svetikya Page 104
Page 104
"but!"
Just as Payne was about to remark on how easy-going Xiao En was, she suddenly raised her voice, adjusted her posture to face Payne, and pointed at him, both angry and embarrassed, saying:
"I'm in late heat now! Don't even think about making me do it with you again!"
It seems this sheep still has some anger inside.
However, it's better to vent one's anger than to keep it bottled up inside.
"Okay, okay, I definitely won't force you." Payne raised his hands in surrender. "Besides, it doesn't sound like I could force you. You're much stronger than me..."
"Orcs are strong, but you humans are even more cunning!" Xiao En's voice rose a little. "Tell me! Why did you deliberately get close to Ella in front of me?!"
Payne's lips twitched. "It's just... I find your reaction quite amusing..."
"So you're implying you're just teasing me, right?!"
"I'm...sorry...I won't do that again..."
"So you were just kidding me when you said I was a mature beast?!"
Payne didn't know how the topic had veered to this point, but he was still very serious about it: "No, I really think so."
"From being timid and helpless at the beginning, to now daring to throw grenades into the enemy's gun barrels and drag the wounded away from the threat of flamethrowers;
"From needing me to take care of everything at the beginning, to now being able to act independently and even taking the initiative to take care of the younger generation."
“I’ve seen your growth; you’ve really matured a lot.”
Although he didn't really want to ruin the atmosphere, seeing Xiao En's face gradually turning red, Payne couldn't help but say, "Do you understand? Your maturity and my desire to tease you don't conflict."
Xiao En's face turned even redder, and she punched Payne hard in the chest. "You... what else do you want? Tell me everything!"
"Hey, take it easy, haven't you been punished enough yet?..."
Payne rubbed his chest in pain, pressed Xiao En's hands to the ground, and then continued, "Also, I feel you're too shy, and you might not be able to let loose during the act..."
"Although the taste of a shy sheep is quite good, if possible, I would still like you to cooperate with me, and even take the initiative a bit..."
"Is this why you deliberately provoked me?!"
Xiao En grew increasingly furious, only escaping a beating from her because Payne held her hands firmly to the ground.
"Um... cough cough, I'm... sorry, I won't do it again..."
"Is this all you're going to do with a perfunctory apology?!"
Xiao En showed no sign of giving up. After a few more forceful thrusts, ... she was unable to free her hands from Payne's grasp...
"Hey, hey, hey, what do you think you're doing?!..."
"Didn't you think I was too shy?...?!?!"
"...Aaaaaaah!!!!..."
In the stillness of the night, Payne no longer cared how loudly he had shouted.
Right now, his only thought was to quickly pry open... the pliers.
……
A while later, when Lacey was called to the machine gun position, before Payne could speak, Dog asked, "Was that the owner barking just now? And why does Xiao En look so angry?"
Payne looked pained. "Oh, it's nothing. She just ambushed me, so I increased her punishment."
"Oh? Really?~"
"Alright, alright, don't worry about these little details, come over here first."
Lacey was clearly not very convinced. After walking over to Payne, she did not sit down, but instead carefully sniffed the lingering scent in the air, and then exhaled heavily through her nose.
"The smell of mutton here is overwhelming, and you smell terrible too. You must have done something, right?"
Payne gave a wry smile. "She's already in the late stages of her heat, what can we do... I just told her the truth when I was trying to comfort her, and then she took it out on me..."
"Is that so? It seems that what you did, Master, was really too much."
"Um... there is a tiny bit..."
"Aren't you going to object?"
"I've already said it, I will definitely be honest with you."
"Yeah……"
Lacey didn't speak, but simply twitched her ears and looked in the direction of the enemy's location.
The weather was quite nice today. There were no clouds in the sky, and the bright moonlight shone clearly on the earth. The French trenches, which had been filled with flying dirt and stones during the day, were now as quiet as a graveyard, without a sound.
Actually, it wouldn't be entirely wrong to say that the trenches were the soldiers' graveyards...
As Payne was lost in thought about these issues while waiting for Lacey to sit down, he heard the dog say, "The smell of mutton is too strong. I don't want to stay here. Let's go back?"
Payne felt that the suggestion was not unacceptable. He was still in pain after being tormented by Xiao En, and it would be best if he could lie down and rest.
So he called the other five beasts together and told them to come back on their own after they finished their sentry duty. Then he took Lacey back to the bunker.
He had barely stepped inside and taken off his coat when Lacey grabbed him and pulled him onto the bed.
"What are you doing?" Payne wasn't annoyed, he just poked her dog nose.
“Nothing much. Right now, he's in the early stages of his heat, making him the highest priority beast in the team.” Lacey stared intently at Payne, her tail swaying gently.
"...Ha, that's true."
Since she didn't do anything more outrageous, Payne chuckled, grabbed her ears with both hands like a joystick, and started scratching them inside and out.
So Lacey smiled, relieved that all her worries were behind her, and began to enjoy herself.
Although everything seemed harmonious, Payne knew that Lacey wouldn't be going back to her silly dog state for the time being.
After a moment's thought, Payne, having gathered his thoughts, spoke first: "Lassie, about what you said before about your importance to me..."
Before he could finish speaking, he felt the limp ear in his hand stand up.
Chapter 164 CLXIII. Lacey's Other Side
Indeed, although the human and the beast had been together for over a year, their status was still unequal, so how could she not care?
She didn't press him immediately because the timing wasn't right; she definitely wanted to hear Payne's answer himself.
Seeing Lacey's expectant expression, Payne laughed: "Why are you so nervous? Don't you have any confidence in yourself?"
“You have absolutely no need to worry. Just as you think, you certainly hold the most important place in my heart.”
Upon hearing this, Lacey immediately beamed with joy, her tail wagging vigorously as she came closer to lick his face.
But Payne's explanation wasn't over yet; he could only continue while enduring the licking attacks:
"But... it's precisely because I know you so well, and know you're a good girl, that after Ella arrived covered in injuries, I was able to focus most of my attention on her without having to worry about you anymore..."
"Don't mention Ella at a time like this, it's such a downer..." Lacey pouted.
"But how can I explain this to you clearly if I don't mention her?"
"I don't care, you're not allowed to mention her. And it's okay if you don't explain..."
"No, that won't do. This is a bit of a knot in my heart, and I need to make things clear with you."
Payne paused slightly at this point, then rubbed Lacey's ears again. "Do you understand? It's not that I don't like you anymore, it's just... I know you too well, and a new beast has arrived..."
Lacey answered quickly: "So you're feeling a bit tired of it and want to try something different?"
Payne: "..."
So Lacey immediately smacked him on the shoulder, "Go ahead and argue with me!"
Payne initially didn't want to engage in the conversation and wanted to force the original topic to continue, but after thinking about it, he felt it was better not to speak.
Because he knew very well that he had already won over Lacey's favor and loyalty, and that merely showing concern for his wounded compatriots wouldn't affect Lacey's feelings for him. Therefore, he was somewhat emboldened by his disregard for Lacey...
Before traveling through time, Pine had read a short article that answered this question: Why are many people polite to casual acquaintances but often lose their temper with close friends and family?
This situation may seem counterintuitive at first glance, but the underlying logic is sound:
Because the relationship is so close, there is no need to worry that a tantrum of this magnitude would tear apart such a close relationship.
Those who don't have a very good relationship have to go to great lengths to maintain and develop it.
Payne felt he had this mentality to some extent, and he knew it wasn't good, so he didn't dare to say anything...
Therefore, he simply reassured Lacey, saying, "I will try my best to find a balance between you old beasts and new beasts in the future."
But because he didn't give the dog the answer it wanted, Lacey didn't accept this ambiguous promise either, and instead asked further, "Then let me ask you, isn't my favorite beast?"
Payne paused for a moment, then smiled. "My favorite beast is definitely you."
But then Lacey immediately asked, "Why did you pause?"
His smile immediately froze on his face. "Um... well..."
Lacey persisted: "Ruby bragged to me when she was in heat, saying you admitted to her that she was your favorite animal, but now you're saying I'm your favorite animal..."
"Tell me, do you say this to every single beast?"
Payne: "..."
How come I never realized this rascal squirrel talked so much before?
It seems I need to find an opportunity to teach her a lesson.
However, when it came to this matter, Payne was quite confident: "Uh, no, actually I only told you, Ruby, and Troy, because only the three of you have been with me for a relatively long time..."
Naturally, Lacey wasn't satisfied with this answer either: "It's not much better! And why does spending more time with you make me my favorite?! Is it because we've known each other for a long time that we've grown fond of each other?!"
Payne: "..."
How come I never realized before that this silly dog could use puns?
We'll increase her punishment tomorrow.
Payne glanced at his watch, trying to change the subject, "It's still early before our sentry duty ends... Should we go back?"
"You haven't answered my question yet," Lacey said sullenly.
He had no choice but to think about it seriously for a moment, then shrugged helplessly, "Actually, I don't think there's much to answer to this question."