Moonlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, illuminating the graceful figures of Luo Qingxue and Lin Xiaoyu. The two girls were huddled head-to-head on one bed, still smelling of medicine—the bruises from the afternoon assessment had just been treated.
"Qingxue," Lin Xiaoyu suddenly rolled over, her nose nearly bumping Luo Qingxue's face. "Are you keeping something from me?"
"Huh?" Luo Qingxue's fingers, which had been playing with the ends of her hair, paused. "What did you say...?"
"It's the 'System'!" Lin Xiaoyu directly called out her feigned ignorance. "What kind of AI can analyze battle situations in real-time and even have emotional responses? Last time, the medical robot even knew to avoid my ticklish spots when bandaging me!"
The temperature in the room seemed to rise suddenly. Luo Qingxue clutched the corner of the quilt, stammering, "That's... the latest model..."
"Liar!" Lin Xiaoyu suddenly pressed down on her. "Didn't we say we wouldn't keep secrets from each other?"
I silently typed on the bedside tablet: 【Should I tell her?】
Luo Qingxue saw the screen and glared at me, pouting, "Traitor!"
"I knew it!" Lin Xiaoyu's eyes lit up. "There really is something, isn't there?"
The silence lasted for ten seconds. Luo Qingxue finally let out a long sigh. "Alright... but don't be scared." She pointed to her chest. "There's a pervert living here."
"Huh?"
"To be precise..." She poked the tablet. "You explain it yourself!"
I made the screen display: 【Hello, I am Yun Feng, former SSS-level Parser ability user, now Luo Qingxue's ability consciousness entity.】
Lin Xiaoyu's mouth formed an 'O' shape, her finger pointing back and forth between the screen and Luo Qingxue's chest. "So, so the one who's been guiding us for the past six months..."
"Is this pervert who peeks at girls in the shower," Luo Qingxue said with a cold snort, crossing her arms.
The screen immediately popped up: 【Wronged! I can only perceive energy flow, and last time you insisted on—】
"Shut up!" Luo Qingxue quickly covered the tablet, her ears burning red.
Lin Xiaoyu, however, suddenly leaned closer to the screen. "Wait... Yun Feng? The genius Cloud Maple Senior from that lab accident three years ago?" She abruptly turned to Luo Qingxue. "So your suddenly awakened ability is actually..."
"Mm." Luo Qingxue nodded. "After he died, he somehow became my ability." She paused, then added, "But he's very weak now."
I drew an angry emoji on the screen: (╯°□°）╯
"That's so cool!" Lin Xiaoyu suddenly cheered. "So we basically have an SSS-level coach? No wonder you're improving so fast!"
Luo Qingxue was stunned. "...You're not scared?"
"Scared of what?" Lin Xiaoyu tilted her head. "He doesn't have a physical body, and he can't really peek..." She suddenly remembered something and her face flushed. "Wait! Last time you absolutely refused to shower with me..."
Luo Qingxue showed a devilish smile: "That's right, a certain pervert was there the whole time—"
"I wasn't!" I frantically scrolled the tablet: 【Energy vision only shows outlines! Like an X-ray! And I closed my eyes!】
Lin Xiaoyu had already buried herself under a pillow: "Ahhh, I can't show my face!"
"Now you're shy?" Luo Qingxue pulled at her pillow with a mischievous grin. "Who was it who insisted on showering together?"
A pillow fight was about to erupt. The two girls wrestled in the covers until Lin Xiaoyu suddenly yelped—she had hit a bruise from the assessment.
"Serves you right." Luo Qingxue said dismissively, yet gently rubbed her arm. "So... you really don't mind?"
Lin Xiaoyu shook her head, her eyes sparkling under the bedside lamp. "On the contrary, I feel at ease... like I have an extra guardian spirit?" She suddenly lowered her voice. "Can he hear us talking right now?"
The screen automatically lit up: 【I can hear everything clearly.】
"Wow!" Lin Xiaoyu was like a child who had discovered a new toy. "So you can appear on any electronic device?"
【Requires energy support, currently primarily attached to Luo Qingxue.】
"So amazing..." She suddenly thought of something. "Wait! So every time Qingxue and I change clothes—"
"He says he can only see energy outlines." Luo Qingxue rolled her eyes. "Who knows if it's true."
I brought up the academy's human energy spectrum on the screen: 【It really is only to this extent.】
Lin Xiaoyu compared the spectrum to herself and suddenly burst out laughing. "So everyone just looks like a glowing stick figure? What a rip-off!"
"Hey!" Luo Qingxue pinched her cheek. "Whose side are you on?"
As night deepened, the girls' conversation shifted from ability secrets to tomorrow's class assignments, and then to rumors about the advanced class. When Lin Xiaoyu finally fell asleep, her hand was still tightly gripping the hem of Luo Qingxue's pajamas.
"Yun Feng," Luo Qingxue whispered in a hushed tone. "Thank you."
Moonlight flowed across the tablet, and I slowly spelled out a line of text: 【You're welcome, young lady.】
She smiled and closed her eyes, and in this quiet night, I felt the true sensation of "being alive" for the first time—not as an SSS-level genius, not as a vengeful ghost, but simply as a family member completely trusted by two girls.
The next day at the training ground.
I controlled the floating tablet, displaying the data analysis I had organized last night to them:
【Lin Xiaoyu Ability Energy Peak Value Comparison Chart, F-level standard: 10-50 units, Measured peak value: 892 units (already at A-level threshold) Attribute speculation: Starlight/Star Power variant.】
"Wow!" Lin Xiaoyu jumped up on the spot, her hair flicking out a dazzling arc in the sunlight. "Am I really that amazing?"
The floating tablet quickly turned the page: 【However, there is an abnormal energy blockage, and the current utilization rate is less than 5%. The cause has not yet been discovered.】
Her smile instantly froze, like a puppy soaked in rain. "Even the SSS-level Cloud Maple Senior can't figure out the reason... then there's definitely no hope..."
"Nonsense!" Luo Qingxue took a quick step forward, pinching her soft cheek. "We have plenty of time to research it slowly!"
"Ow, ow, ow..." Lin Xiaoyu mumbled a plea for mercy, then suddenly her eyes darted around. She abruptly hugged Luo Qingxue's waist, burying her face in her abdomen and rubbing against her. "Cloud Maple Senior~ Can you feel this too?"
"Lin Xiaoyu! Are you trying to die?!" Luo Qingxue instantly turned red from her neck to her ear tips, frantically pushing her away.
I drew a huge sweating emoji on the tablet: 【...I'm just a ball of energy.】
"Eh~" Lin Xiaoyu, emboldened, tightened her arms. "But Qingxue said your senses are shared, right? She says her heart is beating super fast right now..."
"I'll kill you!!"
The two girls tumbled together on the training mat until Lin Xiaoyu was put in a headlock and begged for mercy. I silently recorded the data—when they made physical contact, the energy blockage within Lin Xiaoyu did indeed show slight loosening.
"Seriously now," Luo Qingxue straightened her disheveled training uniform. "Since Yun Feng says you're Star Power, let's try this—"
She wheeled out a celestial projector from the equipment room, which she had specifically asked the butler to prepare last night. When the machine started, the entire training ground transformed into a miniature universe, with countless points of light swirling in the darkness.
"Wow..." Lin Xiaoyu looked up at the artificial starry sky. "So beautiful..."
I noticed a faint glow emerging from under her collarbone—identical to the reaction in the bath last time. I immediately prompted on the tablet: 【Try to guide the energy.】
Lin Xiaoyu closed her eyes and slowly raised her hands. At first, it was just ordinary fluorescence, but gradually, those points of light began to flicker in sync with the projected stars. Suddenly, a silver-white beam shot out from her palm, precisely piercing three virtual planets!
"It worked?!" Luo Qingxue exclaimed in surprise.
But the next second, Lin Xiaoyu stumbled to her knees, and the light vanished without a trace. She gasped, shaking her head. "No... at a certain critical point, it's like hitting a wall..."
I brought up the energy waveform graph from just now: 【Blockage point found, similar to a biological lock, requires specific conditions to unlock.】
"Biological lock?" Luo Qingxue frowned. "Do we need something like in fairy tales... a true love's kiss?"
"Cough, cough, cough!" Lin Xiaoyu almost choked on her saliva. "W-with whom?"
"Just kidding!" Luo Qingxue poked her forehead with a mischievous grin. "But..." She suddenly lowered her voice. "Maybe it's emotional fluctuations? You only burst out after seeing blood during yesterday's assessment."
Lin Xiaoyu touched her already healed wound: "So I have to hurt myself first?"
【Self-harm is not recommended. Try other emotional stimuli.】
Luo Qingxue suddenly showed a mischievous smile: "Simple~" She whispered something into Lin Xiaoyu's ear, and the latter instantly turned red from her earlobes to her collarbone.
"Luo Qingxue!!" Lin Xiaoyu threw a training mat at her.
I frantically drew question marks on the tablet, but Luo Qingxue winked at me: "Girls' little secrets~"
The subsequent training was filled with laughter. Under Luo Qingxue's various "stimuli," Lin Xiaoyu's ability control indeed became much more flexible, although she still couldn't break through that critical point. As the sun set, the three of them lay side by side under the starry sky projection, staring blankly at the artificial Milky Way.
"Cloud Maple Senior," Lin Xiaoyu suddenly asked, "What kind of person were you... when you were alive?"
The floating tablet displayed: 【Bookworm, permanent resident of the laboratory, called a "robot" by classmates.】
"Pfft—" Both girls burst out laughing simultaneously.
"No wonder you're so by-the-book," Luo Qingxue poked the tablet. "Then... did you ever like anyone?"
The screen suddenly froze for three seconds: 【...Focused on research.】
"Oh~" Lin Xiaoyu nudged Luo Qingxue's shoulder mischievously. "He's stuttering!"
"No, I'm not!" Luo Qingxue subconsciously retorted, only realizing what she had revealed after speaking. She immediately covered her face with a mat.
I silently brought up the weather program, making the projected galaxy rain meteors. Lin Xiaoyu gasped, reaching out to catch the non-existent starlight, while Luo Qingxue, peeking at the tablet from the edge of the mat, was more dazzling than any star.
Just then, Lin Xiaoyu suddenly let out a soft "Oh?" We followed her gaze—the "meteor" she had caught in her palm actually solidified into a physical point of light, lasting for three seconds before dissipating!
"That was just..."
Emotional resonance—a key clue!
The two looked at each other, smiling in unison. Perhaps the answer was never some complicated unlock condition, but rather...
"Special training continues tomorrow!" Luo Qingxue jumped up and announced.
"No more weird comments this time!" Lin Xiaoyu added, blushing.
The tablet displayed: 【Promise to be serious.】
【(Small text) Occasional emotional stimulation is needed.】
"Yun! Feng!"
The night wind swept across the training ground, carrying the girls' laughter and scolding towards the starry sky. Those shining points of light gently watched them, as if witnessing a long-slumbering Star Power gradually awakening.
The lights of the advanced class training ground cast Lin Xiaoyu's shadow long. Her bangs were already soaked with sweat, yet she still stared intently at the moving target in front of her, the fluorescence in her palm flickering at a special frequency. This was the seventh attempt this week at the "Starlight Focus" training I designed—concentrating the originally dispersed fluorescence into a high-energy beam.
"Bang!"
Finally, a thin, needle-like beam pierced the bullseye, leaving a smoking pinhole in the alloy wall behind it.
"I did it!" She jumped up and turned around, only to find Luo Qingxue leaning against the doorway, spinning an energy drink can in her hand.
"Tsk tsk, working so hard..." Luo Qingxue tossed the drink over. "You haven't fallen for a certain 'ability coach,' have you?"
Lin Xiaoyu caught the can, her counterattack quick as lightning: "Aren't you the same? All day long 'Yun Feng said,' 'Yun Feng suggested'..."
"I did not!" Luo Qingxue choked, coughing. "Th-that's just efficient use of resources!"
I displayed text on the training ground's monitor: 【Today's training data: Excellent. Rest recommended.】
"See!" Luo Qingxue clutched at it like a lifeline. "Even he says so!"
Lin Xiaoyu narrowed her eyes. "You two are in cahoots..." She suddenly leaned close to Luo Qingxue's ear. "You haven't already..."
"Lin! Xiao! Yu!"
The figures of the two girls chasing and playing were reflected on the metal wall of the equipment area. I silently recorded the data—Lin Xiaoyu's beam focus accuracy had increased by 37%, and Luo Qingxue's ability control had reached a stable C-level. Although they made rapid progress under my guidance, they still maintained the disguise of "ordinary advanced class students" on the surface.
"Speaking of which..." Lin Xiaoyu suddenly stopped playing, pointing to the small hole melted by the beam on the wall. "Is this power really A-level?"
Luo Qingxue shrugged: "Yun Feng says it's limited by your own energy channels, so it can only exert C+ level power right now."
The display screen added: 【Potential upper limit S-level, requires gradual progress.】
"That's still amazing!" Lin Xiaoyu suddenly pounced on the nearest mecha simulator. "I want to try out new moves and how they work with the mecha!"
This "Night Owl-III" training mecha was exclusive to the advanced class, usually requiring C-level or higher ability users to pilot. But Lin Xiaoyu already deftly started the system, connecting the beam focusing module to the mecha's fire control system—a procedure we had rehearsed countless times in private.
"Hey, don't be too flashy," Luo Qingxue reminded. "The academy competition roster will be announced next week..."
"I know~" Lin Xiaoyu controlled the mecha to perform a graceful turn. "Just a basic operation demonstration!"
Under her control, the mecha smoothly completed a set of standard tactical maneuvers, finally using its shoulder auxiliary weapon—which should have been a smoke grenade launcher—to fire a precise blinding beam, freezing a moving target fifty meters away in place.
"Beautiful!" Even the passing mecha class instructor couldn't help but applaud. "Student Lin is making rapid progress!"
After the instructor walked away, Luo Qingxue quietly grumbled: "She could have just used her ability to blind them directly, but she had to go through the mecha weapon..."
"That's called tactical deception!" Lin Xiaoyu jumped out of the cockpit, proudly raising her chin. "During the academy competition, opponents will think my mecha has special modules!"
A red warning suddenly popped up on the display screen: 【Energy overdrawn detected, immediate nutritional supplement recommended.】
"Ah... no wonder I'm dizzy..." Lin Xiaoyu swayed, and Luo Qingxue quickly steadied her.
"Show-off!" Luo Qingxue's words were harsh, but her actions were very gentle. "Let's go to the cafeteria. My treat for an energy-boosting meal."
Walking down the academy corridor, Lin Xiaoyu suddenly asked, "Cloud Maple Senior, did you also hide your strength like this when you participated in the academy competition back then?"
I brought up memory data: 【Complete domination throughout, SSS-level requires no strategy.】
"Tsk, how arrogant." Luo Qingxue pouted. "No wonder you were targeted."
I immediately retorted: 【Who could target me?】
"Then that's it, pervert!" She spread her hands righteously. "A strong person should act like a strong person!"
The display screen froze for two seconds: 【...I'm not a pervert.】
"That's true," Lin Xiaoyu suddenly interjected, winking slyly. "A pervert wouldn't voluntarily close his eyes in the changing room~"
"Lin Xiaoyu! How do you know he closed his eyes?!"
"G-guessed!"
Laughter startled a flock of birds passing by. Watching their playful antics, I couldn't help but recall the days I spent alone in the lab, pulling all-nighters three years ago—I probably never imagined that after rebirth, I would experience the warmth of youth again in this way.
The academy bell chimed, startling me from my thoughts. The display screen finally showed a line of text: 【Remember to keep a low profile, do not expose your strength before the competition.】
The two girls said in unison: "We know! Mom!"
The lights of the advanced class training ground cast Lin Xiaoyu's shadow long. Her bangs were already soaked with sweat, yet she still stared intently at the moving target in front of her, the fluorescence in her palm flickering at a special frequency. This was the seventh attempt this week at the "Starlight Focus" training I designed—concentrating the originally dispersed fluorescence into a high-energy beam.
"Bang!"
Finally, a thin, needle-like beam pierced the bullseye, leaving a smoking pinhole in the alloy wall behind it.
"I did it!" She jumped up and turned around, only to find Luo Qingxue leaning against the doorway, spinning an energy drink can in her hand.
"Tsk tsk, working so hard..." Luo Qingxue tossed the drink over. "You haven't fallen for a certain 'ability coach,' have you?"
Lin Xiaoyu caught the can, her counterattack quick as lightning: "Aren't you the same? All day long 'Yun Feng said,' 'Yun Feng suggested'..."
"I did not!" Luo Qingxue choked, coughing. "Th-that's just efficient use of resources!"
I displayed text on the training ground's monitor: 【Today's training data: Excellent. Rest recommended.】
"See!" Luo Qingxue clutched at it like a lifeline. "Even he says so!"
Lin Xiaoyu narrowed her eyes. "You two are in cahoots..." She suddenly leaned close to Luo Qingxue's ear. "You haven't already..."
"Lin! Xiao! Yu!"
The figures of the two girls chasing and playing were reflected on the metal wall of the equipment area. I silently recorded the data—Lin Xiaoyu's beam focus accuracy had increased by 37%, and Luo Qingxue's ability control had reached a stable C-level. Although they made rapid progress under my guidance, they still maintained the disguise of "ordinary advanced class students" on the surface.
"Speaking of which..." Lin Xiaoyu suddenly stopped playing, pointing to the small hole melted by the beam on the wall. "Is this power really A-level?"
Luo Qingxue shrugged: "Yun Feng says it's limited by your own energy channels, so it can only exert C+ level power right now."
The display screen added: 【Potential upper limit S-level, requires gradual progress.】
"That's still amazing!" Lin Xiaoyu suddenly pounced on the nearest mecha simulator. "I want to try out new moves and how they work with the mecha!"
This "Night Owl-III" training mecha was exclusive to the advanced class, usually requiring C-level or higher ability users to pilot. But Lin Xiaoyu already deftly started the system, connecting the beam focusing module to the mecha's fire control system—a procedure we had rehearsed countless times in private.
"Hey, don't be too flashy," Luo Qingxue reminded. "The academy competition roster will be announced next week..."
"I know~" Lin Xiaoyu controlled the mecha to perform a graceful turn. "Just a basic operation demonstration!"
Under her control, the mecha smoothly completed a set of standard tactical maneuvers, finally using its shoulder auxiliary weapon—which should have been a smoke grenade launcher—to fire a precise blinding beam, freezing a moving target fifty meters away in place.
"Beautiful!" Even the passing mecha class instructor couldn't help but applaud. "Student Lin is making rapid progress!"
After the instructor walked away, Luo Qingxue quietly grumbled: "She could have just used her ability to blind them directly, but she had to go through the mecha weapon..."
"That's called tactical deception!" Lin Xiaoyu jumped out of the cockpit, proudly raising her chin. "During the academy competition, opponents will think my mecha has special modules!"
A red warning suddenly popped up on the display screen: 【Energy overdrawn detected, immediate nutritional supplement recommended.】
"Ah... no wonder I'm dizzy..." Lin Xiaoyu swayed, and Luo Qingxue quickly steadied her.
"Show-off!" Luo Qingxue's words were harsh, but her actions were very gentle. "Let's go to the cafeteria. My treat for an energy-boosting meal."
Walking down the academy corridor, Lin Xiaoyu suddenly asked, "Cloud Maple Senior, did you also hide your strength like this when you participated in the academy competition back then?"
I brought up memory data: 【Complete domination throughout, SSS-level requires no strategy.】
"Tsk, how arrogant." Luo Qingxue pouted. "No wonder you were targeted."
I immediately retorted: 【Who could target me?】
"Then that's it, pervert!" She spread her hands righteously. "A strong person should act like a strong person!"
The display screen froze for two seconds: 【...I'm not a pervert.】
"That's true," Lin Xiaoyu suddenly interjected, winking slyly. "A pervert wouldn't voluntarily close his eyes in the changing room~"
"Lin Xiaoyu! How do you know he closed his eyes?!"
"G-guessed!"
Laughter startled a flock of birds passing by. Watching their playful antics, I couldn't help but recall the days I spent alone in the lab, pulling all-nighters three years ago—I probably never imagined that after rebirth, I would experience the warmth of youth again in this way.
The academy bell chimed, startling me from my thoughts. The display screen finally showed a line of text: 【Remember to keep a low profile, do not expose your strength before the competition.】
The two girls said in unison: "We know! Mom!"