(Well, we reached 40 power stones, so expect 4 extra chapters today as I promised)
__ ____ ____ ____ _____
"I'm not reconciled! Sob sob sob sob sob…"
"Aiya, there's nothing to be unreconciled about. What on earth did you see to end up like this? It's not like your wife was stolen."
"Your wife was stolen! Your girlfriend was stolen too! Give me the alcohol!"
"Here here here, all for you, look how capable you are, let's see how many bottles you can drink."
"Oh! Lappland, you finally stopped that fake appearance! That's great, come come come, Croissant still has a few cans of beer here, let's drink together, drink together."
"Croissant, move your head aside, I mistook your horn for bread. Also Lappland, you said this bill is yours, right? You're paying?"
"That's right! I said it! I'm really treating today!"
"Good then."
You pay the split bill this time.
Watching Lappland open her mouth, close her eyes, and start chugging down , Li Lin rubbed his still okay wrist, trembling slightly as he picked up a piece of roasted meat for his plate. But his Parkinson's-like shaking made Croissant laugh so hard she almost choked on a piece of meat.
Sora, sitting opposite, watched Li Lin's chopstick stab into the soy sauce, also burst out laughing with a 'puchi' sound. After helping him pick it up again and dropping it into Li Lin's bowl, she called the waiter over, requesting another plate of pork belly for grilling. And as protectors, the two Blacksteel International operators were locked in a battle of wits and courage at a barbecue spot behind them. Although there was no way to directly see their fight, listening to the 'qi li ka cha' sounds, one knew the fierce battle was in full swing behind them.
As for why they came to a barbecue restaurant to eat barbecue, there was also a reason.
Lappland often came to visit, trying hard to build good relationships with others, but always ended up being awkward because her purpose was too obvious.
Today was the same; Lappland couldn't sleep, was bored stiff, wagged her tail, and ran over to Penguin Logistics, wanting to chat with Texas about daily life, and incidentally build good relations with the Penguin Logistics people. However, this time Lappland's visit woke Li Lin up. She wanted to treat him to a meal, incidentally inviting Texas and Exusiai. Before he could stop her, Lappland went upstairs, looked around, and came back looking like she had lost her soul, her whole person turning into a black and white manga character leaning against the railing, sliding down like a slime monster .
That appearance was truly hard to put into words, like being run over by a car, her whole person flattened. Then, not long after, she stood up with red eyes, her chest heaving violently, panting while scanning left and right, looking like she desperately wanted to grab something and smash it. But due to the care of Croissant, Li Lin, and the two Blacksteel operators, it came to naught. After jumping up and down howling for a while, her tail puffed up, she shouted about treating everyone to get drunk and forget her sorrows .
Originally, the others at Penguin Logistics didn't want to go either, but Lappland let out a 'meow' sound, slung Li Lin over her shoulder, and ran off. Croissant thought for a moment, wasn't losing anything either way, so under the banner of saving Li Lin, she followed. Sora thought, everyone's gone, then I'll go too. Lastly, the two Blacksteel International operators didn't even need to think, they definitely had to follow Sora.
A large group of people swarmed into the barbecue restaurant like a gust of wind, each finding a seat. Without ordering anything else first, they ordered three cases of beer. Without saying anything, they started drinking, howling, making noise, and becoming unable to walk straight (走不動道 - zǒu bù dòng dào). It was unknown what stimulus this Lappland had received; her originally somewhat mysterious persona completely vanished. However, this effect couldn't be said to be bad; at least under this sorrowful atmosphere, the original strange sense of estrangement disappeared. Facing someone inexplicably heartbroken, even if others had reservations, honestly, they couldn't be that reserved. Unless they were enemies.
Li Lin, moreover, was a man. Although being carried over here and watched by people on the street was very embarrassing, seeing a beautiful girl sitting on a chair wailing like a dog (汪汪大叫 - wāngwāng dà jiào), on the verge of tears, was still quite pitiable. But Li Lin didn't know how to comfort people either; saying more still led back to drinking. None of the few present were very good at comforting either. After thinking for a moment, apart from Sora who ordered a glass of orange juice, most of the others started grabbing beers and bragging .
"Why, ah, I just want Texas to become her original self, that kind, just that kind of very beautiful, very dreamlike, very unapproachable feeling, you know? You might not understand just from my words, but it's really…"
Lappland held a glass of beer, face flushed, looking dazed and blurry, speaking with an intoxicated expression:
"It's just that none of you understand that kind of beauty, that natural wildness, intoxicating beauty, she makes me unable to extricate myself, deeply trapped within…"
"Should I draw it out for you?"
"Draw? Why draw? Anyway, it's just very pretty, very beautiful, very moving."
"Mm-hmm, yes, yes, pfft… and then?"
"And then she's that very rare kind, her fur turns red, her ears twitch, very cute, her tail also sways left and right, looks very alluring—"
"Pfft."
"Croissant, what are you laughing at?"
"I am Texas's colleague."
"Pfft—"
"Prophet, what are you laughing at now!"
"I am also Texas's colleague."
Li Lin said with a straight face, but still couldn't hold it in, finally grinning and laughing out loud, causing Lappland to puff up her fur again.
"You're all laughing at me!"
"I've seen it, so I know everything you're saying. We are all professional logistics personnel, normally we don't laugh. Pfft hehe…"
"But you're clearly all laughing!"
"What's wrong, what's wrong? Are you talking about Senior Texas?"
Returning from outside with some spare condiments and the orange juice she ordered, Sora looked somewhat strangely at the drunk Li Lin and Croissant hugging each other and laughing heartily, then looked at the flushed-red Lappland, tilting her head strangely.
And seeing Sora, Lappland seemed to have seen her savior, pointed at the two laughing operators opposite, and yelled loudly:
"Operator Sora, you know it too, right! Texas's cuteness! Texas originally is a person full of charm and wild appeal! Look at these two still laughing!"
"Ah! Senior Texas is indeed like that! She is like that!"
"Right? Look at these two—"
"No, that's not it, how should I put it, what you said isn't wrong, it's just you saying this kind of thing with such a serious face, Croissant just can't help but want to laugh…"
"Yeah, yeah, especially about that Texas…"
"Hm? Texas? Did your Penguin Logistics do something again?"
"Officer Ch'en?"
Holy crap, is something else going to happen here? Please no!
Looking at the dragon-horned girl in a jacket with two long swords hanging at her waist walking over in the aisle, Li Lin shivered at that moment.