---o---
"You—you—you—!"
March 7th pointed a trembling finger at Sparkle, who was lying on Fu Zhu's lap. With a single sharp word, a surge of fiery qi erupted from her body, causing the surrounding temperature to rise noticeably. A few strands of her pink hair even spontaneously ignited.
Seeing March 7th on the verge of exploding, Sparkle not only showed no fear but seemed to relish the chaos. She leisurely got up from Fu Zhu's lap, adjusted her slightly ruffled skirt, and sauntered past March 7th, giving her a playful wink.
"Little brother, remember to come find me again~ And this young lady, I'll be sure to remember you."
After Sparkle left, March 7th stormed into the room. She didn't say a word, simply grabbing the corner of Fu Zhu's shirt and dragging him out into the cold hallway.
"Wait, March, calm down! We have to find Xing first! She doesn't have a room!"
"She can stay with Himeko! I need to have a serious talk with you right now!"
"That's not right..."
Fu Zhu's words were correct; her behavior was completely unreasonable!
He wanted to explain, but March 7th, still fuming, refused to listen.
March 7th didn't know why she was so angry. At first, she thought she was just angry at Fu Zhu for getting involved with another woman, but after a moment's reflection, she realized that wasn't it. "It's not good to have too many colors!"
Wait, that wasn't it either.
As Fu Zhu was being dragged along, he suddenly stopped. March 7th, caught off guard, stumbled and nearly fell, but Fu Zhu steadied her in time.
"What are you...!"
Just as March 7th was about to continue her tirade, Fu Zhu put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.
March 7th obediently fell silent, but she glared at him, waiting for his explanation. Fu Zhu's expression was unusually serious.
"March, I can explain what happened with Sparkle, but it's not a high priority right now. I just sensed an incredibly dangerous presence nearby. For your safety, we should leave this floor immediately."
Hearing this, March 7th's anger instantly vanished, replaced by a deep sense of unease. She immediately looked around but saw no one else in the hallway.
Fu Zhu didn't give her a chance to ask any more questions. He grabbed her hand and was about to head for the elevator when a figure appeared at the end of the long hallway.
It was a woman with long, silver hair and a wine-red formal dress, carrying a tachi at her waist.
As soon as this woman appeared, the gazes of the two met. An invisible pressure began to emanate from their bodies, causing the surrounding temperature to drop sharply.
"This is bad... Is she hostile? If we fight here, I might not be able to protect March!"
Just as Fu Zhu was contemplating whether he should take March and flee, the silver-haired woman suddenly took out a room card, looked at it, and then looked back at the room number on the door in front of her. Her brow furrowed in confusion.
The woman took a few steps forward and saw Fu Zhu and March 7th. She hesitated for a moment before walking towards them.
As the woman approached, March 7th instinctively took a step back, hiding behind Fu Zhu.
"Hello," the woman said, her voice surprisingly gentle. "I was just passing by and happened to see this young lady needed help. It seems you two are having a dispute?"
The woman's voice was serene and calm. However, as she spoke, she looked directly at Fu Zhu, and her right hand came to rest on the hilt of her tachi.
"It's just a small misunderstanding between friends, nothing for you to worry about." Fu Zhu calmly stepped in front of March 7th, shielding her completely from the woman's view.
The woman nodded, seemingly accepting his explanation. She then looked towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. "In that case, I won't intrude. Could you please tell me if that's the way to the lobby?"
March 7th, seeing that the woman wasn't hostile, poked her head out from behind Fu Zhu.
"The lobby is that way," she said, pointing in the opposite direction from the elevator.
The woman nodded again. "I see. Thank you for your help."
With that, she turned to leave.
"Wait."
Fu Zhu's voice stopped her.
The woman turned back, a hint of confusion in her eyes. Fu Zhu pointed towards the elevator.
"The lobby is that way."
The woman looked at the elevator, then back at the hallway March 7th had pointed to. After a moment of thought, she bowed her head slightly to Fu Zhu. "Thank you. You are a fellow traveler."
"You're welcome."
The woman nodded one last time and then headed towards the elevator, her back to them.
As Fu Zhu watched her leave, he let out a sigh of relief. He had been on high alert the entire time. He had a strong feeling that if he had made one wrong move, the woman would have drawn her sword and killed him.
He silently cursed in his heart. 'Acheron... you really deserve to die!'
He wasn't cursing her, but rather lamenting the fact that this person, even with no sense of direction, radiated such a powerful aura of an Emanator. She was obviously here to stir up trouble!
"Phew!"
March 7th also let out a long sigh, patting her chest. "That scared me. For some reason, that big sister gave me a really scary feeling."
Fu Zhu nodded noncommittally and asked, "Why did you point her in the wrong direction just now?"
March 7th's little face flushed with embarrassment. "I... I panicked! Let's get out of here. This place is weird."
She grabbed Fu Zhu's hand again, but this time, her grip was much gentler.
The two quickly left the floor. After some twists and turns, they arrived at the room Fu Zhu had given to Xing earlier.
March 7th used the card to open the door, pulled Fu Zhu inside, and then slammed it shut. After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she looked at Fu Zhu and demanded, "Alright, start explaining. Who was that girl just now? And what were you two doing?"
"Ahem, before I explain, let me just say, this isn't my room, it's Xing's."
March 7th's face turned red again. She stomped her foot in frustration. "I know! Get to the point!"
"Alright, alright." Fu Zhu raised his hands in surrender. "That girl is named Sparkle. She's a member of the Masked Fools, a faction you're probably familiar with. She's also my partner for the Penacony mission."
"Partner? What mission?"
"That's a long story. I'll tell you all about it when Himeko and the others are here."
March 7th thought for a moment and nodded. "Fine, then let's wait here for Himeko. Once she's settled in, I'll go get her."
After getting that off her chest, March 7th plopped down on the sofa, feeling a bit deflated. It seemed her anger had been somewhat misplaced.
Fu Zhu shook his head with a smile. He walked over to the other side of the sofa and sat down.
The room fell silent.
March 7th quietly snuck a glance at Fu Zhu, then quickly looked away, a faint blush still on her cheeks.
"Hey, Fu Zhu, will Himeko and the others get lost trying to find our room later?"
Fu Zhu was taken aback by the question. He then smiled and shook his head. "They'll be fine."
"Alright."
March 7th took a deep breath. After a moment of hesitation, she finally looked at Fu Zhu again. "So... that Sparkle girl... is she my rival in love?"
Fu Zhu froze. He then chuckled and shook his head.
"Of course not."