"Huh, Yunli?"
"Hm? What's wrong, Little Yao?"
Yunli, who had been carefully supervising her Disciple's training while casually wiping down Old Mettle's sturdy blade, immediately turned around with a swift motion after hearing her name called.
Mu Yao lightly coughed, her gaze subtly drifting toward the enormous sword in Yunli's hand as the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
Even though this was not her first time seeing it, the sight of Yunli's adorable appearance paired with that terrifying greatsword still produced a strange sense of dissonance.
Mu Yao (๑˙ー˙๑): Yikes. That mental image is way too beautiful. I seriously can't imagine it.
After silently complaining in her heart, Mu Yao finally returned to the main topic.
"So, Yunli and Mo Xin should both remember that Captain mentioned before there was still one team member who hadn't returned yet, right?"
Yunli nodded slightly.
"Mhm. I heard something happened that prevented her from participating in missions."
"Exactly!"
Mu Yao's eyes immediately brightened with excitement.
"And just a few days ago, Sister Yutong finally regained consciousness!"
"Really?!"
Mo Xin instantly stopped her "hardworking" sword practice and hurriedly joined the conversation.
"That's amazing news!"
Mu Yao smiled gently and nodded, the joy in her expression impossible to hide.
"Today, she'll officially return to the team. She should be arriving very soon."
"Seriously?!"
Mo Xin's eyes lit up with curiosity.
"I heard from Brother Hao that this senior is super talented and her Special Ability is extremely rare. Senior, what kind of person is she?"
"Sister Yutong is a very gentle and beautiful older sister."
Mu Yao smiled teasingly.
"Of course, she still can't compare to your own sister~ Her only flaw is that she's usually pretty aloof. In that regard, she's somewhat similar to your Sister Acheron. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm still super jealous that you have such an incredible older sister."
"Hahaha, it's really not that exaggerated."
Mo Xin scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"Sister Acheron isn't as perfect as you think. For example, she forgets things all the time."
Watching the two girls happily chatting as if no one else existed, Yunli glanced toward Mo Xin, who was obviously using the opportunity to slack off from training, and narrowed her eyes.
After a brief silence, Yunli ultimately decided to let her off this once.
The moment she realized her scheme had succeeded, a sly smile quietly appeared on Mo Xin's face.
Unfortunately, Captain Chen immediately followed with some bad news.
"From now on, everyone should pay close attention to Yutong's condition. The examination results show that although she has regained consciousness, her state still seems somewhat abnormal."
The atmosphere instantly froze.
"Huh?"
Mo Xin scratched her head in confusion.
"What does 'abnormal' mean? Is she still unconscious?"
"You dummy, that's obviously not what he means."
Yunli lightly snorted and interrupted her.
"It's probably mental exhaustion or some kind of aftereffect, right?"
Captain Chen remained silent for a moment, neither confirming nor denying it.
Truthfully, even the Ability Bureau itself could not determine Qing Yutong's exact condition.
Still, leaving the matter alone was clearly not an option.
That was why they ultimately decided to let Qing Yutong interact with familiar companions again, hoping it might awaken some emotional response.
As time slowly passed, the training room door creaked open.
Everyone simultaneously turned toward the entrance.
Standing there was the long-absent Qing Yutong.
But the instant they clearly saw her appearance, Mu Yao and Lu Hao's expressions changed dramatically.
Mu Yao instinctively covered her mouth as her voice trembled.
"Sister Yutong… are you okay?!"
At first glance, Qing Yutong still appeared to be the same cold and aloof beauty as before.
But now, an indescribable emptiness lingered around her, as though she had become detached from the mortal world itself.
Her gaze was hollow and distant, seemingly indifferent toward everything around her.
Looking more carefully, everyone noticed several strands of pale white hair mixed within her once jet-black bangs.
Meanwhile, her originally sharp and intimidating Spiritual Eyes had become dim and lifeless.
A faint ring of gray and white intertwined around the edges of her dark pupils like lingering mist.
As everyone's worried gazes focused upon her, Qing Yutong seemed to sense the familiar atmosphere around her.
A faint smile finally appeared on her expressionless face.
"Don't worry, Little Yao. I'm fine."
Though her tone remained cool and detached, a trace of warmth still quietly lingered beneath it.
Seeing this, Chen Yuxuan secretly relaxed slightly.
The changes in appearance and Special Ability were secondary concerns.
What truly worried them was Qing Yutong's personality.
Ever since waking from her coma, she had become cold, distant, and emotionally detached, almost as if she had completely lost her connection to the world.
Aside from Chen Yuxuan and Director Yanxi, she barely spoke to anyone at all.
Even looking at others seemed troublesome to her.
This had given both Captain Chen and Director Yan quite a headache.
Fortunately, the current situation finally showed signs of improvement.
"Sister Yutong!"
Mu Yao's eyes reddened as she excitedly rushed forward.
Lu Hao also stepped closer with obvious concern.
Only Yunli and Mo Xin remained standing in place with uncertain expressions.
Mo Xin stared blankly at the unfamiliar woman before her.
Despite clearly never having met her before, she somehow felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
The strange contradiction left her momentarily stunned.
Meanwhile, Yunli carefully observed Qing Yutong with a grave expression.
She had no knowledge of what happened after Sparkle stayed behind back then.
Therefore, she should not have recognized this person at all.
Yet from Qing Yutong's gray-and-white Spiritual Eyes, Yunli sensed an extremely faint but oddly familiar aura.
Yunli (๑•̌.•̑๑): Huh? This aura… could it be related to [Nihility]?
"Yutong, how are you feeling now?"
"It's seriously great that you're okay! I missed you so much, Sister Yutong!"
"Thank goodness you finally woke up!"
"Long time no see!"
"Mm… thank you all for worrying about me."
Bathed in the warm atmosphere surrounding her, Qing Yutong's originally hollow heart seemed to slowly regain traces of emotion.
But just then, as Mo Xin prepared to step forward, she suddenly noticed something strange.
"Wait a second."
"There are only four of us here, right?"
"Then why did it sound like there was a fifth voice just now?"
Outsider: ヽ('▽ﾟ)ノ
Everyone: (*ﾟﾛﾟ)!!
Mo Xin: (;o_o)
"Good morning, everyone! Long time no see~"
A little girl wearing a red dress suddenly hopped into view while waving cheerfully.
The tips of her hair bounced lightly with her movements as her bright voice rang through the room.
(∠・ω＜ )⌒☆