novelhk Page 290
Page 290
The "clarity aura" had disappeared from the room as Latis moved, so even though she was now awake, her mind still felt blank due to the CPU overheating and the massive brain cell consumption during her confession.
"Am I...sleeping? This doesn't seem to be my room..."
The robin murmured to itself, turning its head slowly to identify the battered chair, the quill pen on the desk, and the blank scroll, before finally settling on the neatly folded stockings on the bedside table.
"Well?"
A glimmer of consciousness slowly returned to her blank eyes. She reached out and touched the soft black pantyhose, then remained dazed for a moment.
"...Eh, wait a minute!"
After an unknown amount of time, the robin's mind suddenly came to life. Memories from before she lost consciousness flooded back into her mind. She couldn't help but open her eyes wide, stare blankly for a few seconds, and then quickly hid back under the covers.
"It's over, it's over..."
She covered her head with the blanket and huddled up in a panic.
"What am I saying?! I... I... How could I be so bold! What should I do... Waaah..."
She let out a mournful cry and began to try to recall Latis's final reaction, only to find that she seemed to have lost consciousness due to the high temperature and had not heard Latis's response at all.
"Oh no! What will my brother think of me now? I was so rude..." The robin clutched his head, a sudden wave of panic washing over him. "Won't my brother kick me out because of this...?"
Upon realizing this, her heart tightened instantly, her breath almost stopped, and her whole body froze as if struck by lightning. It took her a long time to come back to her senses.
"No, no... I don't want to..."
The robin immediately sprang out of bed, eager to find Latis for answers. So she threw off the covers, rolled over to the edge of the bed, shook out her pantyhose, and stuffed her slender legs inside.
"Huh? What's this?"
Just as she was hurriedly pulling her thighs into the pantyhose, she suddenly felt a strange, slippery sensation between her legs. She rubbed her thighs together, then reached out and touched them uncertainly, a look of bewilderment on her face.
"Strange, it's dry, so why is it slippery..."
The robin raised its hand to examine its tiny palm, making sure it wasn't covered in any soap or liquid. Just as it was about to put its hand down, it seemed to smell a faint scent.
She brought her hand closer and sniffed it. Sure enough, there was a strange scent on it, somewhat like the smell of damp grass after a rain by the river, with a hint of the scent of an unknown, tender flower bud.
"What is this smell... I don't think I've ever smelled this smell in the materials stored in the lab before..."
She muttered something under her breath, then put it out of her mind. Enduring the slippery feeling between her legs, she put on her pantyhose, slipped her little feet into her ankle boots, and ran downstairs.
……
"Fifty-six, fifty-seven..."
The sound of Latis counting reached the robin's ears. She walked past the prop shop where the magic crystal lamps were already turned on, pushed open the door to the sound of wind chimes, and cautiously peeked out in Latis's direction.
Latis was squatting in the middle of the courtyard in front of the mage tower, his head resting on a jar, his hand on the surface of the jar, counting incessantly, doing something unknown.
The robin bit its lip, secretly pumped its fist to encourage itself, then stepped out of the room, tiptoed behind Latis, and, suppressing its unease, whispered:
"Big brother, I'm awake. Um, I..."
"Ah, little bird!"
Latis turned around, looked at the cute girl standing prettily behind him, couldn't help but laugh, and reached out to pick her up.
"Did you rest well? Ah, you looked so adorable sleeping, I didn't have the heart to disturb you. Let me pat your head... Hmm, it's gotten cooler!"
"Hey! Big brother!"
This was the first time the robin had been hugged from the front by Latis, and she was immediately startled. She quickly wrapped her arms around Latis's neck and instinctively put her legs around his waist.
"Oh, isn't it uncomfortable to hold you like this?"
Latis, seeing the robin's panicked expression, thought for a moment, then changed her position, letting her ride on his shoulders as before. He then approached the large jar and said:
"That Evers from your lab, we helped him catch a fish before, and it seemed like it really affected him, so he practiced his skills intensively afterward and caught over fifty 'algae fish' and brought them over, bragging that he's now a master. That guy's hilarious... Hey, what were you going to say?"
Latis rattled off a long string of complaints in a strong, sarcastic tone. Hearing this reassuring voice, the robin suddenly felt a strange sense of joy.
Amidst a complex mix of fear and happiness, she lowered her head, looked at Latis's thick head of hair, and reached out to stroke it.
"I said……"
With her thoughts clearing again, the robin gradually gleaned the answers she sought from Latis's behavior. She let out a long breath, realizing how overly nervous she had been. She couldn't help but stick out her tongue and chuckle at her own earlier reaction, then gently hugged Latis's head and said:
"I feel like I should have told you this sooner, brother... Even if you dislike it, there's nothing I can do about it..."
"Who's so tasteless as to dislike my little bird?"
Latis patted the robin's legs, which were perched on his shoulders, and after unconsciously stroking them a few times along the soft, smooth stockings, he smiled and put the robin down, soothingly saying:
"You can be my little bird for the rest of your life. No matter where you fly, you can always stay in my heart."
"Eek!" The robin shuddered, both relieved and amused, and squeezed Latis's hand. After hesitating for a moment, she hugged him and muttered:
"Big brother, that's so cheesy..."
"You little brat, how dare you look down on me!"
Latis grinned, flicked the robin's forehead, and deliberately winked, saying, "Even though the little bird's words are pretty cheesy..."
"Ouch!!" The robin blushed instantly, quickly standing on tiptoe to cover Latis's mouth, pleading for mercy:
"Let's... let's skip this topic!"
……
After a series of mutual hurts, the robin finally calmed down and began to unconsciously stick to Latis and talk to him.
"...In short, these are definitely not fish that Evers caught himself. Another member of my team even tattled to me today that Evers took the funds to the fish market to buy fish a few days ago."
The robin angrily pounded the large tank, looking at the crowded "algae fish" inside, and said:
"This guy dared to embezzle research funds to do such a ridiculous thing! I'll publicly execute him tomorrow!"
"After saying those things, the little bird seems to have suddenly become more lively! Ah, that's how a young girl should be!"
Latis chuckled inwardly, stroked the robin's head, thought for a moment, and then reassured it:
"Didn't they say before that the roe of 'algae-depleting fish' is very suitable as a culture medium? Maybe his research has made new progress and he's conducting large-scale experiments!"
“…That’s possible.” The robin thought for a moment, then snorted and, holding Latis’s hand, retorted:
"Anyway, his intentional boasting is still very bad. He lied about not catching the fish himself, which sets a bad example and must be criticized!"
"Good, good, my little bird is starting to have a bit of a boss vibe."
Latis laughed heartily, gave a thumbs-up, and said:
"Who knows what kind of organization you'll become in the future? When I see you then, I'll have to call you 'Master'!"
"Don't laugh at me..." The robin bit Latis's hand in embarrassment and annoyance, then sighed, hesitated for a moment, and said:
"Speaking of the laboratory and the leader, I suddenly remembered that a nobleman recently contacted me privately..."
"Hmm?" Latis's eyebrows twitched. He had just made plans related to the nobility today, and upon hearing this word, he immediately perked up.
He stroked his chin, led the little bird to sit under the flower trellis, and said seriously:
"tell me the story."
“It’s like this…” The robin nodded and began to recall what had happened to him.
……
The research products of the Bogu Academy might be sold to the capital, and the main customers would naturally be the royal family and the nobles of the capital. This didn't surprise Robin. As a former Black Hat encyclopedia of prices, she certainly knew that most things in the world had prices, and where there are prices, there are naturally buyers.
So when the robin encountered a nobleman on her way home from school after a research project one day, she wasn't surprised.
She first explained that although her group's "portable tactical grenade" had been successfully replicated, it was still in the preparation stage for mass production with in-depth research to reduce costs, and it might take a long time before it could be launched on the market. She then explained that the academy would likely control the mass production stage, and she would probably not be able to sell it privately. After this tactful refusal, she decided to leave.
Unexpectedly, the nobleman followed along, expressing his understanding while subtly suggesting that he would give the robin a 40% commission if the deal went through.
The high rebate surprised Robin. She hesitated for a moment, thinking that if she could have that much money, she might be able to contribute to the Mage's territory, so she temporarily withheld her opinion.
The nobleman was delighted and hurriedly left after leaving a business card to proceed with the next acquisition. However, before leaving, he mentioned, intentionally or unintentionally, that if the Robin's other project made progress, he would be willing to pay a high price to acquire it, even if it was a discarded experimental product.
The other project... is the extremely important and highly confidential "Fusion Magic Engine" of the Bogu Academy.
……
“What would the noble families need this thing for?” Latis frowned. “While it’s very important to Bogu Academy, others don’t have magic engines and don’t need it.”
"The question is how they found out about this project... Before Principal Fisherman handed it over to me, no clues about the project had ever been leaked," Robin said, puzzled.
“Nobles…anything is possible.” Latis recalled the events that had transpired in the Mountain Wasteland, and the Black Hat organization, allied with the royal family. He sensed that the Kingdom of Norard was already rife with undercurrents. After a moment of contemplation, he said:
"In short, little bird, you must always be careful. There might be some kind of conspiracy. If you have any problems, be sure to come to me immediately. Don't worry, I can handle it."
"……I got it."
The robin gave a relieved smile, shook its head, and continued:
"Anyway, I'll keep an eye on the team members' whereabouts, making sure they don't get caught by the nobles. Hmm... I suddenly feel like Evers is in danger..."
Her brow furrowed slightly, as if the angler was about to personally hunt down the fisherman who had baited the spot. Then she sighed and said:
"Never mind, it shouldn't be that bad... Brother, you can keep this business card for now."
The robin took out the business card the nobleman had given him from his pocket. Latis took it and glanced at it; the nobleman's name was Marquis Perrotta.
……
……
Ah, the moonlight is so beautiful tonight.
Jennifer, now dressed in casual clothes and wearing an apron, leaned against the flower stand in a very stylish pose, a rose she'd picked along the way in her hand. She winked at a bewildered Latis, then put the rose in her mouth and said:
"Handsome, want to go for a drive with me... Pshaw!"
Jennifer, whose lip had been pricked by a rose thorn, changed her expression and quickly released the rose, placing it on the table. Looking at Latis, who was trying to suppress a laugh, she said with obvious displeasure:
"Lazi, Lady Frico has cleared out the kitchen, let's go have some fun!"
Latis patted the robin who was doing his homework, then looked at Jennifer, who was doing her homework with great interest, scratched his head, and said:
"But Art won't let me into the kitchen..."
"Huh?" Jennifer raised an eyebrow, her expression instantly turning serious. "Is Lady Artemis so harsh on you?"
“Not really…” Latis scratched his chin awkwardly, glanced at the robin who was eavesdropping with its ears perked up, and sighed as he explained:
"It caused several kitchen accidents before..."