Chapter 263 I Can't Hear
12 month 16 day.

in the afternoon.

The prosperity of the city of Ichia is no longer what it used to be.

In the past, the main means of transportation was horse-drawn carriages, but now there are many rickshaw pullers. They all originated from the bicycle invented by the master. As long as there are three people in front, they can pull thousands of kilograms of food.

After the renovation, the streets and alleys are smooth and the buildings are getting newer.

People are increasingly accepting the new clothes that Master promotes. After all, some people cannot accept summer skirts, but winter skirts are better looking, warmer, cheaper, and not too short, so it is normal for people to buy them.

"However, I never expected that the black stockings promoted by the boss would be accepted by so many people. If this trend continues, I guess some people will be willing to buy skirts when the weather gets hot next year."

"..."

I no longer need to make a conscious effort to look after the grocery store; Pami or the other aliens who look after the store work hard enough.

Miss Moni closes her shop earlier, so I choose to come here to be lazy.

"By the way, why would Xiao Tia want me to stay with the boss?"

"No."

I shook my head and looked out absentmindedly. The grocery store was about to close, but there were still many customers. This was probably due to the "night market" culture promoted by the master.

"It's not that I want Miss Moni to stay with Master. Well... Master once said that those who should leave will leave, and those who should stay will stay."

"What if the boss wants to leave? Can Tia just smile and say that those who need to leave will eventually leave? I won't take anything your boss says as the truth."

"..."

Sometimes I feel that Miss Moni is really amazing. She doesn't have the ability to read minds, but she seems to have it.

"But Xiao Tia must have misunderstood. My liking is different from yours. I like him because I smell his scent... right? Because I think it's comfortable."

"what."

"It's a very simple difference. If I really want to do something, I will never be like you, thinking about how to make the boss more comfortable in the state of estrus. I will only care about myself."

"..."

Actually, it's not important.

12 month 18 day.

Night.

Maybe I won't be able to get pregnant at all, after all this time and this much each time.

According to the wolf or cat tribe, they should have seven or eight cubs by now, right?
"Finally, we have a decent nautical chart."

"After a while, the steam engine should be almost finished. Even though it's not quite what I expected... it's fine as long as it works."

"Noelia, I definitely won't feel dizzy this time like before. My comfort level has also improved."

"..."

As time went on, apart from the aliens who completely followed the master, there were smart people who could help the master with his plans, and there were also humans who appreciated the master's talents and came voluntarily.

Therefore, Master can spend more energy on going out to sea.

Moreover, Master now has a legitimate reason. The sea is also rich in resources. Eating more fish from the sea can improve eyesight, save costs, improve the economy, etc. No one objects. It is better to say that some humans have already tried to fish a little further away from the port.

"Noelia?"

"..."

I just kind of hate this topic. But I'm used to listening to Master.

"When does Master plan to set out again?"

"It will probably take another half month. The life jackets and emergency equipment they made are not yet perfect."

"..."

My chest was pressed against the Master's arm. I didn't feel shaken in the room, unlike on the sea. There was a wall in front of me, and the real ceiling was visible when I looked up.

Beneath me was a quiet bed, full of smells.

[The compass is better, and the nautical chart also has...]

[There is no way I can waste any more time this time]

[It’s okay to keep going around, you’ll eventually see something useful, right? ]

【…】

What has changed?

Miss Moni said it was normal, and once you get used to the relationship, your heart rate won't speed up so easily.

Naturally, it will not be so easy to hear all kinds of shivering thoughts about me. Only when I am doing it.

I didn't pay much attention to this matter. At least when I was doing it, Master was still the same as he was at the beginning, and many thoughts that only came to his mind would emerge.

And looking at it in a positive way, this proves that Master really does regard me as his closest person.

What I care more about is... where will the boat go? I probably hate uncertainty.

12 month 20 day.

in the afternoon.

I no longer have to go to the grove to practice. My master has specially designated an area as my training ground.

Today is our long-awaited sparring session.

"Shh-"

In fact, now I can deal with a master with weapons with ease.

"Clang——"

"Look, it's urgent again. You have to be careful before you strike... otherwise a little delay will result in your death."

"But it's already pretty good. Now I'm definitely a true glory explorer."

In terms of physical fitness, I think if I were to go back to the time when I lost control and face that woman again, there would no longer be a residual image in my sight and I would be able to see clearly.

Even now, if I try my best and rack my brains to practice against my master, I may be able to win.

"Oh... group damage is indeed a bit difficult to handle."

"..."

If I use magic, it will be easy to touch the edge of Master's clothes. But in other words, Master can also use unique "magic" to break through the ice crystals.

If I talk about physical fitness and magic alone, I may not be a match for my master. What about the two together? I usually practice both together.

"Come on, give it your all."

"Follow the standards of actual combat. Don't worry about whether your master will get hurt."

"If you can really hurt me, I can grant you one request. Anything will do."

“Are you motivated now?”

"If you win, you get to ride on it."

"..."

If I beat Master, can I really ask for anything? Even something that will make Master angry?
"Has it reached the point where I am forced to accumulate power to level 2.0? Your talent is simply terrifying..."

"..."

I lost.

But I didn't give it my all. I had no motivation.

If you can’t express what you want after winning, it’s better to lose… something like this.

"Go back and take a shower."

"……Um."

At least the master would pat my head.

"Although you lost, you can see that you tried hard. Tell me, what do you want?"

Then, I will be rewarded.

12 month 21 day.

noon.

Master went out to do some work, and I went next door to have lunch with Miss Moni.

"Xiao Tia, I suddenly remembered something."

"?"

"Do you know why the strength of alien species increases sharply after entering adulthood and then gradually stabilizes?"

"..."

"Adulthood = estrus. The reason why you occasionally fall into the uncomfortable estrus period is because the magic power in your body is surging and you urgently need to vent it. Killing, hunting, overeating, mating... etc., are all basically venting."

"I remember Xiao Tia said that it was the first time she trembled with her boss before she lost control? And it was a secret?"

"..."

What's wrong with this?

"That's a big problem. Then I understand why little Tia entered adulthood early. It was definitely influenced by the boss's **. I said, there is no such thing as 'love' that can change the evolution of alien species over hundreds of years."

"Little Tia has never experienced estrus, and that's why. There must be something wrong with the boss's **."

"Don't you have any self-awareness? It's not just your strength, your hair is obviously getting shinier and shinier, and your body curves are getting prettier too."

"..."

is it?

Maybe that's possible. But it doesn't matter.

I looked at the props hidden in the corner, and Miss Moni seemed to notice that I was looking at them. She was a little embarrassed to move the drum to cover them.

"Well... this, there's nothing we can do about it, right? Cats are like this."

"Xiaotia, forgive me!"

Why do you want to apologize to me?

I was actually confused. If there were really people who felt the same way as I did, I wouldn't be able to stand it. At the root of it all, they were all different from me.

If I think about it carefully, even if Master didn’t do anything to me, just staying together, eating, busy with big and small things, or even doing nothing seemed to be very happy.

12 month 22 day.

late at night.

"I-I don't have to mate!"

"I just...think you're a bit like a brother. But if you want that...I can do that, too."

"..."

I accidentally ran into Pammy talking to her master alone.

Maybe they took advantage of my absence to come here? They are quite afraid of me.

"Even if you say that, it's hard not to think it's crooked when you say he looks like a brother and you hold his thighs together."

"That's because I've never been so humble to a mere human!"

"..."

"Also, after hearing so much... I was afraid of mating. I felt that it might be very comfortable with you..."

"Ah? This can't be my brother."

"I've already told you! I don't particularly want to do that with you. I'm different from Romina who only thinks about mating!"

"..."

Master must have felt guilty for almost getting Pammy into trouble last time, so he didn't refuse directly.

He said he wanted to touch my head, so I reached out and touched it.

Pammy couldn't read any thoughts, her mind was blank.

And what the master is thinking is...

[This is not considered cheating]

【As a younger sister】

[The tail is shaking like this? What's dripping?! ]

"Okay! This is what I want! Not Romina's!"

"Just wait and see, I will definitely achieve something that will satisfy you!"

"..."

Pammy ran out with a red face. I avoided her on purpose and didn't run into her.

Wait until she disappears, then enter the room.

"Did you see them all?"

Master knows I am outside.

"Pammy...her worship is kind of abnormal."

"Yeah. Noelia was planning to wait until the story in the room was over before coming in."

"What kind of story is that?"

"I thought there would be, but now I think there won't be."

"?"

"If you really want to do that, Pammy will definitely be influenced to refer to me changing clothes."

I realized this only later.

Only if you really like it will you think whether the gap between the buttocks and hips will be more attractive to the master. If you really like it... you will seize the opportunity and ask for more the moment the master reaches out to touch your head.

"So when did you overhear some idea and go order heart-shaped contact lenses?"

"Book, the heart shape and the two hands in the V sign represent total surrender."

"Not just limited to clothes, but also starting to acquire divine state? Noelia, you are the real innate Saint Body of Sese."

12 month 30 day.

Originally scheduled to leave port today.

"Heavy rain? There's nothing we can do but wait."

"Well... we need to take some more precautions."

"..."

In the end, due to weather reasons, I didn’t go.

Although Master was clearly troubled, I felt relieved.

1 month 5 day.

Set off again.

"Noelia, are you still scared?" "...Yeah, a little bit."

"It's okay. Although I couldn't teach you how to swim, I have prepared a lifeboat and other things this time. You don't have to worry even if you fall into the water."

"..."

It had nothing to do with whether or not I would float. I was just tense because I didn't know what was going to happen.

"?"

I held Master's arm, my cheeks flushed...Master will help me feel better.

1 month 15 day.

noon.

The fog was around us again. The day turned into night.

But this time it was different, something was active in the fog, creating waves and the boat was shaking violently.

Many of the other alien species that were accompanying them showed some fear.

Only the Master stood on the deck, his eyes fixed straight ahead...staring at the white fog.

[It's really the same as before. ]

[Where are these things? Should I just go through the fog or...]

【…】

[Not necessarily. How can we be so optimistic and think that there is teleportation magic in it?]

【…】

I also stood beside the master, just listening to his scattered thoughts in silence.

is it?

Master is not sure that we can get back through this. If we fail this time... will we give up?

1 month 15 day.

Night.

Those things chose to come first. Perhaps it was because we had many times more ships than Pammy's first visit, and they were more numerous and larger than Pammy described.

The fog was so thick that I could barely make out slimy tentacles clawing at the deck.

Unfortunately, two ships were torn apart. Not all the alien species brought here can identify their positions by sound.

"Won……"

"Noelia, it turns out you don't need to learn how to swim at all."

"..."

I can swim. The first time my master taught me, I learned it.

However, if I learned it so quickly, Master would have taken the time to hold me in the water to learn. I could also help rescue the aliens who fell into the water, using the ice that consumed a lot of physical strength.

1 month 17 day.

We failed.

We returned to the nearest port of Ichia. The master was in a bad mood.

"Master has tried very hard, almost single-handedly fighting against those monsters that we couldn't even see clearly."

"Those things...I'm quite familiar with them."

"..."

When Master is in a bad mood, the way to deal with it is very simple. I just need to quietly go out, take out the black fishnet and high heels from the closet, put them on, and then walk back in.

"Master, you're already home. Don't you plan to take a good rest?"

In this way, the bad mood will be transformed into a good mood through my body.

I am quite satisfied.

"You can't move, right? I just said that if you arouse my thoughts, the consequences will be serious."

What's so serious?

Afterwards, I will experience Master helping me to take a bath. Although Master will always play with me and make me feel weird before he is willing to take a serious bath, but who says I don’t like it?

1 month 30 day.

The weather was very cold. A light snow fell in Ichia.

"Let's go alone this time. They really can't fight back against those guys."

"..."

The master hasn't given up yet.

2 month 14 day.

Third Valentine's Day.

Master always prepared gifts for me every time before. Although we were still on the boat, this time was no exception.

"I'm sorry, the cheongsam...well, I did give it to you with a bit of shivering in my mind."

"This is definitely a serious and beautiful dress. It is a combination of the most beautiful designs imagined by my teacher. In my hometown, it is called a wide-sleeved fairy skirt."

"..."

is it?

Is it really serious?

Large, loose silk sleeves in a light blue color. It looks like a lot of effort has gone into it.

But the chest is still a little tight. The hem is covered tightly, and even the shoes can't be seen.

"..."

I pulled the neckline down a little, showing the lace inside and the cleavage.

"I'll reiterate, this is formal clothing."

"..."

I pulled it down even further. This time I also pulled the inside out.

“Noelia… that’s too much. Taking this as a test as a teacher?”

I grabbed Master’s hand and pressed it against my chest.

"Which cadre can stand this kind of test?"

"..."

Ok.

I don't want proper clothes. It's just me and my master on the boat, so why would I need such a proper gift?

This year, I also have gifts to give back.

"ring?"

Right.

Although Master has given me a ring made of pure gold, but... I think Master might be happier if the wife he has in mind wears a pure silver one.

"Really? This is the first time I've received a ring in return."

"..."

The last two Valentine's Days I was reduced to lying next to my Master. This year I was lying next to him as well, but I was able to move.

Not shivering.

Just listening to Master talking about his hometown again.

"My original occupation..."

"During the day, I show my dedication and work overtime day and night to protect my family. No, it's not overtime, it's selfless dedication. Protect my family."

"At night I will enter the dark world to protect the continent of Arad, but there are too many warriors in Arad, so I will protect the continent of Valoran later."

"..."

"Master, what is a social animal?"

"Noelia, could you please not be so quick to ruin things every time?"

"What's a video game? There's a 3D zone... Tifa?"

"My beloved disciple, you have crossed the line."

Master's hometown must be very interesting, right? If I could go there, I would like to go.

2 month 15 day.

I saw the fog again.

But unlike before, this time I found myself in the fog after waking up.

"Crash-"

All around me was the sound of something huge rising and falling. The boat was almost capsized. I still couldn't see them clearly, so I had to rely on hearing.

2 month 16 day.

early morning.

The boat capsized. I didn't know where the master was. I could only vaguely see a blurry blue light flashing. That was the master's weapon.

"Damn, the more you fight, the more you get?"

"..."

When I looked clearly, I saw some bright red on Master's shoulder. The smell of blood was pungent.

Master has a fatal weakness. Once he fights with all his strength, his fighting power will drop rapidly in an hour at most. This is information I have experienced a long time ago and later realized again.

"Crack."

"Noelia?"

"..."

I don't want Master to know that I might be able to beat him now, but it's even more impossible for me to have any distracting thoughts at this time.

2 month 16 day.

early.

It’s been a long time since I last saw my master. He was completely unable to move and had to be taken care of by me.

"So, you didn't fight me with all your strength?"

"Noelia may not be able to defeat Master even if she uses her full strength. Master didn't use his full strength either."

"But you know my weaknesses very well. Just because you're afraid of winning, I'll miss out on teaching you... There should be a limit to cuteness, right?"

"..."

After I told the truth, not only was I not scolded, but I was praised by my master.

"It's true that I can't fight as a teacher in a round-robin battle, but I should be able to win in a one-on-one duel."

"Well, Master is very strong. In Noelle's eyes, he is the best in the world."

I hugged Master's head and pressed it against my chest.

"Why do I feel like I'm being comforted? Come and give it a try next time. Even if you win, I will continue to teach you. After all, I know more than just fists."

"..."

I looked at the gradually dispersing fog. Did I fail this time too?

[It looks like a mess]

[There is nothing. Just knowing that there is fog and monsters is useless.]

[Just go back and have a good rest. I'll think of a solution...]

【…】

The master's thoughts seemed to have been dispelled. After all the effort to defeat the invisible monster, the result was like this... It was just like what the master said, when the effort and reward are not proportional, there will be a sense of frustration.

A wide-sleeved flowing fairy skirt?

Will my master like the transformation into a wide-sleeved white silk suspender miniskirt?
2 month 18 day.

in the afternoon.

After two days of drifting, I still didn't see the port of Ichia. Instead, a hazy fog rose around me again.

"Noelia, did you hear that?"

"..."

I followed my master's line of sight and looked forward. The fog was not as thick as before, and I could clearly see the outline of the sea level. There was nothing.

"The ship's horn. This kind of sound... is definitely not something that can be produced by the technology in this world."

"..."

I really didn't hear anything. Even if I calmed down and listened carefully, the only sound lingering in my ears was the sound of wind and waves.

The master wanted to get up, so I quickly helped him up.

"It's definitely a ship number! Maybe it's true... Last time they said there was a problem in the sea area of ​​Island City. If it can really connect to another continent, we can encounter the same monsters here as in Island City..."

"Noelia, take the helm. Go... it should be direction 112, head over there and see."

"..."

I stood up and didn't move.

I still couldn't hear the obvious ship number that Master mentioned.

"Master, what is the ship number?"

"Hmm? It's just beeping... like that. Didn't you hear it? It's beeping now too. Go over and take a look. Once you see it, you'll know what's going on."

“…Noelia didn’t hear it.”

"..."

My master taught me that if you use your hands in a claw shape at a specific angle and tap the tendons on the back of the neck, it can easily cause a person to become unconscious.

I squatted down, looked at Master's confused gaze, and made my hands into claws.

"Master, you lose."

"We agreed that if you win, you will agree to any request from Noelle."

I really couldn't hear anything. There was clearly nothing in front of me. I didn't understand why Master was happy, and I couldn't empathize with him.

All I felt was fear.

Maybe there are even more terrifying monsters ahead that even my master and I can’t handle together?
Maybe I will be left behind.

(End of this chapter)