Plant Tamer Chapter 24: Weaknesses

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: GaeaTiamat

 

Xie Sen was stunned by his own thoughts, and he also felt that he was mentally ill. How could he have such inexplicable thoughts about a man? As the same sex, shouldn’t they be comparing each other and being envious and jealous? No, he’s not sick, it’s all the other guy’s fault for being too good looking!

“You can’t leave my sight now.” Maine said, and pulled him to the edge of the bed to get him further away from the door.

As soon as he let go, Xie Sen immediately turned around and reached out his right hand to grab his wrist, a hand that would definitely change his pants if it was free.

Xie Sen thought about the difference in their strength, and was afraid that Maine would break free, so he reached out with his left hand and grabbed his arm, and held it with both hands together.

He tilted his head. He and Maine looked at each other. He was determined not to look below his chin, and said with a sincere face, “I’ve thought about it since I jumped off the building. I’m in a very good state mentally, full of sunshine. I’m living a very happy life, no suicidal thoughts.” He tried to explain, “Yesterday’s fall was an accident. I had cramps when I got up and I wasn’t going to take the medicine I just took out.”

Maine looked at his face. His eyes were open and he let him look at them. His eyes didn’t blink. He didn’t feel guilty at all.

“Why did you bring it out, if you weren’t going to take it?” Maine asked.

Xie Sen had been searching for something to say while he was undressing, and had been prepared for him to ask this question. “I was wondering if this medicine could be used for my contract beast.” He said it quickly to make the words more convincing. “My contract beast is a bit different. It’s a mimetic beast. Recently it has been simulating a chili pepper bush, exactly like a plant. Since this kind of antiseptic is for animals, I’m not sure if it can be used. It’s too striking in its current form, and the care center is too crowded, so I brought the medicine back on purpose.”

Maine tapped his chin with his hand. “Let go. Why didn’t you say so before?”

The moment Maine grabbed his hand, he was stunned and panicked. How could he find a suitable reason so quickly?

He let go of Maine’s hand, and was relieved to see Maine was buttoning up his pajamas again. “I’m going to my room to rest.”

“Wait,” Maine called out to him. “Can I see your contract beast? The spicy jerky we ate today. Is that spicy flavor the flavor of chili peppers?”

Xie Sen’s heart thudded. If he answered yes, then how would explain where the chili pepper came from?

Maine was too quick to think of the chili pepper bush. Even if a mimetic beast was disguised as a plant, producing edibles was an absolutely impossible result. It was equivalent to admitting that his contract beast was an actual chili pepper bush.

His contract beast was a plant, and his explanation for the germicidal medicine wouldn’t make sense again.

Xie Sen lamented in his heart, and rubbed his face. To lie or something, it was really too annoying.

“Is it difficult to say?” Maine was very understanding when he saw him like this.

Xie Sen raised a smile, and put a hand on his shoulder. “You’re very kind, brother. Some things aren’t easy to say. Seeing is different than saying. Everyone has something difficult to say. Even you have kept a secret from me twice!”

Maine’s eyes moved slightly. He thought of the post he had read, and his heart had a vague suspicion. “I kept it a secret for your own good. In a few days you will know.”

Xie Sen didn’t understand. “Why a few days?” He was shocked. Could it be that Maine had silenced a person and the body would be found by the police in a few days?

Maine, unaware that Xie Sen suspected him of murder, replied, “All the university exams will be over tomorrow, and as usual, the league will be in a week.”

By saying this, he was already telling what he wanted to keep secret. He expected Xie Sen to look puzzled, but what he saw was a more puzzled face.

“What league?” Xie Sen didn’t understand.

Maine inclined his head to look at him, and thought about how he’d asked him about his name. At that time, he thought that the previous Xie Sen was too self-absorbed to pay attention to the information of the school, but now it seemed that there was another reason.

Xie Sen looked puzzled by his expression. “What’s wrong?”

Maine asked, “Have you…Did you forget a lot of things?”

When he asked that, Xie Sen knew that this league should be a point of common knowledge. He didn’t hide it, and nodded. “Mn. I only remember the big events that happened at home. I don’t remember a lot of things about school.”

In the diary of his predecessor, there was too little about school. If there was, it only mentioned ‘they,’ and the content was only ‘teasing me.’ No other activities were mentioned.

Maine frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me? You don’t know anything, and you might be in danger.”

Xie Sen laughed, and thought about how he had said, “I don’t have friends or a brother.” However, he acted and behaved just like a brother, and wasn’t able to help worrying about him.

“Still laughing?” Maine scolded in a low voice.

Xie Sen smiled more. “You care about me, and treat me as a friend. I’m happy!”

Maine frowned, and removed his hand from his shoulder. He took a few steps back to lean against the closet. “Get out.”

Xie Sen looked at his hand and laughed. Why was this person so childish? “Hey, your attitude before and after is too obvious, right?”

Maine said, “Talk to me less in the future.” Since he would find other friends, he would leave. He didn’t want such friends.

Xie Sen was helpless. “You haven’t told me what the league is yet.”

Maine stared at him in silence for a moment, then answered, “Every year, about a week after the graduation exams of all the universities in Star City, the Ministry of Education, together with the military, jointly holds a league for college graduates. Those who pass the exams will be given permission to leave the city, and the top three will be rewarded richly.”

“Permission to leave the city?”

“Outside Star City is the wild forest, and beasts are rampant. In order to ensure the safety of citizens, one of the conditions is that people who leave the city must have permission to leave the city.”

“Will you also participate?” Xie Sen asked.

“Mn,” Maine nodded. “Go get some rest. All the graduates should get the message tomorrow.”

Xie Sen walked to the door of the room, thought about it and turned back to say seriously, “Maine, everyone has many friends in their life. Some close and some casual, those friends aren’t the only ones.”

After he finished preparing to leave, he heard Maine ask behind him, “What is there only one of?”

Xie Sen tilted his head and thought. “Probably husband and wife. Mate, I guess.”

Maine looked at the closed door of the room and sneered, “Mate?”

Xie Sen went to his room, summoned the chili pepper bush, and trained it before he took a shower and went to bed. He woke up thirsty in the middle of the night. He rubbed his eyes, turned on the light, and put on his shoes while he reminded himself to eat less spicy jerky for dinner in the future.

He also remembered Maine’s light sleep. Worried about disturbing him, he gently pushed open the door.

He froze for a moment. He had expected it to be dark, but the living room was as bright as day.

Did he forget to turn off the lights?

He poured a glass of water, and after drinking it, he turned off the living room light, but found that the kitchen light was also on. He turned the living room light back on, went to turn off the kitchen light first, and then the living room light.

Just before he pressed the switch, a scolding voice came from Maine’s door, “What are you doing?”

His voice was cold and harsh. It appeared suddenly in the silent night, and startled Xie Sen. His hand jerked and pressed the switch. “Snap,” the living room lit up again.

Xie Sen immediately saw Maine was standing in the doorway of the room with a dark expression. His face was white, and his eyes were cold.

“I’m thirsty for water.” When Maine was like this, he and the villain boss in the book were similar. Xie Sen felt alarmed. “Sorry, did I wake you up?”

Maine rubbed his brow, and looked much more relaxed. “Nothing. I was thirsty for water too.”

Xie Sen didn’t quite understand his strong reaction before and smiled. “The taste of spicy jerky is too heavy. You should eat less for dinner in the future. I’m going to sleep first. Don’t forget to turn off the lights later. I just came out and the lights were on.”

Maine glanced at him, and nodded.

Xie Sen returned to his room. He was thinking about Maine’s reaction before, and felt uneasy. In connection with the blood and wounds on his body, he couldn’t help thinking about it.

The wound was long and thin, not like an artificial blade, but like a sharp claw scratch. Could it be that Maine had been in contact with the beasts?

He tossed and turned, but couldn’t sleep at all. Instead he felt thirsty again. He simply got up and went to the living room. The living room light was still on, and the kitchen light was also on.

Could it be that Maine was hungry in the middle of the night, and was making food in the kitchen?

Xie Sen walked into the kitchen, but Maine wasn’t there.

The light in the living room might have been left on, but what about the light in the kitchen? There was no need to go into the kitchen to drink water.

Xie Sen poured a glass of water, and suddenly thought of the first time he lived here. When he woke up in the middle of the night, the light in the room was also on.

Come to think of it, when Maine was scolding him earlier, he was…turning off the light.

It suddenly dawned on Xie Sen that Maine was afraid of the dark!

Somehow, when he learned of Maine’s weakness, Xie Sen was relieved. After he drank some water, he went straight to his room and slept until morning.

When he washed up and left the room, the lights in the living room and kitchen had been turned off at some point, but Maine hadn’t gotten up yet.

Xie Sen was a bit amused. Could it be that Maine was worried that he knew he was afraid of the dark, so he purposely got up early and turned off the lights? He made breakfast before Maine came out of the bedroom, then he raised his smile and waved at him. “Good morning. Come and have breakfast.”

Maine answered lightly. Xie Sen looked at the 1 Energy prompt in front of him, and his smile grew even wider.

At noon that day, Xie Sen was about to take a lunch break after he ate when he received a message from the Ministry of Education. A unified message was sent, [This year’s graduate college league will be held on April 8, see the attachment for details.]

Xie Sen opened the attachment, and looked at it carefully.

The course was two days and one night, while the venue was Yu Chu Island, a lagoon island in the wild forest near the city. The competition was simple. All participants started together from one end of the island and had to make it to the other side of the island to finish. They would be ranked by the time spent getting there.

Each participant could give up the race at any time. In case of danger, as long as they decided to give up, they would be immediately accompanied by military personnel who would come to their rescue.

This was followed by a note, [Participants are free to form teams, with a maximum of four people per team. They can reasonably set up obstacles for their opponents during the race, but cannot commit illegal acts.]

Finally was the reward description, [First place: Each team member rewarded the same level of contract space buckle as their contract beast, cash award one person 50,000.]

[Second place: Each team member awarded Gold Medal Care Center annual card, cash reward one person 30,000.]

[Third place: Each team member will be awarded ten pounds of cabbage, cash reward one person 20,000.]

[In addition: All those who pass will be granted permission to leave the city.]

Xie Sen looked at the third place award and silently gulped. He wanted to eat kimchi!