Before leaving for Herta Space Station, Sylvia made one more stop on the Luofu.
Night had already fallen by the time she reached the Sky-Faring Commission. The place was still packed with people, though the faces at the desks were different from the ones she'd seen during the day. They clearly worked in shifts.
Sylvia hadn't even started looking for anyone when Tingyun stepped out from the direction of Yukong's office.
"Benefactor?"
Her soft call was almost lost beneath the noise, but Sylvia still caught it and turned around. Tingyun stood some distance away, hiding half her face behind her folding fan.
"So you've finally decided to show yourself?"
Sylvia smiled as she teased her.
"Surely my benefactor isn't angry with this little lady?"
Tingyun blinked, looking a little embarrassed, though her words didn't give an inch.
"This little lady was just about to head home. Would my benefactor be willing to accompany me for part of the way?"
With a bright smile, Tingyun walked up to Sylvia, drew a quiet breath, and made her invitation.
"Sure."
Sylvia nodded, then left the Sky-Faring Commission with her.
Night might've fallen over the Xianzhou, but the streets were still crowded. The Wardance had filled the Luofu with excitement that didn't fade just because the sun had gone down.
The two walked side by side without speaking for a while. Sylvia looked from stall to stall. Plenty of vendors selling specialties from distant worlds had appeared lately, and there were far more outworlders on the streets than usual.
"Has my benefactor eaten dinner yet?"
"Not yet."
She'd actually eaten a little with March 7th and the others before coming here, but another meal wouldn't hurt.
Tingyun covered her smile with her lips pressed together. Sylvia couldn't tell whether she'd figured that out or was amused by something else.
"Then perhaps we could go to this little lady's home..."
"You're cooking?"
"Ah. This little lady's been so busy with work that her cooking really isn't fit to serve a guest. What I meant was that we could have a Cycrane deliver a few dishes."
Tingyun's ears twitched as she shook her head, putting on a pitiful expression.
That part was actually true. Work kept her busy enough that she rarely had time to prepare all three meals herself, so her cooking skills really were nothing special.
Sylvia smiled and didn't mind.
"That works too. I can also let you try the new massage oil and see whether you like it."
"Mm..."
Tingyun's face turned pink.
She'd been exhausted lately. If Sylvia helped loosen some of that tension, she'd probably sleep very well afterward.
Still...
Getting a massage from Sylvia's hands right now felt strangely embarrassing.
Wouldn't that make it look like the only stubborn part of her was her mouth?
Her benefactor really did have a mischievous streak.
Tingyun looked at Sylvia with a red face and a faintly accusing gaze.
"Benefactor... you're being rather wicked."
"..."
Sylvia found herself completely unable to deal with the little fox's teasing. She really hadn't meant anything strange by it.
Unfortunately, after Tingyun said that, something that hadn't sounded strange before suddenly did.
"Ahem. Let's decide what we're eating first."
Sylvia changed the subject with all the subtlety of a freight train. She had no intention of letting this odd atmosphere grow any further.
--+--
Tingyun's home wasn't far from the Sky-Faring Commission.
It was in an excellent part of the district, and the place itself was spacious. Much like Tingyun, every room was neat, elegant, and carefully arranged.
A Cycrane soon delivered the dishes they'd ordered. The awkward mood from earlier didn't return while they ate.
Then Sylvia suddenly said, "I'm heading to the space station tomorrow. I might be there for a while."
"Huh? You're leaving already?"
Tingyun looked up in surprise, still holding her chopsticks in midair.
For a moment, regret welled up inside her. If she'd known Sylvia would be leaving this soon, then yesterday she shouldn't have...
"Yeah. Herta needs me for something. I'll still try to come back for the Wardance, though."
"I see..."
Tingyun nodded, and even the ears atop her head drooped.
Sylvia had said she'd try.
That meant whatever Herta needed was troublesome enough that Sylvia couldn't promise she'd finish it within a month.
Tingyun looked disappointed, but in Sylvia's eyes, the way her ears drooped only made her look cuter.
"Don't look so miserable. Even your ears are sagging."
"But you're definitely going to deal with something dangerous, aren't you, Benefactor? And this little lady was foolish enough to think you'd stay on the Luofu for a long time..."
Tingyun pressed her lips together.
She didn't know what she'd been acting so conflicted about before.
Sylvia wasn't the same Sylvia she'd once been. She wouldn't always remain on the Luofu, and there was no guarantee that every message sent her way would receive an answer.
Tingyun had seen countless departures before, but this time, she hated it.
Sylvia stood up and pinched Tingyun's cheek between two fingers.
"Barring something unexpected, I'll be visiting the Luofu plenty in the future. Don't talk as if I'm never coming back."
"Mmph..."
With Sylvia tugging at her cheek, Tingyun could only make muffled noises. She couldn't speak, so she simply looked up at Sylvia with an aggrieved expression.
"Yukong told me you've seemed troubled lately, so you've been avoiding me a little. I couldn't figure out what was on your mind, so after thinking it over, I decided I'd come see you myself."
Sylvia released Tingyun's soft cheek and began gently stroking her long hair.
"Come to think of it, I really don't visit you often. Usually, you're the one who comes to find me. If today hadn't happened, I might've gotten too used to you always taking the initiative."
Tingyun lowered her head, then gently leaned her forehead against Sylvia.
"Friends don't keep score over things like that. Does my benefactor really think this little lady is so petty?"
"Haha. Of course not. I'm just saying that you're important to me too, Tingyun. You might usually be the one who reaches out first, but if something's bothering you, I'll come looking for you."
"..."
Tingyun didn't answer.
She simply leaned a little closer.
Sylvia looked down at her. Tingyun's ears had perked up again, and one of them brushed against Sylvia's cheek.
"By the way, Tingyun... did you forget to wipe your mouth before leaning on me?"
"...?!"
Tingyun froze.
Then she sprang backward as if she'd been launched by a spring. Her whole body seemed to puff up, with both her ears and tail shooting straight into the air.
Sure enough, a faint trace of oil from her lips had been left on Sylvia's clothes.
"Your tail's standing straight up."
Sylvia burst out laughing.
It was the first time she'd learned that a Foxian's tail could actually stick straight up like that.
"...!!"
Tingyun's face turned scarlet. She pressed a handkerchief over her mouth with one hand while desperately reaching behind herself with the other to smooth down her fluffed-up tail.
With her mouth covered, she muttered complaints Sylvia couldn't quite make out.
Still, it wasn't hard to guess what she was saying.
Laughing, Sylvia reached over and helped smooth down one of Tingyun's large ears, which she'd forgotten about entirely. Then she moved around to sit beside her, gently pulled Tingyun's tail over, and laid it across her lap.
It was incredibly fluffy.
"I'll help you brush it."
"..."
Tingyun gave Sylvia a wary glance, but still handed over the comb she always carried.
Sylvia slowly worked through the fur, strand by strand. As she did, Tingyun gradually settled down.
A Foxian's fluffy tail was huge, easily large enough to fill someone's arms. The tip brushed lightly against the faint stain on Sylvia's chest.
Tingyun looked embarrassed.
"Please let this little lady wash that coat for you."
"It's fine. It's only a tiny spot."
Sylvia looked down at the mark, which almost resembled a lip print.
With modern cleaning products, there was hardly any stain that couldn't be removed.
"But this little lady minds!"
Tingyun gripped her folding fan while the tip of her tail smacked Sylvia's arm several times.
She knew perfectly well that Miss Acheron lived with Sylvia. The shape and placement of that stain were far too easy to misunderstand.
If Sylvia went back wearing that coat, it would look incredibly suspicious. Tingyun had no desire to leave Miss Acheron with some bizarre impression of her.
"All right, all right. Stop hitting me. Your tail's stronger than your fist."
Tingyun's tail struck harder and harder, almost whipping around like a spinning top.
Sylvia still didn't understand the real reason. She simply assumed Tingyun was embarrassed.
Either way, it wasn't a big deal, so Sylvia quickly agreed. She caught the tip of Tingyun's tail before it could keep flailing around, then handed her the stained coat.
By that point, neither of them felt much like continuing dinner.
"When does my benefactor plan to head back?"
Tingyun held the bottle of massage oil while covering half her face with her folding fan. Her meaning was obvious.
Sylvia clicked her tongue.
There was absolutely nothing improper about this situation, yet somehow Tingyun's wording made it sound suspicious.
"I'll head back after we test the oil. Otherwise, who knows when we'll get another chance?"
Sylvia shook her head, clearing away the strange thoughts in her mind, then walked over and took the glass bottle from Tingyun's hand.
She entered the softly scented bedroom without hesitation.
Behind her, Tingyun looked shy.
The whole thing had always been somewhat embarrassing, but her feelings now were very different from before.
Back then, she'd been embarrassed simply because she'd thought she'd looked undignified. Now, just imagining herself relaxing completely in front of Sylvia made her far more self-conscious.
Was her benefactor doing this on purpose?
Tingyun's face stayed red as she loosened her outer clothes and prepared for the massage.
When she reached the edge of the bed, she still hesitated.
Sylvia smiled, took her wrist, and gently guided her forward.
Tingyun gave a startled yelp before landing facedown among the familiar blankets. The folding fan she'd been using to hide her expression slipped from her hand and landed beside the pillow.
Tingyun immediately sensed danger.
Then Sylvia's quiet laugh reached her ears.
"So Tingyun can actually get this shy. That's a first."
"Mmph..."
Tingyun glanced back at her, pretended she hadn't heard a thing, then buried her entire face in the blankets.
She tapped her feet against the bed impatiently, urging Sylvia to get started.
"Heh."
Sylvia warmed some of the scented oil between her hands and began the massage.
Tingyun let out a small hum as the familiar sense of relief spread through her tired muscles.
The tension she'd been holding onto vanished almost at once.
Sylvia laughed when Tingyun relaxed after only a short while.
The little fox just needed help unwinding.
--+--
Sylvia stayed at Tingyun's home for roughly two or three system hours before leaving alone.
Tingyun had already tidied herself up and fallen asleep by then. Sylvia made her way toward the starskiff harbor in high spirits while checking the three pulls she'd earned.
One green, one purple, and one gold.
She decided to start with the green.
'Pull.'
The familiar green light appeared without showing any sign of changing color.
When the glow faded, a skill card bearing the image of a long blade appeared before her.
--+--
[Hokushin Ittō-ryū — Honkai Impact Ultimate Version]
["A sword art perfected by that Queen of Thunder after overcoming countless hardships."]
["Of course, that Herrscher of Origin is still young. Her swordsmanship probably can't compare with the countless years of experience your Mei has accumulated."]
--+--
"Hmm..."
Sylvia narrowed her eyes as she absorbed the swordsmanship of Raiden Mei from Honkai Impact.
It was a genuinely powerful style.
More importantly, unlike Sylvia's current patchwork sword skills, this was a complete system of swordsmanship from start to finish.
It instantly raised her technical combat ability to another level.
On top of that, the fundamentals of the two Meis' swordsmanship were highly similar. Sylvia could compare the two systems and use each to improve the other.
It might've only been a green card, but the boost to her actual strength was surprisingly large.
'Very nice. Great start.'
Sylvia was in an excellent mood.
She immediately went for the second pull.
Since her luck was good, she decided to open the gold one right away. With a sweep of her hand, golden light flashed before her.
Then another skill card bearing the image of a long blade appeared.
Except this one was gold.
"Seriously...? Again? Don't tell me I've pulled two different Mei sword styles in a row."
Sylvia's expression became complicated.
Mei's swordsmanship was certainly incredible, but Sylvia could eventually learn it directly from her given enough time.
If something like that ate up a gold pull, it'd feel like a bit of a waste.
But as the golden light faded, Sylvia's expression immediately eased.
It was another sword technique, all right.
Just one from a completely different master.
--+--
[Noble Phantasm: Tsubame Gaeshi — Honkai Version]
["A first slash flashes through reality, followed by two further slashes that disregard the concepts of time and space and overlap at the exact same instant, producing three simultaneous strikes from three directions."]
["A conceptual technique with its output limit released isn't something to take lightly."]
["You've got such a useful skill, so enjoy it. From now on, you can practically slap people through the network whenever you feel like it."]
--+--
"...Is that description actually serious?"
Sylvia narrowed her eyes as she absorbed all the information contained within the skill card.
At the same time, her heart began pounding.
Just how far could this idea of "disregarding the concepts of time and space" be pushed?
Could she send a slash backward through time into the past?
Could she launch one forward through time and strike the future?
And with her current strength...
Just how much of it could she actually do?
--+--