Poseidon in Arknights

"Thanks." Yuuki smiled, sat up and took the hot cocoa from Texas. "But I don't think there's a virus that could give me a cold."

“That’s true.” Texas smiled, looking at Yuuki who was drinking hot cocoa. “By the way, you seem much more lethargic today?”

"It's nothing~" After taking a couple of sips, Xi Yue casually placed the hot cocoa on a chair next to her and then slumped back on the sofa.

"Actually, I just suddenly felt that lying like this is pretty good." Xi Yue lazily rubbed against the sofa.

"..." Texas looked at the languid Xi Yue and unconsciously swallowed. Regardless of why Xi Yue had become so languid at the moment.

However, Texas felt that this change was good, very good.

"I think it's just that I've been quite busy lately, and this sudden feeling of having free time is a reaction." Xi Yue stretched and sat up again, her demeanor returning to its usual state.

"Speaking of which, isn't Exusiai's birthday coming up soon?" Yuzuki looked out the window at the light snow. "If I remember correctly."

“Yes, December 24th, that's two weeks away.” Texas nodded. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing~” Yuzuki smiled, “We need to prepare a Christmas Eve gift for our Exusiai.”

“I think all we need to do is have you make her a dessert feast once,” Texas said, taking a sip of her hot cocoa. “For example, an apple pie theme. I’m sure Exusiai would be overjoyed.”

Yuzuki smiled and said, "I really look forward to seeing Exusiai all happy, even though it feels like I see her every day."

"..." Texas looked at Yuuki, "Then Yuuki... what about your birthday? I don't think I saw it in your file."

After taking a sip of hot cocoa, Yuzuki casually replied, "Me? August 6th."

Chapter 65: The Long-Disappeared Lappland

"...It's already over." Texas said with a hint of regret after a moment of silence. "It feels a bit of a pity."

"I think I ate a piece of bread in the car that time," Yuzuki recalled briefly.

That day happened to be the evening moon, the day I was conducting a free clinic in a slum of a mobile city.

After finally finishing dealing with the patients who came seeking treatment, Yuuki drove back to her accommodation. It was only when she happened to see the sign of a candy store by the roadside that she remembered it was her birthday today.

Then she got off the bus and bought a piece of bread. To be honest, the bread wasn't very tasty, but Yuuki still lit a candle on it with great seriousness.

Although Yuuki only remembered that she could have bought a cake from the system after finishing the meal, she decided to leave it at that since they had already celebrated.

“This is a very important day.” Texas looked at Yuuki. “Next time, we can… celebrate together.”

“Of course.” Yuuki smiled at Texas. “I’ll be really looking forward to the birthday celebration you’ll give me.”

“Okay.” Texas nodded, then looked out the window. “Want to go for a walk outside? I remember you said this morning that the food in the refrigerator was almost gone.”

“That makes sense.” Xi Yue nodded, then stood up and shook her trench coat. “Let’s go.”

"Ah."

-----------

Not long after the two left, the silence in the hall was broken by a loud bang as a door was pushed open.

Then, Hong's voice rang out from the empty hall: "Mom, I'm going back..."

"Hmm?" Hong looked at the empty hall with a puzzled expression. "Did Mom go out?"

—————Longmen Street——————

"Can you give me a discount, boss? I bought quite a lot." Xi Yue smiled at the shopkeeper in front of her. "At least round it down to zero."

"Okay, okay, okay." The shopkeeper waved his hand. "Alright, round it down to 60, okay?"

"Thank you, boss." Xi Yue nodded, took out her wallet from her clothes, paid, and then picked up the bag.

After squeezing through the crowd with her bag, Yuuki disappeared from her hands and found Texas leaning against a streetlamp.

"Aren't you cold leaning against this in this weather?" Yuzuki smiled at Texas. "Don't let your skin freeze."

Texas stiffened upon hearing Yuuki's words and moved slightly away from the telephone pole: "Thanks for the reminder."

"So you've been shopping for so long, what did you buy?" Texas looked at Yuuki's empty hands. He didn't think Yuuki had come back empty-handed; she probably put it in her clothes.

"I bought some meat rolls, some vegetables, some crushed peanuts, and some other condiments."

Texas raised an eyebrow: "You didn't also buy hot pot base, did you?"

"Bingo guessed right." Xi Yue smiled and patted her clothes. "We're planning to have some hot pot today. After all, on a cold winter day, it's more comfortable to eat something warm like hot pot, right?"

“That’s true.” Texas nodded, completely agreeing with Yuuki’s decision. “But do we have a pot for hot pot?”

"Yes, I have." Xi Yue nodded. "I already washed it this morning. I have to say, you guys really don't know anything about what's in your kitchen!"

"Ahem." Texas coughed awkwardly twice. "I think Exusiai must have brought it back sometime during one of her parties."

"That's more like your personality."

Texas turned her head away, after all, they really didn't use that kitchen much, and Exusiai was probably the most familiar with it, because she often used the microwave in there to heat up apple pie.

To avoid continuing this awkward conversation, Texas looked at Yuuki and asked, "Have you bought everything? Are you going back now? It's already 10:30."

“Anyway, we don’t need to cook in advance.” Xi Yue shrugged. “But you’re right, we really should get ready to go back.”

"If we go back now, it'll probably be past 11 o'clock by the time we walk back." Texas breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that she had successfully changed the subject. "Or why did you come here to buy things in the first place?"

"It's just a stone's throw from here to the downtown area."

“The prices are cheaper here,” Xi Yue smiled. “Although this place is only one street away from the lower city, the meat is cheaper here. I know the Emperor said he would reimburse all the cost of groceries, but we should save where we can. Besides, are we afraid?”

“That’s true.” Texas nodded. “Come on, I’ll take you across this block. Let’s not take a detour, since you’re not going to buy anything anyway.”

“Okay~” Yuuzuki nodded, “Shall we go through from the lower city area?”

“Yeah, you went through a long detour to buy these things here.” Texas nodded. “Anyway, you’ve already bought everything, so just take a shortcut and go straight through.”

"Okay, let's go."

------------

"Oh, right, Yuuki, I suddenly remembered something." Texas stopped walking abruptly.

"what?"

Texas looked at Yuuki: "Did you call and tell the others if we had hot pot today?"

"........."

"You haven't forgotten, have you?" Texas stared at Yuuki. "Or do you think they'll all be back by noon?"

"Ahem, both." Xi Yue looked a little embarrassed. She had subconsciously assumed that all of them had returned, so she forgot to call.

"Exusiai and Croissant should be back, but if you don't call her, she'll probably keep practicing singing until evening before coming back."

After explaining briefly, Texas took out her phone from her pocket: "I'll make a call."

All～～～～

The phone rang for a while, but I didn't answer it.

Xi Yue looked at the missed call on her phone: "Are you busy? Call me back later?"

“No, I think it’s just in the karaoke room.” Texas said, holding her phone. “They should call back soon.”

Sure enough, Texas's phone rang again as soon as she finished speaking.

Texas gave Yuuki a knowing look, then answered the phone.

"Hey, Sora? ... Um, nothing much. It's just that Yuuki is planning to make hot pot at noon. Remember to come back for lunch... Okay, that's all. See you at noon."

After hanging up the phone, Texas put her phone away and looked at Yuuki: "Okay, let's go."

Just then, hurried footsteps came rushing toward them from the alleyway beside them.

"Ugh!" With a muffled groan, a figure draped in black cloth was held in mid-air by Xi Yue using water.

"It's targeting me again..." Xi Yue originally thought that the dark figure in front of him was another gang attack targeting him, but the sharp-eyed Xi Yue noticed the black cloth draped over the figure's body that was being lifted up by the movement, and a bit of gray peeking out from it.

"So it's you, Lappland." Yuzuki put the water ball down and released Lappland from her restraints. "It's been a long time."

"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Lappland coughed a few times against the wall, trying to cough up the water she had just drunk unexpectedly. "I never expected that you, Yuuki, would be with Texas."

"...How did you get here?" Texas frowned as she looked at Lappland.

“Oh, you’ll have to ask the person next to you.” Lappland pointed to Yuuki, who looked embarrassed, “She brought me here.”

Texas raised an eyebrow and looked at Yuuki, who had turned her face away, saying, "I know nothing about this."

"Ahem." Xi Yue coughed twice to ease the awkwardness, then explained, "After all, I only planned to stay in Longmen for a while at first, at least that was my plan at the time, and I didn't expect to be invited by the Great Emperor."

"Then I, I, I forgot about it..." Knowing she had made a mistake, Yuuki looked at Texas, who was staring at her, and her breath inevitably became weak.

Texas looked at Yuuki, who had suddenly become timid, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face. After all, Yuuki's sudden weakness had a certain charm. According to the novel, it should be called the "gap moe" (a cute contrast between her appearance and her personality).

Lappland, seemingly ignored, stared at Texas's slightly swaying tail with a strange expression.

'What's going on? Why do I feel like I've missed out on so much?' Lappland looked at Yuuki and Texas, and suddenly, she really wished someone was next to her to hand her a bucket of popcorn or something.

Texas, seeing that Yuuki had become timid, suddenly asked, "If Lappland finds me later, and you haven't left the city, what do you plan to do if I find you?"

"Uh, I was planning to close the door, let the red go, and then run out myself." As she said this, Yu Yue shrank even further, because it was truly embarrassing to tell the person involved.

Especially now, he has been caught red-handed, with witnesses pointing the finger at him on the spot, and his crime is undeniable.

"So that's what you were thinking back then, Miss Yuzuki," Lappland, who had been watching the drama unfold, suddenly interjected. "No wonder your smile looked so strange back then~"

"Cough cough..."

Texas looked at Yuuki with a smile. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but Yuuki seemed to have gotten a little shorter.

"Alright, Yuuki." Texas walked over, paused in mid-air with her hand, and then patted Yuuki's head. "Never mind, I don't care about this."

“As for…” Texas looked at Lappland, who seemed to be missing only a bucket of popcorn in her hand, “Lappland, I have my own life now.”

"..." Lappland looked at Texas, then followed Texas's arm to look at Yuuki, "It seems that's true, Texas."

“But,” Lappland said, a smile that was hard to decipher as either malice or goodwill, “be careful, Texas. The past will come for you, and you can’t escape it.”

“But this time,” Lappland put away the two knives in her hands, “I’ll do it for the doctor’s sake.”

"...Go back?" Texas paused slightly upon hearing Lappland's words, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards Yuuki beside her.

"Ahem." Yuuki stood up, subtly using her height to dodge Texas's hand that was on her head. "That Lappland."

"Hmm, what is it, my lovely doctor?" Lappland looked at Yuuki with a smile. "Oh, right, I haven't congratulated you yet. Congratulations on your free clinic in the slums. You achieved the results you wanted."

"It's nothing much." Yuuki glanced at Texas beside her, "I just bought some hot pot, I just bought some hot pot, want to come along... Ugh!"