A Guide to Raising Snake Spirits - Chapter 48

At this distance, Guan Yuexi could easily see Shiraishi Hare’s expression.

But reality isn’t like a novel, it’s hard to capture some profound, soulful depth in someone else’s eyes. The Sentinel was like a grey, unpolished stone. His lack of smoothness meant light only diffused across him, any clear projection cast upon him would only become scattered and shapeless.

After asking the question, Guan Yuexi remained calm on the surface, but his heart was hammering against his ribs.

He was ninety-nine percent sure that Shiraishi Hare liked him, yet the agony of waiting for an answer was still grueling.

How would the Sentinel respond?

Guan Yuexi had broken the ice because he wasn’t the type to hesitate. He didn’t like playing games, nor did he like being played. Shiraishi Hare had already made his feelings obvious enough.

The timing of the question was sudden, yet it felt right. It was a natural progression that didn’t need a specific time, a specific place, or useless sentimentality, it only needed to follow the heart.

Yet, many people go their entire lives without ever learning what it truly means to love someone.

Had the Sentinel learned what love and liking were, or was he just performing a clumsy imitation?

Guan Yuexi felt a flicker of regret for asking so impulsively. He had asked if Shiraishi Hare liked him, but perhaps the truth was that he himself was experiencing a level of attraction that exceeded his expectations.

Humans are curious about the unknown and seek to explore it, but when the unknown is right in front of them and starts to spiral out of their control, they feel afraid.

What is the capacity to love? Did he even have it himself?

Guan Yuexi’s mind was a mess, and the strength he’d been using to resist the Sentinel’s grip on his right hand vanished.

Shiraishi Hare’s long silence only added to his confusion.

As a Guide, he could perceive emotions, but he couldn’t read exact thoughts. Shiraishi Hare felt “empty” to him, like a space with no place to land.

Just moments ago, the Sentinel’s grievance and slight pettiness had felt tangible, but now, Guan Yuexi couldn’t guess his thoughts at all.

The air between them seemed to stagnate.

The feeling of being pulled forward broke through Guan Yuexi’s daze.

Guan Yuexi watched as his own fingertips, guided by Shiraishi Hare, made contact with the Sentinel’s pale, soft lips.

Shiraishi Hare kissed his fingertips.

“I only need you.”

“Like” and “love” were words too hollow for him. Shiraishi Hare hadn’t encountered them in his first twenty-some years of life, and his parents had never given him a proper education in affection.

“I need you,” the Sentinel repeated.

“I want to make you happy.”

Shiraishi Hare wanted to pile all the best things in the world in front of Guan Yuexi.

Love is something to be learned, but liking and needing are instincts. When liking can overcome need, it becomes a form of love.

The Sentinel pressed Guan Yuexi’s finger against his lips again. The repeated contact caused Shiraishi Hare’s pale lips to flush with color.

“…”

Guan Yuexi suddenly grabbed Shiraishi Hare’s collar with his left hand. With the Sentinel’s compliance, pulling his right hand away became effortless.

Guan Yuexi asked, “You need me?”

Shiraishi Hare: “Mm.”

That slightly mischievous spark suddenly returned to Guan Yuexi’s system. The frozen atmosphere thawed under the Sentinel’s light kiss.

The Guide spoke, “I should make one thing clear first. I’m not necessarily going to form a permanent bond with you, but…”

Guan Yuexi tightened his grip on Shiraishi Hare’s collar, pulling the man closer until they were breathing each other’s air in the heavy, ambiguous space between them.

“I’m willing to try things out with you. Is that acceptable?”

Shiraishi Hare’s gaze was involuntarily drawn to the Guide’s lips, which glowed with a healthy, reddish luster. The Sentinel’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he said in a raspy voice, “Whatever you say.”

Compared to those who worry about the future, only those brave enough to try can experience a wider world.

Rather than trapping himself in a cage of “no permanent bonds,” if he truly found a Sentinel whose looks and personality suited his tastes, what was the harm in being together?

Guan Yuexi’s refusal to partner up wasn’t due to some psychological trauma, he was just incredibly picky.

“By the way,” Guan Yuexi’s grey-blue eyes sparkled in the light. He smirked, “You forcibly kissed me before. I’m going to settle the new and old scores all at once.”

Shiraishi Hare stared at him without blinking.

Guan Yuexi pulled hard on the Sentinel’s collar, completely erasing the last bit of distance between them.

Shiraishi Hare rested one hand on the small of Guan Yuexi’s back and deepened the kiss.

Compared to the disorganized biting of his berserk state, the experience was much better now that both were conscious.

It began as a simple pressing of lips against lips, slowly opening to reveal the soft interior.

Guan Yuexi teased the Sentinel with his tongue like a nimble little fish. Neither had much experience to speak of, but the pursuit of pleasure is an instinct. Guan Yuexi took the lead at first, but Shiraishi Hare soon used his superior lung capacity and height to turn the tables.

Every breath and every slight tremor was perceived with absolute clarity.

The Guide was soon forced to let out a soft hum from the back of his throat. His hand clutching Shiraishi Hare’s shirt tightened, bunching the fabric into wrinkles.

Shiraishi Hare was relentless, greedily plundering more from Guan Yuexi’s mouth, wanting to coax more of those beautiful sounds out of him.

Eventually, Guan Yuexi truly ran out of breath. He struggled to push Shiraishi Hare’s face away.

The Guide’s eyes were watery and the corners were flushed red, his earlier composure while teasing the Sentinel completely gone. He panted as he met Shiraishi Hare’s innocent-looking eyes.

Guan Yuexi: “…”

How did he ever think this Sentinel was a dog? He was clearly a wolf, appearing obedient while actually being incredibly sharp.

***

Two days later, the day arrived for Guan Yuexi and Yue Zirong to depart via starship. There had been an interstellar storm recently, and base sensors had deemed the weather unsuitable for travel, so they had been delayed until now.

Guan Yuexi and Shiraishi Hare stood before the ship. Yue Zirong had already sent people ahead to load a few basic supplies.

Yue Zirong made a show of dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. “Yuexi, you must be careful out there.”

Guan Yuexi: “…I’ll be fine. You just take care of the base. Where’s Dad? I haven’t seen him at all the last two days.”

His mother’s personality was not the type to carry a handkerchief, he had no idea where she’d grabbed that scrap of cloth.

“Well, now that we’re collaborating with the Tower, there are things I can’t do that he has to handle,” Yue Zirong said, shrugging.

Once the collaboration was finalized, Yue Zirong’s side began intense preparations.

The Virtual Codex’s calculations were correct. After Yue Zirong had saved her son so ostentatiously and without concealment, the Research Institute’s eyes had indeed turned toward them, testing for information about the fleet that had appeared that day.

Fortunately, they hadn’t found the specific location of the base yet.

To avoid losing the initiative, Yue Zirong and her team had to speed up their preparations. The good news was that her years of accumulation hadn’t been for nothing.

“Are you sure you don’t need Mom to send some people with you and Hare?” Yue Zirong asked worriedly. “What if there’s another robbery?”

“Your manpower is already stretched thin. Besides, a single starship is a smaller target. If we’re careful, there shouldn’t be much of a problem,” Guan Yuexi insisted, refusing her offer.

After Shiraishi Hare took the luggage up to the ship first, Guan Yuexi spoke up.

“I have something to say before I go.”

Yue Zirong said grandly, “Go ahead, son. Mom will grant you anything you want.”

Guan Yuexi said seriously, “The base isn’t a dumpster. Don’t just take in anyone.”

Yue Zirong: “?”

“What happened? Who did you run into?”

“That Mu Xiabing in your base. Do you know what kind of person he is?” Guan Yuexi asked.

“Did he trouble you?”

Guan Yuexi glanced back to ensure the Sentinel was inside the ship before turning back to his mother. “I’m fine. The one who was really annoyed was Shiraishi Hare.”

Yue Zirong was surprised. “Even Hare can get annoyed? Tell me everything.”

She was practically radiating gossip.

“And has there been some progress between you and Hare? Mom has been through it all, I can tell at a glance.”

“Mm…” Guan Yuexi gave a vague hum, briefly explained what happened at the shooting range, and then asked.

“So, who exactly is Mu Xiabing? I can’t believe you’d keep someone like that. Don’t tell me you think Dad is getting old and unattractive and you want to try some ‘young greens’ like him?”

“Who do you take your mother for?” Yue Zirong feigned anger. “Your father is still very capable.”

Guan Yuexi’s comment about his dad was just a joke. He knew his parents’ relationship was rock solid, the kind of bond a son couldn’t even wedge a foot into.

“Mu Xiabing is our base’s prospective wallet. His father is incredibly wealthy. I went through a lot of trouble to trick him into coming here, hoping to use him to scam his dad into investing in the base.”

Yue Zirong unashamedly wrote the word “exploit” all over her face as she explained the young man’s purpose.

“A rich, pampered idiot?” Guan Yuexi critiqued, crossing his arms. “He’s so stupid, aren’t you afraid he’ll die here? You won’t just lose the funding, you’ll have to pay his father a massive settlement.”

“Besides, someone spoiled to that degree was likely born late in his father’s life. They won’t want money, they’ll want your whole base to pay with their lives.”

Guan Yuexi shook his head in disapproval.

Yue Zirong laughed, “Your mother wouldn’t miss a detail like that. Did you see the Sentinel next to him?”

Guan Yuexi raised an eyebrow. “I did.”

“That’s the bodyguard his father arranged for him. Hand-picked from a young age, absolutely loyal, and always watching over him. Nothing will happen to him.”

Guan Yuexi’s expression turned odd as he recalled the scene. It seemed less like the bodyguard feared the master and more like the master feared the bodyguard.

“He’s more of a nanny, really. The young master needs a nanny more than a guard,” Guan Yuexi noted.

“You’re not wrong,” Yue Zirong nodded with a smile. “But once I tricked him into coming, I stopped paying much attention to him. If he’s as dumb as you say, I’ll have someone keep a closer eye on him.”

“I have to go, it’s time to board,” Guan Yuexi said, waving goodbye to his mother.

Amidst the bumps of the starship’s takeoff, Guan Yuexi saw Yue Zirong’s smiling face through the cockpit’s side window. Standing beside her was the red-haired female general.

Shiraishi Hare sat in the co-pilot seat next to him. This time, the ship his mother had given him was a proper single-pilot vessel, so he didn’t have to perform his specialty of flying a two-person ship alone.

The Guide took his Sentinel and steered the sleek, silver starship into the vast, pitch-black expanse of the universe.

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