Everyone perked up the moment they heard how Fu Lin addressed Bronya. Their eyes swept up and down, full of barely concealed curiosity.
Lyle was the first to lean in, his tone brimming with gossip-fuelled excitement, "Bro, what did you just call the Captain?"
Fu Lin opened his mouth, "Big-"
Before the word even landed, Bronya suddenly stepped on his foot. A sweet, gentle smile hung on her face, but her eyes held no warmth at all.
"What was that? I didn't hear you clearly." Fu Lin's words got stuck in his throat. A sharp hiss escaped him as the dull pain shot up from his toes, his expression twisting. He quickly waved his hands,
"N–nothing! I said, 'Good... good job, everyone!' Yes, that's it!"
As he spoke, he tried to quietly pull his foot back, but Bronya refused to budge. That seemingly slender boot felt welded to the top of his shoe.
The pressure was so firm he didn't even dare grimace too obviously.
Lyle stared, dumbfounded. He was about to ask again when Timido gently tugged his sleeve, signalling him not to add fuel to the fire, since even the Captain's "smile" was barely holding together.
Adam stood off to the side with arms crossed, his gaze shifting between the two. He cleared his throat twice to break the stalemate, "Ahem. Captain, if we delay any longer, it'll be dark soon."
That finally provided a way out. Bronya slowly lifted her foot, her voice instantly returning to its usual calm sharpness, "Timido, let's go."
Fu Lin rubbed his sore foot, watching Bronya and Timido walk off. He couldn't help muttering through clenched teeth, "This grudge… I'm remembering it…"
The moment he finished, a gossip-filled face suddenly appeared right in front of him.
Lyle lowered his voice, curiosity overflowing, "Bro, what's your relationship with the Captain anyway?"
Fu Lin shot him a sideways look and said dead-seriously, "Send me 50, and I'll tell you my revenge plan."
Lyle looked disgusted, "You want money?"
"No money? Then scram." Fu Lin raised a hand and pushed Lyle's face away, then turned and walked into the garage.
With a wave of his hand, a beanbag chair appeared. He dropped onto it with a soft "thud," looking like he couldn't be bothered.
Staring at him, Lyle's eyes suddenly lit up. He clapped once and hurried to Adam's side, whispering mysteriously, "I get it! He and the Captain are definitely-"
"Cleaning." Adam cut him off coldly and shoved a broom into his hands with a tone that brooked no argument.
"Okayyy…" Lyle pouted but resigned himself to sweeping. Still, his mind replayed all sorts of theories over and over, slowing his sweeping by half a beat.
For a while, the garage was quiet, only the "shhh-shhh" of Lyle's broom and the occasional clink from Adam tidying up.
Fu Lin lay on the beanbag as if resting with his eyes closed, but his eyelids cracked slightly open. He subtly watched Lyle sweeping in slow motion while stealing glances, and Adam moving efficiently nearby.
Suddenly, as if remembering an important clue, Lyle crept back to Adam, lowering his voice even further, "Bro, that guy called the Captain so intimately… do you think he likes her? I mean, the Captain's a bit older, but her looks are top-notch, and she keeps her figure really well."
As he said this, he struck a pose with one hand on his hip, brimming with the joy of "discovering the truth," then quickly lowered his voice again, "And he just called her, Big Duck~! Even the Archbishop doesn't call her that!"
Fu Lin, lying on the beanbag, rolled his eyes dramatically at Lyle's endless whispering.
Adam didn't even lift his eyelids. His hands didn't pause as he replied in a flat tone, as if stating a fact, "Just sweep. His strength is on par with the Captain's. If he decides to deal with you, all I can do is cheer from the side."
Kiana☆: Lyle, right? Be careful or I'll have Bronya beat you up!!!
Lyle pouted again. He was about to mutter something like "I was just asking…" when Fu Lin suddenly sat up from the beanbag, his gaze drifting toward him, "If you're that bored, you can come over and massage my shoulders."
Lyle instantly backed up two steps, staring warily, "I'm still busy cleaning!"
Fu Lin raised a brow and spoke lazily, "What? Don't you want to know what I was really about to call Bronya? Don't you want to know the 'deep grudge' between us? Massage my shoulders for five minutes and I'll reluctantly tell you a little."
That hit Lyle's weakness square on. He gripped the broom, hesitated while pacing in place twice, glancing between Fu Lin and Adam.
But in the end, his gossip-loving heart won. He tiptoed over, "Just five minutes! Not a second more!"
Fu Lin beckoned him with a mischievous smile, "Relax. Come on."
Lyle reluctantly set down the broom, crouched in front of Fu Lin, and gingerly put his hands on his shoulders, mumbling nonstop, "So what's your relationship with the Captain? Why'd you call her Big Duck? Did you summon that beanbag out of thin air? And also, are you a guy or a girl…?"
Fu Lin snorted, "Why do you have so many questions?"
He hadn't finished speaking when footsteps echoed from the garage entrance. Bronya and Timido had returned, one carrying a box in her arms, the other with a sofa on her shoulder.
Bronya saw Fu Lin lounging on the beanbag and Lyle massaging his shoulders. Her brow lifted slightly, "Cadet Collodi, what exactly are you doing?"
Lyle's hand was still on Fu Lin's shoulder. Hearing that familiar voice, he slowly turned his head, forcing a smile uglier than crying, "Captain, I'm… completing the task you gave me, keeping an eye on him. Since you're back, I… I'll go clean now!"
He immediately grabbed the broom and held it like a shield, looking as innocent as possible.
Bronya's gaze slid past Lyle and landed on Fu Lin. Her brows drew together slightly, her tone emotionless yet faintly oppressive, "I was gone for a moment and you're already ordering my team members around. Does your foot still hurt?"
Fu Lin froze. He wanted to shake his head and say "no," but when his eyes met hers, sharp beneath that calm surface, he swallowed the words and grumbled instead, "You were wearing heels. You stepped really hard. How could it not hurt?"
"Stop pretending." Bronya's tone was utterly flat, easily exposing his flimsy acting,
"You and the class monitor both have absurd self-recovery. That pain should've healed long ago. If you dare give me nicknames again, or order my team around, it won't just be one stomp next time."
Fu Lin clicked his tongue and muttered, "Fine, fine. Next time I'll properly call you 'Lady Bronya.' Even Kiana☆ doesn't get that kind of honor."
Bronya's eyes brightened immediately, "Oh? Even Kiana☆ doesn't get that honor? Lady Bronya, hmm. Ahem. Suit yourself. If you like calling me that, then go ahead."
Kiana☆: Fu Lin! When you get back, I'm making you call me Lady Kiana☆ a hundred times!!!