Chapter 23: Coffee; “Teacher, Did My Pants Get Changed?”
Suddenly, he understood why so many high-compatibility Sentinels and Guides could live in harmony even if they weren’t deeply in love.
This kind of pleasure was something even Zhuang He couldn’t resist, let alone those who hadn’t undergone such cruel training.
Zhuang He closed his eyes, feeling the waves of afterglow like electrical currents within his body.
He had tasted the forbidden fruit.
＊
Zhuang He lay on the floor, his breathing faint and weak as he tried to stabilize himself from the afterglow.
As for Lu Yin, who had forcibly pinned his limbs, perhaps because he had released all the violent emotions within him, he actually fell backward while still holding Zhuang He’s legs.
With a thud, Lu Yin fell onto his back on the floor. Zhuang He’s legs were finally released. He immediately retracted them and propped himself up from the floor.
He looked at the man lying unconscious on the floor and suddenly felt a complex mix of emotions.
After getting up, Zhuang He spent a long time debating whether to clean up Lu Yin first or himself. He chose to clean himself first.
With a flushed face, he returned to his room and changed into a new set of clothes. When he emerged again, he had returned to his usual cold and indifferent demeanor.
He walked to Lu Yin’s side. Looking at the unconscious form, the stains on a certain part made Zhuang He recall the events that had just occurred.
Zhuang He turned his head and gave a light cough. After a moment’s thought, he estimated Lu Yin’s size and ordered a pair of men’s trousers.
The 24-hour service station delivered the trousers to his door very quickly. After Zhuang He brought them in, he issued commands to the mechanical arms and hid back in his room. It wasn’t until he heard the beep-beep signaling the completion of the command that he suppressed the heat on his face and walked out with feigned composure.
Lu Yin on the floor had been tidied up, and the mechanical arms had retracted. The entire house was quiet once more.
Zhuang He crouched beside Lu Yin. Although the previous behavior was somewhat… it was undeniable that his spiritual power had recovered eighty percent due to the blending with Lu Yin.
This allowed him to once again use Lu Yin for soothing.
Golden spiritual power poured into Lu Yin’s body again, and this time it went very smoothly. Lu Yin’s mental sea was successfully repaired and reconstructed beautifully.
By the time the reconstruction was finished, the eighty percent of spiritual power he had just recovered was back down to twenty percent.
Zhuang He collapsed to a sitting position on the floor. It was the first time he had ever been in such a disheveled state. A 3S-grade Sentinel losing control was truly too terrifying.
On second thought, he realized that from now on, Lu Yin was destined to be unable to receive soothing from any lower-grade Guides. It had to be someone of the same grade or higher.
This practically sentenced Lu Yin to being soothed only by Zhuang He, which gave the latter a bit of a headache.
He and Lu Yin had to be bound together. If Lu Yin successfully graduated and joined the military, Zhuang He would have to go on missions with him.
This kind of mandatory binding made Zhuang He dissatisfied, yet he also felt it would be a pity to watch such a powerful Sentinel lose control and collapse.
After much thought, he decided to let nature take its course. For now, the focus was on waking Lu Yin.
＊
Lu Yin didn’t know where he was. He felt as if he had had a very, very long dream, the contents of which he could no longer remember clearly.
Listening to the calls one after another by his ear, he slowly opened his blurred eyes.
With one glance, he realized he was in a strange place.
During this period, due to Zhuang He’s high-pressure training, he had become particularly sensitive to changes in his environment. So as soon as he opened his eyes, he grew alert. This was a very unfamiliar place.
He suddenly sat up, only to realize he was lying on the floor.
He surveyed his surroundings and finally saw a familiar person.
“Teacher?!”
Lu Yin was surprised. What entered his sight was a pair of long, straight legs. Black trousers outlined a perfect leg shape very beautifully. Looking up, there was the all-too-familiar physique and a beautiful face.
Why is Teacher here? And… what was my last memory?
It seemed a Guide was trying to soothe him, but he was very resistant to that spiritual power. He had to try hard to accept it, though, because it was the training Zhuang He had requested.
What happened next? He didn’t remember anything after that.
There were only some traces of a burning, unbearable feeling left in his body, but he was conscious now.
“Are you alright?”
Zhuang He looked down at him and reached out a hand to pull him up.
“I’m okay now. Teacher, what happened to me?”
Lu Yin stood up with the help of Zhuang He’s hand. The palm was very warm and the grip strong. When their hands were interlaced, the soft touch made Lu Yin’s mind wander. For a moment, he didn’t even want to let go.
“You had some rejection toward the other Guide’s soothing. Your spiritual power became disordered, and your mental sea collapsed.”
Lu Yin’s eyes widened in disbelief. He had no memory of this at all.
“I… I don’t remember anything. I only remember someone wanting to soothe me.”
“Mhm. Rest first.”
Lu Yin sat on the sofa, looked at the house, and asked curiously, “Teacher, is this your home?”
“Mhm. Have some water.”
Zhuang He handed him a glass of water, and the two sat side by side on the sofa.
“I’m sorry, Teacher. I didn’t think the rejection would be so severe.”
Although Lu Yin didn’t know what had happened during his memory loss, he could see that Zhuang He looked somewhat unwell. The exhaustion in his eyes was almost overflowing. He must have labored for a long time on his account.
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. This is our first time encountering a 3S Sentinel; we didn’t expect the rejection reaction to be this great.”
Lu Yin still had an apologetic look. His expression shifted upon hearing Zhuang He’s words, and he then asked, “Rejection toward a Guide’s soothing? What about Teacher?”
“I’m also a 3S-grade. Fortunately, you don’t reject me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to do.”
Zhuang He rubbed his brow and said tiredly, “Your situation is a bit complex. If you go on missions in the future, it’s possible only I can provide the soothing.”
His tone carried a bit of regret, but Lu Yin felt very happy upon hearing it. With an intentional cough, Lu Yin suppressed the smile at the corners of his mouth and asked, “Does that mean I can only be bound to Teacher?”
The thought of being bound to Zhuang He pushed all other messy thoughts to the back of his mind. He was filled with the idea of going on missions together; only the other could soothe him. Like a beast on a chain, he felt no dissatisfaction with the idea of being imprisoned—only excitement.
Lu Yin felt this line of thought was wrong and tried to say in a regretful tone, “Will Teacher think I’m a burden?”
“I wouldn’t go that far. It might just be more troublesome. Let me think.”
Zhuang He pondered. Lu Yin looked at his profile and suddenly remembered something. “By the way, didn’t Teacher give me a necklace last time? Can that be used?”
“Mhm… that necklace can’t hold much spiritual power… but it should be enough for daily use. Once you officially join the military, we’ll think of something else.”
It seemed there was no other way besides the necklace. Zhuang He had a bit of a headache. It was inevitable for a Sentinel to reject mandatory binding. Right now, because Lu Yin was his student, he was quite dependent on him and didn’t seem to reject it much. But later, once he matured, it would be hard to say.
But again, there was no better way for now; they could only let nature take its course.
Lu Yin was currently unaware of Zhuang He’s worries, immersed as he was in a series of vivid fantasies.
Lu Yin immediately stood up and said, “I’ll go back to the dorm to get the necklace.”
But as soon as he stood up, he felt a wave of dizziness. He swayed and nearly fell to the floor. Zhuang He immediately rose and supported him.
“Are you alright? Don’t rush. It’s fine to head back later.”
Lu Yin sat back down in the chair dizzily. “Okay. I’m fine, I’m fine.”
“Just rest properly first. Do you have classes tomorrow?”
“No classes.”
Zhuang He nodded. “Then just rest for the day.”
Lu Yin felt that he was indeed a bit weak, so he followed the suggestion and stayed at Zhuang He’s house.
“Teacher, do you live alone?”
Hearing this, Zhuang He remembered the kitten he had forgotten and hurried to restart its system.
As the system started, the kitten’s mechanical eyes lit up immediately. It meowed and meowed at Zhuang He, appearing very dissatisfied.
“There, there. My fault, my fault.”
Zhuang He picked up the kitten and apologized to it in a gentle voice. Lu Yin, listening to such a gentle tone from behind, walked over curiously.
The moment the kitten saw Lu Yin, its fur stood on end. It let out low growls and terrifying hisses at him.
Zhuang He was startled. The butler-cat was, after all, a mechanical product; it shouldn’t have such strong aggression toward strangers. It hadn’t reacted this way when Shi Yan and the others visited.
He released the kitten. It jumped from his arms and dashed into the kitchen to hide, its furry ears pinned back in a fierce display.
“Strange. He usually isn’t aggressive.”
Lu Yin was also puzzled. He had never had a pet, and he had never encountered a mechanical kitten like this. He didn’t know if he was liked by animals.
But then he thought—this kitten was Zhuang He’s pet. If he couldn’t get on its good side…
Lu Yin crouched down and made clicking sounds toward the kitten, which made Zhuang He chuckle.
Surprisingly, the kitten’s hisses actually began to weaken slowly. It took hesitant steps on its paw-pads toward Lu Yin.
“Teacher, what’s the kitten’s name?”
Zhuang He paused. “I haven’t given it a name.”
“Huh?” Lu Yin turned to look at him in surprise. “No name? Then how do you call it?”
“Cough. It’s a mechanical cat in butler mode. You don’t need to call it for it to know what to do.”
Zhuang He felt a bit guilty. He really hadn’t thought that much about it. When he initially bought the kitten, it was because his friends all said he needed companionship. He had been very resistant at first, but later he found having a butler-cat that helped take care of the house was quite nice.
By now, he and the kitten were like family.
“Then Teacher should give it a name. Do you want a name?”
Lu Yin smiled as he picked up the kitten, which was tentatively approaching him, and stroked its soft fur.
The kitten felt comfortable under his touch and let out a soft, dainty meow.
“Teacher?”
Zhuang He leaned against the back of the sofa with his arms crossed, thinking for a moment. He really had no ideas. “You name it. I have no thoughts on the matter.”
Lu Yin’s eyes lit up. The butler-cat belonged to Zhuang He, yet he was being allowed to name it. Didn’t that mean he was being allowed to participate in this home?
He held the kitten up high and thought for a while before asking, “Do you have a name you like?”
The electrical current in the kitten’s eyes flickered for a moment, and a mechanical voice spoke: “Coffee.”
“Coffee?” Lu Yin was a bit surprised. “Do you like that name?”
Zhuang He was also stunned for a moment, then gave a helpless laugh. “There was a period when I had it prepare coffee for me every morning.”
“I see. Then we’ll call you Coffee.”
Lu Yin bounced the kitten a few times and buried his face in its furry chest for a deep sniff.
Coffee meowed a few more times, very satisfied with the name.
Since an agreement had been reached, Coffee no longer hissed at Lu Yin. For a while, the two humans and the cat were quite harmonious.
Zhuang He checked the time and said, “It’s very late. Stay for dinner.”
Lu Yin was overwhelmed by the favor. “Won’t it be too much trouble for Teacher?”
Zhuang He shook his head and asked what he wanted to eat. Lu Yin thought for a bit and named a few dishes he had eaten at the canteen last time. Then he saw Coffee break free from Lu Yin’s arms and dash into the kitchen. Soon, the mechanical arms started up, busily preparing dinner.
“This is so convenient,” Lu Yin marveled. He had grown up on a wandering planet where the lifestyle was very primitive. Even his light-brain was a gift from the Academy after he took the Empire’s free test.
Zhuang He knew he had lived a hard life and couldn’t help but feel a bit of pity. “If there’s anything you want to eat, just tell Coffee directly.”
“Okay. It seems Coffee is really amazing!”
Coffee walked in front of the two with its tail held high and head held up, seemingly having heard Lu Yin’s praise.
Lu Yin found it fun and praised it a few more times, making Coffee’s tail rise even higher.
Zhuang He also found it novel. It was his first time discovering his kitten had this kind of hobby.
The two sat on the sofa. Lu Yin suddenly realized—why were his trousers different?
“Teacher, did my pants get changed?”
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