After a while, Melody left the room after borrowing some of Quinlan's clothes to wear. After all, she's too exposed with her current nightgown attire.
After she left, Yinuo heaved a sigh of relief. However, thinking that they'd be meeting again a few hours later, she couldn't help but feel conflicted. "What face should I have when we meet again later..."
If she acted as usual, then Melody might get anxious once again. But if she became too clingy or possessive, Melody might get fed up and drift away instead.
The entire time until the sun rose, Yinuo kept on thinking about such details. She hadn't realized it herself, but her hot-blooded self was slowly fading away due to Melody's presence.
---
Morning, 9 a.m.
Melody appeared at Yinuo's door again, taking her to the Hangar to continue the repairs of Quinlan's Doppel.
Although Yinuo thought that Melody's attitude would change, it actually stayed mostly the same. She was, as usual, friendly and chatty, and was having a great time explaining things regarding the Doppel as they watched it get dismantled and then built by the bots.
Still, the air between the two clearly changed. It was so obvious that something happened to them that those whom they passed by couldn't help but stare in surprise. Of course, a rumor spreading about them was only a matter of time.
Noontime came and Melody took out a boxed lunch. The pair sat side by side on the only table inside the hangar with the food spread before them.
"Please enjoy! I made sure to make them suit your taste." Melody added with a sweet smile.
With just a glance, Yinuo could tell how much effort was used in creating this boxed lunch. A balance of nutrients and flavors, and even a mouth-watering arrangement that would make one reach out for a bite instinctively. Even Yinuo herself could only dream of copying what Melody did.
"These looks delicious!" She praised directly. "With your cooking skills this good, I bet you'd make for a great wife!"
"Y-You...!"
As if embarrassed by Yinuo's small comment, Melody playfully slammed her fist against Yinuo's shoulders. The two of them laughed like they had all the happiness in the world.
"Hahaha..."
But Melody's face darkened shortly after. Yinuo realized this quickly and turned to a serious face, asking. "What's wrong?"
"... The Echoes attacked yesterday, right?" Melody started. "As a member of the College's Junior Defense Team, I will probably head out to the battlefield soon."
Yinuo frowned upon hearing this. Melody heading to the frontlines was basically a death sentence to her. After all, they just met an Echo that could launch undetectable attacks. If there were more such monsters, then the soldiers and students heading for the frontlines were in grave danger.
"... Can you take me with you again?" Yinuo asked, just to confirm, but Melody quickly shook her head.
"No, I can't. If your Doppel is in good shape, however, the story might've changed."
"..."
Yinuo's face turned serious after hearing this. It was almost impossible for them to finish the repairs immediately, so she couldn't come with Melody to the frontline. However, she could at least give her more chances for survival.
"Melody, can you come to my room tonight again?"
"You mean...!" Melody's face blushed, but Yinuo shook her head with a serious face.
"No, it's not the same as last night." Yinuo fixed her seating posture, facing Melody straight. "You might've noticed this, but you have great Martial Talent. And I want to help you nurture it."
If Melody reaches even the first stage of Qi Refinement, then her reflexes should see a 20% to 25% increase. That might seem small, but Melody already has quite high specs. If she had that much boost to her reaction speed, then she could definitely react to the invisible attacks of the dragon-shaped Echo before they hit.
"Martial talent?" Melody tilted her head, unable to understand what Yinuo was saying.
Of course, it would take too much time to explain, so they finished their lunch first. After that, while they continued the repair of Quinlan's Doppel, Yinuo began her lecture just as she did with Quinlan before.
"Qi... Cultivation... This sounds like those myths in Chinese literature." Melody commented as they walked down the pathways after Yinuo completed her lecture which lasted until dusk. "And you have this knowledge despite having lost most of your memory?" She added suspiciously.
"That..." Yinuo felt troubled, unable to explain it at all. "It's information closely related to my origin, so that's probably the reason why I didn't forget it. Just like my name."
"Hmmm..."
Melody placed her hand on her chin, pondering about the matter deeply. "That could be the case. But to think that cultivators did exist in reality... That's more of a surprise to me."
Earlier, while Yinuo was imparting knowledge about cultivation and Marital Arts, she had moments where she had to demonstrate. Yinuo punched a solid metal support, leaving a fist mark on it, which made Melody worry about her fist at first.
However, seeing that not only was she uninjured but a solid impression was left on the solid metal support, she began to believe her words about cultivation easily.
"Then, go to my room again, around the same time, wearing easy-to-move-in clothes." Yinuo reminded her before they split paths, heading to their respective dorms.
To reduce complications, Yinuo didn't dare go anywhere else and decided to just pass the time in her room. Although she wanted to cultivate somewhere with rich amounts of Qi, she didn't want to get delayed like the other day.
Furthermore, to save the Qi in the surroundings for Melody, she didn't cultivate in the room. She just sat on the side of her bed, reading a random book she picked from the bookshelf on one wall of Quinlan's room.
Soon enough, midnight came, and along with it, a set of soft knocks echoed on the door. Yinuo didn't hesitate and opened it, letting the other person enter quietly.
Melody, as promised, came in casual clothes for exercise. Although it fit her body tightly, not hiding her beautiful curves at all, Yinuo decided that it was barely passable compared to last night's.
Yinuo nodded her head, a faint smile appearing on her sharp face. "Then, let's begin."