“KK came in today! Ai, if I knew earlier I wouldn’t have gone to that Seven Seas planet for my honeymoon today! Ahhhh missed out!”
“KK came in?! Ah he finally came! I missed you ah, my husband!”
“Missed out+1, we hadn’t seen KK for a while now and could only rewatch his matches …when will the new season start ah, crying.jpg.”
“KK is actually so cute! Whoever said that KK has a bad temper, get out here and let’s see if I can’t beat you to death! When he gave me an autograph today he smiled at me ahhhh, too handsome! They’re unadulterated rumors!”
“Upstairs must be joking. Who here doesn’t know that KK doesn’t like people asking him for autographs? Moreover, KK’s temper is really terrible, can this fact even be erased? But what can we do, who asked him to be so handsome?”
“Upstairs, you’re the black fan, alright? What do I have to lie to you for? I was just on the third floor, ah. Ten minutes ago, KK gave me an autograph.”
“…fuck, is this real or fake? Really want to go watch TUT, my KK ah…”
“So jealous (┬＿┬), why does the mech base have to be membership-only, I simply can’t afford mechs ah…”
“For what it’s worth, I’m really not a black fan. Look at my ID, in this life, KK will always be my husband. But I must say, 5th floor is right, KK’s temper really isn’t too good. Last time in the mech room, he smashed the mechs…scaring lots of people.”
“All the smart people here know that KK’s temper is not good, ah. But KK will never take his anger out on other people. Only when he is alone, his mood will become terrible for some reason.The last time he smashed the mechs was indeed a little scary, I was there, but he has never vented his anger out on other people, alright? His attitude towards his fans isn’t bad, but there will always be people who abuse the online platform. Some rumours are just there to frighten people.”
“Whatever! I just really want to see KK now. The big sister upstairs, is he still at the base, ah ah ah! I really want to crawl through my screen to go lick the real person!”
“…I’ve been here the whole time, but even if you’re here now it’s no use since KK booked a private room and already went in, I still wanted to check out that really familiar-looking handsome guy with him,
“??? Upstairs, say what? What handsome guy???”
“Handsome guy??? Does KK have a new cp?? No, I ship KK with Ka Xi the most! Please don’t stir anything up ah!”
Slowly chewing the gum in her mouth, with a pepperminty fragrance permeating the air and the tip of her tongue particularly cold, the mouse in her hand slid around messily. However, after a few minutes, this post had already gone viral in the fan forum. When not competing, KK didn’t like to go out, so he basically had no sense of existence. Whether he appeared or not was up to his own mood.
But once he appeared, the hype was always appropriate.
Being the most popular was really quite good ah, she raised an eyebrow. Even if he wasn’t competing, there was so much enthusiasm, simply to the point where it was unscientific. Even though his temper and personality were both quite bad, Battlesquad V still treated him well despite being met with cold rebuke.
Well, she blew a bubble, thinking back to Shen Zhifan’s little face, he was indeed…amongst that group of mech contestants, he was still the most pleasing to the eye.
Speaking of, how was Shen Zhifan doing right now?
Just as she pondered, her gaze landed on the ‘third floor’ that a girl had typed on the screen. A faint light flashed in her eyes.
The bubble on her mouth exploded with a ‘pop’ and deflated.
…
“This is a private room,” Yan Shuo opened the door to reveal a wide interior, an area which could’ve fit approximately ten basketball courts, “It’s slightly more expensive, but also quieter. There won’t be anyone around to interrupt, so training with both light and heavy mechs will be fine.”
He didn’t know if it was because he’d changed clothes, but Yan Shuo’s whole demeanor seemed much more gentle than usual. Before, even if he smiled, it would still make one feel like the whole room grew colder.
However, now, he had a hand in his pocket, his face slightly turned to the side; the flowing lines of his handsome figure actually held a seldom-seen softness. Even his hair seemed more silken, as well as his sweater. At a glance, he seemed like an older brother-next-door, with not much distance between them.
Shen Zhifan turned his gaze away, afraid that he wouldn’t be able to control himself should he look any longer.
Yet, in the end, as he looked around, his eyes filled with stars.
Holy fuck! This. Mech. Was. Way. Too. Damn. Cool!
Quietly stood by him was a light mech and a heavy mech. The former was covered in a lightweight silver layer of what seemed to be armour; it was utterly exquisite. However, the heavy mech was evidently more attractive to boys.
With a pair of pure black mechanical wings decorating its back, the body of the mech was a smoothly shaped human form, with silvery-blue decorative designs. It was about three metres tall – for a heavy mech, this was a medium build.
If it weren’t for him wanting to maintain his image in front of Yan Shuo, who was standing by him, Shen Zhifan would’ve probably already pounced on the mech and started losing his mind.
This was the first time he’d seen it! A real Mech! Ah!
And standing next to him was the honest-to-god actual lover of his dreams ah!
Shen Zhifan couldn’t help but clutch at his chest.
Yan Shuo was slightly curious, “What is it? Are you not feeling well?”
“No,” Shen Zhifan clutched at his heart, which was beating way too excitedly, “I just felt like I could die without regrets, or something like that.”
Yan Shuo continued, “This is the private room that you always used, and this mech is yours too. Still don’t remember?”
Ah…this, is, actually, mine, ah!
Shen Zhifan’s heart slammed around in his chest. In his head, he’d already been doing a Kasitan dance fiercely for a while now. This was a specialty of his hometown, a type of dance in which the movements of the hands and feet didn’t necessarily fit aesthetic purposes, but the intensity could very well express the emotions in his heart. It was commonly seen everywhere around the city in aunties’ dance battles.
But no matter how wildly his heart was going, Shen Zhifan still preserved his unperturbed facade as much as possible.
“En, I’ve still got a little of an impression.” Ah ah ah I have absolutely no idea! Right now I just really want to throw myself at it and touch it and cuddle it to sleep!
“It’s good that you remember,” Yan Shuo thought for a moment, then, “Do you know how to work it? Want me to teach you?”
Shen Zhifan hesitated, not wanting to show the male god that he was ignorant.
“I still remember a bit, it’s alright.” He remembered, what bull ah! Of course he w-w-w-wanted to be taught ah! It was best if he could throw himself over to cuddle the male god to sleep ah! <sup>1</sup> ok this whole sentence. Szf doesn’t say ‘bull’ but it is to that effect, since it would be supremely confusing if i actually tled it a ‘wool thread’ lol. the original also had ‘want’ written fully four times. How thirsty. lastly, both times when szf wants to cuddle smth ‘to sleep’ he actually says it in a kind of baby talk way. Legit repeats the last part of the word twice. its so cute. i love him.
In his head, the still-dancing little Shen Zhifan ruthlessly kicked the little Shen Zhifan that was trying to act B. <sup>2</sup> acting b in cn slang is basically when u pretend to know everything as if ur OP to cover up faults. when it says ‘the little actor’ the original was 装逼小人 – ‘acting b little person’ and refers to the little person in szfs head along with the dancer.
“As if! Your image never existed in the first place!
Without much power for rebuttal, the little actor stubbornly shook his head.
The little dancer cocked his head and coerced, “Taught by the male god, hand in hand!”
Without much spirit…the little actor began to shake his head again.
The little dancer used a rather rippling tone to say, “Hand♂in♂hand!”
The little actor sank to his knees and kowtowed.
It was a pity that no matter how regretful the theatre in his mind was, there was no actual chance for Shen Zhifan to repent. The confidence that he’d pretended to have would be played until the end, holding back tears.
At least, thought Shen Zhifan as he walked closer, the view of his figure for Yan Shuo was definitely very confident and easy.
Although, when he turned, he realised that Yan Shuo had followed him into the control room.
The narrow control room was obviously designed with only one operator in mind. Although Yan Shuo could squeeze in, all in all, it was not very wide.
“I’m still a little worried; your handling method was very difficult. I will help you adjust it.”
Yan Shuo explained, turning his body around as he began to make adjustments to the mech.
“…en.”
Shen Zhifan’s heart missed a beat – Yan Shou’s arm had bumped into his. Although they were separated by the thick woolen sweater, combined with the size of the control room and the heartbeats of the two people inside that could be clearly heard, it still made him…really want to bury his face into the scarf.
Unfortunately, he’d already taken off the scarf.
The little dancer sighed, clutching at his chest and dropping flat onto the floor.
“Over here is the power key, and here are the controls. Give it a try.”
Yan Shuo stood. Since the control room was small, his rough voice echoed again and again by Shen Zhifan’s ears, it was extremely…it easily brought about ideas of hugging and touching and sleeping together and so on with the male god.
The little actor had pretty much died in battle at this point, only a hanging spirit was left.
There were many controls; for normal operation there were still 108 of them. Shen Zhifan’s vision was slightly blurred. As expected, the game was very much simplified, since the latter mode only had eighteen. However, he could still understand a part of it.
Yan Shuo suddenly embraced him from behind – no, only it wasn’t an embrace, he had simply reached over from behind Shen Zhifan. Practically half of his body was covering the latter, and his slender, slightly cold fingers carelessly brushed past Shen Zhifan’s hands.
“This key, do you know it?”
Shen Zhifan felt a little dizzy. The little dancer and little actor had cuddled together into a ball, weeping.
Yan Shuo seemed to have sensed his stiffness, quickly pulling himself away.
At this, Shen Zhifan seemed to have awoken somewhat, the pad of his finger slowing pressing down on the power key.
However, the second he pressed down, his vision suddenly went blood red.
——“…does it hurt? You useless thing.”
——“…look at you, face-down like this, how cute.”
——“…no, no, forgive me…”
In that second, shattered scenes flashed through his mind thousands of times. It was as if a thousand needles had pierced through his heart, and a thousand voices had passed through his eardrums.
Yet it was only for that one second. That indescribable anguish had disappeared with a cry.
He had evidently remembered nothing, but with his body still remained a kind of trembling feeling, and a kind of…unfathomable pain. It was as if his insides had been meticulously and ruthlessly sliced, cut-by-cut, making him rigid yet beginning to shudder, his forehead slicked with cold sweat.
The person behind him felt something was off. Somewhat confused, he reached out to rest his hand on Shen Zhifan’s shoulder.
“Don’t touch me!”
So harsh and ice-cold was the voice that came from his mouth that it held an entirely unfamiliar timbre. The feel of his fingertips batting away the others’ hand made him startle. His body was still shaking, though his mind was beginning to work again.
…No…what was he doing? The person behind him was Yan Shuo.
His legs went weak, arms propping himself up on the blank dashboard. The fingers of one hand strove to curve into a claw, and, unable to bear it, the other hand came up to cradle his head.
…But it was so cold.
…Why was it this cold? What kind of awful feeling was this…what kind of terrible emotion was this?
…Whose emotions were these?
They were his…he dropped his gaze. Cold sweat dripped from his ear, the iciness crawling down his cheek – it was like the burn of a coal fire.
They were Shen Zhifan’s, the twenty-three year old Shen Zhifan’s.
The twenty-three year old Shen Zhifan had demons hidden in him, and they were incurable.
He was lying dormant in this body, and it was as if as soon as there was the chance or means, he would bare his fangs and brandish his claws at all costs. Crushing him tightly in his arms, Shen Zhifan would take them both down together.
As soon as he thought of this, his pulse jumped violently. A kind of thick, black inkiness of dread and despair flowed into his veins.
But in the next second, his ears were suddenly covered by something warm.
The warmth was only that, nothing more, but in that moment it seemed like he had really been isolated from that second just then, filled with shrieks and shouting.
Oddly, it comforted his heart.
A moment later, powerlessly, he opened his eyes blankly.
Yan Shuo’s hands were covering his ears, his chin lightly resting on Shen Zhifan’s hair, his movements intimately gentle.
“…Don’t be afraid, Zhifan.”
Yet his tone of voice wasn’t as firm and warm as his movements, it revealed a hint of…unnoticeable shaking.
…
Still chewing the gum (of course, it wasn’t the one from before), she stood at a certain location on the third floor. The foot that had stepped out lightly stepped back.
If one looked closely, one would be able to see the cold sweat on her forehead.
A hand over her heart, her sorry figure was still graceful although her complexion had paled frighteningly. Silently, she gazed at the foot that had stepped back, and expressionlessly began to think.
As it turns out, it had succeeded. Empathy really was quite frightening.
It had only been a second but…it really was unbearable…ah, Shen Zhifan was really dreadful.
Getting rid of Shen Zhifan’s memories didn’t seem like a wise choice.
She lowered her gaze. The bubble on her mouth again exploded with a ‘pop’ and deflated.
—
<b>Death’s notes:</b>
Sorry the chapter’s late! It was long and slangy and i am constantly dead.
damn this chapter took a sharp turn real fast. I was tling the fluff and feeling happy and then i saw the flashback and went :0. not good for my heart, or szfs, or general’s.
1
ok this whole sentence. Szf doesn’t say ‘bull’ but it is to that effect, since it would be supremely confusing if i actually tled it a ‘wool thread’ lol. the original also had ‘want’ written fully four times. How thirsty. lastly, both times when szf wants to cuddle smth ‘to sleep’ he actually says it in a kind of baby talk way. Legit repeats the last part of the word twice. its so cute. i love him. 2
acting b in cn slang is basically when u pretend to know everything as if ur OP to cover up faults. when it says ‘the little actor’ the original was 装逼小人 – ‘acting b little person’ and refers to the little person in szfs head along with the dancer.