"Mm~"
Bathed in the sunset, Lynae stretched to her heart's content.
Mo Bai remembered that she had said she would take him and Rover to get some kind of Tacet Disc.
But now it seemed she had just wanted to spend a little more time having fun with them.
"Phew, the weather's great today too. Nothing beats racing with the sunset and a breeze!" Lynae turned toward Mo Bai and Rover.
"So? Wasn't that a blast?"
Mo Bai could tell the question was mostly aimed at him.
Rover had stayed calm throughout the ride. She had quickly adjusted to Lynae's speed.
She looked as though she had faced this kind of excitement plenty of times before.
Mo Bai hadn't.
Lynae could see how tense he had been riding the Motorcycle.
"It was all right. I've never ridden a Motorcycle that fast before."
Mo Bai thought back on how it had felt.
To be honest, he used to look down on street racing. It was too easy to associate it with noisy riders tearing through the streets and reckless kids on bikes.
But after Lynae took him for a ride, he no longer felt that way.
The speed was unlike anything he had experienced, and with beautiful scenery beside him and friends along for the ride, Mo Bai had felt...
"Free. Carefree. Like I'd left everything behind." That was his answer to Lynae.
"Right? Right? Race with me more often, Mo Bai, and you'll love it even more!"
After hearing his answer, Lynae activated the wheels on her shoes and skated in circles around him and Rover.
"You should still be careful sometimes. Don't speed up recklessly."
Rover offered Lynae a helpless reminder from the side.
Remembering how Rover had explained things to him and looked after him earlier, Mo Bai thought she had quite the mother-hen streak.
"Hehe, I'll be careful."
Lynae pressed her palms together and gave Rover an apologetic wink, then turned back toward the sunset and reached out as if to grasp it.
Mo Bai remembered her saying the sky here was fake.
Seen that way, there was something poetic about her reaching for a false sun.
"Thank you, Rover, Mo Bai, for coming racing with me." Lynae suddenly looked serious.
"Now you're making me worry. You sound like you're about to do something big," Mo Bai teased.
At that, Lynae raised her brows slightly, then flashed her trademark sunny 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.
"But I'm not complaining about them. Actually, I love how they chase after their goals with everything they've got. They're so full of energy, it makes me want to do the same."
Hearing that, Mo Bai looked toward the Academy too.
The sun was about to set, but plenty of students were still hurrying about.
Mo Bai figured they were busy with their studies.
"Honestly, I don't really get it," Mo Bai said suddenly.
In his experience, rushing around for schoolwork wasn't anything worth praising.
People frowned and cursed as they forced themselves to keep moving forward.
Most people went to university just so they could leave it sooner.
It wasn't their destination. At best, it was a stopover or a waiting room in their lives.
Lynae didn't rush to argue with him. She simply spun idly in place.
"That's because you've only just arrived at the Academy, Mo Bai. In time, you'll see the students smiling as they stride forward without hesitation."
As she spoke, Lynae circled around Mo Bai.
"Then you'll understand why I love the Academy so much. Who knows? Maybe it'll rub off on you too."
Pat.
Rover 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 Rover said nothing, he felt as if those golden eyes were encouraging him.
"Thank you, both of you."
Faced with their kindness, Mo Bai wasn't about to spoil the mood. He thanked them with a smile.
"Heh. Come on, then. As your senior, I'll take you to where they imprint Tacet Discs." With that, Lynae hopped back onto her vehicle.
"Sorry for the trouble, Senior Lynae," Rover teased.
"Ah, just call me Lynae. I don't think I'm qualified to be anyone's senior yet."
A little embarrassed by Rover's new way of addressing her, Lynae scratched her head.
Besides, she thought using her name made them sound closer.
Vroom!
Mo Bai and Rover mounted their Motorcycles and followed Lynae to the Transit Spine she had mentioned earlier.
After they parked, Lynae pointed out the vertical track before them, stretching all the way 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 bigger than he had imagined.
"The Voidmatter Magnetic Storm has been especially active lately, so the Academy closed the route to the surface of the Roy Icefield."
As she explained this to Mo Bai and Rover, Lynae scratched her cheek sheepishly.
"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 show them the way.
"It's fine. Rover and I only just got here. We'll probably get used to life at the Academy before thinking about going to the Icefield's surface."
Mo Bai's reassurance let Lynae breathe a sigh of relief.
"It's a promise, then! But I can't take you to get your Tacet Discs imprinted next, because..."
Rumble!
Before Lynae could finish, a train roared onto the track nearby.
"Already? Ugh... I'm so sorry, Mo Bai, Rover! If I skip class again, I'll fail for sure!"
Lynae pressed her palms together again and bowed slightly in apology.
Mo Bai and Rover weren't upset. They just smiled helplessly.
"Go on, you've got things to do. Mo Bai and I will have each other, so we'll be fine," Rover said gently.
"Okay! If anything comes up, message me on Feixun through your Terminals!"
With that, Lynae ran off.
Rover then glanced at Mo Bai beside her.
"Let's go."
"Mm."
Since Mo Bai didn't have a Terminal, even if Lynae messaged them, he would have to lean in close to Rover to see it.
Once Lynae was out of Mo Bai's and Rover's sight, her expression turned grave, without a trace of her earlier cheerful energy.
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