"You still remember you're my disciple?"
Qingyi glanced at the ornate teapot heating to a boil, then looked over at Zane and spoke softly.
"You've been calling me 'senior' just like everyone else. Doesn't that seem a little out of line for a disciple? Where's the proper decorum?"
Seeing the teasing look in Qingyi's eyes, Zane could only reply,
"Master, it's just a matter of wording. No need to nitpick…"
Qingyi smiled at that, though she didn't press further on master-disciple formalities. Instead, she said lightly,
"I just like it that way."
She waved Zane over to sit nearby, then picked up the teapot and slowly poured steaming hot water into the teacups. Only then did she circle back to his earlier question.
"Don't worry about Seth—he'll definitely get the job done. Honestly, that situation doesn't even count as a real case."
"There's no ferocious beast on Fourteenth Street. It's just a well-known stray cat and its little sidekick. Someone was worried that construction might hurt them and reported it to the bureau."
"Technically, this sort of thing shouldn't fall to the Special Task Force. But the person who filed the report messed up the submission channel, so it landed on our desk."
"Yesterday, I got sidetracked by the Dead End Hollows situation. I was planning to forward it today, but then Seth happened to be free."
At that, Qingyi fell silent, and Zane pieced together what had happened. So the big, urgent mission Seth was handed… was to go find a cat.
Qingyi pushed a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of Zane, gave him a look, and warned,
"Don't drink yet."
"Waiting for the aroma?"
"It's still hot."
Zane went quiet. Qingyi's logic was always surprising, yet made perfect sense.
As she busied herself beside him, Zane lowered his gaze to the tea leaves still swirling in the cup—green and pale, creating a calm, picturesque scene.
"Between green mountains and flowing water, like tender shoots plucking the strings of the heart…"
His soft murmur reached Qingyi's ears. She smiled faintly and looked at him.
"You seem pretty happy to come see me."
Zane just lifted his eyes to meet hers, saying nothing.
But the sentiment was already clear without words.
"Anyway, senior, weren't we going to start training in combat techniques? When are we getting to that?"
Qingyi blew on her tea and said,
"No rush, no rush."
"This morning on the phone, you said you were the Fire Picker. Is that really true?"
"It's not that I don't believe you—it was just so sudden. Even if a lot of things line up, I still want to confirm it."
Zane sighed.
"How do you want me to prove it?"
"Should I… transform here?"
"But if I do, it might stir up quite the commotion. I might have to tear down a chunk of the Public Security Bureau just to cover it up…"
Qingyi gave a small smile.
That tone. That attitude.
Right on the mark.
Zane really was the Fire Picker.
"Alright then, after we finish this tea, let's head to the bureau's training ground. I'll give you some proper instruction…"
At that, Zane raised an eyebrow.
Didn't she just say there was no rush? Why was she suddenly so eager?
Something felt off...
...
After they finished their tea, Qingyi packed away the set. Zane glanced at the leftover leaves and suddenly remembered—
He'd completely forgotten the tea he'd bought from the underground black market.
He'd meant to bring it as a gift for Qingyi.
What a shame. That entire black market ordeal had revolved around those tea leaves—and after all that, he forgot.
Maybe he'd get another chance…
Leaving the Task Force office, the two headed toward the training ground. It wasn't very big, mainly used by the constables for drills.
Due to all the recent incidents in Janus District, the force was stretched thin. The training area was empty and quiet.
"Zane, we're only sparring—no using any other powers, okay?"
Qingyi smiled warmly, like a patient older sister guiding a younger sibling.
Zane nodded. He was here to learn, after all. Of course he wouldn't use anything beyond hand-to-hand skills.
"By the way, what kind of weapon do you prefer?"
Qingyi twirled her staff in one hand, eyeing Zane's empty hands with curiosity.
"Weapons? I'm fine with anything, really—but I prefer something agile and easy to handle."
"But senior, why ask? We won't be using them right now. Better to focus on fundamentals. I'll go barehanded."
Seeing how serious he looked, Qingyi smiled faintly.
"Barehanded… That's just what I like to hear. You really are my disciple. So brave."
Zane frowned slightly at her tone.
"Brave"? "Just what I like"?
That didn't sound like something a teacher should say before a lesson…
Then, suddenly, Qingyi's presence shifted. Her expression returned to calm.
In the next second, a green blur flashed—her long staff shot toward him like a diving dragon, so fast it was shocking.
"Hey, wait! I'm not ready yet—"
Catching him completely off guard, Zane barely dodged the blow, thanks only to his enhanced reflexes.
As the staff split into three segments mid-air and immediately came back at him from another angle, Zane's eyes narrowed.
She wasn't holding back at all!
"Cretan Hollows, huh?"
Whoosh—
"Outsider from New Eridu, huh?"
Smack! Whoosh—
"Defense Force base, right?"
Swoosh—Clatter—
The segmented staff spun violently, echoing across the training field. Qingyi had driven Zane into a corner.
Then, in one smooth motion, she reassembled the weapon into a full-length staff, slung it over her back, and stepped toward him with a deceptively pleasant smile.
"My dear disciple, back in the Dead End Hollows… didn't you work very hard to fool your master?"
"Something about getting close to the Butcher, asking me to evacuate people…"
"You really went all out, huh?"
"Wait, Master—listen, it was a different situation back then! And weren't we supposed to be training? Why are we suddenly in combat?!"
Qingyi tilted her head, her twin ponytails swaying.
"A disobedient disciple deserves a little correction from their master, don't you think?"
"And Zane... I remember when you transformed into the Fire Picker in the Hollows…"
"You called me 'little one,' didn't you?"
"Hmm?"
"Now that I think about it, your tone back then…"
"So! Damn! Playful!"
"Wasn't that amusing?"
"Because I thought it was very amusing too~"
"Good~ little~ disciple~"
"I can explain that! Just—don't hit me yet, senior, let's not forget we're supposed to be cultivating a strong student-teacher bond, we—"
Whoosh—
...