Just like that, Luna and Eliza trained until five in the evening.
During this time, Luna tried countless offensive methods, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get even a step closer to Eliza.
Eliza’s movements were incredibly agile. Every time Luna was about to get close, Eliza would dodge, making Luna’s attacks feel like they were striking squishy air.
Sweat trickled down Luna’s cheeks, soaking her clothes through. She felt her stamina reaching its limit, but she still refused to give up.
Yet, no matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t even leave a scratch on Eliza’s clothes.
In the end, Luna collapsed to the ground, gasping heavily for air.
Her body had reached its limit; she couldn’t hold on any longer. Lying on the floor, staring at the ceiling, a sense of defeat crept into her heart.
Not even a scratch…
She thought to herself.
When the training ended and Eliza saw her like this, she knelt beside Luna, making her thigh a pillow so Luna could rest more comfortably.
She looked at Luna’s exhausted expression and felt a pang of pity.
“Tired, aren’t you, cub?”
Eliza said softly, her tone full of gentleness and care.
She knew Luna had given her all; being able to keep attacking was already impressive.
“Mm…”
Luna answered weakly, too exhausted to speak.
She closed her eyes, feeling the warmth and comfort of Eliza’s thigh, and a wave of warmth spread through her heart…
***
At the same time, in the next training room, completely unnoticed by Luna, Xiao Xi and Dai Lina were finishing their training as well.
“Thanks, Li Na, for agreeing to train with me.”
Xiao Xi looked at Dai Lina gratefully. That afternoon, they had come here as practice partners.
Dai Lina smiled, waving her hand.
“It’s nothing. There’s nothing to do at home anyway. Actually, I should thank you. Otherwise, Xiangling would’ve dragged me off to work.”
Just thinking of Xiangling’s busy figure gave her a headache.
On holidays, Xiangling always made her help run The Shop. It was a kind of training, sure, but sometimes she wished for time to herself.
“Princess, you should learn how to manage as well.”
Xiangling’s words echoed in Dai Lina’s ears, but she always avoided the topic.
She knew managing The Shop was important for her identity, but she preferred to leave those things to Xiangling.
“Let’s go, Xiao Xi. Sit at my shop for a while before you leave.”
“Okay.”
The two chatted as they left the training room, not noticing Luna’s silhouette in the next room.
***
On the way to return The Key to the classroom, Luna was still recalling the training.
After returning The Key, she left, completely unaware that, just a second after she left, she had narrowly missed running into Xiao Xi and the others.
***
“I’ll give you a summary of today’s training when we get back, cub.”
On the way back to the dormitory, Eliza planned to give Luna a summary in the bedroom.
Dragging her exhausted body, Luna felt curious when she heard this. She wondered what could be learned from today’s training.
Wasn’t she just being toyed with the whole time…?
***
Back at the dormitory, Qingyan and Su Luoluo saw Luna’s drained state and looked at her curiously.
“What’s wrong, Luna? You look exhausted.”
Qingyan asked with concern.
“Yeah, and you’re soaked with sweat too.”
Su Luoluo noticed as well.
Normally, if Luna wasn’t called by Xiao Xi or out for fun, she followed the three-point line: dormitory, classroom, cafeteria. This state was surprising.
Luna used a prepared excuse:
“…I went to The Court to exercise. I’m so tired…”
Hearing this, Qingyan and the others showed shocked expressions.
“Eh!? That’s rare. You actually wanted to exercise!”
Qingyan teased, knowing Luna usually had no interest in things like jogging.
“Yeah, whenever we invite you, you refuse.”
Su Luoluo agreed, eyes shining with curiosity and confusion.
“Well, there have been a lot of unexpected events lately, so I wanted to build up my stamina.”
Luna smiled bitterly, not saying more.
She knew this lie would only hide the truth for a while, but one day it would be exposed.
But, when she truly became strong, she could tell them then.
“Enough about that. By the way, has sister come back yet?”
Luna changed the subject, asking about her sister.
Finding out Xiao Xi hadn’t returned, she decided to shower and then go to the bedroom for Eliza’s summary.
Just as she was about to leave, Qingyan reminded her of something important.
“Oh right, Little Lu, have you eaten yet?”
Qingyan asked with concern.
Only then did Luna realize she’d been so exhausted she forgot to go to the cafeteria.
She shook her head.
“No… I forgot to get dinner.”
Seeing this, Qingyan offered a solution.
“Then… want to order Takeout with us? We’re ordering for dinner tonight.”
Luna thought for a moment, then agreed.
But to Qingyan’s surprise, Luna ordered two meals.
“Sure, could you get me two Pig Trotter Rice?”
“Two!? Are you getting one for Xiao Xi too?”
Qingyan asked curiously.
Luna shook her head with a smile.
“No, I’ll eat both. Training was exhausting. I need to eat more to recover.”
Qingyan was speechless, worried Luna might waste food.
But… maybe that worry was unnecessary. After all, among them, Luna had the nickname: [Eats Anything].
“Alright, got it.”
“Thanks, Xiao Qing.”
Luna smiled, then went into the bathroom.
***
When Luna finished showering, she saw Eliza waiting on her bed, face full of impatience and slight annoyance.
“Why are you so slow, cub?”
Eliza looked at Luna, her tone a bit unhappy.
Luna laughed and explained.
“I just finished showering. Plus, I ordered delicious Takeout for you.”
The moment Eliza heard about food, her eyes sparkled.
“What is it? What is it?”
She asked eagerly.
But Luna just grinned mysteriously.
“You’ll know when it arrives.”
“Come on…”
Eliza grumbled, but still looked forward to the Takeout.
***
Luna didn’t forget the main topic.
“Alright, Eliza, weren’t you going to summarize today’s training? Tell me how I did.”
At her words, Eliza’s playful expression vanished, replaced by seriousness.
She looked at Luna and spoke slowly.
“If you keep sparring like this… I’m afraid you won’t reach S-Rank even by graduation, cub.”
Hearing this, Luna felt a weight in her chest, even though she expected it.
Climbing to S-Rank was a long, thorny path.
“Your mindset is chaotic. Relying only on battle to improve will be extremely slow.”
Eliza’s voice held insight, clearly seeing Luna’s problems during training.
Scattered thoughts. Lack of focus.
“So I have a proposal.”
Eliza said suddenly.
“What proposal?”
Luna asked curiously.
“I’ve prepared a series of training for you, cub. But it’s up to you if you want to accept.”
Hearing this, Luna wanted Eliza to guide her, but the training plan…
“You need to make a decision, cub.”
Eliza’s tone was steady.
“Will you keep attending the afternoon Skill Training Class, or trust me and come train with me instead?”
To achieve results, she’d have to devote herself, meaning Luna would have to give up afternoon Skill Training Class and train with Eliza.
It was a decision she had to think carefully about.
Luna fell into deep hesitation. Continuing the Skill Training Class might help, but the improvement would be minimal—far less than what she desired.
Yet, following Eliza could bring rapid growth under her careful guidance.
But then came the problem.
Could she truly trust Eliza?
She pondered.
Despite Eliza’s strength and insight, Luna still had doubts.
After all, she had never skipped class—always a rule-abiding child.
“Think about it carefully, cub.”
Eliza’s voice rang out again.
“This decision affects your future. Consider it seriously.”
She then waited quietly for Luna’s answer, tension filling the air.
“Mm…”
Luna replied softly, falling into deep thought.
She sat on the chair, staring blankly ahead, weighing the pros and cons.
Accepting Eliza’s proposal meant skipping class—a first for her—but training with Eliza might bring a breakthrough in skill and mindset.
While she struggled with her thoughts, Qingyan’s voice broke the silence from the living room.
“Little Lu, your food’s here.”
Luna snapped out of it and went to get the meals.
Soon, she returned to the bedroom with two steaming Takeouts, handing one to Eliza.
“Takeout’s here, Eliza.”
Her tone was light, as if trying to ease the tension.
Eliza took the Takeout and dug in without hesitation, praising,
“As expected, everything you order tastes good, cub.”
On the other hand, Luna seemed absentminded, mechanically chewing as her mind was elsewhere.
She was still wrestling with whether to train with Eliza.
After an intense internal struggle, Luna finally made up her mind.
“Eliza…”
She looked up, eyes firm.
“Tomorrow, I’ll train with you!”
She decided to follow Eliza and train together the next day.
Seeing this, Eliza showed an unsurprised expression. She knew Luna would agree.
Good girl…