Heart-to-Heart

"Mmm~"

Lynae stretched to her heart's content in the setting sun.

Mo Bai remembered that she had said she would take him and the Wanderer to get some kind of tape.

But now it seemed she had just wanted to spend a little more time with him and Rover.

"Whew, the weather's lovely today too. Nothing beats racing with the evening glow and a breeze!" Lynae turned to Mo Bai and the Wanderer.

"So? Wasn't it a thrill?"

Mo Bai could tell the question was mostly for him.

The Wanderer had remained calm throughout the ride. She had quickly adjusted to Lynae's speed.

It looked as though she was used to this kind of excitement.

Mo Bai wasn't.

Lynae had clearly noticed how tense Mo Bai was while riding the motorcycle.

"It was all right. I've never ridden a motorcycle that fast before."

Mo Bai thought back on the experience.

To be honest, he had always looked down on street racing. It brought to mind noisy riders tearing through neighborhoods and reckless kids on motorbikes.

But after Lynae had taken him for a ride, he no longer felt that way.

The speed, the beautiful scenery beside them, and the company of friends had given Mo Bai a feeling he had never known. As they rode, he had felt...

"Free. Carefree. Like I'd left everything behind." That was his honest answer to Lynae.

"Right? Right? Race with me more often, Mo Bai, and you'll love it even more!"

After hearing his answer, Lynae switched on the wheels in her shoes and skated circles around him and the Wanderer.

"Just remember to be careful sometimes. Don't speed up recklessly."

The Wanderer offered Lynae the reminder with a helpless look.

Thinking of how she had explained things to him and looked after him earlier, Mo Bai felt the Wanderer had quite a motherly streak.

"Hehe, I'll be careful."

Lynae clasped her hands and gave the Wanderer an apologetic wink. Then she faced the sunset again and reached out, as though to grasp it.

Mo Bai remembered her saying that the sky here was fake.

With that in mind, the gesture she made toward the false sun seemed strangely poignant.

"Thank you, Wanderer, Mo Bai, for coming racing with me." Lynae suddenly looked serious.

"You're making me worry, talking like that. It sounds like you're about to do something big," Mo Bai teased.

At his words, Lynae raised an eyebrow slightly, then broke into her usual bright smile.

"It's nothing. I'm just grateful you came for a ride with me. Everyone at the academy is usually so busy." Lynae looked toward the academy.

"I don't hold it against them, though. Actually, I love seeing them chase their goals with everything they've got. They're so full of energy that it makes me want to do the same."

Hearing that, Mo Bai looked toward the academy too.

Though the sun was about to set, plenty of students were still hurrying about.

Mo Bai figured they were probably busy with their studies.

"To be honest, I don't really get it," Mo Bai said suddenly.

In his experience, running around for schoolwork was hardly something to praise.

People frowned and complained as they dragged themselves onward.

Most people went to university only so they could get through it and move on.

It wasn't where their goals lay. At best, it was a stopover or a waiting room in their lives.

Lynae didn't rush to argue with him. She simply spun around at her leisure.

"That's because you've only just arrived, Mo Bai. In time, you'll see students smiling as they stride forward without hesitation."

As she spoke, Lynae skated in a circle around him.

"Then you'll understand why I love the academy so much. Maybe it'll rub off on you too."

Pat.

The Wanderer stepped up beside Mo Bai and rested a hand on his shoulder.

He looked at her face and found her beautiful golden eyes fixed intently on him.

Though the Wanderer said nothing, he felt as if her golden eyes were encouraging him.

"Thank you, both of you."

Faced with their kindness, Mo Bai wasn't about to spoil the mood. He smiled and thanked them.

"Heh-heh. Come on, then. As your senior, I'll take you to the place where you can imprint your Tacet Discs." Lynae swung herself back onto her bike.

"Sorry to trouble you, Senior Lynae," the Wanderer teased.

"Whoa, just call me Lynae. I don't think I've earned the right to be called your senior yet."

Lynae scratched her head, embarrassed by the Wanderer's new form of address.

Besides, she thought using her name made them sound closer.

Vroom, vroom, vroom!

Mo Bai and the Wanderer mounted their motorcycles and followed Lynae to the Transit Spine she had described earlier.

After parking, Lynae pointed out the vertical track before them, stretching straight up into the sky.

"That's where you're headed next. Once the train arrives, board it and ride up to the research institute."

Up close, Mo Bai realized the track was far larger than he had imagined.

"Because the Voidmatter Magnetic Storm has been so active lately, the academy has closed the route to the surface of Roy Icefield."

As she explained this to Mo Bai and the Wanderer, Lynae scratched her cheek awkwardly.

"I'll have to take you up there another time. These are unusual circumstances, after all."

She seemed to blame herself for being their senior yet failing to guide Mo Bai and the others.

"It's fine. The Wanderer and I have only just arrived. We'll probably want to get used to life at the academy before we think about going up to the icefield's surface."

Mo Bai's reassurance made Lynae breathe a sigh of relief.

“It's a promise, then! But I can't take you to imprint your Tacet Discs next, because...”

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Before Lynae could finish, the train roared onto the track not far away.

"Already? Ugh... I'm really sorry, Mo Bai, Wanderer! If I skip class again, I'll fail it for good!"

Lynae clasped her hands again and bowed slightly in apology.

Mo Bai and the Wanderer weren't upset. They just smiled helplessly.

"Go on, you have things to do. Mo Bai and I have each other, so we'll be fine," the Wanderer said gently.

“Okay! If anything comes up, contact me through Feixun on your Terminals!”

With that, Lynae ran off.

The Wanderer glanced at Mo Bai beside her.

"Let's go."

"Mm."

Since Mo Bai didn't have one of those terminals, if Lynae sent them a message, he would have to move closer to the Wanderer to see it.

Once Lynae was out of sight of the Wanderer and Mo Bai, her expression suddenly turned grave. There was no trace of her earlier cheerfulness.