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ArabicArknights: The Holy Son's Leisurely Life — Chapter 25
Chapter 25: Still Usable If You Don’t Look at the Face
The moment Swire’s clicking heels faded into the ambient noise of the shopping mall, Exusiai’s casual demeanor vanished. She immediately leaned in, her bright eyes clouded with a rare trace of concern. “She mentioned there were Infected nearby? Is it someone you know?”
“I doubt it.” Lucian shook his head, his gaze drifting over the bustling crowds of the commercial district. “If it was someone tied to me, Old Lin would have sent a runner to the shop long before Swire dragged her people out here. It’s likely just a stray who wandered into Lungmen and doesn’t understand the local rules.”
He certainly didn’t know every face hiding in the Slums. That outer ring of the city was a chaotic melting pot, heavily populated by refugees and hardened criminals bleeding over from places where mafia families ruled the streets, like Siracusa. Wandering around those alleys blindly was a quick way to end up in a ditch. Lucian kept his circle small—mostly the children playing in the dusty compounds and honest, hardworking folks like Old Man Dong, who sold fish balls on the corner. He had zero interest in rubbing shoulders with the shadows.
Because of that, he had no intention of getting involved in whatever operation Swire was running. The Lungmen Guard Department rarely executed Infected for simple trespassing anyway; they usually just processed them for deportation. Lucian trusted that Swire, despite her explosive temper, knew where to draw the line.
Compared to a random arrest that had nothing to do with him, Lucian was far more focused on his immediate, physical predicament.
He awkwardly lowered his chin, glancing at the Sankta girl practically glued to his side. “I have to ask, Exusiai… why are you still clinging to me?”
“Because I feel like it.”
The sulking angel let out a soft huff, tightening her grip on his arm. She had been locked in this exact position ever since Swire stormed off. It was obvious she had seen the rich feline bite him back at the dessert shop, and her current strategy was to aggressively play the role of his girlfriend to mark her territory.
Lucian sighed inwardly. Why did she harbor such an intense grudge against Swire?
“I know you can’t stand her, but she’s already gone,” he pointed out reasonably. “Keeping up the act won’t upset her anymore. Plus, it’s genuinely hard to walk like this. You’re heavy.”
“Huh?” Exusiai shot him a withering glare. Her free hand snapped out, pinching the soft flesh of his waist with pinpoint accuracy.
Instead of letting go in her inexplicable fit of pique, she doubled down. She forcefully pried his fingers open and intertwined them with her own, locking their hands together.
She pouted, her halo glowing a fraction brighter. “You’re such a flirt. One rich female cat leaves, and who knows if a dragon, a ghost, or a mouse is going to pop out of the woodwork next. Consider this insurance! I’m sacrificing my dignity to be your temporary girlfriend right now, so you should be secretly thanking me!”
“Wow… so much trouble.” Lucian looked utterly exhausted by the logic.
He understood her mindset perfectly. She just wanted him to hang out with her, and she got aggressively territorial whenever other girls encroached on her playtime. It was the exact same feeling as playing a co-op game with your best bro, only for his girlfriend to suddenly call and drag him away to a hotel. Of course she would be annoyed.
He understood. He completely understood.
To be perfectly fair, Exusiai was objectively a beautiful woman. Though she usually dressed in boyish streetwear and lacked a certain traditional elegance, having her pressed this tightly against him made it impossible to ignore that her figure was surprisingly soft and well-endowed. His gaming bro was, physically speaking, a highly attractive girl. That alone should have been enough to make any normal man’s heart race.
But this was Exusiai.
This was Exusiai.
Sometimes a man simply couldn’t refuse, but there were also times when a man’s biology simply refused to cooperate, no matter the physical stimulus.
Lucian looked at her with deadpan seriousness. “If you just put a paper bag over your head and struck a sexy pose, I might actually feel something. But seeing your face? Seriously, forget it. My interest drops to absolute zer—cough!”
A swift, brutal punch buried itself in his stomach. A word of advice: Sankta women who routinely handle heavy firearms possess terrifying upper-body strength. Do not tease them lightly.
Operating in her permanent overload mode, Exusiai completely ignored his wheezing protests and happily dragged him along to continue their shopping spree.
Swire’s mega-mall lived up to its reputation. It was a sprawling monument to capitalist excess, offering everything from high-end dining and entertainment to luxury fashion and electronics. As long as you had the LMD to spend, you could buy the world, leaving one to deeply feel the crushing superiority of the Lungmen bourgeoisie.
Exusiai, riding a rare high of unbothered happiness, completely let loose.
But unlike typical delicate young ladies who flocked to the designer dresses and elegant skirts, Exusiai didn’t even spare the boutique windows a passing glance. She dragged Lucian straight into the heavy-duty sports and tactical brands.
She snatched a thick, rugged survival jacket off a rack—a heavy piece of gear weighing at least five pounds—and excitedly held it up against her chest. “Look, look, Lucian! It’s the newest drop from Land of Life! Real wilderness exploration gear! It’s windproof, sandproof, thermally insulated, and even slash-resistant! Can you believe this? It’s entirely made of fabric but it can stop a knife! What kind of synthetic fiber is this?”
Lucian smiled, a wave of relief washing over him. “Exusiai, never change.”
This was exactly why she was great. A personality completely devoid of traditional femininity, somehow acting more masculine than most men he knew. Lucian quietly resolved to be her lifelong brother. This tomboy was probably never going to get married anyway, so he would just have to take one for the team and keep her company.
Realizing this, his mood brightened, and he felt a surge of generosity. “Since we’re already here, let’s grab a complete set of tactical gear. The Raythean Industries cargo pants I bought last time got ripped by Croissant, so this is a perfect chance to get a replacement. Oh, look at these, they even have built-in magazine pouches. Military-grade stuff really is the best.”
“Oh, oh~, I want a set too, I want—”
Exusiai’s cheerful voice suddenly hitched. She leaned closer to Lucian, her bright smile freezing into something distinctly dangerous. “Buying gear is fine… but what exactly happened between you and Croissant? Why did she tear your pants? What exactly were you two doing when I wasn’t around? You’re going to explain every single detail to me later, got it?”
“Uh…”
The sudden drop in her tone sent a genuine chill down Lucian’s spine.
After finally surviving the clothing stores and a sweep through the supermarket, Miss Exusiai was enjoying her date to the fullest, happily holding a cup of milk tea in one hand and a fresh tray of takoyaki in the other.
Watching her, Lucian couldn’t shake the feeling that her tastes leaned less toward a grown woman’s and more toward a hyperactive child’s. But there was a certain charm to that never-growing-up energy… Lucian suddenly found his mood lifting again.
As the two of them rested on a bench in the mall’s wide corridor, Exusiai looked down at the takoyaki, then up at Lucian.
She speared a hot, sauce-covered ball with her wooden toothpick and held it up to his lips. “Say ahhh~.”
Lucian leaned his head back, his face scrunching in mild disgust. “I’m good, eat it yourself. Besides, you’ve already had that toothpick in your mouth…”
“Ah? Ah! Say ahhh!!!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll eat it, just stop yelling in public!”
Left with no avenue of escape, Lucian opened his mouth and accepted the bite. The takoyaki was scalding hot, the flavor entirely ordinary—nothing to write home about. Exusiai nodded in smug satisfaction and immediately popped the toothpick back into her own mouth to eat the next piece.
…How strange.
Whenever he shared a box of Pocky with Texas, they weren’t even sharing an indirect kiss, yet the simple act always made his heart skip a beat. But here, with Exusiai, even though they were genuinely sharing the exact same toothpick, Lucian couldn’t muster a single ounce of romantic tension.
It all came down to the subtle gravity of femininity. Lucian looked at the happily chewing Sankta with a renewed sense of pity.
Texas was naturally cold, aloof, and rarely put any effort into dressing up. Even when wearing the exact same Penguin Logistics uniform, the Lupo radiated a quiet, magnetic femininity that Exusiai entirely lacked.
Where exactly did the difference lie? Lucian pondered the mystery as he chewed.
“Oh, right, Croissant usually shows a lot more skin,” Lucian suddenly muttered, a realization dawning on him. “But femininity isn’t about how much skin you expose. It’s entirely about temperament. A silly bread-loving defender and a tomboyish angel… how could either of you possibly compete with the quiet elegance of a cold, aloof wolf lady?”
“…I will never understand why you completely ignore the cute, easily approachable girls right in front of you, and only obsess over the high-maintenance, troublesome women.” Exusiai stared at him, her face twisting into a mask of pure cringe. “Lucian, you are such a masochist.”