"Is there something on my face? Why are you two looking at me like that?"
The moment Stelle stepped through the door, she noticed two pairs of eyes glued to her. She couldn't help but stop, raising a hand to touch her cheek, her voice filled with confusion.
She looked at the two in front of her; one had a look of slight surprise, while the other was clearly gloating. Their strange gazes made her feel very puzzled.
Wait, come to think of it, did she hit someone when she violently burst through the door just now?
The more Stelle thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong, and an embarrassed expression instantly surfaced on her face.
She pointed behind the door with her finger, her tone carrying a hint of uncertainty: "There wasn't someone standing behind the door just now, was there?"
"Exactly! You're in big trouble, you know!" Mo Xin nodded vigorously, the gloating on her face impossible to hide.
Hearing this, Stelle was momentarily at a loss, but she quickly made up her mind.
Yunli (๑•̌.•̑๑)ˀ̣ˀ̣: "Wait, Stelle, what are you doing pulling out a baseball bat?!!"
Stelle (눈_눈): "Since things have come to this, I might as well go all the way! Mo Xin, keep watch for me. I'll see if I need to add a couple more swings!"
Mo Xin (*ﾟﾛﾟ)!!: "No, what exactly did you do before? Why is your logic so clear? Also, don't drag me into this out of nowhere!"
Stelle (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧: "Much appreciated. I'll leave my back to you!"
Mo Xin (#ﾟДﾟ): "No problem... wait, NO?!! Listen to me, you jerk!"
However, the headstrong Stelle ignored the shouts behind her and didn't stop her pace for a second.
In the next moment, she gripped the metal bat in one hand and suddenly grabbed the handle of the training room door with the other, pulling it hard.
The beauty that came into view was none other than Stelle herself.
Stelle's expression froze for a moment, then she rested her chin on one hand, fingers lightly tapping her jaw, falling into deep thought.
The "Stelle" in front of her simultaneously performed the exact same action, even the curve of the frown and the angle of the chin-rest were identical, as if it were a reflection in a mirror.
Stelle (´▽｀)ノ♪: "Oh, it's just a mirror."
Mo Xin (＞o＜): "Who installs a mirror behind a door!"
Yunli: (๑˙ー˙๑)...
Immediately after, while Stelle was still dazed, the other "Stelle" suddenly reached out, grabbed her wrist, and without a word, pulled her into a spin on the spot.
After spinning for who knows how long, by the time they stopped, the master and disciple pair, Yunli and Mo Xin, could no longer tell who was the real one.
The two Stelles were now also staring at each other.
"I'm the real one, she's the fake!" *2 The two Stelles said as they pointed at each other.
Identical appearance, identical feel; it was impossible to distinguish them by intuition alone.
"Master Yunli, can you tell which one is the real Stelle?"
However, Yunli shook her head decisively. "Sparkle's Transformation Technique is almost indistinguishable from the real thing. I can't tell the difference."
"Is that so?"
Mo Xin pinched her chin, carefully scrutinizing the two, her gaze moving back and forth between their faces, trying to find a single flaw.
As for the subjects themselves, they were currently having a grand time playing around.
"Nice figure."
"Same to you. Your development speed is second to none; if you keep growing, I'll get jealous!"
"You flatter me. By comparison, your hairstyle has more class. I can tell you're a person of great taste."
"Oho, it seems you understand!"
"I have a cat at home that can do backflips. Want to come see it sometime?"
"Oh—that's not out of the question..."
Yunli: (°ー°〃)
Yunli symbolically wiped away nonexistent sweat from her forehead, inwardly admiring: Stelle's state of mind is as good as ever.
Beside her, Mo Xin's gaze swept back and forth between the two, her mind constantly churning for a way to distinguish the real from the fake.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit her, and a brilliant idea surfaced in her mind.
She slammed her right fist into her left palm: "Got it!"
"Oh? You thought of a way to tell them apart?"
Yunli crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, looking at her disciple with some surprise and a hint of expectation in her eyes.
However, Mo Xin shook her head.
"I have no way to distinguish the real from the fake."
Yunli frowned and asked curiously, "Then what did you think of?"
Her eyes were full of doubt, not understanding where Mo Xin's previous excitement had come from.
At this moment, the two "Stelles" also cast curious and expectant gazes over, clearly wanting to see what good idea Mo Xin had come up with.
"I admit there's an element of gambling in this method, but my intuition tells me—it's worth it!"
As Mo Xin spoke, a wicked smile curled on her lips. With a wave of her fair hand, a pair of twin swords gleaming with a cold light instantly appeared in her grasp.
Mo Xin ψ(｀∇´)ψ: "Who cares who's real or fake! Let's just beat them both up and be done with it!"
Stelle (￢_￢): "..."
"Stelle" （⊙▽⊙）: "..."
"Mo Xin, why are you laughing?"
"I'm not, heehee... cough cough, you saw wrong."
"Actually, you just simply want to beat me up, right?"
"How could that be? Don't forget, we are best friends! It may look like I'm hitting your body, but the pain is actually in my heart, ahahaha..."
"Damn! You're actually attacking for real!"
Quickly, Mo Xin picked one "Stelle" and launched a direct attack, her twin swords carrying a fierce momentum as they lunged forward.
The attacked Stelle looked startled and hurriedly raised her metal bat to parry, the weapons clashing with a piercing, crisp sound.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of clattering and banging sounds echoed as the training room fell into chaos.
Seeing Mo Xin getting more and more into the fight, the smile on her face becoming increasingly wild as she brandished her twin swords with growing ferocity, she was likely having the time of her life.
Stelle suddenly took a step back, her body spinning out half a circle like a light top.
"Hahaha! Where do you think you're going, fake! Take a strike from this young lady!"
Utterly oblivious, Mo Xin chased after her without a second thought, sword in hand, still plotting in her heart to give this "fake" a good thrashing.
But then, when Stelle turned around, the bat in her hand had miraculously transformed into a magnificent top hat.
With its exquisite feathers and ribbons, it looked nothing like the weapon used for parrying just moments ago.
"My turn."
Taking advantage of Mo Xin's dazed moment, Stelle flicked her wrist, and the magnificent top hat was thrown out with a flourish.
The hat traced an elegant arc in the air, surrounded by a string of fine golden light, spinning and smashing toward Mo Xin with a powerful wind.
The seemingly light hat felt as heavy as a boulder when it landed on her forehead. Mo Xin felt her vision go dark, seeing stars instantly as her limbs went weak and she collapsed to the ground, losing even the strength to resist.
The top hat didn't stop, continuing to trail its long golden light as it slowly flew back like a light falling leaf.
Stelle raised her hand slightly, catching the hat with precision, and with a smooth turn of her wrist, she placed the hat firmly on her head.
Then, she stood on her tiptoes, leaned back slightly, rested one hand elegantly at her side, and held the brim of the hat with the other, striking a standard gentlemanly pose. The golden light still swirled around her, making her look both cool and dashing.
"Hoh, not bad."
Witnessing this scene, Yunli nodded slightly with her arms crossed.
Then, with a hint of regret, she looked at her silly disciple lying on the ground with swirling eyes and shook her head helplessly.
"Just a basic move, don't get too excited."
Stelle tossed her hair, her smugness nearly overflowing as she deliberately raised an eyebrow and winked at Yunli.
Unfortunately, Mo Xin on the ground didn't see this scene.
But in the next second, as if suddenly remembering something, Stelle's gaze snapped to the side—only to see the other "Stelle" tiptoeing away, hand quietly resting on the doorknob, clearly preparing to sneak off.
Stelle (ಡωಡ): "I'm right behind you, aren't I..."
"Stelle" （⊙▽⊙）: "Eh?!!"
Immediately after, Stelle performed a play of "beating myself up."
"Aaaagh————"