Chapter 27: A Thoughtful Pet Beast? Don't Believe the Hype

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"Alright… okay!" Ivy nodded before she even realized it, caught off guard by Asher's steady gaze that held such unshakable trust. Her response came out faster than her mind could keep up.

June's protest came loudly from the side. "Ivy! What happened to best friends forever? Is our friendship just gone like that?"

Ivy's cheeks flushed as she looked away shyly, then turned to June with a soft smile. "I'll be right there with you, June. So, isn't that okay?" She blinked her eyes with such a hopeful expression that it left June defenseless.

June: 'I… can't say no. I just can't. Turning down Asher was easy enough, but refusing Ivy? Impossible.'

"Yip! Yip-yip-yip!" Little Fire Fox chomped on June's coat sleeve and whined with all the desperation it could muster, 'You can't handle it? Well, I can. But, I don't wanna train.'

Little Fire Fox's angry yips drew the attention of the nearby Little Raven, who turned her unblinking gaze toward the fox.

Little Fire Fox: (╥╯^╰╥)

Little Raven: →_→

"Yip-yip-yip!" 'What're you looking at? I beat you'

Little Raven: →_→

"Yip… yip-yip-yip!" 'Just you wait. Next time, I'll pummel you.'

Little Raven, undeterred, dug her claws into Asher's shoulder and snuggled closer, nudging her head affectionately against him.

"Hm? Hungry?" Asher asked, glancing down at Little Raven.

She nodded, her one little tuft of hair swaying in the breeze.

Without hesitation, Asher pulled out the snacks he always kept in his pocket for her. He found a shaded spot and settled down to feed her.

Little Fire Fox, feeling entirely ignored, let out an outraged, "Yip! Yip-yip-yip!"

Little Fire Fox: (へ╬) 'Indignant. Purely, unbelievably indignant.' With a huff, it reached out and smacked June's arm with its paw.

Training? It would go home and train right now It was going to learn powerful fire skills—Blazing Inferno. Dance of Flames. Flame Burst—and show that smug bird who was boss.

Unfortunately, June didn't quite understand her pet's passion. "Are you hungry too?" she asked, fishing out a few Ember Fruits from her bag. "I brought these along. Want some?"

The moment Little Fire Fox heard the words "Ember Fruit," its anger dissipated, and its eyes sparkled with delight.

'Ember Fruit? Oh, yes, please!'

Eating gave it the energy it needed to stay mad at that bird. June and Ivy sat beside Asher as he fed Little Raven. June shared her Ember Fruit with Little Fire Fox, and Ivy, after a moment's thought, released Fairy Butterfly.

At the battle center, there had been too many onlookers for her to feel comfortable releasing the rare Fairy Butterfly. But here on the street, passersby would only give a quick glance, too busy to pay it much mind.

"Here, Nene, have some nectar." Ivy opened a small flask filled with nectar she'd specially prepared for her Fairy Butterfly.

"Fairy Butterfly's grown really well," Asher commented.

It had been a while since he'd checked on it, so he activated his Talent and took a look.

[Beast: Fairy Butterfly]

[Attribute: Fairy]

[Species: Mid-level Extraordinary, Low Tier]

[Level: Stage 2, Mid-tier]

[Skills: Sweet Nectar, Wind Blade, Heart of Guardian, Fairy Flash]

[Thoughts: Love Ivy~Will protect Ivy forever~]

It seemed Fairy Butterfly had learned a new skill, [Fairy Flash], and advanced from Stage 2 Low-tier to Mid-tier. Asher could tell Ivy had been putting in consistent effort to train her pet. Satisfied, he decided to check in on Little Fire Fox next.

[Beast: Little Fire Fox]

[Attribute: Fire]

[Species: Mid-level Extraordinary, Low Tier]

[Level: Stage 2, High-tier+]

[Skills: Flame Bite, Fire Burst, Fireball]

[Evolution Paths: Blaze Fox, Flame Queen Fox]

[Not meeting evolution criteria]

[Thoughts: Eat! Eat more, train harder! Fox shall get strong, evolve, and crush that bird.]

Asher closed the window, a few question marks floating above his head.

Sure, Little Fire Fox's desire to get stronger was definitely a positive thing. A driven beast would learn skills faster and evolve sooner, after all. If things went well, June might even end up with a Blaze Fox or Flame Queen Fox.

And when that time came, he could finally siphon off some skills from her pet, bringing Little Raven one step closer to her own evolution.

But Little Fire Fox's motivation seemed… well, a little misdirected?

'Is it because of…' Asher glanced down at Little Raven, who was happily munching on her snack. Feeling his gaze, she looked up with her beady black eyes, tilting her head slightly before reaching out a tiny claw and pushing a slice of fruit toward him.

'Here. Eat it. I can take care of you.'

Amused, Asher accepted the offering. "Thank you, Little Raven."

'Yes. No need to question Little Fire Fox's inner thoughts too much. If everyone is happy, that is enough.'

Seeing him finish the fruit, Little Raven nodded approvingly and resumed her own snack, completely at ease.

Asher, however, found himself met with a pair of strange, bemused stares from June and Ivy.

"Asher, you…" Ivy trailed off, unsure of how to put it.

June, on the other hand, had no filter. "Did you just take food from your pet? Are you even human?"

Asher could only laugh awkwardly. Trying to explain would just make things stranger.

Honestly, he'd first tasted the food out of curiosity. But somehow, that single bite had sparked a habit where Little Raven would insist on sharing every meal with him.

If he didn't eat what she offered, she'd keep nudging him with her wings until he did. Eventually, he just gave in. As long as it wasn't something unappetizing like Red Mud Worms, he'd let her share.

The two of them were entirely used to it by now and thought nothing of it. It was only when they went out that it started to seem… unusual.

"It's a bit complicated," Asher said with a helpless shrug. "But think of it as just one of Little Raven's quirks."

June looked dubious.

Ivy, on the other hand, smiled gently. "Little Raven really likes you. Most pet beasts don't share their food so easily."

As if to prove her wrong, Fairy Butterfly folded its wings, nudging Ivy's water flask closer to her.

"Yip~" 'You drink too, Ivy. I love you too~'

Ivy's face lit up, and she hugged Fairy Butterfly lightly in thanks.

June, meanwhile, looked down at her own pet, who was still happily munching Ember Fruit, oblivious to the world.

Little Fire Fox: 'A thoughtful pet? Don't fall for that scam. Download the Anti-Fraud Pet Beast app now.'

June muttered under her breath, "Ingrate…"

Seeing the other pets being so affectionate, she couldn't help but feel a bit of envy. She'd probably be driven up the wall by her pet one of these days.

After everyone had eaten and rested, Asher reluctantly agreed to join the girls for a little shopping spree at the Pet Supplies Supercenter.

June went wild with her shopping, while Ivy carefully selected a variety of flavored nectar. Asher, sticking to a tight budget, picked out some reasonably priced fruit.

'Do what you can with what you have', he thought, 'not the least bit ashamed.'

Then, while Asher took Little Raven to the Breeding Center for her vaccination, June—under pressure from Little Fire Fox's repeated, urgent pawing—headed straight home with Ivy to begin their special training.

————

A fresh Monday morning.

Asher had settled comfortably into this routine. The only hitch was that the pay wasn't quite enough.

"I should probably look for a part-time job," he mused, lounging at the Service Station's entrance and basking in the morning sun. Browsing his phone, he flipped through listings for anything that might suit him.

Pets were expensive. And as for pet beasts? They were a whole different story.

Before contracting Little Raven, the wages from his Service Station work had been more than enough. But since Little Raven came along, he'd barely bought anything, and his money was already running low.

He sighed, 'Just gotta take on a bit more. Little Raven deserves it.'

He quickly glanced at his phone. "June actually sent the compensation fee." He smiled at the 3,000 yuan transfer, impressed but not surprised, 'She is a true heiress, after all.'

Just as he was reviewing a part-time job listing for a Pet Beast Training Assistant position, his phone suddenly began to vibrate.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

His chat app went wild. Messages flooded in, notifications exploding one after another.

Before he could react, video calls from multiple contacts came in at once. The phone froze, the screen locked up—and then, abruptly, it shut down.

Asher: (⁠･⁠o⁠･⁠;⁠)

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