Skadi, I Have a Girlfriend Now

"Yeah. I'll pack my bags later. While I'm gone, don't order takeout all the time. If you really can't manage, just eat out. I'll be back soon."

Since Mizuki had fainted last night and couldn't cook, and Mostima had made breakfast again, Lemuen didn't get to taste Mizuki's cooking. Otherwise, she would probably have had thoughts similar to Ch'en's when they first met.

But Mostima's cooking was far inferior to Mizuki's. The girls, whose tastes had all been spoiled, found it rather hard to eat.

What Exusiai couldn't understand was why her sister's gaze kept drifting toward Mizuki, intentionally or otherwise. As for Mizuki? He had always kept his head down and focused on eating. The kid was never picky about food, and his appetite was terrifying. More than half the dishes on the table ended up in his stomach.

(Strange. Why does Lemuen keep looking in Mizuki's direction?)

Aside from Exusiai, Fiammetta, Croissant, and the others had the same question. Texas and Mostima, however, didn't find it strange at all. Why? One could more or less guess the reason, while the other could be considered half the culprit.

Lemuen ending up in a state of undress last night naturally had Mostima's help. Still, she had only played that small prank and done nothing else.

After barely finishing breakfast, Exusiai dragged Mizuki back to his room without another word, locked the door, pushed him onto the bed, and straddled him from above.

"Tell me! Why was my sister staring at you the whole time?"

Faced with this baffling question, the tentacles around Mizuki curled into question marks. He had been keeping his head down and eating the entire time. Exusiai and the tentacles had even helped put food on his plate. He hadn't raised his head once, so how was he supposed to know Lemuen had been looking at him?

"I don't know."

"Did nothing really happen between you and my sister last night?"

"You know what I'm like when I sleep."

Mizuki looked utterly innocent. When he slept, even an earthquake couldn't wake him. Everyone at Penguin Logistics knew that. Otherwise, that night, Exusiai wouldn't have had to fire a whole burst at him and accidentally hit him before he opened his eyes.

Exusiai thought it over and realized that was true. When Mizuki slept, he really was like Sleeping Beauty. It wasn't just his face and sleeping posture that were similar; even the depth of his sleep was about the same. Sleeping Beauty only needed a kiss to wake up, but Mizuki wouldn't react even if Specter pinned him down.

"That's not right. Then why was my sister looking at you like that...?"

"I should be asking you. Xiao Le, what did you mean this morning?"

Pinned beneath her, Mizuki didn't think Exusiai intended to do any post-breakfast exercise. She might seem bold normally, but she was actually rather thin-skinned. With Mostima and Lemuen around, she would never do anything too outrageous.

Mizuki was more interested in what Exusiai had said earlier. What did she mean by buy one, get one free? This wasn't some store promotion.

"I just figured that instead of waiting for the day my sister takes your hand and tells me, 'Xiao Le, starting today, he's your brother-in-law,' I should take precautions in advance."

"What kind of person do you think I am?"

"I don't know whether you're that kind of person, but my sister definitely is!"

Exusiai sighed softly. After seeing precedents like Specter, Texas, Sora, and Ho'olheyak, she had no choice but to accept one fact: Mizuki was simply far too lovable.

He was cute, considerate, and sometimes did flirtatious things as though they were perfectly natural. Even Texas had had her heart stolen by him. Her sister might not fall so easily, but Exusiai didn't expect her to have absolutely no feelings for Mizuki.

"In the future, I plan to have my sister live with us. Her condition... honestly, rehabilitation will be difficult. She doesn't say it, but she's actually very reluctant, isn't she? If I marry you, she'll truly be all alone. Sometimes she's stubborn too. She thinks she's half-disabled and doesn't want to burden anyone."

Exusiai lay down beside Mizuki and rested against his hair.

"Besides, she won't be able to get married anyway..."

"So you're worried I won't want Sister to live with us then?"

"How could that be? It's not like I don't know you. It's just my sister... she's proud. She definitely wouldn't agree."

Exusiai's concern wasn't unfounded. After seeing her younger sister find someone she could entrust herself to, Lemuen's eyes held joy and blessings, but that faint trace of loneliness was real too.

She had accepted Exusiai, Texas, Sora, and even Specter. Her own sister naturally wasn't impossible either. As for Mostima... well, this relationship seemed to be getting more tangled by the minute.

"Actually, um, I might be able to help with Sister's situation."

"Hm?"

Exusiai's eyes suddenly widened. She rolled over and pinned Mizuki down again.

"What did you say?"

"I think... I should be able to heal Sister's legs. My memories haven't fully returned, but I can try."

Mizuki clearly remembered saving someone with that ability. Back then, he had even been able to bring Alina back after she died. Helping Lemuen heal her legs should be no problem, probably?

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

"I only recovered those memories this morning."

"Then let's try it now?"

Mizuki glanced at the clock on the wall and did a quick calculation. It was only nine in the morning, so there was plenty of time. After all, he wasn't leaving until three in the afternoon.

"Half an hour should be enough, but I definitely can't complete the treatment in one go. I still can't control my strength very well, and we'll need to observe Sister Lemuen's condition afterward."

"It's fine. Let's try it first, then we'll talk again when you get back!"

Exusiai's eyes practically became lightbulbs. What Mizuki had just said was the greatest surprise she had ever heard in her life. She had truly picked the right boyfriend!

"Muah!"

She decisively lowered her head and kissed Mizuki's lips. They stayed that way for several minutes before Exusiai finally pulled away, but the excitement in her heart hadn't subsided at all. Her eyes were still full of disbelief and delight.

"Wait here! I'm going to get my sister!"

Watching Exusiai run out of the room, Mizuki lay on his side on the bed with one hand supporting his head, feeling somewhat helpless. Well, at least I won't have to worry about that buy-one-get-one-free deal being forced on me anymore. If possible, he only wanted to devote himself wholeheartedly to Exusiai. How had things developed into this?

And there was Muelsyse. Mizuki remembered that she seemed to have done something to one of the dolls, but when he woke up, the doll in his hand had vanished.

And Lemuen, who had mysteriously appeared on his bed last night... Wait, Mizuki suddenly remembered. Even if he was asleep, the tentacles didn't seem to need rest...

"Was this your doing?"

Mizuki looked at the tentacles extending from beneath the bed. Seeing that they had been exposed, they hurriedly waved around and explained what had happened last night. They didn't mention Mostima, only saying that Lemuen had fallen asleep, and they didn't think it was right to leave her leaning against her wheelchair in case she caught a cold.

But they couldn't exactly move their master, Mizuki, off the bed. So they had no choice but to squeeze in together. As for Lemuen hugging Mizuki? That was her own problem. They hadn't tampered with anything else.

"So that's what happened. Then help me pack my luggage first."

Having received their orders, the tentacles swiftly scattered and divided up the tasks clearly. They fetched the suitcase, packed clothes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, snacks, and pastries. In only a few minutes, Mizuki's luggage was packed.

"Thanks. You worked hard."

Mizuki stroked the tentacles in thanks. He had originally wanted to feed them something, but he didn't know whether they needed food. They didn't seem to need to eat. Just praising them like this made them very happy.

Meanwhile, Exusiai didn't find her sister in the living room. After searching for quite a while, she discovered that Lemuen and Mostima were actually in an upstairs room.

Lemuen's legs were inconvenient, so someone usually had to carry her wheelchair upstairs. There was no way to clear out a guest room on the first floor, but she was quite pleased with that arrangement. Sometimes she lay across Mostima's back, and other times, when Fiammetta carried her, she messed up Fiammetta's hair.

Mostima and Lemuen seemed to be discussing something. When Exusiai burst in, Lemuen's face was slightly flushed with embarrassment, while Mostima wore an indescribably awkward expression. In truth, they were discussing having Mizuki help treat Lemuen.

But Mostima's method was the one her staff had mentioned last night. She had personally tested it already. Mizuki's vitality was no joke; it had directly healed all her old ailments. If Lemuen did it a few more times, it would definitely work too.

But how could Lemuen casually agree to something like that? Mizuki was her little sister's boyfriend. No, that wouldn't do at all. She had no desire to paint her sister's head green. Besides, even if Exusiai agreed, Lemuen wasn't that shameless. She had only known Mizuki for a few days.

"Sis!"

Exusiai pushed the door open and rushed in. She ran to Lemuen's side, looking ready to pick her up, visibly excited.

"Wait, Xiao Le. What are you doing?"

"Mizuki said he has a way to heal your legs! Let's go try it!"

"Huh??"

A question mark seemed to appear over both Lemuen's and Mostima's heads. They had just been discussing this. How had Exusiai and Mizuki suddenly brought it up themselves?

"What do you mean, 'huh'? Hurry up! He still has to go out this afternoon."

"No, Xiao Le, you don't mind?"

Seeing the genuine emotion in her younger sister's eyes, Lemuen blushed. She subconsciously assumed Mizuki's method was still the one Mostima had described, since even the person inside Mostima's staff didn't know Mizuki had recovered his memories.

"What would I mind? I want nothing more than for you to get better."

"But I..."

Lemuen didn't know how to explain herself. She couldn't say something like that in front of her sister, could she? She didn't even have any emotional foundation with Mizuki.

"No more buts. Hurry!"

Without giving Lemuen any chance to explain, Exusiai directly picked her up and ran to Mizuki's room.

"Catch!"

Exusiai tossed her sister to Mizuki. He instinctively opened his arms and caught her, then looked at his girlfriend in confusion.

"We'll get married the moment you heal my sister!"

Exusiai said it without blushing or missing a beat, with the attitude of, What I say goes. Mizuki chuckled and nodded, while Lemuen seemed to think of something.

"Xiao Le, leave."

"Huh?"

"Or do you want to watch from here?"

Seeing that her sister seemed somehow unhappy, Exusiai could only scratch her head and leave. She couldn't understand at all why Lemuen wanted her gone.

Watching the door close, Lemuen breathed a slight sigh of relief. Then she realized she was still in Mizuki's arms. But before she needed to say anything, Mizuki placed her on the bed. Their similarities gave them a certain tacit understanding, making verbal communication seem slower than intuition.

"Um... are we really doing this?"

Lemuen's question left Mizuki somewhat confused. Shouldn't she be asking whether it could be cured?

"Sister doesn't want to get better sooner?"

"Of course I do. If I recover sooner, I won't keep burdening Xiao Le, Mostima, and the others. Xiao Le even told me that even if I never got better, she would raise me with you... You don't mind?"

"If we leave the children to Sister, they probably won't turn out like Xiao Le, right?"

Mizuki still wore a relaxed smile. He didn't mind it at all. If it were only him and Exusiai at home, he couldn't say what things would become like. They would probably have someone unable to get out of bed every morning.

"Of course not."

After thinking it over, Lemuen decided not to tell Mizuki that she bore some responsibility for Exusiai turning out like this.

Still, she felt rather embarrassed. Even though Mostima had spent half the day persuading her, this wasn't something as simple as being afraid of injections.

"So... do I need to take them off?"

"Mm, I need you to. I'll prepare the necessary safety measures too."

As he spoke, Mizuki turned toward the cabinet and began searching through it. The moment she heard "safety measures," Lemuen's mind filled in some scenes that would never pass review. She hesitated, then finally gritted her teeth and put her hand to her collar.

Because of the special nature of Penguin Logistics' work, they always kept medicine, bandages, and such on hand. These girls had even learned how to apply casts. Since Mizuki would be away for some time, he needed to apply medicine to Lemuen and perhaps even put her leg in a cast.

Hearing the rustling sounds behind him, Mizuki couldn't help feeling puzzled. Lemuen hadn't even changed shoes yet. Did taking off a pair of socks have to be so troublesome? Maybe he should help her take them off.

After finding what he needed, Mizuki turned around to ask whether she needed help, only to see a sight he might never forget for the rest of his life.

It was said that Mizuki's later comment on it was that, as expected, they weren't biological sisters—the difference in size was far too great.

Chapter 81: Xiao Le, I'm Sorry

Wanting to die wasn't a description of physical pain, but spiritual despair. Lemuen felt she might as well have remained paralyzed. How could such an embarrassing misunderstanding happen? It was all Mostima's fault! She said Mizuki would help treat her, but what she described and what Mizuki did were completely different!

After reluctantly getting dressed, Lemuen draped a coat over herself and looked at Mizuki somewhat sheepishly.

"Hiss..."

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt. Will I be able to walk after the treatment?"

"More or less. You can run and jump too, but don't overexert yourself. The newly repaired muscles and nerve tissue need time to adapt to your body. If you feel any discomfort, remember to tell me."

Rather than discomfort, it was more like she felt far too good. With Mizuki's help, the necrotic muscles and nerve tissue had not only regained vitality, but become even better than before. Lemuen felt an itch in her feet that spread throughout her body, yet it was like scratching an itch through a boot—impossible to reach, leaving her heart itchy too.

Especially with that warm current mixed in, Lemuen didn't know how to describe the sensation. Her face flushed crimson. She didn't know whether she was still embarrassed over what had just happened or felt that this treatment was somewhat intimate as well.

Yet the instant she saw Mizuki, all the chaotic thoughts in her heart were suppressed again. To properly treat Lemuen, Mizuki had released his true self. His whole body radiated a gentle white glow, while his hair unfurled and lengthened like Spreading Branches. When Lemuen saw him like this, she almost thought the Lord worshipped by Laterano had descended upon the world.

But for some reason, looking at Mizuki before her, Lemuen felt an indescribable sadness in her heart. It was like witnessing an irreversible tragedy unfold before her eyes. This was mainly because of Mizuki's expression, which looked as though he were forcing a smile.

"As long as I can run, that's enough."

Lemuen forced a smile, deciding that later, she would let Mostima experience the power of a Laterano cardinal.

Mizuki gently pressed her calf, making Lemuen nearly moan aloud. She hurriedly covered her mouth with the back of her hand so she wouldn't make any sounds that could be misunderstood.

Her newly regenerated nervous system was overly sensitive. Combined with Mizuki's movements, even a little pressure gave her an extraordinary sensation of pleasure—better than eating ice cream on a scorching summer day.

"Does it hurt?"

"No... it doesn't."

Lemuen shook her head. If it were pain, she could endure it. She wasn't some delicate little girl who couldn't bear hardship. Despite having the face of a sweet young woman, she was tough. Back when her feet were paralyzed, she had gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand just to prove she was fine.