Intern Incubus Chapter 28: Why Don’t You Use Charm?

Chapter 28: Why Don’t You Use Charm?

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Kiramekineko

 

Qiao Xi had always respected and feared his mentor, the Dean of the Demon Academy, Evans. Unless it was a real emergency, Qiao Xi would try not to bother him.

But now, it’s an emergency, right?

Qiao Xi looked at the broken Guidebook in his hand and sighed.

After he found that the [Guidebook] did not display the Capture Value, he tried to write a few lines at the back, but the [Guidebook] did not respond at all, no letters floating, no hints.

Qiao Xi was finally sure that this [Guidebook] was broken.

Qiao Xi scratched his head helplessly, put the [Guidebook] aside, and fished out a small “cell phone” from the deepest part of the drawer.

This “cell phone” had only one purpose: to talk to his mentor.

After Qiao Xi finished his current situation as clearly as possible, Evans’ voice rang out, “Intern student Qiao Xi, your problem is clear to me. 10 minutes later, I will meet with you.”

Qiao Xi shivered and stood motionless on the edge of the sofa, staring at the center of the living room.

About ten minutes later, a black vortex appeared in the air.

The vortex slowly expanded, and gradually, the starlight inside could be seen.

This starlight gave Qiao Xi a feeling of nostalgia—that was the sky of the Demon World. The black, velvety sky, dotted with countless dazzling stars.

But he soon came out of the warm feeling and looked at his mentor who came out of the void with a serious face.

According to human standards, Evans looked just twenty-five or twenty-six years old, a pair of narrow eyes, the end of the eyes slightly upturned.

He looked at his “best student” and asked directly, “Where is the [Guidebook]?

Qiao Xi hurriedly handed it over with both hands.

Evans took it, flipped through it, and concluded, “[Guidebook] is overloaded with information and is broken.”

“Huh?” Qiao Xi had a black face.

Evans didn’t intend to spend too much time on this topic, but stared at Qiao Xi, his nose flaring. “This outfit of yours?”

“Ah, this, Han Tian, is what my prey gave me.” Although Qiao Xi tried his best to conceal it, there was still a hidden joy in his voice.

“Mn, as expected of an absolutely pure soul, even the clothes that pass through his hands are tainted with a unique flavor,” Evans said thoughtfully.

Qiao Xi took this as a compliment and gave a proud smile.

Glancing at Qiao Xi’s smile, Evans sat down on the sofa. “Well, I know everything from the [Guidebook]. Specifically, what stage of prey capture has been reached and what problems have arisen?”

After omitting some unnecessary information—such as he actually shed tears at the prey, such as he almost forgot what his mission was, etc.—he explained to his mentor, one by one..

“So,” Qiao Xi said with a few tones of review, “I didn’t find out his true identity at first and tried to tempt him with money, and as a result…made a mistake.”

“Didn’t discover his ‘true identity’?” Evans repeated his words, a smirk flickering on his face.

“Well,” Qiao Xi was very ashamed, “I really thought he was a poor student… Actually, he is a doctor in a private hospital, a professor at Medical College, and he doesn’t lack money at all to be tempted by money.”

“Mn.” Evans gestured with his eyes for Qiao Xi to continue.

“And then… His Excellency the Dean, these days, his attitude towards me, is very strange. I don’t know if the entrapment was hindered, and now that [Guidebook] is broken, I don’t even know what the Capture Value really is anymore…” Qiao Xi was both ashamed and bereft.

“Give me your phone,” Evans ordered.

“Cell phone?” Although Qiao Xi was a little confused, he was still busy presenting the Demon World’s special communicator with both hands.

“Not this one. A human cell phone,” Evans frowned slightly.

Qiao Xi hurriedly took out the phone from his trouser pocket and handed it over.

Evans did not even unlock the screen, directly tapped on it, and then returned it to Qiao Xi.

“This is…?” Qiao Xi asked in confusion.

“Installed an app for you,” Evans said, “I will recycle [Guidebook], this app works like [Guidebook], it can monitor Capture Value.”

“So good! Wow, it looks like the Academy’s engineers are great!” Qiao Xi looked at a new small icon that appeared on it and praised it heartily, but didn’t really want to check the Capture Value in front of his tutor.

“Open it,” Evans said.

“Oh…” Qiao Xi could only obediently click on the small icon that was made to look like a book.

The interface was not much different from the [Guidebook]; it seemed to be a digital version of the [Guidebook].

Well, Capture Value…

Huh? [2–59]?

Isn’t Capture Value supposed to be an exact number?

Qiao Xi raised his head and looked at his mentor in amazement.

“It seems that your prey is struggling a lot.” Evans glanced at the same value in the program and commented.

“Your Excellency Dean, what exactly does this mean?” Qiao Xi had a blank look in his eyes.

“It means that during this period of time, the prey’s Capture Value was fluctuating violently and constantly. The lowest is 2 and the highest is 59. In other words, your mission swings from side to side between complete failure and immediate success,” Evans explained.

“Ah, does this, does this, does this mean that my mission, will, will fail…?” Qiao Xi’s face turned white at the thought of the possible consequences of failure, such as being turned into a minotaur or something.

“That’s not true. It just shows that you need to use more skills in order to completely subjugate your prey and make his Capture Value stop swinging and stabilize,” Evans said with conviction.

“More skills?” Qiao Xi scratched his head and said bitterly, “But, Your Excellency, among the seduction skills, I only know ‘Temptation of Money’, which is no longer a good move.”

Evans didn’t reply, just raised his eyebrows.

Qiao Xi continued stiffly, “According to my observation, my prey likes to take care of people and likes to make them accept his good intentions. Other than continuing to satisfy this hobby of his, I really can’t think of any other way…”

“Continue to satisfy this need of his to ‘take care of people’, this is exactly the right way, you can keep it up,” Evans affirmed. “However, not quite enough.”

“Intern student, have you ever thought that although you said in your thesis that you want to discard charm, but this oldest art, there is a necessary reason for its existence?” Looking at Qiao Xi, who looked distressed, Evans once again hid the smile at the corner of his mouth and guided him up.

“Eh?” Hearing the word “charm”, Qiao Xi became even more flustered. “No, no, Your Excellency, this, this, I really don’t know… If I use this, I might expose my identity, no, no, I really can’t…”

“Intern student Qiao Xi!” Evans’ tone sank and scared Qiao Xi into immediate silence.

“Charm art is a very complicated art. If you are worried that you can’t use the highest level, you can also start with the beginner charm technique,” Evans said.

“Beginner?” Qiao Xi froze. “How come I never knew that there was a beginner level for charm technique…?”

Superior Qiao Xi was sure that all the seduction techniques he had learned were based on physical seduction and erotic teasing as the basis for initiation, so where was the difference between advanced and beginner?

“Heh,” Evans sneered, “you are not good at learning the art, intern student.”

Being bluffed by Evans, Qiao Xi suddenly did not dare to ask more questions, while secretly wondering if he had really missed something.

“Beginner charm does not need such close physical contact, as long as the two sides spend as much time together as possible, and have some moderate intimate behavior, it is enough to launch,” Evans said in a serious manner.

“…Ah?” Qiao Xi was even more confused, “Extend the time together as much as possible…? Moderate… Intimacy? But how exactly does that work?”

“Tsk,” Evans’ face showed some discontent. “What, this kind of elementary questions, and you still need me to help you answer, intern student?”

Qiao Xi shook his head desperately. “No, no, no, Your Excellency, I will figure out the solution myself! Don’t worry!”

Evans nodded in satisfaction. “Very well.”

After taking a few deep breaths to embolden himself, Qiao Xi finally spoke in a shaky voice, “Your Excellency, I have a request.”

“Oh?”

“That is, if the Soul Capture Value of the prey reaches 60, can I choose myself and let him keep his soul instead of offering it to me?” Qiao Xi felt his throat was a little dry.

“…” Evans stood up and gazed at Qiao Xi’s face without moving.

Qiao Xi felt his forehead start to sweat, and involuntarily stood a little straighter.

Evans seemed to laugh low and finally spoke. “No problem.”

“Huh?” The mentor answered so quickly that Qiao Xi was surprised.

“As long as Capture Value is reached, it shows that he is willing to give his soul. As for whether you want to take his soul to make a secret medicine, or let him keep it for himself, it’s all up to you,” Evans said.

“Really?!” Qiao Xi asked in surprise.

“Of course,” Evans said.

Qiao Xi grinned with joy and could not stop smiling, almost forgetting what else he had to say.

It was Evans who asked, “You said you fainted earlier because you were attacked by a black cat?”

“Mn, yes,” Qiao Xi hurriedly answered. “Your Excellency, Han Tian said I would faint because I was allergic to cat hair—I want to ask, is it really normal for me to be hungry one moment, sleepy the next, and have such severe allergies?”

“In the future, when you see a black cat, don’t go near it again,” Evans said. “As for sleepiness and hunger, didn’t [Guidebook] answer you before? This is just your normal reaction to lurking in the earthly realm for a long time, there is nothing to be surprised about.”

“Oh! I see!” Qiao Xi, who had never been a good student, nodded solemnly, without any half-hearted doubt.

“Speaking of black cats, I have one more question…” Qiao Xi asked the question good-naturedly, just short of raising her hand, “After I was scratched by this black cat, it seems that, unconsciously, the wings were exposed—why is that?”

“Were you seen?” Evans’ sharp gaze swept over.

Qiao Xi was shocked and hurriedly explained, “No, no, don’t worry, my identity was not exposed, and then the wings retracted on their own. It’s just that the clothes are torn.”

“You just said that the day before you met the black cat, you used demon power on humans, and not lightly—this, I think, is the reason why your wings will show,” Evans explained. “You are still in an internship after all, not a true demon, and not differentiated. Suddenly using a large amount of demon power may exceed your body’s load, resulting in an inability to control the changes in your body.”

“!” Qiao Xi’s face changed color and he asked eagerly, “Then isn’t it possible that I could suddenly lose control and change into demon form in front of my prey?”

Evans continued, “However, if you can stop using demon power for 30 days, then your body’s load capacity will gradually recover and you won’t have to worry about losing control.”

“Oh…” Qiao Xi stroked his chest and sighed in relief while bowing his head respectfully. “Thank you, Your Excellency, for your guidance! I have no more problems for now.”

Evans looked at Qiao Xi, who was hanging his head, and said, “Good. Then I will come back to check your progress after a while. In the meantime, you must still keep track of your progress, understand?”

Qiao Xi replied obediently, “Yes, please don’t worry, Your Excellency.”

Evans smiled in satisfaction and took a step towards the foyer himself.

“Your Excellency? Aren’t you going back to the Demon World now?” Qiao Xi followed behind Evans, somewhat curious.

“I,” Evans hooked his lips slightly, as if he was thinking of something very interesting, “I signed a contract with a person. Now, I’m going to make him pay some of the interest first.”

Looking at Evans’ smile, Qiao Xi felt a little cold all over and lowered his head, not daring to ask any more questions.

When the dean finally went out to collect the “interest” from someone, Qiao Xi flopped onto the bed, squeezing the fins of the shark, and began to worry: what exactly do I have to do to activate the charm? Increase contact? But Han Tian and I already seem to have a lot of contact? The right amount of intimacy? Where exactly is this “degree”…?

When he was drifting off to sleep with the baby shark in his arms, a thought popped into his head: If I told Han Tian that the baby shark was lonely lying by himself and wanted to lie with the white whale—so please bring the white whale and lie next to me, would he say yes…

Probably… No way… Really would not…

The more Qiao Xi thought about it, the more sleepy he became, and finally fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, he went to Angel’s Feather, just like before.

Anyway, the cafe had to be visited. The most important thing is that Han Tian said he likes the coffee there, and maybe Han Tian likes to deliver in his apron.

However, Dr. Han was not in the cafe.

Only Sang Sang, sitting alone on the small sofa on the inside, shrunken in the shadows, head down, not even noticing Qiao Xi’s arrival, not knowing what he was thinking.

Qiao Xi felt something strange.

In fact, during the two days in the hospital, Sang Sang sent several messages to Qiao Xi and said he would come to see him in the hospital.

Qiao Xi naturally readily agreed. After all, Sang Sang was one of the few acquaintances he could talk to in the earthly world.

However, later Sang Sang suddenly said that since she had a lot of work to do at the cafe, she didn’t have time to go to the hospital.

A lot of work at the cafe? This Angel’s Feather, which has at most two or three customers a day?

Looking at Sang Sang who was cowering in the shadows, Qiao Xi tied her apron and took the initiative to walk over. “Sang Sang?”

Sang Sang looked up with a start and jumped up from the sofa. “Qiao Xi, you’re back? Yes, you sent a message yesterday that you were coming back. Ah, are you okay?”

Qiao Xi asked suspiciously, “I’m fine—but you, what’s wrong with you? Why are you cowering here?”

Sang Sang squeezed out a smile. “I’m fine, I’m just a little sleepy, so I’m resting here for a while while there are no customers in the morning. Ah, I’ll go fold the napkins, you can rest for a while.”

After saying that, Sang Sang walked out from the shadows and headed for the bar.

It was then that Qiao Xi noticed that Sang Sang was not wearing the uniform skirt of the cafe, but a pair of black, slightly fat pants.

This seemed to be the first time in days that Sang Sang was not wearing a uniform?

Perhaps noticing Qiao Xi’s gaze, Sang Sang’s face was a little embarrassed and she forced a smile, “… I… Is it okay if I don’t wear a uniform once in a while? My boyfriend said… I look better in long pants.”

As the “boss”, Qiao Xi actually did not care whether his only “employee” wore a uniform or not. He just asked curiously, “Oh, so you dress according to your lover’s preference?”

Tsk, it’s true that human “love” is a kind of incomprehensible emotion.

Sang Sang didn’t answer him, but just gave a wandering “hmm”.

This time, Qiao Xi felt strange: before, Sang Sang mentioned her boyfriend, obviously smiling with a very happy look, so why is this performance today, and the previous so different?

He wanted to ask Sang Sang why she answered “yes” so definitely when he asked her “Is Han Tian a medical college student” at the beginning.

However, looking at the other party’s expression, he guessed that Sang Sang would not be too eager to talk.

Thus, most of the day passed in a dull manner.

In the afternoon, Qiao Xi had not yet figured out how to find Han Tian, but Han Tian’s phone call came first.

“Sorry, I’m a little busy today, so I may not have time to cook.” As soon as he came up, Han Tian began to apologize warmly and softly.

Qiao Xi’s heart stung slightly, but her mouth responded with a carefree voice, “It’s okay, Dr. Han is very busy.”

Han Tian seemed to sigh softly and continued, “It’s really an urgent matter today… I should be free tomorrow, and then we can buy food and cook together.” 

“Eh? So, you’ll still come—to cook?” Qiao Xi wanted to say “come to me”, but before he said it, he changed it to “come to cook”.

“Of course,” Han Tian said with certainty, “I just have something to do today. What do you want to eat tomorrow?”

“Well… There doesn’t seem to be anything…” Qiao Xi tried to think. “I’m fine, I love everything you make! —Except for the chili.”

“Okay,” Han Tian laughed on the other end. “So, see you tomorrow.”

“Mn, see you tomorrow.”

After hanging up the phone, Qiao Xi breathed a sigh of relief and thought to himself, Okay, okay, Han Tian’s attitude is not much different from before—it seems that he still has a chance to activate his charm technique.

However, after confirming that Han Tian would not come today, Qiao Xi felt a bit bored and thought that he should just go home, so his eyes started to glance at the wall clock.

Well, it’s almost 7 o’clock.

Although, according to the usual situation, no more customers will come at this hour, but, thinking of Sang Sang’s somewhat downcast and even absent-minded appearance today, Qiao Xi still thought, why not stay here for a while? Maybe Sang Sang will need his help?

As for why he, a demon, would want to help humans, he had unconsciously forgotten about it.

When Qiao Xi was hesitating, Sang Sang spoke up first. “That…. Mr. Qiao Xi, there is nothing to do in the store anyway, why don’t you go back first.”

Qiao Xi looked back at Sang Sang and found that the girl quickly avoided his gaze and hung her head.

Hmm? Strange, Sang Sang used to look into each other’s eyes when talking to people, what’s wrong with her today?

“Oh, I don’t really have anything important to do, so I’m not in a hurry. But Sang Sang, is there something wrong with you?” Qiao Xi recalled the tone of Han Tian’s voice when he asked himself and tried to imitate it.

Unexpectedly, Sang Sang looked up, her face panicked, and even waved her hands haphazardly. “No, no, I am fine, I am fine. You, you should go first. There’s really nothing in the store, I can do it alone.”

Looking at Sang Sang’s eager expression, Qiao Xi was a bit confused: she seemed to really want me to leave right away? Why is that?

Seeing that Qiao Xi did not say anything, Sang Sang’s face almost showed a pleading look. “Mr. Qiao Xi, please, you go first.”

The reason for this is that he couldn’t think of any reason at all, and because Sang Sang was pleading like this, Qiao Xi didn’t say anything more, put away his apron and left the cafe.

As soon as he went out, his eyes were stung by a dazzling white light.

His head twisted, and he reflexively raised his arms to block the white light, while subconsciously trying to activate the power of a demon…

The white light flashed twice and stopped. It changed to a yellow light, flickering regularly.

Qiao Xi rubbed his eyes and looked over at the yellow light.

Tch, this is the big dark blue Buick that came to pick up Sang Sang that day. Just now this car should be at their own far light, and then changed to double flashing lights.

Qiao Xi put back the demon power when he remembered that Evans had told him not to use the demon power within 30 days, otherwise it might get out of control.

What is Sang Sang’s boyfriend’s name again? The one who is tall and strong and smells like seafood—yes, Zheng Tong.

I don’t know, maybe Zheng Tong was just greeting himself, but the way he did it was too rough? You don’t have to use demon power.

Qiao Xi consoled himself with this, held back his inner displeasure and went on his way.

After arriving home, looking at the empty room, he only felt a sense of loss in his heart.

What exactly was Han Tian busy with today? Was there an operation?

He certainly would not guess that Han Tian did not go to the hospital at all today, but appeared in a different capacity, in a place he never expected.