"Strange… strange…"
In the large conference room, the short-haired girl with streaked inner layers walked restlessly back and forth, holding a bag of beautifully packaged chocolates. She murmured to herself, her face occasionally showing a strange blush, letting out a low chuckle somewhere between shyness and eagerness.
Simply put, she seemed immersed in a fantasy of being coyly pursued by someone.
A few heads peeked out from the conference room door.
The red-haired woman looked at the girl's expression with a slight sense of repulsion: "That's very abnormal…"
The white-haired boy nodded in agreement: "Indeed…"
The scruffy man in the white coat scratched his greasy hair: "Huh? What's abnormal about it? Even I know today is Valentine's Day."
"…Can't you tell?" Kevin pushed his glasses up, asking seriously.
"Tell what? Isn't this just a perfectly normal girl planning to give chocolates to the one she likes?" Delta looked helplessly at the two jokers. "And where did those glasses come from?"
"Mei gave them to me…"
"Sigh, that's enough. Why are you two crashing this party instead of spending time with your girlfriends?" Delta, who was the oldest of the group, stroked his beard, looking subtly at Himeko, who was still intently spying on Seele. "And you, what are you dragging him and me here for? I have a lot of work unfinished. Let the young couple date. Fire Moth doesn't have rules against it anyway…"
Himeko turned her head, interrupting: "Do you know who Seele likes?"
"Huh? Who knows…"
"Lin."
Delta paused for a second: "…She has no chance."
"No, you're dismissing it too quickly…"
"Is Lin difficult to handle?" But Delta spoke even faster this time. He spoke authoritatively, as if Himeko was ignorant: "In my opinion, Lin is not difficult to handle at all. He acts cold toward everyone, but he rarely outright rejects people. Even if he verbally rejects a request sometimes, he will reluctantly and honestly fulfill the request later."
"Simply put, pester him relentlessly, and he won't know what to do. It's even better if you force him. You know that manga series in the Far East called Reluctant to Show You My Panties, right? Lin might genuinely do something like that. And then, no matter how reluctantly, Lin is a man with an extremely strong sense of responsibility. Once a relationship progresses, he won't reject it anymore."
"All in all, Lin is probably the easiest man in Fire Moth to handle. After all, he is only harsh on himself."
Kevin and Himeko stared dumbfounded at the long-winded Delta. He actually… knew Lin better than they did. No, Delta might even know Lin better than Lin knew himself.
"Wait, then based on what you're saying, Seele's success rate shouldn't be low."
"That's exactly my point…" Delta sighed, pointing at Seele, who hadn't noticed the people at the door at all. "This young girl is the type who idolizes Lin and will obey his every word. This directly contradicts the conditions I just listed. If she approaches Lin, and Lin rejects her after explaining his philosophies, she will definitely accept it."
"In any case, this young girl has no chance. It would take someone who can persistently pester Lin or force him to succeed."
Delta shrugged.
"By the way… where is Lin?"
…
"Who is that person? Is there such a person at the headquarters?"
"He's so handsome… No, he's so beautiful… Uh, that's not right either…"
"Don't you think his aura looks familiar…"
"…The man in the helmet?"
"…"
"…"
"Hahahaha, how could that be? The man in the helmet is a magical creature with a complete blank slate above the neck, cursed never to take off his helmet. How could a man who never shows his face actually possess a flawless, perfect countenance—that's straight out of a novel."
"Yeah, yeah. Even I, a man, was mesmerized. The man in the helmet couldn't possibly look like that…"
Lin, without his helmet, awkwardly pulled up his scarf. He glanced at the two soldiers who suddenly burst into laughter as they passed by.
His helmet was undergoing system upgrades in the R&D department. His cap and hooded clothing were both in the wash. Left with no choice, he wrapped a pale red scarf tightly around his face, covering everything below his nose.
It was only for today anyway.
After walking into the Seventh Squad's conference room, the sight of the complete silence made him pause. Then he saw a note on the table. He walked up and peered at it—
"Captain, Captain Himeko took Hua and me to the Fifth Squad's conference room to drink. She asked you to come collect us when you return. I wanted to refuse, but I couldn't resist, hence I left this note. – Immer."
"…"
…
"Are you sure this trick will work?"
Delta held a glass of sake to his forehead, watching the drunken Seele, and asked Himeko, who was heartily drinking beer beside him.
"Don't worry. I know Seele's drinking habits better than anyone. When she's drunk, she often doesn't even know what she's doing. Giving him a chocolate and then stealing a kiss should be more than enough." Himeko's expression was immensely proud.
"Are you… sure?"
Delta's right eye twitched, seeing Immer and Hua restraining Seele, who was about to swing her scythe in the conference room.
"Hmm… This state should be fine. I'll go guide her a little."
Himeko walked over to the drunken, giggling Seele and poked her cheek, asking with a smile: "Little Seele, little Seele, can you see clearly who I am?"
"Hiccup~ Ca-Captain…" Seele squinted her eyes, then waved her hands and replied.
"Very good. It seems you're drunk but not completely unconscious." Himeko took Seele's chocolate from a nearby table and placed it in front of her. "Seele, Lin will be here soon. Do you remember what you need to do?"
"I, I remember… it's…"
Seele confusedly took the chocolate, staring at the handmade chocolate she had spent a month preparing. A sudden flash of clarity struck her alcohol-eroded brain.
"Right, I need to tell Lin I like him. I have to give him the chocolate and make him accept it. Otherwise, I need to pester him and harass him every day…"
"N-No way!" Seele's already crimson face instantly flushed a fiery red, like a sunset. Her hazy eyes instantly cleared. She was so startled that she jumped up.
"Huh? You sobered up?"
Himeko looked utterly astonished at Seele, whose speech had suddenly become coherent.
"Captain, don't worry about me! I know what I'm doing! Squad Member Lin's ideals don't lie there! How can I force him! That's too selfish! This chocolate was just my one-sided wish to put on his desk!"
Words poured out of Seele's mouth like an uninterrupted barrage. She jumped up from the floor, grabbed the chocolate, and rushed out the door.
So embarrassed… So humiliating… How did the Captain see through my thoughts so quickly…
No, the Captain will definitely tell Squad Member Lin. I should just give this to someone else! And if they ask about it, I'll vehemently deny everything!
Seele, running with her head down, wasn't looking where she was going and bumped straight into someone. She didn't even have time to see who it was, only checking that the person wasn't wearing a helmet.
"T-This is for you! Think whatever you want! But don't tell anyone about this, got it! Absolutely forbidden! If you tell anyone… if you tell anyone, I will never forgive you!"
Seele, already on the verge of tears, ran past the person she had forcibly given a chocolate to, her face streaked with tears.
Lin looked down at the chocolate in his hand, then at Seele's retreating back. He pondered for a moment, then turned and walked toward his room.
Afterward, Himeko asked Lin about the incident: "Speaking of which, Lin, did you receive…"
"No."