Skadi, I Have a Girlfriend

"Long time no see."

Alina was not quite so clingy. A simple "long time no see" was worth more than a thousand words.

"Long time no see, Sister Alina."

Mizuki smiled and nodded as well. Though he wanted to see the Doctor as soon as possible, he also wanted to catch up with his old friends.

"You came to see me?"

"Ah, not really. I came to find the Doctor."

After hearing that, Alina suddenly felt that her earlier thoughts had been completely wasted on him.

This guy was still just as hopelessly slow when it came to love!

"At this rate, nobody will want you."

"That won't happen, Sister Alina. Don't worry, I already have a girlfriend."

The moment he said that, Mizuki immediately felt that the gazes of the three girls before him... seemed to gain a hint of hostility?

Various W.jpg

The Doctor: Can Mizuki Be Licked?

Mizuki had left half a year ago. Alina remembered it clearly. When he left, he had left behind nothing but a letter. She had refused to believe it, thinking it was merely a cruel joke. Yet as her heartbeat gradually returned to normal, she had no choice but to accept the truth.

For an entire week after that day, Reunion had seemed to be missing something. Even the children who usually loved to play around had become far more subdued. Though FrostNova had said nothing, everyone knew she must have cried.

Everyone had originally planned to send people out to look for Mizuki after the Chernobog operation was over. Yet they had never expected him to come here on his own, and even...

"You have a girlfriend?!"

W could hardly believe her ears. Ines was already wondering whether she had missed Mizuki so much that she was hallucinating. Hoederer, who had been punched twice, rubbed his head and was equally surprised.

They had all known Mizuki and spent time with him. They knew his personality. Mizuki was not actually dull when it came to other people's feelings; he simply rarely accepted them. Especially in matters of love, plenty of people had been interested in him, yet they had never seen him truly have a girlfriend.

"Yes. She's an outstanding and lively Sankta. I especially like her hair and eyes, though her personality is still the best part."

At the mention of his girlfriend, a small trace of happiness and pride inevitably appeared on Mizuki's face, making his smile even brighter. Yet the brighter that smile became, the more rage burned in the hearts of the others.

Damn it, it had only been half a year—no, not even half a year! How had the person they liked already become someone else's boyfriend? Damn it, their fists were getting itchy!

"A Sankta? What's there to like about people like that? Tch."

Because of the millennia-long grudge between the Sarkaz and the Sankta, most Sarkaz disliked Sankta, and W was no exception. Mizuki did not get angry over it. He knew exactly what his friends were like.

"Let's not talk about that."

If this continued, Alina felt she might not be able to stop herself from hitting someone. She could only force a smile as she looked at Mizuki.

"You came to find the Doctor, so let's go together. We can't delay too long."

True to her principle of not holding things up, Alina did not pester Mizuki with endless curious questions. She was the kind of gentle, considerate woman who fit nearly every man's ideal—cultured, sensible, and understanding, the very flower of Reunion.

"Then let's go together. I have some things I want to ask you all too. Everyone was terrified when we didn't find the Doctor in the Sarcophagus."

As he spoke, Mizuki pointed behind him. Dozens of Rhodes Island personnel were hurrying over. When they saw Amiya at the front, the expressions of Hoederer and the other two changed in unison. They had met Amiya before, when she had still been very young.

"Mr. Mizuki, ha... you ran too fast. I... Miss W?"

Looking at the familiar figures before her, Amiya recognized W at once despite not having seen her for years. Then she recognized Ines and Hoederer beside her. They had all met before, and Hoederer had even told Amiya stories.

"Babel's little rabbit, you're here... Wait, the Doctor Mizuki mentioned is that bastard woman?"

Seeing Amiya, W finally realized that the Doctor Mizuki had mentioned was someone she knew. She had been so happy to see Mizuki that she had instinctively forgotten about it!

For certain reasons, W and the female Doctor did not have a good relationship. That was also why the Doctor had always avoided meeting her. If she really met W, the Doctor might very well be dead by the next day.

"Please don't call the Doctor that."

Amiya glared at W with some displeasure. Though she was young, she possessed an indescribable pressure that belonged to someone in authority. W had nothing to say to that. She merely curled her lip and pretended nothing had happened.

"The Doctor is with you?"

Mizuki glanced at Amiya. He always felt that something about her was drawing him in, especially strongly whenever her emotions fluctuated noticeably.

"More or less. A few days ago, I led people to the core power room and happened to find her doing sit-ups in that coffin."

"Sit-ups?"

"According to her, she was rehabilitating."

Strictly speaking, the Doctor, who had only just awakened from the Sarcophagus, should not have been able to move freely. Her injuries were severe, and she had been asleep for a long time. Her body needed time to recover.

However, when the female Doctor awakened, aside from feeling somewhat stiff, she showed no abnormalities at all. She could even be described as full of life and vigor.

"That does sound like something the Doctor would do."

Amiya scratched her head awkwardly. She had originally worried about what they would do if they came into conflict with Reunion. She had never expected Mizuki to know people from Reunion. This was wonderful.

"Not only that, she's spent this whole time trying to lure us over to that Rhodes Island of yours. She even tried to poach Talulah."

Alina found that rather amusing. Then she led the Rhodes Island group toward where the female Doctor was. Since the Doctor knew so much, she was in charge of Reunion's relocation. After discussing it, everyone had agreed that taking the Core City to the border between Ursus and Kazdel would be most suitable.

Ursus would never send troops against Kazdel over a single Reunion, nor would that bring any benefit to the aging Ursus Empire.

"After all, the Doctor has been trying to gather talented people from everywhere for a long time. Even Miss Surtr and Miss Nearl were invited by the Doctor to join Rhodes Island."

Whenever Amiya spoke of the Doctor, her eyes were full of admiration. Ines and Hoederer exchanged a glance and each stood on one side of W, lest she do something too extreme when she saw the Doctor.

"The Doctor has told us many times that Rhodes Island's benefits and treatment seem quite good. She's been waiting for you to come pick her up."

The group chatted as they walked. Only Mizuki noticed a blind spot. Texas had once helped him investigate Rhodes Island. The company had been founded two years ago, making it very young. So here was the question: if the Doctor knew Rhodes Island, did that mean she had fallen asleep at least after Rhodes Island was founded?

No one present realized this issue. Mizuki thought about it for a moment but did not dwell on it. He merely raised his head and looked in a certain direction. His tentacles automatically chased after it at his command. Just now, he had sensed another rather malicious gaze.

Other than Mr. K, there was no one else who would be watching Mizuki with hostility at a time like this. As Mizuki's tentacles closed in from all directions, the face beneath the mask frowned slightly. Within the area covered by Mizuki's rainwater, no one could claim to be stronger than him.

The Doctor knows Rhodes Island? How is that possible? She only just woke up!

And how could she move freely immediately after waking from the Sarcophagus? No... could she be like me too?

Unlike Amiya and the others, who were still immersed in the joy of being able to bring the Doctor back without any effort, Mr. K had clearly noticed this issue just like Mizuki. How could the Doctor know these things? How could she know Rhodes Island, or even know that Amiya and the others had come to retrieve her? Rhodes Island had not even existed when she entered the Sarcophagus!

This was the one thing Mr. K was absolutely certain of. The Doctor's slumber was something that could not be changed. It was like a math problem with multiple methods and paths, but the final answer remained the same.

"What... exactly is wrong with this world?"

Countless tentacles emerged from dark corners and wrapped around Mr. K. Without the slightest hesitation, he chose to self-destruct again, just as he had that night.

With a bang, an explosion powerful enough to reduce the entire building to ruins failed to break even a single tentacle. It merely made them a little hot to eat. The fragments left behind by the blast were edible too. They were not picky eaters.

Out of consideration for Mizuki's feelings, they would not actively hunt for food. Otherwise, Lungmen would have long since had very few living things left. Today, they had sampled the flavor of a Catastrophe. It was somewhat like popping candy—slightly crunchy, but delicious. Mr. K, however, was only barely edible. Nothing to write home about.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

Mizuki shook his head. He had done all of this without drawing attention. Perhaps because he had praised Exusiai earlier, Muelsyse was throwing a little tantrum inside his body. She was being somewhat restless; in reality, it only meant his blood was flowing a little faster.

The office where the female Doctor was staying was not far away. After walking for more than ten minutes, Mizuki and the others reached it. The Doctor was leaning over a second-floor windowsill, curiously reaching out to touch the air—or, more accurately, Mizuki's tentacles.

This was the first time the female Doctor had seen such obedient tentacles. Having read far too many indescribable colored booklets in her previous life, her impression of tentacles was somewhat unsuitable for public viewing.

Yet Mizuki's tentacles were as obedient as little puppies. They did not become angry because of the Doctor's movements.

"They're not wet at all. I thought they'd be slimy. And they're surprisingly springy."

The female Doctor suddenly became curious about what exactly these tentacles were. From Redblade's reaction earlier, it was not difficult to tell that he truly could not see them. As for the Doctor? She had always been remarkably accepting of strange things happening to her.

However, before the Doctor could figure out how to pluck something off the tentacles for research, they withdrew. Following the direction in which they retreated, she saw the people approaching her, as well as Mizuki, who stood out the most among them. It could not be helped—his outfit was very conspicuous.

The instant she saw Mizuki, it felt as though something exploded in the female Doctor's mind. Only one sentence echoed beside her ears.

[Doctor, I'll come back. I'll always stay by your side and always protect you, because that's what I was born for.]

The female Doctor completely lost her reason. Almost instinctively, she wanted to run to Mizuki's side. Without even thinking, she climbed out the second-floor window and jumped down, frightening Amiya so badly that her ears stood straight up.

Mizuki hurriedly summoned his tentacles to wrap around the female Doctor's waist and lower her to the ground. Before she could even steady herself, the Doctor, who had already lost her mind, rushed toward him.

"Mizuki!"

She pounced on him and pressed him straight to the ground. The female Doctor's reaction was far too intense, leaving Mizuki at a loss. He did not remember the Doctor. He had remembered many people, but he simply could not recall anything involving her.

Yet the instant he saw her, a stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

"?!"

The moment Skadi saw this scene, how could she possibly hold herself back? She rolled up her sleeves, ready to pull the female Doctor off Mizuki, only for Specter to grab her again.

"Old friends reunited. It's only natural that they'd be excited."

Amiya scratched her head awkwardly. Still, she had not expected the female Doctor to react so strongly to Mizuki. That made no sense. She had never heard that the Doctor knew Mizuki.

However, the female Doctor paid no attention to Amiya and the others at all. She merely stared at Mizuki. The real Mizuki seemed even cuter than he had been in the game, a little more sunny and handsome too. Everything about him seemed wonderful. She could look at that face forever without getting tired of it.

And he felt inexplicably familiar. Not the kind of familiarity from recognizing someone after seeing their photos countless times, but more like meeting an old friend who had disappeared long ago.

[I swear, no matter which world it is, I'll reach out my hand to the Doctor.]

It was as if a smile from the past still hung before her eyes, gradually overlapping with the person beneath her. The female Doctor felt indescribably excited, mixed with a nameless sorrow. It was strange. She should not feel this way. They had only just met.

"Doctor?"

Warm tears fell onto his face. Mizuki was somewhat surprised. This should have been a joyful reunion, even though he no longer remembered when the person before him had first met him.

He shook his head toward Amiya and the others, signaling that they did not need to come over. Mizuki wiped away the tears at the Doctor's eyes, then held out his hand to her.

"I'll always reach out my hand to you."

"Then promise me you won't let go again."

The female Doctor said words whose meaning even she did not understand, fighting to keep tears from spilling out of her eyes. This should have been her first time meeting Mizuki, yet she felt an indescribable sorrow, as if she had lost him many times before and failed to hold onto his hand every time.

"I won't let go."

Something was not right. In Amiya's perception, from the moment the female Doctor saw Mizuki, her emotions had begun spiraling out of control. Joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness intertwined, as though multiple personalities were fighting for her body, yet expressing an astonishingly unified will.

Had all those years in the Sarcophagus damaged the Doctor's mind?

"That's more like it."

The female Doctor gripped Mizuki's hand and pulled him up from the ground. She was a little taller than Mizuki, but Mizuki wore a hat, had good proportions, and was dressed in slimming black stockings, so he actually looked taller.

Once Mizuki was standing before her, the female Doctor, having regained her senses, suddenly realized that her earlier loss of control had indeed been strange. Unsure what to say, she lowered her head and thought for a moment, then fixed her gaze on Mizuki's legs.

"What is it, Doctor?"

"Nothing... I just kind of want to lick Mizuki's feet. Can you change into white stockings?"

Seeing the Doctor, who had just acted as though she had lost her mind, say something like that now, Amiya could not help covering her face. Why did she feel like putting the Doctor back into the Sarcophagus for more treatment might be better?

Doctor, Why Don't You Lie Back Down?

"They both really have amnesia?"

W stared at the Doctor and Mizuki, finding it hard to imagine that both of them had lost their memories. According to Mizuki, he had forgotten everything that had happened between him and Skadi, as well as why he had chosen to go to the Snowfield.

The female Doctor was much the same. She remembered Amiya, Kal'tsit, and quite a few people from Rhodes Island, but she had forgotten even more things than Mizuki had. Both of their memories were far too fragmented.

"...You can't tell."

Ines shook her head. With how tightly the Doctor clung to Mizuki, who could tell that these two had only just met for the first time?

"Little brother, little brother, little brother! That's my little brother! I'm his big sister!"

Skadi was so angry she was practically about to transform into Ishar-mla on the spot. She had nearly bitten off part of her sleeve. Specter was not as angry as she was. She simply looked at the Doctor, then at Mizuki, her eyes full of delight. Mizuki alone was already wonderful, and now there was a Doctor too. Mm, life would definitely get better from here on out!

"Doctor, you're holding on too tightly."

Other than Specter, the gazes of the remaining girls were simply too piercing. Mizuki was not unwilling to let the Doctor hold him, but if she was going to hug him, why did it have to be in this position?

"Is that not allowed?"

"It's not that it's impossible..."

"Then there's no problem."

The female Doctor buried her head in Mizuki's chest. She was currently sitting in Mizuki's lap, practically pressed against him. It was enough to make Exusiai draw her gun on sight.

Other than Skadi, Amiya's gaze was the most piercing. It was not the kind of stare that wanted to swallow Mizuki whole, but it carried an indescribable grievance. She had obviously known the Doctor first. She was obviously the Doctor's caring little padded jacket. Why had the female Doctor chosen Mizuki, this raincoat, instead?

"When the Doctor started crying just now, she really scared me."