Hasumi Ren's palm pressed lightly against Soi Fon's leg, attempting to use his spiritual energy to guide the flow of her Reiatsu.
At this moment, Soi Fon could clearly feel the contour and heat of Hasumi Ren's palm.
She could also see his profile from just inches away, and the focused, serious look in his eyes.
This sensory information flooded her mind all at once, causing a faint, uncontrollable shiver to ripple across her skin beneath her training uniform.
Soi Fon opened her mouth slightly, but her throat felt dry.
A moment later, Hasumi Ren withdrew his hand and stepped back, stroking his chin in thought.
"As I thought, it's an issue with how your Reiatsu flows. The initial circulation is too sluggish, so the subsequent explosion of power can't gain momentum."
Seeing Hasumi Ren completely immersed in his own thoughts, Soi Fon took a quiet, deep breath.
Her fingers curled and uncurled unconsciously, and her chest rose and fell slightly with her racing heartbeat beneath her training uniform.
"...What do you think, Soi Fon?"
Hasumi Ren finished his thought and looked up at her.
"Hmm? Oh... right."
Soi Fon quickly adjusted her expression, trying to make her voice sound normal.
"That makes a lot of sense. Let's try again."
In the sparring that followed, similar scenes of close contact occurred several more times.
To observe a subtle change in Reiatsu, Hasumi Ren would lean in close to investigate.
To feel the transmission of force, he would reach out and lightly press against her wrist, the side of her waist, or even the shoulder blades on her back.
To verify a theory, he would have Soi Fon repeat a specific movement while he observed from every angle, practically circling her.
Every touch, every instance of closeness—Hasumi Ren remained entirely single-minded, his eyes as clear and objective as if he were examining a precision instrument.
Meanwhile, Soi Fon endured a subtle and constant psychological tug-of-war through these interactions.
Outside of combat, this was the first time Soi Fon had been in such repeated, close contact with a member of the opposite sex.
Her initial stiffness and irritation gradually became mixed with a complex, strange sensation that she didn't even want to examine too closely.
Hasumi Ren truly did seem extremely focused, and the issues he pointed out were genuinely beneficial; that was the reason she had managed to endure it until now.
Yet strangely, his utter obliviousness made her feel inexplicably frustrated.
As the training and physical contact deepened, she subconsciously began to divert her attention to avoid being distracted by his movements, focusing instead on trivial details.
Like the way his lips curved when he spoke, the unconscious twitch of his fingers when he thought, or the path of a bead of sweat sliding past his temple and disappearing into his collar...
"Stop for a moment."
Soi Fon finally couldn't help but speak up, her voice sounding a bit hoarser than usual.
"What's wrong?"
Hasumi Ren looked up, puzzled.
Soi Fon turned away, her cheeks flushed with what seemed like a post-exercise glow, her forehead glistening with beads of sweat.
"I... I'm a little tired. Let's take a break."
Hearing Soi Fon's words, Hasumi Ren was somewhat bewildered.
'Tired already?'
'Her endurance is lacking.'
Before Hasumi Ren could react, Soi Fon walked quickly to the edge of the training field, picked up a water flask, and tilted her head back to drink.
Her neck was fair and slender, her throat moving slightly with each swallow.
Perhaps because she drank too quickly, a few drops of water escaped the corner of her mouth, sliding down her jaw and following the curve of her neck until they vanished into the shadows beneath her collar.
Hasumi Ren also walked over to get a drink, his gaze sweeping over her sweat-dampened temples and slightly heaving shoulders.
Then, his attention shifted to the fragments he had just picked up.
[SYSTEM: Spiritual Power Level increased ↑]
[SYSTEM: Spiritual Power Level: Rank 7 (EXP: 20/12000)]
His Spiritual Power Level had finally broken through to Rank 7 just now.
"So, were those suggestions helpful?"
Hearing Hasumi Ren's voice, Soi Fon put down the flask and wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve.
"You were right about several things. Some of those Reiatsu circulation methods can definitely be improved."
After a pause, as if thinking of something, Soi Fon added in a low voice.
"It's just... you were standing a bit... too close. Next time you're observing, you don't need to be that close."
"Huh?"
Hasumi Ren blinked, then realization dawned on him.
"Oh, sorry. I just got too absorbed."
"There are some subtle changes in spiritual power that simply can't be seen from a distance."
Hasumi Ren spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, his eyes still clear, treating it purely as a technical discussion.
Looking at him like this, Soi Fon suddenly felt a surge of frustration trapped in her chest, unable to go up or down.
'You better really be doing it for observation.'
Then, Soi Fon turned her face away and muttered.
"As long as you understand."
Seeing Soi Fon's awkward behavior, Hasumi Ren nodded earnestly.
"Don't worry, I'll keep that in mind."
After a brief rest, the training continued.
Perhaps the break had relaxed Soi Fon slightly, or perhaps her body was gradually becoming accustomed to this level of proximity.
In the subsequent interactions, though her heart still skipped a beat at certain moments, she was better able to control her emotions.
Later, after organizing Hasumi Ren's numerous suggestions, it was also his proposal that they prepare to verify the adjustments through actual combat.
As fists and feet collided, fragments of Hakuda and Kido continued to drop.
After a high-intensity series of consecutive attacks, the two separated again, breathing slightly hard.
Soi Fon's training uniform was soaked with sweat, clinging to her body.
Her chest heaved visibly with her breath, and a few damp strands of hair stuck to her cheeks and neck.
She raised a hand to brush her hair back and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
She had to admit, after Hasumi Ren's analysis, she really did feel that the flow of Reiatsu through her limbs had become much smoother.
'This guy's words... they're actually useful.'
At that moment, Soi Fon met Hasumi Ren's calm gaze.
Soi Fon felt the messy emotions in her heart suddenly settle down significantly.
She let out a soft breath and glanced at the night sky.
"It's getting late. Let's call it a day."
Hasumi Ren nodded, then remembered something.
"How does it feel? Did it open up any new ideas, or provide any other improvements?"
"Not bad. There were definitely some. Your suggestions were effective."
"That's good, then."
Soi Fon nodded and turned toward the exit. Her steps seemed steady, but her fingertips unconsciously scratched against her palms.
"By the way, Soi Fon, when is our next session?"
Hearing Hasumi Ren's voice, Soi Fon paused but did not look back.
"Tomorrow. Same time, same place."
Hasumi Ren was taken aback for a moment.
"Alright."
Listening to Hasumi Ren's response behind her, Soi Fon pulled open the door to the training hall and stepped into the dim light of the corridor.
Only after the door closed behind her, cutting off his presence and voice, did she let out a long, hot breath in the cold hallway.
Recalling the contact with Hasumi Ren, Soi Fon felt her thoughts grow even more disordered.
Raising a hand to touch her cheek, Soi Fon closed her eyes. She opened them again a few seconds later, the irritation and confusion in her eyes vanishing.
She straightened her slightly disarrayed collar and hair, pulled her back straight, and regained her usual cold and stern demeanor before walking away.