That afternoon, Derek Su stepped out for a while.
He went to make arrangements in advance for the Brana Ruins advancement race scheduled two days later. Mr. Xavier had never participated in that event and had no plans to let Lumina enter it either, so Derek Su had to personally scout the terrain and buy a map to study carefully.
The moment he walked into the club, he froze in surprise.
It was five in the afternoon. Most of the Mecha Girls were either relaxing in their rooms or taking naps.
The evening sun poured through the hall, its glow reflecting off the porcelain-like floor tiles like rippling orange-red water.
It was the first time he had ever seen the club's floor this clean.
Although the club now had a logistics team, cleaning wasn't part of their duties. The club's cleaning had always been handled by a few Mecha Girls taking turns.
Once the functional cleaning-type Mecha Girls from the sponsor arrived, the cleaning work would be handed over to them.
Seeing how spotless the floor was, Derek Su even felt embarrassed to step on it with shoes. He simply took them off and walked in wearing only his socks.
The sound of a mop dragging across the floor reached his ears.
Turning his head, he saw Purple Lightning holding a bucket in her left hand and a mop in her right, carefully mopping the floor.
"Purple Lightning, what are you doing?"
"Oh? Boss, you're back?" Purple Lightning straightened up and smiled. "I'm mopping the floor. I noticed some dust, so I thought I'd clean it."
"Uh, you really don't need to do that." Derek Su walked over and pointed at the work schedule posted on the wall. "I've already arranged the cleaning rotation. And later on, the club will have cleaning-type Mecha Girls anyway. If you have the time, you might as well rest, read a book, watch TV, or go hang out with Absolute Shadow… Oh right, I haven't introduced you to her yet. She usually only comes to the club at night."
Derek Su suddenly smacked his forehead.
Absolute Shadow was a rather special Mecha Girl. She was the only one under him who had her own business and was basically a wealthy lady.
She had to manage her own ventures, so she was always coming and going mysteriously throughout the day.
But every night when she returned to the club, she brought all kinds of delicious food for the other Mecha Girls.
All the suits and casual clothes in Derek Su's wardrobe were bought by Absolute Shadow.
According to her, as the owner of Stella Club, he represented the club's image to some extent. If the boss dressed cheaply and looked out of style all day, people would assume Stella Club wasn't doing well and didn't have much money. That would make it harder to attract talented people.
Derek Su thought that made sense, so he simply let Absolute Shadow handle his wardrobe.
After all, the free ride tasted pretty good, and he was more than happy with it.
"But… I don't know what I should be doing." Purple Lightning lowered her head and stared at her toes.
Her clothes were already quite worn, and her everyday shoes had faded from repeated washing. She usually spent very little, trying to save every bit she could.
"I don't really have any hobbies. I just thought I should help you and everyone else somehow. But I can't cook, so the only thing I can do is cleaning—simple work that doesn't require any skills. If I just stay in that nice, fragrant room enjoying myself without doing anything… I'd feel guilty."
Hearing this, Derek Su sighed inwardly.
Purple Lightning's problem was that she thought too little of herself. Being suppressed by Chloe Qin for so long had made her believe she was useless. That left her extremely sensitive and insecure. At the same time, her personality made her very proud, and she hated feeling indebted to anyone.
The result was that she often seemed awkward and conflicted.
Stella had once been somewhat insecure too, but the setbacks she faced didn't last long, so she managed to recover quickly.
She gradually changed from cautious and timid into someone carefree, lively, and cheerful.
But Purple Lightning was different.
Chloe Qin had once treated her well, only to suddenly reverse her attitude. That alone was already a painful blow.
Then came the long period of suppression and neglect, which became the second wound.
Because of that, Purple Lightning wasn't like Stella. Simply giving her warmth and care wouldn't immediately pull her out of the shadows.
For a Mecha Girl like Purple Lightning, the key was for her to become strong from within.
Only when she built a proper understanding of herself and gained real confidence could she truly break free.
And Derek Su had already been preparing for that.
Last night, while browsing the forum for training race announcements, he noticed a race similar to the Echo Valley training race. It had many corners, though it was slightly easier.
Originally, with the Brana Ruins advancement race coming up the day after tomorrow, he had planned to conserve energy and avoid running around.
But seeing Purple Lightning like this, if things dragged on until after the Brana Ruins race, it might only get worse.
Before this, she at least had things to do.
Busy work and combat training could keep her occupied.
But after joining Stella Club, she no longer had to fight underground black matches in the arena. Now that her life had suddenly become idle, she found it difficult to adapt.
Mecha Girls were the same as humans. When they had too much free time, their thoughts tended to wander.
Most Mecha Girls would just think about having fun.
But Purple Lightning was different. The more time she had, the more she would think—and the more those thoughts would weigh on her.
In Derek Su's eyes, it was already leaning toward mild depression.
Psychological problems in Mecha Girls were notoriously difficult to handle. Purple Lightning might not necessarily develop a serious condition, but it was better to prevent it early.
With that in mind, Derek Su said firmly,
"Stop cleaning. Go pack your things now. We're flying to Kunshan City tonight. There's a training race there that starts at eight tomorrow morning."
Purple Lightning froze, clearly not processing what he said.
A training race in Kunshan City… why was she the one being told to prepare?
"Aren't you taking Stella and Imperial Scale?" she asked blankly.
Derek Su flicked her lightly on the forehead and said helplessly,
"I'm taking you specifically. That track has lots of corners—it suits you."
Purple Lightning stood there, stunned.
The light in her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"You're… taking me to the training race?!"
"Of course."
"And you'll be piloting me?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Derek Su raised an eyebrow.
Did Purple Lightning eat Stella's pineapple and get dumb or something?
"But… but I…" Purple Lightning bit her lip, stumbling over her words.
What had she done to deserve this?
"No buts." Derek Su grabbed her shoulders, turned her around, and pushed her toward the staircase. "You have one hour to get ready. In one hour, I want to see you standing here."
"After that, go inform the other Mecha Girls about dinner. We'll leave after we eat. If we're any later, we'll miss the flight."
Standing behind her, his voice steady and firm, he continued,
"This will be your first time on a proper track in the last two years. That underground graveyard race doesn't count. I'll have everyone come cheer for you."
"So you… better not mess this up."
Purple Lightning's shoulders trembled.
Her hands clenched, loosened, then clenched again.
She tried to calm her racing breath and pounding heart. After taking a deep breath, she spoke with a slight sob in her voice.
"Boss, I… I'll go get ready right away!"
Derek Su watched as Purple Lightning hurried up the stairs, her footsteps echoing loudly. She sniffled and quickly wiped the corners of her eyes.
He shook his head and chuckled softly.
"So cool and sharp on the track, yet she's such a crybaby in private… what can you do."
...
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