it is Arknights!

Chapter 50: A Long Way to Go

Li Lin, a virgin in two lifetimes, whose lifespan was equivalent to his time without romantic relationships, finally got an incredibly cute girlfriend today.

However, it was fake.

Good personality, very virtuous and considerate, and often recorded some private songs for the person she liked to listen to.

However, it wasn't him.

Race or identity, she could disguise and imitate as she wished, could be said to be the most perfect lover.

However, she was a lesbian.

Lust is a knife on the head. Lesbians are the same. Who says lesbians won't deceive men? They just can't be bothered to deceive. When needed, don't they still deceive little virgins with perfect accuracy?

The ancients truly did not deceive me.

"…"

Thinking of this, Li Lin couldn't help but let out a sigh.

Didn't get any messages from band girls, nor any contact information from the film and television circle; instead, inexplicably became Sora's scapegoat . Smelling the strange fragrance emanating from Sora, watching the girl with a shining smile acting coquettishly before him, Li Lin dazedly agreed to many things.

Although recalling it afterwards, Sora didn't trick him, and it seemed she indeed needed a scapegoat to divert attention—or perhaps Sora actually just didn't want to be a professional idol and planned to pursue a career as an independent singer—but Li Lin, pondering it back and forth, always felt something was off. After Exusiai and the others returned, Li Lin quickly dragged Exusiai to the rooftop, deciding to share his experience with this most trusted person.

Of course, the part about his hormones raging (- lit. sperm bugs to the brain) and suddenly wanting a girlfriend was definitely skipped; he purely talked about Sora planning to use him as a scapegoat.

After all, he still needed some face; saying it directly wouldn't be good. And Exusiai's reaction was also as expected.

"Eh? Isn't this a pretty good thing? Sora will have much less harassment, and her transition will be faster, right?"

Exusiai, carefully inspecting her firearm on the rooftop, looked somewhat strangely at the subtly-faced Li Lin and said relaxedly: "She has her own troubles looking like that; isn't it pretty good to save some trouble? Although Prophet, you might have to suffer a bit."

"No, I just feel something is off… I don't know why, but I always feel something seems off."

Towards Exusiai's optimistic attitude, Li Lin shook his head, always feeling some aspects were very subtle.

Not that it was very bad, nor was it the feeling of having to make some choice like in that disastrous alley. But it was very subtle, a feeling as if a great disaster was imminent, yet it seemed not, and also as if many good things were waiting for him. If one had to describe it, it was like hearing someone say a game had a bad ending and a good ending, but upon seeing the choice divergence, finding both choices looked almost the same, completely unsure which one was the bad one; that kind of feeling.

Perhaps this description was somewhat inaccurate, but Li Lin for the first time felt his omnipotent intuition sometimes didn't work. The subtle sweet and sour feeling and the inexplicable stinging sensation always made him somewhat restless, subconsciously wanting to talk to Exusiai about these problems.

And looking at Li Lin's somewhat agitated appearance, Exusiai tilted her head, waiting for Li Lin's next words.

"It's just, you know, because of previous events, I could always know if the outcome of this matter was good or bad for me, but since yesterday, I found this feeling seems to have become very chaotic. How should I say, I probably still know if it's good or bad, but the choices are becoming increasingly, somewhat strange."

Li Lin frowned, trying to explain his state.

"It seems to have changed from giving me a stable and correct solution to an ambiguous, rather vague judgment. So when Sora asked me to be her fake boyfriend, although I agreed at the time, thinking about it now, my intuition always makes me feel something is wrong. Problems vaguely started when I had the idea yesterday, and now it's even more prominent. I, I find it very difficult to accurately describe what this feeling is, but overall it's just very chaotic…"

"Then do you regret agreeing to her request?"

"No. I will definitely do what I promise people. This is a basic matter of credibility."

"Then there's no problem."

Exusiai looked at the resolute Li Lin and said with a beaming smile:

"There are always some things that have no absolute right or wrong; perhaps your intuition just thinks so? Don't mind it, don't mind it~ As long as you're not deeply caught in some trap, and you're not dead, good things will always come. For Prophet, haven't you already encountered very good things now? Although it felt like you might die, aren't you living well now?"

"…Now that you say that, I suddenly find my confidence in my abilities has been greatly shaken. Can this feeling of mine really become a combat-type skill? Won't it get my own people killed sometime?"

"Hahaha, don't underestimate us too much. Before you came, we also completed missions with a hundred percent success rate, you know?"

Rubbing Li Lin's head, Exusiai said with a grin. And Li Lin finally relaxed.

Just as Exusiai said, matters of emotion can't be judged as right or wrong. After all, when using intuition for judgment, it's often in combat and exploration, so it can give accurate judgments. And things like emotions, there's no right or wrong, so it can't be judged…?

This really is, as they said, a perception manipulation type ability, not wishful thinking huh…

"Can one feel at ease when things come to a head …"

But… this feeling doesn't seem to be just that simple…

Looking at the White Tower of Eden at the other end of the rooftop, Li Lin gazed into the distance, seeming to see something even deeper and more remote in the sky behind the White Tower.

Something more distant was spying on his life; something more enormous was awakening with his actions. Right now, on the open-air balcony, that feeling was particularly strong. As if the theft of yesterday's manuscript had awakened something, entangled and interwoven with Sora's news, confusing into a slippery texture.

Something distant was looking at him, watching him. Just like when he touched those distant feelings in the past. Inexplicable feelings, inexplicable intuition, and an inexplicable sense of entanglement. That stream-like imagery flowed and crawled in his mind, ultimately only resulting in Li Lin's bewildered expression. Because he truly didn't understand what this intuitive imagery was expressing, nor what he could do. They were just watching, until yesterday, when the distance shortened a bit, did he realize.

Is it because of Sora?

I wanted to find a girlfriend, settle down, and as a result, my own thoughts also became muddled?

Ever since coming to this world, after contacting more people, the originally pure world also seemed to have become much more complicated.

But, who cares.

Glancing at the deep sky, Li Lin shook his head, turned around with Exusiai, and walked downstairs.

His problem was temporarily resolved. Although there was no substantial gain, nor did he know what the bewildered entity behind it was, Li Lin felt these might not be bad things. Although they might not be good things either, they were bound to be experienced.

Starting today, I'm also a person with a girlfriend, gotta speak with more confidence!

Li Lin looked at Exusiai's back, clenched his fists, and secretly cheered himself on.