Although it was Rover who initiated the duel, Zane seized control midway through.
Faced with Zane's overwhelming advance, Rover could only defend passively, retreating her forces back into the city.
Yet she didn't expect Zane to pry open her defenses, taking the opportunity to charge into the inner city and plunder freely.
Meanwhile, Rover could only clutch tightly at the hem of his clothes, letting Zane's forces run rampant within her city, taking whatever they pleased.
Seeing the usually strong and assertive Rover reveal such a vulnerable side, Zane unconsciously slowed his assault, his actions carrying a kind of gentle care, like cherishing a precious treasure.
And Rover seemed completely immersed in this feeling of being cared for. Her pale arms, like lotus roots, wrapped around Zane's neck like soft serpents, as if expressing her dependence and response.
After a long while, their lips slowly parted, the distance between them gradually increasing, yet it felt as if some invisible force was still pulling them together, preventing them from fully separating.
A thin, glistening thread stretched faintly between their lips. Like a dewdrop on morning grass, it was crystal clear, emitting a faint shimmer.
It was so delicate that a breeze could scatter it, yet at the same time incredibly resilient, binding their hearts tightly together.
Zane slowly lowered his head, his gaze falling on Rover's soft pink lips. After just now, they were slightly swollen, the thin lips shining with a moist glow.
In his arms, Rover breathed softly, each breath carrying a faint fragrance.
Her once sharp golden eyes were now veiled with a thin mist, revealing a sense of longing and daze.
The contrast was overwhelming.
Tell me, a girl who is both cool, charming, and obedient like this, who in all of Solaris could resist her allure?
"They say women only slow down the speed at which I draw my blade?"
What a joke!
Rover doesn't just speed up how fast I draw my blade, she speeds up how fast I draw my gun too.
But before Zane could charge forward like a warrior into battle, an untimely yawn suddenly broke the atmosphere, shattering the lingering romance in the room.
"So early in the morning, can people even sleep…"
The mark on the back of Rover's right hand flickered on and off. Then, a fluffy white rabbit-dog crawled out from her sigil.
But the moment the white rabbit-dog came out, it sensed something was off.
Not to mention the little gray-haired one on the other side of the room hugging a trash can and sleeping, just looking at Zane and Rover alone, their expressions were darker than each other.
If looks could kill, the rabbit-dog felt like it had already died hundreds of times.
"Um… did I come at a bad time?"
Abby took one look at Zane holding Rover, along with her thin white sleepwear, and immediately understood that it had interrupted Zane's "entry."
It quickly put on a flattering smile and scooted closer to Rover, its blue and yellow eyes opened wide.
"Hehehe, Rover, as your best companion, you wouldn't do anything to me… right?"
Trying to act cute to get out of trouble.
But Rover wasn't buying it. Still, to maintain a girl's composure, her brows lifted slightly, forming a cold smile.
Abby felt a chill run down its back, as if its fur was about to freeze. Sensing danger, it immediately tried to crawl back into Rover's sigil.
But no matter how fast it was, could it be faster than Rover?
A flash of white light, Abby was already in her hand.
Feeling the tightening grip around its neck and seeing Rover's smile that didn't reach her eyes, Abby almost felt like the Grim Reaper's scythe was already resting on its neck.
"Next time you come out, take a look at the situation outside first, okay?"
Looking at Rover gritting her teeth, Abby nodded frantically, afraid that even a second's delay would get it strangled.
Fortunately, Rover was still calm. The fire that had been stirred up had already subsided a bit. She loosened her grip and let Abby go.
"Zane, this little guy is Abby, the Rover's best companion."
For some reason, when Abby heard Rover introduce it like that, it felt like it might become emergency food at any moment.
"But speaking of which, why are you called Abby?"
Abby had always been with Rover, so it naturally knew that Zane had lost his memories. Hearing the question, it scratched its fluffy head a bit awkwardly.
"Back then, you and the Rover gave me a bunch of names, but none of them sounded good. The Rover kept saying no, no, no to all of them, so in the end she just named me Abby."
"I see… then what names did we give you before?"
Abby thought for a moment, raised its paw, and started counting.
"Stuff like Super Power Tyrant, Emergency Food No. 2…"
No need to ask, just hearing them, it was obvious Zane came up with those.
Taking advantage of this moment, Zane took a black coat from the wardrobe and draped it over Rover's shoulders.
Even though it was summer, the morning air was still a bit cold. Besides, Rover was only wearing a thin nightgown and was barefoot.
There was no way Zane would let her get cold.
Seeing this, Abby remembered what happened when it interrupted them and didn't even bother going back into the sigil. It quietly went to sit over at Stelle's side instead.
Rover quietly watched him walk behind her, into her blind spot, holding the coat. Then warmth settled onto her shoulders.
Next, Zane crouched down and took a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet. Like he was handling a precious treasure, he gently lifted her jade-like feet and placed them into the slippers.
His calloused hands brushed against the soft skin of her feet, and it felt as if they brushed across her heart.
Rover immediately felt a current run from her feet through her entire body.
The sensation was unfamiliar yet wonderful, making her already flushed face redden further, like a fully ripened apple.
She lightly pressed her lips together, looking especially delicate now, completely lacking her earlier dominance. Suddenly, she didn't quite dare to look at him.
She had clearly been the one to initiate the attack earlier, yet now she was the one losing momentum.
But Rover still suppressed the fluster in her heart. As if making up her mind, she gathered her courage and looked at Zane seriously, speaking in a slightly stubborn tone.
"Zaney… do I look good?"
Although "Zaney" sounded somewhat like a nickname for a child, when Zane heard her call him that, he felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction and happiness spreading inside him.
At this moment, words seemed to lose their meaning. The girl in front of him, dressed in sleepwear and draped in his coat, looked like a pure white lily blooming only for him.
"Beautiful…"
But just as Zane spoke, a black figure suddenly burst through the door.
"Water meter inspection!"
"Take out your ID!"
"What's your relationship with this person?"
"What's with the transfer records in your phone?"
"This isn't the first time, is it?"
"Behave yourself!"
"Come out, squat by the wall. You're coming with us later!"
Before Zane could even react, the emperor-penguin-like girl hoisted him over her shoulder and disappeared from the room in an instant.
Rover watched with amusement as Zane was suddenly taken away by the Doctor. She tightened the coat on her shoulders, turned around, and calmly sat down on Zane's bed.
It didn't matter. She had already taken the first point. No matter what moves the Doctor made, she would remain unmoved.