"Hello, this is Texas."
The Lupo woman's voice came from the other end. "We might be a bit busy around noon."
Although Yu Yachen didn't know why Texas had answered instead of Exusiai, she continued, "In that case, please tell Exusiai that I'm treating her to her favorite dessert shop. You two should be wrapping up your work by then, right? How about in an hour?"
Texas hesitated. "Exusiai has really been wanting to chat with you, but we're truly swamped at noon—"
"Aiyah, just let Croissant handle that stuff! Texas, don't ruin my big chance!"
It sounded like someone had snatched the phone. A moment later, Exusiai's energetic voice came through, mixed with the background noise of rustling papers and the thud of packages.
"Besides, this is Miss Yu asking me out! Ahem..."
"Hello, Sister Yachen~ Can you hear me?"
"Just call me by my name," Yu Yachen said, her expression unchanging.
"Then it's a date! I'll wait for you at the 'September' dessert shop in the South District in one hour~"
"Okay. And bring Texas along, too." Yu Yachen, leaning against the arm of the sofa, picked up her teacup and took a sip.
"Huh?! Why bring Texas?"
The tone on the other end instantly shifted from cheerful to disappointed. "Can't it just be the two of us?"
"Actually, I have a special commission that I've been struggling to find someone for. Since Penguin Logistics has connections on both sides of the law, I thought of you."
"Ah... so it's a commission..."
The voice on the other end sounded even more dejected.
"Well, I'll see you in an hour."
Yu Yachen wasn't one for small talk. After settling the matter, she decisively hung up.
The simulation yesterday had lasted all day and night, and she was already starving. The white-haired woman got up from the sofa, went to the entryway, and took her suit jacket from the hanger. She methodically fastened the buttons and opened the door.
"Click—"
A black coat, black tie, white shirt, and black sneakers. The large swaths of black made her porcelain-like skin and white hair stand out, as if she had stepped out of a black-and-white comic.
Speaking of which, after I explain things to Exusiai and Texas, it's about time to start the next simulation. There's still plenty of time this afternoon.
[Host, you actually remembered the simulation? I thought you were just going to hit it and quit it! (O_O)]
I'm very interested in Alina. Besides, one simulation doesn't take much energy, and the rewards are good.
[Host! Something's wrong with you (O.O)! Don't tell me you... you know... with Alina...]
Not 'interested' in that way.
[So high and mighty, Host! (╬)]
Yu Yachen ignored the system. She walked to the hallway elevator and pressed the button with a black-gloved knuckle.
The elevator doors, reflecting her face, slowly opened. The car, coming down from an upper floor, already had passengers. A middle-aged woman with a haggard face came into view, holding the hands of a boy and a girl.
The three of them occupied the back of the elevator, so Yu Yachen had to stand in the front. She remembered they were her neighbors from upstairs. The couple fought frequently, often late into the night, which had left an impression on her.
"Miss, your hair is so pretty!"
Just as the elevator doors were closing, the little boy behind her suddenly shouted.
"It's like a monster from a cartoon!"
Because she had been in a rush for the delivery earlier, the hair at the nape of her neck was still half-damp.
The Feline boy had a lollipop in his mouth. As he spoke, he raised his hand, and his small, dirty hand reached for the strands of hair hanging down her back.
Before it could touch her, a pink phantom suddenly appeared from behind the white-haired woman. Killer Queen precisely gripped the boy's wrist, holding him immobile in mid-air.
Yu Yachen noticed a small patch of greenish-blue moss on the boy's hand.
The elevator's display number slowly ticked down to 1. The moment the doors opened, Yu Yachen stepped out. She recalled her Stand. Behind her, the boy nearly stumbled and hit the elevator wall.
[Host, I thought you were going to blow him up... (;)]
"..."
Yu Yachen ignored the system.
She'd heard that a new gym was opening near Putaqiu High School soon. Yu Yachen had never been satisfied with her own stamina. A Stand user's weakness is almost always the user themselves. If a physically weak woman like her didn't train, she'd be weaker than a child on this continent.
But becoming a member at a place like that... wouldn't I have to share equipment with people who haven't showered in three days? Besides, finding a clean female gym trainer is extremely difficult.
Even strength like [Star Platinum]'s, which could shatter bedrock, wasn't unheard of in this world. And through her own tests with [Killer Queen], she found that some creatures with extremely strong constitutions could even withstand her contact-based bombs.
Although [Killer Queen] was more than enough to deal with common thugs or trained soldiers, if she ever had to face an enemy like Ch'en Huijie, Yu Yachen would have a difficult time. Even if that possibility was very, very small.
This was why, despite her extreme distaste for the [Simulation], she had obeyed the system.
She walked downstairs and, as usual, took her car keys from her pocket. The dessert shop Exusiai liked was in the city center; she needed to drive.
Speaking of which, the complex is unusually quiet today. The children who usually play in the garden are gone, and the elderly people who walk their dogs every afternoon are nowhere to be seen.
Her fingertips touched the car's door handle. But at that exact moment, she felt a strange, viscous sensation through her black glove.
"Sss..."
Yu Yachen raised her hand. She saw that the outside of her little finger was covered in a slimy, greenish-blue liquid that was writhing. She frowned. In the blink of an eye, the liquid climbed up between her fingers, trailing thin filaments.
Only then did she notice a patch of the same greenish-blue moss hidden on the inside of the door handle.
Yu Yachen reacted instantly. She ripped off the glove and threw it onto the nearby lawn. The glove was rapidly consumed by the liquid, dissolving into a puddle of thick fluid while emitting white smoke.
"What is this?"
The sudden change was baffling. But before Yu Yachen could identify the source of the attack, she discovered that it wasn't just her—[Killer Queen]'s hand was also stained with the greenish-blue liquid.
Originium Arts? No.
It's a Stand attack. Yu Yachen's eyes narrowed.
-------
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