Sakura: Do You... Like My Ears?

The dangerous snake eyes narrowed slightly. In the end, Mobius seemed to sigh in amusement, casually waving a hand and clearing the way for him.

"Go find your little girlfriend~ Of course~ when you see her, don't be too shocked, okay~"

"And... let's look forward to it together~ Your surgery, White Rat~ After all... I specifically requested to be your chief surgeon~ Hehe~"

"..."

Xi Wang ignored her. He had neither the time nor the inclination to correct her description of his relationship with Sakura, simply quickening his pace as he entered the laboratory area ahead.

Sakura: Do You Like... the Ears?

"Your physical abilities have clearly improved. You're weaker than Kevin and Elysia, but stronger than the doctor... Your overall strength hasn't increased much, but your mobility has improved significantly. It suits you well, Miss Sakura."

Klein spoke as she recorded Sakura's physical condition.

"Are you getting used to the new weapon? Miss Vill-V said that although this blade largely retained Ice Lotus Sky's design, it is still an entirely new weapon."

"Very much so. Rather, it feels exceptionally natural in my hands. As expected of Miss Vill-V."

Sakura held the translucent katana, thin as ice, and lightly spun it through a flourish. The cold blade condensed several tiny ice blossoms from the surrounding air. Just as they were about to fall, the faint breeze stirred up by the flourish sent them drifting upward again. Only when Sakura sheathed the blade did those delicate ice blossoms gently fall, quickly melting into tiny patches of water.

"That's good... As for the side effects on your body... do you feel any impact on your movements?"

"Not really. My hearing is simply sharper. It feels like... I've grown an extra pair of ears?"

"Will there be any adverse effects? For example, receiving too many sounds at once?"

"Not for now."

"Alright, then today's testing will end here. We'll test the other aspects tomorrow... Once everything is complete, you may need to carry out some missions."

"I understand... Hmm?"

Sakura nodded. The long, slender ears that had grown from the side effects of the surgery suddenly perked straight up, and her entire body stiffened slightly.

Clearly, she had heard a familiar set of footsteps and already knew who had arrived.

"Ah... Mr. Wang, you're here."

Klein turned slightly and saw Xi Wang approaching. Her voice was as sleepy as ever.

She always seemed like she had not slept well. Was her workload really that heavy? Mobius had been doing much better than her... Oh, Mobius was a Fusion Warrior now. The two could not be compared.

"Please rest assured. Miss Sakura is in good condition, and her integration with the Hypervariable Factor has gone smoothly."

Even Klein had heard of the peculiar relationship between the two, so she spoke first.

"Today's tests have also been completed. The remaining tests will have to wait until tomorrow... Once Miss Sakura's detailed results are out, she should be assigned new duties. Perhaps the two of you will get to work together again."

As she spoke, Klein gathered up the materials around her, held them in her arms, and slowly headed out. Before leaving, she added one last remark.

"The experimental area will be unused for a while... As long as you don't stay too long, it doesn't matter."

"...Mm."

Xi Wang nodded to show he understood. Klein nodded in turn and left with the materials, leaving the two of them alone.

Very soon, only Xi Wang and Sakura remained.

"..." x2

It was a familiar sort of silence, one that left both of them feeling a little unaccustomed.

Sakura stood with her back to Xi Wang, her body stiff, yet she did not turn around to face him.

Xi Wang looked at Sakura and could sense the changes in her overall bearing... She had become more dangerous, but that meant nothing to him. His gaze rested only on the pair of long, slender ears atop her head.

"...Let's sit for a while."

"Alright."

In the end, Sakura spoke first, pointing toward the seats against the wall. Xi Wang readily agreed.

"..." x2

Yet after sitting down, the two once again fell silent.

Sakura opened her mouth several times, seemingly wanting to say something, yet not knowing how to begin.

Xi Wang, meanwhile, waited for Sakura to explain the situation to him.

"...At this point, I don't care about anything else."

Perhaps because he understood Sakura's personality too well, or perhaps because he did not want her to agonize over it, Xi Wang spoke.

"I only want to know whether this was ordered from above."

Just like the list he had been placed on—although it was said to be "based on voluntary participation," how many of them had truly volunteered in the end?

...At least, he had not. He had received the assignment to participate in the Fusion Warrior Project and undergo surgery, only then filling out the Fusion Warrior Project application that was theoretically supposed to be voluntary.

So... had Sakura been in the same situation?

"...Yes."

Xi Wang's hand tightened involuntarily.

"...Not exactly."

Sakura paused for a moment before saying that.

"Wang, you should know what we are facing now... To be honest, the injuries you suffered last time had us worried for a long time."

"We need more strength, stronger combat power. Even if it means drawing power from our former enemies, even if it means turning ourselves into non-humans, we must do this. Because only then can we protect more people, only then can we... protect those we cherish."

"We have to do this."

That was what she said.

"...So you volunteered to participate, right?"

"Yes."

"...I understand."

Xi Wang understood what Sakura meant, and he understood why she had undergone the surgery.

She had simply... been persuaded.

"..."

Xi Wang closed his eyes and adjusted his breathing.

Perhaps they had also woven Ling into their rhetoric... No, they had definitely mentioned Ling. That was why Sakura had agreed so readily.

That was right... Only by following their wishes, becoming a sharp blade, becoming a so-called non-human, becoming a Fusion Warrior who protected humanity, could they protect the people they cherished.

They... had to do this.

Yet his hands clenched of their own accord, as though he wanted to drive his nails into his flesh.

"Wang... don't worry."

A hand as smooth as congealed cream gently covered his. Sakura spoke softly.

"I survived, didn't I?"

"Whether it's for Ling, or for... for..."

At that point, Sakura grew embarrassed again. A blush rose to her face, matching her sakura-colored long hair.

But she simply could not bring herself to continue... It seemed that even after all this time, Sakura had made no progress at all in this regard~

"Mm... I know."

Xi Wang nodded and answered her... Yet within his night-sky-like eyes, that trace of gold seemed to expand slightly.

...Meanwhile, several people hidden within the laboratory watched the two through one-way soundproof glass...

"Ah! Sakura, go for it! Hurry up and go for it! If you go for it, you win!"

Danzhu waved her long sleeves and kept shouting at someone beyond the glass... Unfortunately, without pressing the communication button, her voice could not carry through.

"Sigh... Sakura, why are you so hopeless?"

Seeing that Sakura still had not said the most crucial words in the end, Danzhu spoke in exasperation.

"What a pair of awkward old ladies, and they're my colleagues too. This is so embarrassing..."

Danzhu rubbed her head in frustration, turning her neatly arranged hair into a mess.

Why was it so hard to get these two awkward fools to say what they felt? Were they allergic to romance or something? Were they really just going to hover at the boundary without crossing it?

What? Were they playing some kind of romance mind game too? They did not look like the type?!

Click, click—

"Wait... Cang Xuan, what are you doing?"

"Taking pictures. Can't you see?"

Cang Xuan held a camera she had somehow found and frantically snapped photos of the two people on the other side of the one-way glass.

"I remember there was a chocolate product before. These photos might come in handy. Maybe we can get some advertising money out of them..."

"If Xi Wang finds out, he'll beat you up, won't he? Besides, would they really use them?!"

"It's fine. As long as I act a little pitiful, Xi Wang won't mind... And if that doesn't work, I'll sell them to the Xi Wang Sakura Fan Club. They love collecting this kind of thing, and I can at least earn enough for a few cups of milk tea."

"Why is there such a weird fan club?!"

"What? You can ship the couple, but other people can't?"

"No, I mean, make me a few copies."

"Excellent. Ten yuan per photo."

"You're charging your own sister?!"

"Even sisters settle accounts clearly. I'd charge twenty if it were someone else!"

"You two, aren't you a little too free?"

Mobius's voice drifted over, interrupting their quarrel.

"Instead of wasting your time on such pointless things, why not help Klein process the data?"