An Junlie was holding a military meeting in the Angel Domain. Hearing Aix suddenly utter that line, and seeing everyone present watching him with expressions of sheer astonishment, their eyes sparkling with the fire of gossip, he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his eye and calmly state, "She is not my student; she is my savior."

"Good heavens, such a formidable presence!" Aix wasted no time, said goodbye, and hung up the comm, completely unaware that An Junlie had been forced to pause the meeting because everyone was demanding he tell the truth after making that declaration.

Gossiping men are far more terrifying than gossiping women!

Aix switched off the comm and gave Ziye a massive bear hug. "So you're this amazing, you actually saved our Commander. Our entire unit is incredibly grateful to you."

Ziye nearly suffocated from his sudden embrace, thinking with frustration that he certainly hadn't hugged many girls; he had no idea how to control his strength. Who hugs someone with that much force? Of course, Ziye made an exception when hugging the Nineteenth Sister.

Speint saw them hugging from a distance and covered a hundred meters in a sprint, crying out, "Hey, what are you two doing?"

Aix released Ziye and explained the reason with a smile. Speint immediately demanded a hug too, insisting that since they were twins, Ziye had to treat them equally.

Ziye was speechless but allowed Speint to embrace him briefly.

Just as Speint wrapped his arms around Ziye, Aix reached out to pull him away. "Hey, brother, a token gesture is enough."

Speint refused, clinging tightly to Ziye and whining, "No way, I need to soak up some of the savior's luck."

Ziye was nearly squeezed breathless.

—Twins are decisively cut from the same cloth. If the elder brother can't hug properly, don't expect any better from the younger one!

"Alright, alright, stop fooling around; training is more important," Aix grumbled. Unable to budge him, he gave up the effort and walked to an open space ahead. "When I watched your video, I was wondering why your dodging posture looked a bit like that set of forms. However, you haven't realized how to execute those moves with the mech yet. Practice that set until you can do it fluidly with the mech, and you'll naturally be able to use it in a fight. It will be very useful."

Ziye’s eyes lit up. He struggled free from Speint's grasp and rushed toward his mech.

With no one left in his arms, Speint shrugged and looked at his older brother. "Aix, I suddenly feel like girls should be a bit chubbier."

Aix was puzzled. "Why?"

Speint raised his hand and wiggled it. "Don't you think that just now felt like hugging a rack of ribs?"

Aix paused to think, then nodded. "It does seem so. All bones, not much meat at all."

Speint declared righteously, "Brother, I've made up my mind!"

Aix asked, confused, "You decided what?"

Speint didn't answer. He opened his comm, dialed his mother's number, and when she picked up, he said in a cajoling tone, "Mommy Ditar, please pay more attention to the nutrition of your daughters from now on; don't let them get too thin."

Mommy Ditar, who looked to be in her mid-thirties with a notably round and rosy face, exuding an air of prosperity, was the Angel Domain's public nutritionist, holding an Advanced Interstellar Nutritionist certification. When she answered the comm, she was preparing a nutritional blend for the newest family members, the Trisswaite twins. She paused, momentarily stunned. Her family members were all at standard weight according to height and age; how could they have become too thin?

She set down her test tube just as the Nineteenth Sister came running in pitifully, clutching a plush toy, her right pinky finger held high, the chubby digit wrapped neatly in gauze.

She knelt down and asked softly, "Nineteenth, why aren't you in class?"

The Nineteenth Sister whined, holding her injured finger out, her large eyes watery. "I'm hurt and need rest."

Mommy Ditar chuckled softly. "Alright, you can rest today." She stood up, picking the Nineteenth Sister up along the way, and headed toward the body testing room. "Come on, let's check if there's anything wrong."

The Nineteenth Sister was delighted by the attention, wrapping her arms around Mommy Ditar's neck and giving her a loud, wet kiss.

In the testing room, she measured the Nineteenth Sister's height and weight again, feeling that everything seemed fine. Fearing she had misremembered, she pulled up the reference chart, found the corresponding age, and confirmed: it was completely standard.

Why would Speint say his sister was too thin?

She scanned the Nineteenth Sister’s entire body with an instrument—she was perfectly healthy!

Could Speint have encountered something recently? Mommy Ditar felt a growing suspicion. She decided to call her best friend, Adai, who worked as a psychological counselor in Kaga, chatting about everything under the sun before posing the crucial question: "Speint has been acting a little strange lately. Adai, could you check on their condition for me? I'd really appreciate it."

Adai laughed. "A small matter, consider it done. I'll tell you all the details later."

After the call ended, Adai sent separate emails to the twins. Each read: Dear Aix/Speint, it has been 81 days since your last psychological counseling session. To ensure the healthy development of your mind and body, please schedule an appointment within three days and come to Kaga Psychological Counseling Room No. 3 for your session.

Upon reading the emails, both twins simultaneously felt as if hundreds of wild horses were stampeding out of a place best left unmentioned.

Psychological counselors were the most perverse!

What was most maddening was that in exactly three days, it was the day Ziye was scheduled to duel Meijing!

The twins exchanged a look and sighed mournfully.

Skip class?

They had been dealing with that counselor for two years and had never once won against her; the memories were still steeped in tears and blood. Skip class? The consequences of skipping class were severe.

Adai would tell their gentle Mommy Ditar that they skipped class. Mommy Ditar would tell their Chief Financial Officer, Daddy Ditar. Daddy Ditar would tell their dearest Commander.

If the Commander knew, Vice Commander Lanli would certainly know.

They weren't afraid of their mother, or their father, or their Commander—they were terrified of the utterly insidious Vice Commander Lanli!

The world was too dark.

Seeing the twins sitting there looking dejected, Ziye couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you two?"

The twins sighed in unison, exchanged a glance, and tacitly sent a reply email to Adai: Thank you for the reminder, Teacher. We have research assignments this week and temporarily cannot find time to attend counseling within three days. We ask for your understanding. We will schedule a specific time later. Thank you.

After sending it, Aix clapped Ziye on the shoulder. "Some people, it’s best never to cross paths with them for a lifetime."

Speint nodded in agreement beside him. "To compensate for our psychological trauma, I just messaged Chun Niu. We'll have dinner later, and she can help you strategize for the duel."

Li Chunyu was from the Lingsi faction and understood the Lingsi duel rules better, likely knowing more about Meijing as well. The twins had originally planned to find someone to investigate Meijing's abilities, but then they considered that a competition is only truly exciting when you don't know your opponent's full capabilities.

If they were too deliberate, it would ruin the meaning of the competition.