Three percent.
Still basically nothing.
But three was more than zero.
Three meant I existed.
Three meant she'd noticed I was human instead of furniture.
I dismissed the overlay and continued my sets.
Didn't push it. Didn't try to force conversation. Just lifted weights while she moved through her routine on the other side of the room.
Twenty minutes passed.
Neither of us spoke.
But we were in the same space. Training at the same time. Breathing the same air.
For Hikaru?
That was basically a marriage proposal.
I finished my final set and racked the weights.
Hikaru was stretching near the mats. Her leg extended straight up beside her head in a split that should have been anatomically impossible.
Jesus Christ.
I grabbed my water bottle. Took a long drink. Focused very hard on not staring.
Failed completely.
