About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

Xingxiong glanced at Chen Huijie's swimsuit. Although it was not conspicuous in Xiostar, as long as it was compared with Chen's usual style and her personality, people who knew her would definitely think that this dress was a bit too "bold". It didn't seem like something Chen would wear, but more like something Shi Huaiya would do.

"I can't help it. Wei Yanwu suddenly threw a job here, and this is the only swimsuit I have. Anyway, this field mission should be completed in a day or two, and I won't run into anyone I know here, so I'll just deal with it casually."

Chen looked down at his swimsuit, then at Xingxiong's kimono beside him.

"This suits you very well, Xingxiong."

"Hmm? Thanks, Lao Chen. I haven't worn a yukata in a while. Come to think of it, I miss my life in the East Country."

The two looked at each other. Although they were looking at each other's swimsuits, they were thinking of the same thing in their minds.

——It’s rare for me to wear a swimsuit like this, what would happen if ‘he’ saw it?

Chen blushed immediately at the thought. He had actually done something as embarrassing as this before, back when he was at Longmen. In order to disguise himself, he had taken advantage of Xingxiong's comment that "Chen Huijie wouldn't dress like this," and even used that outfit to walk around Longmen and Orson.

Although it was perfectly reasonable to wear a swimsuit in Xiosta, and her relationship with that guy had become much closer due to chance and the instigation of a certain white rabbit... but Chen Huijie only thought about it for a moment, and felt even more shy and embarrassed than the last time.

Chen Huijie didn't understand why she felt so awkward, but she thought about it and decided that since Orson wouldn't come back to such a place anyway, it would be better not to think about those useless things.

"Let's put that aside for now, Xingxiong, have you found the suspect along the way?"

Chen Huijie put aside the tangle in his head that was completely unsuitable for him and looked at Xingxiong beside him.

"...Hey, Hoshikuma?"

"Ah, sorry, Lao Chen. I was just thinking about something. Ahaha, what did you say? Suspect, right? I didn't see anything at all."

Xingxiong stood there in a daze, as if he was also thinking about something. After a few seconds, he came to his senses and responded belatedly.

"Haha, so he's not going to show up until the festival, is he? 'Sicilian gang remnants who escaped through Longmen', what on earth are these guys so eager to break the rules for?"

Chen didn't say much about Xingxiong's strange behavior. She took out her cell phone from her shorts and checked the text message from Wei Yanwu, then sighed.

"Don't be so serious, Old Chen. How about just treating it as a vacation specially prepared for us by Commander Wei?"

Xingxiong smiled and patted Chen's shoulder, speaking in an open-minded tone.

"It's vacation time... I don't think I'll encounter anything interesting here."

Chen put the phone back into his pocket, closed his eyes slightly and continued walking forward.

------

On the other side, Orson and Kal'tsit have arrived at the hotel they booked.

Judging from the appearance, this hotel seems to have a leisurely B&B style, and the beach of Xiosta is right next to the hotel, so the scenery is impeccable.

There were many luxury cars parked next to the hotel, some of which Orson couldn't name but were obviously not cheap. There were also many servants and bodyguards around.

"Uh...is this really the place?"

Orson blinked and asked Kel'tsit uncertainly. After all, this place seemed to be the most advanced accommodation in Xiosta, and it didn't seem like a choice that "Medical Girl" Kel'tsit would make.

"This is the residence our contact arranged. If they think we deserve this kind of treatment, then all we have to do is demonstrate our value and professionalism."

Kal'tsit responded indifferently and took the lead to walk into the hotel. Her expression was very calm and composed, and she looked like an upper-class person who had "seen big scenes".

"Haha...something seems a little strange."

Orson, who was following behind, complained softly, then followed Kal'tsit into the hotel.

In fact, Orson's confusion was correct. Although the hotel itself was provided by a partner, the other party listed multiple options at the time. That is to say, this place was chosen by Kal'tsit after careful consideration (referring to secretly asking Warfarin and Amiya Kal'sil which place looked "more suitable for cultivating feelings between people of the opposite sex who are not particularly familiar but not too unfamiliar").

And Kal'tsit's arrangements go far beyond this.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Kelsey. I should have reserved two single rooms."

Kal'tsit walked to the front desk, greeted the waiter, and took out the voucher she had reserved previously.

"Kelsey...Oh, indeed, you reserved two single rooms, on the innermost corridor of the 4th floor."

The lobby manager checked the account book, and Kal'tsit nodded slightly.

Everything was as planned. I had deliberately chosen two relatively quiet houses near the inner side, and Orson's room was on the edge. I could then go to his room under the pretext of "observing the tidal movement of the artificial lake."

Kal'tsit likes the feeling that everything is planned.

"Um... I'm sorry, Ms. Kelsey, actually... how should I put it, one of your rooms has been temporarily requisitioned."

"...?"

Kal'tsit tilted her head, not being able to understand the meaning of her boss's words for a moment.

"So... uh, as you know, Xiosta is overcrowded during the Obsidian Festival. Two regular Fire Officers arrived earlier, and they've taken over one of the rooms... Uh, well! We'll add an extra bed for you and upgrade your services. Could you please accommodate me?"

The lobby manager explained intermittently, but the expression on Kal'tsit's face was as if the system had crashed.

"Well, if we're only staying here for two days, why don't I find somewhere else to stay overnight, Kelsey? Or maybe we can contact that partner again—"

Orson on the side tried to find a solution.

"No... no need. You were 'forced into coming here' in the first place. I won't let you live in a strange place. Anyway... let's go check out the room first."

Kal'tsit shook her head to refuse Orson, and went with him to the originally booked room.

"..."

When she opened the door, Kal'tsit's last fantasy was shattered. The two 'single beds' were pressed tightly together, and a box of "ultra-thin water balloons (?) that can hold a lot of water" was placed thoughtfully on the bedside lamp next to them.

——Isn’t this a huge leap forward from what I originally expected…?

Kelsey was a little numb.

05.Lynx in water

In the room, Orson lay on the edge of the window, with half of his head sticking out of the window, staring straight at the scenery outside.

"The beach is truly beautiful, Dr. Kal'tsit! When I saw the brochure, I thought it was exaggerated, but it really is endless as far as the eye can see! And the beach is truly the legendary white, fine sand. I always thought beaches in places like this would just be the kind of gravel that hurts your feet."

Almost two-thirds of Orson's vision was occupied by the azure "ocean". The ocean was right in front of him, and Orson could even see the waves crashing in with every surge.

Xiosta's self-proclaimed "coastal tourist city-state" seems to be well-deserved. At least in the images observed by Orson, all the people gathered on the beach looked energetic and comfortable.

Some people lie on beach chairs and bask in the sun, some set up stoves and sell barbecue on the beach, some play volleyball in groups of three or five, some swim and surf in the sea, and of course there are many people who do nothing but walk on the beach.

These people have different expressions, but they all reveal a feeling of "relaxed and lazy comfort".

"Even though this isn't a real sea, it doesn't look like a lake at all! And it feels really amazing. Should we go check it out later?"

"Speaking of which, there's a couple on the beach who look a lot like Officer Chen and Sister Gui, hahahaha... uh..."

"..."

Orson, who had been sticking his head out of the window and talking to himself since the beginning, had been trying to find a topic to talk about. But if he was not allowed to tell a crosstalk, even Orson could not come up with a topic to talk about and could only let silence fill the room.

"Um... after all, I'd better leave first—"

"No need, Orson. This is fine. You don't have to leave. This situation is due to my immature planning. From any perspective, I have no reason to let you bear the responsibility."

Orson wanted to leave, but he was interrupted by Kal'tsit's words from behind as soon as he opened his mouth.

The etiquette he had learned made Orson very uncomfortable with this way of talking to people with his back to them, which was like a villain pretending to be cool. However, Orson could not bring himself to look back, so he could only try his best to keep his eyes fixed on the beautiful seaside scenery outside.

The reason why Orson didn't dare to look back was very simple. He was in the same room with Rhodes Island leader Kal'tsit, and the other party told him "I want to change clothes" 5 minutes ago.

—Ah… the sound of the waves can really calm one’s mind…

Although Kal'tsit's movements were very light, Orson could still occasionally hear sounds like clothes being taken off, zippers being unzipped, and buckles being released.

The only thing to be thankful for was the sound of waves and music coming from the seaside, which could calm Orson's mind down.

In fact, Orson was vaguely aware that Kal'tsit and himself were not really "colleagues" as she said, but had another deeper relationship.

But Orson never thought that this emotion could be summed up as "love". Orson always believed that the main source of this emotion was caused by another broken identity in his body - "Doctor".

For Orson, the reason behind Kal'tsit's attention, concern, and unusual behavior towards him is actually that Kal'tsit cannot get along with himself as the "successor of the Doctor".

However... even Orson, in his current situation, had to start thinking that perhaps Kal'tsit's emotions towards him were not as simple as he had originally expected.

——Come to think of it, being in the same room with the opposite sex is actually much less common than you think.

Orson, letting his thoughts wander, noticed one thing: although there were always all kinds of girls around him, he rarely actually "lived together" with anyone.

Putting aside the time when he and the Doctor lived together in the North before he had any memories, the person who had lived with Orson the longest was old man Bozhukas.

In fact, during his guerrilla period, Orson slept almost exclusively with patriots.

At the beginning, Orson would have nightmares every night, and the contents of the nightmares were nothing more than "being squeezed into a ball and thrown out by the red-eyed wendigo", "being tied to a spear and played with by a red-eyed deer-headed man", "being uprooted by a weeping willow by a scary old man", and so on.

However, as time went by, Orson gradually realized that Bozhuocasti was not really a "ghoul". He was just a stupid old antique who was determined to fight against the times and was worried about his daughter.

After that, Orson's sleep quality improved dramatically. After all, he could live under the same roof with the 'Spear of Ursus', so he didn't have to worry about his personal safety even if a natural disaster came.

Of course, when the Patriots realized that their cabbages had overtaken the pigs, Orson's nightmare began again...

The integration movement now no longer has the situation of everyone squeezing into tents as before. Orson also has his own small house on a relatively remote street in Chernobyl.

Putting aside what Bozhukas said on behalf of the old man... well...

Putting aside the experience of sleeping with the deer-headed man (?), Orson realized a problem: if he lived in the same room with a girl, there was a high probability that he would be pressed to the ground/bed/wall by that girl.

"Ugh..."

Orson couldn't help but blush, and his thoughts once again focused on Kal'tsit behind him.

If he didn't find other solutions, then living together with Kal'tsit was a foregone conclusion.

Regarding this...what does Kal'tsit think?

Orson was a little conflicted. He wanted to ask Kal'tsit directly what she thought of him, but he didn't know how to ask this question cleverly.

For this Chimera, Kal'tsit has always been different from others, not only because of the "age" issue (in fact, Orson always felt that Kal'tsit was only like an immortal when she was working. Apart from that, she was still quite "young" in her daily life and the use of funds). It is also as mentioned just now: the relationship between himself and Kal'tsit is also mixed with the existence of "Doctor".

"Um..."

Gradually, the waves and electronic rap could no longer suppress Orson's thoughts, and at this moment, Kal'tsit, who had been almost silent since the beginning, spoke behind him.

"Orson, help me take a look."

Kal'tsit asked Orson to look back, and the latter didn't think much about it. He instinctively thought that Kal'tsit had changed her clothes, so he turned his head to look behind him very naturally - then Orson saw Kal'tsit taking off her usual medical protective suit and wearing a very revealing swimsuit.

The pure white skin, the Originium crystals on the shoulders, the faint muscle outlines on the calves on the back, the short light green hair - all were displayed in front of him without reservation.

“Kaikaikai Kelsey——!?”

Orson was startled and kept blinking to make sure he was not seeing things.

"What do you think? Even I've never been to a place like this before, so you and I have no experience in choosing swimwear. So there's no need to feel pressured. Just offer whatever suggestions you think are reasonable."

Unlike the panicked Orson, Kal'tsit let her hands hang naturally at her sides as usual. She turned around gently, neither covering herself nor being shy, and showed her swimsuit as if asking about a scientific research report, and asked Orson for his opinion.

"Very cute... no, very beautiful. But... I just don't think it matches your usual appearance, Kal'tsit."

Orson shyly expressed the simplest feeling in his heart, and at the same time expressed that in his eyes, Kal'tsit in a swimsuit could not be overlapped with the Rhodes Island leader who was rushing around in the Rhodes Island medical department and rushing between the beds in medical protective clothing.

"This is just a natural preparation, Orson. We need to make appropriate decisions wherever we are. I wouldn't wear pajamas to work in the Rhodes Island Medical Department, and I certainly wouldn't sleep in my white coat in my bedroom. Of course, as I said, this is just a means of 'preparation.' Of course, from a subjective perspective, I hope I won't encounter any situation in this city-state where I need to use this clothing."

"Ahahaha... This feels a lot like the usual Kal'tsit."

Orson smiled wryly and nodded as he listened to Kal'tsit explaining a bunch of definitions.

"Orson, your aesthetic taste is probably above average. If that's the case, then I can assume that this swimsuit's fit is satisfactory, and that's sufficient."

Kal'tsit spoke calmly, not at all like someone who had just been wearing a swimsuit, exposing almost 9% of her body to the other person.

Kal'tsit picked up her coat and put it on again, hiding her swimsuit inside.

"Well, I'm going to go and negotiate with the hotel owner about compensation for the room being forcibly rented. Let's meet in the lobby later."

Kal'tsit put her clothes back on and left the room.

"Oh well."

Orson hadn't recovered from the aftershock of seeing Kal'tsit's swimsuit just now, and just nodded slightly stiffly to show that he received it.

"Click!"

The door of the room was closed by Kal'tsit, but before Orson could unbutton his shirt, the door was immediately pushed open again.

"Kelsey?"

"Get something."

Kal'tsit returned to the room and rushed to the bedside table in two steps. She grabbed the box of "OO condoms" on it and put them in her pocket. Then she left the room at a faster speed.

"Boom!"