Exusiai didn't hesitate for even a second.
"Say it," she declared, voice steady with resolve. "I can take it."
Texas glanced at her and fell silent for a moment.
Thinking about the idea she was about to propose… it didn't exactly feel great.
She had no clue what Exusiai's reaction would be once she heard it.
With that in mind, Texas let out a quiet sigh. Then she straightened up and spoke seriously.
"Alright. Then I just hope you won't regret it."
"Huh…? What do you mean?"
Exusiai scratched her head, clearly not understanding. Texas didn't answer—she simply continued.
Her tone stayed calm throughout, but Exusiai's face grew redder and redder as she listened, until she was practically staring at Texas in disbelief.
By the end, Exusiai even reflexively reached out, like she was about to cover Texas's mouth.
"What are you doing?" Texas asked.
After finally prying herself free, Texas rubbed her temples with a weary look.
"I warned you. Don't regret it."
"But—this—this is way too…"
"Too what?" Texas pressed.
Texas sighed again, looking genuinely pained.
"This is what you asked for. If you want him to quickly and firmly believe you're male, then… the fastest way is to hit it from that angle."
As she spoke, Texas made a small gesture with her hand.
"Start from a trait most men have—and one that's generally impossible to imitate."
"Do we really have to go this aggressive?" Exusiai muttered, mortified.
"Do you have a better option?" Texas countered, spreading her hands helplessly.
"You said you're on a clock. You want a clean, decisive result—fast. For that, this is basically the most convenient solution."
"Simple to execute, minimal variables, immediate effect."
Texas listed the "advantages" one by one, while Exusiai fell quieter and quieter.
Because when she thought it through…
Texas… actually had a point.
Exusiai genuinely couldn't come up with anything better than what Texas was suggesting.
"How did you even think of something like this…?" Exusiai groaned.
"Normal logical reasoning?" Texas tilted her head, as if trying to justify herself.
But after thinking for a beat, even Texas couldn't help laughing.
"Yeah… no. That's not 'normal logic.'"
"I'm just thinking based on your friend's mindset. My instincts say—if the target is him, this will work."
"Huh… really?" Exusiai murmured, thoughtful.
Texas went quiet again, then shook her head.
"Call it instinct. That's it. If you're willing, try what I said."
"Now get back to work."
"Y-yeah… okay."
Exusiai nodded, but her mind was a mess—still hesitating, still wrestling with whether she should actually go through with Texas's plan.
So she worked while thinking, and thought while working.
About half an hour later, Sora arrived at Penguin Logistics.
And she looked just as exhausted as Exusiai did.
"…What happened to you?" Texas asked again, staring at Sora's tired face.
Sora gave a helpless little smile.
"Ah, it's nothing. My pen pal asked me a really hard question… I thought about it all night and still couldn't come up with a good answer."
"What kind of question?" Exusiai asked, curiosity immediately piqued.
Sora paused, then shook her head lightly.
"Something like… he seems to be getting harassed by a gay guy with a crossdressing habit. That's about all I can say—there's personal information involved, so I should respect his privacy."
"That sounds awful," Exusiai said, instantly empathizing. Just hearing it made her head hurt.
"Yeah… even listening to that is enough to make you want to tear your hair out."
Texas listened from the side, wanting to speak—then stopping herself.
Her instincts were screaming that something about this didn't add up.
But in the end, Texas still said nothing.
Instincts weren't always accurate. And no one had asked her directly. With nothing concrete to go on, it was better to keep quiet.
"Oh—wait!" Exusiai suddenly pivoted the conversation, sounding excited. "You've never told us you had a pen pal before! That sounds awesome!"
"Ah… yeah. I just never thought it was necessary, so I didn't bring it up…"
Sora's tone carried a hint of apology, but Exusiai barreled right past it—almost like she was trying to keep things from getting awkward.
"So what kind of person is he?"
"Mm… a really good person, I think," Sora answered quickly. "At least from his letters, he feels like someone who takes care of others."
"You've never met him in person at all?"
"Nope." Sora nodded without hesitation. "It's always been letters… though, I have been thinking about something."
As she spoke, a faint excitement rose in her expression.
"I've been meaning to bring up meeting soon… If we could meet, that would be amazing. I'm really curious what he's like in real life."
"Yeah," Exusiai agreed, as if thinking of the boy she was currently living with. "That kind of gentle person really is attractive."
Only Texas, watching the two of them, looked like she wanted to say something—and couldn't.
She couldn't explain it, but it felt eerie.
Like they were… talking about the same person.
…Nah. Probably her imagination.
Texas soon threw the doubts out of her head and immersed herself in work again.
…
The workday ended quickly.
After chatting with Sora for a bit and letting her attention drift elsewhere, Exusiai still couldn't escape the hard—and dangerously tempting—decision waiting for her.
She hesitated for a long time.
But in the end, with burning embarrassment, Exusiai made her choice.
And she went to the store to buy everything she needed…
Some of it wasn't even easy to find.
Still, she bought it all, carried the bag back, and returned to the rented apartment.
"Lin Yuan! I'm back!"
Pushing open the door, Exusiai spotted Lin Yuan at the dining table, carefully reading a cookbook. When he saw her, he looked up.
"Finally. Any later and the food would've gone cold."
He let out a breath and gestured.
"Come eat."
"…Lin Yuan, you're seriously an angel," Exusiai blurted out, overwhelmed with gratitude.
Lin Yuan awkwardly averted his gaze and quietly focused on dinner.
But even though their interaction looked as relaxed as usual, Exusiai could feel it.
Something was off.
Even in that easy atmosphere, Lin Yuan was deliberately avoiding conversation. He barely made eye contact with her—clearly weighed down by something.
So he was still suspicious of her.
Exusiai sighed to herself.
Yeah… I really do have to do this.
Dinner passed quickly. Lin Yuan carried the bowls into the kitchen, finished the chores, then came back and sat at one end of the sofa while Exusiai sat at the other.
For a while, neither of them knew what to do.
A long, heavy silence settled between them.
Until Exusiai—like she'd finally made up her mind—broke it.
"This is… kinda boring."
"What do you want to do?" Lin Yuan asked, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
Exusiai kept her tone casual, like she was just continuing the conversation naturally.
"Hey, bro…"
She asked, "Wanna watch something?"
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