Skadi, I Have a Girlfriend Now

"Exusiai, what are you doing? Sick of hearing me lecture you?"

Ch'en's voice always carried a sharp, no-nonsense edge. Exusiai hurriedly shook her head in denial.

Yes, the group had been caught speeding by Ch'en again. At times like this, the girls really missed Mizuki. He was always the most law-abiding driver, yet somehow also the fastest. And they had been by his side constantly lately. They had only been apart for two hours, yet Exusiai already felt restless all over.

Texas and Sora were the same. The three of them called it Mizuki Dependency Syndrome.

"..."

Watching Ch'en expertly point at each member of the four-person team and scold them one by one, Ho'olheyak suddenly felt that joining this organization might not have been such a good idea. If she were not technically a Columbian diplomat, Ch'en would probably have hauled her in too.

"Can't you lot learn something from Mizuki? Look at how well-behaved he is!"

"Uh... Chen sir, he's mine."

Exusiai raised her hand. Mizuki did count as hers now, after all. He was her boyfriend.

"Shoo, shoo. Anyway, everyone's writing a self-criticism when you get back. The Columbian over there has to write one too. Can't you give me a little peace of mind? Tch."

Ch'en's lectures were always long and tedious. The girls had heard them so many times they were sick of them, but they did not dare doze off. They could only be glad they would not have to spend time in a cell this time.

Time passed little by little. It had not been long, perhaps around half an hour, but Penguin Logistics had already become a completely different place.

Lin Yuxia had originally come to reclaim her dignity, but after realizing that she really could not beat Mizuki, he chose to go a little easy on her. At last, Miss Lin managed to secure her first victory.

After that, Lin Yuxia was not nearly as upset. Her slender tail was practically swinging like a braid, and she found Mizuki much easier on the eyes too.

They did not play any more fighting games afterward. Having finally won once, Lin Yuxia was afraid Mizuki would beat her so badly again that she would lose all confidence in life. So the two of them simply played some co-op games together instead.

Lin Yuxia mainly wanted to recover some of her pride somewhere other than a fighting game and let Mizuki know she was not someone to be messed with. Then... if she were not concerned about maintaining her cool image, she would have already hugged Mizuki's thigh and begged him to carry her.

"Sure enough, It Takes Two is the best co-op game!"

Mizuki stretched, set down the controller, and was about to head to the kitchen when he glanced at Lin Yuxia again.

"Want something to eat?"

"I want a glass of juice. Do you have any soup dumplings?"

Lin Yuxia seemed completely at ease, just short of treating the place like her own home. She leaned against the sofa and stretched lazily, not being polite in the slightest.

"Just so happens I do. I made some at noon. They probably haven't gone cold yet."

Mizuki had originally planned to save those soup dumplings for Exusiai, but he could always make more later. Maybe Exusiai would be even happier if he made apple pie instead.

Watching Mizuki enter the kitchen, Lin Yuxia picked up the controller, ready to keep playing. Then she suddenly felt that something was off. Oh, this was not her home! She had nearly forgotten!

Lin Yuxia set down the controller, her expression turning cold again. Only when she played games did she feel relaxed. As the successor to Lungmen's underworld, if she was not cold enough, she would never be able to keep certain scheming people in line. Over time, she had gone from the little crybaby she used to be into the young lady who made many of Lungmen's gray and black forces sit on pins and needles.

"Here. Juice and soup dumplings."

Mizuki placed the food in front of Lin Yuxia, then put away the game console. He could tell that Miss Lin seemed to be preparing to leave.

"Mm, thank you."

Lin Yuxia was somewhat embarrassed. She had gotten too caught up in the game just now. Though she was an ice-cold beauty, she was not so cold that she did not know how to say thank you.

The rest was simple. Lin Yuxia quickly finished the soup dumplings Mizuki had made, and judging from her expression, she was very satisfied. All that could be said was that it was fortunate she had not looked closely at the filling. Otherwise, she would have lost her appetite entirely. Whatever else could be said about Mizuki's cooking, it had flavor and aroma, but no appearance.

After seeing Lin Yuxia off, Mizuki was about to start cooking when he suddenly heard another knock on the door. Thinking Lin Yuxia might have forgotten something, he went to open it again. This time, there were three people outside.

One had concealed herself beneath a hood. One was a Sankta in a wheelchair. The last was a red-haired Liberi who looked like she had quite the temper.

For some reason, Mizuki felt as if he had seen the other two somewhere before. The Sankta in the wheelchair was a first-time meeting, but from the very first glance, Mizuki sensed a quality in Lemuen that made her seem like his kind.

"Um... may I ask what you three need?"

"Hello."

Lemuen smiled and greeted Mizuki, her eyes full of approval. Though they had only just met, she had already formed a very good impression of him. Even at their first meeting, they could sense how alike they were in certain ways, such as being secretly devious.

"Is Lemuel here? I'm her older sister."

"...Xiao Le's older sister?"

The moment she heard that form of address, Lemuen's smile grew even brighter, while Mostima and Fiammetta's expressions became even uglier.

Exusiai's real name was Lemuel. The former was her codename, and everyone usually called her that. It had been that way for a long time. Whether it was A-Neng or Exusiai, neither mattered much, but "Xiao Le" was special. Only people extremely close to her, such as Lemuen and Mostima, could call her that, and they could not even use it in front of too many people.

It seemed her little sister liked this boyfriend far more than usual.

"Yes. Let me introduce myself. I'm Lemuen. I heard my little sister found herself a wonderful boyfriend, so I came to check him out."

"They really don't look alike."

Mizuki could not help muttering. Exusiai had said long ago that she and her sister did not resemble each other, that Lemuen seemed to have been adopted, but was the difference not a little too great?

It was not just their looks. Lemuen and Exusiai had completely different temperaments. One was lively and energetic, while the other was gentle and quiet. Still, Mizuki could clearly sense that Lemuen had a somewhat scheming side to her, because he did too.

"Please come in, Sister."

Mizuki gestured. Before Mostima could do anything, two tentacles extended from thin air and slowly pushed Lemuen's wheelchair forward.

That move surprised Lemuen somewhat. When she turned around, she found that both Mostima and Fiammetta looked gloomy. What was going on? These two had seemed delighted when they heard Xiao Le had found a boyfriend.

Yes, they really had been delighted. Though they were a little reluctant, the fact that Exusiai had found someone she could marry was certainly worth celebrating.

The problem was, Exusiai could find a boyfriend, but she could not find their boyfriend!

"What? My sister came to Lungmen?"

When she received that message from Mizuki, Exusiai was utterly shocked. She knew her sister's physical condition very well. Lemuen was not supposed to be able to travel around casually, yet she had come all the way to Lungmen.

At that thought, Exusiai tossed the last package to its recipient, then dashed into the car without another word.

"Texas! Let's go!"

Meanwhile, Muelsyse was still searching for the Penguin Logistics base where Mizuki was staying.

Chapter 75: Lemuen Is Very Satisfied with Her Brother-in-Law

"Xiao Le is on her way back, so, um... Sister, could you let go of me?"

Lemuen's gaze was terribly uncomfortable, though that was manageable. The main thing was that she was directly hugging his arm, which made Mizuki especially uneasy. This sister was even more enthusiastic than he had imagined.

"Oh, don't be so distant. You're Xiao Le's boyfriend, so you're my little brother too. I really never expected Xiao Le to find a boyfriend. Sigh, I thought she would bring a few girls home for me instead."

Seeing Lemuen's eyes gleam, Fiammetta could not help stomping her foot. That was her boyfriend! Hers! She had not even had time to confess before Exusiai snatched him away?

No, Mizuki, where was your ambition? Back then, did you not see Ines and W looking at you at all?

"Xiao Le is wonderful. A lot of people like her."

"I know. She's my little sister, after all. But you're already defending her like this. How nice."

Lemuen smiled brightly. They had only been chatting for a short while, yet she was already extremely satisfied with Mizuki. The more she looked at him, the more regrettable it felt. What a shame he was her little sister's boyfriend. Sigh, such a good boy had gone to waste.

"Xiao Le told me in her letter that you work at Penguin Logistics now. I heard you have sisters too. Why not introduce them to me sometime?"

"That can be arranged. My sisters went out shopping."

"Good. By the way, Mizuki, why do you like Xiao Le? Is there something about her that especially attracts you?"

Lemuen knew her little sister very well. It would be generous to say Exusiai was not lovable. Really, she was more likely to annoy people. Lemuen had long prepared herself to support her sister for most of her life if she never married.

"Her personality, I suppose. I like Xiao Le's personality. She's sunny, cheerful, and full of energy, but she's also thoughtful and not careless."

Anyone could see that Exusiai was sunny and cheerful, but the fact that she was thoughtful was not something people could notice without spending a long time with her or understanding her well enough. Lemuen truly saw Mizuki in a new light. This brother-in-law was not bad at all, and he was very handsome too.

Mostima looked at Lemuen, whose eyes were gleaming as she happily chatted with Mizuki, then at Fiammetta, who already seemed ready to pull out her gun and blow the place apart. She silently held her juice and shook her head.

Based on what they had seen so far, Muelsyse's claim that Mizuki had lost his memories seemed to be true. Otherwise, he could not possibly fail to recognize them, nor would he need to pretend not to know Mostima and Fiammetta. After all, although Fiammetta had liked Mizuki back then, she had never said so.

As for Mostima? That was even harder to explain. Only she herself knew what she had done. Now Mizuki had become Exusiai's boyfriend. Fate truly had a strange way of playing with people.

Mizuki's encounter with Mostima and Fiammetta actually dated back about half a year. At the time, Mizuki was still acting as a caretaker for Ines and a group of Sarkaz mercenaries. By chance, they ran into Fiammetta and Mostima, who were traveling together.

Logically speaking, the Sarkaz mercenaries had the advantage in numbers, but Mostima's combat strength and abilities were absurdly strong. For a time, neither side could gain the upper hand.

The Sarkaz and Sankta were natural enemies. Even though Mostima had fallen, she still retained some Sankta traits, so she naturally drew hostility. Hoederer could not stop them either, leaving Mizuki with no choice but to use his tentacles. He hung everyone up and threatened that anyone who dared fight would not get dinner.

That was how Ines and the others discovered that the strongest person in the household was actually the cook. And no matter how displeased they were, they would not cause trouble for Mostima and the others, because if Mizuki refused to cook for them, they would have nothing but potatoes to eat.

"But why did Miss Lemuen decide to come to Lungmen?"

"I told you, don't be so formal. Call me Lemuen, or just call me Sister."

"Then hello, Sister."

"That's more like it."

Lemuen nodded in great satisfaction. Mizuki was even more quick on the uptake than she had expected. Perhaps because they were both somewhat scheming, being together did not make either of them want to tease the other. Lemuen sincerely wanted to see whether this brother-in-law passed the test for her little sister.

So far, Mizuki's impression score was perfect. He spoke appropriately, behaved thoughtfully, and had a good personality.

"Ah, Sister, please sit down. I'll get some food. I still need to make dinner later, and Xiao Le and the others will be back soon."

Mizuki suddenly felt that Texas had been very wise to buy the bar next door. Otherwise, with three more people in the house, he would not even know where to have them rest.

Watching Mizuki enter the kitchen, Mostima took the chance to sit beside Lemuen.

"So? Are you satisfied with this brother-in-law?"

"More than satisfied. I'm almost tempted myself."

Lemuen gave a thumbs-up. Though she did not know why Fiammetta had such a low-pressure expression, it was not important. Mizuki was an excellent candidate for a brother-in-law.

"Is that so? That's good."

Mostima tried her best not to give herself away. Lemuen was focused on assessing Mizuki now and had not noticed anything strange about her two good friends.

But in reality, what troubled the two of them most was whether they should tell Lemuen the truth. And seeing how happily Lemuen was talking with Mizuki, she had probably forgotten that Muelsyse was currently heading this way. That was the true formidable enemy.

"Sis!!"

Before she appeared, her voice arrived first. Before Lemuen could say anything, Exusiai's wildly excited shout reached everyone's ears. Penguin Logistics' front door was kicked open, and Exusiai pounced straight at her.

Lemuen smiled, then moved aside at the same time as Mostima, causing Exusiai to leap into empty air.

Seeing Exusiai about to hit the floor, Mostima and Lemuen reached out in unison to grab her clothes. Yet another pair of hands caught her.

"I've told you so many times not to be afraid of falling. Xiao Le, it would hurt if you hit the ground."

Mizuki shook his head helplessly and lifted his girlfriend into his arms. A fruit basket and several glasses of juice floated beside him, though Mostima knew it was Mizuki's tentacles helping him carry them.

"I never thought my sister would be willing to watch her dear little sister fall to the floor."

Exusiai wrapped her limbs around Mizuki and made a face at her sister and Mostima.

"Get down already."

"I won't. Bleh. You don't like holding me?"

"That's not it."

Mizuki hurriedly shook his head. Exusiai was not heavy, and he could easily carry her. The problem was that he had no idea why Fiammetta and Mostima were looking at him like that... Why did their gazes seem a little resentful?

"Sis, let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend, and your brother-in-law."

"I know. We were just talking about plenty of things related to you, like how you played with fireworks as a child and set the house on fire, and in elementary school..."

"Sis!"

Exusiai instantly jumped out of Mizuki's arms and hurriedly covered her sister's mouth, her face almost completely red.

"Why are you telling him everything? Can't you stop bringing up all my embarrassing childhood stories?"

Though their relationship was extraordinarily close now, they were not an old married couple yet. Exusiai still wanted to preserve some of her image in front of Mizuki.

Texas and the others entered as well, nodding to Lemuen and the others in greeting. They were not very familiar with one another, nor were they the sort to act overly friendly. That was fine.

"Fine, I won't mention your embarrassing childhood stories."

"That's more like it..."

"Let's talk about how you placed a fake bomb on the podium in high school and ended up hanging from the flagpole."

"Don't!"

Seeing Exusiai completely at Lemuen's mercy, Mizuki could not hold back his laughter for a moment, only to receive an angry glare from Exusiai.

"What are you laughing at?"

"I thought of something happy."

"What could possibly make you this happy?"