Carrying March 7th over her shoulder, Sylvia gave her a playful swat on the backside as a bit of rough comfort.
Honestly, March was a total novice. To get that flustered and turn that shade of red over just a few words?
Compared to Stelle, the two of them were like a pair of legendary idiots—perfectly matched in their cluelessness.
As a seasoned veteran of the "fast lane," Sylvia felt it was practically her duty to teach her what real speed looked like!
Unfortunately, March's skin was just too thin. Halfway there, the sheer number of passing researchers became too much for her to bear, and she scrambled down from Sylvia's shoulder.
"Hey, where exactly are we going?" March asked, rubbing her rear end uncomfortably. Those few swats from Sylvia had left her feeling a lingering tingle, almost like someone had stuck a little electric massager back there.
Since the day she'd first woken up, this was the first time anyone had ever spanked her. While she'd been slumped over Sylvia's shoulder, the sensation of the strike had made her involuntarily recall the feel of Sylvia's skin.
It was an absolute social death sentence.
If she hadn't already calculated that she couldn't win in a fight, March would have pinned her to a bed and paid her back in kind by now.
Talk about a total reversal of the natural order! On the Express, March was the senior member, okay? Little Sylvia had no respect for her elders!
Of course, March only dared to glare at Sylvia's back; she didn't breathe a word of it out loud. Sylvia didn't seem to care either.
"To the infirmary to look up some data," Sylvia replied.
"Oh—" March muttered. She felt like something was off, but she followed along like a good girl anyway.
The infirmary at Herta Space Station was, naturally, much larger than the tiny area depicted in the games. The station was massive, after all, and the number of permanent researchers was nothing to sneeze at.
Plus, these people rarely ever left the station. You could say that as long as it wasn't a terminal illness or some bizarre cosmic anomaly, most human ailments could be handled right here.
Sylvia led March inside and asked the medical staff to borrow an empty room. Luckily, the daily medical workload wasn't too heavy, or Sylvia would have felt a bit guilty asking.
Though the small booth was cramped, it was fully equipped with all sorts of instruments and, more importantly, an interface terminal. Sylvia had her eye on the medical archives; she was looking for some professional "textbooks."
However, as Sylvia began her search right in front of March's still-flushed face, the results made her fall silent.
Perhaps it was because the data on Herta Space Station was too comprehensive, or perhaps because the races of the galaxy were currently too diverse.
Under the "Physiology" tab, Sylvia saw a wealth of knowledge about unique species she'd never even dreamed of.
For instance, Foxians and Pepeshi—groups that were similar to ordinary humans but possessed very distinct differences. It was a real eye-opener.
Even March forgot to be embarrassed. She pressed her small head close to Sylvia's, peering at the screen. She let out soft gasps of surprise, her eyes glued to the descriptions in the encyclopedia.
Halfway through, however, Sylvia suddenly snapped the page shut. March, acting as if she hadn't seen enough, actually reached out and patted Sylvia's arm in a hurry.
"Hey, hey! Don't close it! I wasn't finished!"
"..."
Sylvia turned her head to look at March. The girl looked perfectly composed now—where was that blushing mess from earlier?
Perhaps realizing Sylvia's gaze was a bit too pointed, March's face turned red again. She scratched her cheek sheepishly and let out a little giggle.
"Hehe... well, you know, it's just because I don't actually know any of them personally. So it feels... fine?"
While March traveled everywhere with the Express and had indeed met many different races, truthfully, she didn't have many close friends among them.
Not to mention the fact that they were treated like wanted criminals every other week. She knew very few people from those more exotic-looking species.
"Fine..." Sylvia conceded, barely accepting the excuse. "Then look at this first—"
Sylvia pulled up the data for standard humans.
"Mmmph—!"
March clearly wasn't used to "studying" this kind of thing with someone else. Not only did her face and ears turn crimson, but she also wore a look of shy intrigue, like a middle school girl.
Sylvia sighed, then grabbed March's arm to pull her a bit closer.
"Look closely and learn. Honestly... until you've finished the official curriculum, you're not allowed to look at the weird stuff anymore!"
"What 'weird stuff'?! I wasn't!"
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Anyway, study hard and get desensitized. Seriously, why are you still so embarrassed by this stuff?"
Hearing Sylvia's detached, "not my problem" attitude, March's temperature spiked into the red zone.
What a load of rubbish! Sylvia made it sound like she was some naive little girl who didn't know the way of the world.
Did Sylvia think she didn't understand these things? She was only embarrassed because she was discussing them with Sylvia, okay?!
March glared at Sylvia, puffing her cheeks out like a blowfish. She wasn't some girl who got flustered at the drop of a hat.
If it weren't for the fact that it was Sylvia—which meant every time they talked about this, she couldn't help but remember what happened that night—there was no way she'd be this embarrassed.
But that was the problem... she couldn't say that to Sylvia.
If she explained it that way, wouldn't it sound like she had improper designs on her? But if she didn't explain, her image in Sylvia's eyes would forever be "that shy little girl."
March really couldn't stand that. She was a proud Nameless! Since when was she a "shy little girl"?
She racked her brain, realizing that no matter which way she turned, she was the one losing face. Finally, she realized she just couldn't take it anymore. With a loud cry, she lunged straight at Sylvia.
"Aaaagh!! It's all your fault!"
March stood up and threw her weight against Sylvia, simultaneously raising her small fists and raining down a flurry of blows—thump, thump, thump—against Sylvia's body.
Of course, she didn't use any real strength. She just wanted to vent.
However, Sylvia was sturdy to begin with, and with March holding back, those little fists felt like cotton balls. Seeing March puffed up like a grumpy river pig, Sylvia couldn't help but want to laugh.
The total lack of force in those punches only deepened Sylvia's misunderstanding.
Yep, she's definitely just embarrassed because there are other people around.
"Alright, alright. I don't know what I did, but sure—it's my fault~"
Was this girl's skin really this thin? Sylvia reached out and caught March's tiny fists, thinking it over. It seemed March really was much more sensitive than Stelle.
Oh well, no big deal. It looked like she couldn't keep treating March like a completely heartless, silly deer. She was a young lady after all; it was only normal her skin wasn't as thick as a "pro driver's."
With that thought, Sylvia's gaze toward March gained a few extra layers of "senior-to-junior" affection.
March didn't know exactly what was going through Sylvia's head, but seeing that look, her cheeks puffed out even further.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.