“So you’re saying a large ice-cooking ring is buried in a backward village… and their feedstock probably comes from Twin Towers City?”

“Yes. I saw a condenser coil sitting on a kiosk’s top shelf, like a cold feeler creeping into the sticks.”

From the action log Yekase later handed in—painstaking, like a ledger carved in ice—most raw materials at Cripple Wang’s place sat in unmarked red-and-blue snakeskin sacks. A few common reagents were bought openly at market. Nearly all traced back to one supplier in Twin Towers, a chain tight as iron links under frost.

“Hm…”

“I want to take them out with my own hands, but my moves in the village got attention, like footprints in wet clay. Not convenient. And I’ve got a kid sister and a mom at home.”

“It’s fine. I get it. Leave this to us.”

With Bixiu-1’s promise, Yekase’s shoulders loosened, like a bow unstrung.

Ling Yi raised a timid hand, a sprout in wind. “Um, I also…”

“No. You’re not going.” They shut her down in perfect unison, like twin gates slamming.

“Eh…”

“Do you know what ‘ice’ is?”

“I—I do. We covered it in Morality class.”

“Then do you know how deranged pilots are?”

“…”

“Good. Pilots live on the edge of madness, with a fanatical streak like frostbite. They might tail you all the way, until you drop armor or step through your door. Even a Sinister Organization won’t usually do that.”

“W-why wouldn’t they?”

“Because the cost and payoff don’t match, like sowing fields in winter. Pilots don’t care. Their reason’s already wrecked. They get hot-headed and do anything.”

“Okay…” Ling Yi drooped, a willow after rain.

Seeing that, Bixiu-1 went to the fridge in the corner, the door breathing cold like a cave. He brought back two bottles and handed them over.

“What’s this?”

“The Deliverance girls mainly make money on herbal drinks. This is their best—[+800].”

The caps twisted with a soft snap. A clean scent rose, not heavy, like dawn wind through a jasmine hedge.

It tasted like jasmine tea, but sweeter at the first sip, and after it passed, a fragrant echo lingered, like moonlight on water.

“So good!”

“Why’s it called that?” Yekase asked.

“Look close at the label. That plus is a cross. The 8 is an upright infinity. Strictly speaking, it’s ‘Holy Infinite 00.’”

“No, the double zero is the weird part.”

Weird or not, it was delicious.

Yekase sipped twice, precious as gold drops, planning to bring the rest to Liu RuoYuan and her mom. Ling Yi seemed to plan the same, then couldn’t help another sip, and another, until only the bottle’s bottom caught the light.

…

Bixiu-1 wanted to write an intro letter and fast-track her straight into the hall, sword and shoes on. Upholding fairness, Yekase refused—stern as a judge. Then she remembered her resume was mostly smoke and mirrors, and the Sword of Lilies would shred it. She covered her face and accepted.

On the way back, Ling Yi toyed with the VIP card Yekase had just collected from the review office. Inside, Infinite Power flowed like a gyroscope following its track, light chasing light.

Yekase sketched plans in her head, like chalk lines on a blackboard.

Check on Sandryon and ask her thoughts on sinking circuits. Thank Shen Shanshan over Zhou Jianqin’s matter, treat her to a day out. Contact Mr. Burns, discuss conditions and budget for a new classroom. And prep everything needed before the Tunguska Cosmic Bubble.

A lot, but in order, like beads on a string.

—Until Jiang Bailu called.

[Doctor, it’s bad! Roze got stolen by another group!]

“Where’s Mira?”

[The boss is AFK, face-down.]

…Useless.

She always vanished when the knife hit the bone. Technically, none of this had anything to do with Yekase. But Roze was the Sky Striker prototype—the spark that lit her dream.

Collecting dust in Foundation X’s warehouse was one thing. Stolen by some rando and put to use? Absolutely not.

“Alright, Ling Yi. You were just upset you couldn’t join the action, right? I’ve got a major task for you.”

“Oh?!”

Ling Yi snapped her head up, eyes bright as stars.

“Mission is to take back Flashblade System 1.0 with me. Tomorrow night.”

“I’m ready!”

“Then we break here.”

“Yes!”

She watched Ling Yi step into her courtyard. Yekase waved to Ling Ya waiting in the doorway, then turned away.

Good. Then…

On the walk home alone, there was one more thing to do.

Yekase opened her mail app and wrote to Mr. Burns—bless auto-translation. She confirmed she was willing to come teach at Ivalice National University around April, then raised questions about starting a new program, classroom, lab—everything a fledgling trade needs.

She got a reply at once—their morning sun was up; Europe had no Spring Festival lull.

[To Miss Yekase:]

[About the new classroom, I began preparations after our meeting concluded. Given the City of Ivalice’s special structure, we only need to build a new block and embed it into a sector. Size and form are fully customizable; please state your requirements.]

[If your intent and timing are set, I’ll begin promoting an elective Flash Energy course in the city. Any advice?]

[Also: do you have an English name or a title? I’ll include it in the promotion.]

[Sincerely, Burns Planck]

[Attachment: 3D Structural Model of the City of Ivalice.]

…Professional, like steel cut by laser.

Ivalice was just as she’d seen from the sky: countless blocks forming sectors, ten or so sectors stacked into a compressed city. The stack wasn’t fixed. Mechanisms big and small between blocks and sectors let the whole city come alive, like hailing a cab—the block you’re in could drive near the block you wanted… assuming your destination hadn’t been driven away.

To keep people from curling inward under pressure, Ivalice’s greenery led all the independent city-states, top-tier in Europe. Vines and trees spread wherever the artisans allowed, green flowing with the movement of sectors and blocks. Machine and life wove together, a strange beauty like a post-doom garden.

For the classroom, Yekase had few demands. First time teaching—better not mislead the young. A small room for about twenty would do. The lab could mirror the one on the Ambition Divine Ship, scaled up to handle twenty bodies in motion.

As for admissions promo?

No idea. Never thought about it.

Pure research and building machines don’t require a Good-alignment check—she herself, case in point. Still, she wanted students with ideals and conscience, new-era youths who’d keep their compass true. Better to avoid veering into a ditch at the start.

Mark that as a preference. Encourage it, not a hard gate.

“And my English name and title…”

She pictured the flyer, the most important block: the instructor. A bare ‘Yekase’ sitting there like a rock. Students with translation glasses would stare and hear some garbled attempt. Hard to read, harder to say. Put an English name; it’d oil the gears.

The title? First-impression architecture. Also necessary. Walk into class with that face and frame and people might think a high schooler wandered into the wrong room.

[English name: Luciferin.]

A title. What to write… She couldn’t actually put Singing Wrecking Lady, could she? That’d be admitting she accepted some edgy internet nickname.

She thought as she walked, into Bieqiao Alley, up to the Sky Isle, through her door, shoes off, change of clothes in hand, still chewing the problem like sugarcane.

Then she saw Lu Yao in the bathroom.

“…Hah. Finally your turn.”

“???”

How did she even unlock the door?

Even Lu Yao, bare skin against steam and porcelain, faltered under Yekase’s sudden entry and nonsense.

“Not bragging, but I’ve bathed—honestly bathed—with three different girls. You’re the fourth.”

“I don’t care if it’s bragging, get out!”

A normal reaction.

“Aww, you’re shy? Lemme take a—”

—click.

A silver Glock bloomed from nothing and pressed to Yekase’s forehead, cold as a coin on a corpse.

Gulp. She swallowed.

“Alright, alright, I get it,”

She raised her hands in surrender, then suddenly shouted:

“Nightlight Torch!”

Whoosh! An invisible ripple spread, unstoppable as surf. The Omega Ray-forged Glock shattered on the spot, crumbling into motes of light.

“There are slower ways to melt it. Flash Energy is the shortcut.”

“You—?!”

“You’ve lost. Using metal against a Flash Energy user—there’s your fatal flaw.”

Grinning like a wolf, Yekase stalked toward the disarmed Lu Yao. Her eyes gleamed with predatory red, her face and gait stripped of scholar’s reason and hero’s justice—only a beast driven by want.

She closed in, stepped into the tub—

—and hugged her knees, curling into a small ball.

…

“Sweet.”

“…”

Nonsense.

Lu Yao’s eyes unfocused, like a boat cut loose. Everything felt… whatever.

“How was fighting your sister? Did you catch anything new that wasn’t in the match footage? You’ll face her again. The more intel, the better.”

“You’re asking that now?”

“What else, your headlight size? I’m not some little girl.”

Your face screams little girl.

If she measured by the body alone, Yekase’s forced co-bath became harmless, even cute—a spoiled child’s cling. Lu Yao couldn’t accept that, so her tiny protest died.

“…After I used my strongest move, she said for fairness she’d show a new one. She called it ‘Prime-Order Armaments.’ She fuses Mind Energy with Alchemy to craft blades, then threads Omega Ray through them, forging flying swords for coordinated assault. It’s offense and defense in one. I couldn’t crack it.”

“Mm. I’d suspected that was possible. And she really did it. That’s… troublesome.”

Yekase thought a moment, then, like a coin deciding heads, asked:

“If I told you I have a way to instantly strengthen your body with no side effects, patching your biggest weakness—would you take it?”

“I don’t believe you anymore.”

“When have I ever lied to hurt you?” Yekase smiled. “I get not believing what I say. But not believing me as a person—that’s a bit much. And I’m asking seriously, your consent first.”

Lu Yao felt that “not believing the words” and “not believing the person” should be the same. But no rebuttal came.

However she hated to admit it, Yekase had never truly harmed her. With a stronger body, the gap with her sister would—

“I accept.”

“Huh?”

"I thought you'd pull the shonen move and refuse, pride blazing like a midsummer sun."

Lu Yao's eyes held firm, frost on steel: tools or tricks are wind and straw; I can't afford that kind of whim.

If it helps me beat her, everything else is dust in the rain.

"Good"—the word dropped like a stone into still water.

Yekase stretched out a hand and drew from the void a test tube brimming with crimson, dusk bleeding into glass.

"Then drink," his voice cool as night rain.