It Was All a Play

"Phew... false alarm!"

With the brief skirmish over, March 7th gazed at Lin Feng's broad, muscular back, a curious glint appearing in her beautiful eyes.

She had promised to protect him, yet he had ended up saving her instead. How embarrassing.

"You okay, Little March?"

Lin Feng turned around, his eyes narrowing slightly as a gentle smile settled on his face.

"Y-yeah... I'm fine."

March 7th froze for a moment before quietly nodding.

The way Lin Feng addressed her caught her off guard, too. They had only just met, yet he was already using such an affectionate nickname.

Before this, only her companions aboard the Astral Express-Uncle Yang, Dan Heng, and Himeko-had called her that.

"Haha... good. I'd hate to see you get hurt."

Without waiting to see March 7th's reaction, Lin Feng turned and walked ahead.

After acquiring the Love Master talent, Lin Feng's head was full of plays. Though his words and actions seemed perfectly natural, he was subtly winning over the pink-haired girl before him.

Why call her Little March? It was simply a way to stir up her feelings. As long as he made her think about him more, he could leave a lasting impression.

"We lost contact with Arlan from the Security Division somewhere around here. I need to bring him back."

"Lin Feng, head back to the Central Control Zone with March 7th!"

"She's always so reckless. If you can, look out for her..."

Passing through the heavy metal door of the compartment, Dan Heng spoke with a solemn expression.

Lin Feng was a decent fighter and could handle ordinary Voidranger monsters, which put Dan Heng considerably more at ease.

"Don't worry... I'll keep her safe."

Lin Feng folded his arms across his chest, an easy, detached smile on his face.

"Dan Heng, are you looking down on the mighty Miss March 7th?"

"I don't need protecting! I'm an official member of the Astral Express, you know!"

March 7th pursed her lips, looking thoroughly unconvinced.

Dan Heng chuckled and left without looking back. Trading barbs with March 7th was something he really couldn't handle.

"Let's go, Little March... if you're confident in your abilities, you can protect me instead."

With a faint smile, Lin Feng took March 7th's slender, delicate hand and headed down the corridor ahead.

"Huh? Th-this..."

Caught off guard by Lin Feng's sudden move, the pink-haired girl looked startled.

Holding hands with a boy was something she had absolutely no idea how to handle.

Still, the perfectly calm expression on Lin Feng's face eased many of her misgivings.

Maybe this much contact between boys and girls was perfectly normal in the outside world?

That's right, that must be it. I've spent too long aboard the Astral Express, so I'm just not used to this...

Before long, the innocent young March 7th had accepted that explanation.

"His back does look pretty dependable..."

Feeling the warmth of his hand, March 7th's beautiful eyes took on a curious gleam, and her heartbeat slowly began to quicken.

Being led by the hand by Lin Feng didn't seem so bad. It gave her a sense of security.

"Little March! Stay sharp... more Voidranger Soldiers are coming!"

Just as the pink-haired girl was wavering, Lin Feng's voice reached her ears, pulling her wandering thoughts back on track.

"All right! I'll show you what this girl can do!"

She bent slightly, her slender, delicate hand sweeping past her pale thigh. Blue shards of ice appeared, followed by a magical arrow radiating an intense chill.

March 7th drew her bow, leaped into the air, and released the ice arrow she had readied.

The next instant, the speeding ice arrow shattered into countless little rabbits formed from ice crystals. They rained down like a torrential storm, striking several Voidranger Soldiers and freezing them into ice sculptures.

"Rules are made to be broken! Star Ace!"

At the same time, Lin Feng launched his attack. Azure starlight flowed like water, powerful energy gathering around his baseball bat.

Holding the bat across his body, his muscular figure shot forward like a phantom. His weapon swept out with unstoppable momentum.

Bang! Bang! Bang! With several sharp cracks, the frozen Voidranger Soldiers all burst into chunks of ice scattered across the floor.

"Wow, Lin Feng, your rod is amazing!"

Watching Lin Feng unleash his special move and wipe out every Voidranger Soldier in a single blow, March 7th blurted out the words.

After all, even a skilled martial artist like Dan Heng would have struggled to achieve that kind of result in one strike.

"Hmm?"

Hearing March 7th's praise, Lin Feng froze on the spot.

This girl really dared to say anything. Wasn't she afraid of causing an unnecessary misunderstanding?

"How do you know it's amazing? You haven't even experienced it..."

He stepped forward, backing the pink-haired girl into a corner, a wicked smile on Lin Feng's face.

"U-um, don't get the wrong idea! That's not what I meant..."

"I meant your baseball bat! Just the literal meaning..."

She hurriedly waved her hands, her fair face flushing scarlet. The pink-haired girl's flustered appearance was indescribably adorable.

At that moment, March 7th wished a crack would open in the compartment's metal floor so she could crawl into it.

This was far too embarrassing. She was practically ready to explode from mortification.

"You know quite a bit, don't you..."

"Looks like our Little March isn't such an innocent girl after all..."

His broad hand settled on the bright-eyed girl's head, the corners of his mouth lifting into a knowing smile.

"N-no, I'm not! You're making things up!"

March 7th stamped her feet in agitation, her adorable face growing even redder.

"All right... I'll stop teasing. We've still got a long way to go, so stay careful!"

Lin Feng affectionately rubbed the pink-haired girl's head a few times, as though petting a cat, then turned away with an easy flourish.

According to his Love Expert experience, teasing girls was something that had to be done in moderation.

By decisively leaving while her thoughts were still in turmoil, he could achieve the desired effect without coming across as a creep.

By now, Lin Feng felt that this purple talent really was quite good. Not only did it teach him all sorts of Love Expert tactics, it also let him improvise with the skill of an award-winning actor.

In the previous Path simulation, he had enjoyed plenty of opportunities to fight alongside March 7th, but few chances to build an emotional connection. As a result, though March 7th had liked him, it hadn't amounted to much. At most, she had considered him a companion.

This time, however, he would rewrite everything himself. He would aim to max out her affection as soon as possible and have this adorable, radiant girl earn him heaps of simulation points.