Lungmen was, comparatively speaking, a fairly free city.
But once the fantasy became reality, Li Lin realized he wasn't living the kind of adrenaline-soaked life he'd imagined—nor did he feel that instant, blazing excitement he'd expected.
Everyone knew a shut-in's hype lasted about twenty-four hours, and even the truly thrilling stuff only kept you buzzing for a week. Even his "spiritual faith"—the Donut—only cared about the future because it was fueled by pure hatred. Li Lin didn't have that kind of obsession.
So after about a month, he accepted a simple truth: he probably hadn't gotten everything he'd dreamed of.
He still had to live. Eat, drink, dress, survive—scraping by in a strange big city with whatever little tricks he could manage.
And after he finally clawed his way into a stable, comfortable life, when it came time to think about… that—he discovered it seemed to have been cut off at the root.
How was anyone supposed to accept that?
If he thought about it carefully, yes—this was exactly the life his former diehard-otaku self would have killed for two months ago. But now that he actually had it, Li Lin realized he wasn't as happy as he'd imagined.
…He was probably just pent-up.
But what could he do? A beautiful girl lived right next door, and he couldn't exactly "handle it himself" whenever he felt like it. Everyone's habits were chaotic; if he accidentally saw something he shouldn't, wouldn't that be unbelievably awkward?
Besides, beyond all that, he really should find a girlfriend—someone who could ease both his mental pressure and his physical pressure.
After a long session of self-analysis by the edge of a city flowerbed, Li Lin arrived at a temporary conclusion.
He hadn't even had time to act on it when he heard a short honk nearby.
A plain-looking car pulled over to the curb. The window rolled down slowly, revealing the driver's pretty face.
"Li Lin. Over here."
"Huh—Texas?"
Seeing who it was, Li Lin raised a brow.
"How did you know I was here? I thought you were at headquarters."
"Exusiai called," Texas said. "She said you were looking for me about something. I'm making a delivery anyway—this is on the way."
"That's… honestly reassuring. Oh, by the way—are there any small gifts you want later? I think there's a holiday coming up?"
"No."
"Then I'll surprise you. Hopefully you'll like what I pick."
Li Lin slid smoothly into the passenger seat, buckled up, and shut the door.
What hit him first wasn't just the cold air from the AC, but a faint, lingering fragrance from the calm-faced driver beside him.
It made his mind wander—though that wasn't really his fault. Lupo were famously popular; there were plenty of handsome men and beautiful women, and Texas was the best of the best. The kind of face that made you feel like you could eat rice with nothing else. Having thoughts was only natural.
Besides, beautiful women were usually tolerant. Surely what he was about to say wouldn't make her angry.
At the very least, Exusiai hadn't gotten angry.
Watching Texas's profile as she drove, Li Lin opened his mouth—then felt a thousand tangled thoughts jammed up in his chest. He had no idea where to begin.
Texas glanced at the rearview mirror, kept one hand on the wheel, and asked quietly, "So? What did you want to see me about?"
"Well… it's complicated. Or rather—it's embarrassing from my perspective. Exusiai didn't give me a great response, but I still want to ask."
Leaning against the window and watching Lungmen's endless traffic, Li Lin took a deep breath.
"Speaking sincerely—truly, honestly, with all my heart… I want to find a woman."
"…???"
Texas whipped her head around. Her ears twitched, her mouth slightly open, utterly baffled—adorable, but not the point.
Seeing her shock, Li Lin hurriedly waved his hands.
"Texas, you know how it is. We're not drifting weeds. No matter how complicated our pasts are, those are just identities the outside world pins on us. We still have to live our own lives."
"...Li Lin."
"What?"
"Have you been… lonely lately? Do you need us to keep you company?"
"Why would you think something that weird? I'm a fearless lone wolf. Why would I have that kind of impulse?"
"So you are lonely."
"Absolutely not. Anyway, Texas—there's something I want to ask you."
"Mm. Go on. I might say yes."
"No, it's just a small favor. Given our relationship, I should've asked long ago—I just never had the nerve."
"Before you ask, I want to ask you something."
At a red light, Texas let out a long sigh, both hands on the wheel, face calm as she countered, "Why didn't you ask Exusiai? There's a decent chance she'd agree—though I don't even know what you're asking yet."
"Exusiai? Lemuel?" Li Lin scoffed. "She's more like a little sister, you know? Cheerful, warm, and always coming up with new fun ideas and weird stuff every day. But this isn't something I can ask her. And it has nothing to do with that message her sister sent."
"Her sister's message?"
"Not exactly. More like a verbal note—Mostima passed it along. Just one sentence."
"What sentence?"
"'I'm watching you.' It's not terrifying, exactly… it's just—well. You know. Uncomfortable."
"..."
"..."
The light turned green. Texas drove on in silence, and the atmosphere grew awkward.
When the scenery shifted to tall buildings and the city blocks grew noticeably more affluent, Texas rested one hand on the wheel again and asked softly, "So I'm your second choice?"
"How could you think that? In my heart, you're always the most reliable one. No exceptions."
"Oh…?"
"Texas, I'll be direct. I know this might be awkward, but you're the only person I can trust. And you're the only one I want."
"I'll think about it."
"Then I'll just say it."
Texas pulled over, unbuckled, and turned to stare at him without blinking. Li Lin took a deep breath and said with full seriousness:
"Would you introduce me to some girls? I mean—reliable ones. The kind you can actually date?"
"...?"
"I mean, look—you're got ties to both Columbia and Siracusa, you have strong recon and counter-recon instincts, you're good at reading malice in people, and you're a woman. I want you to help me vet them. Just take a look."
"Li Lin."
"What?"
"It feels like we haven't been to the gym in ages. Let's go work out."
"Wait—what about the cargo?"
"It's not time-limited. No rush."
She stepped on the gas, made a U-turn toward the gym, and a look of relieved clarity appeared on Texas's face.
"And it'll help me clear my head, too."
-------
Enjoy 20% off our Patreon membership to celebrate Christmas. You can join starting today
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (190 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (130 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (200 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (89 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (140 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (90 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (150 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (70 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (70 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (120 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (57 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (67 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (80 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (60 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (70 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (60 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (58 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (75 Chapter)
Honkai: The Romance System Only Shows Up After I Marry Mei (36 Chapter)
Arknights: Who Are You Calling Repressed, X?! (30 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it