After setting up their training match, both Illya and Miyabi began their preparations.
Miyabi had begun a circuit of intense physical conditioning created by her father, training her body and reaction time to a degree that she hoped would allow her to keep pace with the human fission reactor.
For once, Miyabi had been allowed to glimpse how an opponent would exploit her flaws in an actual fight, and thus she was able to train with more focus than she had in years.
Miyabi was so dedicated to the grind that she had even requested time off from H.A.N.D. to improve her strength- and despite her incredibly brief training period, the increase in combat strength was noticeable.
Truly, the young Void Hunter was incredibly Motivated.
...
So then,
What sort of preparation had Illya done?
Well, he hadn't done anything even remotely comparable in terms of sheer intensity- but that didn't mean his preparations were negligible.
Illya respected her resolve, and while he might not've subjected himself to borderline torturous conditioning, he was still willing to go that extra mile for his enthusiastic junior.
And thus-
The day after Miyabi messaged him, Illya made the long trip out to the Waifei peninsula after nearly half a decade to grab a few of his belongings.
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Since Illya no longer had his driver's license, he was forced to bite the bullet and take the train all the way there.
Of course, he could've asked Lycaon or Rina for a lift, but he didn't want to increase their already heavy workload with a personal matter.
So, after over 3 hours of travel via public transport, Illya arrived at the outer edge of Waifei, where he then hailed a taxi to drive him the rest of the way to Failume Heights, adding another 2 hours onto his already long travel time.
Thankfully, Illya had somewhat predicted how long it'd take and had woken up extra early.
And so, with the Sun shining directly overhead, the Void Hunter began walking down Seagaze Road to the nearest cable car and descended to the lower level.
The lower level of Failume heights was incredibly populated, the typical hustle and bustle of a small city being abundantly present, and as Illya made his way through the streets, he couldn't help but notice how much everything had changed since the last time he had been there.
Failume Heights, specifically Suibian Temple, had been his home for a year when he was 9, and it was where he had learned to control the fission reaction that made up the bulk of his strength.
The Yunkui Summit was probably the first organization that he had ever been a part of, and though he had eventually left it to avoid involving them in his spats with the higher-ups of New Eridu, he still regarded it quite fondly.
Even if the people who made it feel like home were no longer there.
Illya inhaled as much of the air as he could, attempting to taste even a slight hint of the familiar flavor he remembered from his childhood, but it seemed that taste had long since faded.
"It was worth a shot."
A small smile spread across Illya's face as he took in the sights around him, some old and some new.
After all these years, the path back to Suibian temple was still deeply ingrained in his mind, so the new shops and streets barely slowed him down.
In fact, Illya's steps actually quickened in an attempt to avoid the influx of foot traffic around a particular spot.
"Ah- It seems Yum Cha Sin is still doing well."
The familiar establishment looked almost exactly like it had years ago, the only difference being the slightly more weathered look of the bricks and a few new neon signs humming with limited-time offers.
While Illya felt a bit tempted to go take a closer look, he decided that it'd be better to leave all the detours for after he grabbed his things.
Well
That was the plan at least.
An older yet still recognizable voice echoed in the air just as Illya passed by.
"Little Lya?? Is that you???"
Sweety immediately rushed past the customers that she was just talking to and stood before a bewildered Illya.
"... Hey Sweety, it's been a while."
The young qipao-wearing lady nodded her head.
"Indeed it has- almost five full years if I'm remembering correctly~"
Illya scratched the back of his head and gave her the friendliest smile he could muster.
"Just been a bit busy, y'know? Didn't have the time to come back until now...."
Glancing at his clothes, Illya showed a rather puzzled expression.
"And, uh- How'd you recognize me? Do I still look the same?"
Sweety gave him a knowing smile.
"Did you think I'd forget Yum Cha Sin's biggest customer after a mere five years? You're half the reason why we were able to stay open 11 years ago~"
Illya simply returned Sweety's smile with one of his own, though his was a bit more strained.
"You should be thanking the Seniors, not me."
Seeing his expression, the tea shop worker sighed, with an understanding look in her eyes, and scanned him a bit harder, noticing his slight distraction.
"Ah~ It seems you have somewhere to be, little Lya. I won't hold you any longer... But if you have a bit of time later, how about you stop by? Yum Cha Sin has missed your patronage, you know~"
Illya chuckled.
"Hah~ Yeah, I'll be sure to stop by at least once before I leave today.
Sweety nodded with a satisfied smile and waved him off.
"Well, then- I've got to go attract some more business! I'll see you soon!"
The girl briskly jogged back over to the group of customers she was just talking to and flashed them an apologetic look before guiding them into the Tea shop.
Illya lingered for a moment, but he soon began pushing through the crowds to get to his destination.
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It took him a few minutes, but before long, he had arrived at the familiar gates of Suibian Temple.
Well, in hindsight, it was a bit different from what he remembered.
Illya walked through the gates and entered the courtyard, briefly scanning the area.
The walls were beat up, there was a bit of graffiti here and there... Also, there were a lot more people than the last time he had come.
A lot of people that he didn't recognize...
In fact, there didn't seem to be a single person present whom he was familiar with.
Currently, the courtyard was quite crowded.
It seemed like a little Tiger Thiren and a Panda Thiren were leading a group of students in a series of martial arts movements, with a bespectacled man standing nearby, supervising the whole lesson-
Or at least, that's what Illya thought he was doing. He honestly couldn't tell if the guy wearing glasses was a senior disciple watching over a few of his juniors while they teach the newbies, or if the Tiger and Panda Thirens were the seniors and the four-eyes was the junior.
Illya couldn't quite figure out who the juniors and seniors were because of the odd way that some Thirens aged, so he was a bit stumped on who to ask for help.
Thankfully, however, the young Void Hunter was noticed before he could sink too far into his thoughts.
"Hey, Yinhu? I thought we weren't accepting visitors today."
The little Tiger Thiren glanced at the panda next to her with a confused expression and pointed at Illya.
The panda, Yinhu, mirrored her expression.
"We weren't..."
The glasses-wearing man shifted his position as he realized Illya was there, revealing a tail that Illya had previously missed.
Clearing her throat, the little Tiger Thiren jumped down from her elevated position and approached Illya while the other outer disciples glanced at him curiously.
"Hi! I'm Ju Fufu, a core disciple of Suibian Temple. Can I help you with something?"
The little Tiger, Ju Fufu, appeared to be quite friendly.
Illya gave her a pleasant smile.
"Yeah, I'm actually here to meet with someone."
The bespectacled man walked over to him with an expression far more cautious and reserved compared to the friendly tiger.
"And who might that be, Mr...."
"Illya. My name's Illya."
Respecting the man's reservations, the Void Hunter introduced himself as politely as he could.
"Also, there's no need for the formalities. I'm just here to meet Yixuan."
Ju Fufu's eyes widened.
"You're here to meet Shifu?"
Illya nodded.
"I asked her to keep something for me a while ago, and I'm here to retrieve it."
The glasses-wearing man made eye contact with Ju Fufu, seemingly conveying something with his eyes, before turning back to Illya.
"Nice to meet you. I am Ye Shiyuan, and that over there is Pan Yinhu. Currently, our Shifu is just in her room. If you'd like, I could go and fet-"
"It's fine, Shiyuan. I'm already here."
Accompanied by the tweeting of a small bird, a voice Illya distinctly recognized carried through the air.
Yixuan smiled at Illya as the qingming bird quietly perched on her shoulder.
"And here I thought you'd never come back, Senior."
Fufu, Shiyuan, and Yinhu were caught off guard.
Yixuan gave Illya a respectful salute.
"Aheh~ Sorry, I was caught up in a bunch of work with the others until just recently."
Illya scratched the back of his head with a guilty look on his face.
"And you don't have to call me senior anymore. I gave up my title as a grandmaster a long time ago."
A somewhat somber look flashed through Yixuan's eyes as she gave him a small smile.
"The Yunkui Summit never acknowledged your resignation, and neither will I, Senior."
Illya let out a quiet breath of resignation.
"Wait, Shifu! If this guy is your senior, then what exactly is he to us?"
Fufu looked inreadibly confused, and though the other core disciples were better at hiding it, their bewilderment was still quite clear.
Yixuan chuckled softly.
"It is out of stubbornness that we still refer to Senior as Senior. As long as you keep up the pay the proper respects, refer to him however you'd like."
Illya waved her off.
"Ignore your Shifu. Just calling me by my name is fine."
A slightly resigned look spread across Illya's face as he rubbed his forehead.
"I'm probably younger in terms of actual age, anyway. There's no need to show me so much respect."
The Core disciples glanced between Illya and Yixuan, their indecisiveness clear.
Yixuan looked at Illya with an amused smile.
Clearly, she was enjoying this.
"Y'know what, just call me Senior. At this point, I'm used to it."
Illya sighed.
'Senior this, Senior that- They're making me feel like an old man!'
Yixuan laughed heartily and pet the Qingming bird.
"So, what brings you back here? I'm assuming you're not just here for a visit."
Illya nodded.
"I'm here for my weapons."
The air stilled for a moment.
Yixuan's brow furrowed.
"Did the squad get reformed? Are you about to go hunt down another beast?"
Illya scoffed.
"Like those stingy bastards would actually recruit people into my division."
"I'm not hunting down anything, I just need it for a training match."
Yixuan raised an eyebrow.
"A spar?"
Illya nodded.
"You've met Miyabi, right?"
"We've crossed paths."
Illya smiled lightly.
"Well, if you've crossed paths with her, I'm assuming you already know what she's like."
Yixuan thought for a moment and let out a sigh.
"I see why you'd need you're armaments now."
She continued.
"Currently, all of your weapons are being stored inside your old room. Will you be taking all of them back with you, or do you have something in mind specifically?"
Illya shrugged.
"It's too much of a hassle to take all of them since I arrived here through public transport, so I'll probably only be taking one."
The young Void Hunter remembered the large, hulking mass of Etheric steel he always used to carry around.
"I'll be grabbing my Igla."
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(A/N: My birthday is today, so no chapter later tonight.)