Alida had a very complicated expression: “There’s no need to worry here. He doesn’t have a severe obsession with cleanliness.”
Nalun: “He’s a 3-orificed bug after all. If he were obsessed with cleanliness, the first one he should eliminate is himself.”
Alida said sternly: “Nalun, don’t talk about him like that.”
The big brunette’s expression was extremely grave: “He’s the person I like. Just like how even though I dislike Sirius, I wouldn’t say bad things about him in front of you.”
Nalun: “……”
Alida said sincerely: “I support all of your decisions. Even if you choose someone who’s been long term enemies with us, I’d open my heart for your sake and reconcile with Sirius.”
Nalun: “I……”
Alida already saw through everything: “No need to explain.”
His tone was full of tolerance and understanding: “I wish you the best. I remember all of the negative comments you had towards him. However, as a life partner, I feel like he is a respectable choice.”
Nalun opened his mouth. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.
Respectable– It’s rare that Alida would actually think of a phrase like this.
As an opponent, Sirius was definitely 100% trouble. Not only did his presence hang over the heads of Asha’s youth, covering everyone’s brilliance and taking the limelight repeatedly; furthermore, he treated all unrelated individuals beneath him with an indifferent attitude. However, now that Nalun has become his romantic partner…… Perhaps he should adjust his frame of mind to, uh, feeling honored and proud?
“I remember just 3 months ago, you were still mulling over how to make that guy miserable.” Alida exclaimed emotionally: “Yet right now, I have no choice but to……”
Nalun interrupted him: “I never mentioned this before.”
Alida scrutinized him up and down: “You have to mention this?”
Nalun: “…….”
Alida shook his head: “Nalun, you’re very smart, but you seem to lack comprehension about your own matters.” He paused for a moment and asked: “Could it be that you feel like your relationship with Sirius is very secretive?”
This question was very thought provoking.
Nalun looked towards him: “What clued you in?”
Alida waved his hand: “You should ask, what didn’t clue me in?”
Nalun: “…….”
After returning home, Nalun engaged in deep self-reflection. What he had considered very secretive, in fact, had long stopped being a secret in the eyes of bystanders.
The obstinate Honored Prince felt very dissatisfied regarding this. Speaking strictly, he and Sirius were still in the ‘testing’ stage. But Alida, the usually slow and belated guy, had already perceived the result of the ‘testing’ period ahead of time.
Nalun sighed, pushed the door open, and entered his room.
There was the addition of a peculiar smell in the air. The furniture placed neatly in his room were in disarray. This wasn’t normal.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Nalun became vigilant. Gaze landing on the bulging form in the bed, he froze.
“Bjmtj Bjmtj” C abbat-jmtlcu mtfklcu rbecv agjcrwlaafv bea bo atf yijcxfar. Rjiec tjv j riluta offilcu lc tlr tfjga, yea tf ralii ofia la lcmbcmflnjyif. Qjixlcu bnfg, tf mjc ojlcais rff atja atf yeiulcu obgw lc atf yijcxfa kjr gbecv rtjqfv. C mfgajlc yijmx mbibgfv lcrfma ifu kjr meggfcais fzqbrfv bearlvf.
“Xi Jin?”
The chewing sound abruptly stopped.
Nalun took a deep breath, reached out a hand, and lifted the blankets. He started straight into a pair of pitch-dark…… tiny black eyes.
“Why would you be here?” He suppressed the twitch in the corner of his eye and tugged out the Insectoid friend, who had arrived uninvited, from his bed: “And also, eating snacks while hiding in my bed?”
Recalling Xi Jin’s residence on Xier Street during his vagrant days, Nalun thought: Perhaps this bad habit was developed at that time– eating food in bed!
“Hiss–” A insect claw pinched his wrist.
The 8-legged bug waved its tail, struggled free from Nalun’s grasp, and also placed some distance between them.
Nalun looked carefully. There was a white dot on the tip of the bug’s tail. Its shape was round and smooth, with a pair of bean-like little eyes. It was indeed Xi Jin himself.
However, the action just now seemed more guarded and defensive.
“Long time no see.”
With a blur before his eyes, the black bug on the bed vanished, replaced by a slender youth. He was completely naked, the lower half of his body curled up beneath the blankets, a pair of pretty black eyes staring at Nalun with concentrated focus.
Nalun stood there looking for a while, then turned around to take out clothes from the wardrobe. He threw them at the other.
“Put them on.”
Xi Jin didn’t catch them. With a dark expression, the familiar baby faced youth raised his foot, kicked away the clothes, and wrapped himself up tighter.
“Big Beard?”
Nalun frowned: “Don’t call me that.”
Xi Jin smiled. The familiar response seemed to warm up his attitude. He relaxed his body and laid back into the soft bed. Not saying anything, he continued to use that pair of pitch black eyes to stare at Nalun.
At first, Nalun still had some doubts. Gradually, he perceived the abnormality. Although this foolish bug always liked to stare at him, it definitely wasn’t with this kind of expression. This kind of expression, which carried a sense of scrutiny, wasn’t particularly pleasant.
“Kacha.”
Xi Jin took out a metal frame from the blankets, placed it in his mouth, and chewed.
Nalun: “……”
That seemed to be the supporting leg of his sofa.
“I’m leaving soon.” One second before Nalun flipped out, the youth opened his mouth.
Nalun: “What?”
Xi Jin swallowed the metal dessert, propped himself up with a hand, and leaned towards Nalun. With his movement, the corner of the blanket slid down, revealing milk white, fair skin.
He hugged the young man’s waist and slowly placed his head on there……
With one hand, Nalun held back the incoming head. Maintaining a certain distance, he asked with a heavy voice: “Leaving?”
The head under his hand moved: “I recovered my memories. Therefore, I can’t continue to stay here anymore.”
The Insectoid raised his head and used what could be called an ‘innocent’ expression to gaze at Nalun.
Remembered everything?
At this time, Nalun finally realized. This amnesiac fat bug before his eyes was indeed somewhat different.
The Insectoid Xi Jin, who had recovered his memories, has come to bid farewell to his friend.
This bizarre struggle over the Scepter didn’t even cause a spark over on the Insect Planet before it snuffed out quietly. As the candidate who was once ‘closest’ to victory, not only did Xi Jin miss the opportunity to rule the Insect Planet by a hair, he also had become an amnesiac ‘pet’ and wasted a huge period of his time in a muddle headed manner.
But at least it was a little better than that bold, but stupid big brother of his, who was currently locked in prison.
“I’m going back to the Insect Planet.” Xi Jin gave a smile that was different than before. His expression lacked a certain naivety and innocence that was untouched by worldly affairs, and gained a hint of pessimism that belonged to the child of the Insectoids’ Grand Duke.
The pain of separation that was clearly visible in the depth of Xi Jin’s eyes made Nalun couldn’t help but feel emotional.
Aptly, Xi Jin raised a request: “Before I go, Big Beard…… can you let me eat the little cookie on your chest?”
Nalun: “……”
Smacking away the grubby insect paw that had moved to touch his chest, the Honored Prince rejected the sincere request of his departing friend in a very cold and ruthless manner.
Xi Jin was extremely disappointed: “How about letting me lick it a little?”
Nalun sneered, dragged up the youth in the bed and pulled him out: “Put on the clothes. Have a pleasant journey. I will think of you.”
Xi Jin looked incredulously at the heartless Big Beard: “I thought you’d at least try to convince me to stay.”
Nalun: “If you were still the Metal Devouring Bug who didn’t know anything, I would be very happy to raise you by my side. However right now…… you are an Insectoid with a past criminal record and unknown intentions.”
— And had inappropriate thoughts towards his left nipple.
Xi Jin draped the shirt over himself, his expression gloomy.
“Right now, I am nothing at all. My 2nd brother has probably already occupied all of the metal mines. After I return, I’ll just be a forever hungry pauper.”
— Don’t really understand the worldly pursuits of you Insectoids.
Xi Jin: “I’ve been pondering nonstop for the past few days. Perhaps I could live a easy life just by pretending to be a stupid and foolish bug. I even tried this. With a foolish expression on my face, I only needed to expose my belly in front of the Asha Emperor slightly to be able to receive generous and ample material benefits.”
Nalun: “……” This master and pet pair really knew how to play.
Xi Jin sighed: “But acting isn’t my strong point. This was too tiring.”
Originally, Nalun was still somewhat engaged in listening. When he heard these words, he lost his patience.
What did he just hear?
Nalun reminded him: “I remember what you did in front of the Onsen clubhouse.” Playing the role of a weak and deceived youth, pretending to be the one night stand that Sirius had heartlessly abandoned…… Under a tear stained mask, true emotions hide.
Xi Jin’s expression fell: “The things that occurred during an amnesiac state don’t mean anything.”
Clearly, this Insectoid, who just recovered his memories, also had a black history that he wanted to erase.
Proactively finding Nalun’s shoes and putting them on, he said: “This is probably the last time we see each other. My friend, regardless of how…… terrible those past days were, I will forget everything else, but you’ll be the only one I remember.”
Nalun asked: “What about Luye then?”
Xi Jin didn’t reply immediately, as if he were considering it earnestly. Ultimately, he gave this kind of answer: “The Xi Jin in his eyes doesn’t actually exist. Not to mention, would you abandon your principles just for a bit of food and willingly allow yourself to be raised by someone else?”
Nalun gave him a look of doubt.
Xi Jin: “…….” He pointed towards the location of the round metal cookie: “That’s not the same. It has a very delicious aroma, which is also very unique. It should be a rare, ancient kind of metal…… Is this a custom of you Asha people? Why do you make food into decorations?”
Nalun: “Of course not.”
Xi Jin: “We also like decorations, but it is to emphasize aesthetics. This kind of decoration that can only be hidden under clothes…… Might as well let me hide it inside my stomach.”
Wearing a shirt and boots, the baby-faced man turned in a circle and said in frustration: “This doesn’t really fit me.”
He bent down and with a ‘poof’, changed back into a round Metal Devouring Bug.
“Perhaps you’re more used to this kind of me.” The fat 8 legged bug moved next to Nalun’s feet and rolled around on the ground, revealing its smooth round abdomen: “You Asha people seem to like touching insect belly very much?”
Nalun crouched down, looking at the extremely serious son of the Insectoids’ Grand Duke, who was still insisting gravely one second ago that he ‘wouldn’t abandon his principles’, but now one second later, was rolling around as a fat bug next to his feet. Nalun couldn’t resist touching the body of the bug briefly.
“No, we only touch things that we like.”
Xi Jin bashfully hid its belly below its body, its little black eyes looking serious and focused.
“Then…… It’s time to say goodbye.” He said in a small voice.
Nalun looked at the other. The other also looked at him. One man and one bug silently looked at each other. It felt as if some sour, acrid emotion was slowly fermenting in the air.
Xi Jin thought: Asha people were really very sentimental. Even he was being affected in the process.
Everything here had a terrifyingly corrosive force. Whether it was the endless supply of wonderful tasting metals or other indescribable feelings…… if he continued to stay, he might truly become unable to resist spending the rest of his life as a ‘pet bug’.
But this was clearly unrealistic. Just like how Luye would give him anything he asked for, but certainly wouldn’t give him the gemstone on the Scepter; he also certainly wouldn’t abandon his true identity and live as a ‘pet’.
Immersed in contemplation, the Metal Devouring Bug felt a deep sadness arising in his heart– to such an extent that when he noticed a net falling over him, it was already too late.
Thank You for the new chapter ( ๑ ❛ ڡ ❛ ๑ )❤
oh? xi jin’s been caught before he could even leave.
thanks for the chapter!