The summer daylight hours were long, and when Shiho Miyano finally stepped out of the laboratory building after a long time, the sun on the horizon was still blazing and brilliant.
She walked out into the sunlight just like that, taking measured steps, quietly merging into the bustling crowd.
Along the way, she only saw ordinary city street scenes:
Cars, crowds, tall buildings, dense signs, filled with noise and clamor.
But this gave Shiho Miyano a rare sense of relaxation.
Unlike the cold and monotonous laboratory, walking under this sunlight with these ordinary people gave her a feeling of freedom.
It was just a pity that this feeling of freedom was ultimately just an illusion.
“Why are you always walking behind me?”
Shiho Miyano stopped, hands in her pockets, and turned back with an icy, beautiful face.
Lin Xinyi: “...”
Nonsense, if I didn't follow behind you, how would I know which way to go?
He pondered for a moment and quickly provided a reasonable and logical answer based on his status as a "private bodyguard":
“Walking behind ensures you remain within my line of sight.”
“This way, I can better protect your safety.”
Shiho Miyano fell silent.
Faintly, a lingering gloom appeared on her face:
Better protect my safety?
Did that perhaps mean that if she showed any intention of escaping, he could quickly draw that Beretta M92F, the same model as Gin’s, and send her a 9mm copper-jacketed peanut from behind?
Heh, thinking about it carefully,
being pointed at by a gun from behind all the time—wasn't that something she should have long been accustomed to?
Why show Lin Xinyi these superfluous emotions? He was just a gun wielded by someone else.
Thinking of this, a helpless smile appeared at the corner of Shiho Miyano's mouth:
Speaking of which, this guy had just said ambiguous things to her in the office earlier.
Could that feeling be real?
If it were real, it would be truly tragic.
Because a gun doesn't need feelings, especially feelings for her, the prey.
Having killing intent and love directed at the same person—this Lin Xinyi might be more complex, more human, and more like a tragedy than the person she knew before.
“Sigh.”
Shiho Miyano sighed softly, her gaze toward Lin Xinyi filled with pity:
Viewing him from a different perspective—not simply as a tool sent by The Organization for surveillance, but as someone sharing her plight—made him look much more agreeable than before.
Of course, agreeable as he might be, there was absolutely no room for affection.
Thinking this, Shiho Miyano immediately suppressed her emotions, afraid that Lin Xinyi might notice her subtly shifting attitude—
Since she disliked him and there was no possibility between them, she absolutely could not show him any kindness that might give the man the illusion that "I have a chance."
This wasn't heartlessness; it was a responsible performance.
However, Shiho Miyano clearly overestimated Lin Xinyi's mind-reading abilities:
“One moment unhappy, the next laughing, then sighing, and then her face turns cold again.”
“What is this woman thinking?!”
Lin Xinyi was completely bewildered:
Miss Miyano’s psychological activities were too rich; he couldn't imagine them at all.
Indeed, compared to such an inscrutable woman, the thoughts of the dead were easier to guess.
Shiho Miyano’s expression quickly returned to normal, that of an Iceberg beauty tinged with a hint of frailty.
But she didn't immediately move forward; instead, she elegantly covered her mouth and suppressed a yawn.
Wiping away the tired tears seeping from the corner of her eyes, she finally spoke to Lin Xinyi with a hint of weariness:
“Give me some money. I’m going to buy some coffee from that Vending machine over there.”
Uh, this Young Lady didn't bring any money?
Lin Xinyi felt a pang in his heart whenever money was mentioned now.
Hesitating for a moment, he helplessly opened his Wallet and painstakingly fished out a 500 yen coin.
He wondered if the company would reimburse him for this extra expense.
“It’s not enough.” Miss Miyano held out her hands, robbing him on the spot.
“Not enough?” Lin Xinyi had been to a Convenience Store; he knew 500 yen was definitely enough to buy a bottle of coffee, even a higher-end one.
“I’m not drinking just one bottle.” She covered her mouth and yawned again.
Lin Xinyi pondered for a moment and said very earnestly, “Drinking that much coffee is bad for your Body.”
This wasn't him being stingy, but objectively offering advice.
Excessive fatigue combined with large caffeine intake carried a risk of Sudden death.
And he hadn't practiced CPR much since graduating from medical school; his technique was rusty, making accidents likely.
“Oh?”
Shiho Miyano’s Gaze became somewhat Subtle:
This guy actually said something that showed concern for someone else's health?
It seemed he truly knew less about him before.
What Lin Xinyi said earlier in the Office was most likely genuine.
Looking back, Lin Xinyi’s gaze toward her always seemed a bit strange. It was just that at the time, she never thought in that direction and completely ignored it.
Now, Lin Xinyi had probably finally made up his mind to make a move, which is why he was starting to change his style and gradually show concern for her.
But did this matter?
Never mind that I have no positive feelings for you; even if I did,
given our situation, talking about Relationships or health is too Luxury.
“So what if it’s bad for my Body?”
Shiho Miyano pondered for a moment, finally returning a cold face to Lin Xinyi:
“We are both just corpses pretending to be Alive.”
“Dying a little earlier might even be fortunate.”
Saying such chilling lines, Shiho Miyano unceremoniously extended her fair, slender Finger and snatched a precious 500 yen coin from Lin Xinyi’s Wallet.
“Mmm.” Lin Xinyi’s expression stiffened; he felt a bit pained.
Moreover, he now truly understood what Yamada meant when he said, “This woman always speaks sarcastically.”
Cold Personality, strange temper, speaking gloomily—very difficult to get along with.
Did the Original Owner perhaps drive herself to Suicide because of her?
Lin Xinyi even had such an absurd Thought in his mind.
“Forget it, it’s an 890,000 [yen] job per month, after all.”
“What’s a small matter like this? I just need to get used to it.”
Stopping his Internal Complaint, Lin Xinyi reviewed the somewhat unfamiliar CPR movements in his mind while accompanying this hard-to-please Young Lady to buy the excessive amount of coffee she wanted.
The two walked side-by-side to the Vending machine by the roadside.
This Vending machine was placed opposite the Road from a Department Store, so the foot traffic was naturally not small.
When Lin Xinyi and Shiho Miyano arrived, two people were already queuing ahead of them.
They were two High School Students wearing blue Uniforms, a boy and a girl.
They stood with their backs to Lin Xinyi, leaning shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the Vending machine, chatting happily as they selected their Drinks.
Soon, the boy among them inserted a coin first and purchased a can of Ice Cola.
Then, while the girl accompanying him was carefully selecting a Drink from the Vending machine, he suddenly played a prank without malice, pressing the cold Can of Cola unexpectedly against the girl's face.
“Ah!” The female High School Student let out a delicate cry, startled by the cold air.
The boy, meanwhile, smiled gently without malice while intently appreciating the girl's annoyed and angry expression.
“Hmm, learned something new.”
“So this is how young people date now.”
Lin Xinyi mused thoughtfully:
Back in the day, all his time was spent on martial arts training and studying; he hadn't developed in this area, so he needed to consume more 'dog food' [PDA].
It just so happened that he changed his Work this lifetime and had time to date.
Now he had the time, he had learned the necessary Experience, and Ice Cola was easy to buy—all he lacked was a Girlfriend.
Uh, I don't know why,
speaking of a Girlfriend, he suddenly thought of the Young Lady Miyano he had just "harassed."
But that thought was instantly erased the moment it surfaced.
“Forget it, if it were her...”
The corner of Lin Xinyi’s mouth twitched slightly:
A normal girl would show a very amusing expression of annoyance and shame if her Boyfriend iced her with a cola.
But if he tried that prank on Miss Miyano—assuming there was ever a chance—
she would definitely take the cola with a blank expression, drink it, and then use her icy Gaze to deliver a soul-crushing Question: “Are you a Child?”
She was truly not cute at all.
Lin Xinyi shook his head, driving those uninvited strange thoughts out of his mind.
After these distractions vanished, his Attention quickly returned to Reality.
Then, he quickly noticed that
the backs of the High School Student couple ahead, who had just fed him a large helping of 'dog food,' looked somewhat familiar.
Especially the girl.
“Could this be...?” Lin Xinyi tentatively called out to the female High School Student ahead: “Miss Ran Mouri?”
“Eh?” The female High School Student turned around in surprise.
“Mr. Lin Xinyi, is that you?”
It really was her, Ran Mouri, whom he had just seen that morning.
To be fair, Lin Xinyi wasn't familiar enough with this High School Student, whom he had only met in passing, to recognize her just from her back.
Not to mention, Ran Mouri had changed clothes; the blue High School Student Uniform she wore now was very different from the white practice clothes she wore this morning.
The reason he recognized her so quickly this time was mainly because
standing behind Miss Ran Mouri,
he could also see the horns.
“Haha.”
Lin Xinyi politely made sure not to show the thoughts in his mind:
“So it really is the two of you.”
“I almost didn’t recognize you.”