After saying the words "reciprocal gift," Shi Ya quickly lowered her gaze, her eyes fixated on the Mecha parts in her hand, her demeanor extraordinarily cold and calm, as if she didn’t care at all about Ji You’s reaction to the gift.
But!!!
Shi Ya’s petite, rounded earlobes unconsciously perked up, listening to the sounds around her—
Ji You didn’t make a sound or any other gesture; she just stared at the gift box in her hand, carefully examining it.
second.
seconds.
seconds.
...
Somehow, the atmosphere around them started to become oppressive.
The air pressure also gradually lowered.
Shi Ya focused on assembling the Mecha parts.
Ji You focused on the gift from Senior Shi Ya.
...
After a while.
Ji You reached out again, plucked a star-shaped candy from the box, and popped it into her mouth. It was strawberry-flavored, sweet yet tangy, incredibly delicious... In an instant, Ji You smiled. As she ate, she lowered her head and counted the candies in the box, then realized that there wasn’t a single flavor repeated with varieties like apple, blueberry, chocolate, milk, watermelon, peach...
Ji You looked at Senior Shi Ya’s slender, frail figure, seemingly distant, and softly said, "Thank you."
Hmm?
At those words, Shi Ya’s ears twitched, her fingers suddenly pausing, but she remained silent.
Ji You pursed her lips, her eyes smiling, "I really like the gift from Senior. I’ll accept it all."
Shi Ya’s face stiff, and turning her head away, muttered, "Hmm."
Inside the lab, Shi Ya fully let her guard down and began to immerse herself entirely in her work. She was tasked with assembling a standard Alliance Mecha, the Wind Wing. Although this model was quite common, the Wind Wing was among the most frequently utilized Mechas in the Alliance forces. Even though its manufacturing techniques were fully matured, with most parts being producible on an assembly line, the core chip system and assembly still required a Mechanical Manufacturing Master to design and load, as well as a special Mecha inspector for quality checks...
Mecha destined for the front lines could not have any quality issues; hence, even though Wind Wing’s technology was mature, not every Mechanical Manufacturing Master could construct it.
Shi Ya was only in her second year, theoretically not yet qualified to design and assemble a Wind Wing on her own. However, her talent was profound; already in her first year, she had assisted her mentor in constructing a Wind Wing and knew the entire process by heart, what she lacked was just practical experience.
...
Shi Ya was very earnest, once engrossed in her work, she was hardly ever distracted, but today, there was a pair of clean, clear eyes watching her, causing Shi Ya to be unusually distracted.
She turned around, facing Ji You, and noticed Ji You watching her, looking hesitant yet wanting to speak. Shi Ya lowered her voice, "Is there something you want to ask?"
Ji You raised her eyes. Her black eyes glistening as she looked at Senior Shi Ya. Then, with the corners of her lips unconsciously curving up revealing a slight dimple on her pure white cheeks, she said, "Senior, are you really my biological sister?"
Shi Ya: "..."
At that, the atmosphere strangely shifted.
Ji You also felt a bit awkward, just about to say something to break the tension when suddenly—
Shi Ya said in a deep voice, "It’s possible."
Huh?
Ji You: "???"
Ji You stared with wide eyes, full of confusion and perplexity...
What... what is possible?
Shi Ya’s body tensed, her hands involuntarily clenched into fists; her beautiful face furrowed with tightly knit brows, her red lips pursed into a straight line...
Silence.
A few seconds later, Shi Ya’s tightly pursed lips stretched slightly, stiffly pulling into a semblance of a smile, she uttered, "You..."
Ji You: "Yes?"
Shi Ya, with a cold expression, said, "You can consider me as your biological sister."
These few words seemed to exhaust all her strength as Shi Ya’s fists clenched tighter, unknowingly exerting more force...
Ji You instantly smiled, her smile bright and dazzling: "Senior, I’ve long considered you as my real sister! Isn’t that wonderful! So, are we both in agreement?"
Silence.
second later, Shi Ya pursed her lips and said, "Hmm."
Ji You, adept at seizing opportunities, immediately leaned closer, almost losing her eyes in her big smile, and cheered, "Sister Yaya!"
Shi Ya’s face remained cold: "Hmm."
Ji You whispered by Shi Ya’s side, "Sister Yaya, the candies you made are so delicious, the donuts must be really tasty too, let’s eat them together." After saying this, she without hesitation shared a few candies, took a knife and fork, cut the donut in half, handed one half to Shi Ya, and stuffed the other half into her mouth. As soon as the donut entered her mouth, it was soft, fragrant, sweet, and as she chewed carefully, even the candied fruits on top tasted sweet, sweet enough to touch one’s heart depths...
Shi Ya’s body was tense, her clenched fingers gradually relaxed, and after a moment’s hesitation, she reached out to accept it.
Then—
Shi Ya gently put it in her mouth.
Ji You squinted her eyes, smiling, "Sweet, isn’t it?"
Shi Ya, expressionless, replied, "Hmm."
Sweet.
Not just sweet, it was so sweet that it was almost too much, inexplicably bringing a warmth to the eyes.
Shi Ya, with a stern face, took one bite, then another, and another, swallowing half of the donut with a tightly controlled expression, showing no fluctuation of emotions.
Ji You tasted hers in small bites, noticing how Shi Ya was devouring hers in big bites, like a cow chewing peonies, and couldn’t help but smile somewhat:
Indeed—
Her feeling wasn’t wrong. Although Senior Shi Ya appeared cold on the outside, she was actually warm inside, her heart even softer than anyone else’s... This angelic lovely girl had to endure so much hardship...
Senior Shi Ya had no family.
Neither did she.
But!!!
That was no longer the case.
From now on, she and Senior Shi Ya were real sisters!
After a slight thought, Ji You’s smiling mouth could not be concealed any longer, she grinned looking at Senior Shi Ya and softly said, "That’s really wonderful."
Shi Ya didn’t make a sound.
Ji You: "Really wonderful."
Shi Ya still didn’t make a sound.
Ji You, like an old granny, nagged and rambled, repeating ’really wonderful’ several times, Shi Ya watched and listened without showing the slightest impatience.
After a while.
Shi Ya remembered that her meeting with Ji You wasn’t to acknowledge her as a sister nor was it specifically to give her a return gift, but—
Somehow, as soon as Ji You stepped into the lab, Shi Ya had forgotten the serious matters.
Thus, Shi Ya suddenly changed her demeanor and said in an unusually serious tone, "The gift you gave me is a Soul Device, and it’s just one step away from becoming an Intermediate Soul Device, do you know?"
Ji You hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Sister Yaya, did you discover?"
Shi Ya, with a serious face, said, "The gift you gave me, regardless of where it came from or whether you made it yourself, but—besides me, don’t reveal it to anyone else."
Hmm?
Ji You pondered for a moment, considering how to respond, whether to directly tell the senior that it was made by herself, or—
Before Ji You could speak, Shi Ya said coldly, "I don’t need to know such details. I just need to know, you haven’t mentioned it to anyone else, have you?"
Ji You nodded, honestly saying, "Hmm. Besides Senior, no one else knows."
Shi Ya: "Hmm."
Suddenly—
The tense atmosphere inside the room gradually livened up.