Compared to Silver Wolf, Firefly clearly wasn't all that interested in virtual games.
The reason she'd agreed to come was mainly because of Sylvia, and because she'd promised earlier to teach Sylvia some practical swordsmanship.
So even though they'd logged into the game, the two of them spent almost the entire time in the arena, with realism settings cranked all the way up.
Firefly quickly discovered that while Sylvia's foundations weren't solid, she was a fast learner. So she ended up teaching her some hand-to-hand combat techniques as well.
"Come to think of it, this whole fighting style works much better when paired with various types of personal armaments."
During a break, Firefly suddenly brought this up.
Sylvia sat beside her, leaning in curiously and asking,
"Is it meant to be used with your mech? I felt a lot of the moves were pretty aggressive, probably because they rely on the armor's protection, right?"
Firefly nodded, settling into a chair nearby. She brought her knees together, her skirt hem slipping down slightly, revealing that perfect, absolute territory between her over-knee socks and her skirt.
"Mhm, all the combat skills I know were born for killing, so I don't shy away from using weaponry."
"In that case... most of the rumors about Sam in the galaxy paint him as silent and brutally overpowering."
As she said this, Sylvia also sat down next to Firefly, propping her elbows on her knees. She turned her head, resting her chin in her hand, and smiled as she gazed at Firefly's slightly embarrassed face.
"Even though I accepted the truth pretty quickly, it's still a bit hard to connect your image with Sam's."
Firefly felt a little flustered by this.
Truth be told, she was well aware of it herself.
But for her, Sam and Firefly—she'd always wanted to keep those two names separate.
Whenever she took off the mask, Firefly would appear much more calm and gentle.
But when she became 'Sam,' she'd naturally recall the Glamoth Iron Cavalry, remember her role as the weapon Sam, and instinctively project more intimidation.
"Mmm... that's right. Both Kafka and Silver Wolf have said the same. Silver Wolf even called it... 'gap moe,' and said it's pretty popular."
Firefly hugged her knees to her chest, then lowered her head, resting it sideways on her knees. Her bright eyes locked directly onto Sylvia's.
"For me, taking off the armor and calling myself Firefly is when I feel truly alive. When I put on the armor and become 'Sam,' I feel more like a weapon."
Sylvia was first surprised by Firefly's words, then scratched her cheek thoughtfully.
"I see... but is it really okay to tell me something this important?"
By any count, they'd only known each other for a few days. Sylvia already had a high opinion of Firefly because of the storyline from her past life.
But to Firefly, Sylvia was just someone she'd recently met.
That's why Sylvia was surprised Firefly would suddenly open up about herself like this.
Firefly seemed to get shy from Sylvia's direct question.
She let her head droop onto her knees and covered her cheeks with her hands.
Even through the gaps of her fingers and the spots she couldn't quite hide, a faint blush was visible on her face.
As adorable as it was, Sylvia couldn't help but find it a little funny—how could someone get embarrassed by their own words?
"Actually... it's because of Silver Wolf. You know, with the nature of our work, it's hard to have friends outside of it."
Firefly kept her hands over her face and began chattering away:
"Especially with Silver Wolf's personality—you know how she can be a bit like a kid sometimes. But Silver Wolf's been really happy lately, especially today when we went out."
"She specifically brought game gear for two people. Even though she wouldn't admit it, Kafka and I both knew she was planning to play with you."
As she listened, Sylvia suddenly froze.
Silver Wolf had brought two-player game gear during the day?
She had no idea...
The moment she'd arrived, she'd been rushed to get things done, and then that accident happened afterward.
Silver Wolf had run off as soon as she got back.
So Silver Wolf had originally planned to play games with her offline?
Oh no, her conscience was starting to hurt.
Had Silver Wolf actually been looking forward to playing together offline...
If she'd known, she shouldn't have teased her afterward.
Now she'd probably wake up in the middle of the night, remember this, and scold herself twice, 'I'm the worst.'
Sylvia clutched her chest without saying a word.
Firefly, who was staring ahead, didn't notice Sylvia's reaction and kept talking:
"And when she came back, even though she was all puffed up with anger, it wasn't a negative kind of emotion. Silver Wolf's usually all cool and collected, but I've never seen her like that before."
As she reached the interesting part, Firefly recalled Silver Wolf's expression and couldn't help but laugh.
"I think all of that must be because of you, Sylvia. So I wanted to show you my true self, too."
How on earth could this girl blush, giggle, and then launch such a brutally direct attack all at once?
Was this the common ground between Firefly and Sam?
Both experts in straightforward, high-impact strikes? They just loved using their ultimate moves as basic attacks, huh?
Firefly, still giggling after saying her piece, turned back and saw Sylvia's awkward expression.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just a little moved by your sincerity."
"Huh? Really? Hehe..."
Firefly grinned goofily, suddenly looking a bit silly again.
So Sylvia fell silent, just tilting her head to admire Firefly's smiling face.
They stayed like that for a little while.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Firefly looked at Sylvia again and asked:
"Oh yeah, Kafka mentioned Silver Wolf came back pretty early... Did you two split up without playing any games?"
Seeing Firefly bring it up, Sylvia admitted somewhat sheepishly.
"Yeah, because of that accident, and then I couldn't help teasing her a little. So Silver Wolf ran off all huffy."
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have done it. Now I feel pretty bad about it."
Firefly, of course, knew what had happened too, her face tinged with pink.
"It's fine. At worst, Silver Wolf will hold a grudge and find a chance to get back at you. She won't actually be angry."
"...That's not much better."
Sylvia pouted. Being deliberately targeted for revenge by Silver Wolf didn't sound easy either—who knew what kind of trouble she'd stir up?
Firefly covered her mouth, stifling a laugh, then suddenly asked:
"So... how exactly did you two kiss? What did it feel like?"
"Huh? Uh... how do I put it? Since it was an accident, it was just a regular kiss. Didn't feel like much."
"Oh..."
Sylvia's answer clearly didn't satisfy Firefly. The heavy disappointment in her tone was unmistakable.
Seeing her like this, Sylvia blurted out without thinking,
"...Firefly, are you really that interested in kissing?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.