Chapter 438: Miyabi's Confusion
Stelle left absolutely no room for debate. Before a single breath could be drawn, she closed the distance in a blur of gray and gold. She stopped dead in front of Miyabi, snatched the worn, thread-bound Fire Dance Whirlwind manual from her own pocket, and practically slammed it into the Section Chief's chest.
"Since even Mr. Zhongli backed me up, my judgment is flawless!" Stelle declared. Her voice echoed across the arena, loud, rapid, and carrying an absolute finality that slammed the door on any potential refusal.
"Miyabi, this Fire Dance Whirlwind is yours now! Don't be polite! Save the thank-yous, we are comrades in arms! Anyway... I have other people to drag into this! Time is money, and I need to go hoard some shiny currency! Catch you later!"
The words fired from her mouth like a gatling gun. The final syllable had barely left her lips before she spun on her heel. Dust exploded from the arena floor. Stelle became a literal afterimage, tearing past the audience stands with the exact same terrifying velocity she used to smash through enemy lines. A violent gust of wind whipped through the room as she shot straight for the heavy metal doors.
She ran with the desperate posture of someone being hunted by a colossal beast. Or, more accurately, she sprinted like a criminal terrified that a single second of hesitation would result in the manual being shoved right back into her hands.
"Stelle! Get back here! Why are you running away?!" March screamed, throwing her hands in the air. Her exasperated voice bounced off the walls, but the chaotic Trailblazer had already vanished down the corridor.
Dan Heng, who had remained perfectly silent in the stands, rose to his feet the exact millisecond Stelle broke into a sprint.
His face remained a mask of cool indifference, but a heavy sigh escaped his lips. A distinct look of weary resignation settled in his eyes, clearly calculating the sheer volume of property damage his companion was about to cause. He offered a curt, silent nod to Welt and Himeko, then stepped out of the viewing area to track her down.
Letting Stelle loose to explore a Hollow completely unsupervised was a recipe for absolute disaster. Left to her own devices, she would undoubtedly trigger some apocalyptic surprise within the distorted dimensions. To preserve whatever shred of dignity the Astral Express Crew still possessed, and to ensure the physical structural integrity of the base, he had to keep her on a very short leash.
The sheer velocity of the exchange left the local residents of New Eridu frozen in place. Harumasa stood with his mouth slightly ajar, completely failing to process the absurdity of the situation.
He stared at the empty doorway where the two Express members had just vanished. He slowly turned his head toward his Section Chief, who remained entirely motionless with a legendary martial arts tome pressed against her chest. Finally, he looked up at the otherworldly visitors in the stands. A deep, envious sigh echoed in his mind.
'As expected of the Section Chief...'he thought, his shoulders slumping.'Her raw talent and unyielding ideals are so overwhelming that interdimensional experts are literally throwing priceless secret techniques at her. Why do I never get this kind of VIP treatment?'Meanwhile, the girl currently breaking local speed limits down the base corridors was operating on a completely different wavelength.'Mission accomplished!'Stelle cheered internally, her sneakers squeaking loudly against the metal floorboards.'Miyabi helped me sweep up the massive mess I made with that Heaven and Earth Eternal strike back in the Epis Port Hollow. Dropping this manual on her is the perfect compensation.'
In her own brutally honest assessment, their recent sparring match probably offered the swordswoman absolutely zero technical insight. Stelle knew her own fighting style perfectly well. It consisted entirely of unhinged combat intuition, the overwhelming brute force of her Path, and creating miracles by hitting things really, really hard. Finesse and technique were completely absent from her repertoire.
Sure, she swung a bat with some level of skill, but nothing deep enough to warrant a master swordswoman studying her forms. The only lesson Miyabi could possibly extract from fighting her was a depressing realization: 'My speed is insufficient. My physical strength is lacking. My slashes cannot cut through pure absurd durability.' That was not a martial arts revelation. That was just a targeted strike to a warrior's self-esteem.
Because of that, the Fire Dance Whirlwind manual served as her actual, tangible apology and thank-you gift. But the most crucial factor driving her generosity was simple.
'Literally everyone in the Chat Group has already memorized the Fire Dance Whirlwind anyway,'she reasoned, dodging a startled base employee.'It is basically public domain at this point!'
Her logic was entirely bulletproof. In her wonderfully simplistic value system, if an item was possessed by all her friends, its rarity plummeted to zero. Tossing it away carried absolutely zero psychological weight. Instead, it functioned as an excellent, low-cost display of deep sincerity. She certainly was not losing sleep over parting with a peerless secret.
Back inside the quieted arena, the local operatives were not the only ones struggling to process the hit-and-run gifting. The recipient herself remained entirely frozen. Miyabi had, in fact, completely checked out of reality for a few minutes.
The intense, blood-pumping clash against the Trailblazer had forced her to draw upon every ounce of her strength. Her mind had locked into a state of hyper-accelerated review, dissecting every clash of steel and bat. It was not until the physical weight of the ancient book settled against her chest, radiating a faint, lingering warmth, followed by the echoing footsteps of a fleeing chaotic gremlin, that she finally snapped out of her meditative afterglow.
She slowly lowered her gaze. Four bold, ancient characters stared back at her from the worn cover: Fire Dance Whirlwind. Miyabi blinked once. Then twice. The perpetually cool, untouchable aura surrounding the Section Chief cracked, replaced by a very rare, very human expression of utter bewilderment.
She lifted her head, scanning the room. Every single pair of eyes in the arena was locked onto her, displaying varying degrees of shock and amusement.
"This is...?" Miyabi started, her voice slightly raspy from her intense internal focus. She desperately wanted to demand an explanation for the sudden heavy book in her hands, but her usually sharp mind failed to supply the correct vocabulary.
Harumasa, ever the observant subordinate, instantly read the blank look on his superior's face. He knew that look perfectly. The Section Chief had retreated into her own headspace again and completely missed the chaotic drama that just unfolded in the physical world.
He quickly stepped up to the plate, flashing a smooth, apologetic smile toward the Express Crew. "My apologies, everyone. Our Section Chief tends to get a little... detached from reality when she is processing a good fight."
He pivoted toward Miyabi, leaning in close. In rapid, highly condensed whispers, he delivered a tactical sitrep regarding the gray-haired girl shoving a book at her and fleeing the scene.
Miyabi listened in absolute silence. The fog of confusion slowly burned away from her sharp eyes, allowing her standard, icy clarity to return. She stared down at the manual resting in her palms, then swept her gaze across the remaining off-worlders.
She allowed herself three seconds of silence to process the sheer absurdity of the situation. Having reached a firm conclusion, she adjusted her grip on the book, stepped forward, and marched in a straight, uncompromising line directly toward March 7th.
Miyabi extended both hands, holding the Fire Dance Whirlwind completely flat, offering it up like a sacred artifact. Her posture was rigid, her tone ringing with absolute, unyielding seriousness.
"Miss March 7th, I cannot accept a reward I have not earned. Miss Stelle graciously agreed to cross weapons with me, affording me the rare opportunity to test my limits against a higher echelon of power. That experience alone is a tremendous boon. I am entirely satisfied with the outcome."
"As for this text..." She pushed the book an inch closer. "It is far too precious. I have done nothing to merit such a treasure. I ask that you return it to Miss Stelle on my behalf."
Her posture remained perfectly straight, displaying neither arrogance nor false humility. Her strict moral code dictated every movement. A spar was an equal exchange of martial intent. Accepting a priceless, otherworldly technique for absolutely nothing was a severe violation of her personal boundaries. She had offered nothing of equal value, therefore, she could not accept.
"Ah, well, you see..." March 7th stammered, staring at the ancient book hovering inches from her face. A nervous bead of sweat formed on her temple.
She knew her chaotic roommate better than anyone. When Stelle decided to bestow a gift upon someone she deemed worthy, the universe itself could not reverse the transaction. If March actually accepted the return and brought it back to the Express, Stelle would throw an absolute tantrum of epic proportions.
Trapped between a highly principled swordswoman and the looming threat of a pouting Trailblazer, March froze. Just as the awkward tension threatened to suffocate the room, a warm, elegant voice sliced through the heavy atmosphere.
"Miss Miyabi, there is no need for such formalities."
Himeko stepped down from the viewing area. The vibrant red of her coat flared slightly as she approached. A soft, deeply reassuring smile graced her lips, her amber eyes radiating a calming, maternal warmth.
"That child, Stelle, can certainly be impulsive and a bit rough around the edges," Himeko explained softly. "But once she commits to a decision—especially a gift she believes has found its rightful owner—it is entirely impossible to change her mind. Even for us."
She paused, letting her gentle gaze meet Miyabi's strict eyes. "This is simply her unique way of showing respect. You assisted her greatly within the Hollow, and she genuinely enjoyed crossing blades with you today. In her eyes, this manual is the only appropriate way to balance the scales."
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