Two Clashes

Deep within, the emerald green of the jet-black pupils met the deep blue of the eyes.

The man just stared at the girl silently.

The girl's fingers covered his cheek, her skin as smooth as milk flowing down it.

She withdrew her fingers, and the warm touch disappeared from her cheek.

"... You changed your clothes." Lin quickly noticed that the girl's clothes had changed, and he was quite satisfied that she listened to him.

For many new recruits, the first hurdle to overcome is actually obeying orders. Take Kevin, for example; when Kosma disobeyed orders, he sternly disciplined Kosma until he cried. While the rule of wearing uniforms has no practical significance, it's precisely the method used in the military to maintain a unified appearance, cultivate a sense of collectivism, and instill obedience.

The girl's light, delicate voice rang out. "Time to get up, Lin."

"..."

Although the scene looked beautiful, Lin actually felt that the situation was very strange.

The reason why they ended up sleeping in the same bed goes back to when they met yesterday and hit it off immediately.

"Marriage? You?"

"I."

From the moment Lin saw the girl, he had already scrutinized her entire body; based on his first impression...

Is this guy really a soldier...?

The female soldiers of the Fire Moths mostly possess figures even more beautiful than models, with every inch of muscle firm and elastic, showcasing the beauty of their bodies and muscles to the extreme, like medieval statues.

Lin felt that Elysia was a good example. She was thin where she should be thin and plump where she should be plump. Her skin, which was taut with clothing, was moist and elastic, and she had the physique of a standard female warrior.

But when it comes to the figure of a young girl, Lin's first thought is of Mobius.

Mobius is completely different from Elysia. Elysia may be heavier, but Mobius has the classic slightly chubby figure of a scientific researcher.

She was very careful about her appearance and tried her best not to attract attention. However, Lin only needed to glance at her to see the excess fat on her lower abdomen and thighs. It wasn't much, but it was definitely there.

This doesn't mean the girl is also slightly chubby, but rather that her figure is not that of a warrior. You can't see any signs of training at all. The abs that Elysia has developed are completely invisible on this child's flat stomach.

"... Forget it." Lin wasn't interested in this kind of plot driven by a head full of hot blood.

Just as he was about to leave, the girl suddenly reached out and grabbed his sleeves.

"..."

"..."

As the air seemed to freeze, Lin's gaze turned cold.

What exactly do you want to do?

"I can do anything, marry me." The girl gave another stiff smile.

"You don't need to lower yourself to please me." Lin casually broke free from her arm and said coldly, "Marriage is based on equality. If you really want to marry someone else in the future, you should face yourself and others squarely."

Having said that, Lin simply walked away from her; marriage really can't be rushed...

"Tap, tap, tap..."

He stopped walking, and the sound stopped.

He took a step, and the sound rang out.

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Lin then spent the afternoon at the gym, while the girl watched him work out. They didn't exchange a single word the entire time.

When Lin finished exercising and was about to go back, the girl got up and followed him.

"...marry?"

"Um."

Lin didn't know what to say. This was the first time he had encountered someone more difficult than Elysia. Even Elysia would at least be shy, but the girl seemed to have no sense of shame at all. Even after Lin had clearly refused, she still followed him around non-stop.

Therefore, Lin decided to use another method.

"Marriage requires shared interests, personality traits, and a resonance of feelings between the two people. When I was exercising, you were just spacing out, which means our interests don't match."

"You can... teach me."

"..."

"I want to marry you simply because I want to find the answer to a question, and you feel the same way, right? I can feel it; we are kindred spirits."

This surprised Lin somewhat.

The young woman seemed to see right through him and directly revealed the truth behind his marriage proposal.

"We can give it a try." The girl nodded.

"... Try it, what is it?"

"It's just to try out a simulated wedding scene."

Lin pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, "Marriage... what does that involve?"

"..."

The two of them fell silent at the same time, quite suddenly.

Oh right, what exactly do you do when you get married?

Upon closer reflection, marriage is a legally binding relationship, and Lin's definition of marriage is exactly that: to have children after marriage. But what else is there besides that?

"I think we can start by sharing a bed," the girl suggested.

"Sleeping in the same bed?"

"Yes, sharing a bed is probably the most direct manifestation of marriage."

"... Then let's give it a try."

And so, inexplicably, the two began their simulated marriage.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Two Encounters

"Do you feel anything when you sleep?"

The girl asked Lin, who was now dressed.

"... No." Lin didn't feel that sleeping in the same bed had any real sense of "marriage." He and Kevin used to sleep in the same bed all the time.

Upon hearing this, the girl tapped her chin, seemingly deep in thought, her ethereal eyes lingering on Lin.

After a while, she asked, "How about we try eating and exercising together?"

Eating and exercising...

Clearly, the girl cared a lot about what Lin had said yesterday about having similar interests. Since that's the case, why not start cultivating the same hobbies together from today, as well as exercising, eating, and sleeping together... This must be what marriage is all about, right?

"Then let's go exercise first."

"...who is she?"

Even though Mei said Lin hadn't changed, Kevin still couldn't figure out what Lin was really thinking now.

Kevin found it even more incomprehensible to Lin when he brought the girl into the Second Gym.

"MSA-970," Lin introduced, and the girl looked at Kevin with a calm expression.

"... I asked for the name."

"Have no idea."

"... You met by chance on the road?"

"No, I brought her with me."

Kevin carefully examined the girl and finally came to the same conclusion as Lin—the girl could not possibly be a soldier.

Lin brought her to this Second Gym, which is basically only frequented by him and Kevin, without even knowing her name?

"..."

Well, Kevin didn't want to interfere in Lin's private affairs, and he ultimately followed Mei's advice—it's best not to interfere too much with Lin now.

Anyway, the gym is so big that there's plenty of room for three people to use the facilities freely.

"Kevin, wanna spar?"

Lin casually picked up a wooden sword. His swordsmanship improved rapidly under Ying's guidance. Even Ying exclaimed that if he had been born into a family of swordsmen and trained in swordsmanship from a young age, he would have become a great swordsman who would be remembered in history. His swordsmanship talent was even higher than hers.

Kevin also picked up the wooden sword. He didn't say anything, but the meaning behind raising the sword was clear.

"Bang!"

The battle began with sonic booms from the swinging of wooden swords and the collision of the two sides.

Lin and Kevin's fighting style is different from Lin and Sakura's. Their fighting styles have been developed and formed independently in actual combat, which is completely different from Sakura's fighting style which is based on swordsmanship. Therefore, what they are competing in is not skill, but speed and strength.

To outsiders, the two men's movements were no longer visible to the naked eye, and they appeared to be evenly matched. But in reality, Lin was already feeling the strain.

While not fully recovered is one aspect, Lin knows that even at his peak, without external assistance, he can't match Kevin's speed and is only slightly behind Sakura.

At this point, Lin knew that he couldn't beat Kevin without resorting to tricks, so he began to demonstrate the sword skills he had learned from Sakura.

"Bang! Sizzle—"

As Kevin unleashed a powerful, sweeping slash from directly above Lin's head, Lin suddenly shifted his stance, narrowly avoiding a direct clash with his wooden sword. Lin then launched a cunning thrust towards Kevin's abdomen.

However, Kevin's reaction speed was terrifying. His hand muscles reacted instinctively, causing him to retract the knife and instead deliver a horizontal slash towards Lin Kongmen's open waist.

Unexpectedly, Lin's thrust didn't hit Kevin at all. He suddenly raised his right hand and met Kevin's horizontal slash with his wooden sword. The moment the two wooden swords clashed, he twisted the wooden sword and then stabbed it into the ground. Kevin's wooden sword was unable to be held and slipped out of his hand.

Kevin was not panicked by losing his weapon. Going to retrieve it now would only lead him into Lin's trap, and even empty-handed, Kevin had no fear.

Lin then released his wooden sword and thrust his jab straight at Kevin's face.

"Bang! Bang!"

After sparring in a different format, Kevin realized that even though he was stronger and faster than Lin, he was always being overwhelmed by Lin, and he understood his disadvantage in terms of technique.

Finally, Lin ended the sparring session with a step-back counter-punch.

"Bang!"

Kevin had taken a solid punch, stood up as if nothing had happened. He didn't say anything, silently picked up a towel, wiped his sweat, and left.

Lin closed his eyes, seemingly unaware of Kevin's departure, as he recalled their long-awaited confrontation.

But this moment of tranquility did not last long before it was broken.

"Lin, let's spar."

The girl waved the wooden sword in her hand, her clumsy grip leaving Lin speechless.

"Can you fight?" Lin asked, voicing the biggest question he had ever had since meeting the girl.

Lin had considered that the girl might be a new researcher, but although she admitted to being a soldier, she didn't act like one at all.

The girl answered honestly, "A little."

"..."

Lin assumed a stance with some skepticism, but the next second, his usually calm pupils shrank.

"Bang—"

The violent impact made his hand go numb. Lin took a half step back and bent over to dodge the wooden sword, which was still powerful even after it had knocked his sword away.

The girl's strength and speed far exceeded his expectations.

He was forced to be on his toes and engage in a duel with the girl. As for the girl's sword swing trajectory, it was indeed simple and clear to a certain extent. You only needed to observe it once to guess the direction of the next swing.

With that speed and power, even a simple swing of the knife would be difficult for Lin to dodge.

Was it because he had used up too much energy fighting Kevin? He found himself completely unable to keep up with the girl's speed and could only defend himself.

And whether it was Lin's imagination or not, he noticed that... the girl was imitating him and Kevin.

What started as random, chaotic swinging has gradually become more precise, showing rapid progress.

However, Lin still managed to win.