"…?"
What's going on?
Is the standard in Lungmen this awesome now, inviting people to eat upon meeting?
Looking at the Lupo who seemed to want to show a kind smile but only managed a twitching eye expression, Li Lin scratched his head somewhat bewilderedly.
How should I put it, upon closer observation, one could discover the contradictions in this seemingly unproblematic Lupo girl before him. Whether it was the two strangely shaped long swords by her side, or the stance that looked loose but vaguely carried a hint of aggression, one could tell she was extraordinary.
But most importantly, Li Lin didn't feel this girl smiling like whatever had any malicious thoughts towards him. Rather, he could sense this girl seemed to need something from him, wanting to accomplish something through him. There is no love without reason in this world, nor hate without reason. So Li Lin felt this girl definitely had some need. So after thinking for a moment, he directly placed his things by the entrance, clapped his hands towards the white-haired girl, and asked:
"Go to Lungmen Teahouse?"
"Okay! Where is it?"
"Right under that sign behind you."
Li Lin pointed at a small shop setting up under a neon sign opposite them.
The shop owner was an Ursus man who looked very forthright; said he couldn't stand Chernobog's high-pressure rule some time ago and came to Lungmen to open a shop. Although he had been in Lungmen for less than a year, he had boldly opened a shop called Lungmen Teahouse, claiming it was a century-old establishment.
But the food industry, well, it often feels like this. Although an Ursus man opening a shop called Lungmen Teahouse claiming century-old Columbia flavor was a bit strange, as long as it tasted good. And this was also a rare shop Li Lin found edible during this period. He would occasionally bring Exusiai, Croissant, Texas, and others here late at night to eat and chat. Treating each other back and forth, without any AA system (splitting the bill), which left quite a deep impression on the owner.
To the point that today, as soon as he arrived at the teahouse with this Lupo girl, the old Ursus bear kneading dough paused, grinned, and teased:
"Yo, Li Lin, changed girlfriend again?"
"Boss, what nonsense are you spouting? None of them are my girlfriends. The ones before were colleagues, this one now is a guest I'm treating."
"Is that so? This old man considers himself quite good at reading people, say no more, that purple-haired angel race one looked at you with eyes that weren't right. And that Forte race one, that Lupo race one, the way they looked at you and their expressions were all a bit off. Having opened a shop here for so many years, I still have this bit of discernment."
"Mm, one is my lifesaver, one is my bad friend, the other one I think might be my mom. Just talking to someone else makes her look like she wants to kill me. If I could actually date someone, that would be great, but after so long, there isn't even a hint of ambiguity. Sitting in the car getting carsick all day, the feeling of vomiting is quite frequent though… Ah right, do you have any dietary restrictions or things you don't want to eat?"
"No no, and it's my treat, you just sit here."
Let me see what's good to eat.
Even though misunderstood, the white-haired Lupo girl didn't show much emotion about it. Instead, she grinned, greeted the people around her, then sat inside and beckoned Li Lin to come up. Skillfully starting to pick up the menu and order dishes. The boss saw it really wasn't like that and just grinned regretfully.
Li Lin also didn't know how to deal with these old folks. Perhaps elderly people all liked to randomly play matchmaker. After two large bowls of noodles claimed to be Columbia flavor were served, the two casually started chatting first, tentatively probing each other's identities. Li Lin thus learned the girl before him called herself Lappland, came from a homeland controlled by Lupo families, and came to Lungmen for some matters, but wouldn't specify what matters exactly.
Although she seemed perfectly amicable on the surface, how should I put it, Li Lin just felt this girl was a bit fake.
Fake to what extent? The kind of obvious hypocrisy that even Croissant could probably see. Wearing a somewhat strange smile on her face, although her mouth spoke to people, her eyes always seemed to drift as if looking far away.
Li Lin could be sure she sought him out not because he was Li Lin. Judging from her looking at the logo and wandering around, he knew she cared about the personnel within the Penguin Logistics company. And this person definitely had some unclear relationship with her. Exusiai, being a Laterano, was definitely out; Croissant, the Forte, wasn't the type to hide things; Sora, being an idol, would rather go to her agency than Penguin Logistics.
Then there was only one answer left.
"What do you want to ask about Texas?"
Pouring a little chili oil into the noodles, Li Lin looked at the hesitant Lappland and said casually:
"Let me declare beforehand, I've been constantly tormented by her, so my answer might have a subjective attitude. It'll probably be difficult to know any positive news."
"Tormented? How nice… Ah, no. Actually, I didn't come for Texas, just purely wanted to treat you to a meal, build a good relationship. Look, we're neighbors more or less, very likely to meet often in the future, what's wrong with treating a neighbor to a meal?"
"Really? Then I won't say anything."
"…"
Although she didn't speak directly, Lappland's ears and tail gradually stopped moving. Her whole person leaned back against the chair as if wiped clean of color, her face pale and ashen, as if life had lost all meaning.
So what's with looking at me like your whole being has turned gray? Do you want me to talk or not?
Looking at Lappland, who seemed to have completely wilted, Li Lin sighed.
"First, tell me what aspect you want to hear about? Let me declare beforehand, I've only been officially employed at Penguin Logistics for less than two weeks, I might not be able to speak clearly about Texas's matters, I can only talk about the Texas I've seen."
"Um, is she doing well now? How about in combat?"
"So you really were asking about Texas?"
"—"
See through but don't expose, huh?
What kind of twisted, strange relationship is this? If you came to Penguin Logistics and suppressed Texas, would my workload lighten significantly?
Looking at Lappland, whose expression stiffened, Li Lin stirred his noodles with chopsticks, thought for a moment, and then told this Lupo girl his impression of Texas.