Chase leaned in close, carefully pulling the zipper up to her collarbone before letting go.

He asked casually, "Where’s your helmet?"

For some reason, Zoe obediently took out her helmet. He took it from her and carefully put it on for her.

Then, he naturally took Zoe’s hand.

"Let’s go."

Zoe let him lead her. The motorcycle was right by the main gate. He expertly put on his own helmet, then swung a long leg over the bike with ease and motioned for her to get on.

This wasn’t the first time for Zoe. She got on behind him, but this time, she didn’t stuff her hands into his pockets.

"Zoe, your hands."

Chase’s voice came from inside his helmet, a reminder.

Zoe reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist. The man’s waist was solid, like a stone wrapped in soft muscle—firm and narrow.

Chase instantly fell silent.

"I want to hold you like this," Zoe said.

Now that she’d said that, how could Chase possibly stop her? Besides, the heat from her palms, wrapped around his waist, seemed to seep right through his clothes to his skin.

’This has to be my imagination.’

’After all, if a jacket offered so little protection from the elements, it would be useless for riding a motorcycle.’

’But someone was just being too stubborn to admit it.’

Once the bike was fully in motion, Zoe felt the wind tugging at her clothes, making them flap outward. She held onto Chase even tighter.

When they reached their destination, Chase had barely brought the bike to a stop before he reached back to touch her hands.

’Just as he’d thought. Ice-cold.’

"Chase, we can’t show our faces here, can we?" Zoe’s attention had already been captured by her surroundings. There were numerous parked Hovercars, and young people their age were climbing out of each one.

’It’s a little crowded.’

Chase squeezed her hand and glanced around. "I booked a private spot. We can head over in a little while."

"It’s fine. They’ll warm up in a minute," Zoe said to Chase with a smile.

’I’m not that delicate.’

’A night in the forest would probably be colder than this.’

She didn’t pay it any mind. In fact, since they weren’t going to be riding anymore, she even took off her jacket and put it away.

She ducked her head to take off her helmet, swapping it for a mask and a hat.

She had remembered to bring some for Chase, too. "Lower your head."

Chase took off his helmet and bent down slightly in front of Zoe.

The hat Zoe put on him fit well enough, but the mask was a little too small, leaving a sliver of his cheek exposed.

’Not too noticeable.’

"Let’s play for a while first, then we can go to the place you booked," Zoe said.

Unlike Companion Star, this place was geared toward young people, full of electronics and snack stalls. It was a completely different concept from the markets she was used to.

And people their age were pouring inside in a constant stream.

’It was so lively.’

’The energy was infectious.’

Zoe followed the popular recommendations and tried a few arcade games. The holographic games completely shattered her previous conceptions.

’Heavens, why did I only focus on studying? I never thought about living a normal life, just Mecha and Intelligent Brains. I never even thought about games.’

She played several games in a row. Some required two players, so she’d pull Chase along. For the ones that didn’t, she’d just let him know and go play by herself.

Just as she was coming out of one game, Zoe saw a few Omega girls standing by Chase, asking in soft, delicate voices, "Hello... excuse me, could we get your contact info?"

Even among Alphas, Chase stood out from the crowd.

And now, in a crowd this large, it was even more apparent.

With Zoe off playing, he was left standing alone with his arms crossed, making him particularly conspicuous.

The top two buttons of his black shirt were undone, revealing a patch of wheat-colored skin at his collarbone. The Alpha was tall and well-built, with solid muscles—far too eye-catching. A single glance was enough to tell he was a high-grade Alpha.

But he was utterly unreceptive.

After they asked their question, he just coldly said, "No."

The Omegas could hardly hide the disappointment on their faces.

But in the next moment, they saw the once-frigid man’s expression change as if he’d spotted someone, and he suddenly started walking forward.

Their gazes followed his path, and they immediately saw an Omega disguised in the exact same way as the Alpha.

In an instant, everything seemed to click into place. A pity, but there was nothing to be done about it.

Zoe felt a little nosy as she used a bit of her Perception to overhear them. "What a shame. Looks like he’s someone’s boyfriend."

"Yeah, but why are they covered up so thoroughly? That’s not really a trend for couples these days, is it?"

"That Omega has such a great figure. Damn, I’m a little jealous."

"That Alpha has a great body too. Those legs... that waist... Tsk, absolutely killer..."

Zoe’s gaze unconsciously drifted to Chase’s long legs, and she let out a mental ’tsk’ of her own. ’Can’t argue with genetics,’ she thought. ’And I already tested out his waist... very nice~’

"What are you looking at?" The brim of her hat was tipped up, and their eyes met. Chase’s voice was as deep as ever.

Zoe slapped his hand away, pushing the hat back down. "I just heard those girls say you’re good-looking."

A corner of Chase’s mouth lifted beneath his mask. She had said the same thing the moment they met today. He simply took her hand again. "Anything else you want to play?"

He had been worried Zoe wouldn’t like a place like this, but he never expected that the moment she arrived, she’d be like a pony let off its reins, running wild and having fun.

He couldn’t see her face, so he couldn’t read her expression.

But the joy practically radiating from her was infectious, lifting his own spirits.

’If I’d known, I would have brought her here sooner.’

Zoe pointed to a few stalls. "I want to get something to eat."

The stalls were now mostly run by robots. Some had owners sitting nearby, while others were completely unmanned, with just a single robot at work.

Zoe was very interested in these little snacks.

Chase didn’t say much, simply leading Zoe from one stall to the next, buying anything that caught her eye.

Neither of them considered whether they’d be able to finish it all.

During training, Zoe often felt like she could never eat enough, and she was dead tired every day. And that was to say nothing of Chase; with his height, he could have eaten everything Zoe bought in one sitting and still not feel full.

Still, Zoe could sense Chase’s stubbornness in the way he refused to let go of her hand.

It seemed they’d reached a certain time, as the crowd suddenly swelled.

In the thick of the crowd, he moved her to stand in front of him, using his arm to shield her from the people around them.

"Chase, let’s go to that place you booked." Seeing the crowd getting bigger and bigger, Zoe no longer felt like sticking around in the thick of it.

She gave Chase’s hand a tug.

"Okay."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over some of the virtual games Zoe hadn’t had a chance to play yet.

"If you like them, we can buy them to play at home."

Zoe couldn’t help but laugh as she recalled the games they’d just played. "They’re only fun because I’m playing with you. It’s no fun playing alone."