After getting dressed, Chang Yuan followed Airi's earlier example and found a reflective surface clear enough to see himself in.
"Oh, nice. I actually don't have any Honkai Beast traits."
Seeing that there were no Honkai Beast traits on his body, Chang Yuan felt an indescribable sense of regret.
After all, having some traits would have looked pretty cool.
"You don't have any, but Airi does. She's really scared of you seeing that side of her."
As Chang Yuan lamented his appearance, Velvie chimed in at just the right moment.
At that, Chang Yuan turned to look at Velvie.
"Big V Teacher, does Airi have elf ears?"
"Oh? You noticed? Or was this another future you saw?"
Hearing Chang Yuan ask that, Velvie looked at him with interest.
"One of the futures, but I noticed them just now too. Those elf ears were too conspicuous to miss."
Chang Yuan recalled what he had seen earlier.
Those long, pointed elf ears—Airi had not deliberately hidden them at all, so there was no way he could have missed them.
Still, this was exactly the kind of Airi he liked.
"So, what do you think? Do you find them ugly?"
Seeing Chang Yuan lost in thought, Velvie took the opportunity to ask.
After all, this involved her to some extent. If it ruined the relationship between those two, she really would be guilty beyond redemption.
"Ugly? Who said that? They're obviously beautiful. Besides, I'm kind of curious—are elf ears soft, or do they have cartilage like human ears?"
"...You'll have to ask Airi about that yourself. I wouldn't know."
Velvie rolled her eyes at Chang Yuan, but inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed the couple she shipped would not be breaking up.
That was right—Big V Teacher was a shipper too.
Having witnessed part of their journey together, Velvie thought highly of their relationship.
"All right, then I'll be going, Big V Teacher. I need to test how much my strength has increased anyway."
"Go on, go on. Damn it, I still haven't found suitable Honkai Beast genes for myself."
Velvie was rather helpless about that.
After all, this sort of thing truly depended on fate. Take Airi, for example. There had originally been no matching genes for her in the current gene bank.
Yet somehow, on her way back, she had happened to pick up a fragment of an unknown Honkai Beast, and it turned out to be a perfect match.
While Airi and Chang Yuan had been in the nutrient pods, Dr. Mobius had come by, and Velvie had learned where Airi's genes had come from.
Whenever she thought about it, she could not help but marvel at Airi's incredible luck.
"Airi, what are you doing here by yourself? Or were you waiting for me?"
Seeing Airi wandering around the Spiral Workshop alone, Chang Yuan immediately walked over and patted her fair shoulder.
"N-Nothing, Chang Yuan. Are you... are you okay?"
Startled by his sudden call, Airi instinctively covered both her ears, then answered Chang Yuan with a stammer.
Seeing her act so cautiously, Chang Yuan found it rather amusing.
He then reached out and covered Airi's hands with his own.
Then, he slowly took hold of her hands and moved them away.
"It's okay. These elf ears are very cute, and Airi is very cute too."
"Mmm, Chang Yuan, you're bad."
Still having her hands held, Airi could only stare into Chang Yuan's eyes with a flushed face and whisper softly.
At such close range, they could both feel each other's scorching breath.
Realizing that what he was doing was somewhat inappropriate, Chang Yuan immediately released Airi's hands.
"Ahem, sorry, Airi. I just wanted you to know that I'm not afraid of your elf ears, so I did that without thinking."
"It's... it's okay. If it's Chang Yuan..."
Airi's voice grew quieter and quieter toward the end.
But Chang Yuan, whose senses had now been strengthened in every aspect, did not miss it this time.
Hearing Airi's words, Chang Yuan's heart abruptly skipped a beat.
It seemed... it seemed he had succeeded?
Still uncertain, Chang Yuan cautiously asked, "Airi, can I touch your ears?"
"...Y-You can. If... if it's Chang Yuan."
Airi agreed in a soft voice, her face crimson.
Having received another affirmative answer, Chang Yuan could clearly feel his heartbeat speeding up.
This was what he had wished for, and it was absolutely an opportunity for him and Airi to take things a step further.
Just as Chang Yuan was about to reach out and touch them, a voice rang out.
"Velvie, help me perform Fusion Warrior surgery."
Pushing open the doors of the Spiral Workshop, green-haired Dr. Mobius shouted inside.
That shout instantly made the already timid pair spring apart.
Realizing that he had missed such a good opportunity to deepen his relationship with Airi,
Chang Yuan wanted nothing more than to cut off all of Dr. Mobius's funding.
She could have come at any other time, yet she had to show up when they were just one step away.
It was suffocatingly frustrating.
"Oh? You two are done? But why are both your faces so red? Side effects of the Fusion Warrior surgery?"
Naturally, Dr. Mobius did not associate it with embarrassment.
After all, she herself did not possess such feelings. Or rather, no one had yet made her feel that way.
"No, I don't have any side effects. But Airi's ears are a side effect."
Though he deeply regretted losing that chance, Chang Yuan could not exactly say anything.
He could only pray that another opportunity would come soon.
"Only that kind of side effect? Did you gain any new abilities?"
Hearing Dr. Mobius ask that, Chang Yuan froze.
Right, Fusion Warriors generally gained a special ability.
Kevin could create ice, Airi could create Pink Crystal, Velvie had split personalities, Dr. Mobius could revive from death, Sakura possessed extreme speed, and so on.
Moreover, using those abilities felt as natural as instinct to them.
Chang Yuan immediately began pondering what his own ability might be.
Yet after testing himself for quite a while, he still failed to discover any ability.
Then he suddenly thought of a possibility: he had gained no special ability at all. All he had received were enhanced Honkai resistance and a body strengthened in every aspect.
"This... sigh."
Helplessly, Chang Yuan could only accept fate's arrangement.
Simply surviving Fusion Warrior surgery was already an immense stroke of luck, even if Velvie had raised its success rate tremendously.
There was still a chance of failure. He had nearly failed before; if not for that voice pulling him back, perhaps he would have slept here forever, never to awaken again.
Before you continue