Chapter 298: A Little Hand-Holding
Night had fallen, and the stars were dazzling across the sky.
"Zzz~~"
Lying on the rooftop, "Fu Hua" grew bored of stargazing and simply fell asleep. She sprawled out in a starfish position among the slanted roof tiles, a little bubble forming at her nose, expanding and shrinking with each breath — a classic sign of deep sleep.
Bang!
Maybe the wind picked up just a little, or maybe "Fu Hua's" sleep became slightly restless — the little bubble at her nose suddenly popped.
The small disturbance didn't wake her, but it did make her wrinkle her nose uncomfortably in her sleep and turn over.
Naturally, a sleeping person wouldn't realize she was lying on a slanted rooftop.
After turning over, she lost her balance, and "Fu Hua" rolled down the slope of the roof.
Thud!
"Ah!!"
"Fu Hua" sat up abruptly after hitting the ground, scratching her head and pulling out a few strands of grass.
"Uh... Where am I? What happened?"
She mumbled to herself sleepily, yawning wide, her eyes moist with drowsiness.
After a moment, as her mind cleared, "Fu Hua" looked up at the rooftop — easily seven or eight meters high — and froze in place.
Under the flawless full moon, a girl in a simple white robe stood gracefully at the edge of the roof, her figure as slender and elegant as a willow. She lowered her head and smiled warmly down at "Fu Hua."
"O-Old Timer..."
"Fu Hua" stared blankly at the scene before her — like a celestial maiden descended from a moonlit painting — and, without realizing it, her cheeks flushed red.
The girl lightly tapped her toes on the rooftop and leapt down, drifting like a falling leaf until she landed in front of "Fu Hua."
It was only then that "Fu Hua" noticed the robe the girl wore — so plain and colorless it looked like a simple strip of white cloth, hastily wrapped around her slim figure. A gentle breeze would easily reveal glimpses of her snow-white skin through the gaps in the cloth, each sight branding itself into "Fu Hua's" mind.
"Did you hurt yourself?"
Fu Hua bent down and, with a smile pure as a moonlit flower, softly patted "Fu Hua's" head.
A clear blush spread across "Fu Hua's" face.
"O-Of course I'm fine! Hmph! Even if I fell from the world's highest peak, I'd be fine!"
"That's not what I asked, silly. I asked if it hurt. Honestly, at least pick a stable spot to sleep. I bet you learned your lesson now, huh?"
Fu Hua gently ruffled "Fu Hua's" hair with one hand while covering her own smile with the other.
The moment was so tender, so gentle, that "Fu Hua" felt herself almost floating, dizzy, as if drunk.
It took "Fu Hua" quite a while to recover her senses, after which she tried to act nonchalant, pouting and muttering:
"Nagging again..."
Lowering her head, "Fu Hua" happened to catch sight of Fu Hua's slender, snow-white legs and her delicate bare feet.
"Hsssss——"
In that instant, "Fu Hua" felt steam blast uncontrollably from her ears and nose—how could this ancient relic be so beautiful, everywhere she looked!?
. . . . . . .
After what felt like an eternity, "Fu Hua" finally snapped out of her daze, only to realize she was now sitting side-by-side with Fu Hua in a vast, empty meadow.
Above them, the full moon remained unchanged. Between them, the distance was so small that even a slight lean would bring them into each other's arms.
When... did we get here? What just happened?
"Fu Hua" tried to piece things together, but all she could recall was the overwhelming sense of peace and happiness from when Fu Hua had held her hand.
Holding her breath, she stole a sidelong glance and cautiously turned her head to look at Fu Hua's face.
The ancient relic was gazing up at the moon, her breathtakingly beautiful face shrouded by a faint sadness, as if she were looking beyond the moon, remembering something sorrowful from long ago.
"What's wrong?"
Noticing "Fu Hua's" focused stare, Fu Hua turned and gave her a gentle smile.
"N-Nothing! Wait, no—Old Timer, how did you even get out here yourself? And what's up with this body? A Soulium body? Did you get it from Sigurd?"
After a moment of flustered confusion, "Fu Hua" hastily changed the topic.
Of course, that really was an important question after all.
Fu Hua lowered her gaze, pondering for a moment as if considering how to respond, then said:
"Hmm... let's just say I got a bit itchy seeing you fight Kevin these past few days, so I came out to stretch my limbs."
"'Let's just say'? What the heck is that supposed to mean? Are you brushing me off?"
"Then please forgive me. I honestly don't know how to explain it."
"...Fine."
"Fu Hua" scratched her head, pouting as she reluctantly accepted the answer.
Anyway, it didn't really matter — if it was the Old Timer, she could do whatever she liked. "Fu Hua" didn't feel upset at all.
"Wanna spar a little?"
"Eh?"
"Fu Hua" blinked adorably, not quite following the sudden shift in topic.
But after a moment, her eyes lit up.
"Of course, of course! You really do understand me best! I love a good fight!"
"Just a pure skills exchange, though. If we go all out, my Soulium body won't hold up. So I'll have to trouble you to hold back a little."
"Fu Hua" made an OK gesture and laughed heartily:
"No problem! Just like when we train, right? I totally get it!"
Then she patted herself off, stood up, and struck a martial arts stance.
Fu Hua mirrored her, raising her arm in a knife-like posture. The two touched forearms lightly.
In the next instant, fists and palms moved like lightning, countless rapid-fire cracks bursting through the air like a string of firecrackers.
Yet, in the flow of time, it seemed as if they had barely touched. Amidst the gentle night breeze, Fu Hua's small, pale fist had already stopped just inches away from "Fu Hua's" face.
"You..."
"Fu Hua's" pupils shrank; her mouth opened slightly but no words came out.
Fu Hua slowly withdrew her fist, smiling as she asked:
"Shall we continue?"
"Yes!"
"Fu Hua" quickly composed herself, put on a serious face, and once again tapped forearms with Fu Hua.
Crackle!
Boom!
In the blink of an eye, Fu Hua had pinned down both of "Fu Hua's" wrists with one hand, while her other fist hovered once again just in front of "Fu Hua's" nose, a strong gust of air trailing from it.
This time, without needing Fu Hua to say anything, "Fu Hua" took a deep breath and enunciated clearly:
"Continue!"
Crackle!
Boom!
Now, it was Fu Hua's delicate palm stopped right in front of "Fu Hua's" face.
"Ahhhh!!"
"Fu Hua" staggered back two steps, clawing wildly at her hair, her face a mask of existential crisis.
After a moment, she turned around and said:
"Hold up! I must've been half-asleep! I haven't fully warmed up yet! Let me stretch first!"
"Okay."
"Fu Hua" then took a deep breath, puffed out her chest, stretched her back, rolled her wrists, even did a few hops and backflips on the spot.
After a round of warming up, she wore a solemn expression, full of renewed confidence, and walked back over.
"Alright, I'm ready now! Get ready to witness my true strength!"
Crackle!
Boom!
The same brief moment.
The same result.
The wind from Fu Hua's punch howled past "Fu Hua's" ears.
"Again!"
Boom!
"Keep going!"
Boom!
"AAAAHHH! I'M GETTING MAD NOW!!"
Boom!