Chapter 37: Male School Heartthrob x Military Academy Student (2): Oh my god! Dad and Papa don’t know each other! I haven’t even been born yet!

【"My name is Isidore. I'm three and a half years old. My papa is Iso, my dad is Hill... I have two homes, one in the sky and one underground..."

The little hatchling counted on his fingers and seriously explained everything to his "amnesiac" papa.

Iso listened, entranced.

Isidore...

A gift from the gods.

What kind of male Zerg would give a female hatchling such a name?

"Wait, Isi, what did you say your papa's name was?"

Iso interrupted him.

Isidore looked at his broken-brained papa with worry and anxiety.

"Iso! Iso! Papa, how could you even forget your own name?"

Could there really be a second Iso in the world?

And one who just happened to be the papa of a hatchling so closely related to him by blood?

How likely was that?

Only then did Iso realize something was wrong.

"What year were you born?"

"7039!"

Smart little Isi answered immediately.

Seven years later.

...】

[Eh? This timeline? It's currently Star Calendar 7052.]

[The little hatchling is three and a half. He traveled here from 7042, ten years ago. Meanwhile, the time where Iso is located is 7032, twenty years ago.]

[So for us readers, the story is actually about a hatchling from ten years ago traveling to twenty years ago.]

[Did An-shen do that on purpose? It would've been much easier to write if the timeline was closer to the present.]

[If we're following the current timeline, little Isi should already be in middle school.]

[Hahaha, just graduated elementary school and entered middle school.]

...

【This was a hatchling from ten years in the future.

He wouldn't even hatch for another seven years.

Yet he was standing right in front of him, hugging his leg and calling him Papa.

Iso was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information.

The hatchling said one of his homes was underground.

That underground probably referred to the Underground District.

Which meant that several years later, he had married a male Zerg from the Underground District and they had a hatchling together.

That was the only possibility.

No other male Zerg would willingly consider living in a place like the Underground District.

But...

What did "another home in the sky" mean?

Puzzled, Iso recalled the male Zerg name the hatchling had mentioned earlier.

Hill...

It sounded familiar.

He had heard that name very recently.

Today, in fact.

Many military academy students had been talking about him.

Iso opened his terminal and searched.

The moment he typed in "Hill," countless related topics popped up.

'Male Zerg'

'School Heartthrob'

'Freshman Enrollment'

'Beautiful Male Zerg Freshman'

'Male School Heartthrob Name - Hill'

《This year's male school heartthrob was decided on the first day of enrollment. The least suspenseful year ever. You all know who it is without me saying it. Who got Lord Hill's contact information? Share please!》

Posted ten minutes ago.

Attached was a photo from freshman registration.

Amid the bustling school gates filled with colorful clothes and hair, the male Zerg wore only simple white clothes and black pants. His skin was white porcelain, his hair like raven feathers, his bearing graceful and elegant, effortlessly attracting every gaze.

He walked alone while every Zerg around him, male and female alike, turned to look.

He was stunningly conspicuous.

Sharp-eyed little Isidore immediately noticed the screen. Tugging at his clothes, he pointed excitedly at the male Zerg in the picture.

"Dad! That's Dad!"

Surprise flashed through Iso's eyes.

He casually picked up the little hatchling beside him and placed him on his lap so they could sit together while looking at the screen.

He had originally thought that a male Zerg capable of raising such a lively and cheerful little hatchling would also have a lively and adorable personality.

But this Lord was nothing like he'd imagined.

Noble and cold, distant and aloof, separated from the crowd by an invisible barrier.

Like the starry heavens descending upon the wilderness—

Boundless.

Lonely.

Iso lowered his eyes and rubbed his fingers, suppressing those thoughts.

He could tell that although the male Zerg's clothes appeared simple, they were anything but ordinary.

This was a high-ranking male Zerg born into nobility.

He would never be lonely, nor should he be.

Countless female Zergs were destined to surround him.

They would throw themselves into danger for him.

They would long to bear his hatchlings.

Iso looked at the black-haired little female hatchling in his arms.

He had been mistaken.

The hatchling's father wasn't some male Zerg from the Underground District.

He was a noble Lord.

That made things much more difficult.

Such a Lord would never lack female Zergs willing to bear children for him.

He would never lack hatchlings.

And...

He was far too young.

No matter how one looked at it, he wouldn't accept a hatchling that appeared out of nowhere.

The little hatchling was still hugging his arm and acting spoiled, his voice filled with excitement and anticipation.

"Papa, Papa! Let's go find Dad!"

Telling him the truth might hurt the hatchling.

"Your... your dad is studying right now. We can't disturb him."

Even Iso felt awkward saying it.

A male Zerg Lord who was still in school and the word "hatchling" simply didn't go together.

"Dad goes to school too?"

Isidore was puzzled.

In his memories, Dad would sometimes be invited to schools to give lectures.

Was that the same thing?

The little hatchling was confused.

"Then when can we go see Dad? Do we wait until class ends and go pick him up?"

His eyes sparkled brightly.

He had already begun imagining himself and Papa flying a hovercraft to pick Dad up at the school gates.

"..."

Iso realized he could no longer hide the truth.

He had to explain the situation.

"Isi, there's something very important I need to tell you."

He turned the hatchling to face him and carefully explained while looking into his eyes.

"It's currently 7032. That's ten years before your timeline. Your dad and I... aren't together yet. We don't know each other. And you haven't been conceived yet... Do you understand what I mean?"

Isidore froze.

Zerg hatchlings inherited ancestral memories and learned many basic things inside the egg. Upon hatching, they already possessed a preliminary understanding of the world.

Though still mentally a small child, they understood many things.

Oh my god!

Dad and Papa didn't know each other!

He hadn't even been born yet!

Dad didn't know him either!!!

How utterly despairing.

Never in his life had Isidore imagined that one day Dad wouldn't recognize him.

From the moment he came into this world, Dad had known him.

"But... but I'm your baby! How could Dad not know me? Dad definitely knows me! Once he sees me, he'll recognize me!"

That's right.

Dad simply didn't know Papa yet.

But Dad definitely knew him.

Isidore was absolutely certain.

With bloodline resonance involved, even Iso couldn't deny it.

As long as Isidore appeared before Lord Hill...

The Lord would naturally recognize him as his hatchling.

Besides...

They really looked alike.

The same raven-black hair.

Skin white as jade.

Even the little hatchling's features resembled a chibi version of Lord Hill.

Only his golden eyes came from Iso.

Seeing the similarities between himself and an unfamiliar male Zerg fused together in a hatchling made Iso feel strangely wonderful.

He didn't dislike it.

Partly because female Zergs naturally adored hatchlings.

Partly because the little one was simply too beautiful and delicate. Through Papa's filter, he seemed especially adorable.

With the genes of such a high-ranking male Zerg, of course he'd be beautiful.

But Iso couldn't recklessly bring the hatchling before him.

That would frighten the male Zerg.

For a male Zerg still attending school, accepting that he already had a hatchling would be difficult.

Male Zergs weren't as fond of hatchlings as female Zergs.

Most male Zergs found them troublesome.

Especially male Zergs still in school.

At that age, they themselves were still "hatchlings."

Anything blurted out in shock might hurt Isi.

So Iso chose to explain things clearly.

He had never raised a hatchling before and didn't know how ordinary hatchlings were treated.

He simply regarded Isidore as an independent and equal individual and talked with him honestly.

Isidore understood what Papa said.

Though he couldn't understand why his appearance would frighten Dad.

Shouldn't he be a surprise?

Still, his trust and closeness toward Papa made him obediently accept Papa's arrangements.

After all the commotion, the little hatchling eventually fell asleep from exhaustion, though his sleep was clearly uneasy.

Iso stayed beside him, stroking his head from time to time and patting his back.

Wrapped in his papa's scent, the hatchling gradually relaxed and sank into deeper sleep.

Iso had never cared for hatchlings before.

Everything he did had been learned through searches.

Fortunately, it worked.

Looking at the adorable hatchling sleeping on the bed, his heart softened little by little.

No female Zerg disliked hatchlings.

And female Zergs like Iso, who had no blood relatives, treasured them even more.

After quite a while, Iso finally managed to pull himself out of his overflowing fatherly affection and began considering practical matters.

The hatchling definitely couldn't stay in the dormitory.

This was a military academy.

Everything operated under military discipline.

There was no way they'd allow him to raise a hatchling in the dorm.

Nor could he explain where the child came from.

Iso opened his terminal and applied for off-campus housing.

Normally, that wasn't permitted.

But his circumstances were special.

After all, he came from the Underground District.

He wasn't the same as the other cadets.

The instructor seemed to consider something before eventually approving the request.

He also specifically mentioned scholarships and subsidies.

Iso received a full scholarship every year.

He knew the instructor brought it up because he was worried about his financial situation and wanted to help.

Iso felt grateful.

Tuition was free, and there were allowances and scholarships. Logically speaking, money shouldn't have been a problem.

But Iso liked modifying mechas.

That hobby was a bottomless money pit.

Previously, he had managed well enough by being frugal where necessary and spending where needed.

But now...

Looking at the hatchling on the bed, he truly needed to think of ways to earn money.

...

Iso brought the hatchling back to his home in the Underground District.

He bought supplies and a childcare robot to help care for the little one.

Another huge expense disappeared.

After calculating his remaining balance and pinching pennies, he turned around and bought the hatchling plenty of fruits, snacks, and toys.

Having never possessed family before, the female Zerg had become absurdly doting.

He simply didn't care how much money he spent on the child.

Money could always be earned again.

Over the next week, Iso ran between the military academy and the Underground District every day.

Public transportation was convenient, so it didn't consume much time.

At night, after putting the hatchling to sleep, he worked another job.

For quick money, he returned to his old profession.

Putting on a mask, he entered the underground mecha arena.

Military academy.

Home.

Mecha arena.

Three points and one line.

Busy, but fulfilling.

Just when Iso thought everything was moving toward a brighter future...

The hatchling fell ill.

Isidore rolled around on the bed, clutching his head and crying that it hurt.

Iso had never experienced anything like this.

Panicked, he picked up the hatchling and prepared to take him to the hospital.

The hatchling refused.

"The hospital won't help. I want Dad. I want Dad's psychic soothing..."

As he spoke, Isidore secretly opened one eye and observed Papa's expression.

Whenever Papa looked over, he immediately whimpered pitifully about his headache.

Iso could tell some of it was an act.

Yet he couldn't help worrying.

What if?

What if even one part of it was true?

He couldn't gamble.

"Did your head hurt before too? And after your dad gave you psychic soothing, you always got better?" Iso asked.

Isidore nodded obediently.

"Every time Dad gives me psychic soothing, I feel really comfortable."

Every time?

That sounded far too frequent.

Female hatchlings didn't require that much psychic soothing.

Something was wrong.

"How often?" Iso asked gravely.

This question stumped Isidore.

Counting on his fingers, he recalled,

"Seven, eight, nine, ten times a week?"

Iso's expression changed dramatically.

That wasn't normal at all!

A male Zerg exhausting himself with such frequent psychic soothing...

It likely meant...

The hatchling had a genetic disease.

Iso tightly hugged the soft little body in his arms, his arms trembling faintly.

"Papa?"

Isidore raised his head in confusion.

"Don't be afraid. It'll be okay... We're going to find your dad."

Iso comforted him softly, his voice shaking.

Isidore blinked.

"Huh?"

The scared one was obviously Papa.

He wasn't scared at all.

But they could finally go see Dad!

Yay!

...】