Chapter Seventeen: Purple Garden

“Very good, Sakya. You’ve mastered it quickly. Let’s do it again!”

In the underground base of the defense organization Swagger, Sakya was undergoing a new training session.

This was part of the daily routine for a Traum pilot.

It was said that a friend of the director had introduced a martial arts master to train Sakya.

The master was a white-haired old man named Sirislang.

Apparently, the director was quite well connected. Before the training began, he had specially called Sakya to his office to introduce her to this teacher.

For pilots who were one with their machines, their own combat abilities were equally indispensable.

When Sakya and Shion first met the white-haired elder, they had some doubts about his strength. But after witnessing him perform a miraculous martial arts feat, they immediately realized this old man’s reputation was well earned.

The gentleman had shattered a large stone with a single punch, with a living hamster sitting on it—yet the hamster remained unharmed.

Now, Sakya had been training under this teacher for a week.

“All right, Master... Hah!”

The wooden post spun around once again from her strike.

“But, Master, I still can’t make my hands glow...”

“That’s all right, take your time. You can’t rush this.”

Sakya was drenched in sweat in the training room. If it weren’t for the sports headband keeping her hair tied up, the sweat would likely have blurred her vision. In front of her stood a wooden post for martial arts practice; her hands deftly flipped over it with practiced ease.

“Good, that’s enough for today. Remember to stretch to relieve your fatigue.”

With the day’s training concluded, Sirislang excused himself.

Sakya’s weekends were basically filled with training like this. Fortunately, last time Longsheng had invited her to the movies, she had been able to refuse.

“Oh? You’re done already? I’ll walk you home.”

It was Shion. Every weekend, she was responsible for ferrying Sakya between home and the base. Sensing that the training was nearing completion, she had come to the training room to finish her duty. Today, she lingered a little longer to watch Sakya train.

“Shion, you’re here. Wait a moment, I’m doing some cool-down exercises.”

Sakya opened her sports bottle, took a few sips, and began some stretching.

Watching Sakya train, Shion witnessed her remarkably rapid learning and progress. As a backup Traum pilot herself, she had undergone similar training, but her own learning pace was much slower.

“You’re improving so quickly.”

Shion couldn’t help but exclaim.

“It’s not that I’m quick to learn...”

“Oh?”

Sakya paused, then continued.

“It’s just that I feel as if this person named Sakya has already known all this before... Of course, I speak from the perspective of Qin Yun’s identity...”

“Is that so...”

“Right now, these trainings seem only to be helping my body recall what it once knew.”

Indeed, according to the director, Sakya had been thrown into this era, and due to the shock caused by time-space transfer, she lost her memory. However, considering it had only been a few months since she arrived from her own time, even with amnesia, the body would still retain some of those skills.

Shion sighed with a hint of disappointment, as Sakya was truly gifted.

“No wonder she’s the rightful master of the Traum...”

“Nonsense. I’m nowhere near as excellent as you, Miss Shion.”

Sakya stood up.

Shion recalled what the director had said to her privately before. If what he said was true, this woman named Sakya would be a super soldier in the modern world. What that really meant would have to be explained another time.

As for Shion herself, she was just a soldier, an outstanding pilot. When Swagger had recovered the Traum, no one could pilot it. So they secretly selected test pilots from around the world. The Traum was filled with black technology unseen in this era. To get it moving, they had to forcibly use modern operating systems.

Shion succeeded—she passed through numerous trials and managed to get the Traum operational.

Of course, it was only just operational. It was a world apart from Sakya, who had become one with the machine. Shion had to program movements forcibly and pilot it like a fighter jet. Though many films depict robots being piloted this way, the actual performance was still clumsy. As a “vehicle,” it was barely passable.

Had Sakya not been found, they would have had to rely on Shion piloting the Traum in battle, which would have seriously compromised combat effectiveness. Against those monstrous foes that fought recklessly, conventional weapons might have been more reliable.

Now that Sakya had returned, restoring her condition—even recovering her memory—was the most pressing task.

Within just over ten minutes, Shion’s car carried Sakya through an underground expressway to her residential block. It was already evening.

“Miss Shion, how about having dinner together?”

Sakya unexpectedly took the initiative to invite her.

“I’ll make a simple meal myself. You always come to pick me up... If you don’t mind, I want to express my thanks.”

“It’s no trouble—it’s my job...”

“It’s rare to have a weekend off, don’t you have a day of rest, Miss Shion?”

“Well, not exactly...”

In fact, thinking carefully, Shion had no other plans tonight either. It was good; since Sakya was so thoughtful, getting to know each other better would be a positive thing.

“Then I won’t keep you.”

Shion parked the car and followed Sakya upstairs.

Sakya opened the door; Shion stepped inside. This was the residence arranged for Sakya by the director, and it was Shion’s first time visiting.

The apartment was neatly arranged with one bedroom and a living room. The dining area was right at the entrance, with the kitchen adjacent to it. Opposite the kitchen was the bathroom. Next to the combined dining and living room was Sakya’s bedroom.

“Did you decorate this yourself?” Shion looked around. “It’s quite cozy.”

“Half and half. Actually, I kind of moved in with everything ready.”

The fridge still had some meat and vegetables. Sakya began cooking dinner, donning an apron and getting to work. She told Shion to sit on the sofa and watch TV while waiting.

“No beer?” Shion asked.

“No, I’m not used to drinking that stuff...” Sakya’s head peeked out from the kitchen.

“I only have mint water here.”

“Never mind, I’ll go buy some. I saw a grocery store downstairs.”

Since they were relaxing, beer was a must—at least for Shion.

Dinner was quickly prepared: two meat stir-fries, a vegetable dish, and a bowl of tomato and egg soup. Sakya cooked deftly. Had she learned this after coming to this era?

“Want to try some?” Sakya looked at Shion expectantly.

Shion could tell this was Sakya’s first time letting someone taste her cooking. She was curious about the culinary skills of someone from such a distant time.

“Sure.” The dishes were common enough. How would they taste?

She took a bite. The meat was cooked just right, and the ingredients well handled, making for a pleasant texture. There was no mysterious flavor from some ancient era as she had half-expected, but that was natural—after all, Sakya’s seasonings were all store-bought, just like anyone else’s.

“Delicious.”

“Hehe, I learned it myself online. Not bad, right?”

Shion had thought the director might have implanted new memories of recipes when resetting Sakya’s memory, but that seemed unlikely—memory resets wouldn’t be so detailed.

Shion hadn’t relaxed like this in a long time. Usually, she stayed in the underground base dormitory, eating meals provided by the cafeteria. Next time, if she had the chance, she might let Sakya try her cooking—though she lacked confidence in her skills.