Meet offline?
Lin Yuan thought about it, checked his schedule for tomorrow, and realized… he didn't actually have anything to do.
Then sure. Why not?
Meeting his online pen-pal bro in person didn't sound like a big deal.
With that in mind, he typed out a message:
[Sure. Time? Place?]
…
Meanwhile, at Penguin Logistics—
Exusiai hurried over to Texas, her face still glowing with barely-contained excitement.
"Texas! Texas!"
"What is it?" Texas turned back with a weary look—only for Exusiai to notice that Sora was standing beside her.
"Huh? Are you two talking about something?" Exusiai paused, curious. "Should I step aside first?"
"No need," Texas shook her head. "It's not anything private."
She gestured toward Sora. "She's here to ask for some advice. Once that's handled, we'll talk about your problem."
Exusiai nodded, then looked toward Sora, who was currently wearing an awkward expression.
"So what's going on?"
"She just asked that pen-pal of hers to meet up," Texas said flatly, chewing on a pocky stick. "And he agreed."
"That fast?" Exusiai blurted out, a little startled.
Sora clasped her hands together apologetically. "I kind of asked on impulse. But after I said it, I remembered my identity isn't really suitable for meeting offline… it could cause him a lot of trouble."
"But I already said it, so now I have to think of a solution."
Exusiai understood immediately.
Yeah—everyone had their own lives, but an idol's life was… more transparent than most. If Sora met someone out in public, it could easily become a headache for both sides.
"But… he won't recognize you?" Exusiai asked.
"He probably doesn't even know who I am," Sora replied helplessly. "If he did, after all this time writing back and forth, he would've reacted long ago."
Exusiai quietly nodded, then couldn't help asking another question:
"By the way… when you talk about him, you only ever say he's 'gentle' and… one other thing. Is this actually reliable?"
Sora froze for a moment, then carefully searched her memories for her impression of the "Cello Enthusiast."
"I think it'll be fine. I don't know everything about him, but you can tell a lot from letters."
"He's a very delicate, considerate person. He seems a little short on money, but he's extremely independent. Sometimes I'll introduce him to outsourcing work from the idol company."
Thinking of that pen-pal—always comforting her with careful, thoughtful words, yet turning awkwardly bashful when asking for help—Sora smiled.
"He's… kind of subtly adorable. Very gentle, and sometimes unexpectedly full of contrast."
"If I really had to describe it—he feels like a warm, dependable big sister type? The kind who hugs you when you're down. Usually he's a bit airheaded in a cute way, always has endless things to say. He's very serious when he's working… but when his brain gets stuck and he can't turn the corner, it's weirdly cute."
As Sora spoke, a clear image formed in her mind—
A woman with a sweet smile.
Exusiai listened and felt something was… off.
Ignoring the gender problem, the personality traits actually fit Lin Yuan in a strange way.
In real life, though, Lin Yuan would be more physically friendly with a close friend—more joking, more playful—more "boyish energy" and more obvious sense of gender than what Sora described.
In the end, Exusiai nodded like she understood.
"So… you don't want him to get dragged into trouble, and that's why meeting in a public place feels risky?"
"Yeah… kind of." Sora nodded, surprised. "How did you know?"
Exusiai shrugged. "I know someone who gets that feeling sometimes too."
Then she abruptly changed direction:
"Then why don't you just bring him here?"
"There aren't many people coming by. It's not as private as bringing him home, but it's also not out in public. From every angle, it's basically the optimal solution."
"I won't be here tomorrow," Texas added. "I've got to pick up a batch of vinyl records for Emperor. You can have the space."
Exusiai thought for a moment and chimed in too:
"I can come later tomorrow. I'll make sure you two have time alone."
Conveniently, her relationship with Lin Yuan had also made a bit of progress. If Sora was busy tomorrow, Exusiai could use that as an excuse to stay home with him.
And Penguin Logistics' workload these past two days had been unexpectedly light. Everything was getting finished quickly.
"But what about Croissant…?" Sora hesitated.
"She got new stock in the past few days," Texas replied. "She probably won't be around tomorrow either."
And just like that, someone's absence tomorrow was officially confirmed.
"Thank you!" Sora bowed, clearly excited. "Then we'll do tomorrow at noon!"
Texas patted her lightly. Sora lifted her eyes toward Texas, looking vaguely guilty.
Because there was one thing she hadn't said—
Even though they'd never met, she'd already started thinking of the "Cello Enthusiast" as a close girlfriend.
And because of that, she planned to use this "serious" offline meeting as a chance to quietly consult her "strategist" about her own situation with Texas.
In other words—
A military advisor.
Realizing that, Sora felt secretly delighted.
It's great that Texas won't be here tomorrow!
She quickly stood up and hurried away.
At the bar, only Exusiai and Texas remained.
"Alright," Texas rubbed her temples. "One thing handled, another still waiting. Talk. What's your situation?"
"Like you said, there's been progress," Exusiai replied, looking helpless. "It just… developed in a really weird way."
Then she explained everything that happened last night in full.
Starting from "Lin Yuan suspected Exusiai was gay," Texas' expression became harder and harder to keep under control—
Until finally, it turned into something between laughter and disbelief.
"So," Texas summarized, "you successfully cleared up the misunderstandings about 'gay' and 'being repressed'…"
"…but you ended up confirming the misunderstanding about cross-dressing."
After thinking for a moment, she asked:
"And now you want to use that as leverage?"
Exusiai nodded hard.
"When I go back, I want to start wearing normal clothes again. And for my hair… I don't need a wig for now."
She touched her hair—grown out for a long time without being cut—and spoke softly:
"He said he'd try to accept it, so I want to…"
"You want to use that to interact with him first," Texas finished with a sigh. "Slowly train his tolerance for women."
"By approaching him with feminine outfits and habits, you make him gradually get used to it—until he's fully desensitized to women."
Exusiai nodded and continued:
"Or at least—so that when he finally finds out I'm actually a woman, he can barely accept it, instead of his gynophobia instantly destroying everything."
A long silence.
Only after a long while did Texas put another pocky stick in her mouth and speak quietly:
"You can do it, Exu. Theoretically, the effect you want is achievable… based on what I know about him."
"But I don't recommend it. Not at all."
"Why?" Exusiai pressed.
Texas looked back at her, voice low:
"Because it's too risky, Exu. Too risky."
"Even the tiniest deviation—anywhere—could shatter your relationship completely. No coming back."
She stared at Exusiai and asked softly:
"Have you really… prepared yourself to take that risk?"
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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