Chapter 8: The Sixth Day of Starting to Confirm My Wife

◎Maybe He’s a Genius◎

Early the next morning, the moment I pushed open my door, I spotted the Star Pirate Contestant leaning against the stair railing.

Morning light slanting through the wooden banister, a collar left casually open, red strands of hair swaying in the breeze, eyes lost in thought.

He looked stylish enough to be posing for a fashion magazine.

I could almost swear the breeze carried a faint trace of fragrance as it brushed past the ends of his hair.

Me: “What are you thinking about?”

Hehe. Could he be thinking about me?

The Star Pirate Contestant gave the ground a light push with his foot and straightened up. “I was thinking about you…”

My eyes widened despite myself.

“I was thinking about what kind of insect you really are.”

You’re not allowed to leave people hanging mid-sentence like that!

Star Pirate Contestant: “So I’d like to follow you around today. Is that alright, Boss?”

Calling me “Boss” like that, how is that any different from acting spoiled? I’m not some heartless insect. How could I possibly say no?

“Let’s go.”

I headed toward the cafeteria, agonizing over whether I should eat a little less for breakfast today. After all, no delicate little fairy insect’s appetite is supposed to be bigger than a Female Insect’s.

Yes, this planet has a cafeteria, and the cook’s skills are actually pretty decent, which sent my cooking ranking plummeting to fourth place.

Six potatoes, three eggs, ten buns, and a glass of milk. There, I stopped myself.

The slender Male Insect persona remains unbroken.

The Female Insect cook at the window greeted me warmly, then made a sound of concern. “Why are you eating so little today?”

“Listen to your uncle, you need a full breakfast to stay healthy.” And with that, he piled an uncut slab of toast and two sandwiches onto my tray.

I heard the Star Pirate Contestant laugh behind me!

I couldn’t stand the injustice of it. “Some jam, please.”

Dry toast has no flavor.

Carrying a tray stacked like a small mountain, I sat down. The two Female Insects at the next table were deep in gossip about romance, and I tilted an ear to eavesdrop.

The story had just reached its climax. The Female Insect beside me narrated: there was once a Male Insect who became violently temperamental because he could never rise to the occasion again. But he refused to let anyone doubt his abilities, so he arranged a few “special play” sessions and was duly blessed with offspring.

Cough, cough, cough!

That is way too spicy!

I choked on an egg I hadn’t finished chewing.

By the time I finally managed to swallow it, Payne had settled down next to the Star Pirate Contestant with his own tray.

The gossip at the next table carried on. That Male Insect in the story really was a piece of work.

Just as I was listening intently, Payne suddenly spoke up. “If there’s something necessary that might hurt you, or may have already hurt you, what would you do?”

Is he talking about me choking on my breakfast?!

Why does he keep singling me out?!

I answered honestly: “You can’t just stop eating because you choked once, right?”

“So you shouldn’t give up eating for fear of choking?” Payne nodded. “You’re right. I was being too extreme.”

An odd, wordless expression flickered across the Star Pirate Contestant’s face.

After breakfast I normally have two options: go to work, or go train.

Since the Star Pirate Contestant was tagging along, that multiple-choice question ceased to exist.

A good physique is one of the finest dowries a Male Insect can have.

I’d assumed the Star Pirate Contestant would get bored and join me in training.

That way I could sneak the occasional glimpse of the muscle lines in his arms as he worked them, the faint sheen of sweat on his face during chest exercises, the way his shirt might accidentally ride up during core workouts…

I am a decent, upstanding insect. I absolutely would not look at anything I shouldn’t!

Instead, the Star Pirate Contestant just sat there beside me, watching the whole time.

Puer and Stone were also working out nearby. They were the two Female Insects who had arrived after Crooked Melon and Cracked Date, a bit smarter than those two.

While I was taking a drink of water, Puer came over. “I’ve actually been wanting to ask for a while now. Why are you so good at fighting? Do Male Insects like working out too?”

Me: “That has nothing to do with gender.”

It’s not like I could fail to lift my wife, could I!

Other insects get the princess-carry treatment. My wife deserves the same!

Just Ordinary froze for a moment, a hint of embarrassment crossing his face. “I was being narrow-minded. Every insect has the right to pursue strength. That’s what true Female-Male Equality means.”

That wordless, hesitant look crossed the Star Pirate Contestant’s face again!

After Just Ordinary left, I went back to training. To boost the Star Pirate Contestant’s sense of participation, I asked for his weight.

He gave me a number, and I quietly added a little more to the barbell.

You Female Insects sure are dense.

To keep my outsider identity hidden, I usually spend the afternoons studying. There are so many new things in the interstellar era.

Today’s lesson: communication network construction within a designated range.

I flipped through the book while watching the operation videos, studying the principles while assembling the components, busier than a bug in a boiler.

In the end, I handed the finished product to the Star Pirate Contestant. “Help me test it.”

Star Pirate Contestant: “This is…?”

Me: “A brooch.”

The whole point of short-range communication is flexibility and concealment, so I’d designed it as a pair of Phoenix Brooches.

He looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but in the end he said nothing, only lowered his head and touched the phoenix’s mechanical tail.

Once the signal was connected, I sent him a message through my Optical Computer.

Me: Did you get it?

Star Pirate Contestant: Got it.

Star Pirate Contestant: How long have you been studying this?

Me: 7 days

The Star Pirate Contestant let out a long sigh. “You’re really… It took us two whole months just to learn this.”

Is that supposed to be a compliment on my intelligence? Then why did the Star Pirate Contestant look like his head hurt from failing to understand something?

Because of the research and assembly, we got to the cafeteria a bit late and ran right into Sid, who was just finishing his meal.

He was walking while reading something on his Optical Computer and nearly crashed into me. The Star Pirate Contestant’s quick reflexes saved us, pulling me back a step.

Coming back to his senses, Sid said, “Sorry, I was reading.”

Talk about an overachiever!

Sid: “I realized my thinking still isn’t broad enough.”

Your thinking isn’t broad enough? Yours?

Sid: “Could you tell me what I should do next to improve myself further?”

Me: “Look down.”

Sid pondered for a moment, then his face lit up with sudden understanding. “You’re right. I know that Female Insects at the bottom face plenty of hardships, but I’m far removed from their actual lives.”

I still had the portable signal device pinned to my chest, so I messaged the Star Pirate Contestant on my Optical Computer.

Me: Should I remind him again to look down?

Me: There’s a chicken feather stuck to his pants.

Star Pirate Contestant: …

Star Pirate Contestant: You should be careful.

Before I could ask what I should be careful about, Sid spoke up. “Diamond mining has already reached a considerable quantity, but this mineral didn’t exist before the interstellar age. What do you think would be the best approach to a sales strategy?”

Me: “You need to discover a value beyond the thing itself.”

How else would you sell diamonds? Bundle them with love to drive up the price, obviously!

Sid: “I understand. I’ll research it in greater depth.”

After Sid left, I lowered my head, ready to ask the Star Pirate Contestant what I was supposed to be careful about.

Only to discover he’d sent me another message.

Star Pirate Contestant: …

Star Pirate Contestant: Never mind.

I was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

The Star Pirate Contestant looked rather helpless. “The way you talk… I half suspect you studied this deliberately.”

I nodded solemnly. “I did.”

At that, the Star Pirate Contestant let out a sigh laced with an air of surrender, somewhere between begging for mercy and giving up on thinking entirely. “Stop toying with me.”

Star Pirate Contestant: “Why is your face turning red?”

Huh? Was my face red?

Wouldn’t that make my lewdness quotient look awfully high? Not innocent at all.

But I wasn’t lying to the Star Pirate Contestant. I really had studied it!

My Guardian once told me: when talking to smart people, half a sentence is enough. They’ll find the rest of the answers themselves.

He even arranged special training for me because of it, though it fizzled out after half a day. With a very complicated expression on his face, he praised me, saying I might just be a genius.

But even half a day of studying counts as studying!