Chapter 112: A Photo of the Two of Them: Ulysses Stops in Front of the Holographic Photo Studio

After the premiere came the masquerade ball.

An Ruo couldn't dance, so he hid in a corner and opened his terminal to check his unread messages.

Isidore: I've arrived at the Legion Festival.

Isidore: Is your supervisor still restricting your freedom? Don't be afraid! I'm coming to rescue you!

He glanced at the timestamp.

Three star-hours ago.

Which meant that as soon as the movie started, little Isidore had already gone looking for him.

Looking up around the ballroom, he realized Hill and Iso were nowhere to be seen either. They had obviously gone to look for the hatchling.

An Ruo hurried outside as well, contacting Isidore while walking.

[Where are you now?]

[You don't even know what I look like. How are you going to find me?]

Isidore: You actually replied? Isn't your supervisor watching your terminal usage?

Isidore: Even if I don't know what you look like, I have my own way of identifying you. There aren't many female hatchlings with poor coordination.

An Ruo: "..."

So that was his identification method?

It was rather hurtful.

Fortunately, the other party hadn't recognized him, meaning the method clearly didn't work. An Ruo wasn't sure whether that made him feel any better.

[I'm not a female hatchling, and I don't have poor coordination. Send me your location and I'll come find you.]

A location share arrived almost immediately.

An Ruo opened it and followed the marker.

Quite a few Zergs noticed him along the way, enthusiastically rushing toward him.

Startled, An Ruo didn't have time to stop—he was busy looking for someone—so he spread out a psychic suggestion, making them unconsciously ignore his existence.

The Zergs who had only taken a few steps suddenly stopped where they were, looking around in confusion as if wondering whether their eyes had been playing tricks on them.

An Ruo checked the map.

According to the marker, little Isidore was also rushing toward him at incredible speed.

The other party was moving much faster than he was, all while continuing to send messages.

Isidore: Could you be a sub-male?

Isidore: Then I understand. Most sub-males aren't good at piloting mechas.

[I'm not a sub-male either.]

While replying, An Ruo glanced at the map and realized Isidore was already extremely close.

That fast?

Just moments ago they had still been several kilometers apart. Was Isidore riding a rocket?

He looked up in surprise.

Something incredibly fast flashed past him with a whoosh, the wind it generated lifting the hem of his robe.

An Ruo froze.

Looking back at the map, the icon representing Isidore had already shot past him.

He turned around.

The unidentified blur that had sped by had also come to an abrupt stop and was staring back at him in astonishment.

Their gazes met in midair.

An Ruo spoke first.

"Little Isidore?"

Isidore, almost fourteen years old now.

He still looked like a hatchling, but he was much taller than the chibi, three-heads-tall little hatchling from the novel.

He was a big hatchling now.

Isidore still hadn't recovered from the shock. He walked over, his astonished gaze traveling up and down An Ruo's body.

"Y-you... Little Gibberish? How are you...?"

How could he be...

...a Male Zerg?

How could he be An?

His gaming buddy had suddenly become the author who wrote stories about his family.

At that point, age didn't even matter anymore.

Zergs lived far too long. Even a difference of less than a hundred years could still be considered the same generation.

Of course, discovering that his gaming buddy was an adult—and that he had to look up at him despite dreaming of growing to 195 centimeters as a female hatchling—was still quite a blow.

"'Little Gibberish'? Is that what you secretly call me?"

An Ruo asked with a smile, unable to stop his hand from reaching toward the hatchling's head.

He had wanted to touch Isidore's hair for a very long time.

It felt exactly as good as he'd imagined.

He secretly gave it a gentle rub.

Already at the age where he cared about his appearance, Isidore quickly dodged away, fixed his hairstyle, and puffed out his cheeks.

"Your name was just a string of garbled characters! What else was I supposed to call you besides 'Little Gibberish'?"

Then he remembered something, paused, and cautiously asked,

"An?"

An Ruo nodded.

"Mhm. Good hatchling, good hatchling."

Isidore felt as though the sky had collapsed.

Not growing up had already been miserable enough.

Being called "little hatchling" by someone he'd always considered his peer was even worse.

"Y-you can't call me that! How old are you this year?"

Isidore asked.

An Ruo hesitated.

After thinking for a moment, he answered,

"Twenty-one. Almost twenty-two, I think."

He didn't know the original body's age, so he gave his own.

The two identities were separate anyway, so it wouldn't affect anything.

"Then we're practically the same age!"

Isidore exclaimed happily.

They were obviously nowhere near the same age.

An Ruo knew Isidore's true mental age didn't match his appearance.

Though he wasn't convinced Isidore was actually that mature either, he simply followed along.

"How old are you?"

"I'm nineteen... twenty... twenty-one... twenty-two, I guess! Yep!"

The oversized hatchling nodded seriously.

An Ruo: "..."

That imaginary age was stretching things a bit too far.

The hatchling standing in front of him hadn't even undergone the formal metamorphosis required to become a sub-adult.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

Isidore grew anxious.

"You wrote a book about me. You should know."

He had simply stopped growing during those five and a half years after returning to the past.

His world's time had seemed frozen from the instant before his time travel.

Only after returning did time begin flowing through his body again.

"You think it was just a story?"

Isidore looked around. Seeing no one paying attention, he lowered his voice.

"I'll tell you a secret... everything in the story is real!"

It was the first time anyone had said this directly to An Ruo.

"I know. The moment I learned your name, I knew everything was real."

That day, Hatchling Bro had proudly declared that he was "the superstar Isidore" and even offered to sign an autograph for him.

At that moment, An Ruo had known.

It was real again.

Even now, An Ruo didn't know whether he had created them...

...or merely recorded them.

But either way, they were real.

"Want some ice cream?"

An Ruo asked.

"Don't treat me like a little hatchling!"

A sensible big hatchling could buy his own ice cream.

He even bought one for his friend.

"Here. You eat this. If it's not enough, I'll buy another one. I have lots of Iso Coins!"

Isidore patted his chest proudly.

As though he had not only achieved unlimited ice cream freedom, but also become the richest Zerg in the world.

An Ruo remembered the ten percent royalties from Iso's side of the family.

In terms of Iso Coins, little Isidore really was rich.

Of course...

So was he.

He earned Iso Coins both as a Psychic Soothing specialist and as the author An.

Thinking of that, An Ruo said,

"If there's anything you want, I can buy it for you too."

If he didn't spend it now, all of it would have to be handed over to Ulysses later.

Better secretly spend a little first.

"How can a female Zerg let a Male Zerg spend money?"

Isidore replied.

Then he suddenly realized something was wrong.

An was a Male Zerg.

Yet he had to work to earn money.

Not writing novels.

Some other kind of job.

He also had a supervisor watching him.

And he'd even been robbed, losing his bed!

Good heavens!

How could a Male Zerg be living so miserably?!

Who on earth dared imprison a Male Zerg and force him to work, only to hand over all the money he earned?!

"That supervisor of yours... is he very powerful? You didn't ask the Male Zerg Association for help... Is your personal safety being threatened? Or is he powerful enough to cover the whole Federation with one hand?"

The more Isidore thought about it, the more terrifying it sounded.

His determination to rescue his friend only grew stronger.

He refused to believe anyone could dominate the Federation so completely.

His female parent was a Major General.

Although his female parent rarely got involved in matters outside the military, if he learned about this, he would definitely help this poor Male Zerg.

He could also go to General Cyril!

The General would certainly help too.

And this was the Legion Festival.

The Marshal was right here.

He could even go directly to Marshal Ulysses!

Just as Isidore was feeling optimistic, he suddenly remembered—

An had come here together with the Marshal.

Could it be...

His supervisor.

The one imprisoning him.

Making him hand over all his money.

The one who could dominate the Federation...

...was...

Isidore stared in horror.

An Ruo flicked him lightly on the forehead.

"What nonsense are you imagining? Nothing like that is happening. Do you think this is a novel? Finish your ice cream, then contact your dad and papa. They're probably worried sick."

"Oh... really nothing?"

Holding the spot where he'd been flicked, Isidore leaned forward curiously.

"Nothing."

"Then why does a Male Zerg like you have to work to earn money?"

An Ruo assumed he meant his novel royalties.

"Because I have to hand it over to—"

Isidore's eyes immediately widened.

And you still say nothing's happening?!

You're obviously being imprisoned, exploited, and abused!

One look at his expression was enough for An Ruo to know what he was thinking.

"No, it's not like that. This money is more like... after your dad and your papa divorced..."

"...Alright, they didn't divorce. Stop glaring at me."

"It's more like the way your dad normally gives things to your papa."

Would he?

An Ruo thought about it for a second.

If it were Hill...

He definitely would.

Put that way, Isidore could understand.

Although it completely went against normal Zerg social conventions, in his family, his dad really did give his papa all sorts of things.

His paintings.

The clothes he bought.

And many other gifts.

Sometimes when they went shopping together and his papa was too busy, it was always his dad who paid.

So...

An and the Marshal were that kind of couple.

Even though they weren't married yet...

He was still willing to give all his money to him.

That sort of lovestruck devotion usually only appeared in female Zergs.

But then again...

Considering the novels An-shen wrote, it somehow made perfect sense.

Only a Male Zerg hopelessly in love could write stories that sweet.

The oversized hatchling, Isidore, sighed inwardly.

A Male Zerg who had been imprisoned could be rescued.

A lovestruck fool...

...was beyond saving.

...

Hill and Iso arrived soon afterward.

They repeatedly thanked An-shen for helping them find their hatchling.

An Ruo: "..."

He felt extremely guilty.

After all, their hatchling had run away because he had been looking for him.

"No need to thank me. Honestly, I didn't really do anything..."

Feeling awkward, An Ruo's gaze wandered about.

When he saw Iso taking Isidore aside for a lecture, he silently lit a candle for the hatchling in his heart.

"We still have to thank you."

Hill looked at him and said,

"Thank you for bringing Isidore back to us."

An Ruo paused slightly and looked at Hill.

He felt as though Hill was referring not only to today's reunion, but also to something else entirely.

"I'd like to give you a painting as a token of thanks."

Hill took out a carefully packed painting from his spatial button while asking,

"Do you believe there are other parallel worlds?"

"What?"

An Ruo looked puzzled.

Parallel worlds?

Hill simply placed the painting box into his hands without explaining further.

After he, Iso, and Isidore thanked him once more, they departed.

Every three steps, Isidore secretly looked back.

Hidden behind his dad and papa, he quietly gestured:

See you in the game.

"..."

An Ruo lowered his head to look at the wooden box containing the painting.

A figure came to stand beside him.

Ulysses.

"Marshal?!"

An Ruo hurriedly put the painting away before staring at the Marshal, who had appeared beside him like a ghost.

"Y-you... why are you here?"

The Marshal was supposed to be at the ballroom.

As the highest-ranking female Zerg present, he was expected to invite a Male Zerg to dance the opening dance.

It was a tradition passed down since the days of the Empire.

An Ruo felt guilty for slipping away without saying anything.

But he couldn't dance.

Staying would only have been awkward.

Besides, finding Isidore had been more important.

Ulysses withdrew his gaze from the direction Hill's family had left and lowered his silver eyes to the male standing beside him.

"Since I invited you to accompany me, I am responsible for you. Wherever you go, I will accompany you."

Then he asked,

"Would you like to look around a bit more? The night market will be very lively tonight."

Darkness had already fallen.

The streets were filled with masked Male and Female Zergs in all kinds of costumes, chatting and laughing beneath the warm orange lights.

The atmosphere was wonderful.

An Ruo hesitated before nodding.

He had never visited a night market before.

Still...

Having the Marshal accompany him shopping felt like imposing on him.

Remembering the special currency used at the festival, An Ruo located his personal wallet.

Then he said to the Marshal,

"If there's anything you want, just tell me. I have lots of Iso Coins!"

...

That conversation sounded strangely familiar.

The money he hadn't managed to spend on Isidore...

...ended up being spent on Ulysses instead.

Whenever Ulysses so much as glanced at something, An Ruo immediately went over and bought it.

Eventually, Ulysses stopped looking at anything else.

He only looked at An Ruo.

"...Is there something wrong with me?"

An Ruo suspected something had happened to his appearance.

Had his makeup worn off after an entire day?

Had one of his accessories fallen off?

"No..."

Ulysses stopped in front of a holographic photo studio.

For the first time, he took the initiative.

"I want... this. Is that alright?"

It had always been Male Zergs who said what they wanted, with female Zergs paying for it.

Never the other way around.

Never had a female Zerg told a male what he wanted.

"Of course!"

There was no way An Ruo would refuse.

He immediately walked inside.

The Zerg in charge of the studio was also a military female.

The moment he saw the Marshal and the Male Zerg enter together, he instinctively stood perfectly straight and saluted.

"Marshal!"

Ulysses nodded before looking toward the male beside him.

An Ruo politely asked,

"May we take a photo? The one beside me and I..."

"Together."

Ulysses said,

"A photo of the two of us."

The staff member immediately nodded.

"Understood! A romantic Male-and-female Zerg couple's portrait! We offer a wide variety of scenes with one-click background switching. From the starry universe to sunny seaside beaches—we have everything!"