Lin Ye finally arrived at the cigarette shop.
At this moment, he can't help but feel gratified after everything that happened.
But when he thought about it carefully, the "hardship" he went through was... his fault. He was the one who had provoked that monster.
Anyway, that's all in the past now. After buying the cigarettes for ACE, he can go back and sleep.
From now on, I'll never go out alone! Screw shopping. Screw the outdoor life. In the end, where otakus belong in the warm bed at home.
Just before he could enter the shop, Lin Ye suddenly hears a familiar voice behind him.
"Bastard, I definitely can't forgive her... She targets me everyday, slandering me, and making faces behind my back as if I wouldn't know. What did I do to offend her? I just want to take over the LPD."
Lin Ye slowly turns around, cautiously adopting a blank expression.
"Nice to see you again, Superintendent Swire."
Swire momentarily paused mid-sentence, before turning to him, "What are you doing here?"
"... Buying cigarettes.", he carefully replied, trying to keep his tone as flat as possible.
Swire notices the shop behind him, giving it a look-over, "This place is very mediocre. I can show you a much better one. Speaking of which, do you smoke?"
Lin Ye shook his head, "No, I don't. I'm buying for a friend."
"Oh? What kind of friend?"
"Uh, just the normal kind.", Lin Ye answered, "He told me to buy from this store."
"Ah, I see." Swire nodded, before suddenly asking, "Did you just have dinner with Ch'en?"
The change of topic was so abrupt that it takes a while for Lin Ye to reply, "Yes..."
"The stall across the street?"
"Yeah... How did you know?"
"It's cheap.", Swire shrugs, "She's way too stingy, and the pork there doesn't even taste that good."
"Really? I don't think that place it's that bad.", Lin Ye says, "I like the buns."
Swire takes a glance around and says, "The crazy dragon is not here. You don't need to butter her up, you know?"
"I'm not lying. I really think that place's food is good."
"Then it must be because you haven't been to a good restaurant yet.", Swire scoffs, "Where are you from? I mean before joining Rhodes Island."
"Chernobog."
"Chernobog? That explains it. You need to go to a high-end restaurant to see the difference."
Normally, when someone says something like that, they'd sound like some rich, arrogant brat, but somehow, the way Swire said it made it sound completely natural. It's like she stated a simple fact of life, that is, that high-end restaurants were superior to dirt-cheap local stalls.
"I see you won't be convinced with words.", Swire shakes her head.
"Huh?"
"A great man once said, true knowledge comes from experience.", Swire suddenly perked up, and she started going through her handbag, "What happened today was an accident. I don't blame you. After all, your intentions were good, and it just so happened that you fought the wrong person. But it's my fault that you had to wait this long to buy cigarettes."
She takes two tickets out of her bag, "Here are two VIP tickets for a play. Think of them as my compensation to you, okay?"
"Uh, there's no need for that," Lin Ye shakes his head, "and you don't need to apologize to me. I was responsible too. Plus, I don't have anyone to watch the play with. All my colleagues are busy."
"Huh?", Swire tilts her head, "Why would you want to watch this kind of drama with a colleague? Shouldn't you be watching it with a girlfriend?"
"I don't have a girlfriend..."
Rather than having the time for romantic interests, Lin Ye was busy just staying alive, and with his luck, who'd want him as their boyfriend?
"What? You seem to be in your twenties. Why don't you have a girlfriend?"
Swire watches Lin Ye's expression change and chuckles. She says, "Alright. Alright. I was joking. Anyway, you don't seem rigid, so..." She takes a ticket back. "Then I will just give you one."
No... I-I can sell that one...
Lin Ye purses his lips slightly, "I guess I will go alone then."
"Who said you would have to watch it alone.", Swire rolls her eyes. She pats her chest, as if she was doing him a big favor, "I, superintendent Swire, shall accompany you."
"Huh?" Lin Ye is stunned, "Why would you do that?"
"Why? Why would you ask? There are so many reasons. For one, I still want to apologize to you." Swire stuffs the remaining ticket in his hand. She says, "And I also want to thank you for not filing that complaint today. In fact, if you had, I would be in big trouble right now."
Lin Ye is a bit dumbfounded, "You really don't need to worry about what happened today. It was just a trivial matter."
Swire continues, ignoring his words completely, "After the play, let's get some coffee together. It'd be my treat, of course. In return, when you meet Ch'en again, you must tell her where I invited you to for dinner. I need that old woman to understand that treating her guest to a high-end restaurant is the simplest of basic etiquette.", she ended with a bit of a haughty tone.
"..." Lin Ye says, "I still don't understand why you're doing this."
Swire crosses her arms and begins tapping her foot in annoyance, "If you keep asking, I will beat you up. You really should just treasure this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
After saying that, Swire turns around and leaves, but before disappearing from his sight, Swire shouts back, "Use my name when you buy the cigarettes. You'll get a discount that way."
"Why?"
She shrugs, "Dumbass. My family owns that mall."
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
When he's finally back in his dorm, Lin Ye found ACE reading next to the window.
ACE turns around to greet him, "That took a while. Did you really miss Lungmen that much?"
Lin Ye sighs, as he takes off his outerwear, "Lungmen? I don't know about that, but the LGD certainly missed me."
"Oh?" ACE raises his eyebrows, "What do you mean?"
"I don't know where to start but let me give you this first."
ACE receives a pack of cigarettes from Lin Ye, noticing it looks different from what he asked for.
He asks, "Why this brand? If I'm right, it's not cheap."
Lin Ye gives him the leftover LMD.
"You didn't use all the money? What..." He opens the cigarette pack and sniffs it, "It's not fake either."
"Of course, it's not fake. I bought it from the store you told me." Lin Ye says, "It's just that the boss gave me a discount."
"That's bull. Did the boss's daughter fall for you or what?" ACE grins.
"I wish, but no, it was the daughter of the mall's owner."
Then, Lin Ye tells ACE what happened.
ACE laughs, "Great job!" He gives Lin Ye thumbs up, unironically. "You're probably the only man in Rhodes Island that can do this."
"Really? Even after I got my ass kicked and arrested?"
"But you also got something good in return, didn't you?" ACE smiles.
"Ugh," Lin Ye scratches his chin in contemplation, "It feels more like misfortune."
"Boy, you really don't know a blessing, even when it hits you in the face."
"So, are you going to go with her?" ACE asks.
"I don't know. Can I even refuse at this point?"
ACE bursts out laughing.
"I will leave that to you," He says, "but before that, you need to do your job first. Someone is waiting for you."
Lin Ye pauses, "Who?"
But before ACE could answer him, they heard someone begin banging on the door.
"Lin Ye! Lin Ye! Is Lin Ye back yet!?"
That's Ifrit's voice.
Shit...
{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}
Draft by Mihjaqtio
Proofread by Demosama PanzerComrade56
