Intern Incubus Chapter 38: Sending You a Little Star

Chapter 38: Sending You a Little Star

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Kiramekineko

 

On the outskirts of the city, somewhere under the cover of a dense forest, in the dark basement of a hundred-year-old castle, there was a humanoid creature lying. The creature twitched and twitched until it finally twisted into an unbelievable angle.

Zheng Tong, or the husk of the man once known as Zheng Tong, his face contorted in pain, struggled to open his eyes. “Cough… Ahem…”

Creak—

The heavy iron door was slowly pulled open from the outside.

A slender man, dressed in fine clothes, carrying a cage in his hand, slowly paced in.

Zheng Tong desperately turned his neck, trying to meet the man’s line of sight, but only got this comment: “This is bounced back? It’s really useless.”

Hearing these words, Zheng Tong’s eyes glared as if they were about to bulge out of their sockets, and his throat buzzed with geekiness, as if he was trying to argue something.

“Oh? You want to try again? Tsk, you can’t even handle the shell of a six-year-old, what else can you do.” The man’s tone was cold.

As if in response to his words, a chilling cat cry, like a scream, like a sneer, came from the cage he was holding.

Zheng Tong struggled, his body writhing on the wet ground, his head shaking, and finally hissed, “He… He’s defensive…”

“Defensive?” The man’s voice trailed off.

“The attack, the attack was bounced off… Otherwise, otherwise, he would have been crushed…” Even though the face was no longer humanoid, the hatred was still clearly visible.

The man looked at him and only smiled coldly, and did not reply.

Zheng Tong crawled a few steps in the man’s direction, raised his arms in a begging pose, and said vaguely, “Next time… Next time… I’ll be sure… I can…”

“Heh.” The man stepped backwards a little, as if not wanting his delicate leather shoes to be touched by the filthy creature.

His right foot stomped rhythmically on the black floor tiles a few times. “Since you’re so persistent, let me see what else this remnant of your soul can be useful for.”

Half an hour later, the man carried the cat cage in his right hand and calmly walked out of the castle. Outside, it had started raining at some point. An autumn rain, from the gap between the leaves of the trees, rolled downward, fine and densely smashed down.

The man stretched out his left hand, which was wearing a black glove, and caught the raindrops.

The rain fell on his palm and still kept the shape of drops, rolling back and forth in the center of the black glove.

“It’s rare to come across a soul this bad, but unfortunately, it’s too unforgiving…” The man muttered to himself, “It seems that in the end, I will have to do it myself… “

It was raining harder, and the sky was becoming more and more overcast, so that one could not tell whether it was morning or night.

Qiao Xi had read from study materials that the continuous sound of rain had a hypnotic effect.

He didn’t really believe it before, but now he actually experienced it.

He was nestled under the soft and warm duvet, listening to the sound of the rain outside, and he was too lazy to get up.

Faintly, he heard a slight noise coming from the kitchen. It was probably Han Tian who was already cooking breakfast.

Han Tian…

Qiao Xi was slightly awake and arched under the blanket, burying his head in it.

Last night, Han Tian’s smile was so meaningful, his eyes so deep, and he whispered in such a compelling tone, saying that he had something he wanted…

At that moment, Qiao Xi’s mind was racing with a thousand horses, from “Ah, is it too late for me to start the charm technique” to, “Will Han Tian not know how to do it? Do you want me to teach him?” to “What about the tail and horns? If I can’t hide them, can I blindfold Han Tian? Oh! Blindfolded!”

As a result, Han Tian said in a gentle manner, “I want to take a day off tomorrow. I was wondering if you could watch a movie with me if you have time this afternoon?”

Huh? That’s it?

Qiao Xi was still struggling with what kind of expression he should use to say yes to Han Tian’s request, whether it should be a haughty smile or a gentle encouragement, and then, this?

The smile that he couldn’t melt away just froze on his face, and finally a few words barely popped out from his teeth: “Sure, okay.”

Then the whole night, Qiao Xi was in a bit of a trance, only two big words in his mind: just, this?

Only now did Qiao Xi come back to his senses.

Hey, what was I thinking?

How could Han Tian make such and such a request? How can his white and flawless heart have other colors?

Unless—he has been trapped by me?

Qiao Xi had a jolt, and was no longer sleepy, so he quickly grabbed his phone from under his pillow and excitedly clicked on the [Guidebook]: 

[Soul Capture Value: 2-59]

The horns of the great demon are as strong and stable as they are unchanged.

Qiao Xi rolled his eyes and tossed his phone away, thinking: I’m living with him, so I must have increased my contact time significantly. Why is there still no sign that the charm technique can be activated? Why is Capture Value still not stabilized?

Qiao Xi lay down on the bed and pressed a pillow against his head, thinking with some chagrin: If there is no more progress, do I have to bother His Excellency the Dean again? Ask him for guidance on how to activate the Elementary Charm Technique?

He rolled around in bed a few more times, not wanting to leave the covers until Han Tian knocked on his door. “Get up and have breakfast.”

Qiao Xi lifted the blanket and stepped onto the floor with his bare feet—and then, after thinking about it, he dutifully put on his slippers and ran out.

Today’s breakfast was cereal with an omelet and waffles. The omelet was topped with finely chopped onions and ham, and the waffle was drizzled with golden honey.

Qiao Xi picked up the waffle with his hand, bit into it while staring at Han Tian, who was looking at his iPad, and asked, “Do you want to watch any movies?”

Han Tian put down the iPad and said slowly, “I’ve chosen a movie that is very exotic and full of straightforward and primitive desires.”

Hearing the words “straightforward and primitive desire”, Qiao Xi’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t hide the excitement on his face, licking his lips and starting to think back to the various “study materials” he had read.

Han Tian seemed not to notice Qiao Xi’s eager eyes and continued, “However, the content may be a little too straightforward and unadorned, I was worried that it might be too shocking for you to accept.”

“No, no,” Qiao Xi said anxiously, almost standing up from the dining chair, “I can accept it! I’ve seen a lot of them! It’s unadorned, and it’s very straightforward! I like it a lot!”

“Oh, that’s good that you like it.” Han Tian breathed a sigh of relief and pushed the iPad in his hand to Qiao Xi, “Mn, I’ve already booked the tickets.”

Qiao Xi excitedly grabbed the iPad and took a look—

Huh-uh?

On the dark blue background was the silhouette of a whale, and the text description next to it read:

[Ocean, a documentary film that truly shows marine life, a touching hymn to nature.]

Qiao Xi, clutching the iPad in his hand, looked up sluggishly. “You said… The impact is too great… Is that what you mean?”

“Yeah.” Han Tian’s face was righteous. “There are sharks feeding and whales mating, it’s very straightforward and very primitive.”

Qiao Xi held his hand on his forehead and pushed the iPad back to Han Tian in silence.

“Hmm?” Han Tian seemed puzzled. “You… don’t like it?”

“…” Qiao Xi squeezed his cheeks with his palm towards the middle and tried to squeeze out an expression that looked less disappointed. “No. Like it.”

“That’s good.”

Looking at Han Tian’s satisfied expression, Qiao Xi once again felt that his heart must be too dirty and too heavy in color.

After breakfast, Han Tian said, “I’ll go to the neurological hospital later, do you want to wait for me at home or go to the cafe?”

Qiao Xi, who was wiping the leaves of the indoor bonsai, turned his head and said curiously, “Neurological hospital? Are you going to visit Xiao Guang?”

Han Tian turned on the dishwasher, came out of the kitchen and said, “Yes. The surgery last night should be a success, so I’ll go see him.”

Qiao Xi stood up with an open brow. “I want to go too.”

Han Tian frowned slightly. “The caretaker and the others should also be there. Aren’t you afraid that those people will speak ill of you again?”

Qiao Xi shook his head. “What’s there to be afraid of? Didn’t they also apologize yesterday? And… Xiao Guang’s sudden illness is already pathetic, so why should I care about what he said when he was sick?”

“Besides,” Qiao Xi said firmly after a few seconds’ pause, “besides, the most important thing is that what he said, I didn’t do at all. And—I’m sure you’ll believe me.”

The last sentence sounded a bit strange at first, but Han Tian did not pursue it.

He just looked at Qiao Xi steadily and said very slowly, “I also believe that you will believe me.”

Hmm?

This sentence was a little too roundabout, Qiao Xi subconsciously moved his fingers and began to count the number of “believe”. The more he counted, the more confused he became, and finally he could only look at Han Tian blankly, with a big question mark in his eyes.

Han Tian laughed, rubbed his hair, and said, “Stop twiddling your thumbs. Change your clothes and go out.”

Xiao Guang, who had just undergone surgery, had not yet awakened from the anesthesia and was lying quietly on the hospital bed, his face pale.

Qiao Xi looked at the tiny child, feeling sorry for him, but on the other hand, he couldn’t help but think of the child’s strange expression yesterday and the completely unexplained false accusation.

“Qiao Xi.” Han Tian, who had just finished talking with the attending doctor, came up behind him silently.

Qiao Xi hurriedly turned around and said, “Huh?”

“I forgot to ask yesterday, besides talking nonsense and falling down, what else is very strange about Xiao Guang?” Han Tian asked.

“Strange…” Qiao Xi thought for a moment and said, “The expression. The expression is very strange. It just doesn’t feel like a child at all. In addition…”

Another thing that was strange was the sudden smell on Xiao Guang’s body.

However, how to tell Han Tian about this?

Looking at Qiao Xi’s indecisive look, Han Tian said gently, “No hurry, think slowly. Don’t worry, I will believe whatever you say.”

Encouraged by this, Qiao Xi gritted his teeth and finally spoke up: “It’s just that he smells strange.”

“Smell?” Han Tian asked rhetorically.

“Um… Actually, I have a very good nose.” Qiao Xi frowned and had no choice but to start making things up. “I can smell a lot of people. For example, you are very sweet and sugary. Then, some people, it will be more smelly.”

“Oh?” Han Tian did not seem surprised, and then asked, “What about Xiao Guang? Is it also smelly?”

Qiao Xi shook his head. “No. It’s not a stench. Not stinky, but… It’s a little fishy, very strange.”

Han Tian raised his eyebrows and said, “Think carefully, have you ever smelled this kind of smell before? For example, the cat that scratched you before?”

Qiao Xi thought about it and said confusedly, “If you say so, it seems that scum Zheng Tong, he smells like this?”

Uhhh, what kind of weird coincidence is that?

…Or is it not a coincidence at all?

Qiao Xi shuddered.

“Zheng Tong?” Han Tian was a little surprised, but didn’t question anything, instead he held his chin, stared at Xiao Guang on the hospital bed, and pondered.

When the two of them came out of the hospital, the sky, which was looking like it was going to clear up, started raining again.

The hospital’s parking lot was open to the public, and in order to walk there one had to walk through the rain.

Han Tian looked at the rain and held up an umbrella with his right hand and wrapped his left arm around Qiao Xi, saying calmly, “Stay close, don’t get wet.”

Being held so close to walk, Qiao Xi found himself a little unsure of how to move his legs, feeling that he would either trip over himself or bump into Han Tian.

This feeling was really something… This feeling is really… uncomfortable.

However, Han Tian looked natural and his handsome side face was not half embarrassed.

When they returned to the car, Han Tian remembered something and casually asked, “Did you just say that I smell sweet?”

Uh?

Qiao Xi was shocked and realized that he had said everything he shouldn’t have said.

However, he could not deny it at this point, so he could only say, “Yes, it is sweet.” At the same time, his heart was in a panic, not knowing how to explain the past.

“Oh.” Han Tian said to himself with a very academic and serious expression, “I guess it’s the scent of shampoo or shower gel.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Qiao Xi instantly felt that he had caught a lifeline and hurriedly followed Han Tian’s words. “It must be the shampoo and body wash you use, they both smell too good!”

” Hmm…” Han Tian looked at him thoughtfully, while slightly peeking down the right side of his body, sniffing lightly, and immediately sitting up straight again, saying, “No wonder. We are using the same shampoo and shower gel, so you are also very sweet and sugary.”

Qiao Xi once again stiffened in his seat, his hands clutching his seat belt, his ears burning red, and muttered in a low voice, “I’m not… I… No…”

I have no such thing as a soul, so how can I give off the aroma of a soul?

Han Tian held back his laughter, coughed lightly and said, “By the way, spread your hands.”

Qiao Xi raised his head and looked puzzled, but still obediently stretched out his left hand.

Han Tian put his right hand over it, paused for a few seconds, and then slowly withdrew it.

“This is…!” Qiao Xi’s eyes widened.

In his left hand, a small, radiant star appeared, tied with a thin silver thread, obviously a unique pendant.

Qiao Xi carefully withdrew his hand, picked up the silver thread, and let the star spin around in the air a few times.

For the little demon in the Demon World often used ores to replenish magic energy, it was the simplest thing to identify the variety of a piece of ore.

However, this small star, more shiny than diamonds, more transparent than crystal, Qiao Xi completely could not see, in the end, what kind of material it was made of.

“As I said yesterday, make up for the little star you received.” Han Tian’s face was more gentle than the moon in early autumn. “This time, wear it well, don’t lose it again.”