Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Since the fire dragon wasn’t around, Xu Qiao and Qin Chi had an unusually quiet breakfast, so quiet that Xu Qiao felt even more uncomfortable than when she had first dined alone with him.

She kept her eyes on her bowl and food, without once looking across the table.

Qin Chi watched her as she ate slowly and methodically. As breakfast was nearing its end, he finally asked, “Does it feel strange to suddenly go from being teammates to being lovers?”

Xu Qiao: “…Let’s just call it ‘boyfriend and girlfriend.’ ‘Partner’ sounds too formal; it’s not commonly used in everyday conversation.”

Whether it’s a long-term thing or not, “boyfriend and girlfriend” sounded more innocent, whereas “partner” often makes people think of a more intimate relationship, one where you share the same bed.

Qin Chi: “Alright, I use ‘partner’ because I want you to know that I’m not just interested in a fleeting romantic relationship with you.”

Xu Qiao nodded, then added after a moment’s thought, “We’re both still young; no need to think too far ahead.”

Qin Chi smiled: “I’m not exactly young anymore, but I can accept you thinking of me as just a boyfriend for now. In the future, many talented young people will be around you, and you have the right to choose the one most suited for you.”

Xu Qiao glared at him: “Shouldn’t I be worried about you having too many fans? I’m just on the verge of reaching S-rank, but you’re already S-rank, and your spiritual being is of the mythic tier.”

Qin Chi: “But I’ve already found the girl I want to spend my life with, so my girlfriend doesn’t need to worry about that.”

Xu Qiao: “Many of those playboy characters in TV shows say similar things during the pursuit phase, only to end up switching girlfriends every three months.”

Qin Chi: “My girlfriend said that my experiences are more like those of a TV drama’s wealthy heir, who ends up living a very happy life. As the heir, I should be the protagonist, right?”

Xu Qiao: “…You really do have a good memory.”

Qin Chi: “It’s one of the few moments in my twenty-nine years that has brought a white mist into my spiritual world.”

Xu Qiao bit her lip, unsure whether to laugh or sympathize with him.

With the meal finished, Xu Qiao followed him into the kitchen with the bowl in her hands.

Qin Chi put the dishes into the dishwasher, cleaned the countertops, then turned to ask her, “Do you still need to work on your thesis today?”

Xu Qiao: “I’m done with that. Do you have any plans?”

Qin Chi looked at her and said, “I’ll spend time with you.”

Xu Qiao's face flushed as she left the kitchen door, saying over her shoulder, "I want to head to the Second School, do a follow-up examination for Zhou Cheng, and check in on Xiaoyang. After that, I might need to train with the team, and we'll definitely be going outside the base. I'll inform Xiaoyang in advance so he won't worry if he can't reach me."

Qinchi: "Sure, shall we leave now?"

Xu Qiao nodded in agreement.

In the car, Xu Qiao glanced at her new boyfriend in the driver’s seat and recalled something: "How has Xiaoyang been with you recently?"

She had told her teammates about the secret upgrade of her spiritual being but hadn't mentioned it to Lu Yang. This made the sixteen-year-old cadet feel sensitive. However, after they talked it out in front of the wolverine, Lu Yang resumed being her understanding younger brother. Still, she wondered what Lu Yang’s attitude toward Qinchi was.

Qinchi: "We only see each other during class. Every time I look over, he avoids me."

Xu Qiao felt like laughing. "He doesn’t dare vent his frustrations on me, so he takes them out on my closer teammates?"

Qinchi: "Besides that, he probably guessed that I don’t just want to remain your teammate anymore."

Xu Qiao also recalled the awkward moment from that night when she rode with the three cadets.

Qinchi: "He sees you as a sister, and given my age and mysterious background, it’s understandable that he resists me."

Xu Qiao unconsciously fiddled with the other sleeve, then, after a moment, looked at Qinchi. "Should we tell Xiaoyang about this?"

Qinchi: "What exactly?"

Xu Qiao: "Everything. I don’t want him to waste his energy guessing about our relationship, including your background."

Qinchi smiled. "I’d be very happy if you’re willing to make it public."

Xu Qiao: "...Let’s just inform Xiaoyang for now. We won’t mention it to Meng Li and the others yet."

After all, everyone was just teammates, and it would be hard not to affect the team’s dynamics if two people suddenly became a couple.

Qinchi: "Alright, whatever you say."

Xu Qiao inexplicably thought of how the fire dragon behaved in front of the lotus flower and glanced at Qinchi’s right arm. She asked, concerned, "How is the fire dragon doing?"

Qinchi allowed the fire dragon to reveal a golden-red claw.

Fire Dragon: "I’m sorry, I know I was wrong. Can you let me out early? I promise not to bother you again."

Qinchi: "Don't trust it too much, it’s not as reliable as the lotus."

The five black claw blades on the dragon’s claw immediately pressed against Qinchi’s arm.

Xu Qiao gently tapped one of the claws: "We agreed that it can only appear in the evening. We must strictly enforce this, or the punishment won’t be effective."

Fire Dragon: "Alright, but can I still wrap around your arm?"

Xu Qiao: "Yes, but you have to get smaller."

The dragon’s claw began to shrink: "This size?"

Xu Qiao couldn’t resist poking the dragon’s paw pad.

The fire dragon tentatively closed its claws, gripping Xu Qiao’s index finger.

Xu Qiao smiled: "Does this count as a handshake?"

Fire Dragon: "Do you like it? Qinchi seemed to really enjoy it. He was thinking about holding your hand all night."

Xu Qiao: "..."

Noticing that Qinchi was about to look over, she quickly covered the small flame text and reminded the fire dragon to retract its flames.

Qinchi had already resumed checking the road and asked, "What did it write?"

Xu Qiao sat up straight and turned to look out the car window: "Nothing, fire dragon, don't tell him."

The military students at The Second School might still have classes on Saturday, but Sunday is a full rest day.

When the black car stopped outside The Second School’s gate, it was just after 8 a.m. Qinchi put the car away into his space and accompanied Xu Qiao inside.

Xu Qiao sent a message to Lu Yang: "Are you awake?"

Lu Yang replied with a photo of the psychic training room: "I got up early and am waiting in line."

Every military academy has a training room specifically designed for students to practice their psychic abilities. The training room, constructed from ultra-strong alloy, allows students to freely release their abilities without worrying about damaging the surroundings. First-year students of the Combat Department especially need the training room, as there are too many students and too few rooms available. Students have to compete to book one-hour sessions each day.

Xu Qiao: "What time is your session?"

Lu Yang: "Did you come to school between eight-thirty and nine-thirty?"

Xu Qiao: "I'm preparing to go, so I'll set out at nine."

Lu Yang: "Sure, I'll wait for you at the school gate after my training."

Xu Qiao took Qinchi for a tour around the campus. Once Lu Yang entered the training room, Xu Qiao contacted Zhou Cheng: "Are you awake? I'm at the second campus now. Do you want me to do a follow-up check?"

Zhou Cheng: "I'm at the library. Where are you? I'll come over."

Qinchi stood behind Xu Qiao and saw Zhou Cheng's message. He suggested, "We can go to my office. The teachers should be off today."

Xu Qiao asked clearly about his office location and sent it to Zhou Cheng.

It was about a ten-minute walk from Qinchi's building. Qinchi asked, "Should we drive, or ride bicycles?"

Xu Qiao: "Driving would be too conspicuous, and you only have one bicycle, don't you?"

As she spoke, she scanned the main campus roads. Before she could spot a boyfriend giving his girlfriend a ride on his bicycle, she saw a chestnut-colored noble horse spirit. A boy walked proudly beside it, while a sweetly smiling girl sat on the horse’s back.

Xu Qiao suddenly remembered her time at the Military Academy. Couples with abilities had all sorts of creative dates. It was common for boys to let their girlfriends use their animal spirits as mounts. Some used bird spirits to deliver food to their girlfriends, some used wind control to create a petal rain, and others froze a lake with ice abilities and took their girlfriends ice skating...

Lost in her memories, the lotus poked out its head and wrote to Qinchi, "Release the fire dragon. Let it carry us there."

Qinchi smiled, "That depends on whether Xu Qiao agrees."

Xu Qiao turned around in confusion and saw the water current words the lotus wrote exclusively for Qinchi.

Xu Qiao: "...You two can fly if you want. Pretend you don’t know me."

Qinchi suppressed the urge to let the fire dragon emerge and took out two bicycles from his space.

Xu Qiao: "When did you buy another one?"

Qinchi looked at her and said, "I bought five the first time, just in case."

Xu Qiao froze, then quickly realized that on the night she was taken to the police station because of Zhao Feng, Qinchi deliberately only took out one bicycle so he could ride her home.

The lotus, quietly residing in Xu Qiao’s crystal core, immediately felt a surge of sweetness, far more intense than the mild sweetness Xu Qiao felt recalling other couples’ dates.

Qin Chi's office, shared by three teachers, was indeed empty.

Qin Chi's desk was on the east side, and the documents on the desk were neatly organized.

Xu Qiao glanced at him and teased, "You finally remembered your identity as a military academy teacher."

Qin Chi asked, "Which of my identities do you like the most?"

Xu Qiao replied, "Probably the chef, though the driver would also work."

The sound of footsteps approaching echoed down the corridor, and the two exchanged glances. Qin Chi stood still while Xu Qiao stepped back.

The footsteps stopped just outside the office door. A few seconds later, Zhou Cheng slowly peeked in, his face turning red when he met the gazes of the two inside.

Xu Qiao sized him up and smiled. "You're looking well. How did you do on your midterms?"

Zhou Cheng, still with that familiar nervous demeanor, replied, "Not bad, but my combat scores were the lowest—I just barely passed."

Xu Qiao said, "You started training late; just passing is already impressive. Come in and sit down."

There were only two chairs in front of Qin Chi's desk. Shaking his head, Zhou Cheng summoned his Wolverine Spiritual Being. "I'll stand."

The furry wolverine appeared, looked around, and then jumped onto the chair next to Xu Qiao.

Xu Qiao resisted the urge to pet the wolverine’s head and summoned her Lotus Flower Spiritual Being.

Thanks to the previous treatment, the wolverine was very cooperative. Xu Qiao's spiritual energy traveled through its spiritual world, confirming that the deleted dark memory fragments hadn't restored themselves. After sensing the positive white mist, she quickly finished the check-up.

"Here, this one is just for you," Xu Qiao said as she handed a red apple to Zhou Cheng before he left.

Zhou Cheng’s face turned red.

After 9 a.m., Xu Qiao took Qin Chi to the training building to wait for Lu Yang. When Lu Yang hurried out of the first-floor hall and spotted the two figures standing on the opposite lawn, his pace slowed. He suddenly couldn’t recall the last time he had seen Xu Qiao alone. Somehow, Qin Chi had become Xu Qiao's shadow, always appearing wherever Xu Qiao was.

Xu Qiao waved at him.

Lu Yang smiled and as he drew nearer, he asked, "Why did you come over today?"

Xu Qiao glanced at Qin Chi, then, despite her unfamiliarity, pretended to be very adept as she linked arms with him and smiled at Lu Yang. "I’ve found myself a boyfriend and brought him over to surprise you."