But perhaps because Texas was too absorbed, she didn't notice the room door opening at all.

Sora should have left, pretending she knew nothing. That would have been better for everyone. Yet for some reason, her heart felt unbearably itchy, and she couldn't resist poking her head out to look inside.

The room was dark, and her night vision wasn't as exceptional as Ho'olheyak's. But Exusiai's head was bright enough. She could still see Texas rising and falling like a yo-yo, pulling in and letting out, up and down. The sounds weren't loud, probably because she was afraid of waking Exusiai.

Really, even at a time like this, she was still worried about the sleep quality of Exusiai, the victim. Sora was almost moved to tears by Texas. Sister, couldn't you just find yourself a boyfriend? Exusiai was too pitiful.

But thoughts were one thing. The longer Sora watched, the less she could move her feet. She could clearly feel Texas stirring some kind of impulse within her. It couldn't be described in detail, but Sora realized she didn't seem to be lacking water at all. She still had plenty of moisture.

But Mizuki was utterly numb. He couldn't understand Ho'olheyak's or Texas's reasons for doing this. Did Texas like him? That couldn't be right. Mizuki thought he had never had any overly intimate contact with her, at least not anything too ambiguous.

With a creak, Mizuki's room door was pushed open. Texas was so startled that her body tensed and her legs snapped shut. She warily looked toward the doorway, only to find no one there. Maybe the wind in the hallway had blown it open.

But that little movement gave Jellyfish-chan quite a lot. Texas collapsed weakly onto Mizuki.

"What a troublesome man... but you belong to Exusiai."

Texas lightly bit Mizuki's shoulder, leaving a shallow tooth mark. After thinking about it, she lifted his pajamas and left another bite mark on his collarbone, as if marking him.

After finishing that, Texas picked up her clothes and tidied up a little to avoid leaving too many traces for Exusiai to notice. Carrying the bloodstained white cloth, she unsteadily supported herself against the wall and walked out. Fortunately, her room was right across the hall, so it was convenient enough.

After returning to her room, she didn't notice Sora was gone. Her mind was filled with the scene from earlier. Looking at the cloth stained with her blood, Texas hesitated for a while before placing it by the bed.

"Hiss... How did Exusiai manage to last three hours the first time?"

Texas held her waist. It really had felt good, but it had really hurt too. Still, it didn't seem like it should have been like that. Was it because she had taken the initiative? At least she hadn't woken Mizuki. She had been worried she would be too loud.

But there was no point thinking so much. Texas was exhausted, mostly mentally. Exusiai had been right beside her. On one hand, she had to endure the stimulation brought by an act that was practically criminal. On the other, she had to endure the excitement of betraying her best friend. It was already impressive that she hadn't howled.

Closing her eyes slightly, Texas finally drifted into sleep.

On the other side, Ho'olheyak had no mood to continue eating tonight's midnight snack. She quietly climbed out of the wardrobe and slipped back to her own room.

However, Mizuki didn't relax, nor did he hurriedly get up to sleep in the living room, because he discovered a problem... Exusiai wasn't asleep.

Or rather, Exusiai had actually been awakened by Texas long ago. She had merely pretended to know nothing. Under those circumstances, Mizuki didn't dare get up. He hadn't even figured out how to explain this to his girlfriend. No, he didn't even know who to ask for an explanation.

"Texas..."

Exusiai opened her eyes and sat up in bed. Her gaze seemed to pass through two doors and see Texas, who had just gone to sleep. Countless complicated emotions flickered in her eyes, from coldness to helplessness, before she looked at Mizuki beside her, who seemed to still be asleep.

She didn't have Mizuki's ability to sense other people's physical states, so she didn't know that her boyfriend was awake too. She could only helplessly poke his cheek.

"You... Just don't sleep so deeply... No, maybe it's better if you do sleep deeply."

"Otherwise, if you knew about this, you'd be put in a difficult position too. You'd have to worry about me."

Exusiai was even more conflicted than Mizuki. Mizuki could choose her over Texas without hesitation, but she couldn't guarantee that she could choose between Texas and Mizuki.

She had known Texas for years. They were not only best friends, but comrades who had faced life and death together. Yet she truly liked Mizuki and couldn't bear to give him up. She had noticed Texas's feelings for Mizuki long ago. She had simply never been willing to admit it.

"What a headache. Let's treat it like a dream."

Exusiai closed her eyes and fell into sleep. She truly envied Skadi's ability to sleep like this.

After all, Ho'olheyak's medicine was effective. Exusiai fell asleep in less than two minutes. Mizuki got up, first kissed Exusiai on the lips, then tucked her in before heading to the living room.

There was no helping it. Mizuki was worried Specter would come next.

But when he lay down on the living room sofa, that familiar sense of oppression came again. Mizuki opened his eyes and saw Sora above him, her eyes gleaming.

She successfully proved one thing to Mizuki: rabbits really did have incredible stamina.

Everyone Except Croissant Has Fallen ### Early the next morning, Croissant woke up and immediately realized something was off. What was with this atmosphere where she was the only one who couldn't do it? What was with everyone seemingly excluding only her?

"Do you... dislike me?"

"No."

Sora, holding a bowl, hurriedly shook her head. Texas also nodded in agreement with Sora.

"Then why are all of you sitting so far away from me?"

Because of Mizuki, Penguin Logistics's numbers had doubled, so they had replaced the dining table yesterday. The new table could comfortably seat eleven people.

Yet strangely, almost everyone was sitting far away from Croissant. Or rather, everyone had gathered around Mizuki.

Croissant blankly grabbed her clothes and sniffed them. There was no smell. She showered every morning and night, so why was everyone sitting farther away from her?

"Well... ahem, it's an accident, an accident. We thought eating close together would feel warmer, but we didn't expect the table to be so big."

Sora hurriedly shifted her seat. Texas and Ho'olheyak did the same. Exusiai, Skadi, and Specter had no such intention at all. Oh, no, it should be Laurentina now. Because she had spent so much time around Mizuki, Specter's personality had been suppressed, while the influence of the Originium Concentrate was gradually weakening.

But no matter how much control she had over her own body, no matter how much hatred she held for the Seaborn, whenever she sat beside Mizuki, she simply couldn't bring herself to act. She even always wanted to tease him. Her body and mind were both under his control.

"So that's why. No wonder."

Croissant immediately felt that she couldn't refute that explanation. Mizuki sat between Skadi and Exusiai, eating while seeming lost in thought. When his eyes met Sora's, she immediately blushed and lowered her head, nearly burying her face in her bowl.

There was no helping it. Mizuki could pretend not to know about what Ho'olheyak and Texas had done last night, but not about Sora. That girl had practically been possessed by Specter last night. She had actually taken the initiative and clung to Mizuki for over five hours. Hiss, over five hours!

Mizuki hadn't slept at all last night. After quietly carrying the exhausted Sora back to her room, he had spent all his time cleaning up traces in the living room. The kitchen and bathroom had also taken quite a while to clean.

Fortunately, his tentacles returned to him afterward. With their help, doing the work wasn't too difficult.

"Shouldn't we go make deliveries later?"

"Let's skip today. I've caught a bit of a cold, probably because I got soaked in the rain before."

Texas's expression looked somewhat unnatural, though Croissant couldn't quite tell what was wrong. Biting her chopsticks, Croissant nodded. One less Texas didn't make much difference.

"Me too. I caught a chill last night. Cough, cough, I'm a little dizzy."

Sora pretended to cough too. Mizuki had felt a little cool when she hugged him, but her own temperature had never gone down last night. It definitely wasn't a cold.

But there was no helping it. It wasn't that Texas and Sora didn't want to work. Their bodies simply weren't up to it. Texas was doing better; it only hurt a little when she moved. But Sora was forcing herself to endure it, worried her best friends would notice something.

In reality, she was in unbearable pain. Her recovery ability wasn't as good as Specter's, and even now she couldn't understand where she had found the courage last night to cling to Mizuki for more than five hours. She only remembered that later on, she couldn't even speak clearly.

It hurt, but it was also much better than she had imagined. It didn't hurt so badly that she couldn't get out of bed. Sora was close with her female manager, who had told her that after her first time lasting an hour, she hadn't even wanted to move a finger the next day.

But Sora felt very energetic now. She even felt like she could probably punch a Croissant to death. It still hurt so much that she didn't dare take big steps while walking, and had to hold onto the stairs when going upstairs, but there was an indescribable change within her.

Texas felt it too, though not as clearly as Sora did.

"Then it's a day off. Great! I'm going to set up a stall and sell some stuff."

One of Croissant's hobbies was setting up a street stall to sell things and earn a little extra money. Even though she never made much, she was always delighted.