The Unexpected Fiancée and Lingering Memories

“A fiancée?! A fiancée?!”

Little Nightingale was utterly bewildered, her expression abruptly freezing. Ming Yu was a girl, wasn’t she? How could she have a fiancée?

If this woman, who called herself Qing Shui Ling Yin, truly knew Ming Yu, then she had no reason to turn her away.

“You, please come in first,” Little Nightingale stammered. “I’ll go ask Ming Yu. Just a moment.”

“Alright,” Qing Shui Ling Yin replied.

Following the golden-haired girl into the house, Qing Shui Ling Yin took deep, calming breaths, trying to suppress the excitement surging within her.

‘Will I finally see him?’

Scenes from their past together flashed through her mind like film reels.

****

“Well, hello there, little sister. Nice to meet you. I’m Ming Yu…”

“Ah, I’m just as confused as you are…”

“Honestly, I don’t have much interest in little girls. You’re free to leave anytime and choose the life you want…”

****

“Qing Shui Ling Yin?! I gave you freedom, I gave you the chance to choose, was it so you could choose to jump into the sea?!”

“You want to die, huh? Fine, fine. I’m truly angry! I’m unilaterally declaring that you’ve been stripped of your right to free movement.”

“You like jumping? Alright, today I’ll take you to the amusement park for the drop tower. We’ll ride it all day until you’ve had your fill of jumping!”

****

“I asked the doctor; your condition is severe depression. This is an illness, and it needs treatment.”

“I’ve given you all my saved vacation time… Qing Shui Ling Yin, even a stranger like me hasn’t given up on you yet. Are you really going to give up on yourself?”

“Don’t be so dejected. Cheer up. Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

****

“I’m telling you, this is the highest point in all of Pharos. Are you trying to give me a leap of faith performance?”

“But even if you jump, it’s fine. I’ll pull you back up.”

“What kind of look is that? Do you think I’m bluffing? If I can’t even pull up your tiny frame, then I might as well jump too.”

****

“Signal towers… deep-sea submersibles… racing arenas… gladiatorial arenas… Whoa, truly thrilling.”

“Qing Shui, among all the girls I’ve met, when it comes to seeking thrills, no one is better than you. I, Ming Yu, would crown you the strongest!”

“So, could we perhaps go somewhere a bit more… normal? Like, uh, a food street or a shopping district?”

****

“These past few months have been truly fulfilling…”

“You seem to be recovering well? My vacation is almost over. I hope to see you achieve great success when I return.”

“I’m leaving. No need to see me off.”

****

“Cough, cough. Who told you I was in the hospital?”

“It was just a jab from a horn eel, a mere hole in my body. Why the fuss, cough, cough! Pfft—”

“Oh, right. I heard you got into a higher academy. Congratulations… Now hurry back.”

****

“Tsk, Qing Shui, do you know how attractive you are to boys now? If you meet someone you like at the academy, you can tell me, and I’ll help you assess them.”

“Hm? Why aren’t you speaking?”

“If not, then so be it. Never mind. I need to depart.”

“This time, I’ll probably be gone for half a year or more. I don’t even know if I’ll make it back…”

****

During the days Ming Yu was absent, Qing Shui Ling Yin felt not only lonely but also deeply worried.

Now, Ming Yu had returned.

She sat upright, observing the living room. The home’s decor gave her a faint sense of familiarity, surely Ming Yu’s touch.

Her hollow heart was now filled with overflowing anticipation.

‘What kind of expression would Ming Yu show when he saw me?’ ‘Would he habitually pat my head, just like before?’

Qing Shui Ling Yin reined in her emotions, yet a faint smile involuntarily curved her lips.

Her gaze drifted to the closed bedroom door, behind which the adorable golden-haired girl was speaking with Ming Yu.

‘What could their relationship be?’

****

Central Inner City, Ribbon-shaped Coastal Sea Zone.

On the towering coastal walls, a long wind swept by, stirring Ming Yu’s high-bound silver-white ponytail.

Clad in a standard-issue outer robe, she stood with her arms crossed, gazing at the dozens of sluggish figures on the sea. She sighed with a hint of exasperation.

‘Were these truly the most outstanding apprentice hunters of this generation?’

Her eyes constantly followed the new recruits running across the sea as she pondered whether to slightly increase the training intensity.

Only by mastering the hover boots could Sea Beast Hunters exert their full strength on fluid surfaces, moving and running across the water as if on solid ground.

Therefore, the task she assigned was simple: a long-distance weighted run on the sea.

They were to run from dawn until dusk, with a total of thirty minutes for meals and rest, continuing until the hover boots’ built-in batteries were completely depleted.

Although the cadets, assistants, and even the deputy instructors clamored for a lighter load, she didn’t feel this training intensity was particularly high.

For basic physical training, her standards were exceptionally strict, adhering to the principle: ‘Sweat on the training ground, not blood on the battlefield.’

While supervising the training wasn’t her direct responsibility, Ming Yu remained atop the high wall, observing the condition of every cadet.

Just then, a ‘beep-beep’ alert sounded in her smart earpiece. A communication request from Little Nightingale made her pause slightly.

–Little Nightingale, is something the matter?

–Sister Ming Yu, we have a guest at home…

–A guest? Who?

–Qing Shui Ling Yin. She claims to be your fiancée… Is that true?

–Qing Shui? Damn it, I forgot to tell her about moving. But how did she find me…?

–Sister Ming Yu, is she really your fiancée?

–Uh, that… it’s a long story.

–…I understand.

Hearing this, Ming Yu was utterly perplexed.

‘What exactly did Little Nightingale understand?’

Never mind. Since Qing Shui had arrived, she certainly had to go back and host her.

No overtime today, then.

–Little Nightingale, tell Qing Shui that I’ll be back soon.

–Mhm…

–Alright then.

With that, Ming Yu ended the call and quickly beckoned her assistant, Luo Lin, over. After relaying the important training instructions, she turned and leaped off the high wall.

The moment Ming Yu turned to leave, the cadets, who had been constantly monitoring the situation, first whispered amongst themselves, then erupted into loud cheers.

Watching the silver-white silhouette gradually disappear, the exhausted young men took hesitant steps, gathering in twos and threes to vent their grievances, gnashing their teeth as they accused the ‘Silver Kite Instructor’ of inhumane conduct.

“Damn it! When will this suffering end?!”

“This newly assigned Silver Kite Instructor is too brutal… But I heard from the previous instructor that she’s an S-rank legendary hunter!”

“Oh, come on. If she’s just an instructor now, she’s probably B-rank at best… like the previous one.”

“Why do you think the Silver Kite Instructor always wears that metal mask with the blue face and fangs? Is it because she has scars on her face?”

“Who knows? Maybe she’s afraid of being mocked, so she’s too embarrassed to show her face, haha…”

“Ah, this…”

“…”

Among the utterly exhausted figures, a pair of sisters trailing at the very back endured the searing pain in their chests, deaf to all the chatter. Their entire focus was on controlling the force of their steps.

“Sister Mo, I, I can’t run anymore…”

“Yaoyao, just hold on a little longer…”

Even though their bodies were nearing their limits, their pace remained remarkably consistent, as if they shared a telepathic connection. The Silver Kite Instructor’s words of warning resurfaced in both their minds simultaneously.

“If you don’t want to be eaten by monsters, then become a monster yourself.”

“Choose for yourselves: do you want to live, or do you want to die?”

****

As Ming Yu walked home, her mind raced with how she would explain her current situation to Qing Shui.

‘Should she be honest? Or continue to conceal the truth?’