Chapter 124
When the end is not in sight, people will subconsciously doubt, wondering, "Is this road really feasible?" or "Is there a faster shortcut?"
For a long time, Efnir was caught up in self-torture-like training.
Efnir saw a reflection of herself in Yukina.
("In order to acquire enough strength to protect everything as quickly as possible, we train relentlessly.")
Such determination is not a bad thing, but everything must be done in moderation.
"Training can't be rushed. For your first training session, Yukina has already done very well. While the use of firearms is a very necessary skill, this level is enough for you as 'Fifina'."
"Really?"
Yukina leaned back gently, her hair burying against Efnir's chest. Her gaze was downcast, her fingers spread out, her palms red from long hours of training, and a light squeeze would send waves of burning, numb pain through her.
But compared to the pain in her palm, Efnir's praise made Yukina feel more joy and excitement.
She could see the results of her training, as if she had finally taken another step closer to Naoko. This change made Yukina unable to suppress the flutter in her heart.
"I... I tried my best, didn't I?"
"Yes, I saw it. You did well today."
Efnir gently embraced Yukina, feeling the faint fragrance and warmth emanating from Yukina's hair, and smiled faintly.
"So, as a reward for Yukina's hard work, what would you like to eat tonight?"
"Babble?"
Yukina brought her nose close to Efnir's neck, the faint scent of her hair wafting into her nostrils. She took a gentle sniff and winked at Efnir.
"Should I choose? Is that really okay?"
"Certainly."
Facing Yukina's clear eyes, Efnir smiled confidently, but Yukina suddenly smiled back.
178. Becoming Stronger [Fourth Update]
"Training all the time is a real test of your stamina. You need to plan your meals every day. The afternoon will pass quickly, so you can use this time to think about what you want to eat for dinner."
Efnir smiled and gave the conditions for the "reward".
As for the so-called "reward," Efnir actually had nothing to offer.
Perhaps the maid game from a few days ago could be a "reward" for Yukina, but that's not something you can just say casually. Besides, if I were to give myself to Yukina as a reward, my dignity as her older sister would be easily compromised.
However, the terms "evening" and "what to eat" are obviously easy to misinterpret.
Yukina naturally wouldn't overlook the layer that Efnir could think of.
Sure enough, Yukina winked mischievously, raised her hand, and pressed her fingertips against the corner of her lips, deforming them.
"Then... Naoko... can I eat you up?~~"
"Uh-huh!?"
"Or perhaps this..."
Yukina tilted her head back, her lips landing on Efnir's lips. Her mouth parted slightly, and the sweet breath made Efnir feel dizzy. She held Efnir's fingers tightly, guiding her fingertips down the smooth lines of her neck, across the tight fabric, and stopping at her breasts.
As Efnir felt the warmth emanating from her fingertips, her heart suddenly clenched and began to pound.
"I'd be happy if Naoko ate me up, okay?~~"
Yukina's curved eyes almost formed a small heart shape.
So dazzling.
The sight startled Efnir, causing her face to flush a beautiful red, and she awkwardly looked away.
"If you consider this a 'reward'..."
Efnir then changed the subject.
"But we agreed that we couldn't do it here!"
Efnir spoke with righteous indignation, but Yukina gave a sly smile.
"Does going back mean I can come and go as I please?"
"Well, it's always been whatever you like, hasn't it..."
Hehe~
Yukina chuckled, turned around, tiptoed, and gave him a light kiss.
"So, it doesn't matter if I don't go to school, right?"
"Whatever. Anyway, I've already asked Shinomiyami Nami to handle things with the school. Your student status will be retained, and you can go back to class whenever you want. The teachers won't make things difficult for you..."
"Agents are really convenient."
Seeing Efnir's somewhat awkward expression, Yukina giggled, gently wrapped her arms around the slender waist of the person in front of her, leaned on Efnir's shoulder, and her hair gently brushed against Efnir's cheek.
"But if I can see Kanade here, it doesn't really matter if I don't go to school... I still want to stay by Naoko's side. I want to catch up with Naoko and fight alongside Naoko. As long as I can be by Naoko's side, I don't care about anything else."
"I will always be by your side."
Gently stroking Yukina's hair, Efnir glanced at the scoreboard displaying the numbers and pursed her lips.
Yukina has great potential.
Who knows, they might become much, much better than me in the future.
This means that if I want to stand in front of Yukina as her shield, I must work twice as hard.
"Naoko, can I be as good as you?"
"Certainly."
Efnir answered affirmatively.
Rather, it's more accurate to say that Yukina's future will undoubtedly place her in a position far higher than her own.
But this path is fraught with difficulties.
For the agent, dying at any time is not a strange thing. Rather than gaining powerful strength to fight the Erosion Entity, it is much safer to be an ordinary person under protection. This is also why Efnir has always been very resistant to bringing Yukina into "this world".
If there is any way to prevent the tragedy from repeating itself, the only way is to "make ourselves stronger".
As the elders said, "Only by becoming stronger and gaining enough power to fight against everything can you take control of your own destiny."
Before Efnir became the chief agent in Xijing City, the agent casualty rate was much higher, and the agents were trapped in a vicious cycle of "insufficient training time," "insufficient combat experience," "casualties," and "insufficient experience of new recruits."
Just as human society as a whole is rapidly collapsing, new agents are always hastily chosen, hastily given power, hastily taken to the battlefield, and hastily faced death.
The number of Eligible is limited.
As a result, in just ten years, the average age of agents dropped from twenty-four to seventeen.
The extremely high casualty rate of agents is no exaggeration.
For a city, the existence of agents is the foundation of its stability. However, Xijing City has suffered from a large-scale Erosion Disaster, which caused a break in the succession of agents, leading to a vicious cycle.
That is, until Efnir became active as "Chief".
Even the A-Rank Erosion Entity that brought immense disaster could be easily pierced by Efnir's spear. Because of Efnir's outstanding performance, the agents in Xijing City were given ample breathing room, the casualty rate was drastically reduced, and they had enough time to train new agents. The vicious cycle that led to despair was finally ended.
This is why Efnir was called "Chief" among the agents, and it was also one of the key reasons why the former commander finally agreed to Efnir's proposal and the two reached a secret agreement.
The only truth that Efnir learned during the long battle was that "the only way to protect something is to acquire great power."
Therefore, Efnir Yukina are much higher than those for beginners.
Yukina's situation is special, so Yukina training must be based on the standards of a "top warrior." Only when Yukina herself acquires power can she receive the strongest protection.
This is Efnir's idea.
"But before that..."
Efnir cleared her mind and spoke softly.
"I'm very strict. I won't make an exception for you just because you're my sister and lover Yukina."
Efnir's training program and extremely high standards indeed deterred other agents.
In Qinglan's words, Efnir's training was "only suitable for herself" and was "tailor-made" for Efnir.
"I don't want to either..."
Yukina tilted her head back defiantly and leaned on Efnir's shoulder.
She gently wrapped her arm around Efnir's waist, her breath ruffling Efnir's hair.
Yukina puffed out her cheeks, but a smile played on her lips.
"Even if Naoko is a little stricter with me, it doesn't matter. I will try my best, and try even harder, to catch up with Naoko. Today is just the beginning, but it will soon be over. Naoko, wait for me. I will stand by your side... I promise."
Efnir lowered her head slightly, her hair flowing softly down.
179. The Courage to Strive [Fifth Update]
The next day, the Orderkeeper Headquarters agent used Training Ground One --
"Call..."
Taking a deep breath, Yukina looked at the score on the screen, rubbed her sore arm, and pursed her lips slightly.
That's not enough.
That's far from enough.
She is still very far away from Naoko.
Although we say "I must work hard," what exactly constitutes "working hard"?
Yukina didn't know.
A day has passed since she officially registered as an agent, Naoko's training of her continues.
Yesterday was her first day registering as an agent, Naoko's training of her continued until the evening.
It has to be said that Naoko's training plan was really tiring. After returning home, Yukina didn't even have the energy to ask for a "reward." After taking a shower, she lay on Naoko's body and fell asleep without doing anything.
Today's training started early in the morning—at Efnir's request, Yukina walked or jogged from her home to the Orderkeeper Headquarters building, and then immediately began reviewing and advanced training of yesterday's content.
In just two days, Yukina had already completed most of the training sessions.
While not yet a "seasoned agent," he is more than qualified to be a "beginner."
But Yukina also increasingly realized the distance between herself and Naoko —things that Naoko could do effortlessly, she had to put in a tremendous amount of effort to do, and even then, she wasn't guaranteed to succeed.
Even though she had tried her best and "did very well," she was still worlds apart from Naoko.
The wish to "stand by Naoko's side" is still very distant for Yukina.
She could only bury herself in "hard work".
Ultimately, it's difficult to measure "effort" precisely, but "results" are the only things that can be clearly recognized and determined.
As long as you can achieve "results", then you can prove that you have worked hard. In fact, everything that Yukina learned at school can be explained in this way.
However, Yukina cannot produce any "results" right now, at least not compared to Naoko.
Today, it was still just her and Naoko at the training ground.
Naoko stood beside her, holding a stopwatch in her hand.
Yukina drew her bow in Exile Form, several heavy iron blocks hanging from her arms by sturdy iron chains, and in this state, she aimed at the target in the distance.
Sweat beaded on his brow, his lips were tightly pursed, and his knuckles were clenched so tightly that they turned pale, making him look somewhat ferocious.