Entryway, Open the Door!

However.

What Starlight had imagined did not happen.

Instead,

Leon swept her up in a princess carry, opened the window, and jumped onto Arcee's waist below, where she had been waiting in Motorcycle Mode.

Arcee carried the two of them, somewhat speechless, to a small grove not far from the hotel.

The whole time,

realizing she had misunderstood, Starlight did not dare open her eyes. Her fair face was as red as a ripe apple.

Only after the faint engine hum of Arcee's low-speed mode stopped did Leon carry her down from the motorcycle.

Once her feet were on solid ground, Starlight finally opened her eyes again. She casually looked at Leon beside her and knowingly asked, "Leon, what are we doing here?"

"Something you want to do. Something you love to do."

Leon answered at once.

"Huh?"

Starlight's face instantly turned as red as a bubbling teapot.

"What are you thinking, sweetheart?"

Leon rubbed Starlight's head with his big hand and laughed. "Didn't you come to me to learn how to control your superpowers? What else could we be doing? You?"

"N-No..."

Starlight lowered her head shyly.

But her assets clearly could not compare with Zhao Hailun's, so she did not manage to hide them well enough.

Leon could still clearly see the mortified expression on her face, the kind that could have her clawing out an entire Seaside Villa with her toes on the spot.

Seeing this,

Leon could not help feeling puzzled.

Was this little girl really this innocent?

Why did he keep feeling like he was the one being reeled in?

The best hunters always appeared as prey?

Whatever.

As long as there's something to eat, that's all that matters.

Leon chuckled inwardly, then got down to business with Starlight.

Don't get the wrong idea.

It was superpower training.

"This place is pretty secluded. Practicing your powers here won't disturb anyone else. Otherwise, do you want to practice at the hotel with that several-hundred- or thousand-degree lightbulb of yours?"

"If you did, I bet Butcher would want to kill you."

Leon teased.

"True."

Starlight mumbled awkwardly.

"Then let's begin."

As he spoke,

Leon walked behind Starlight, wrapped one arm around her waist, and covered the back of her hand with his other hand, interlocking their fingers.

"Th-This, this..."

"Don't be nervous, sweetheart."

Leon patiently explained, "Calm down and feel the energy flowing through my palm. The effect is best only when our palms are pressed tightly together like this."

"Huh?"

"Is that so..."

Actually,

Starlight wanted to ask:

Did the rest of their bodies need to be pressed so tightly together too?

But when she turned and saw Leon's utterly serious expression, her lips merely moved. She did not say anything else.

At night,

the cool breeze gently blew~

It seemed... being pressed together like this really was more comfortable. At least, the transfer and exchange of body heat made her feel less cold while sensing the energy flow.

Starlight could not help making excuses for Leon in her mind.

Actually,

Leon had not thought that much about it. He simply...

"Can you feel it? My energy."

Leon said.

"Yes, but I don't think I can draw it in."

Starlight frowned slightly, clearly dissatisfied.

She tried drawing harder, but she still could not grasp the trick.

"Of course you can't draw this in, sweetheart."

Like hell you can, Leon thought. He had trained for a long time before reaching his current level, where he could freely absorb, convert, and release his own Nuclear Energy.

To borrow that young Saiyan's line, this little girl was still twenty thousand years too early.

"Now try again and see if you can draw it in."

Leon silently converted the Nuclear Energy in his palm into electrical energy.

"It really works!"

"I can draw it in this time!"

"Leon, look, I've already... eek!"

Starlight said excitedly, then eagerly turned around, wanting to share her joy with Leon face-to-face. But before she could, Leon slyly leaned his head closer.

Then came a secret that could not be spoken.

All the memories between us were carefully collected♫

"Sorry, I didn't think you would..."

Their lips had only just touched before Starlight jerked her head back around in shock, then reached behind herself and covered Leon's mouth before he could finish making excuses.

"I know, it was my fault. I didn't mind the distance."

Starlight blamed herself.

"That was just an accident, right?"

Leon asked cunningly.

"Mm."

Starlight nodded like a pecking chick. Whatever Leon said right then, she would probably only give a soft assent, just so she could feel at ease.

"Then it's fine. Let's continue."

Leon licked his lips. Since she had already paid the tuition, he naturally had to offer some genuine instruction.

"This time, put your hand over the back of mine."

"Mm."

Starlight obediently nodded, then placed her hand over the back of Leon's.

Bang—

Leon fired instantly, blasting through a tree directly ahead of them with a Palm Cannon.

"So fast!"

"Leon, how did you do that?"

Starlight asked in amazement.

But this time, she had learned to behave. She immediately suppressed the urge to turn around, though after realizing it, she felt a little regretful.

After all,

Leon was not the only one with a craving.

"Then should I go slower this time?"

"Mm."

Starlight nodded blankly.

Next,

Leon began charging a Palm Cannon for two and a half minutes.

This time,

Starlight felt it especially carefully, and could not help developing the illusion that she could do it too.

It was like solving a problem while looking at the answer key.

Or like that guy who said, "Everything I have achieved today came from my own hard work." It was the same principle.

"Want to give it a try?"

"Mm."

Starlight nodded. Before Leon could even suggest it, she took the initiative and placed her hand beneath Leon's palm again.

What could Leon say to that?

She was so considerate~

Next,

Leon released a little energy from his palm for Starlight to absorb. In this wilderness, where else could he find electricity for her to draw in? He could only provide it himself.

Bang~

"I failed..."

Starlight lowered her head in disappointment. What she fired was still a scattered, unfocused Photovoltaic Shockwave that shook all the yellow-green leaves from the tree.

"The steps were clearly the same, so why was the result completely different?"

Starlight asked dejectedly.

"It's okay. I'm here."

Leon comfortingly stroked Starlight's head, then leaned close to her ear and softly said, "Annie, as long as you want it, no matter how long it takes, I'll stay with you."

"Leon~"

Starlight murmured emotionally, gradually losing herself.

The two continued practicing until, in one accident, Starlight failed to control her superpower. Or rather, Leon had very subtly released just a little more energy from his palm.

Then,

Starlight slowly began floating into the air, only to quickly lose momentum and fall back toward the ground.

"Ah! Leon, I'm falling!"

"It's okay, Annie. I'll catch you."

Leon slid forward, just as he had caught Tony during that plane crash, using his body as Starlight's cushion. Only this time, it was not quite as steady.

Leon, an old fox, had deliberately failed to hold her properly, while Starlight had simply forgotten that her superhuman physique would not be harmed by a fall.

In short, history repeated itself.

And then came only human nature.

Three hours later.

"Her friend is here."

A sudden reminder came through Leon's Bluetooth earpiece from Arcee in Sentry Mode. The corner of his lips curled up, but he did not react.

The American Sweetheart, whose eyes were glowing golden, still had no idea what she was about to face.

Outside the grove,

a rustling sound drew nearer.

"What are you doing?!"

Hughie had woken up to use the bathroom and discovered that Starlight was gone. Following the direction of the light, he found her, eyes glowing golden, behind a tree.

"?"

"!!!!!"

When Starlight saw Hughie, she froze too.

However.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Pfft!

A rapid burst of gunfire suddenly rang out from the shadows behind the tree. It only stopped after the final pfft, when a bullet truly struck its target. Hughie clutched his chest and collapsed.

The sight of you walking toward me made my heart stir so restlessly; I had never felt this way before...