Annie was a little surprised to learn that the mayor of this little town called the "Iron Nest" wasn't some greasy or mean-looking middle-aged man, nor a pretty, dashing auntie or big sister. Instead, she was an elderly, kindly, easygoing woman?
Like Uncle Li Kui, she had the surname Li. She seemed to be the clan matriarch here, and a respected elder to all the Li natives in town?
Of course, none of that was important!
What mattered was that the woman was very nice to Annie. She didn't ask too many questions when they met, and soon after, she invited Annie to a lavish meal. Once they'd eaten their fill, she wasted no time in offering to take Annie to the hangar she'd been dreaming about, to see the mech their "Iron Nest" town had spent years putting together?
And yet...
"??"
-
(゜-゜)
Annie had just arrived with the old woman at some spot along the passageway and gotten out of the vehicle. Before she'd even seen where the mech was, she spotted a black-haired, red-eyed young woman in a tight, pressure-resistant flight suit storming toward them from farther down the passageway.
"Ahem—"
Seeing this, their chaperone, Li Kui, let out a sigh. He glanced at the old mayor, then leaned close to Annie's ear and quietly explained:
"Look!"
"Trouble's here..."
"She's one of the pilots we've trained over the past few years here at the Iron Nest. She's also the mayor's biological granddaughter, my niece, Li Boli..."
"She's the most talented mech pilot in the Iron Nest. No contest!"
"The mech you're here to see today was originally meant for her..."
Having said that, Li Kui waved to Li Boli from a distance. She responded with an eye roll, and he just smiled and fell silent.
It