In the slightly dim light, Exusiai—halo glowing above her head—wore a faint smile.
In that pure radiance, the girl's expression carried an unspeakable kind of magic, as if it could lock every thought and rebuttal deep in the throat before it ever made it out.
Her healthy complexion, the snug tank top, and that half-smile—half-not-smile look all blended together in a room not even thirty square meters wide, creating a hazy atmosphere that made it feel like something was about to happen the very next second.
I remember now. I remember everything.
Isn't this exactly why I wanted to become roommates in the first place?
And when we get to Laterano… who knows? Maybe I'll even score the sisters as a set.
Don't tell me I'm overthinking it—how could anyone not overthink it?
Staring at Exusiai, who looked like she'd just casually said something simple, Li Lin's brain began spinning at extreme speed. In his mind, he was already seeing himself standing in a church with Exusiai and her sister, receiving blessings.
Father. Mother. I will take good care of your daughters.
I love them both the same.
"…Li Lin? Li Lin? Are you even listening?"
"Huh? Oh—no, it's nothing." Li Lin rubbed his face, forcing himself awake, and asked a little awkwardly, "Why did you suddenly say that?"
"I mean, it's not that it's inappropriate, it's just… you know, we're still in Lungmen. And if we look at the broader relational dynamics and character-interaction triggers, it feels like we haven't reached the level where certain special scenes would reliably occur. Um. I mean—I'm not sure whether I'm… allowed to."
"Huh? It's not a big deal, is it?" Exusiai sat on the sofa and swung her legs, shrugging innocently. Her wine-red eyes blinked at him as if she truly had no ulterior motive at all. "My sister already replied to you, you know. And you've already met Mostima. I haven't even met her yet."
"I want you to see Laterano's cathedrals, and what the church is like." She spoke as if describing tomorrow's weather. "Then I'll introduce you to my parents so they can see what kind of partner I found in Lungmen. And maybe we'll do a bunch of fun stuff. Isn't that enough?"
"…Oh."
"Everyone in Laterano will be shocked." Exusiai continued, still bright and matter-of-fact. "Mom and Dad, and my sister too—they'll all be happy. Well, my sister might have opinions, but she's my best sister. As long as we meet and get a proper feel for each other, it'll be fine."
"She's my most important family member, you know? And I want her to see the partner I found."
"…Right."
No. Don't smile yet.
It's hard, but… this means there's hope, doesn't it?
People keep saying "repressed, repressed"—being repressed is supposed to pay dividends! Look at this. Results.
Months of lying low, perfect obedience, impeccable manners—now I've earned trust, haven't I?
As for cautious long-term planning—forget that. I'm a man who's going to marry an angel sister duo.
Even if the sister doesn't agree, the younger one is fine.
One last confirmation.
With a grin he couldn't quite suppress, Li Lin coughed lightly and looked at Exusiai as she swayed lazily on the sofa.
"Then… what about the rest of Penguin Logistics? What about them?"
"Eh~ I asked." Exusiai tilted her head. "Everyone seems pretty busy, and it'd be rude to bother them. It feels like you're the only one with lots of free time—the one who can come back with me."
"If they had time, it'd be great. Introducing everyone would be the best. But if the schedules don't match, there's nothing we can do."
"…You asked?" Li Lin stared. "So it just so happens that my schedule is the only one that lines up perfectly?"
"Yep." Exusiai nodded as if it were obvious. "We live together, after all. I don't see you doing any side gigs. Going back together isn't a problem."
…Right. I knew it.
I'm not the special one.
Watching her blink at him with that perfectly reasonable expression, Li Lin leaned back into the small sofa, sighed, and started clicking his mechanical pencil again, sketching and scribbling in his notebook.
He knew it. People shouldn't have too many expectations.
Even if you do, you definitely shouldn't expect them to come true easily in a world where everyone wants to do something grand. Why would anyone show their hand over low-level desires?
"Sure," Li Lin said. "I'm not against going back with you to meet your family. But first, your sister has to stop trying to kill me."
"My sister just likes joking around," Exusiai said warmly. "She's my best sister."
"I've never doubted that," Li Lin replied instantly. "Not even once."
He roughly drew a halo, then shaded around it with sharp angles like an instrument casing, and spoke calmly.
"Your sister is definitely the one who loves you the most. And I've never doubted that when you return to Laterano, you'll become a star everyone notices."
"You'll all become outstanding people. Everyone at Penguin Logistics will become exactly who they want to be. I believe that."
"And you?" Exusiai asked.
"Me?" Li Lin shrugged. "I'll look forward to all of you growing."
"…Huh?" Exusiai blinked. "That's it? Nothing else?"
"Otherwise?" Li Lin answered naturally, as if he didn't understand what she expected.
"The future is an infinitely vast dream. Of course I'm looking forward to seeing how you all grow and change. I don't know where things will go, but we'll always be friends. People come and go—that's normal. As long as the mindset doesn't change, isn't that enough?"
"People come and go?" Exusiai repeated.
"There's no banquet that doesn't end," Li Lin said, still clicking his pencil without looking up. "Everyone grows up eventually. You all go your separate ways. The secrets you're carrying will gradually be revealed until they aren't secrets anymore."
"By then, Penguin Logistics might even dissolve. Old hands get replaced. New hands take over. Natural law, cause and effect, the cycle of things."
"You'll become the people you want to be. I'm looking forward to your future. That's all."
"…Oh." Exusiai's voice went cold.
Li Lin looked up in surprise—and saw Exusiai, a Sankta who was apparently supposed to feel sick if her head was held down, completely ignoring that "rule." She pulled the blanket over her head, curled up tight, and turned herself into a small, folded lump on the sofa.
"Exusiai? Miss Lemuen? What's wrong all of a sudden?"
"…Sleeping."
"That blanket's mine."
"I don't care. Use mine." Her voice was muffled and flat. "It's not like it's the first time. I'm too lazy to move. That's it."
"…Then, good night?"
"Not good night."
"…?"
This was that thing, wasn't it?
That thing women sometimes do for no reason.
Talking, talking—and then suddenly deciding it's boring, and just shutting down and going to sleep.
Li Lin stared at the huffy little lump that was Exusiai and thought for a long time, but he couldn't figure out what he'd said wrong. In the end, he could only file it under the mysterious phenomenon of "female sensitivity," which apparently existed in this world too.
And in another corner of the city, someone else was also staring into the night, equally unable to make sense of things.
"…What exactly is going on here?"
Setting down her marker, Swire rubbed her brow, feeling the situation had likely slipped beyond her control.
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