Lin rarely used flattery or smooth talk to achieve his goals. Perhaps there was once someone skilled at this, but he never taught Lin those tricks.
Lin merely stated what he thought, and he didn't care whether the resulting consequence was hatred or friendship.
For example, was what he just told Sakura meant to imply something? No, he just happened to be reading that clichéd urban novel and felt that Sakura had a degree of similarity with the female protagonist, so he expressed his views.
However, Lin did want to have some friendly communication with Sakura. They would become teammates, and coordination on the battlefield was crucial. After going through numerous events, Lin approach to interpersonal relationships had changed.
As for what kind of change... he couldn't quite articulate it himself. Perhaps he had become kinder, or perhaps more genuine.
"Oh my~ So a girl has already come to visit you~"
"..."
Lin didn't need to look up. He knew who the newcomer was just by the drawn-out ending sound of the word.
And he didn't need to think about the first thing that person would do after entering the room...
"Crunch."
Snatch the last slice of apple from the fruit plate.
Lin calmly looked up at Elysia, who was chewing the apple with a look of satisfaction. Judging by her attire, she had just returned from a mission and had come to the hospital room without even putting down her weapon.
"Hehe..." Elysia caught Lin staring at her and smiled nonchalantly. She examined Sakura curiously, especially her pink hair, which was the same color as her own. "Lin likes pink after all~"
"I don't like pink."
"Liar."
"Pink feels to me like a sponge that hasn't been properly rinsed and is full of dish soap." Lin stated a metaphor he would definitely never have used before. "The moment I see it, I feel uncomfortable."
"..."
"..."
Elysia secretly glanced at Sakura, noticing that she didn't look offended at all. She smiled meaningfully at Lin: "Lin, if you disparage my favorite color like that, I might get angry."
"Oh?"
"But if you beg me not to be angry, I won't be."
"I beg you." Lin said in a voice that was minus thirty degrees.
The pair of beautiful large eyes narrowed into slits, like silver crescent moons. Although she hadn't expected Lin to be so cooperative, making this guy say such a thing was an achievement.
"Hehe, let's officially meet. You lovely girl, just like me, my name is Elysia."
Elysia generously offered her hand to Sakura. Sakura glanced at Lin, who offered no reaction, then nodded subtly and shook Elysia soft hand: "My name is Sakura, a member of the Chrysalis Squad."
"Mhm... You're as beautiful as your name. By the way, Lin, why didn't you tell me you knew such a beautiful girl before? If she hadn't saved you last time, I wouldn't have even noticed~"
"Last time" referred to the conclusion of the battle with the Sixth Herrscher, when Sakura, following Mei's order, arrived on the battlefield just in time to stab the Sixth Herrscher's attacking arm, saving Lin and together delivering the final heavy blow to the Herrscher.
In that battle, she and Lin had no verbal communication, yet they acted with the tacit understanding of comrades of many years. In a sense, their compatibility in combat exceeded their own expectations.
"Am I... interrupting you two?" Sakura was a little hesitant and fidgety. She felt that the atmosphere of their conversation was not ideal for a third party.
"No, she's just like that."
"Aiya, Lin won't mind, and neither will I!"
Both people simultaneously denied Sakura thought.
"Is that so..." But Sakura truly couldn't find a way to interject. She was unfamiliar with everyone in the Fire Moth, after all, and her long-term assassin habits had reduced her social interactions, much like the old Lin practice of keeping others at a distance.
"Since Sakura is here, does that mean Lin is joining the Chrysalis Squad?"
Sakura looked at the cheerful Elysia in astonishment. She and Lin hadn't said anything, yet Elysia immediately guessed the fact of Lin joining the Chrysalis Squad.
However, for Elysia, this was a simple logic problem. Unlike her flowery appearance and perpetual smile, Elysia observation and analytical skills were top-notch, having broken multiple records in the Fire Moth's tests.
"Wow... is that your squad uniform? It's pretty good. I want a new outfit too."
Elysia stared at Sakura jacket with sparkling eyes. This blatant gaze made Sakura feel awkward. She looked at Lin, but he lowered his head to read his book, as if to say, "She's always like this, just get used to it."
"Lin, don't you think the regular uniform is too old-fashioned? It feels too 'uniform.'"
Lin sighed imperceptibly: "You can modify it yourself, like Mobius."
"Hmm... Huh? Lin, you can actually tell that Mobius modified her own clothes?" After a moment of surprise, Elysia pouted. "But those are her own clothes. A researcher's white coat is so generic that a slight modification gives her an instantly unique effect. A uniform is different. How can I modify it to make it stand out?"
"Snap."
Lin closed his book.
He pinched his chin, musing: "You could try shortening the pant legs. Moth uniforms are all long pants, so shorter pants usually make you stand out exceptionally well."
"But short pants wouldn't look good. I don't want the kind of attention-grabbing uniqueness."
"Then add some decorations?"
"Good idea. What should I add?"
"...Flowers?"
Sakura stared wide-eyed as a recovering patient and a recently returned warrior discussed how to modify boring clothing.
Was he only like this when talking to Elysia, or was Lin actually like this all the time now?
"Oh, right, Lin, have you decided yet? When will the gathering be held?" Elysia suddenly changed the subject, asking an abrupt question.
"Let's hold it once I can walk again." Lin responded calmly.
"I see... Well, Sakura has to come too. Since you're Lin teammate now, you're joining the 'Loving Family' group chat~"
"?" Sakura, whose arm was grabbed, stared bewilderedly at Elysia.
Loving... Family? It sounded like the name some elderly woman would give a chat group.
Lin explained to Sakura: "We're holding a party. Can you help me cook some dishes then? I think your cooking skills are excellent."
"Me...?"
"...Oh, right." Lin looked as if he had just remembered something. He said calmly, "And your sister can come too."