Entering the house, Tsune met her mother who read a book in the hall.

'Who were they?'

'Just some students from other classes. They lost some parts from their academy accounts and asked me to help.'

'Why you?'

Lady Red intently looked at the girl, her expression more like a teacher than a parent.

'We can ask your father instead. And I have some connections in your academy as well.'

'Well, I don't know how yet but I wont leave them hanging if I can't. Why are you even asking?'

'Because the last time you made a sudden decision like that we were worried sick. We thought that your new team did something to make you join them.'

"Oh. So that's what that was about."

The girl recalled all the fuss her parents made her go through as she prepared to leave to the sea resort. But more importantly, she understood what her mother was getting at.

If she wasn't as transparent as she could be with her actions, she risked repeating all that. Thankfully, she had a perfect way out.

'Well, I'll do my best first. But if it'll make you feel better, I'll talk to the person father suggested.'

Seeing her mother nod, the girl finally put an end to this busy day by going to her room and dropping on the bed with her phone.

She had several videos from the Orbital Ring to watch. And she wanted to see if their promise of showing the best vistas in the solar system rang true or not.

-

The next day's training was a repeat of the yesterday. With a single exception. Den came in earlier, so they had plenty of time after the improved transformation sequence was completed.

Although the sequence itself wasn't complete yet the team leader gathered the team for another post training meeting.

'I have decided to accept your combined suggestion about misusing the turret barrels.'

Pointing at Tsune and Hem, he continued.

'Therefore I decided to use their mecha form as weapon sheaths and protect elbows with flexible armor. And I want us all to choose what kind of weapon it'll be.'

Saying that, he opened the team's inventory page and the page of one of the Tek Terra's shops with a large preset selection.

'I do not limit the choice by the academy discounted items as I want our choice today to serve us for many years. So choose whatever you think is the best option.'

Tsune looked at the prices in the orbital ring shop and mentally winced. Compared to this number of zeroes, the amount of money she spent last year looked like ice cream allowance.

But on the other hand, the team inventory made it obvious why Den initially went without weapons. All it had now were codes for a flexible armor deployer, that surrounded itself with a metal ball to serve as a mace head, folding swords, and a spear point from her old VR weapon.

'I don't think I like either option.'

Tsune was the first to speak up, as others were busy looking at the options.

'This shop has a decent choice, but its too expensive. Instead I could go to the part shop and buy a lot of packs. That way we'll get a good weapon and a discount together.'

Den looked away from the screen, to make it clear that he paid attention to her words.

'I've thought about it. But with the amount of money you would need for a statistically high chance of the chosen gold rarity weapon, I cannot in good conscience agree to it.'

'And given that unused digital parts will be void after graduation, I would simply be exploiting your good will with a chance of having nothing to show for it.'

"Why did I even bring it up."

Regretting that she caused this scene with her yesterday comments of barrels *looking bad*, the blonde returned to the list.

At first she tried to use the ideas she used to make the spear. The problem was that it was meant as a sidearm and a finishing move, not the main weapon.

"Maybe this one is good? Blade's sword was pretty versatile."

As others agreed to reject the previous weapon and moved to the next one, her thoughts turned to the weapon choice of her old opponent. But that mental avenue turned out to be a dead end alley as well, as hybrid weapons she saw were custom-made for extra price.

The remaining training session time has already all but passed, but the team still had many weapons to go through. Tsune pursed her lips in displeasure as she thought about the chances to meet her favorite pilot slipping away with the sands of time.

But she kept her attention on the screen. If she kept making the scenes that separated her from the rest of team, she could damage the relationship. Besides, the sooner they were done with this, the sooner she could go.

-

The next day, Tsune went to the hall with the training cabins. The junior classes were in session, leaving the hall empty and the blonde to her own devices. And despite losing the entirety of yesterday, today she was ready as soon as their practice was over.

The plan was simple but fit both of her goals. If she waited where the pilot of Destiny would have to pass to leave the main building, then she was all but guaranteed to meet him.

Also, If the thief stole the parts to improve his grades, then there was no doubt he would install them on his mech.

And that meant that just looking out the hall's window would allow her to create an initial list of suspects, out of all the robots that were training inside of the dome.

The trainees have changed several times already. An axe-shaped hovering Majin gave way to a combiner whose final form looked like a lion that was later replaced by a humanoid Majin.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

Standing taller than their Griffin, its grey armor surfaces were uneven to emulate the look of a worn robe. With flexible armor sheets hanging down to complete the look and obscure the possible weak points. And hide the equipment it could have underneath.

Looking at one piece of equipment it couldn't hide, an ornate silver looking bowl in one of its hands, the girl took a photo and searched for similarity online. Seconds later, it was confirmed as gold rarity weapon.

"Well, that's one."

With a sigh, the girl put the mech on her list. It was better to ask about amount of owned rare parts and hope for answer, than to dismiss the possibility because she couldn't count them.

Standing in front of a dummy, the robot lifted the ornate metal bowl before its chest and a plume of fire erupted from within.

Painting the robot's front with its light, the flame continued to grow and when it filled the bowl, the intensity of its light hiding the weapon itself, the robot's other arm moved.

The open hand went straight through its center in a throwing motion and the fire followed it. Spilling from the bowl, it turned into a wall of fire that roared through the air to engulf the target.

-

The firework show continued for a while, as the giant practiced fire manipulation.

It held its hand over the fire, changing its color from reddish to white. With a rapid movement, the hand turned into a fist and a bright fireball struck the dummy, almost bending it at its base with the power of the impact.

"Colossus, eh? He's like a fantasy mage."

Tsune looked through the training schedule to see the name of the mech and hummed with curiosity when she saw the mech's full image on the pilot profile page.

But the same page held a surprise for her. The pilot's name was Rod Rhodes.

Her lip twitched in displeasure as she watched the robot walk through the training fields to its hangar.

Suddenly, a baritone voice appeared from behind, so familiar that for a moment the girl thought she was dreaming.

'Not big on friendship with him, I see?'

Her figure stayed frozen in surprise only for several seconds.

Tsune turned around, rubbing her cheeks to erase the negative expression while making it look like she was fixing her collar and hair. But she might as well not bothered because her hands went limp as soon as her eyes confirmed what her ears suggested. It was the pilot of Destiny, wearing a monotone silvery white teacher's uniform.

Seeing that he waited for answer, the girl rushed to speak. Barely remembering that speaking everything that there was to tell was a bad idea, she nevertheless managed to restrain herself.

'Ah, no. We met when... he made a scene and barely know each other. He's just very stubborn.'

'I see. If I may offer an advice, it's often easier to resolve conflict early on with diplomacy than by burning bridges later.'

Realizing what her hero might've assumed, the blonde felt her cheeks redden. At the same time, her voice turned hoarse from repressed coughing, born from the sheer contrast between that idea and her own thoughts.

'It's nothing like that, I swear.'

'Oh? Then please accept my apology. My intuition told that there was something greater in your relationship, so I just assumed.'

'No, no. There's nothing.'

The man smiled and took a quick look at the piece of paper she held. Then he turned around to leave.

And seeing their meeting end in such a disaster, Tsune felt her world covered with thunder clouds of disappointment and self berating for failing to hold herself together. But as a lightning bolt separates the clouds, her promise to the student group offered her a chance to salvage it.

Raising her hand as if she could reach him, she made a step forward.

'Wait. I wanted to tell you that a group of students in my year had some of their golden parts stolen. I promised to help them by asking the most qualified person I know.'

'Your father never changes.'

He lifted his hand to stifle the potential attempts to defend Professor Red and continued.

'I know it because he's the only one who knew I'll be here. And compared to our previous meeting, you looked like you expected I would be here. I can trust myself in at least this much.'

The pilot briefly looked at the bag where Mapo, freed from the weight of her hand, started moving again.

'As for your matter, it is a good chance to learn the social skills you'll need in your career. And the weight of giving somebody your promise.'

'I wouldn't leave others hoping for no reason. A pilot that I aspire to be would never betray trust like that.'

Tsune repeated the words she told her mother. But this time, faced with her favorite character, she meant what she said.

'I'm glad to hear that. But I'm not going to leave you without support either. How about meeting here once a week for a progress report?'

Nodding so eagerly that she saw the green ends of her hair fly up, the blonde watched the man walk away until he was out of sight.

Then she returned to her earlier task, but the emotional high made it hard to even remember her goals, much less focus on them.

"What was I thinking before? Was it find the one with a motive, or the one with most rare parts?"

After a minute of trying to combat the short-term memory loss, she looked to her suspect list and the required memories flared back to the surface.

"Oh, right. If anyone will be capable of stealing the digital parts, it would somebody who has meta knowledge."

Looking at the training schedule again, she saw that Colossus's session was the last, so her today's duty was finished.

As the blonde walked to the exit, there was one worrying thought that entertained her.

"If the game had exploits, could those be used here?"

-