The Practice Tower had one hundred floors, and being assigned to a specific floor was a matter of considerable significance. The last digit, ranging from 1 to 9, indicated the caliber of the students assigned there; the floors ending in 9 were generally reserved for senior professors or deans who handled the interviews for these elite candidates.

In this era, few people walked; everyone traveled by maglev vehicle or airship, soaring directly through the sky. The very top, the 100th floor, hosted the landing platform, meaning that counting down sequentially, the 99th floor hosted the interviews for the most highly anticipated students.

Ziye reaching the 99th floor for her interview was proof of her exceptional preliminary performance and the high hopes pinned on her. Chun Niu didn't fully grasp the exact reasons, but holding the interview slip brought her considerable peace of mind. She said to Ziye, "Alright, go back and rest for a while. I’ll go with you for the interview tomorrow."

Ziye made a face at him, "You absolutely have to pass." Saying this, she made a 'go for it' gesture and hopped away toward her quarters. As for Chun Niu, he had to return to Spacestation No. 12 on his own.

She walked slowly alone on the street, gazing up as various mechs and starships zipped past above the station, her heart filled with a restless sense of longing. One day, she too would sail freely between the stars like that!

Just then, her comm suddenly blared. She raised her hand to check—it was Aix, surprisingly. Upon connecting, Aix blurted out, "Meng Ya Ya, I see you!"

Ziye spun around in astonishment. Aix corrected himself immediately, "No, no, look to the right!"

Ziye turned, and with a whoosh, the cap on her head vanished. As she reached up to grab it, a hand suddenly shot out from behind her and snatched her scarf too.

"La la la, over here!" Aix stood to her left, shaking the scarf in his hand. "Meng Ya Ya***, long time no see!"

"La la la, over here!" Sprent stood to her right, balancing the cap on his fingertip while spinning it on the brim with his other hand. "Meng Ya Ya***, long time no see!"

They spoke in unison, coming from two different directions.

Ziye couldn't turn both ways at once, so she simply took two steps back, creating distance and establishing her own focal point, forming a tense three-way standoff with them. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly sneezed: "A-CHOO!"

Aix and Sprent exchanged a look and simultaneously asked, "Are you cold?" In the next instant, they simultaneously moved to return what they had taken, but hands moving too quickly always lead to issues. Sprent, trying to put her hat on, accidentally covered her eyes, while Aix’s scarf nearly choked her. If Ziye hadn't known they were the notorious twin goofballs, she might have thought someone was trying to smother her with a sack.

"That's enough from both of you!" Ziye snatched the scarf, re-wrapped it properly, and resettled her hat, fixing them with another glare.

"La la la, Meng Ya Ya, give us a kiss, Mwah!"

"La la la, Meng Ya Ya, give us a hug, Mwah!"

Ziye had no intention of indulging the two idiots and turned to leave. "Don't be like that," Aix rushed forward to block her path.

Ziye’s last vestiges of good temper vanished completely. She snapped, "If you have something to say, just say it."

Sprent grinned mischievously, "We’re just happy to see you! Dinner together?"

Honestly, Ziye felt utterly helpless around these two. Yet, being with them was incredibly relaxing. They were what real university students looked like: one smile could make a crowd of girls shriek, they skipped classes on a whim, they played around whenever they wanted. They were true brothers, showing off together, messing around together, making her envious. She truly wished she had a twin sister, someone she could wear matching clothes with, shop with, and do everything she loved alongside.

As long as they could be together, it was beautiful.

Aix had piloted his airship over, inviting the three of them aboard to speed toward the famed culinary street at the Mess Hall of Dongdian Military University on Spacestation Kaga 21. It was only then that Ziye realized that in Kaga, you didn't need the star bus; there were dedicated airship tracks connecting the space stations, allowing direct travel by personal craft.

The culinary street lived up to its name, featuring specialty snacks from almost every star system across every known sector. Most importantly, it catered to the student market, meaning prices were remarkably affordable.

Ziye’s mouth began to water.

However, before she could take a single bite, she became the focus of attention. Twins, regardless of the time or place, were inherently conspicuous, especially identical twins who were strikingly handsome and dressed in such fashionable attire. When the crowd’s gaze fell upon them, they inevitably grouped her in with the pair.

This was the first time Ziye had experienced such a unified, massive wave of scrutiny. It was more attention-grabbing than when she was with Chun Niu, but she genuinely wanted no part of the twins’ spotlight. Quietly eating was the only way to go.

In truth, she didn't know that Aix and Sprent, despite their playful antics, were both ace pilots at Dongdian Military University, the university’s campus heartthrobs, the "Best Twins" of Dongdian... The critical point was that the twins were fiercely protective of their privacy and never brought anyone else along. They seemed to exist in their own world, one that others tried desperately to penetrate without success.

Now, Ziye was actually sitting between them, chatting so happily. This immediately ignited the students' gossiping instincts. They began speculating: Who was the short girl sitting with them? Why was she permitted to sit with them?

The murmurs were not too loud nor too soft, just perfectly audible for Ziye to catch. At first, Ziye found it unbelievable, but she quickly shrugged it off—as long as there was food, who cared!

The twins were long accustomed to the attention and naturally paid it no mind, happily eating with Ziye. Ziye was completely oblivious that she had just become the subject of intense investigation. Many people were even trying to look up which school she belonged to. Since she looked young, they bypassed the university level and went straight to searching the affiliated intermediate academies.

Naturally, no one could find any record of her origins. This only made the looks directed at her more complex and intense. Ziye finally noticed something was amiss. She quickly wiped her face and asked the twins, "Do I have food on my face, or did you two just commit some heinous crime? Why are they staring at us like that?"

Aix laughed so hard he nearly fell over. He dramatically smoothed his hair back, his face radiating confidence. "When you're with us, you need to be mentally prepared for this level of awareness."

Ziye was about to reply, but then she remembered the twins' synchronized habits and clamped her mouth shut. Sure enough, Sprent picked up exactly where Aix left off: "Handsome guys, naturally, are meant to be popular."

These brothers truly had an inflated sense of self. Ziye decided to focus back on her food, replying casually, "Yeah, it's alright."

"What do you mean, 'alright'?" the twins demanded in unison.

Ziye just shrugged and stayed silent, picking up a snack and continuing to eat, which annoyed the twins enough to make them want to grab her.

In reality, the twins were quite pleased with her. They were staunch adherents to the 'Appearance First' philosophy; being with them required good looks and refined style. While Ziye didn't quite meet the standard on both counts, they were confident that under their influence, she would quickly become a trendsetter.

Secondly, and what the twins considered most crucial, was that Ziye hadn't lost herself just because they were ace pilots at Dongdian, nor had she acted overly aloof to draw their attention. Ziye's demeanor—warm but not overly intimate with them, and completely composed amidst the crowd’s staring—perfectly matched their ideal. Seeing her look of resigned exasperation suddenly struck the twins as incredibly endearing; they felt a sudden impulse to ruffle her hair.

They were completely unaware that Ziye had absolutely no idea they were the ace pilots of Dongdian Military University!

The twins exchanged a knowing look, both feeling self-satisfied, and Aix leaned closer, whispering, "Meng Ya Ya, have you considered transferring to our school?"

Ziye looked stunned. "I don't understand military matters. Do you want me to be cannon fodder at your school?"

Sprent shook his head. "Dongdian is actually really great. It has the best mech platforms. Even if you don't study the military, or become a pilot, you can still study fabrication or piloting."

Ziye held zero interest in a military university. In her eyes, military universities were filled with burly men, terrifying places overflowing with potent male hormones, where the occasional girl was usually a 'dinosaur' who treated fighting as recreation. Of course, she couldn't voice her actual thoughts, or the twins would likely beat her to a pulp. So, she played along, asking, "Can I transfer now?"

Aix, believing he had persuaded her, beamed. "Of course. If you want to, you can interview anytime."

Ziye quickly waved her hands. "No, no, I have the Ling Si interview tomorrow."

Sprent urged, "**"Interviewing is like joining a legion; you have to look at several places and try several out before you find the right fit. Come on, come on, if you come to Dongdian, we’ll watch your back from now on."

Aix immediately chimed in, "It’s settled then. The interview office is closed today; we’ll have them schedule you for tomorrow, and you can go the day after."

Ziye was speechless. The twins hadn't given her a chance to object; they had decided for her. She resigned herself to fate, thinking that even if she had the chance to speak, one mouth couldn't argue against their two mouths. Dongdian Military was, after all, the best military university, ranking fourth overall among comprehensive institutions. Having a chance to look around couldn't be bad, so Ziye tacitly agreed and went back to eating.

The two went to another food stall, ordered, and continued eating.

However, when people who are too dazzling mix with the general public, trouble is bound to brew. This was especially true when the person involved, like Ziye, had inadvertently attracted so much hatred.

Just as Ziye was thoroughly enjoying a spicy chicken claw, she suddenly felt a distinct gaze from behind her and looked up. A tall young woman, under the collective notice of the crowd, was approaching them with a graceful stride. She had soft, curly hair and a voluptuous figure, managing to make the austere Dongdian uniform look elegantly curved, blending softness and toughness in a way that was breathtakingly appealing.

Ziye looked down at the spicy chicken claw in her hand and secretly rejoiced that she wasn't a man; otherwise, sandwiched between spicy food and a spicy beauty, she surely wouldn't have been able to keep her nose in check.

The beautiful woman, Ya, arrived before the trio, her red lips parting slightly. "Aix, there you are. What a coincidence. And who is this***?"