Capítulo 87: Chapter 87: The Obsession with Black Coffee
Lin Lan sat behind his office desk, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead as he stared at the silver-haired girl in a white Iron Blood uniform with a frosty expression.
He shot a harsh glare at Magdeburg, who was standing nearby.
Magdeburg, unfazed, shrugged innocently and made a silly face.
This carefree Magdeburg had somehow been caught red-handed by Mainz while making coffee.
Despite Lin Lan's specific reminder to avoid Mainz, she still got caught.
"So, Commander, why do you need sugar and milk in your coffee? Can you really stomach such soulless coffee?"
Mainz held up Magdeburg's "tools of the crime": an unopened carton of milk and a few sugar cubes.
She stood in front of Lin Lan's desk, scrutinizing him.
"Mainz, it's just that we've been drinking plain black coffee so often lately that today I wanted to try a different flavor," Lin Lan quickly came up with an excuse.
"What? You actually want to try a different flavor…"
To Lin Lan's surprise, Mainz reacted as if she had heard something unbelievable.
She trembled, covered her mouth, and took a few steps back.
Her beautiful, vibrant indigo eyes seemed to shrink and blink as if in the face of a thunderclap revelation.
No way, this can't be happening!
Seeing Mainz's soul-shocked, life-questioning expression, Lin Lan immediately stood up and shook Mainz's shoulders.
"Mainz, even if we drink other flavors, it's still mainly black coffee, which means we can't forget the taste of black coffee!"
His words seemed to have no effect on Mainz. She remained in a daze, weakly shaking as Lin Lan continued.
"Commander, I suggest you just drink a cup of black coffee in front of her. It seems like no matter what you say, she's not going to listen…"
Magdeburg offered the suggestion, and Lin Lan quickly followed her advice.
He took the black coffee from Mainz and, in front of her, made two cups of hot black coffee, which he then drank with Magdeburg.
Seeing this, Mainz's expression finally showed a hint of her soul returning to its place.
"C-Commander… I-I'm so cold…"
The usually stern and aloof silver-haired light cruiser girl now had a flush of red on her pale, handsome face.
Mainz's incredibly delicate "Commander" made Lin Lan almost melt from the cuteness.
But when he saw Mainz collapsing, as if all her strength had been drained, Lin Lan hurriedly supported her soft body.
Staring at the silver-haired girl leaning against him, Lin Lan's mind was a complete mess.
What was going on? How could drinking a different flavor of coffee have such a huge impact on Mainz?
"Although I haven't read much, I heard that big sister Bismarck mentioned this kind of situation before."
At this moment, Magdeburg played the role of a secretary, helping Lin Lan support Mainz onto the sofa while explaining:
"It seems that when research ships are born, they often have some mental flaws. Mainz's obsession with black coffee might be related to this."
Hearing Magdeburg's words, Lin Lan began to carefully think and recall the personalities of other research ships.
It seemed… that research ships did indeed have such mental issues to varying degrees.
However, some research ships gradually overcome or hide these issues over time.
While others exhibit them quite obviously.
Lin Lan turned his gaze to Mainz's weak face lying on the sofa.
"We'll definitely stick to drinking black coffee from now on, so don't worry, Mainz."
Lin Lan sat beside Mainz, resting her forehead on his lap.
"Commander… I-I actually know that forcing others to drink black coffee isn't good, but I just can't control myself. What should I do…"
To Lin Lan's surprise, Mainz seemed to be aware that her personality might cause inconvenience to others.
Lin Lan gently lifted his hand and stroked her smooth silver hair.
"There's no need to worry about it, Mainz. Black coffee is really good, and everyone actually likes it."
Lin Lan tried to comfort her in the gentlest tone he could muster.
At this moment, Magdeburg interjected with a comment:
"Except for the small ones like Deutschland and U-Boat, that is."
If you don't speak, people won't think you're mute.
After giving Magdeburg a sharp look, Lin Lan continued speaking to Mainz in a tone as if coaxing a child:
"But, I'm not sure if I'm right. I noticed that you seem to use the excuse of making others drink black coffee to get closer to them. Is that right?"
Mainz, resting on his lap, shivered slightly.
Lin Lan knew he was right.
This usually meticulous light cruiser girl was probably a problem child in social interactions.
It is well known that historical warships, after becoming ship girls, retain some aspects of their real-life personalities.
Moreover, the process from building a warship to its deployment is long.
Therefore, ship girls with historical origins usually have mature minds by the time they join the port.
Research ships, on the other hand, did not exist in history; they are completely theoretical creations brought to reality by players.
When they were born into this world, their experiences were like a blank sheet of paper.
Although research ships can quickly adapt to their roles and combat, each has a different personality.
Compared to other ship girls, research ships often have more noticeable emotional flaws in their personalities.
This might be the key reason for Mainz's current distress.
"Mainz, including myself, you can naturally invite everyone to drink coffee together. Don't be afraid that others won't like your favorite black coffee because everyone's tastes vary."
As Lin Lan spoke, he saw Magdeburg about to interject again and shot her a sharp look to silence her.
"C-Commander, but if everyone doesn't like the same thing, won't there be disputes when we're together…"
Mainz listened to Lin Lan's words.
At this moment, the cold and rigorous silver-haired light cruiser girl looked up at Lin Lan's face, much like a naive little girl, asking:
"No, because there are many ways to enjoy the same thing that people like."
Lin Lan, like an enlightening teacher, explained patiently to Mainz:
"For example, with black coffee, some people like to drink it straight, just as you do, to taste its pure essence."
"And some people might prefer to add sugar or milk. Although the flavor changes, it's still black coffee."
"So, among a thousand people, there might be a thousand ways to drink black coffee. And they can all sit together and enjoy it without fighting over these differences, right?"
Upon hearing Lin Lan's patient explanation, Mainz's eyes widened.
Seeing Mainz's expression, Lin Lan was also quite nervous.
After all, he wasn't a professional psychologist; he was just sharing his own perspective.
Whether or not he could help Mainz overcome this mental block, he wasn't sure himself.
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