Tashigi, What Exactly Is Wrong with You?

Time passed in the blink of an eye, and three short months quietly slipped away. Smoker stared at Tashigi, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny. Over the past three months, he had noticed that Tashigi had been taking leave frequently. Especially over the last half month, even when she was at her post, her mind was clearly elsewhere, and she often drifted off.

Unable to suppress his doubts any longer, Smoker asked, "Tashigi, what exactly is wrong with you?" Normally, as long as it did not affect work, he would not interfere too much in his subordinates' private lives. But the current situation had clearly exceeded the limits of his tolerance.

Hearing Smoker's question, Tashigi merely shook her head lightly and replied, "It's nothing, Colonel Smoker." However, her answer did not convince Smoker, and his eyelid twitched slightly.

"Nothing?" There was a trace of displeasure in Smoker's voice. He did not believe Tashigi's words. His eyes were not blind, so how could he fail to notice that something was wrong with her? He immediately pressed on, "What exactly happened that has left you so distracted?"

However, the instant those words left his mouth, Smoker suddenly recalled some rumors that had been circulating around the base lately. Some people said that Tashigi had been dating a man. Could those rumors actually be true?

Dating? This sudden question left Smoker somewhat confused. He had been thinking about something else, and Tashigi's question caught him completely off guard.

Smoker looked at Tashigi and saw her staring at him with a serious expression, as though she cared deeply about this question. Gathering himself, he answered, "Women are not necessarily worse than men at swordsmanship."

Tashigi seemed dissatisfied with that answer and continued asking, "But I always feel that my progress in swordsmanship is