Klaire and Carlo arranged to set off for the Andromeda galaxy in two days in the morning. In these two days, Carlo had time to think about what gift he should bring for Aiden. Last time for his birthday he gave him a watch, but Aiden didn’t seem to like it much. Unfortunately Carlo was all thumbs, and couldn’t make anything himself to give him. He was completely helpless, and could only run to his grandfather Aston to ask for help.
“Grandpa, what do you think an omega would like?” Carlo asked seriously. “For instance, if you were to give an omega something, what would be a good gift?”
Aston smiled until his eyes squinted and stroked his beard. “Who do you want to give it to?”
Carlo scratched his head embarrassedly. “I’m just speaking hypothetically.”
Aston gave Carlo’s head a hard knock. “Speaking hypothetically my ass! As an alpha, if you like someone, then grow a backbone and go chase them! As soon as the alphas of our Bech family see their target, they act. That year, when your uncle saw Prince Berg in the palace and fell in love at first sight, it didn’t take three days before he went to His Majesty to ask for Berg’s hand in marriage. If he didn’t have that kind of efficiency, could he have succeeded in taking Berg as his wife?”
Carlo widened his eyes in surprise. He never thought that his uncle was that brave, going to His Majesty to ask for Berg’s hand in marriage as soon as he saw His Highness. If you switched him with himself…if he went directly to General Craig to ask for Aiden’s hand in marriage, he reckoned he’d probably be knocked dead with one blow.
After he thought of this, Carlo couldn’t help but hang his head dispiritedly. “I’m not the same as him. At that time, Uncle was already an adult, and he held a post in the military. Right now I’m only sixteen years old, and I’m still a student. I don’t have the ability to provide for Aiden’s happiness. His father definitely won’t agree.”
Aston said, “So you need to hurry up and strengthen your relationship. Make him like you, make him feel like it can’t be anyone else but you. As long as you two are set on each other, when the time comes, I can help you come forward.”
Carlo’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“Yes,” Aston said. “You don’t necessarily have to give him a present when you meet. What you should do is use actions to touch his heart, understand?”
Carlo said confusedly, “Actions?”
Aston said, “For example, making something yourself for him to eat, or taking him out to play, something that creates more opportunities for you to be alone together.”
“Oh.” Looking as if he understood, but not really understanding, Carlo nodded his head.
That night after he returned home, Carlo didn’t spend any more time racking his brains over what gift to buy, but searched up a bunch of information on the internet instead. He decided to make something delicious to eat and bring it to Aiden. He remembered that Aiden particularly liked to eat fruit and desserts, so he chopped up different kinds of fruit, put them in flour, and made a box of fruit sandwich cake.
Carlo tried a piece and thought it tasted pretty good, so he packed it up in an insulated container.
After he finished the cake and went to sleep, he blissfully entered a dream where Aiden was happily eating the cake he made. In the dream, Aiden smiled and said, “Carlo, you’re so good to me, I really like you.”
The boy in front of him had rosy cheeks, and he smiled until his eyes curved. He was particularly good-looking. Carlo’s heart suddenly felt hot, and he forcefully pulled him into his arms, bent his head, and kissed that pair of soft lips…
The ambiguous scene in his dream enraptured Carlo. When he woke up in the morning, he found that like a fool, he’d spent the entire night kissing and rubbing a big pillow. His face darkened, and he ran off to the bathroom in a sorry state to go take a cold shower.
When he went to eat breakfast and saw Klaire, his expression was still a little uncomfortable. Klaire looked at him and smiled. “What happened? Your face is so red, do you have a fever?”
Carlo scratched the back of his head awkwardly and said, “It’s, it’s nothing. Let’s go.”
Bluestar wasn’t officially registered in the Mecha Association, so Klaire couldn’t simply drive him to the Andromeda galaxy, since it would cause trouble if they were discovered on the way. Carlo didn’t know about Bluestar, so owner and mecha could only communicate through their mental connection.
Klaire and Carlo stepped onto the spaceship leaving for the Andromeda galaxy, and Bluestar said excitedly, “Owner, this is my first time going on a spaceship! We’re going to the Andromeda galaxy, right? I can see Egret, right?”
Klaire said helplessly, “Right.”
Bluestar said happily, “That’s great, owner! When are you planning to propose to the prince? If you two are together, then I can be together with Egret too every day.”
Klaire: “...”
He didn’t expect that this mecha was actually serious.
It was said that mechas didn’t lose to humans when it came to IQ. He didn’t know who made Bluestar, but this guy not only had a humanlike IQ, but humanlike feelings? A mecha actually fell in love at first sight with another mecha? It sounded kind of hilarious.
Holding back a laugh, Klaire said, “What can you do after you get together with Egret? Kiss him? Hold him? Or have a bunch of little mechas with him? Can you?”
Bluestar: “...”
His owner’s question was very profound. Bluestar immediately searched through the database, then said optimistically, “I can’t have little mechas with him, but I can kiss him.”
Klaire: “...”
Being different species makes it hard to communicate.
Bluestar was so energetic that he kept chattering on for the whole trip, and Klaire was bombarded with information all the way there. At least he couldn’t complain of it being too quiet.
Carlo went to sleep as soon as he got onboard the spaceship. He’d tossed and turned all of last night and hadn’t slept well, so he planned to restore his energy before seeing Aiden.
The spaceship had a relatively high number of passengers, so its speed couldn’t be compared to that of a high-level mecha. It wasn’t until around five in the afternoon that they reached planet Loga in the Andromeda galaxy. Klaire woke up Carlo, and the two of them disembarked and took a hovercar to the hotel they had booked.
This was their first time coming to Loga. Compared to the bustling cities of the capital planet, it seemed much more peaceful here. The roads were wide, the scenery was beautiful, and there weren’t many vehicles and pedestrians on the streets.
After they settled themselves at the hotel, Klaire connected to Xi Wei’s communicator. He smiled and said, “Xi Wei, I came to see you. Is it a good time for you to come out?”
Xi Wei said, surprised, “You actually came?”
“Yes, I’m at a hotel near Ellen Academy right now. We haven’t eaten dinner yet, so if you have time, why not call up Aiden and we'll go out for dinner together?”
Xi Wei thought about it and said, “I’m afraid tonight won’t work. Our school is run very strictly, and if you want to ask for leave to go outside, you have to write a detailed application and get several teachers to sign it. First let us send in the application, and if it’s approved we’ll talk again.”
Klaire felt regretful at heart, but his face still wore the same smile as before. “Alright, then contact me after you ask for leave. Carlo and I will take a look around first.”
Xi Wei and Aiden got permission to leave the next day, but it was only for one day, after which they had to return to school.
Klaire and Xi Wei agreed to meet at a buffet restaurant nearby. Klaire and Carlo waited at the entrance for a while, then saw two slender boys walking towards them, talking and laughing. One of them had black hair and black eyes, walked in a calm and confident manner, and when he smiled, his face lit up like the sun. The other one had chestnut hair and light-colored eyes, wore a snow-white shirt, and looked particularly gentle when he smiled.
When they saw the sweethearts they hadn’t seen in so long, Klaire and Carlo felt a little excited. Klaire’s actions, though, were more direct. He immediately walked over to meet Xi Wei, pulling him tightly into his arms, and said quietly, “I haven’t seen you in so long, I really missed you.”
Xi Wei thought that this guy was just expressing the feelings of a good friend, and relaxedly opened his arms and returned the hug. “Congratulations, I heard the news about you and Carlo taking the test ahead of time. You two are pretty amazing, getting into military school at sixteen years old. It must have been pretty exhausting studying for it beforehand.”
Klaire smiled slightly and said, “It wasn’t too hard, I thought it was worth it.”
—In order to have you in the future, however hard it is, it’s worth it.
The two friends started pleasantly chatting. Carlo, on the other hand, still stood stock-still, looking as if he’d turned to stone. He really envied Klaire for being able to hug his sweetheart. Even if he had the intention, he didn’t dare. He looked up and met Aiden’s calm eyes, awkwardly cupped the back of his head, coughed, and said, “You...have you been well lately?”
Aiden said, “I’ve been doing fine, I don’t faint anymore or have anemia.”
Carlo scratched his head. “That’s not what I meant, uh...I mean, that is, you...I, I actually…”
His mouth was stuck. Aiden looked at him with confusion and said, “Exactly what do you want to say?”
In front of Aiden, Carlo’s skill in speaking immediately fell to a negative value. After choking on what he wanted to say for half a day, he still couldn’t get out a complete sentence. He could only give up on talking, and take out a delicate box from behind his back, stuffing it into Aiden’s hands. “This is what I...I made for you.”
When Xi Wei heard this, he looked over in surprise. “What did you make?”
Aiden opened the insulated box and found a large number of different-colored objects lying inside. It was just that their shape...was a little difficult to describe.
“It’s so weird-looking, what is it?” Xi Wei asked curiously.
Carlo really wanted to strangle Xi Wei. Can’t you see that this is a cake? This is obviously a cake for eating!
Aiden then asked, “Is it playdough molded into mud pies?”
Carlo: “...”
Klaire, who knew the truth, held his forehead helplessly. This idiot didn’t even buy some good-looking molds when he went to make desserts. The things he made were so ugly people couldn’t look at it straight. Who could have an appetite looking at lumps that looked like they were made of colored playdough?
Carlo was depressed for a long time, then summoned up his courage and said, “It’s, it’s a cake, it’s very tasty, just try it.”
Xi Wei: “...”
Aiden: “...”
The two of them didn’t want to touch this strangely-molded “cake.” Aiden was more disgusted by it, while Xi Wei had some sympathy for Carlo’s IQ. Don’t you know that Ellen Academy has a course specifically designed for teaching omega culinary skills? Don’t you know that Aiden had full marks in that culinary course, and even won the prize at the schoolwide culinary competition? Bringing out such ugly things in front of the chef, do you think the chef can bring himself to eat it?
As expected, Aiden didn’t eat it, but politely covered it and put it away. He smiled and said, “Thank you.”
Carlo said embarrassedly, “It’s true that it doesn’t look that good, and the shape didn’t turn out well, but...it really does taste pretty good, you have to try it.”
Aiden nodded. “I understand.”
Carlo felt reassured at this, and the four boys turned and walked into the restaurant.
Klaire acted as host for this meal, and ordered a bunch of dishes. Klaire and Xi Wei were more familiar with each other, and talked openly, with a joyful atmosphere. Aiden was still quiet as always, and sat by Xi Wei civilly eating his own food. He listened seriously to their conversation and sometimes inserted a few sentences. Carlo didn’t know what to say, and just sat there sneaking glances at Aiden. Every time he saw him putting food in those pale pink lips, he’d think of the scene of them kissing from last night’s dream, and he'd feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.
After they finished eating, Klaire made a proposal. “It’s still early, why don’t you take us around for a look? It’s our first time coming here.”
Xi Wei said freely, “No problem! There’s a Mt. Noah here that’s pretty beautiful, I’ll bring you guys to play there.”
Planet Loga had a famous destination called Mt. Noah. The scenery there was beautiful, and it was one of the most popular tourist attractions in the Empire. It was said that after you climbed to the top, you could see a spectacular view of a sea of clouds rolling on for thousands of miles, and a great rainbow stretching across it. It was just like climbing into paradise. If you rented a campsite at the top of the mountain, at night you could see the Andromeda galaxy meteor shower, and in the morning you could wake up to see the sunrise. The campsite even provided an outdoor grill, which solved the problem of dinner.
This world set in the future had highly-developed science and technology, and most people lived among tall towers and buildings. Opportunities to live in the wilderness were very few. Before, when Klaire had been Xi Wei’s manager and accompanied him everywhere to shoot movies, they had often lived in the wilderness. Klaire really missed those days of sleeping in one tent with Xi Wei. Today he happened to have the opportunity, so he naturally wouldn’t miss out on it. He immediately approved Xi Wei’s idea. “Let’s go camp on the mountaintop then, and while we’re there we can eat barbecue.”
Xi Wei asked, “Should we climb up on foot, or should we take a hovercar?”
The others hadn’t managed to reply yet when Carlo immediately said, “Let’s take a car. Aiden’s health isn’t good, he won’t be able to climb it.”
Aiden: “...”
Originally this was him caring about Aiden, worrying that it would be too hard for him to climb such a tall mountain, but when he said it out loud it somehow became “Omegas are so troublesome, they can’t even climb a mountain.” Klaire was really impressed by Carlo’s ability to express himself. He saw Aiden’s face pale, and hurried to mediate, saying, “We just finished eating, if we go climbing our stomachs will feel uncomfortable. We should take a car.”
Xi Wei said, “Alright, then we’ll take a car up the mountain. After we see the sunrise tomorrow, we can walk back down. It doesn’t take as much effort to go downhill.”
The four of them called a car, and it sent them straight to the top of the mountain from the midair highway.
The view here really deserved its reputation. Below them, they could see a sea of clouds stretching unbroken into the distance, like puffs of cotton gathered together. The rainbow stretching across it looked like a great bridge. In the distance, they could faintly see the city skyline. From the mountaintop, those tall skyscrapers looked tiny and insignificant.
Xi Wei stood by the guardrail and took in a deep breath. He smiled and said, “How is it? Not bad, right?”
Klaire said in approval, “It’s great!”
The two of them stood side by side and looked at the sea of clouds. Aiden also seemed to really like this place. He leaned over the guardrail to look at the rainbow. Carlo stood cautiously beside him, ready to protect him at any moment. He was very worried that this guy might feel dizzy and fall. If that happened, he’d be done for.
The four boys played until nighttime, and then gathered to eat barbecue.
Xi Wei had rented two big tents. With Klaire and Carlo, he found an empty space and deftly set them up. There were four people and two tents, so how to divide up the living space was a problem.
Bluestar said proactively, “Owner, why don’t you live with Xi Wei? Hurry up and tell him you want to live with him! That way I can talk to Egret, he’s been asleep the whole way, I’m impatient to death!”
Klaire rolled his eyes. “I’m not even worried, what are you worried for?”
At that moment, Xi Wei opened his mouth and said, “You two sleep over here, and I’ll sleep with Aiden, okay?”
Klaire hurried to say, “I want to sleep with you, there’s some things I want to talk with you about.”
Carlo’s mouth dropped open in astonishment. As an alpha, you said “I want to sleep with you” so directly to an omega, isn’t it a bit not good?
What made him even more astonished was that Xi Wei actually nodded and said casually, “That’s fine, I also want to talk to you.”
Carlo closed his mouth and thought that this omega was really too formidable, actually daring to sleep alone in a tent with an alpha at only sixteen years of age. He really deserved to be called abnormal.
However, since Xi Wei and Klaire were sleeping together, did that mean that he and Aiden…
“I’ll go rent another one.” Aiden smiled slightly, turned away and rented another tent, and minding his own business, set it up on his own.
Carlo: “...”
He suddenly felt that an abnormal omega like Xi Wei was pretty good too. At least Klaire got lucky tonight, while he could only hold his pillow and dream a beautiful dream.
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6:35 for 3,088 words, or 12.8 minutes per 100 words. An increase in rate by 1.5 minutes...blame the landscape descriptions 😫
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