After nightfall, Kuina heard noises coming from the warehouse and crept over.
Aside from practicing her swordsmanship, she found her eyes drifting toward Ye Chen every day. His arrival had dealt her a tremendous blow—and presented a challenge she could not ignore.
Nearly everyone's attention now revolved around Ye Chen. People talked about him every day, until Kuina was sick of hearing his name.
Even more baffling were all the strange things he got up to. Kuina could not help being curious, and lately even Koshiro, usually so unruffled, had been full of praise for him.
Ye Chen improved every day. He kept finding new ways to train, and Kuina could clearly sense him growing stronger.
Especially lately, he and Lucci had fought every day, neither holding back. Ye Chen's progress had shot up like a rocket, and the force of his presence grew more startling by the day.
"Chirp, chirp..."
Before she reached the warehouse, Kuina heard the birds' frantic cries. There was nothing cheerful about them. They sounded like creatures struggling at death's door, mournful and desperate.
She slipped up to a window and peered through a crack. A lamp was lit inside. Ye Chen was bare-chested, his lean, powerful muscles on full display. Even Kuina, who had no interest in boys, stared for a moment.
Ye Chen was leaping all over the place. With every jump, he caught a bird darting through the air, only to release it as soon as he landed.
Birds fluttered and collided with things throughout the warehouse. Kuina even recognized several her father had once kept in his birdcages.
She gritted her teeth in anger. No wonder her father had been so upset lately. At first, she had thought Ye Chen had stolen the birds to eat. Instead, he was catching them