Chapter 71: Like a fish in water

Nuhra was amused by Kris's expression and pinched Kris's cheek lightly. "You've come back to life, little classmate."

"It's so embarrassing... so embarrassing..." Kris felt ashamed and buried himself in Nuhra's arms desperately, "I actually went out to meet people like this!" What Kris cared about was not the public relationship, but the fact that he ran into other people in his current casual posture - a loose sleeveless top and pants, slippers on his feet, and hair like seaweed just pulled out of the water... Kris closed his eyes in despair, trying to forget everything.

Nuhra didn't seem to mind the situation. He comforted Kris and apologized sincerely. He hadn't expected Kris's reaction to be so strong. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't consider this situation... I should have told you in advance."

Chris knew that this was purely a coincidence. When Nuhra told him that someone was coming, Chris was prepared to run into Nuhra's subordinates... but he didn't expect to face them face to face when he was completely unprepared. He felt a little embarrassed, but he had no intention of blaming Nuhra at all.

"It's okay, brother. I just can't accept it right now... It's not your fault." Kris's head was still buried in Nuhra's chest, his voice muffled. "Is it possible that I'll go with you to the Seventh Army tomorrow? I hope we won't be recognized?"

Nuhra caressed Corris's still slightly damp hair lovingly and soothed him, "They won't go around saying anything without my permission. Just spend tomorrow observing and learning in the Seventh Army, okay?"

Corris nodded slowly and rose from Nuhra's arms, looking much calmer. "Brother, I'm hungry. Let's go back and prepare dinner."

As long as it could distract Kris, Nuhra would do anything with him, and he agreed to Kris's request without hesitation. The two of them naturally held hands and returned to the kitchen in the villa together.

Needless to say, they had automatically divided their roles in the kitchen: Kris was the one who did most of the preparation, and Nohra played a supporting role to Kris.

"How is your part-time job?" Chris and Nuhra always have endless things to talk about. Nuhra skillfully handled some kind of poultry meat similar to chicken in front of her, and while chatting about this and that, she became concerned about Chris's recent situation at school.

Chris kept moving his hands, thinking about how to answer Nuhra's question. The job at the training center itself wasn't a problem; the biggest problem was his coach, Said.

He carefully considered his words and explained to Nohra, "It's okay, I'm not very busy... It's just that my colleague is a little difficult to get along with. I can still handle it for now." His suspicion of Sayid was just a guess without evidence, and he didn't want to tell Nohra right away and cause trouble for her. Based on past experience, as long as he thought there was something wrong with someone, Nohra would usually find a way to investigate that person.

Of the people he had investigated previously, Chris had at least been able to find some suspicious points; but even though Said seemed suspicious, there was still no substantial evidence to prove that he had any problems...

Nuhra did not ask any further questions. Ever since the last excessive quarrel and short cold war, Nuhra no longer had a clear desire to control anything about Chris - or maybe he was just disguising it well.

In short, as long as Chris says that there is no need for Nuhra to intervene in matters, Nuhra will not care too much in front of Chris; Chris will also try his best to solve the difficulties he faces and no longer rely too much on Chris... This is a boundary that they both abide by.

Together, the two of them cooked faster than Chris had done alone the day before. Before long, dinner was freshly prepared, and a robotic arm brought the steaming bowls to the table. They took their seats, the gentle clatter of cutlery replacing the sound of their conversation as they enjoyed a delicious meal and a peaceful, harmonious moment together.

Perhaps because of the ridiculous things they'd done together yesterday, and the fact that they had to get up early tomorrow to go to the Seventh Army training base in District 5, Nuhra had no ill intentions in stoking Corris. They were like countless other ordinary couples, nestling in the study after dinner, within easy reach of each other, their eyes meeting and a knowing smile.

Corris originally just wanted to accompany Nuhra to handle work here, so he called up a flight theory exercise from the terminal, entered a state of deep thought, and wrote furiously on the holographic writing board.

Nuhra came to the study to deal with the materials for this afternoon's meeting, but he didn't expect that the things he had on hand had already been dealt with. Chris was still frowning, struggling with the exercises he had found.

Chris was still writing and drawing when Nuhra appeared silently behind him, carefully appreciating Chris's insights into flight theory.

"Brother, don't look." Chris desperately covered the writing board in front of him with his hands, and did not forget to turn off the terminal screen. He really didn't want Nuhra to see his answers that were enough to subvert the foundation of the existing aviation industry.

Nuhra expressed deep sympathy and massaged Kris's shoulders to help him relax his tired muscles. "It's okay, I don't understand the theory of flight either." Nuhra's tone was relaxed, but coming from the mouth of an Imperial admiral, Kris was skeptical.

Corris turned his head, not missing a single flaw on Nuhra's face. Nuhra, on the other hand, looked innocent and defended herself, "Really? When I was learning to fly a spaceship, it was all just a novice. The seniors taught me a few important buttons, and the rest depended entirely on my ability and luck. If I could get off the spaceship safely, I'd considered myself a master."

"But later on, I did learn some superficial theories to improve my practical skills." Nuhra leaned over and kissed Chris on the earlobe. "What I'm saying is that while learning theory is important, don't get too anxious. If you end up learning nothing, it's not worth it."

Kris felt something, so he took Nuhra's hand that was resting on his shoulder and hesitantly expressed his concerns: "I understand what you mean, but I had an accident during my flight class at the academy last year... I don't really trust my ability."

Nuhra was stunned for a moment, then said with a smile: "Well, your situation is a bit special. Maybe you need to overcome the psychological barriers before focusing on theory or practice."

Chris didn't understand what he meant, his eyes blinked, and he realized that Nuhra seemed to have some ideas and was quietly waiting for him to speak.

"How about we fly around the Seventh Army's training base twice tomorrow?" Nuhra shook Corris's hand and suggested casually, as if discussing going to eat and sleep. "Just you and me, I'll stay by your side. What do you think?"

"Huh?" Chris's first reaction was shock, followed by a surge of excitement. Chris had never touched a spaceship since crossing over, and now Nuhra had given him the opportunity to fly with him. If he had any questions, Nuhra would even answer them personally. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! From any perspective, Chris had no reason to refuse.

He decisively gave up the pile of nonsense exercises on hand, stood up resolutely, and said loudly: "I don't want to study anymore! Go to sleep!" Nuhra saw that his purpose of persuading Chris to go back to his room to rest had been achieved, so he kept his credit to himself, followed Chris, who had regrouped, back to the room, and shook his head with a smile.

Tonight, Chris did not sleep as soundly as he did last night. He was as restless as a primary school student who was going out for an autumn outing the next day. Nuhra, who was sleeping beside him, had to subconsciously hold him tightly in her arms to make Chris calm down for a while.

With only one day of rest, when he woke up again, he didn't wake up naturally like he did yesterday, but was woken up by his usual alarm clock. Chris tossed and turned in bed for a long time yesterday, and finally, he was so sleepy that he fell asleep without realizing it.

Fortunately, the shorter sleep time than usual did not cause any adverse reactions for Chris. Chris just looked a little lethargic and recovered after a short nap in the car.

"Let's go." After quickly eating something to fill her stomach, Nuhra called out to Chris. Chris had been sitting in a chair, his head drooping to his chest... When his name was suddenly called, he quickly stood up and followed Nuhra out of the villa in a serious manner.

Outside the door, Louis stood upright by the car waiting for orders. Seeing Nuhra and Chris coming out of the house, he grasped the opportunity to open the car door for them and saluted Nuhra according to etiquette: "General, Mr. Chris, good morning." He did not ignore Chris.

Nuhra nodded slightly as a response; Corris currently had no official military rank and still belonged to the Imperial Army system. He saluted Louis and entered the carriage.

"Let's drive today, so you can rest for a while." Nuhra glanced at Chris who was sitting next to him. Upon hearing this, Louis in the front row considerately set up a silent barrier to block out the sounds from the surroundings. At the same time, it could also be used as a one-way mirror, so that people in the front row could not see what was happening in the back row.

Nuhra showed a subtle smile on her face and raised her shoulder close to Corris's body: "Do you want to sleep with me?"

Just as Chris was about to move closer, he caught a glimpse of the metal epaulettes on Nuhra's shoulders from the corner of his eye. He slammed on the brakes and politely declined his partner's kindness: "No, I'm afraid of damaging your epaulettes." Chris stretched out his five fingers and respectfully pointed at the row of sparkling silver stars on Nuhra's shoulders.

The smile on Nuhra's face grew gentler. He patted his legs and whispered, "Can I lend you my legs as a pillow?"

Chris smiled, his eyes curved into crescents, and he readily agreed: "I'll just obey your command!" He quickly adjusted his posture, rested his head on Nuhra's legs with peace of mind, and closed his eyes.

Nuhra set the rear windows to completely blackout mode and even covered Chris's closed eyes with her palms. "Go to sleep. I'll wake you up when it's almost time."

Chris slept too late last night and got up too early in the morning. When he was eating breakfast, his eyelids felt like they were covered with glue and he couldn't open them no matter what... Now that he had a chance to catch up on some sleep, he fell into a deep sleep as soon as his eyes went dark.

He slept for nearly an hour. District 5 is relatively remote, and normally the fastest way to get there would be by aircraft. However, Nuhra considered Chris's physical condition and decided to go by car, as there was still plenty of time.

"Chris, it's time to get up." Chris heard a familiar voice calling his name in a daze, and then a warm hand kneaded his earlobe, cheek, and nose tip.

Even though Kris was extremely reluctant, he had to open his eyes. He rubbed his eyes and stood up from Nuhra's lap. The voice in his ears became louder and softer: "Are we at the base yet?"

"Yes." Nuhra replied briefly and reminded, "Fix your appearance. We're getting off the bus soon."

Chris immediately came to his senses, and quickly straightened his clothes and his hair which was a little messy from sleeping, then put on his military cap steadily and solemnly.

The vehicle stopped slowly and precisely in front of the main gate of the base. Through the window, Kris saw two rows of soldiers standing on both sides of the gate to welcome Nuhra, as well as senior leaders of the Seventh Army waiting for Nuhra in the deepest part. Some of them were people Kris had met in front of the study yesterday.

"Uh, brother, I don't have to go through the main entrance with you later, right?" This scene really scared Corris, and he tugged at Nuhra's sleeve.

Nuhra knew Chris wasn't too fond of this kind of occasion and had already made other arrangements. "You don't have to get out of the car later. Someone will meet you in the parking lot... He'll show you around the base for a while. We'll meet at the flight training range around the time."

Chris nodded hurriedly. As soon as Nuhra finished speaking, Louis dutifully opened the car door for Nuhra. Chris leaned back involuntarily, afraid of being discovered by others.

He watched Nuhra's back as she adjusted the buttons of her military jacket and calmly stepped out of the car... The door quickly closed, isolating the passionate and loud military music outside from the car. The car started again and carried Chris secretly into the base through the side door.

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The author has something to say: There will be another update tomorrow, no update on September 18th [red heart]