March 7th's arm holding the drawn bow was pulled straight and taut, fine sweat beading on the tip of her nose, but she refused to relax. She fixed her eyes on Mei☆'s direction, gritted her teeth, and said, "I, I'm going to make my move now!"
The moment her words fell, she suddenly let go, normally, this should have been followed by the sharp whistle of a longsword slicing through the air.
But instead, there was only the "twang" of the bowstring rebounding.
The sword set on the bow didn't shoot out as expected, but slid down along the bow's frame and fell onto the arena floor with a crisp "clang."
The whole place instantly went so quiet you could hear the wind brushing against strands of hair.
Owlbert's commentary broke the silence just in time, "Contestant March 7th's special move… seems to have had a tiny mishap."
March 7th froze in place, her eyes staring at the sword at her feet. The tips of her ears flushed bright red in a rush, spreading even to her neck. She wished she could dig a hole and crawl straight in.
It was Mei☆ who recovered first, a low laugh slipping from her throat as she neatly sheathed her katana.
She walked over slowly to March 7th, bent slightly, hooked a fingertip around the sword's hilt, picked it up, and when handing it over, the corners of her eyes still carried a smile, "Your 'arrow' doesn't seem very obedient."
"It, it's not like that!" March 7th hurriedly grabbed the sword, her fingers burning hot as if smoke would rise, yet she still stiffened her neck and insisted stubbornly, "That was an accident! Let me try again, Fu Lin said this move was really powerful!"
She quickly tried to set the sword back onto the bow, but failed again. Her whole face turned red this time, her toes curling inside her boots as if she could dig out a luxury villa.
From the side of the arena came Stelle's undisguised laughter, "March 7th! Maybe just give up already. To think you actually believed my dad's words, March 7th, you're done for this lifetime."
"Don't laugh!" March 7th turned her head to glare at Stelle, but her hands no longer insisted on the bow. Instead, she quietly put it away and held a sword in each hand.
When she looked up at Mei☆ again, the embarrassment in her eyes gradually gave way to stubborn defiance, "I was careless just now, misled by a villain's words! Now, it's time to show real swordsmanship!"
Fu Lin, "..."
March 7th dashed toward Mei☆ with light steps. No flashy techniques, no dazzling effects, just the soft whistle of twin swords cutting the air.
"Hey! Take this! No, wait, take this strike from yours truly!" She seized the moment when Mei☆ raised her hand, her blade sweeping toward Mei☆'s forearm.
But just as the blade was about to touch, Mei☆ sidestepped, her hand lightly hooking around March 7th's wrist. The warmth of her fingertips passed straight through her skin.
The next second, a moan escaped March 7th's lips.
"Eee-yah~~" Her whole body trembled sharply, as if jolted by an electric current, tingling all over.
The twin swords slipped from her hands and clattered onto the ground.
Her knees gave out, and she collapsed onto the arena floor, her face flushed crimson, fingers limp.
"My body… I can't use my strength…" she panted, her voice as soft as cotton, muttering, "I feel all tingly, like my body's melting away. This feeling… it's amazing!"
"Do you want to surrender?" Mei☆'s voice brushed right by her ear, her breath carrying a smile, making March 7th shiver again.
She bit her lip, shakily stood up, her eyes shining like a defiant little beast, "N-no, I can still fight! Bring it on!"
Owlbert's commentary rang out again, words tumbling fast as if to catch up, "Contestant March 7th charges forward! Contestant March 7th falls down! Contestant March 7th refuses to give up, let us congratulate contestant Raiden Mei☆ for securing victory in this match!"
A foxian lady carried the still-trembling March 7th down from the arena, but she showed not a trace of discouragement. Instead, her face was flushed abnormally, and a silly grin hung at the corner of her mouth, "Hehehe…"
Stelle quickly stepped up to take March 7th from her, but when she turned to look at Mei☆ in the arena, her face first tightened with "anger for a friend's defeat."
The next second, her throat bobbed involuntarily, her forced expression crumbling, replaced with envy spilling through her voice, "Damn it… I really want Raiden Mom to hold me, then step on me with that 'trash' look in her eyes, and maybe punish (shock) me once in a while too!"
Dan Heng stood nearby, fingers twitching slightly, but in the end only let out a silent "..." without even twitching the corner of his eye, as though he hadn't heard a thing.
Fu Lin had just taken a step forward, but froze at those words, swallowing back what he was about to say, his face wearing the same silence as Dan Heng's.
Just as Mei☆ walked down from the arena, her steps suddenly paused. She looked up toward Stelle, her tone still composed, but her gaze seemed to flick briefly toward Fu Lin as she spoke,
"I've always wanted to try treating someone like that too…"
Stelle's eyes immediately sparkled like stars, and she shoved March 7th into Dan Heng's arms, taking half a step closer herself, round eyes wide as she eagerly asked, "Really? I can bring my own rope!"
No sooner had she said this than Dan Heng pressed his fingers to his brow. At last, he broke his silence, stepping forward to grab Stelle by the scruff of her neck and yank her back.
Dragged backward, Stelle's toes dragged against the floor as she resisted, but her head was still craned toward Mei☆, her voice full of reluctance, "Dan Heng, don't pull me! Raiden Mom already agreed, "
Before she could finish, Dan Heng shot her a glance, his eyes brimming with helplessness, "Stelle, this is the Luminary Wardance arena."
Only then did Stelle shut her mouth reluctantly.
Dan Heng gave her no further chance to speak. With March 7th, still giggling foolishly, slung over his shoulder, and Stelle, drooping and weak, tucked under his arm like two bags of groceries, he turned and left the arena.
Their three figures disappeared around the corridor's corner before Fu Lin cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence.
He raised his eyes to Mei☆, a teasing look flickering there, but his tone carried a trace of probing, "Mei☆, when you said you 'wanted to try' just now… you weren't thinking of someone handsome like me, were you?"
Mei☆ didn't answer immediately. She lowered her gaze to the bluestone under her feet, her toe nudging the grass sprouting from the cracks. Even the faint blush lingering on her ear tips stood out more clearly.
After a moment, she actually gave a tiny nod, so slight it seemed afraid to startle anything, yet so open and unhidden it was almost shocking.
Fu Lin clearly hadn't expected her to be so direct. His pupils shrank, and his voice rose a pitch, "Y-you're just going to admit it that easily?!"
Mei☆ finally lifted her eyes to him, the corners still holding a lingering smile from the arena, but her tone softer now, curling around him like a hook, "Then, Fu Lin… do you like that kind of thing?"
Fu Lin's throat bobbed, his straightforward question throwing his rhythm into chaos, and he blurted out instinctively, "No."
But right after the word fell, his tone shifted, his gaze locking onto Mei☆'s bright eyes, and he asked in return, almost without thinking, "If it were me holding the reins, would Mei☆ be willing?"
Mei☆'s pupils lit up instantly, sparkling with fragments of light. Without a moment's hesitation, she answered softly, frank and earnest, "If it's Fu Lin, I'm willing."
Her reply struck him like a blow, Fu Lin's heart giving a sudden thump. He cursed inwardly, this was bad. A careless question had drawn out such a soul-shaking answer.
He hurriedly forced out a dry laugh to smooth things over, "Ahaha, I-I was only joking."
But Mei☆'s lips curved, the smile at the corners of her eyes holding nothing but seriousness, "I wasn't joking."
Fu Lin's smile froze instantly, stuck in his throat without a sound.