Chapter 19

Thanks to Arthur, Asher didn’t overthink that embrace. He simply remained firmly convinced that Sebastian was a calculating predator, constantly plotting to sabotage him at every given turn.

Even though Sebastian had spun a completely serious, nonchalant fabric of nonsense to explain away that embrace, Asher consistently felt his parents hadn't entirely believed it.

And as fate would have it, he had been wearing nothing but a disheveled set of pajamas, while Sebastian had been impeccably and meticulously dressed—even those gold-rimmed glasses had been sitting perfectly on his nose, making him look exceptionally proper on the surface.

One flushed and glistening with sweat, the other entirely composed and unflinching.

Asher had no idea what his parents were thinking.

But he felt Sebastian must have done it on purpose.

And "after-sales service"? The guy could truly spit lies with total ease.

Heh—tui!

With a deadpan face, Asher escorted Sebastian out the door.

With his hands tucked inside his pants pockets, Sebastian came to a stop at the doorway. Catching Asher's expression, he couldn't resist curving his lips. "Your parents seem to have misunderstood. So... are we continuing?"

That was merely forty percent, and he himself had barely managed to endure it. In an actual clash, he would have been long laid out, so the training days ahead were bound to be long.

Asher felt his heart turning to ash. "Continuing."

"But if I unleash my pheromones here, your parents will definitively catch the scent."

"..."

"My grandfather went to the countryside for an inspection and won't be home recently."

"Fine."

Sebastian nodded, turning to walk toward his own house. After taking just two steps, he paused, retracing his steps. Pulling a hand out from his pocket, he slipped it into the pocket of Asher's pajamas, dropping something inside before finally turning to walk away once more.

Asher pulled it out to look—a piece of milk candy.

The door opposite his shut, and the phone inside his pocket illuminated.

[The child performed exceptionally well during training today. Consider this a reward from Instructor Seb.]

This guy...

Toddler.

Muttering under his breath, Asher peeled the candy and tossed it straight into his mouth.

As for the fact that every single day after returning from school, Asher wouldn't step into his own home first but instead followed Sebastian into the opposite gate, Arthur and Eleanor observed it stealthily, pretending to be oblivious while feeling deeply comforted internally.

"It seems our son can finally be married off."

"The qualifications of the one collecting the scrap material are quite decent."

"Congratulations, Eleanor."

"Mutual congratulations, Arthur."

The Fledgling Base sat on a barren mountain in the suburbs of the city. Possessing a massive area and fully equipped facilities alongside matching accommodations and a cafeteria, it counted as virtually the largest expansion training base in the entire province, and basically handled all the military camps for the schools in Riverdale.

According to upperclassmen from previous years, things like the Giant's Ladder, High-Altitude Horizontal Bars, Broken Bridge, Trust Fall, Graduation Wall, Obstacle Run, Target Shooting, and Long-Distance Rucking were all included without missing a single one.

Furthermore, a monster like Mr. Peng had actually established an evaluation for this camp; anyone whose evaluation fell short of "Excellent" would be barred from competing for the Exemplary Student title this semester.

The young masters and ladies felt ready to drop dead.

Thus, by Friday, the entire senior track put on sour faces, collectively discussing their own epitaphs.

Mr. Bennett happened to host the final class of the afternoon. Catching the lifeless state of the classroom, he let out a couple of simple chuckles. "Let me announce a piece of excellent news to everyone."

"?"

"There is no evening self-study tonight!"

"Hooray—wait, isn't there naturally no evening self-study on Friday nights anyway?"

"Hehehe," Mr. Bennett pretended to be deaf, continuing his simple chuckle. "Of course, excellent news is typically followed by a piece of not-so-excellent news. Tonight, we will collectively board the school buses to head straight to the Fledgling Base. Tomorrow morning, the military camp officially begins!"

"..."

"The housing representative should have reminded everyone to pack their belongings yesterday, right? If you're missing anything, boarders can head to the dorms to collect them, while day-students can call their parents to deliver them. If worst comes to worst, let me know and I'll help purchase them. However, electronic devices and snacks do not need to be brought; even if you bring them, they will be confiscated."

The crowd let out waves of agonizing weeping.

"Teacher, my mating heat is about to arrive."

"Teacher, my mating heat has already arrived."

"Classmates, the two of you are Alphas. Do I need to escort you straight to the National Human Research Center?"

"No need, Teacher. My mating heat is a bit unhappy, so it's not coming anymore."

"..."

Mr. Bennett thoroughly comprehended the logic of delivering a stick followed by a date. Packing his lesson plans, he spoke, "Forget it. There's no way you all have the heart to focus on this class anyway. Consider this a free study period. Class Representative, take the sports representative and housing representative to collect and distribute our camp uniforms. Give them a try now; if the sizes are wrong, there's still time to swap them. We assemble punctually at the school gate at seven-thirty tonight."

Although they were entirely reluctant, once a matter was set in stone, it couldn't be changed, leaving them with no choice but to accept. Thus, the topic of discussion swiftly shifted from epitaphs to camp uniforms.

Riverdale Prep was fairly decent this time; the camouflage uniforms possessed solid quality, paired with black combat boots and distributed according to everyone's registered sizes. Yet even matching the sizes, when draped over this pack of students, most pieces turned out loose and hollow, appearing thoroughly mismatched.

Especially Eugene—he was as thin as a bamboo pole, making the camouflage uniform resemble an absolute sack. Even fastening the belt into the innermost hole left a giant loop hanging, looking exactly like the ceremonial jade belt worn by officials in traditional opera.

Lowering his head, he fumbled with it repeatedly without finding a proper adjustment, looking a bit aggrieved and thoroughly overwhelmed.

Casting another glance toward the two staggeringly handsome big shots sitting completely serene and unmoved in their seats, he offered a well-intentioned reminder: "Boss, Heartthrob, why aren't you two trying on the uniforms? What if the sizes aren't right?"

Asher put on a flashy front right where he sat. "There's nothing to try. Your 'Big Brother Ash' possesses a superior foundation; whatever I wear looks hot."

Sebastian: "..."

Fine, he would simply pretend he didn't know a certain someone was being excessively fastidious, resolutely refusing to change clothes inside a public restroom.

Besides, his statement held no error.

Eugene possessed a blind adoration and envy toward Asher and Sebastian, feeling his god's logic held absolute truth, so he nodded with total endorsement.

Then, lowering his head, he continued to fumble with the belt, his face full of distress. "No, I must find a solution. With the belt this loose, my underwear lacks a sense of security."

Asher was thoroughly amused by his phrasing. "I feel you possess a real talent for language."

Sebastian, meanwhile, stared at that loose belt. After watching for a brief moment, he recalled something, stood up, and stepped out of the classroom, refraining from returning until the moment of assembly.

The bus was already packed with people, leaving only a solitary empty seat next to Asher.

Asher's bag was resting on the seat, looking exactly as though he had deliberately helped him occupy it.

Yet the moment he walked over, the young master put on a highly arrogant front. "Does my bag lack the qualification to possess a complete seat to itself?"

Sebastian didn't bother to call him out. Hoisting the bag straight onto the overhead rack, he sat down.

Asher let out a tsk. "Tyrant."

By the time they reached the base, it was already nine or ten o'clock at night. The homeroom tutors directed the distribution of dorms, detailing various precautions and the schedule for the following day.

The dorms were distributed strictly by gender—six genders, six floors, two people per room, and a communal restroom per floor.

Relying on the tacit consensus shared by everyone over all these years, Asher successfully blended into the Alpha floor, without a single person finding anything amiss.

The rooms were sorted strictly by student ID numbers, which tracked along their entrance exam scores. Thus, Asher was paired with Mason in a single room, while Sebastian, as a transfer student, was paired with the lowest-ranked Caleb.

Catching sight of the dorm assignment sheet, Mason and Caleb charged over, each hauling a massive bag, their faces bright with smiles. "Not bad, paired with familiar faces. If it turned out to be someone with whom relations fell short, it would be pure torture."

Asher slanted a glance at Caleb. "Are there actually people with whom your relations fall short?"

"Well, no, but you guys are remarkably handsome; looking at you brings a joyful mood."

Caleb possessed no other merits except for a remarkably sweet tongue.

Asher felt thoroughly comforted in mind and body.

Furthermore, he felt that rooming with Mason was acceptable enough—the guy possessed the personality of a nagging caretaker, loved cleanliness, and was easy to order around. Thus, saying nothing further, he collected the key from Mr. Bennett, slung his bag, and lazily sauntered toward the dorm building alongside Mason.

Sebastian, however, remained stationary, lowering his head to whisper a few words to Mr. Bennett.

The people nearby couldn't catch the details, only hearing Mr. Bennett suddenly call Asher back: "Asher, you and Mason come back for a second. Swap your dorms; you room with Sebastian, and Mason rooms with Caleb."

"?"

Ignoring the "what the hell are you playing at" expression on Asher's face, Sebastian took a few strides forward. Snatched the key ring twirling on Asher's fingertip, he stuffed it straight into Mason's hand, before casting a flat glance toward Caleb's direction.

Mason caught the signal instantly, bolting out of the room immediately.

Although he had no idea what was happening, fleeing was the definitive choice—when deities clash, mortals suffer; he couldn't afford to meddle.

Asher raised an eyebrow. "What kind of vicious calculations are you harboring now?"

"If you are absolute certain you won't be caught spraying blocking agent over the upcoming five days of training, won't encounter a mating heat, and don't mind watching a round Alpha lounging in front of you wearing nothing but underwear, I can swap back with Mason right now."

While speaking, Sebastian took the bag from Asher's hand, marching straight toward the dorm building.

"..."

Only then did Asher realize that he had completely forgotten the fact that he was an Omega again. His heart held a sliver of gratitude toward Sebastian's thorough calculations, yet his mouth refused to yield.

"Are you saying you won't lounge in front of me wearing nothing but underwear?"

Pacing ahead, Sebastian froze his steps. Turning his head to cast a flat glance over him, he spoke in a slow, deliberate manner: "I might. But at the very least, I am far from round, and my physique is excellent. You shouldn't be on the losing end."

"..."

Asher desperately wished he could find a megaphone right now to make Sebastian repeat his words, letting those naive Omegas—who were thoroughly consumed by this guy's cold, restrained persona and wished to crown him as a sacred, untouchable flower—hear exactly what kind of shameless predator this man truly was!

Snatched the key from Sebastian's hand with a sharp tug, his ear tips flushing red, he accelerated his pace and bolted into the dorm building at lightning speed.

Carrying his bag, Sebastian followed slowly behind, his lips curved into a smile.

A military camp, after all, felt rather decent.

Reaching the room, Asher still intended to try on the camp uniform. Reflecting on Eugene's appearance, he felt his own underwear truly lacked a sense of security.

Sebastian knew his skin was thin, consciously refraining from stepping inside with him. Standing outside the room, he leaned against the wall, waiting for the young master to open his mouth and order him around.

Sure enough, five minutes later, the door cracked open a sliver.

Turning around, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The moment he caught sight of the scenery inside, his eyes illuminated slightly.

Sure enough, whatever clothes were draped over Asher's frame would look exceptionally hot.

The camouflage uniform that appeared thoroughly mismatched on others sat perfectly on him. His shoulders were flat and straight, flawlessly supporting the silhouette of the garment. Because his proportions were excellent, his legs looked extraordinarily long. The somewhat loose, wide trouser legs were gathered securely by the black combat boots, looking straight, tall, and thoroughly sharp.

His head was cast down, his fingers fumbling with the belt—loosening then tightening, tightening then loosening. That sliver of narrow waist line surfaced and receded, stealing someone's soul.

"This piece of trash isn't meant to hold up pants anyway, how on earth do you fasten it?"

The sour impatience tracing his brows and eyes, simply because he was far too beautiful, turned into a proud, delicate front that triggered a wave of intense tenderness.

Sebastian felt he was definitively succumbing to a desire driven by pure looks.

Taking a step forward, he rested both palms securely against the sides of Asher's waist. Inserting his thumbs into the gaps inside the belt, he pulled it back with a sharp tug—bringing the boy completely unprepared to a distance of less than two inches right before his face.

Lowering his head, a smile lightly hooked his lips, his voice dropping low and deep.

"Let me do it for you."