“You once said that people who still look toward the future in the dark are like stars in a night sea. Their light crosses ages before it reaches our eyes, yet they keep burning, becoming beacons for those who come after—so our finishing move is called Nightlight Torch.”

“Back then I asked you, where can you even see stars anymore…”

Their eyes narrowed, clear as autumn water, both gazing into the same jeweled sky.

Star points blinked on and off, like tides breathing in moonlight.

A heartbeat was an eternity.

“Right. This place will do.”

…

……

“Ivaris—?!”

The infirmary ceiling swam into focus.

And a long, snow-white hand.

…slowly drawing back.

Turns out I had really fallen asleep on the infirmary bed.

Liu RuoYuan must’ve had something else to handle and had gone. Only me and the tight‑lipped on‑duty teacher remained.

He looked over at my shout. I shook my head—nothing happened—and hopped off the bed, bolting from the infirmary like a startled bird.

That dream… another shard woke. A tiny memory about how we named our ultimate.

Felt like we treated Azous as a giant private car. If we ever wanted to tour the Horizon, we’d just drive over and play… so carefree.

…Cold brushed my cheeks, like a meltwater stream tracing stone.

I had never felt loss this sharply.

I’ve never trusted intuition. Build a mech by gut, you get the failed junk I dismantled last time, then an accident. But this time, I had to believe it.

Ivaris was gone.

She’d poured all the Flash Energy that made up her body into me, tossed out a breezy “see you next time,” kicked me away like it didn’t hurt, and then—

I couldn’t reach the Horizon. I couldn’t reach her. And still I knew.

The old me would laugh and say, “That’s the kind of talk only psychics would spout.” But right now, even the most mystical setup felt like it could be true.

It was break time. Liu RuoYuan had been heading back from the office to check on me. We collided in the hallway.

“Rested up?”

“Mm.”

My head was still a storm. I didn’t want to talk—afraid I’d snap and spill everything in one go. I glanced at her. “I’m going back to class.”

“Eh? Why are your eyes red?”

“Maybe bloodshot—”

“Your irises turned red.”

Warm palms cupped my head, lifting my face again.

Those eyes that always mirrored complicated light—always thinking—were now clear as raw rubies, bright and uncut, filled with fog and helplessness.

“Bad dream? You’re all trembly.”

That was what she cared about first.

I cooled, like embers fanned by rain.

She’s my little sister, and yet she glows with an impossible motherliness. My breathing steadied.

“No… not really a nightmare…”

“Is Yekase a vampire?”

“Huh?”

“Your eyes. Red.”

“I dunno why they’re red, but definitely not a vampire. Do vampires even exist?”

“In the West they might be real. They sit on people’s shoulders, siphoning money and—”

“That kind exists everywhere.” I cut off the dangerous rant. “My eyes are fine. They’ll go back soon. Bye, teacher. I’m heading to class.”

I slipped past Liu RuoYuan toward the teaching building—

My phone buzzed against the inside of my skirt pocket, pressed to the base of my thigh.

“Ugh?!”

My knees softened. I squatted down.

“Better head back to the infirmary for a bit?”

“No, no need!”

Who put the phone in my skirt pocket? Oh, I did. Damn!

I pulled it out. It was a call from Ling Nuo Si—I’d given him my old, retired phone, with a family plan number.

“What is it? Didn’t I say text during school hours?”

“You’ve got some nerve talking about texts. Look at how many I sent. You didn’t reply to a single one!”

Uh.

Sleeping doesn’t count as not replying. Sleeping…

“An External Entity showed up downtown.”

“…Huh?”

“It wasn’t your slip‑up observation, right?”

“How could it be! Thinking about it doesn’t equal observing it. You have to operate Flash Energy at the same time! …So where? Can you two handle it?”

“No problem at all. Honestly, I could end it with one punch. But Wendao insists on taking the head himself. I’m just watching, and letting you know.”

“…”

She wants to show off to you…

ZEROS is a mature, polished third‑gen system, built on ternary logic. Ling Nuo Si only set two alternate forms beyond her base. She used the rest of the memory to hard‑boost her body. Her stats are second only to the first generation. If she says one punch, there’s never a second.

Xi is much weaker. Her only trick is a small rewind. Even at full, she’s a healer at best. Punching, kicking—embarrassing. She was never built for front‑line combat.

Hard to believe she had the confidence to save people at the school fair.

…Maybe it was never about confidence. There were injured people. So she went.

“Then good luck…”

“Hit the head again! Straight through the display! Okay!”

“Uh—”

“It’s done.”

“Thanks, you two…”

Call ended.

I popped the front camera to check the red eyes Liu RuoYuan mentioned. The reflection looked normal. My bangs clip had slipped during sleep, a stubborn tuft of red hair poking up like a flame.

Might as well fix it… Liu RuoYuan won’t mind, but other teachers might think it’s dyed.

I wouldn’t have known without the phone’s clock. I nearly jumped. I’d slept the whole afternoon. It was almost dismissal!

I sprinted back to class. Waited for the bell outside. Then slipped in through the rear door.

“Leaf‑sis, your skip‑class chops haven’t dulled. You advance in negotiation step by step, squeeze excuses to the limit—what a cutting method.”

Ling Ya was packing up. She spotted me sneaking in and praised me straight from the heart.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

We can talk on the phone later. The key now is to bolt home. I grabbed my never‑opened backpack and headed out fast.

…And got blocked by Liu RuoYuan again.

Is she targeting me? Yeah, seems so.

“Yekase, I thought it over.”

“Y‑Yes…?”

Her smile was bright as a spring wind. “Final decision—I’m moving in to live with you.”

“Wait, what about my opinion?!”

“You live alone, can’t cook, and you eat takeout. That’s so unhealthy! My rental isn’t set yet—so, can I stay at your place?”

“Absolutely not!”

“I’ll pay you rent like normal.”

“No means no! Zero wiggle room!”

A single home visit was stressful enough. Moving in would be like me pressing the self‑destruct right now—quick and merciful!

Plus I already have two tenants. That poor little rental—one more body and we’ll be stacking like bricks.

Moving has to go on the agenda—no, wait!

“If you’re that unwilling, then I guess there’s no helping it. But I heard a student slept half the morning and half the afternoon today…”

“Ah, splitting rent between two people is so cost‑effective—”

She really used napping in class as leverage!

Perfect timing, though. Once Ling Nuo Si reunites with family, Zhang Wendao can share a room with him. Mixing sexes might raise eyebrows, but Zhang Wendao will probably be thrilled. And I can use it as an excuse to pressure Ling Nuo Si to stay transformed 24/7. Fate, huh…

“Settled then. I’ll grab my luggage from the hotel in a bit, and we’ll get dinner out together.”

“…Okay.”

I gave Liu RuoYuan a tired look. She was in high spirits, humming under her breath.

Uh.

Has she already figured something out?

Even if I’m flagged for Special Attention, no one moves in over that… “the aloof top student who hates classes” is a dime a dozen. I swear my acting’s solid…

Come on, tally the disguise success rate so far.

With Ling Yi—self‑reveal, nothing happened, count as success.

With Shen Shanshan—always under a mask, no exposure, success.

With Jiang Bailu—caught red‑handed, failure.

With Omega F—success.

With Ling Ya—success.

With Ling Nuo Si—success.

With Mira—self‑reveal, doesn’t count as failure.

—So exposure chance is only one in seven. Which proves how excellent my acting is.

And just like that, I convinced myself.

We walked out the school gate… headed to the mall together (the one I visited with Shen Shanshan last time)… window‑shopped together… sat down together at a restaurant…

“How did it all slide so naturally into this?”

“Public place. Keep it down.”

Liu RuoYuan had the menu, already ordering.

I lay on the table, feeling boneless. I pulled my phone and messaged the three Ling siblings to meet up at home without me—I was stuck.

Then I shut off the phone and started eating.

“Yekase always reminds me of someone.”

“Uh, who?”

I kept my face steady and took a sip of cola.

“My dumb older brother.”

“—Pff!”

I sprayed like a sitcom gag.

I tried to control it mid‑spray and the fizz stabbed up my nose. Damn!

“W‑Why do I remind you of him? Is your brother, like me, a peerless beautiful genius inventor?”

“That’s one long title! …My brother, in my memory, has always been a strange one. He didn’t avoid people because he couldn’t. He just didn’t like them. He studied dangerous energy not for the career promise. He just liked it.”

Uh, Flash Energy isn’t that dangerous, actually.

From an outsider’s view, maybe all Infinite Power looks the same.

“A world‑famous Gauntlet champion once said, ‘The smallest unit of strength is to carry out your own willfulness.’ So someone who can carry through his likes and dislikes—my brother, to me, is the strongest.”

Thanks.

I’ve been forced into socializing lately. Maybe your brother’s already getting weaker.