Stop Thinking Chapter 38: Extra 1: Campus

Chapter 38: Extra 1: Campus

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

The mecha training ground was crowded, with students from the sophomore to senior years of the mecha piloting department filling the bleachers so tightly that even a mosquito would have trouble flying through without breaking its legs. In the arena were two small instructional mechas, one black and one blue. The black one had just been flung out, lying forlornly at the edge of the field, resembling a pile of industrial waste, while the other stood quietly in the center, its blue shield without a scratch.

The blunt training steel sword struck the battered shield of the black mecha, emphasizing two points repeatedly highlighted in prior combat training. 

“Pay attention next time,” a low, cold voice commanded through the speakers. “Get up.” 

The driver inside the black mecha, a senior in the mecha piloting department, had his mind pounded by Gu Xiuhan during the brief five-minute combat exercise, feeling as if his brain had been thoroughly knocked around. He struggled to get up, his face swollen and bruised, doubting life as he crawled.

As one of the top three higher education institutions in the empire, the Military Academy under the Imperial University had always enjoyed teaching resources that made other military academies envious. Guest lecturers from high-ranking officers who occasionally came to teach at the Military Academy were not uncommon. But to invite someone of Gu Xiuhan’s caliber to guide the students of the mecha piloting department was something even the school wouldn’t have dared to dream of in the past.

Some bold freshmen even skipped their military training and sneaked over to watch Gu Xiuhan’s class. Gu Xiuhan’s teaching style reflected his own aloof demeanor—no idle chatter, straight to the point, demonstrating practical battlefield skills and maneuvers. In no time, he had smashed three sets of shields, leaving the students both exhilarated and frightened.

Half an hour before the end of class, Ruan Yu slipped into the training ground from the back door behind the bleachers. He hadn’t seen Gu Xiuhan since the beginning of the school year, and it was driving the clingy little fish crazy.

The crowd was too dense for Ruan Yu to squeeze in, so he tiptoed to peer into the training ground. The entrance test for the mecha piloting department was quite rigorous, selecting mostly A-level or above geniuses. The students were tall and sturdy, with an average height close to two meters, forming a solid human wall as far as the eye could see.

Curious about Gu Xiuhan’s teaching style, Ruan Yu maneuvered left and right behind the human wall, attempting to catch a glimpse through the gaps. Initially, he tried to stand on tiptoes with dignity, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t see anything. Growing desperate, he began to jump and push, trying to create some space to peek through.

He wasn’t particularly short; what had these people been eating to grow so tall?!

“Hey, aren’t you…?” A moment ago, a rash boy who had been excitedly shouting suddenly turned shy, his face turning red as he gestured to his companions. “Move, move, make way for him over there.”

“Don’t push! Stop pushing or you’ll break my eggs!” His companion cursed without restraint, then turned around, blushing furiously, and pushed others aside, forcibly creating some precious space for Ruan Yu to pass through.

The students in the mecha piloting department all admired Gu Xiuhan. Even those who didn’t pay attention to celebrity private lives generally knew that the general had a mermaid brother unrelated by blood. Those who were more informed knew Ruan Yu’s full name and that he was no longer just a “brother.” When these rumors were connected to the gossip frenzy that erupted during enrollment, it was clear that Ruan Yu and Admiral Gu’s relationship was far from ordinary. Of course, they were given a “VIP seat”—basically the front row of the bleachers.

Excluding these factors, Ruan Yu was genuinely likable at first glance, making people want to take care of him. The little mermaid wasn’t just pretty enough to attract attention; he was also adorable. So, the “liking” associated with attractiveness only made up a small proportion. After all, harboring inappropriate feelings for someone adorable to a certain extent would arouse a sense of inexplicable guilt. More often, it was like encountering a tender young cat on the street, both feeling flattered and wanting to do something for it, yet also fearing that one’s reaction might scare the kitten, hence desperately trying to hold one’s breath… with a feeling of tender affection.

Considering that communal living shouldn’t cause trouble for others, Ruan Yu had practiced methods to suppress his spiritual fluctuations before coming to school, trying not to affect other living beings in the same room. Otherwise, one could imagine the pleasant and relaxing spiritual fluctuations filling the entire classroom, making both the professor and the students look serene and content, like sunflowers smiling as they taught the class.

And indeed, whether Ruan Yu released his spiritual fluctuations or not, he remained equally likable.

The human wall voluntarily parted, and Ruan Yu, expressing his thanks, made his way to the front, clinging to the railing to look into the arena.

It wasn’t clear whether it was a coincidence or Gu Xiuhan’s unusually keen observation, but as soon as Ruan Yu appeared at the edge of the field, the blue mecha turned its head and stared straight at him.

According to imperial tradition, the new students like Ruan Yu had to undergo a month-long closed military training after enrollment to improve their physical fitness. Everyone had to participate, even the spiritually healing students couldn’t escape.

The empire’s population was mainly composed of humans, with other races of intelligent beings forming a relatively small proportion but still a significant number. Due to the objective differences in physical strength among different races, the training intensity was divided into several levels. The physically weaker mermaids were naturally assigned to the easiest training level. Otherwise, Ruan Yu wouldn’t have finished training so early and come to watch the excitement.

Ruan Yu was wearing the training uniform provided by the school—camouflage short sleeves, combat pants, and mid-calf military boots. He felt confident and sharp, almost ridiculously handsome. However, the truth was, the belt was squeezing him, highlighting a slender section of his waist, making it tempting to reach out and grab, and his face was still rosy from training, with a little sweat like dew on his skin. That wasn’t all; he leaned his arms on the railing, even slightly sticking out his little butt…

It was just at the level that made the blue mecha, controlled by Gu Xiuhan, keep turning its head to look.

Thinking an opportunity had come, a student tentatively approached, only to be swept away by Gu Xiuhan without a second glance. The black mecha landed heavily, becoming a lump of industrial waste, dreams shattered.

As if nothing had happened, Gu Xiuhan didn’t seem to notice Ruan Yu watching him teach.

But in reality…

Some dark and vile fantasies had already begun to spread widely—

The instructional mecha, far from the standard of “Xinghan,” had a narrow and cramped cockpit. Even one person sitting inside wouldn’t call it spacious, let alone squeezing in another person like Ruan Yu.

If one had to mention any advantages, it was the absolute privacy of the cockpit. To ensure combat capability, the mecha was covered with a high-strength metal shell, and the only way to observe the outside world was through screens and cameras. Whatever the driver did inside would be invisible to others.

The screen resolution was so high that the visual effect was no different from looking through glass. Therefore, without closing the screen, the person inside the cockpit would have the illusion that “someone outside could see in.”

It wasn’t hard to imagine Ruan Yu getting nervous, his face sweating, his eyelashes trembling.

The cockpit was too small; the two of them were squeezed, almost unable to move. Ruan Yu’s slender and plump legs awkwardly rested on the control stick, leaving red marks on his calves.

Under normal circumstances, he would have complained and squirmed, but now he behaved unusually obedient. Even if it hurt, he didn’t dare to say a word. He feared that if it took too long, someone might pass by outside the “thin layer of glass” and catch a glimpse of the secrets inside the cockpit. He just wanted to make Gu Xiuhan comfortable as soon as possible and let him go.

To achieve the goal of leaving as soon as possible, Ruan Yu became proactive even in things he usually didn’t like doing.

Including the reciprocity he promised Gu Xiuhan on the treatment chair. His soft and rosy lips were stretched pale by the pressure. His tiny Adam’s apple kept rolling, and he didn’t know what he was swallowing. He would mutter and complain, asking Gu Xiuhan if he was okay, how much longer until he felt better, and other stupid questions, sounding vague and aggrieved, always asking in a low voice.

After enduring such bullying, Ruan Yu cried a lot, and the cockpit was full of little pearls of powder. To avoid revealing anything to the next person who used the mecha, Gu Xiuhan picked up the pearls one by one and wrapped them in tissue, putting them in his pocket.

Such… many imaginations.

After confirming his relationship with Gu Xiuhan, Ruan Yu’s acceptance of intimate contact had been increasing. But the problem was, Gu Xiuhan’s imagination had become increasingly excessive along with it.

Always a bit more than what Ruan Yu could accept. It escalated with time.

As he read more dirty things, Ruan Yu’s relaxed posture gradually became vigilant, his eyebrows furrowing, his body hesitantly leaning backward, wanting to leave before class ended to avoid being dragged into the cockpit by Gu Xiuhan, with the screen intentionally left on to scare him while he messed around, yet after several days of not seeing him, he wanted to stick with his partner again…

In his dilemma, he still wanted Gu Xiuhan and couldn’t bear to leave.

The result was that Ruan Yu, knowing what Gu Xiuhan wanted to do, stupidly stood by the railing, trying hard to hold back his expression. His eyes were swollen with mist, his lips falsely lifted, his facial muscles trembling, looking both pitiful and ridiculous.

How could someone teach students seriously and think of such things…

Such a source of spiritual pollution would be arrested if it were in the mermaid tribe!

Gu Xiuhan, you’re breaking the law, do you know that?!

The thirty-minute class passed quickly, and when the students in the bleachers rushed into the arena, Ruan Yu hadn’t reacted.

Gu Xiuhan stepped down from the training mecha, signed autographs for a few students who had brought paper and pens, and answered some questions about mecha piloting with a measured brevity. His aura was too intimidating, his gaze and tone cold and stern when facing outsiders, not uttering half a word more than necessary. As a result, the fervent atmosphere, akin to a fan meeting, disappeared in the blink of an eye. The boys who had been shouting and screaming on the bleachers gradually became as timid as quails, and soon the scene became as solemn as a funeral, with the crowd dispersing quickly.

Several boys looked at Ruan Yu differently, their nervousness tinged with three parts of admiration.

[They’re rumored to be a couple… That can’t be true, right? I believe AI and AI can each contribute half of the code to program a little AI for love, but I don’t believe Admiral Gu can get into a relationship.]

[If Admiral Gu gets married, his spouse must be a mecha.]

[Being with someone so serious and strict every day must be quite stressful; it feels like you’d get reprimanded for any little thing…]

…

Ruan Yu was so frustrated that tears were about to fall. “…”

He’d better act serious!!!

And not just be disciplined but…

There were no classes in the next mecha session, the training ground was empty, leaving only the two of them.

Ruan Yu glanced around and hesitantly moved closer to Gu Xiuhan, his face flushed, his cheeks flattened against his shoulders as he openly expressed his longing, “These few days I’ve been missing you so much, I even dreamt about you.”

“Me too.” Gu Xiuhan rubbed Ruan Yu’s soft silver hair.

Freshmen couldn’t easily go home in the first month, and he accepted the invitation to teach classes just to have a legitimate reason to come and see Ruan Yu.

Ruan Yu glanced timidly at the training mecha and stuttered softly, “Do you… do you want to do those things?”

Even if unwilling in his heart, he would break his own limits to satisfy his partner, the lovely little mermaid, who could easily arouse one’s desires and curiosity to see how much he could compromise and be obedient.

Fortunately, Gu Xiuhan had strong self-control.

Even lovers need to know their boundaries, not to make Ruan Yu feel genuinely distressed or frightened.

The truly excessive things only existed in imagination.

“I won’t do it.” Gu Xiuhan shook his head.

Knowing he wouldn’t really do anything, after all, this was Ruan Yu’s school.

“Just worried, came to see you.” Gu Xiuhan’s eyes lowered, his thumb wiping away the traces of sweat on Ruan Yu’s face, speaking softly, “Tired from training?”

Seeing Gu Xiuhan had no intention of acting on his darker thoughts, Ruan Yu immediately relaxed, his spoiled nature exposed, his voice softly assigning tasks to Gu Xiuhan, “Very tired, walking a lot every day, my feet are terribly sore. Later I’ll take you to see where I live, you have to help me massage, and also massage my tail.”

Mermaid feet lacked endurance, and Ruan Yu couldn’t walk much usually, often complaining of sore feet, wanting Gu Xiuhan to massage them.

Ruan Yu’s mermaid body was sweet and fragrant all over, with no concept of dirty feet, and indeed not dirty. At such times, Ruan Yu would kick off his shoes and indulgently stretch his feet into Gu Xiuhan’s arms, letting him gently massage from the toes to the heels, then comfortably squinting his round eyes, his lotus-like fair and round toes curling up.

Gu Xiuhan’s heart warmed, whispering softly, “Okay.”

“Have you ever been to our school before?”

“Never been.”

Gu Xiuhan attended the Empire’s top-ranked military academy.

Affectionately, Ruan Yu took Gu Xiuhan’s hand, leading him out of the training ground, “Then let me show you around first, we’ll go back to where I live later.”

“Let’s find an airship first, I can’t walk much longer.”

“Mm.”

“I’ve been reviewing the professional courses from last semester by myself these days, afraid I’m not as smart as them and can’t keep up…”

“Ruan Ruan is very smart.”

“I’ve noticed that, I already knew some of the things in the books when I was a kid.”

It turned out he wanted to boast a little in front of Gu Xiuhan. The little fish tail was about to flip up again.

The two of them walked leisurely like this, chatting away. Ruan Yu couldn’t help but share every trivial but fresh thing with Gu Xiuhan. Because happiness was so full that it was about to overflow, everything seemed cute, and everything was delightful.

Soft whispers like this, gently sprinkled along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

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