Chapter 41
Chapter 41: So That Thing Is Called a Handheld Blower
"Up a bit, that's right, a bit more to the left, perfect, apply a bit more pressure... *sigh*"
In the bathroom, Adrian sat on a small stool while Tom, with his two little paws, held a towel and vigorously scrubbed Adrian's back.
After such a tiring day, Adrian decided to treat himself to a full package of bath and massage services from Tom. After all, who knew the art of Tom's techniques better than Adrian himself?
Once the session was over, Adrian felt a renewed sense of strength and returned the favor by offering Tom a comprehensive fur care service.
"By the way, Tom, can the fur on your body be taken off and washed like laundry?" Adrian inquired.
Tom turned his head with an expression that said, "Are you kidding me?" How could a cat's fur be taken off like that? Peeling off the fur would be fatal, wouldn't it?
Adrian didn't believe it and lifted Tom up, searching all around, trying to find where the zipper might be. "It shouldn't be like this. I've definitely seen scenarios like this before."
With an expression of disdain, Tom pushed Adrian's face away with his paw. He then rinsed himself off and used the towel to dry the water off his body.
"As a cat, you really don't shake off the water." Adrian picked up a hairdryer and carefully blew-dried Tom's fur.
After the blow-drying session, Tom's fur fluffed up and he looked like a cat ball. But soon enough, his fur settled down and he looked neat and tidy again.
Back in the bedroom, Adrian yawned and waved to Tom before turning off the lights and getting ready to sleep.
Adrian had a big bed for himself while Tom had his own little bed.
After a while, Adrian heard a scratching noise, and then he felt his blanket being tugged.
"What's wrong?" Adrian asked.
Turning on the bedside lamp, Adrian saw Tom clutching his small blanket near the bed, looking around nervously and shivering.
"Why are you so scared? Did you have a nightmare?"
Tom shook his head and made a pleading gesture, pointing to himself and then to Adrian's bed.
"You want to sleep with me?"
Tom nodded.
"Uh... Did I scare you with ghost stories?" Adrian chuckled and made some space for Tom. Well, he did tell those stories himself, after all.
Lying beside Adrian's pillow, Tom seemed much calmer. In no time, he was already making small snoring sounds.
"I can actually provide comfort to Tom? Truly..." Adrian pulled up the blanket for Tom and himself, drifting into sleep.
Early the next morning.
Adrian opened his eyes. His habit of reaching for his phone as soon as he woke up was now gone. Instead, he turned his head to glance at Tom's cat bed.
Not there? Oh right, Tom slept in my bed last night, but he's not here either.
Adrian checked the time. It wasn't even 6 AM yet, so Tom probably hadn't woken up.
At this moment, a cat paw poked out from under Adrian's back and tapped his side.
Adrian glanced at it and quickly rolled out of bed. He saw that Tom had been flattened into a 2D paper by Adrian's 3D body.
Probably because they had rolled around while sleeping? Strangely enough, lying on top of Tom didn't feel uncomfortable at all; in fact, it was quite cozy.
"Tom! I'm so sorry!" Adrian immediately removed the paper-thin Tom from the bed.
Tom shook his flat head and, from seemingly nowhere, produced a handheld blower. He placed the blower's nozzle into his mouth and pointed to the bed's headboard.
"Want to sleep with me again?" Adrian guessed.
Tom nodded.
"Uh... Did I frighten you with ghost stories?" Adrian laughed and made room for Tom on the bed. Well, he did tell those stories himself, after all.
Lying beside Adrian's pillow, Tom seemed much calmer. In no time, he was already making small snoring sounds.
"I can actually provide comfort to Tom? Truly..." Adrian pulled up the blanket for Tom and himself, drifting into sleep.
Early the next morning.
Adrian opened his eyes. His habit of reaching for his phone as soon as he woke up was now gone. Instead, he turned his head to glance at Tom's cat bed.
Not there? Oh right, Tom slept in my bed last night, but he's not here either.
Adrian checked the time. It wasn't even 6 AM yet, so Tom probably hadn't woken up.
At this moment, a cat paw poked out from under Adrian's back and tapped his side.
Adrian glanced at it and quickly rolled out of bed. He saw that Tom had been flattened into a 2D paper by Adrian's 3D body.
Probably because they had rolled around while sleeping? Strangely enough, lying on top of Tom didn't feel uncomfortable at all; in fact, it was quite cozy.
"Tom! I'm so sorry!" Adrian immediately removed the paper-thin Tom from the bed.
Tom shook his flat head and, from seemingly nowhere, produced a handheld blower. He placed the blower's nozzle into his mouth and pointed to the bed's headboard.
Adrian understood what Tom wanted. He tightly pressed the two pieces of the headboard together with all his strength. Air from the handheld blower flowed into Tom's mouth, causing him to gradually inflate like a balloon.
Adrian found it hard to comprehend. The handheld blower seemed so small and its internal space shouldn't be that large, yet it was somehow able to inflate Tom into a big balloon. What's more, this Tom balloon was floating around in a scientifically inexplicable manner.
Tom struggled to release his mouth from the blower's nozzle, blowing a gust of fresh air that messed up Adrian's hairstyle. Subsequently, like a deflating balloon, Tom flew erratically in the air for a while before finally dropping onto Adrian's head.
Adrian removed him from his head, and their eyes met. "Good morning, Tom."
A new day began, starting with a cat-stroking session—although this method of stroking the cat seemed a bit off.
Accompanied by Tom and Artoria, Adrian went for a morning jog.
Tom, dressed in red sportswear, didn't run for long before starting to protest. He plopped down on the ground and stuck his tongue out, clearly unwilling to move.
Adrian had no choice but to carry him on his shoulder like an accessory while jogging. At the same time, he seized the opportunity to ask Artoria questions about magic.
In reality, Adrian feared receiving answers like, "Isn't using magic something you're born with?" or "Doesn't the amount of magic increase naturally?"
"Magic is an energy that resides within your body, closely tied to your physical strength. If you want to become stronger, you mustn't neglect your physical training. The usage of magic can be called magical release..."
Artoria explained the methods of attaching magic to weapons or the body.
As Adrian listened, he increasingly found this concept resembling the inner energy from martial arts novels: a versatile power that included attacks, defense, and enhanced speed.
The best way to master magic was through practical combat. In other words, Adrian had to continue taking hits, and he might even experience enhanced attacks from magic.
However, due to his limited magical abilities at the moment, he would probably start with practicing the basic control and release of magic.
After the jog, Tom began preparing breakfast and Adrian requested a bowl of "hot dry noodles."
The recipe wasn't available, so Tom improvised based on Adrian's description.
Although the result lacked the exact alkaline flavor and the sauce wasn't a perfect match, it still managed to bring back a hint of familiarity.
Everyone enjoyed the meal, leading Adrian to decide to organize the list of foods he had tasted before. Even if he only knew the ingredients and flavors, it would be better than forgetting everything. Later, he could ask Tom to gradually replicate them.
Adrian initially thought their morning sparring session would be affected because Artoria's bamboo sword had broken the previous day, and she hadn't gotten a new one yet.
However, Artoria picked up the child-sized bamboo sword she had used for Tom and swung it casually. "For now, let's use this."
Adrian felt relieved to know they could continue training normally, but then his spirits fell again.
Because he inexplicably remembered the first time Hawkeye met Zoro and handed him a small knife, saying, "Sorry, I don't have a smaller knife."
Patting his own face, Adrian pushed aside those irrelevant thoughts. When you're weak, you should have a sense of your own capabilities. Even if she's holding a bamboo sword, she might be able to knock him down with a pair of chopsticks.
With a burst of practice, Adrian's reflexes had improved significantly since the past few days of training. He was no longer the Adrian who Artoria could easily defeat with just a couple of simple moves—assuming she was only using swordsmanship.
After getting beaten up, Adrian no longer felt the need to apply medicine. A quick wash was sufficient; he'd let his body recover on its own. It was just a bit of pain, nothing he couldn't endure.
At noon, Tom prepared a grand feast with a Sea King theme. This time, he attempted to make a bone-in meat dish, specifically the kind that Luffy loved the most.
When Artoria picked up the meat, Adrian immediately recalled a famous line:
"The Beautiful Swordswoman arrives with meat!"