It was the stretch of season where summer was giving way to autumn—sunlight still harsh, everything sharply outlined. The streets were full of good-looking men and women dressed for the heat, showing plenty of skin without the slightest embarrassment or moral panic.
If you thought about it, it made sense. Limbs and exposed skin weren't fundamentally any different from horns or fur. Plenty of people on Terra even showed occasional atavistic traits—partial reversion into beastlike forms—so treating bodily exposure as no big deal was only natural.
Their aesthetics, ethics, and basic social cognition contained absolutely no sense that this was "wrong."
Which made things vastly more convenient for Li Lin's… appreciation.
No—more accurately, it vastly hindered Li Lin's self-control.
"Li Lin, what are you still doing over there? We've already bought everything," Exusiai called.
"You always need to compare prices," Li Lin replied without turning his head. "And you need to watch where the crowd is flowing."
"But didn't you just say we should look for less crowded areas?"
"That was then. This is now. It doesn't have to be one way forever."
Li Lin sat under the shade of a storefront parasol, speaking to Exusiai without looking back.
Because the shop directly opposite was a summer clothing boutique. Groups of young women in light, airy outfits kept streaming in and out, laughing—many in thin, almost translucent fabrics.
In a commercial metropolis like Lungmen, the open plazas were full of considerate public amenities. Parasol-covered benches like these were dotted everywhere for shoppers to rest. Li Lin sitting there wasn't conspicuous at all—except for his eyes, which were spinning at high speed if you watched closely.
Li Lin did have priorities. Under normal circumstances, his teammate came first.
But right now Exusiai wasn't wearing anything particularly revealing. She was dressed plainly, just out running errands. In that case, naturally, watching pretty girls took precedence.
"Li Lin, help me carry some of this. I'm still not feeling great," Exusiai said.
"And I already told you—this is your own fault. Why did you insist on sleeping with a blanket over your head?"
"Just take two bags, okay?"
"Are you planning to open a shop when we get back…?"
Li Lin sighed, pushed up his sunglasses, and turned around to look at her.
Exusiai stood behind him, struggling a little under several large shopping bags. Even under the blazing sun, when she saw him turn, she flashed him a huge, bright smile.
In this peak-summer heat, no one was going out dressed like they were sealed in a vault. Even though she felt lousy, Exusiai was still wearing a fitted everyday outfit—breathable cotton rather than anything sheer.
It still showed off her slim waist and a modestly generous curve, but compared to the girls at the boutique entrance in translucent outfits, those were undeniably more distracting.
Still, something about the clothing she'd bought seemed a bit… off. The pieces that had looked snug earlier now sat looser and puffier—covering her short shorts entirely and even slipping to reveal a shoulder and part of her collarbone. Paired with her warm, sunny smile, it had its own kind of appeal.
"Mm. Eighty points," Li Lin said.
"Eighty points for what?"
"Nothing. Anyway, we've got what we need, right? Then let's head back."
He took the bags from her without hesitation and stood up to leave. The clean decisiveness of it immediately earned him a small pout from Exusiai.
"Aww—come on. We finally got a day off and came out. We're just going back like that? Wouldn't it be nice to hang around a bit more?"
"Put the stuff away first, then we can come back out."
"Then I won't be in the mood anymore."
"So you like training under load?"
"…Hold on. I need to take this call."
Exusiai still looked dissatisfied, but Li Lin felt his communicator vibrating. He pulled it out and answered.
"This is Li Lin."
"Hello, Mr. Li Lin. The item you commissioned has been forged and is ready for pickup. Please retrieve it at the Raythean Industries parcel collection point."
The Raythean automated platform read the pickup code twice in its steady voice, then hung up. On Terra, if you wanted something made properly, you generally ended up going through Raythean Industries—an international industrial consortium with its hands in everything.
Li Lin thought for a moment, judged the distance between home and the Raythean pickup point, and decided to adjust their route.
"The thing I ordered is done," he said. "I'm going to pick it up at Raythean. If you can't wait, you can head home first."
"Huh? You ordered something from Raythean? Why?" Exusiai asked, genuinely surprised.
"What kind of question is that?" Li Lin replied, just as surprised by her surprise. "I work to earn money so I can buy things I like."
"So in your head, what am I supposed to be?" he continued. "I want to make things I like, too."
"Then you could've asked me to make it!" Exusiai protested. "My craftsmanship is really good!"
"It's a purely mechanical structure," Li Lin said. "Some components need Originium mechanisms to drive them. If you could do that, I would've come to you ages ago."
"I can learn."
"Learn? Then are you still going to work or not?"
Li Lin answered casually as he started walking toward the Raythean collection point.
Exusiai carried two smaller bags and followed close behind, step for step—as if playing a game—lowering her head and placing each foot neatly into the footprints Li Lin had just left.
But sensing the slight slump in her mood—like she was a little hurt that he'd dismissed her capabilities—Li Lin sighed. Carrying the bags, he explained what he'd actually commissioned.
"A Fragile umbrella."
As the sunlit, steel-and-glass structure ahead began to gleam with industrial coldness, Li Lin spoke quietly.
"A complex, oddly shaped umbrella. Lots of edges and angles, but it can fold and deploy quickly—good for blocking wind and rain. Where I used to be, you simply couldn't make something like this. The materials wouldn't allow it. But here, a lot of old ideas can actually be realized."
"The processing fee is a bit steep, but the result is pretty good."
"Ah… an umbrella…" Exusiai said. "Yeah, I really can't make that. Does it have some special function?"
"No."
"No special function?"
"Of course not. It's just an umbrella. It exists in this world because I want it to exist. There's nothing better than that."
Li Lin shrugged, calm and matter-of-fact.
"I just want to bring some old hobbies and ideas to life. No functions. Its greatest function is entertaining me."
"Then why is it called the 'Fragile umbrella'?"
"Because the previous owner was Fragile."
"...Who's that?"
"Ah. A tragic and brave woman. A lot of unbelievable things happened to her. But you'll never see her again."
Death Stranding really was a masterpiece—too bad I didn't understand it.
But it was seriously cool.
Li Lin couldn't see the expression on the girl behind him. He carried the bags, sighed, took two steps forward around a planter—
—and locked eyes with a familiar figure.
"Texas?"
"Li Lin? And Exusiai?" Texas raised an eyebrow, surprise flickering across her face as her ears twitched. Dressed in a windbreaker and sneakers, she looked at the two of them with their plastic bags. "What are you doing here?"
....
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