The sharp hum of a beam rifle echoed across the firing range, each shot sending a ripple through the air. It had been forty-five intense minutes of practice, and now Fei Xian, clad in the sleek, bright orange armor of her Frame Unit mode, was executing near-perfect shots. Her beam rifle fired with deadly precision, scoring hits on eighty to ninety percent of the targets. The plywood bullseyes were now peppered with smoldering, charred holes, evidence of her growing accuracy.
"Good job, Fei," Myrrh called out from behind the protective barrier, her voice calm yet encouraging. "Remember, always aim a little below your target to counter the recoil. You’re getting better with every shot. Let’s wrap it up for today."
With a soft shimmer, Fei Xian's Frame Unit dissolved into a shower of sparkling particles, leaving her back in her familiar humanoid form. She turned, catching Myrrh's gaze, and was immediately embraced in a warm hug.
"Thank you for that wonderful tip, Miss Myrrh," Fei said, her face lighting up with a grateful smile. "I know it’ll be a game-changer for the upcoming shooting drills."
"Happy to help! You’re the one who got me through advanced calculus, so I guess we’re even now," Myrrh replied, flashing a grin of her own.
The two girls shared a moment, their eyes locking in a silent understanding before they both let out a soft laugh, breaking the tension.
Meanwhile, Neil and I sat quietly on the bench nearby, observing them with faint smiles. As we both deactivated our hologram displays in unison, Neil stretched his arms toward the sky, a relaxed expression settling over his face as he looked at me with a lazy grin.
"Phew, my arms are stiff from keeping an eye on the Bios." Neil stretched and let out a relieved sigh before extending his fist toward me. "Thanks for the assist, Zaft. Time to call it a day."
"Yeah, no problem. See you tomorrow," I replied, meeting his fist with a quick bump. As he turned away, I absentmindedly touched my cheek, still sore from the earlier incident.
Neil quickly caught up with Fei, and I watched as the two of them fell into easy conversation, their smiles reflecting how well they meshed. A pang of envy twisted in my chest—watching how natural and effortless their bond was always stirred something in me. Honestly, they were perfect together. Sometimes, I wished they’d just get married already, if only so I wouldn’t have to keep enduring how sweet they were to each other. Their closeness was almost an eyesore.
"Hey, Zaft." A soft, familiar voice pulled me from my thoughts. I turned and found Myrrh standing nearby, her deep blue eyes tinged with guilt.
Startled, I reflexively stepped back into a defensive karate stance, bringing my arms up to guard my face. "W-What is it, you brute?" I stammered, a bit too loudly.
Myrrh cringed, raising her hands in a surrendering gesture. "That’s a bit of an overreaction, don’t you think?" she said with a grimace. "I’m sorry for earlier, okay? I didn’t mean to hurt you."
"That terrifying pitcher-like throw would kill me one day." The tension drained from me, and I lowered my arms, once again gingerly touching my still-throbbing cheek.
"I just wanted to check which is harder: my morpher or your face." Without hesitation, Myrrh leaned in closer, inspecting the spot where the flying morpher had struck. Her face was only inches from mine, her expression softening with concern. "Are you hurt? Should I get you a cold compress or something?"
"N-No, it's fine." I stammered, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks as I took a nervous step back, suddenly overwhelmed by her proximity.
Myrrh's face flushed pink, her expression shifting to a pout. "I'm trying to make amends here, so just stay still," she huffed, her irritation barely masking the embarrassment in her voice.
"I told you, it’s fine." I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to push away the awkwardness. "What’s with you? Did hell freeze over or something? Why are you suddenly so concerned about me?"
"O-Of course I’m concerned!" Myrrh shot back, her blush deepening as she crossed her arms defensively. "I admit it was my fault for hitting you, and I regret letting my emotions get the better of me. I mean... I can’t just hit the person who saved my life, right?" Her voice softened, the guilt showing in her eyes. "You made a contract with that Machine God just to bring me back. I owe you my life, Zaft. I always pay my debts, so I’ll do whatever it takes to make up for what happened."
"And how exactly do you plan to make up for a whole life?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Myrrh’s shoulders slumped in defeat, her face falling. "I... I don’t know," she admitted, her voice quiet. "What do you want me to do?"
I crossed my arms, smirking slightly. "Well, considering you’re dirt poor, money’s out of the question."
"Hey! I might be in debt, but I’m not a pauper!" Myrrh protested, stomping her foot on the ground with a scowl.
"And I don’t think offering your body is the best idea either, so that's off the table," I added, unable to hide the teasing grin creeping onto my face.
Myrrh’s eyes immediately narrowed, her once-flushed face now cold as ice. "You really are a disgusting pervert, you know that?"
"Aha!" I pointed dramatically at her, as if a lightbulb had flickered to life above my head. "How about this—you become my personal bodyguard? I mean, who knows, maybe people will find out I’ve got WMDs or something, and then I’ll end up being some science experiment. Or maybe one of those mysterious WAIFU units will try to kidnap me someday. I’ll need someone to keep me safe! How about it, huh?"
Myrrh's expression darkened, her teeth grinding as she shot me a withering glare. "How dare you ask a proper lady like me to stoop so low as to guard a goon like you!" Her voice was sharp, dripping with indignation. "It should be the other way around!"
Okay, maybe that idea wasn’t as brilliant as I thought. In my mind, I’d been hoping to kill two birds with one stone—get her to protect me and stick close. But no, this girl was too proud and fiery for that.
Then, her face suddenly lit up with an idea. "Oh! I’ve got it!" She raised her index finger triumphantly, a mischievous smile spreading across her lips. "How about one date?"
"Uh... pardon?" I blinked, caught off guard. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ɴovel(ꜰ)ɪre.nᴇt
"I’ll make it up to you with one date," she said, her cheeks glowing with a faint blush as she giggled.
"Is your life really worth just one date?" I replied, my voice cold and skeptical.
"Ugh! F-Fine! Two dates!" she blurted out, her blush deepening as she haggled.
"Three dates," I countered with a smirk, crossing my arms. "And you’re covering all the meals, taking me to the best tourist spots on Xyraxis, and walking me home after each one."
Myrrh gritted her teeth but managed to keep her composure, forcing a smile. "That’s so audacious of you... but fine, three dates. You should feel lucky that an elegant lady like me is willing to go out with a punk like you. But after those three dates, we’re square, got it?"
"Deal," I said, nodding.
"Let’s do the first one this Saturday, if you're free," Myrrh offered, extending her hand for a handshake. I accepted, feeling the warmth and softness of her skin as our hands met. It was... surprisingly pleasant.
I agreed to the three dates not just because of her offer, but because it would also double as a sort of bodyguard duty—she’d be with me for three instances, keeping me company. Besides, who wouldn’t want to spend time with someone as striking as her? I’d grown accustomed to having her around, and if I was being honest, I enjoyed every moment of it.
Also... I’ve never been on an actual date before. Maybe, just maybe, I could learn something about romance from these outings with Myrrh.
Myrrh and I left the firing range and made our way down the narrow road leading to the dormitories. The sound of our footsteps echoed lightly against the pavement, filling the quiet between us. As we walked, a fleeting thought crossed my mind, and without much hesitation, I turned to Myrrh.
"Hey, Myrrh. How come you're bad at Advanced Calculus? I thought you were a total Mary Sue—nearly perfect at everything. Didn't we already cover that subject last year?" I teased, casting a sideways glance at her.
Myrrh's cheeks puffed up in irritation, a slight pout forming on her lips. "Maybe for you and the other special curriculum students. But for us regular folks, we only got the basics. And, in case you forgot, I was busy with student council duties. I didn’t exactly have time to focus on calculus," she huffed. "The extra credits from my extracurriculars kept my grades afloat. Ephraim used to help me with it back then."
"Good thing you have Fei Xian now," I said with a knowing smile, earning a sharp glare from Myrrh.
She opened her mouth to retort, but something in front of us caught both of our attention. Standing in the middle of the path was a tall, slim woman. Her long pink hair, tied into a neat ponytail, cascaded down her back, and her white office uniform gave her an air of professional authority. Her red lips curled into a confident smile as she blocked our way.
"Good afternoon. You are Miss Myrrh Alicent and Mister Zaft Callahan, correct?" the woman asked, her voice smooth and direct.
Myrrh and I exchanged a quick glance, silently debating whether we should confirm our identities. There didn’t seem to be any harm in it, so we both nodded cautiously.
"Excellent. Saves me the trouble of tracking you down." The pink-haired woman’s smile widened as she reached into her pocket and produced a badge. The emblem gleamed in the fading light, with the word "KAWAII" boldly printed across it. "My name is Feena Arcaliburn. I’m an agent of the Knowledge Assessment for Wide-ranging Anomalies and Intelligent Investigations. I’d like to invite you both to our office. It's just a stone’s throw away from the faculty office on campus."
Without hesitation, Myrrh stepped forward, her arm snapping out to the side protectively, placing herself between me and the agent like a shield. The sudden gesture of bravery struck me—despite her earlier grumbling, she was ready to defend me. It was oddly touching.
"Are we being arrested?" Myrrh's voice was firm, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "We haven’t broken any university rules, and as far as I know, we haven’t violated any laws here on Xyraxis."
Agent Feena's smile didn't waver, her demeanor calm and unthreatened. "Relax. I’m not here to arrest you." With a casual flick of her wrist, she brought up a tablet, turning it to face us. Displayed on the screen was an image of a white-and-gold Frame Unit locked in battle with a red, cloaked Frame Unit. My breath caught in my throat. Perched on the shoulder of the white mech was a figure unmistakably familiar—me.
That picture had to have been taken during our skirmish with the mysterious Frame Unit that ambushed us. But now, with the investigation agents involved and aware of our identities, it felt like we were being dragged onto a fast-moving train to destination fucked.
"What do you want from us?" Myrrh asked, her voice hard and steady.
Agent Feena’s eyes glinted as she leaned in ever so slightly, her smile growing almost playful. "A lot. But for starters, I’d like to see the strength of the daughter of the heroine." Her words dripped with both curiosity and challenge, as if she already knew more than she was letting on.