【Interstellar Contract Magician】Ruyuanke

Chapter 422 [Empire] Nightingale's People

After resting enough, I finally felt the pain in my waist ease a little. I stood up straight and decided to do something.

Seeing Nightingale still concentrating on training, I couldn't help but feel the urge to play a prank. So, I stood next to him, clapped my hands, and deliberately shouted loudly: "Come on! Come on! You're just a little bit closer, you can do it! Try again!"

Nightingale had just lifted a pair of dumbbells when his brow furrowed slightly, clearly disturbed by my shouting. He glanced at me, his mouth twitching slightly, but he didn't react much and continued to lift. But I wasn't going to give up. Seeing that he ignored me, I shouted even louder, "Don't stop! Can't you lift this weight? Try harder!"

Nightingale almost got a stitch in the side for a moment. He suddenly stopped and took a few deep breaths. There was a helpless but slightly playful look in his eyes: "Are you sure you don't want to be my coach?" When he said this, there was a hint of joking in his tone. It was obvious that he was not really angry, but was just a little helpless because of my noise.

I gave him a smug smile. "Since you're working so hard, I can't help but cheer you on! If you can lift such heavy dumbbells, how can I be left behind?"

Nightingale put down the dumbbells, turned around and looked at me, his lips slightly raised, his eyes complicated: "You guy, really... don't know what's good for you." He was not angry, but seemed to be amused by me, and his tone was full of helpless pampering.

I walked over with a grin and patted his shoulder: "Don't rush to deal with me, I already know that you are stronger than me. Anyway, now I have you as a human muscle bank, all I have to do is shout!"

Nightingale sighed, picked up a towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead, "You really don't take me seriously." Although his words were a little helpless, there was no anger in his eyes. Instead, it seemed that he was used to my little tricks of teasing him.

I raised my chin and pretended to be serious: "Why, don't you want me to cheer you on? If you don't shout, how can I know if you can make it through this group?"

Nightingale finally just smiled helplessly: "You are really becoming more and more unreasonable." After that, he started the next round of training. Obviously, this time there was no me to cheer him on.

I couldn't help but feel relieved as I watched him throw himself back into his exercise. At least that made Nightingale smile a little, didn't it?

I followed Nightingale around almost all day, watching him do all the trivial things.

In the morning, he got up early and was busy in the kitchen making breakfast.

The aroma from the kitchen filled the air. I stood at the door and watched him skillfully stir-frying the ingredients in the pot. I don't know why, but I suddenly felt that this scene was a little unreal - Nightingale, this senior mercenary who was always calm and serious, would actually do such an ordinary thing that was almost ignored.

I leaned against the doorframe, watching him humming a song as he manipulated the spatula. His effortless demeanor left me a bit stunned. When I came to, he'd already prepared a breakfast of fried eggs, toast, and scrambled sausages. The moment they were served, I couldn't help but feel awkward and even a little greedy. He pushed the plate in front of me, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Eat! Stop looking! You're starving."

After I sat down, he didn't do anything more as I expected. Instead, he sat down and ate something simple. Seeing that I had almost finished my breakfast unconsciously, he picked up a piece of toast and started eating.

The rest of the day seemed to repeat simple, everyday tasks. After Nightingale finished breakfast, he began sorting through his papers and doing his usual work. I stood by, watching him go about his tasks, mumbling occasionally. Then he tidied the bathroom, did a quick sweep of the house, and replaced some items he no longer used.

While he was doing these trivial things, he would glance at me from time to time. Seeing me standing there, he would sometimes stop and tease me: "Is this how you kill time?"

I just forced a smile, found a random excuse to answer him, and continued to stand aside and watch him busy.

Next, we went to the supermarket—this was the first time I'd seen Nightingale personally select fruits and vegetables. Even in the most ordinary stores, he was very particular about what he chose, especially the fruits and vegetables. He would carefully examine each item several times to ensure its freshness and quality before adding it to the shopping cart.

Of course, I could understand that. After all, these things were incredibly expensive in this day and age. And he clearly couldn't have been short of that little money. He was a bit of a novelty to me.

Watching him busying around, I suddenly felt a little uncomfortable with this overly ordinary yet comfortable rhythm. I always thought Nightingale was only good at showing off his prowess on the battlefield or commanding others to carry out missions, but now I realize that he is just an ordinary person, like anyone else with his own life.

"Why, are you not used to seeing me doing these?" He suddenly turned around and looked at me, with a slight smile on his face.

I didn't answer immediately, but just smiled faintly: "Nothing, just a little surprised. You can do this too."

Nightingale looked at me with a hint of teasing in her eyes: "I'm not like some people who don't know anything."

I couldn't help but raise my eyebrows and retorted with a hint of sarcasm: "Do you think I'm lazy?"

He didn't answer, but continued to pick out his items. I knew he wasn't serious, just saying it casually. Seeing his focused expression, I stopped interrupting him and just followed him around the supermarket.

All day, I practically became his shadow, following behind him, watching his busy life. He seemed accustomed to my presence, occasionally giving me a look or half-jokingly reminding me to do something. This familiar rhythm even made me lose myself a little.

After dinner, we sat on the sofa and watched TV for a while. The atmosphere was strangely quiet. Until Nightingale suddenly said softly: "It's been a long time since you could accompany me to do this."

I glanced at him and asked softly, "What am I doing with you?"

He glanced at me, a smile on his face: "Accompany me through my daily life."

I laughed: "What? Great Master Nightingale, is there no one to accompany you?"

Nightingale listened to my words and smiled slightly, with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Do you think I'm the kind of person who needs company?" He paused, as if considering his next words, and added in a low voice, "But sometimes, being too lonely can be quite troublesome."

I was momentarily stunned by his words, and something in me moved. Nightingale was usually so calm and distant, as if he never needed anyone's company, even giving off an air of superiority. But in that moment, I saw another side of him that he didn't often reveal.

"You're becoming more and more talkative." I smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "It seems like my company isn't such a bad thing."

Nightingale looked at me, his eyes looking through me to the night sky outside the window, as if he was lost in thought. After a long moment, he slowly spoke, "Sometimes, people don't necessarily need companionship, but rather... understanding."

I didn't respond immediately, but just looked at him quietly. Suddenly, I understood that the reason why Nightingale always kept that sense of distance was not because he didn't desire to be close to others, but because he was used to loneliness and used to hiding his emotions behind a mask.

I didn't intend to delve into the topic and casually changed it: "So, do you think I understand you, or do you find it annoying?"

Nightingale raised an eyebrow, a smile on her lips: "You? You can understand me? That's interesting."

"Why don't you try to understand me?" I smiled, put down the remote control in my hand, sat up straight, and looked at him mischievously, "I am your little apprentice, I have to listen to you."

He shook his head slightly and smiled: "That's more like it." Then he turned his head to watch TV again, with a barely perceptible smile on his face.

I tiptoed quietly out of Nightingale's bedroom refrigerator and pulled out a row of beers, thinking, "I don't think he'd notice such a small thing." Quietly uncapping the bottles, I poured the beer into my thermos, slowly swirling the liquid around, feeling the foam gently overflow.

I took a sip, the cold beer sliding down my throat, a slightly bitter taste gradually spreading. The air around me seemed to grow lighter, and I leaned back on the sofa, trying to find some comfort in this moment of relaxation. The atmosphere today was a bit depressing. Nightingale seemed to be busy with her own affairs as if nothing had happened, but I was a little distracted.

The beer tasted a bit different, unlike the usual beer you drink outside, with a hint of "home." I couldn't help but smile. I didn't know why, but the familiarity alone made me feel safe.

Just as I was savoring the drink, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open. Nightingale stood at the doorway, looking at me with a mocking smile: "Drinking secretly? Is this a new skill I taught you?"

I lowered my head guiltily and made excuses for myself: "I couldn't help it. I couldn't find anyone to drink with me, so I had some for myself first."

Nightingale walked in, still with that noncommittal expression. He glanced at the thermos in my hand, reached out to take it from me, and shook it gently: "You are always so sneaky." As he spoke, he also took a few sips in a row, as if thinking about something, and then said lightly: "But sometimes, it's good to drink alone."

"Oh?" I looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to have a drink too? After all, we are the representatives of 'one person'."

Nightingale smiled slightly and returned the thermos cup to me. "Drink it. I have more fine wines there, much better than these." He paused. "However, what you drink today is specially prepared for you."

I was stunned, suddenly curious: "You prepared this? Why, are you so thoughtful?"

Nightingale chuckled: "Don't you think your current state is very suitable for this kind of wine?"

I didn't quite understand the meaning of his words, but I didn't ask any further questions. I just held the cup and continued drinking. It was dark outside and the room was so quiet that only the faint sound of beer could be heard.