Tyvan returned his attention to the road. He looked forward to reaching their destination. At that time, any awkwardness incurred during the conversation could be easily alleviated.

  Shay sunk into her chair, her arms crossed. She was deep in thought. Fretting.

  ‘Twas useless fretting, but still--

  “We... should ask Alexei what he thinks.”

  “I beg to disagree,” Tyvan replied without much thought.

  “I’ll ask him, then,” Shay said with a frown. “He might have insider knowledge on the enemy.”

  Tyvan took a mildly displeased breath but had no arguments against her logic.

  “Then,” Shay continued, “I can also ask Grandpa for reinforcements from the sect. Junior Brother Cai can rally the outer disciples-- and I remember you said you thought Uncle Pingping was cool.”

  That wasn’t his exact diction, but it was true. Tyvan especially admired Pingping for his proficiency at solving crossword puzzles.

  Unfortunately, Shay’s plan to dragoon her sect members into ?The Kingdom?’s defense was unlikely to succeed.

  “I understand that Song Wei has been... busy, as of late,” Tyvan said. His honest response, though, made Shay’s expression visibly fall. So in a slight panic, he added-- “but we can always ask. There’s little harm in asking.”

  Shay’s voice came forth as a whispered whine-- gravely disappointed. “Tyvan... are you taking me seriously? I’m trying to help.”

  Was he?

  He thought he was.

  But after some introspection, he realised he hadn’t properly entertained any of her ideas.

  “Your assistance is appreciated, my dear,” he smiled politely. “But I assure you, it’s unnecessary. I guarantee your safety for as long as you remain at my side. And, to reiterate, the defenses we have--”

  “Like the bird spikes?” Shay interrupted, her tone poetically sharp and pointed.

  “No bird shall dare cross into my territory,” Tyvan said with a solemn nod, “not without suffering the--”

  “Tyvan!” Shay cried, “I wanna help! I know-- I know I’m human, but I can help fix everything I screwed up.”

  Tyvan reached over to-- reassure her? He wanted to pat her head but... that didn’t seem right. He could have pat... her thigh? No. Since that was an abnormal patting location, doing so might communicate unintentional nuance. Then... it seemed awkward to reach for her hand.

  Hm. The next best option was to reassure her with words.

  “You’ve done nothing wrong,” he said. “And nothing will go wrong. You’re worried-- and a degree of apprehension is reasonable. But I am in charge of Elysium’s defenses. And, as you know, I am keenly qualified.”

  “You’re refusing my help!!” she argued.

  “I am confident in keeping you safe,” Tyvan insisted.

  “Make me!”

  “That is... exactly what I’m trying to do.”

  Shay began to pout-- miserably.

  “Teach me magic.”

  “Ask for something else.”

  “Teach me to fight!”

  “You are already learning the martial forms of your sect.”

  Shay looked down into her clenched, shaky fists. “I wanna train... with you.”

  Tyvan tilted his head. “You are... and have always been welcome to join our group sessions. I... had assumed you weren’t interested.”

  Despite Song Wei’s insistence, Shay had always been averse to training. She expressed clear reluctance to sparring when they visited the Song Estate together.

  As Montgomery Jiang needed endurance training, Tyvan led squad PT on most mornings. Shay had certainly seen them in the courtyard, yet had never inquired about it despite having several opportunities to do so.

  Ah. He recalled directly inviting her to join them. She declined.

  Shay raised her head. “I want to be trained as hard as Monty.”

  “Ah?”

  Something must have drastically changed in Shay’s way of thinking.

  The training methods applied to Jiang were... not designed for a regular human. Shay’s level of training and combat proficiency were on par with Briar Rose-- maybe even Heidi. And even those two would struggle to complete certain exercises.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Ah-- the destination.

  Tyvan drove into the shopping plaza’s spacious lot. He parked the car but, instead of exiting, he sat in contemplation.

  Shay tugged on his sleeve. When he glanced over to her, she had again utilised her miserable pout. But, to that, she added a teary-eyed gaze and a pathetic, “Tyvan, pLeaSe~”

  He was very nearly overwhelmed.

  --so much that it triggered and activated his ?Time Lock? spell.

  ?Time Lock? had two activation methods: intentional, with a verbal incantation, and... automatic, in response to extreme duress.

  And, apparently... whatever Shay was doing constituted extreme duress.

  Bah.

  Anyroad... Tyvan took advantage of the benign activation, taking the moment to calm himself as the spell ran its course.

  “Shay,” he said. “Extreme training is highly unnecessary. There’s nothing wrong with your performance. No one can ask you for more than you can give.”

  Shay took in a deep sniff, then her eyes lit with a sudden fire. “I’m. So. TIRED. of feeling useless! My martial arts are trash. I freaking SUCK at pill forging. And I know I’m not as smart or pretty or mature as anyone else-- but... but I read a lot. I know how to research things. And... and I’m good at thinking of ideas... I don’t know how exactly a talentless girl like me can help, but... give me a chance, Tyvan, please...”

  Tyvan took a deep breath...

  “You are not useless, Shay. And none of your perceived weaknesses are true.”

  Shay suddenly gasped, staring in surprise. “You... think I’m pretty?”

  Tyvan raised his chin. She did mention her concern for that. It must have been important.

  “I do.”

  It wasn’t a lie. Shay had a fairly symmetrical face-- a common standard for beauty. Anyroad, the notion was grossly subjective.

  Her gaze drifted over to stare out the window. “Ahaha... you haven’t seen my pill forging, though.”

  Tyvan thumbed her chin so she’d face him properly. “Shay, I need you. Let me protect you.”

  “But I feel so useless!” Shay said, shaking her head and her twin hair bunches. But that stopped suddenly as she looked up, her eyes wide. “Y-y-you... you need me? Really?”

  Tyvan did not appreciate the quaver in her voice. Shortly after, his concerns were proved warranted. Tears had formed at the corner of Shay’s eyes. But why? What the hells did he say to invoke tears?

  He took another breath. He took her hand in his. “I do need you. I need you to be safe.”

  She held onto his hand tight. “And I need to be able to protect you too.”

  ...What?

  No, that was...

  That wasn’t how--

  Considering his own safety was wholly unnecessary. Such a declaration--

  Hmm.

  To protect and be protected was a tacit agreement he shared with each and every one of his companions.

  But it felt so very peculiar to hear the declaration aloud. For him? Specifically for him?

  He was the protector. He was the foundation of ?The Kingdom? for his abilities and defensive formations.

  But... that was not always true. As a child, he had no issue accepting his mother’s protection. And, in turn, he’d have done anything on her behalf (and still would, within reason.)

  Reciprocity was ideal. Why he’d never specifically sought it before meeting Shay was... baffling.

  She wanted to protect him. And he was willing to risk the safety of the millions of residents of Archangel to protect her.

  “...Thank you, Shay.” He took a breath. “Words... cannot express how much I appreciate that.”

  The young lady shifted forward. She made a pitiful noise when her movement was restricted by her safety belt. Then, she hurriedly unbuckled herself, surging forward once more.

  It was an awkward embrace between a seated passenger and driver. The light scent of her hair products and her nuanced emotions calmed his senses, satisfaction with a hint of sorrow.

  He returned the embrace, as was socially appropriate.

  That weak and frail human...

  It was odd. Usually in the face of prey, his instincts flared toward violence. But Shay in his arms, instead, instilled in him a different desire.

  --to protect her to the greatest extent of his abilities.

  Yes. That was surely what it was.

  “We’ll discuss your training schedule after lunch.”

  He’d design her training regimen for growth, as she wanted. But her training would be far from Jiang’s. It remained unnecessary to train her for more basic combat readiness. Instead, he hoped to focus on her confidence and general health.

  The greatest boon in the training together... was ultimately sharing her company. Tyvan looked forward to that nearly as much as he did their next meal.

  “I promise I’ll work hard,” Shay said. “Just don’t give up on me.”

  “The thought has never crossed my mind,” he said with a warm smile.

  It wasn’t exactly a lie. After a certain point in their relationship, such doubts grew silent to nonexistent.

  He found his hand caressing the young woman’s cheek. She closed her eyes, appearing content.

  Her lips. They were properly moisturised.

  Ah. But he’d been staring too long. That was... exceedingly improper of him.

  He took his hand away, coughing into his closed fist.

  His mouth was dry. How odd.

  “Shall we?”

  “Let’s do it,” Shay said with a smile and an energetic nod.

  They exited the car, Tyvan taking the moment to stretch his body. His condition was strange. He felt... warm, particularly in his chest and the surface of his neck and cheeks.

  Shay was holding onto her cheeks-- those had reddened with heat, as well.

  He made a mental note that for parked car conversations, he needed to keep the windows open or the air conditioner running.

  Ah. And considering mental notes, there was something else of import.

  “I prepared a gift.”

  Shay - “Is it a super suit?”

  Tyvan - “A what?”

  Shay - “Like the one you and Monty and everyone wears?”

  Tyvan - “Ah, no. That will be ready to pick up on Monday.”