C18 A Date Being Held on both Sides at the Same Time

The school was closed the next day, which made sense—no school would expect its students to attend classes amid rubble.

Lin Mu, as expected, slept in until ten in the morning. He sat up, stretched with a yawn, and glanced out the window, a part of his morning routine. The sun beamed down from a cloudless sky—a beautiful day. Yet, Lin Mu's spirits dipped when he noticed that Shido's room across the way was empty. He felt a growing sense of estrangement from Itsuka Shido and his sister Itsuka Kotori over the past couple of days.

With a sigh, Lin Mu got up, freshened up, and headed out for breakfast. Without realizing it, he found himself back at the familiar coffee shop on the street corner. He didn't have any particular cravings, so he decided to enjoy a cup of coffee there to pass the time.

For the second time, Lin Mu entered the café and ordered a Blue Mountain coffee, just as he had before.

Lin Mu leisurely sipped his coffee while gazing at the dark blue system panel in front of him, reminiscent of a holographic projection. He watched silently as the favorability rating of the elf known as "Princess" towards Shido climbed from 88 to 95. Meanwhile, her favorability towards Lin Mu remained stagnant at a mere 4.

By the time he finished his coffee, it was already noon. Observing the hustle and bustle outside the window, Lin Mu was struck by a profound sense of unreality. He began to question whether the concepts of transmigration, Dimensional Main City, and arriving in another world were nothing more than figments of his imagination...

"Ah la, ah la, so Lord Lin Mu is hiding here~"

The sound of a familiar, alluring voice snapped Lin Mu out of his reverie. He turned to see the girl who had appeared beside him unexpectedly.

She was dressed in the same black gothic dress as when they first met, her long skirt conservatively covering her calves. Her silky black hair was styled into twin braids resting on her chest, with a side-swept bang partially covering her left eye, leaving only her gem-like crimson right eye visible.

Caught off guard by her stunning, almost surreal beauty, Lin Mu momentarily lost himself. Then, almost instinctively, he reached out and gently grasped Kurumi's delicate, pale hand. It was warm and silky to the touch...

Hmm, it looks like it wasn't just my imagination...

"Lord Lin Mu, you're quite daring, aren't you?" Kurumi's crimson eyes narrowed as she gave Lin Mu a somewhat dangerous look. Luckily, he released her shortly after.

This time, Lin Mu wasn't scared by Kurumi's presence. Given the circumstances, he was immensely relieved that she had shown up when she did. In fact, over the past few days, Lin Mu had come to realize that Kurumi's words during their first encounter were likely meant to intimidate him...

Ignoring Kurumi's earlier comment, Lin Mu slumped onto the sofa and turned to her with a thankful smile. "Thanks, Kurumi."

Kurumi, puzzled by Lin Mu's cryptic words, cocked her head and tapped her chin thoughtfully, her expression adorably curious. "Hmm, Lord Lin Mu is acting quite odd today."

Lin Mu chuckled, then shook his head. "Maybe it's because I've reaffirmed the reason for my existence..."

Something seemed to click for Kurumi, and she beamed with joy for Lin Mu. "Is that so? Well, I'm glad I could be of help to you, Lord Lin Mu."

Lin Mu gave a silent laugh and glanced at the display on the panel before him: Nightmare (Nightmare) Favorability with Apostle 10086: 1

"Whatever you're thinking, I'll choose to believe it's genuine."

"..."

"I feel like going for a walk. How about you? Any plans coming up?" Lin Mu stretched lazily and stood up, addressing Kurumi as one would a familiar friend.

Kurumi bit her lip slightly. "I'm free for the rest of the day. What do you think? Care to invite me on a date?"

Lin Mu blinked, then, as if a realization dawned on him, he sighed and spoke in resignation, "Ah, well, even if I didn't invite you, you'd probably shadow me discreetly anyway..."

Kurumi's lips curled into an enigmatic smile. "Lord Lin Mu is quite astute... So, what will it be? The company of a beautiful girl, or the secret surveillance of the Nightmare?"

Lin Mu's mouth twitched. "Normally, one would choose the former..."

"Oh? So, is Lord Lin Mu a normal person?"

"I suppose that's one way to look at it..."

"So, Lord Lin Mu, are you asking me out on a date?"

... "It's hardly an honor..."

...

At the same time, Itsuka Shido, with the enthusiastic support of the Flaxis team and the Lord Elf now named "Tohka," was having a blast in the snack street bustling with Flaxis folks. The focus shifts back to Lin Mu...

Strolling through the city streets on a spring afternoon always had a way of lifting spirits. Cherry blossoms fluttered down before his eyes, while thick white clouds roamed the sky. The faces of passersby were adorned with smiles. Even Lin Mu, who had felt down earlier, found his gloominess had vanished.

Kurumi, walking alongside Lin Mu, was all smiles, clearly in high spirits.

As they walked, Lin Mu came to a halt in front of a grand venue. He gazed at the words "Shooting Club" emblazoned on the building, his mind wandering far away.

"Ah, does Lord Lin Mu have an interest in firearms?" Kurumi inquired, noticing Lin Mu's abrupt pause and intent gaze at the shooting range she had once visited.

Kurumi's voice snapped Lin Mu back to reality. He gave a slight nod and, without looking back, remarked, "I suppose most guys have a fascination with guns..."

"That makes sense. So, how about we go in and try it out?"

Kurumi's proposal left Lin Mu torn. He remembered his vow upon leaving "that place": "As long as I exist in this world, I shall never again touch those things!"

...

Just as Lin Mu had once declared, if he were still in his own world, he would have flatly rejected the offer. But the crux of the matter was... he had crossed over! He was no longer in his original world!

"So... this wouldn't count as breaking my word, right..." Lin Mu murmured to himself before turning to Kurumi and suggesting, "Shall we... give it a shot?"

...

Inside the shooting club.

Lin Mu picked up a Glock 18, a model he was well-acquainted with, and memories from deep within him began to stir.

"The weapon you're holding is the Glock 18, designed by Austria's Glock company."

"You can choose between fully automatic or single-shot firing modes. It uses 9-millimeter Parabellum rounds, with an overall length of 223 millimeters and a muzzle velocity of 370 meters per second..."

Lin Mu had always believed the knowledge etched into his very marrow, which he had buried deep within his heart, would never resurface in his lifetime. Yet, inevitably, as he gripped the gun once more, those memories surged forth like a tidal wave.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A slight smile curled the corners of Lin Mu's mouth. The habitual languor in his gaze had vanished, supplanted by an intense self-assurance and an unyielding conviction.

In that moment, he squeezed off four consecutive shots. Each bullet struck the moving targets at the shooting range with impeccable precision, a testament that his demeanor was neither posturing nor pretense.

Kurumi, who had been silently observing Lin Mu's marksmanship, wore a look of astonishment.

"It seems there are still many secrets hidden within Lord Lin Mu..."