Chapter 17: Detente
"…Lin."
"…Li Lin ?"
"Li Lin ? Are you alright?"
"—Hm? What's wrong?"
Li Lin suddenly shivered, snapping out of his thoughts, and smiled at the somewhat worried Texas.
However, the worried expression on Texas's face didn't fade much. Rather, as Li Lin's body gradually recovered, this Lupo girl's expressions also became somewhat more vivid. Although to outsiders she still looked calm and indifferent, Li Lin felt she was still worried about him.
Cold on the outside, warm on the inside—that described people like Texas; although she looked cold on the surface, and actually was cold on the surface, if you really built a good relationship, you'd know she was the type who relied on actions rather than saying much. So she didn't say much either, but came over, leaned against the wall near Li Lin, looked up at the bright night sky, and subconsciously fumbled with her clothes pocket.
But after thinking for a moment, she gave up. Looking at Li Lin's contemplative appearance, she twitched her ears and finally asked in a low voice:
"What are you thinking about now? You look like you've been thinking for a while."
"Recently, there have been more and more battles, feels like the current world is getting more and more chaotic. I'm thinking if our city will experience war in the future."
Li Lin looked at the crowd on the street and said in a low, somewhat regretful voice:
"If there are more wars, this scene will be hard to see again, right?"
"It's fine. Even if war comes, we can just go to other cities and develop there."
"Hm? I thought you would say you would protect this city?"
"I don't have much affection for this city."
Texas leaned against the wall, looking at the scenery outside and gently shaking her head.
The place they were at happened to be the barbecue stall where Li Lin ate after joining Penguin Logistics. Familiar scene and backdrop, but with a few more people participating. Angelina, smiling awkwardly, sat aside hugging her own hands, while Lappland, in high spirits, raised her wine glass, toasting back and forth with Croissant. Exusiai was clapping and cheering on the side, looking quite lively.
Even Sora had a remote APP open on her phone, watching this boisterous scene, biting her teeth with envy, not looking like a sweet idol at all. And in that familiar alley, Texas looked at the backs of those people and revealed a faint smile.
She didn't have much affection for this city, but she had a lot of affection for these people.
"…If it were me, I'd advise you and Lungmen officials not to get involved too deeply."
Looking at the boisterous scene of those people, Texas turned her head to look at Li Lin and said with a serious expression:
"I will not participate in that organization, and most people in Penguin Logistics won't either. I advise you not to casually join any official institutions either. Our nature itself is gray; we shouldn't be involved in all this."
"Is this a warning?"
"No, this is advice given from a friend's perspective."
Staring into Li Lin's pupils for a long while, Texas naturally turned her head aside, her ears twitching.
Admitting this seemed to make her a bit agitated and uneasy; her ears twitched half as much more than usual, and her tail also swayed slightly. But she still quickly adjusted her emotions, took a deep breath, turned her head to look at Li Lin, and said in a very serious tone:
"…Don't believe anyone's promises; perhaps your friend means well, but once things involve too many aspects, they become complicated. If we are truly needed, no one will be afraid to bear all this. But if not needed, merely when there is a demand, then one must consider one's own life. We, Penguin Logistics, are a logistics company, not a charitable organization. You know what I mean."
"Trusting others too much is a good thing, but everything has two sides. From my perspective, it's best not to get involved in any other matters. No need to step out of your comfort zone, just believe in your friends, believe in your current life, that's enough."
"Is this the experience of someone who has been through it?"
"Yes, this is the experience of someone who has been through it. I don't want you to encounter things similar to what I did."
"…"
Looking at Texas's face, Li Lin was slightly stunned, then smiled with relief.
"Thanks. But I still want to do what I can with my abilities. Thanks to you, I've decided now. I want to join that team, and then make some contributions with my own abilities. Even if it's just a little bit, if this environment can be purified even a little, I feel it's worthy of my thoughts."
"Even if you might see many things you absolutely don't want to see?"
"Doesn't matter. At most, it's just collusion between officials and merchants, human tragedies. What I want to do is simply because I detest war, but I won't deny the existence of all this. Rather, precisely because these exist, I need to go help others, right?"
"…As long as you're happy."
Facing the calm-faced Li Lin, Texas sighed.
"Just don't get your body all battered and bruised again, making us worry for so long. You're not without friends in this world; even for the sake of us friends, don't go participating in any dangerous places, okay?"
"How could I? People like me cherish their lives the most, how could I possibly participate in any dangerous places?"
"That's for the best."
Texas breathed a slight sigh of relief, but before she could say anything, Lappland, who had been waiting over there for a while, was already holding a wine bottle and shouting towards them.
"Hey, Texas! What are you and Li Lin doing sneaking around over there? Getting naughty ?"
"Lappland, shut up for me. Stay there obediently."
"Unfair! Why can't I say it! I clearly saw you say something to Li Lin just now—Ouch!"
"Go eat your barbecue."
Quickly returning to the dining table and stepping on Lappland's tail, Texas sat down looking annoyed. Li Lin, following behind, was pulled over by a smiling Exusiai, who casually handed him a bottle of wine. A group of people gathered around the barbecue table with joyful expressions. Under the disgusted gaze of the shop owner, Croissant, who looked like the drunkest one at this only table, squinted her eyes, swayed, and stood up.
The bread person stood on the chair holding a beer bottle, looking down at the crowd seated, and under their enthusiastic gazes, raised the beer bottle towards the street stall's light, and said loudly:
"Well then, to celebrate the joining of our new employee, Angelina Ajimu , cheers!"
"Um, I haven't joined yet…"
"Cheers!!!!"
"…I haven't joined Penguin Logistics yet."
Accompanied by the clinking sound of glass bottles colliding, Angelina's small protest was drowned out by laughter.