"I mean, is my gratitude really such a bad thing that you have to avoid it like that...?"
Hearing Nekomata's blunt words, Zane understood what she meant. He walked up beside her and placed his hand on her head, giving it a firm rub—twice.
"Alright, petting a kitty's head brings good luck. Let's call that your way of saying thanks."
Nekomata stiffened slightly. She stared at him blankly, feeling the touch on her head. Her cat ears instantly drooped flat.
Wait, what just...
When Zane pulled his hand away, Nekomata's cheeks flushed red. She lowered her head, dazed, forgetting whatever she'd meant by "just this once."
Seeing her fall silent, Zane simply smiled. In his eyes, she was just a bigger cat.
And honestly, compared to kittens, Nekomata's head felt much better to pet.
He could count this as fulfilling that joke from earlier—Nekomata really was the "mascot" of the cat café.
Turning back to glance at the people outside the shop, he spoke softly.
"Something's come up. Nekomata, I'll leave the café to you for now."
"Mm..."
Her voice came out like a faint whisper. Normally so alert, the feline was now sluggish, dazed by that head pat.
...
Zane left the cat café and stepped outside. He looked at the person who had arrived, showing no sign of hostility. Hands in his pockets, he smiled casually.
"Looks like you're ready?"
"Let's go. This isn't a good place to fight—we might scare the cats."
Soldier 11 stared at him coldly, silent. Seeing him walk off, she followed without a word.
She had been searching for Zane on Sixth Street. If she hadn't run into the two of them while they were out shopping, she wouldn't have found the café at all.
"You know anywhere nearby that's good for fighting?"
Zane wasn't that familiar with the area around Sixth Street—he hadn't been out of the Cretan Hollows for long yet.
Soldier 11 nodded. She wasn't all that familiar with Janus District either, but she'd memorized the map before arriving.
She led the way. Watching her back, Zane thought for a moment, then said:
"If you don't mind, we could always head into a Hollow for our little fight."
It was late, and there were still some people around. Fighting out here might cause trouble, so Zane figured it was a reasonable option.
Definitely not because he wanted to test something on the little white mouse.
"No need."
Soldier 11 shook her head, tone as frosty as ever.
"Come on, don't be so cold. We're not total strangers anymore, right?"
Zane gave a wave, still smiling.
"Where'd you get those goggles, anyway? Pretty decent quality. Fit me nicely too. Maybe I should get another pair..."
"Who said we're not strangers?!"
She stopped abruptly and turned, snapping at Zane with a glare. He could tell she was struggling to keep her anger in check.
It wasn't hard to guess why—those goggles, along with the rest of her gear, were a custom-made set, complete with special mods Trigger had added.
Now Zane had taken not one, but two pairs of her goggles.
Bringing it up now was basically rubbing it in her face.
After shutting him up, Soldier 11 picked up her pace. Before long, they arrived at an open area.
"Here. This'll do."
She turned, drew the long blade strapped to her back, and assumed a combat stance.
Zane raised an eyebrow, still smiling.
"Still not considering a more gentle approach...?"
She didn't respond. Instead, she silently activated the Ether circuit on her blade.
Then she lunged forward.
Just as she reached Zane, she stopped on a dime, slashing sideways with both hands.
A wave of fire burst from her blade.
Flames!
"Seriously now, take it easy..."
Zane's tone remained relaxed, but his hands moved fast. A crystalline Ether armguard materialized in an instant, catching the burning edge head-on.
The fiery glow lit up the surroundings. Locking eyes with Zane's calm, amused gaze, Soldier 11 launched her next strike.
Metal clashed again and again. Ether energy flared, red and black light streaking through the air.
"For all the time since we last fought, you haven't improved at all, ramen girl."
After an afternoon of training with Qingyi, Zane had his Ether control back. Soldier 11's assault wasn't hard for him to deal with.
Block after block—smooth and easy.
"How'd you even make it into the Defense Force? With that level of skill, I doubt you can even take down a basic Ethereal."
He defended effortlessly while taunting her with a smirk.
Not because he needed to. He just found it fun.
Soldier 11 didn't say a word, but her attacks grew faster, wilder.
Her rhythm broke down. Her technique got sloppy.
The more Zane talked, the worse her form became. She wanted to block him out, but couldn't.
She told herself not to listen—but her composure was gone.
Then it happened.
Flames erupted again, blooming like deadly flowers.
Suddenly, everything went dark.
The fire died.
Her blade scraped against Zane's crystal armor, throwing sparks, but without her flame, her face shifted.
Zane didn't hold back.
Spotting an opening, he struck her stomach with his palm.
"Ice."
It wasn't a strong hit, just enough to knock her off balance. But the elemental force sent a tremor through her body.
Then his palm pressed again.
"Fire."
Hot and cold surged through her core all at once. Her face twisted in pain. She raised her blade toward his arm...
But her swing missed completely.
Alongside the pain, a strange weakness spread through her limbs. She felt like her body had gone soft, unsteady.
It wasn't like the paralysis she'd experienced from electricity before.
This was something else.
Her fingers lost their grip. The blade slipped free.
Soldier 11 staggered back several steps, dropping to one knee. She clenched her teeth and tried to stand—but couldn't.
"Looks like reactive effects work better after all..."
Zane blinked as he watched her, assessing the elemental combo. It was worth studying further.
He formed a long sword from Ether crystal, flicked her dropped blade into the air with its tip, and then gave it a light kick.
The sword flew forward and landed in front of her with a heavy clang. Its polished surface reflected her strained face.
"Get up."
Zane said softly.