Delicate, Yet Shamelessly Freeloading [Quick Transmigration] Chapter 100

Chapter 100: The Child from the Pay-to-Win Parenting Game (17)

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Shui Que returned wearing someone else’s academy cloak.

 

How could they tell? The student cloaks at Virginia Academy were custom-fitted before enrollment—whether it fit or not was clear at a glance.

 

The other boys had already adapted to the academy routine, finishing dinner and bathing much faster than Shui Que. Now they were sitting in the small common area of the dormitory, pretending to flip through theoretical books they’d normally never touch.

 

The black tea on the table had been brewed with cold water, not that anyone seemed to care.

 

A few glances kept drifting toward the dormitory entrance, everyone wondering why the recommended student had disappeared right after class.

 

Then Shui Que came back, draped in a deep-blue cloak obviously several sizes too large—its hem even occasionally dragging on the ground as he walked.

 

His small, pale face—so snow-white earlier in the day—was now flushed from the heat of the bath. His platinum-blond hair was half-damp, clinging softly to the curve of his neck.

 

Seeing everyone staring motionlessly at him as he entered, Shui Que stood uncertainly at the doorway. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

 

Kaide got up from the bench and scratched his head awkwardly. “No, nothing. Where did you go? It was getting dark and you still weren’t back, so we were waiting for you.”

 

Realizing how that might sound, he quickly added, “Uh—not like we were waiting on purpose, just happened to be free, and everyone’s sitting around here.”

 

“Are you hungry? Did you eat dinner after class? There’s still some barley bread and herb-roasted veal rolls in the cupboard.”

 

“Thirsty? Want some tea? Sugar?”

 

He rattled off questions in a flurry, not giving Shui Que a chance to respond.

 

“Two spoonfuls okay?” As soon as Shui Que nodded, Kaide lifted the teapot, poured the tea, added sugar with a carved silver spoon, and stirred. “Here you go.”

 

Shui Que took the teacup Kaide handed him.

 

Kaide casually asked, “Where did that cloak come from? Yours is still here in the dorm, isn’t it?”

 

It was hanging right on the rosewood coat rack—small and thin.

 

Eldran stepped into the dorm, leaving the door half-closed behind him. Turning, he saw everyone crowding around Shui Que at the entrance.

 

A bunch of young nobles, all transitioning into adulthood, their bodies lean and strong from years of sword and equestrian training, stood in a way that practically blocked all air from passing.

 

Eldran sneered coldly. “You brewed tea with cold water?”

 

Silence fell. The scene resembled one from a gangster drama Shui Que had seen, where the underling was caught betraying their boss in front of a rival gang.

 

Kaide mumbled, “R-Really?”

 

Shui Que took a small sip. His brow furrowed slightly—proving Eldran right. “It’s cold.”

 

Kaide immediately took the cup back. “Don’t drink it—don’t, it’s not good when it’s cold.”

 

He turned and snapped, holding back irritation. “Carter, you sugar-brained idiot, how do you brew tea and not heat the water first?”

 

Carter, scolded, walked forward and stared at the cup Shui Que had sipped from. He suddenly muttered, “It’s cold? Let me try—”

 

Kaide quickly blocked his hand. “Back off. I’ll go boil some.”

 

As soon as Eldran appeared, everyone realized whose cloak Shui Que was wearing.

 

They just didn’t know when Eldran and Shui Que had grown so close—but now they no longer had to pretend not to notice Shui Que in front of him.

 

……

 

The guardian spirit could only come out at night, once everything was quiet.

 

By that time, Shui Que was usually fast asleep. Guan He wouldn’t wake him just to amuse himself.

 

He had tried once before, back when they were still in the castle. Since there was no chance to speak during the day, he’d hoped to give his guidance at night, to ask Shui Que to focus more in class and stop sneaking off so often. It wasn’t safe outside.

 

But after waking Shui Que just to nag him a little, Guan He was promptly hit with a Favorability drop.

 

His heart had never sunk as deeply as when he saw:
[Foster Character [Shui Que] Favorability with player has dropped -30]

 

That night’s wind by the windowsill had truly been bitter.

 

Although Virginia didn’t have many students, each dorm room was very compact—just big enough for a bed, a nightstand, and a wardrobe against the wall.

 

Washing was done in the central common area.

 

Shui Que’s room was at the very end of the hallway, and so had a louvered window cut into the outer wall. Its lighting was better than the others.

 

The moon hung high, and the scent of juniper trees drifted in on the breeze.

 

A particularly quiet and peaceful spring night.

 

A white phantom stood by the bed, gradually solidifying into a human-shaped spirit form.

 

Worried Shui Que might not sleep well away from home, he had brought his own blanket and pillow from home when enrolling.

 

“How did you kick off the covers again?” Guan He whispered, sighing.

 

Only his stomach was covered, as if he weren’t afraid of catching cold at all.

 

He slept on his side, one soft cheek squished into the pillow. His nose tip was flushed—unclear whether from cold or warmth.

 

His lashes drooped, fully asleep.

 

Guan He reached out to adjust the blanket, but froze mid-motion.

 

The long robe Shui Que wore as pajamas had been purchased last summer when the clothing shop in the mall opened. It was advertised as being made of silk—thin, breathable, and sheer.

 

Perhaps after frequent washing, it had grown even thinner?

 

It wasn’t oversized either—slightly draping but still fitted enough to trace the contours of his body.

 

Under the moonlight, the nearly translucent white robe was vague and revealing.

 

What had seemed unremarkable during the day now, in the cold air, softly flushed and curved subtly—quietly rising and falling with each breath.

 

Round and delicate, like soft pomegranate seeds.

 

Guan He suddenly remembered. No wonder Eldran had turned pale and insisted Shui Que wear his cloak after the bath.

 

Panicking, Guan He tucked in the blanket, pulling it all the way up to Shui Que’s neck.

 

His mouth went dry. His heart thundered like a drum, as if it wanted to leap right out of his throat.

 

Sweat broke out on his palms.

 

He stood frozen, unsure what to do, his mind a complete mess.

 

Pink. Red. Filling his thoughts entirely.

 

How—how had it come to this?

 

Guan He was utterly at a loss, flustered beyond reason. He didn’t even know what he was trying to do anymore.

 

It took a while before he remembered his original purpose.

 

He had exchanged for some medicinal oil from the shop, meant to help with Shui Que’s sore legs after the day’s fatigue.

 

Otherwise, who knew if Shui Que could keep up with classes tomorrow?

 

Guan He had no idea if others played this game the same way.

 

Were the characters other players drew also this difficult to raise?

 

In the beginning, Shui Que had been such a tiny bundle. When his sharp little teeth grew in, he’d cry in pain in the middle of the night. His temper was awful, and he didn’t get along with the other “siblings.”

 

Guan He had to worry about him getting sick, bumping into things, pouting until tears streamed down his cheeks.

 

He had never raised anyone like this before.

 

He had even thought—if this were real, if he really had such a younger brother, it might not be so bad…

 

He held onto that thought for a long time.

 

“Ugh…”

 

Maybe the massage was too strong—Shui Que sleepily kicked him. His ankle-length robe slipped down with the motion.

 

His leg, glistening with the slick medicinal oil, smooth knee, and a glimpse of soft thigh peeked out.

 

Guan He felt a sudden rush of heat in his nose.

 

It was over.

 

It was all over.

 

Guan He, you’re doomed.

 

Twenty-five years of concrete-sealed celibacy shattered in a flash—


The virgin who once swore devotion now realized—

 

Guan He, you’re a hopeless Que-sexual.

 

And you even touched a little boy’s leg. From now on, no one will want you but him.

 

His palms were slick with sweat.

 

He yanked the blanket over Shui Que.

 

And vanished on the spot.

 

……

 

The next day.

 

[Foster Character [Shui Que] received a love letter. Your response—?]

 

[A. Give it to Shui Que]


[B. Reply on his behalf]


[C. Destroy it]

 

Dawn was just breaking, and Shui Que was still asleep when Guan He received a notification. Sure enough, he saw a folded letter stuck in the crack of the door.

 

There was no signature. The parchment, made of young lambskin, had been soaked in a reddish-purple dye likely extracted from lichens, and the writing appeared to be lifted from a poetry book on the public shelves of the Academy library.

 

Guan He had an omniscient perspective. He took one glance and found it utterly cringe-worthy.

 

Phrases like flawless, the flame that lights up the entire world—

 

Damn it, wasn’t this a Knight House? Did the Holy Court Knights forget their celibacy vows?

 

Without hesitation, Guan He chose to destroy it.

 

Flames licked the parchment, consuming it entirely.

 

[Game has updated the Admiration Stats]


[Current number of admirers for foster character [Shui Que]: 256 people]


[Congratulations! [Shui Que] has earned the title: “Infinitely Charming First-Love-Faced Young Boy”]

 

Guan He: ?


Come again?

 

There were fewer than 200 students in the entire Knight House, and all of them were male. Where did all these admirers come from?

 

Guan He carefully recalled: the number of women Shui Que had ever met wouldn’t even make up a fraction of 256.

 

A sudden realization struck him—


This meant every last one of them in this Knight House… might be a despicable, shameless man secretly in love with Shui Que!

 

And that might not even be all!

 

[Streamer’s expression of sudden enlightenment is so funny.]


[Old man… you’ve finally caught on. I thought you wouldn’t realize until the baby’s lips got taken by a bad man.]


[Honestly, feels like the streamer might want a bite himself now…]

 

Once the seed of suspicion was planted, Guan He looked at everyone with deep mistrust.

 

During breakfast, was that guy deliberately squeezing closer to Shui Que?


The bench was that wide—why sit so close?


And that duty student, cooking something that disgusting, still dared to ask if it tasted okay?

 

Guan He zeroed in on every boy who spoke to Shui Que, his brow tightly furrowed, on high alert.

 

Because of preparations for the tournament during the second half of the year’s carnival, and plans for post-festival deployment to the Weiss Mountains, the Knight House had increased sword training hours and added more combat courses.

 

Shui Que received a reminder from System 77—his long-stalled storyline progression had moved forward.

 

It had risen by 2%, reaching 42%.

 

He couldn’t quite figure out why it advanced now.

 

According to the original plotline, progression in this world was tied directly to the male lead’s dissatisfaction with the game.

 

The more displeased the male lead was, the more intense his criticism, and the faster the story would move forward.

 

Had he done something recently?

 

He had clearly been half-hearted in class before, dragging everyone’s progress down, and it didn’t budge the bar.

 

Shui Que fell into thought.

 

His sparring partner, Brian, took advantage of a lull to say seriously, “I’m going to take you down now.”

 

Before Shui Que could react, Brian had politely but firmly taken him down.

 

Staring up at the ceiling, Shui Que slowly blinked.

 

Around him, the sound of bodies being slammed onto the mat echoed again and again—thump, thump, thump—as students were hurled down by their partners.

 

The ones being slammed gritted their teeth through the pain.

 

No one else’s group was practicing so gently and peacefully.

 

[LMAO, feels like Brian is about to pull out a blanket and tuck Shui Shui in for a nap]


[Ah, youth—drop to the floor and fall asleep instantly]


[Why do you two feel so off-brand in this hot-blooded training montage?]

 

Shui Que said, “You didn’t finish the move.”

 

Lying on the ground, he looked up at Brian. The platinum tips of his hair had picked up some wood shavings.

 

He raised his left leg toward his head on his own initiative.

 

The inner thighs trembled with the effort, but Shui Que’s flexibility was clearly excellent.

 

He tilted his head curiously. “Aren’t you supposed to grab my leg?”

 

He reminded Brian very seriously and earnestly, “In wrestling moves that target knees and hips, if you don’t control the opponent’s leg after taking them down, you could easily be countered, right?”

 

“Didn’t you pay attention during class?”

 

Thinking he had caught Brian in a slip-up, Shui Que grinned smugly, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

 

Brian’s palm was damp with sweat as he gently circled Shui Que’s ankle. “Yeah. I got a little distracted.”

 

[Forget what I said before—this is hot-blooded too, just… my blood is boiling]


[I’m literally feeling lightheaded…]

 

Brian helped Shui Que sit up.

 

“Did you get hurt from the fall?”

 

Shui Que shook his head.

 

Compared to the other groups, who ended up bruised and battered after every session, he’d consider a scratch a serious injury.

 

So many people wanted to partner with him that just saying no was already tiring.

 

A sticky film of sweat clung to his back.

 

That cold, creeping sense of dread returned.

 

Shui Que turned around. In the distance, Eldran stood silently, dark eyes fixed on him.

 

This black dragon was really strange…

 

He wasn’t a princess. Why was Eldran always staring at him?

 

Shui Que actually wanted to ask him—did evil dragons in stories really kidnap princesses?

 

But asking that seemed presumptuous, like putting Eldran into the villain’s role, which felt rude, so Shui Que just mulled it over quietly.

 

Aside from combat training, Shui Que also had a couple of special elective classes each week due to his unique role as a Soothing Knight.

 

They covered a mix of random topics—like how to treat motion sickness, or how to brew a good cup of black tea…

 

And some basic wound care techniques.

 

The Holy Court Knights had priests and physicians in their ranks, so Shui Que wouldn’t be expected to handle serious injuries—just assist and distract wounded knights during treatment by chatting to ease their pain.

 

It was another early evening.

 

Tomorrow was a rest day. Aside from the weekly sermon, there were no classes.

 

Shui Que leaned against his down-filled cushion, idly flipping through a thin booklet on simple medical techniques.

 

He’d studied the earlier parts in class a few days ago.

The teacher, borrowed from the Medical House, was clearly overqualified. He told Shui Que to study the rest on his own.

 

A knock sounded at the door.

 

Shui Que, too lazy to move from the bed, raised his voice. “Come in. It’s not locked.”

 

Eldran entered the small room.

 

His eyes swept over the setup, finally settling on the silk-covered bed. He frowned, shut the door behind him, and asked, “Why don’t you lock the door? Do you not lock it at night either?”

 

“Mm…” Shui Que replied absentmindedly.

 

Eldran’s dark eyes narrowed. “That’s dangerous. You should lock it from now on.”

 

Shui Que said, “The dormitory’s main door is locked anyway. No strangers can get in.”

 

Eldran’s lips pressed into a thin line. “It’s not the strangers I’m worried about. Even dormmates can have dirty hands.”

 

Clearly, he wasn’t referring to petty theft. All the others here, except Brian, were aristocrats raised with strict discipline.

 

But Shui Que misunderstood, thinking Eldran was just prejudiced. He argued, “There’s nothing valuable in my room anyway.”

 

Eldran stared at him for a long moment, then said nothing.

 

His shoes clicked sharply on the floor as he walked over to the bed. “Can I sit here?”

 

There was nowhere else to sit except the bed or the floor.

 

Shui Que didn’t mind. “Mm-hmm.”

 

It smelled nice.

 

Because its owner hugged the blanket every night, the whole bed carried a sweet, rich fragrance.

 

Eldran couldn’t quite place it—maybe the scent of wild valley lilies or some kind of syrup.

 

Whatever it was, it was pleasant.

 

Shui Que finally noticed something was off. He looked up from his book and saw Eldran’s left hand dangling at an odd angle. “Is your hand hurt?”

 

Eldran half-closed his eyes. “Yeah. I accidentally fractured it during class today.”

 

Shui Que couldn’t remember that happening—he could’ve sworn Eldran had been fine at dinner.

 

Still, it didn’t seem like he was faking. Shui Que asked with concern, “Didn’t you go to the Medical House to see the teacher?”

 

The Medical House instructors were priests and physicians from the parish hospital, tasked with treating injuries at the Academy.

 

“I did,” Eldran replied. “Just didn’t get it bandaged.”

 

That seemed strange.

 

Eldran explained, “A few others came in injured too. The teacher was busy.”

 

Shui Que pressed his lips together, then offered, “How about I bandage it for you?”

 

He’d just learned how to bandage an arm two days ago.

 

Eldran nodded. “Okay.”

 

He watched Shui Que lean over the bedside, one hand braced against the edge while the other rummaged through the cabinet for bandages, his waist dipping into a soft curve.

 

Shui Que straightened with the supplies. “I happened to bring these back from class.”

 

He started wrapping the bandage behind the wrist…

 

Head bowed, he followed each step with focused

precision. He was so close Eldran could’ve pulled him into an embrace without effort.

 

Eight-shaped loops, spirals, all the way up the arm.

 

When he finished, Shui Que clapped his hands. “Done!”

 

Eldran tilted his head. “What’s that?”

 

Following his gaze, Shui Que saw a small tin left by the pillow.

 

“Lip balm. I learned to make it in class today.”

 

Shui Que’s curriculum was a mess—scattered and disorganized, but he still had to learn everything.

 

He had no idea why a pacifying knight needed to study any of this…

 

Was it because their mouths got dry from talking too much with other knights?

 

He reached out and picked up a small jar, no bigger than half the size of his palm. Lifting the lid, he eagerly showed it to Eldran.

 

“Look, it’s made with benzoin, storax resin, and spermaceti, plus black grapes, redroot, apples and other stuff…” Shui Que recalled. “You have to simmer it over low heat until it melts, squeeze out the moisture, then cool it down and let it solidify again. It took a really long time.”

 

Feeling quite proud of himself, he demonstrated how well the homemade lip balm worked.

 

He gently brushed the pale yellow balm with the pad of his middle finger and applied it to his lips.

 

Then he leaned toward Eldran, tilting his head side to side to show it off from every angle. “See? I think it’s really moisturizing. The ingredients even give it a fruity scent.”

 

“Maybe I really do have a bit of a knack for crafting things by hand.”

 

Shui Que hadn’t wanted to sound too smug—but he still couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

 

Eldran’s eyes, dark as ink, stayed fixed on Shui Que’s lips.

 

His lips were full, with a soft sheen of balm that made their natural color appear even more vivid and alluring.

 

A tiny droplet of balm had formed, glistening like a jewel.

 

Suddenly, Eldran raised his uninjured hand and wiped away the balm with his thumb.

 

“Don’t wear this again,” he said, brows slightly furrowed, the slick residue still on his fingertip. “It doesn’t look good on you.”

 

You were already attractive enough. If you wore this, people would just keep staring at you.

 

Shui Que found him inexplicably unreasonable.

 

Especially because System 77 promptly notified him that the plot progress had increased again—leaving Shui Que even more confused.

 

What had he done?

 

He sat on the bed, staring blankly as Eldran left the room.

 

What a rude, sharp-tongued, ill-mannered bad dragon!

 

That night, Shui Que stayed up late and eventually waited until Guan He’s spirit form took shape again.

 

He mainly wanted to test Guan He’s attitude.

 

After all, Shui Que couldn’t figure out why none of his efforts had worked before—yet over the past few days, the progress bar had been advancing for no apparent reason.

 

But as soon as Guan He appeared, he grabbed both of Shui Que’s shoulders tightly, deadly serious.

 

Shui Que immediately tensed up. “W-what is it? Did something happen?”

 

“Que, you have to listen to me,” Guan He said with a grave expression. “I’m your guardian spirit. I would never hurt you.”

 

Shui Que nodded. “I know that.”

 

Guan He continued slowly, “Good. Then listen. From now on, you are not allowed to speak to any male students in the academy!”

 

Shui Que: “…???”

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Huge shoutout to @candycorns2 on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.

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