Bathed in soft lighting and set to mellow, drifting music, the bar's atmosphere was undeniably suggestive.
In a setting like this, Exusiai should have followed Sora's advice: chat casually with Chen Mo first, then gradually probe—what he liked, what he thought about romance, how he felt about relationships.
And if things progressed smoothly, she would stick to the plan. After some friendly small talk, she'd toss out a joking line like: "So… why don't we just make do and date?"
If everything went well, that's how it was supposed to go.
But the moment Chen Mo said it—
The music in the bar abruptly died, as if someone had slammed the brakes on the entire room. Even Emperor and the others—who'd been preparing to quietly slip away—froze mid-step.
Exusiai's pretty face went stiff. She turned her head mechanically and "sipped" from a wineglass that wasn't even filled.
"Hahaha… you're overthinking it, Chen Mo. Um… don't worry about that—just have a drink first and—"
"Quit covering it up," Chen Mo said flatly. "You're one step away from writing 'I'm screwed, I got exposed' across your face."
Unlike the ordinary men of this world, Chen Mo visibly relaxed after realizing what Penguin Logistics was trying to do. He even stroked his chin thoughtfully, turning to study Exusiai—who looked like her brain had crashed.
"I do like you, Exusiai," he said, matter-of-fact. "But not to the point where I'd want to date you."
Since coming to this world, Chen Mo's desires in that regard had dulled considerably, so even faced with Exusiai's painfully obvious intentions, he remained calm.
More importantly—her halo and wings just weren't his type.
As Exusiai's taut posture began to loosen, Chen Mo glanced toward the "spectators" nearby, who had their ears practically perked up to eavesdrop, and continued:
"Besides, you look like you're being hyped up and forced into this by Croissant and the others. You don't need to play along and make yourself this nervous."
"Right now, you should just eat and drink like normal. Oh—can I have that bottle? It looks expensive."
With that, Chen Mo reached for the wine. Seeing that Emperor didn't object, he happily poured himself a generous glass of red.
"…"
After a long silence, Exusiai finally exhaled.
"Honestly… getting rejected by the man I like should make me feel bitter. But I don't know why—right now, I just feel… relieved."
She patted her chest, breathing out hard, and her usual bright smile returned.
Chen Mo's "we're basically buddies—sisters, even" attitude had eased her embarrassment. The anxiety that had been crushing her melted away, leaving a light, inexplicably happy calm behind.
This kind of companionship—being able to act like close girlfriends around him—was dangerously addictive.
Fulfilled. Comfortable. Completely at ease.
So this is what it feels like when lovers get along… right?
…Even though she'd just been rejected.
Still lost in that dreamy thought, Exusiai suddenly remembered something Chen Mo had said. Her eyes lit up at once, and she scooted her stool closer with eager energy.
The physical closeness sparked a restless, nameless heat in her chest. She pinched her thigh hard, forcing herself to stay composed—so Chen Mo wouldn't think she was trying to act like a creep.
"Chen Mo, you just said you like me too, right?"
"Hm? Yeah," Chen Mo answered, mouth full as he started eating the food Emperor had arranged for him. He didn't seem to mind her scooting closer at all. "Don't tell me you're still thinking about chasing me?"
Even he felt the wording came out wrong—like something an obnoxiously self-satisfied guy would say.
But Exusiai—still mindful of the boundary between women and men and not daring to press any closer—was absolutely thinking exactly that. The halo above her head shone so brightly with excitement it nearly outshone the bar lights.
"Yeah, yeah! What if it works out? If it does, I hit the jackpot!"
Staring at Chen Mo's tantalizing figure, Exusiai swallowed quietly, her throat itching with desire.
Hehe. Penguin Logistics' first to get a boyfriend—that title was going to be hers. And then she'd make a point of cuddling and flirting with Chen Mo right in front of Texas and the others, every single day.
"Then good luck," Chen Mo said lightly. "Though I feel like even if we get closer later, we'll probably still be like this."
Chen Mo had no idea what kind of wolfish ambition was blooming behind Exusiai's grin. The only reason he was letting her get close so casually was simple: he genuinely liked her as a character.
Besides—no sleek, glossy scaled tail, no striking, distinctive horns.
It was hard for him to feel anything spicy at all.
Exusiai didn't overthink it. Now that she'd fully relaxed, she began chatting with Chen Mo for real—laughing, talking about everyday things, beaming as she tried her best to keep the conversation going.
From across the room, the others who had witnessed everything fell into a strange silence.
Croissant finally broke it, bewildered. "Uh… does this count as success?"
Emperor considered it, then nodded.
"How does it not? Of course it counts! And it's a huge success!"
"If it were any other day, I'd throw a party right here. But not now."
As Texas and the others stared at him, confused, Emperor lifted his sunglasses and bolted toward the bar's hidden passage.
"Move. Trouble's here."
Bang—!
The bar's front door was slammed open with brute force.
The deafening impact drew everyone's eyes to the uninvited arrival—and when Texas and the others recognized that familiar icy face, they didn't hesitate. They immediately followed Emperor and vanished.
Only Exusiai was left behind, facing her alone.
"Ch'en? You came to drink with me on purpose?"
"Come on, come on," Exusiai said brightly, waving her over. "Work's been rough lately. Let's have a proper drink together!"
The moment those words left her mouth, the vein at Ch'en Hui-chieh's temple practically started twitching. And when she saw how close Exusiai was sitting to Chen Mo, her anger nearly boiled over.
A man out late at night, drinking with a gang of lawbreakers—and of all people, the exact woman Ch'en had been worried about, that grinning, unserious Exusiai.
Ch'en no longer cared about any "proper distance" between men and women. With her face tight as ice, she grabbed Chen Mo by the wrist and dragged him toward the exit.
"Come with me. This isn't where you should be."
"Hey—hey—don't yank me like that!" Chen Mo protested. "At least let me pack some food to go!"
Whether it was sheer anger, or simply that she couldn't be bothered dealing with Exusiai at all, Ch'en didn't say a single word to her from start to finish.
Exusiai scratched the back of her head, utterly baffled.
"Is Officer Ch'en… my love rival?"
"Hm… doesn't really feel like it."
She looked less like a romantic competitor—and more like a strict mother who'd caught her wayward son partying with the wrong crowd, radiating pure disappointed fury.
…
12:25 a.m. — A Nameless Village in Ursus
"Ignorant, stupid Ursus savages."
Inside a small house, Tallen wiped the blood from her hands and stared down in contempt at the villager collapsed at her feet.
They'd tried to kill her under the cover of night. Those hypocritical barbarians—smiling during the day, turning vicious at night—were almost laughable.
The village was filthy and reeked of rot, just like the villagers' hearts—black as ink, disgusting down to the bone.
If a blizzard hadn't forced her to stop, she would never have spent a single night in a place like this.
The villagers' screams still seemed to echo in her ears.
"Heh. What a nauseating land."
After dealing with the bodies, Tallen stood by the window and looked out into the pitch-black storm. Wind shrieked against the night, snow battering the world like a living thing.
Her hand drifted to the Originium crystals protruding from her arm.
"Looks like this blizzard won't stop for days."
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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