Chapter Sixty-Seven: How Could One Live Under Another’s Roof?

Chen Zi'ang couldn't help but laugh. Girlfriend? How could that be possible?

Due to their line of work, the Public Security Bureau was overwhelmingly male. Young men under twenty-six, straight out of security academies and into the system, rarely had any opportunity to meet single women—unless they were social butterflies with plenty of free time.

Of course, Lingna Tsukimi knew this perfectly well; she only brought it up to distract him and quickly smiled, saying, "Speaking of which, I remember back in high school, there were a few boys I was close to who always tried to win me over. Unfortunately, their families had business ties with my father, so I couldn't reject them outright and risk souring those relationships."

"And then?" Chen Zi'ang asked, curious.

"So, I told each of them privately," Lingna replied with a bright smile, "that I already liked someone, but couldn't tell them who."

"They all suspected the person I liked was one of them, and thought I wouldn't say who because I didn't want to ruin their friendship. By the time I found out what was happening, they'd argued so fiercely they'd practically severed ties."

Chen Zi'ang: ... Femme fatale, huh?

Thinking it over, it wasn't surprising that Lingna—with her beauty, outgoing personality, and privileged background—would attract many admirers. But did she really like someone back in high school?

"It was just an excuse," Lingna waved her hand. "If you'd been there, I'd have asked you to pretend to be my boyfriend, just to make them give up. But since there weren't any reliable boys in my class, I had to invent an imaginary crush."

"Miss," Goro Emon, the driver up ahead, suddenly spoke, "would you like some music?"

"Sure," Lingna replied with a smile. "But I don't have anything in mind—do you have any recommendations, Uncle Tsukimi?"

"Last month, Maki Kiryu released a new album with a fresh electronic track," Goro said. "How about that?"

Electronic music? Heavy drumbeats... hinting at gunfire outside? So the military must be dealing with ghouls nearby?

No, if her senior noticed, he'd surely insist on getting out to help.

"All right, let's give it a listen," Lingna said, casually resting her left hand on the window.

The shadow of her arm began to flow like liquid mercury, seeping down through the window crevice, passing through the chassis and engine, wrapping around the opposite door, and soon enveloped the speeding vehicle like foil around a roast chicken—sealing it tight, save for the driver's window.

Soundproofed!

Goro Emon, oblivious, simply turned up the music, hoping the volume would drown out the coming gunfire.

On the expressway ahead, chaos caused by the ghoul was triggering a chain of rear-end collisions. Those who glimpsed its monstrous form quickly lost their sanity, fleeing in panic by opening their car doors, while the vehicles behind were forced to a standstill.

Armed helicopters began strafing their target, sparking even greater panic, but the ghoul stubbornly refused to jump from the overpass. Perhaps it realized that leaving the highway would allow the helicopters to unleash their full arsenal, so it kept dodging among the cars, using them as cover and staying in the blind spots of the guns.

On Goro Emon’s lane, everyone was stunned by the commotion on the left—some instinctively slammed the brakes, others floored the accelerator, desperate to escape the danger zone.

Goro Emon was clearly among the latter. He swiftly switched lanes three times, becoming a veritable knight of the shoulder, tailing another car that sped along the outermost lane.

The two vehicles raced side by side, using each other's bodies to block the view of the chaos on the left, then surged ahead to leave the battle between ghoul and helicopter far behind.

From his angle, Goro Emon was certain the passengers in the back couldn't see the ghoul on the opposite lane.

But oddly enough, there didn’t seem to be much gunfire...

Lingna Tsukimi lifted her arm from the window, retracting the flowing shadow that had enveloped the car, and said, "We plan to spend the whole day at the aquarium, have dinner, and then take you home. Is that all right?"

"No problem," Chen Zi'ang replied. "Just don’t get back too late—Xiao Zhu will be tired."

"Got it," Lingna said. "Home by eleven, right?"

"Lingna?" Chen Zi'ang asked, surprised. "Did I ever tell you Xiao Zhu's bedtime is eleven?"

"You did."

"When?"

"The night you took me home," Lingna answered smoothly. "You said Xiao Zhu always gets sleepy around eleven-thirty, and since she doesn’t talk much, it’s hard to tell if she’s actually asleep. Sometimes, if you carry her to her room too late, she wakes up on the way and gets cranky, so you always make sure she’s back in bed by eleven."

"Oh," Chen Zi'ang thought, So she really does know all the details. Must have told her before.

"If we can't make it back in time, we can always book a room on Chishima Island," Lingna offered suddenly.

It was a perfectly normal suggestion, but for some reason it felt oddly pointed, as if everything before had been leading up to this... Chen Zi'ang instinctively declined.

"That wouldn't be good. I have work tomorrow."

"It's only half an hour from Kanagawa to Shinjuku," Lingna argued.

"But I didn't bring my Mandala Sword," Chen Zi'ang shook his head. "If I have to be on duty tomorrow..."

"How about this," Goro Emon suddenly said, "If you stay overnight, I’ll drive you and Miss to work in the morning, then head to the Gunma District to fetch whatever equipment you need."

"That’s far too much trouble," Chen Zi'ang said, embarrassed.

"No need to stand on ceremony. Your enjoyment today on Chishima is what matters most to me," Goro replied.

This butler, the more polite you are, the more humble he becomes—he’d even begun referring to himself as ‘your humble servant.’

Chen Zi'ang was lost in thought while Goro Emon, in the rearview mirror, gave Lingna Tsukimi a subtle look.

Go ahead, Miss—make your move. Leave the assist to your loyal Emon!

Lingna, secretly delighted, said, "All right, I'll book the room for tonight. If we make it back home, I'll cancel. Otherwise, I’m afraid there won’t be any rooms left if we wait."

"Don’t you have to cancel before two in the afternoon?" Chen Zi'ang asked, puzzled.

"I’m a yearly member," Lingna replied.

Chen Zi'ang had nothing to say, as he really had no idea what a yearly membership entailed.

So, in the end, all food, lodging, and travel expenses would be covered by Lingna—a slightly unsettling feeling, as if being kept by a wealthy woman.

As a proud man, how could I live off someone else like this? Best not.

"I want to stay," Xiao Zhu suddenly said.

"Well, then I suppose I can't refuse," Chen Zi'ang said with a wry smile.