The Fish Gets Petted

Prince Jing was still watching the fish intently. Wang Xi held out both boxes and looked at him, his eyes brimming with expectation.

Mu Tianchi: "..."

Having served Prince Jing for years, Wang Xi knew better than anyone how to cater to his master's wishes without making a show of it. Smiling, he said earnestly, "Your Highness, this old servant has something else to attend to, but I haven't finished feeding the fish. Could Your Highness help me feed it?"

Mu Tianchi was slightly taken aback.

Wang Xi had already pushed the boxes toward him. With great solemnity, he continued, "There are two kinds of fish food, Your Highness. Look—the red ones are fish-fragrant shredded pork flavor, and the green ones are shiitake mushroom and greens flavor. From what this old servant has observed, the little carp seems to prefer the red ones."

Mu Tianchi: "..."

Mu Tianchi couldn't help thinking back. The little carp did seem to swim more enthusiastically when it had a piece of red fish food in its mouth.

He silently accepted the box of red fish food. Wang Xi smiled until his eyes curved into crescents, reminded Prince Jing not to feed the fish too much, then found an excuse to make himself scarce.

Holding the fish food, Mu Tianchi hesitated. He had never done anything like this before, after all. Meanwhile, Li Yu waited and waited, but Wang Xi never fed him another bite. Still a little hungry, the small carp couldn't help swimming up to the surface and craning his head in anticipation.

Then, in a decidedly bizarre moment, he and Prince Jing found themselves staring into each other's eyes—one fish, one human.

Li Yu: "..."

Li Yu hadn't been prepared for this and got quite a start. Then he remembered that he was only a fish. No matter how long he stared at Prince Jing, the prince probably wouldn't notice.

What... was Prince Jing planning to do?

Li Yu couldn't figure him out. The tall, strapping young man couldn't speak, and always kept his emotions hidden in his dark, fathomless eyes.

Mu Tianchi stood in front of the fish tank for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea. Only then did he take a small handful of red fish food from the box and scatter it forcefully into the water.

Li Yu was nearly pelted by the shower of fish food. He stared blankly at Prince Jing, scarcely able to believe it.

By the time he came to his senses, his fish body was already lunging involuntarily toward the food Prince Jing had tossed in.

With a turn, the little carp traced a graceful arc through the water and carefully caught a piece in his mouth. His heart thumped wildly in his chest.

The tyrant Prince Jing hadn't just saved him—he was actually feeding him in person!!

The moment he swallowed the food, the system's voice, silent for so long, promptly rang out.

"Congratulations, host. You have completed Step Two of the main quest 'The Tyrant's Million-Gold Pet Fish'—'Interacting with the Tyrant.' Congratulations on earning the corresponding reward!"

Li Yu: "..."

Li Yu could have wept. After all that, this was what fucking counted as interaction!

He ate every last bit of food Prince Jing had given him in one go, then lay down on his snow-white pebble bed. Now he wasn't hungry at all. In fact, his belly felt positively bloated.

Fish or human, a full stomach made you sleepy. Since he'd completed the second step without disaster, despite a few scares along the way, Li Yu figured there was no harm in taking a nap before asking the system for his reward.

As a human, he couldn't just fall asleep whenever and wherever he pleased. As a fish, he had no such worries. Upright or lying down, either worked. Li Yu tilted his head and was soon on the verge of drifting off.

Remembering Wang Xi's words, Prince Jing glanced at the little carp, curled two fingers, and tapped the tank.

Li Yu, who had been about to fall asleep only to be rocked by the vibrations: ???

What are you doing? I'm so sleepy. I've still got injuries to recover from...

If it weren't for the quests, Li Yu wouldn't want anything to do with the tyrant.

Seeing that the fish remained listless, lying motionless on the stones, Prince Jing simply reached in.

All Li Yu wanted was to sleep, but suddenly he felt a strong current surging through the tank.

What was going on??

The fright drove all his sleepiness away. He opened his eyes to find that Prince Jing had put a hand into the tank and was reaching toward him.

Li Yu: !!!

Li Yu fought down the urge to lash his tail. For one thing, he was injured, and moving his tail hurt. For another, if he dared splash Prince Jing in the face, he would definitely become a dead fish on the spot!

Li Yu's heart was in his throat, but Prince Jing's hand didn't seize him. Instead, the prince held his fingers together and gave him a gentle push, shooing him off his snow-white pebble bed.

Li Yu: ???

Did Prince Jing mean he wasn't allowed to sleep?

Utterly bewildered from head to tail, Li Yu swam along as Prince Jing nudged him with his fingers.

He still had no idea what Prince Jing was trying to do. Guided by the prince's fingers, he'd nearly toured the entire blue-and-white porcelain tank. At first, he was frightened, but after a while, he realized Prince Jing wasn't doing anything except pushing him along. Li Yu gradually relaxed, occasionally cooperating with a couple of lazy strokes of his fins.

His soft, delicate fins inevitably brushed Prince Jing's fingers.

Mu Tianchi paused and fixed his deep gaze on the fish, which had no idea how outrageously bold it was being.

Had a person dared do such a thing, Prince Jing would certainly have had them cut into a thousand pieces.

But this was a fish, not a person. There was no need to be so harsh.

Letting down his guard, Prince Jing suddenly curled his lips in a wicked little smile.

Li Yu was flicking water with his fins when he felt warmth at the tip of his tail, followed by a series of strange sensations that made his scales crawl.

Li Yu looked back. The tyrant's face was still expressionless, but what the hell was that damned hand doing, without so much as a pause?!

Aaah, don't—don't curl his tail around a finger! A fish's... thing was right nearby. It tickled! No touching him wherever you pleased! Eek!!

The little carp's tail trembled violently between Prince Jing's fingers. Help! How had he never known the tyrant would give a fish a hand job?!

Prince Jing nudged Li Yu around several more laps with his fingers. Only when the fish looked increasingly lively did he stop and release him.

Li Yu swam nimbly on his own for a while and suddenly realized that his previously bloated belly no longer felt distended.

Amused, he thought, Surely Prince Jing hadn't made him swim to help him digest because he'd eaten too much!

He didn't believe Prince Jing was the sort of person who would take the initiative to consider a small animal's needs.

Just as he still didn't know why Prince Jing had rescued him when he was badly injured and unconscious, the prince's sudden decision to push him around the tank remained an unsolved mystery.

Prince Jing's sleeve had gotten wet in the process. He raised an eyebrow slightly.

Li Yu figured Prince Jing would soon go change his clothes. A pampered prince wouldn't tolerate wearing soiled clothing, after all—not even a wet sleeve.

As expected, Prince Jing soon turned and moved away for a while, his face disappearing from above the tank.

But Li Yu didn't hear him open the door. Masters generally didn't change their own clothes; they had servants attend to them. Though Prince Jing couldn't speak, that wouldn't prevent him from opening a door and fetching someone waiting outside.

Li Yu waited and waited, but heard nothing else. Fish seemed to heal faster than humans—or perhaps it was because he had the system. After dozing and resting for a little while, he felt much better, and his tail no longer hurt so much. He decided it was time to put it back to work.

From inside the blue-and-white porcelain tank, he couldn't see Prince Jing unless the prince came over himself. Li Yu wanted to make sure Prince Jing wasn't in the room before entering the Cute Pet System to collect his reward. Otherwise, the prince might suddenly decide to tease him, only to discover that he'd become an unresponsive fish.

Li Yu swished his tail from side to side a few times. It really didn't hurt anymore. Finally, he gathered his strength and flicked it hard. This time, the force of his tail sent him leaping high into the air. Prepared in advance, Li Yu even had the leisure to survey the world outside his tank from above. Just as he'd imagined, it was exquisite and resplendent—a place fit for a prince indeed.

...There was Prince Jing. He was still in the room!

In that instant in the air, Li Yu caught sight of him. Mu Tianchi stood facing him about ten feet away, his black robe not yet fastened, the sleek lines of his body fully on display. His dark eyes stared at the little carp flailing in midair, startled and astonished.

Li Yu: "..."

Prince Jing: "..."

Oh no. How had he managed to catch Prince Jing half-dressed? He—he'd thought the prince would definitely be finished changing by now...

Maybe, in his groggy state, he'd underestimated how complicated ancient clothing was and overestimated how quickly Prince Jing could change.

This made him look like a pervert peeping at a handsome man.

Li Yu swiftly took in everything he should and shouldn't have seen. His fish face heated up, his body tipped sideways, and he fell back into the tank with a small splash.

Didn't Prince Jing know to find some privacy when he changed?

...All right, there was only a fish in the room. He really didn't need to.

Li Yu hurriedly burrowed under his aquatic-plant blanket. There was movement from Prince Jing's direction again, and he heard the prince's footsteps drawing closer.

Prince Jing might not realize Li Yu had been looking at him, but a fish suddenly leaping out of its tank... anyone who wasn't blind would notice that, right?

Prince Jing had definitely noticed him!

Quaking with fear, Li Yu tried his hardest to act like a fish with nothing to hide. Prince Jing had already reached the tank, and once again, Li Yu felt that unsettlingly sharp gaze.

As though needles were pricking his back, Li Yu quietly turned around, presenting his tail to Prince Jing in an attempt to bluff his way through.

"Your Highness! Your Highness!"

Before he could find out how Prince Jing would react, Wang Xi's anxious calls came from outside. At last, Li Yu could breathe a sigh of relief.

Prince Jing fastened his jade clasp, gave the suspicious little carp a long look, then strolled to the door and pulled it open.

Wang Xi bowed respectfully. "Your Highness, someone has come from His Majesty."

The emperor was Prince Jing's father. Prince Jing's expression turned grave, and he followed Wang Xi outside to receive the imperial decree.

Prince Jing was finally gone!

Li Yu was delighted, but continued pretending he hadn't understood a thing, staying quiet as a mouse. Once he could no longer hear the footsteps, he hurried to a far corner of the tank and quickly entered the system.

The reward for completing Step Two of the "Million-Gold Pet Fish" quest was a personal storage space. He also needed to check what Step Three was while he was there. At this rate, becoming human again was just around the corner. Li Yu was positively thrilled.

As soon as he entered the system, a prompt popped up in front of him, asking whether he wanted to view his personal storage space.

Here it comes, Li Yu thought. Unable to contain his delight, he selected Yes. The personal storage space opened immediately, its entirety laid bare before him.

Li Yu took one look, and the torrent of praise about to pour from his mouth stuck in his throat. He'd thought the space would at least be the size of a storeroom. In reality—it was—only as big as an adult's palm.

Li Yu: "..."

Seriously? Something this tiny was worse than no reward at all. How stingy could it get?!

The system: "If the host considers it too small, would you like to forfeit the reward?"

Li Yu had nearly forgotten that the system was connected to his mind and could tell what he was thinking. He hastily shook his head. Never mind, never mind. Better than nothing.

The system: "The personal storage space currently has a capacity of 1. Side quests will be available to expand it in the future."

Li Yu: As long as I can expand it, as long as I can expand it... Now that's more like it.

Still, with so little room altogether, what should he put in it?

Whatever he chose, it would probably be full after just one or two things.

Having spent several hours as a fish, Li Yu had harbored all sorts of secret fantasies about this space: storing a huge pile of fish food to fill his belly, a huge pile of medicine suitable for treating a fish's injuries, or even a big tank of fresh water for emergencies. Then he could be a carefree, filthy-rich fish. But first, he hadn't managed to get his fins on any of those things yet. Second, now that he'd suddenly discovered the space had shrunk to something that could hold only a tiny amount, he couldn't decide on the spot how to allocate it. Prince Jing had gone outside to receive the decree and could return at any moment, so Li Yu didn't have much time. He could only put the space away for now.

The personal storage space refracted a ray of light that fell near Li Yu's left fin. He waited until the light had vanished completely before looking again, and found that a scale beneath his fin had turned the color of jade.

The author has something to say:

Mini Scene (What Getting Petted Feels Like)

Li Yu: Makes my scales crawl.

Prince Jing: Feels so nice, I want to pet him again.

Li Yu: ?!!