Chapter 43 Title

Nuhra silently turned off the surveillance video that was still playing, closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, feeling a rare mix of emotions because of a name from Chris.

In this world, people who were related to Nohra no longer existed, and no one had ever called him "brother" as a close name... In the early years, even close friends and elders would call him by his name; and after entering the Imperial Army, everyone would address him by his title. The name "brother" was new and unfamiliar to Nohra.

If anyone else had called him "brother," Nuhra might have taken it as a harmless joke. But coming from Chris, it carried a certain inexplicable emotion that was hard for him to resist.

Nuhra was not opposed to this. After the initial sense of surprise dissipated, a player seemed to appear in his mind, playing the two times of "brother" from Chris in a loop.

Nuhra held his forehead with his hand and sighed softly. He closed his eyes, still seemingly immersed in the enchanting atmosphere...

On the other end, after hurriedly hanging up the phone, Chris also fell into an eerie silence. He slapped his cheek hard, trying to wake himself up.

Chris did not deny that he had some bad taste in calling him "brother". After all, the name he originally wanted to call him was more radical. But the moment he said it, he felt heat rising up all over his body and his whole face became hot.

But in some ways, Nohra perfectly fits the once helpless Kris's perfect imagination of the role of "brother"... Kris admires and relies on Nohra, and has an irresistible desire to get close to him. He is absolutely sure that his feeling towards Nohra is love.

Kris slumped on the training room floor, his terminal still tightly clutched in his hand. An unknown amount of time passed before he rose from the floor, as if awakening from a dream, and resumed his practice.

In order to divert his attention, Kris reviewed the courses he had missed after training, and tried his best to brainwash himself into forgetting what happened in the morning and that unspeakable name... Unfortunately, things did not go as he wished, and Kris was now unable to face Nuhra normally.

So, when Nuhra finished his work for the day and walked into the house, he tentatively called out to Chris, and then he heard the sound of ping-pong coming from the restaurant and Chris's panicked response.

Nuhra looked suspicious, with a frown on her face, and tiptoed towards the direction of the sound.

Across the long table in the dining room, Nuhra could see the stiff figure of Corris busy in the kitchen. He felt relieved and approached, smiling and saying, "What happened just now? Why was there so much noise?"

Without turning around, Corris answered Nuhra in a normal tone, but with a subtle tension in his voice: "No...nothing, I accidentally dropped something."

Nuhra said nothing, but walked slowly to a spot not far behind Kris, staring at him quietly from behind. His invisible gaze fell on Kris's back like a tangible needle, making it difficult for Kris to ignore it.

Just when Corris was about to speak up, Nuhra took the initiative and said, "Do you need my help?"

Chris immediately refused and found a reason to get Nuhra away, even though his words did not sound convincing to Nuhra: "No, no need, you just got off work, it would be better for you to rest for a while, um..."

Kris didn't dare turn around. He only heard the soft tap of Nuhra's boots and a few low laughs. Kris shuddered, then was enveloped by a familiar woody aroma. Nuhra hugged him from behind.

Their bodies were similar, and Nuhra had to lower his head to bury himself in Kris's shoulder, while his hands were clasped tightly around Kris's waist. The feel of Nuhra's breath hitting his skin was so real that Kris couldn't help himself and placed his palm over Nuhra's clasped hands.

"Did I do something wrong?" Nuhra's voice sounded a little muffled, "Why don't you want to look at me?" Not sure if it was Chris's illusion or if it was true, Nuhra seemed a little aggrieved.

Being held like this by Nuhra, Corris's stiff body gradually relaxed. He felt that his reason was a little difficult to say, so he whispered: "You did nothing wrong, it's just that I didn't dare to look at you."

Knowing where the problem lies makes things much easier. Nuhra felt a little relieved after hearing Corris's explanation, but she continued to attack him: "Are you still afraid of me?"

Upon hearing this, Coris immediately grabbed Nuhra's hand and said, "You're mistaken. This is my fault."

"I'm a little... overwhelmed," Kris said, struggling to find his words. "After I called him that, I felt really weird."

It was such a simple reason that made Nuhra feel both amused and helpless. "Then why is there no problem with you holding me and sleeping in the same bed with me?" Nuhra tried to persuade her and wanted to resolve the matter quickly.

"I don't know either..." Chris himself was also confused. For him, speaking out loud was more difficult than taking action.

"How about I call you brother?" Nuhra stood up straight, turned Corris to face him, and said half-jokingly and half-seriously.

Chris was at a loss for words. He gave Nuhra, who was standing close to him, a light push and said desperately, "What are you thinking about...Brother Nuhra." Before he finished speaking, he had already looked away guiltily.

Nuhra carefully observed the changes in Corris's expression before speaking in a relaxed tone, "That's too intimate, isn't it?"

"But I like it very much. I like you to call me in your own way." Nuhra leaned close to Corris and said in a whisper, "I said, you can call me whatever you want..."

"But everything is based on your comfort," Nohra said solemnly. "I don't want to force you or make you feel awkward... I want you to be yourself in this relationship."

"If you are not comfortable with it, you don't have to call me brother; if I am too close, you can push me away." Nuhra looked at Corris, her golden eyes filled with soft light, and her expression showed infinite tolerance for Corris.

On impulse, Kris pulled Nuhra's military jacket and kissed her on the lips. This was their second kiss, and this time Kris didn't close his eyes, instead he looked straight into Nuhra's focused gaze.

The kiss came quickly, but soon broke apart. Chris was a little excited, reaching out to hug Nuhra in front of him, and said, "It seems that I can't leave you in the future..."

Nuhra patted Corris's back gently, with a hint of comfort in his heart. He said gently but without question, "Then never leave me again. I'm happy to do that."

Like a little animal, Corris rubbed against Nuhra's shoulders for a while before finding a comfortable position to avoid being pressed by Nuhra's epaulettes on his face.

Hearing Nuhra's response, he seemed to be thinking about it and asked, "Then is every moment you spend with me the real you?"

Nuhra didn't promise right away. Just as Corris was about to get upset by his silence, he said cautiously, "Yes."

"Really? Why do I feel like you hesitated for a moment?" Chris was very attentive and heard Nuhra's hesitation, so he asked back.

Nuhra said with a half-smile, "The real me has always been in front of you, my dear." But Nuhra could not guarantee that Chris could accept all of him. After all, there might not be many people like him in the entire empire who used to be a space pirate and now watches their partner's every move through surveillance.

"Well, I like you, the real you, all of you." Chris said each word, like some kind of solemn declaration.

"...I'm worried that I will disappoint you." Nuhra was unwilling to say anything definite. He never thought that he was a good person, and he didn't care what others thought of him before... But since he made up his mind to be with Chris, Nuhra felt worried for the first time.

She was worried that Chris would fall in love with him blindly, and even more worried that Chris would leave after recognizing him... Perhaps this was the belated lesson about love in Nuhra's life.

Coris took the initiative to loosen his arms and looked deeply at Nuhra. After a moment, he couldn't help but kiss him again, "I like you, brother."

Nuhra quickly recovered her composure and returned to normal. She patted Corris's head and lazily pointed at the forgotten cooking machine: "I like you too, baby...but didn't you forget to put the ingredients in?"

Kris's eyes widened, nearly leaping to his feet as he quickly added the ingredients he'd just casually set aside to the cooking pot. Nuhra watched Kris's frantic movements with a helpless smile, then she too took off her military jacket, washed her hands, and joined in the cooking.

Naturally, two people working together would work much faster. With Nuhra's cooperation, Chris, as the chef, finally finished the dinner.

Nuhra and Chris sat down at opposite ends of the dining table, and the robotic arm brought out the dishes from the kitchen steadily.

"Why do you suddenly want to cook for yourself?" Nuhra asked curiously. After all, a delicious dinner can be made by letting the robotic arm and smart butler operate.

Speaking of this, Chris felt that he was a little outrageous. "I was too embarrassed. I was so embarrassed that I wanted to find something to do..."

"Oh..." Nuhra immediately knew that Kris was talking about the name. He looked at Kris meaningfully and asked maliciously, "What about now? Will it still be awkward to call me brother?"

Corris didn't blush even after being teased. It seemed that he had finally come to terms with it, but he still felt a little uncomfortable. "Let's eat quickly, brother."

In reality, Chris only had a slight case of name-shame. After all, he and Nuhra had already subtly accepted each other's intimate contact. From holding hands and hugging to kissing, it was a gradual process after all...

But the title "brother" carried some vague meaning as soon as it was uttered, and since it was Chris who mentioned it first, his reaction would inevitably be more intense.

However, Nuhra's words had made him think it through. He knew in his heart that calling him brother was his true thought, so there was nothing worth hiding.

After a few pleasantries, the two of them quietly enjoyed their delicious dinner. As always, Nuhra was the first to finish eating. He watched Chris finish his meal before asking, "When are you planning on returning to the academy?"

Chris was slurping down the last of his soup spoonful by spoonful when he choked on Nuhra's words. When he recovered, he spoke frankly, unsure why. "I'll probably be back this weekend. What's going on?"

"Wait... Brother, dear brother, you are not going to chase me away, are you?!" Chris's thoughts had already wandered to other galaxies. He was so shocked that he even put down the spoon and just stared at Nuhra in front of him with wide eyes.

"Yes, that's right." Nuhra nodded seriously and said to the visibly nervous Kris, "But before I send you back, I have a surprise for you."

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The author has something to say: Ahhhhh, I'm late [burst into tears][burst into tears] I'm stuck today, I've been deleting and cutting and writing until now, I'm very sorry (sliding and kneeling)