The woman spoke softly, listening to Hoshimi Souichirou's account with a faint smile on her face.
"The training room? Wasn't that where she used to go all the time as a child? Now that she's a Void Hunter, surely she doesn't need to train there anymore?"
"Can that place even withstand her power now?"
Hearing this, Hoshimi Souichirou raised an eyebrow in mild curiosity. The woman, however, only met his gaze with a gentle smile before explaining,
"The training room isn't just for training. It holds important memories for her. Otherwise, it wouldn't still be standing today."
"True enough."
Nodding at her words, Hoshimi Souichirou sat down nearby.
"Have Miyabi come over. I want to ask her about that Mobile Hollow. We'll head over this afternoon—might as well have a proper talk with them."
As his words reached her ears, the woman nodded. Hanging up her coat neatly, she turned and made her way toward the training room.
She passed through the corridor and stepped into the small garden. The vast Hoshimi estate felt unusually quiet.
Inside the training room, Hoshimi Miyabi sat cross-legged on the floor, her long hair cascading down like a smooth, dark waterfall.
Her head was slightly lowered, a faint, faraway light flickering in her clear eyes. In her hands, she held a peculiar mask.
She lifted the mask, brushing her fingers across its time-worn surface. Her gaze softened as her thoughts drifted into faraway memories.
...
A dozen seconds later, light footsteps echoed outside the training room. Hoshimi Miyabi's ears twitched slightly before she snapped back to herself.
Turning toward the doorway, she saw a familiar figure. Their eyes met, and a gentle smile appeared on Miyabi's face.
"Mother, why are you here?"
"Your father's back. He wants to hear about the Mobile Hollow. He said you've achieved another great feat this time."
Her mother sat down beside her, her robes glided softly over the polished floor. She looked at her daughter with a gaze filled with warmth and pride.
Hearing that, Hoshimi Miyabi blinked in surprise. Realizing what her mother meant, she let out a small sigh and shook her head helplessly.
"Mother, I didn't really do anything this time. I just went to take a look. Honestly, I'm just taking credit for someone else's work."
If it weren't for Zane, the Mobile Hollow incident would never have been resolved so easily.
As for his disappearance afterward, Miyabi knew he didn't want to expose himself, so she'd taken the credit under the name of Section 6.
After all, when the Hollow vanished, only Section 6 had been present at the scene. Even if they didn't say a word, as long as Zane's involvement remained hidden, the achievement would inevitably fall to them.
"Taking credit, you say?"
Her mother widened her eyes slightly. Still, she didn't believe her daughter was the type to seek undeserved praise. That simply wasn't in her nature—and her past accomplishments were already countless.
"Yes. It involved some important people."
Hoshimi Miyabi nodded slightly, hesitating for a moment as she debated whether to mention Zane's existence to her mother.
After a brief pause, she decided against it. Perhaps it would be better to wait until everything became clear—and let Zane reveal himself when the time was right.
When Miyabi stayed silent, her mother took it as something she couldn't talk about and gently changed the subject. Her gaze drifted toward the mask in Miyabi's hands.
"I was wondering why you came to the training hall. What's this—thinking about him again?"
The woman covered her mouth and giggled softly.
"Speaking of which, I still remember that adorable expression you had when you got whacked on the head with a wooden sword... You were so tiny back then."
At those words, Hoshimi Miyabi couldn't help but recall the memory. Her cheeks flushed faintly as she smiled with a hint of embarrassment.
Back then, she'd been naive—and had gotten scolded more than a few times. Because of that, she now both longed to see Zane again and felt a complicated kind of timidity whenever she thought of him.
"But I have to say, mysterious as he was, he really was such a good teacher..."
Her mother's eyes brightened as she reminisced. The memories brought a gentle smile to her face.
"Mm, and then there was that accident..."
Miyabi's gaze shifted to the wooden sword hanging on the wall—the very same one her mother had mentioned, the one that had once struck her head during lessons.
Back when she was still learning, he had used that sword, guiding her one strike at a time.
Her mother nodded slightly. Seeing Miyabi's distant expression, she stopped herself from saying more. After all, every time the topic came up, it inevitably led to the painful memory of his sudden departure.
But this time...
Her gaze lingered on Miyabi and, to her surprise, her daughter didn't seem sad at all. In fact—she looked almost happy.
What was going on?
Hoshimi Miyabi's mother tilted her head slightly, puzzled.
Meanwhile, Miyabi came back to her senses, stood up, and carefully set the mask aside before turning to her mother.
"Mother, this is our little secret, alright? You absolutely, absolutely can't let Father find out."
Her lips curved into a playful smile, her usual composure replaced by a teasing glint as she blinked mischievously.
"Don't worry. I can keep my mouth shut. Your father didn't find out a thing back then, remember?"
Her mother grinned, pretending to zip her lips shut.
Compared to her husband's strict way of dealing with Miyabi, her relationship with her daughter had always been far more relaxed.
When Miyabi was younger, she'd worried about many things. But as those worries faded with time and she watched her daughter grow into who she was now, those anxieties had long since disappeared.
"Come on, Mother. Didn't you say Father's waiting for me?"
"I still need to explain everything to him, but let's make sure we're telling the same story when we're outside..."
Miyabi called out cheerfully, walking toward the door. Her words were about her father—but her thoughts were elsewhere.
She still wasn't sure about "Tail-less," but through the spirit, she already had her suspicions. That much she no longer doubted.
After all, back then, this very sword had somehow been beaten into submission by him—and had behaved ever since.
Yet a single question still hovered in her thoughts.
How exactly were those two connected?
Considering the Fire Pickers' unique nature, their long lifespan made sense. Which meant... was Zane actually an old man living in a young body?
And if enough time had passed... maybe not just an old man.
Realizing where her thoughts had gone, Miyabi quickly shook her head, flustered.
"Right, I could go find that Qingyi woman later. I heard Zane learned his martial arts from her..."
"Master and disciple..."
"Wait, so by that logic, doesn't that make me—"
"Ya, what are you talking about?"
Her mother's voice interrupted her murmuring. Snapping back to reality, Miyabi quickly waved her hands.
"Nothing, nothing at all! Come on, Mother, let's go."
Watching Miyabi's retreating figure, her mother blinked in confusion, a trace of amusement in her eyes.
This girl... What's going on with her?
So strange...