Chapter 103: The Training Room Showdown

After much entanglement, Shen Congqing finally got dressed and emerged from the covers.

This was a bad habit she’d picked up during her school days: procrastination.

Of course, she hadn’t carried this habit into her work life. Yet, upon returning to familiar scenes and circumstances, that old sluggishness seemed to reawaken within her.

Ye Qing’s clothes were still drying on the windowsill. Bright sunlight streamed through the windowpanes, falling onto the wooden floor and illuminating the entire room with a soft glow.

This finally injected some vitality into Shen Congqing.

She feigned indifference, turning her head to subtly glance at Ye Qing’s expressionless face, wondering what thoughts might be occupying her mind.

‘She noticed the clothes I hung up? She can’t be worried I didn’t wash them properly, can she?’

“Why are you looking at me? We need to go, or we’ll miss breakfast.”

Ye Qing’s helpless voice reached her, causing Shen Congqing to secretly stick out her tongue.

“Alright, I admit I was a bit slow…”

Just as the two prepared to leave, they discovered a silver-haired girl had appeared before their door at some unknown point.

Gu Xuanyu, dressed in a blue and white sailor uniform Ye Qing had never seen before, awaited them with a smile. She subtly cast a triumphant glance at the blonde girl standing beside Ye Qing, a look of a victor.

‘Hmph, you dead blonde, you’d never guess, but last night I claimed Ye Qing’s first kiss! You’re still stuck in place, aren’t you?’

‘I’m just kidding, you’re not even allowed to be stuck in place. Just obediently remain a senior and a teacher. Any further relationship? Don’t even think about it!’

Shen Congqing’s reaction was immediate and direct. She decisively took Ye Qing’s hand, as if declaring war on Gu Xuanyu.

‘So what if you’re childhood friends? My golden hair isn’t for show! Besides, Ye Qing herself said she only sees you as a little sister, didn’t she…’

However, Shen Congqing quickly discerned a hint of something amiss in Gu Xuanyu’s calm, wine-red eyes. Her gaze dropped, and she noticed Gu Xuanyu licking her lips, which appeared fuller and more vivid than usual. A terrible suspicion seized her heart.

‘No, that’s not right. A sister’s kiss doesn’t count. That was just—a little acceptable intimacy…’

Shen Congqing desperately tried to hypnotize herself, but her hand, betraying her, clenched tighter and tighter, making Ye Qing uneasy.

‘Completely unacceptable!’

“Why are you here? Today is training day.”

Gu Xuanyu offered a faint smile.

“I want to be Ye Qing’s partner.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Congqing’s brows furrowed. She wouldn’t idly stand by and watch her opportunity be snatched away.

“No, there’s no such thing as a three-person team. It’s always been two.”

Gu Xuanyu’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. From Shen Congqing’s words, it seemed she had already tacitly assumed she would be Ye Qing’s partner.

But how would Ye Qing choose? Surely…

The black-haired girl spoke in a muffled tone:

“Actually, three people could work…”

Both the silver-haired girl and the golden-haired girl paused, startled.

‘Eh?’

“Senior Qing, it’s probably been a long time since you’ve trained, especially since the academy was established.”

The moment Gu Xuanyu spoke, Shen Congqing knew it spelled trouble, yet she had no excuse to refute it.

“Yes, so what?”

Receiving the expected reply, Gu Xuanyu flashed a wicked smile.

“Then it seems I’m the only one familiar with the process, doesn’t it? Why don’t I give Ye Qing a demonstration first?”

Shen Congqing’s pretty face darkened, but she quickly organized her words to counterattack.

“Precisely because you’re familiar, you’re best suited to guide from the side. Let us two newcomers properly adapt.”

Ye Qing was caught in the middle, watching the two women exchange verbal barbs without yielding. For a moment, she felt utterly bewildered.

‘No, do they have to argue about this too? It’s not like it’s… oh, right, dominance.’

‘And weren’t you two good teammates before? Where’s your bond?’

The moment the words left her mouth, Ye Qing felt both women’s gazes simultaneously turn to her, making her instantly uncomfortable, as if something was pressing against her back.

‘What was that phrase called? ‘A thorn in one’s back’? No, Ye Qing has never been afraid of thorns…’

Upon closer inspection, both their eyes held a hint of resentment. “‘Yes, good teammates. Why did our bond disappear…’

‘You agree, right, Ye Qing?’

Ultimately, the distribution was decided in the most primitive way: rock-paper-scissors. As expected, Shen Congqing, who had the worst luck, was eliminated. Gu Xuanyu, having achieved a resounding victory, had an extra flicker of delight in her brows as she led Ye Qing to the so-called training room.

What greeted them was not the gym they had imagined, but, unexpectedly, a computer room—or rather, an internet cafe.

Watching a group of magical girl trainees huddled before computer screens like internet addicts, ceaselessly pressing their controllers, several question marks popped up above Ye Qing’s head.

She turned her head blankly to Gu Xuanyu, awaiting an explanation. Gu Xuanyu, however, was clearly accustomed to this sight and showed no surprise.

“The first time I saw this, I was also very confused, even finding it somewhat childish. But later, I discovered this training actually works… However, this is indoor training. Outdoor training is basically all combat-focused.”

For Ye Qing to do combat training? She would most likely just get beaten up. With her petite physique, who could she possibly overpower?

Even encountering a slightly larger dog would be a life-or-death situation!

“I can’t quite explain the specific benefits of doing it this way. Perhaps it’s similar to couples playing games together—it’s all for fostering deeper feelings.”

‘Please don’t say misleading things like that! Your ‘lover experience card’ has expired; you’re in ‘little sister’ mode now!’

Stared at indignantly by Ye Qing, Gu Xuanyu smiled sweetly, leading her to sit in front of a computer.

Pity the poor blonde, who could only watch from behind them.

“Wait, I can’t just stand here blankly, can I?”

Listening to Shen Congqing’s protest, Gu Xuanyu glanced back with a half-smile, the curve of her lips appearing particularly mischievous.

“Then you can find a machine and start a game yourself, can’t you? Is anyone stopping you, Senior?”

She heavily emphasized the word ‘Senior,’ as if to say, ‘You’re a mature senior now; you should learn to find your own fun, so go on, get out of the way.’

Shen Congqing bit her lower lip in frustration, her pearly white teeth faintly visible. A moment later, she admitted with a sigh:

“But I really don’t know how to do any of this…”

Shen Congqing wasn’t lying. She had never been exposed to electronic games or similar entertainment, nor did she have any particular interest in them.

While she wasn’t so clueless as to not know how to turn on a computer, her actual understanding of games was worse than that of a stereotypical female university student…

She was the type to download a ‘household manager’ program instead of a game.

The sight of the golden-haired girl’s defeated expression was quite delightful. Gu Xuanyu’s eyes unconsciously curved, and she licked her cherry-pink lips.

But upon careful thought, this was somewhat unfair to Shen Congqing.

‘Fine, for the sake of our past team camaraderie, I’ll just thoroughly defeat you in a fair fight.’

“How about this: we play a game called ‘Forest Spirit Demon Orb.’ Whoever makes a mistake and dies gets swapped out. How does that sound?”

Shen Congqing’s eyes lit up, but seeing Gu Xuanyu’s sly, narrowed smile, she couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. She had a nagging feeling that this seemingly enticing proposal was actually a trap…

But there were no better options at hand… ‘Hmph, don’t think you can bully me just because I’m a newbie. I’m still a magical girl, after all.’

Seeing Shen Congqing’s fighting spirit reignite, Gu Xuanyu chuckled softly.

“You think you can trick me? Naive. The current me can clear this game by controlling two characters with both hands simultaneously. You dead blonde, you’re destined to lose!”

Gu Xuanyu smiled faintly, not at all worried about failure. However, she had overlooked one small detail: Ye Qing was also a novice…

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