Virtual Idol in the Beast World: Five Clans Fight Over Me

Alex had told her he would make arrangements, so she was prepared. She’d been thinking about making up her remaining work hours once she recovered, but she hadn’t expected Alex to send her wages and the signed contract first.

"No rush," Alex said. "Wait until... you’re fully recovered. We’ll arrange things then."

...

...

Barto returned to his place, feeling a little weary.

He opened the door and, out of habit, brushed the snow off himself at the entrance. Then his eyes swept across the room, searching for Gu Ning.

The room was pitch-black and freezing. There was no sign of the little Mixed Breed... no sign of Gu Ning, no trace of her scent. There was only a listless, large Mixed Breed dog lying by the door.

Seeing him return, Cook slowly sat up and gave him a listless bark.

Barto dragged his little cart inside and slammed the door shut with a BANG! He ignored Cook’s questioning, hopeful eyes. He dumped the food he’d bought into Cook’s bowl, then sat on the sofa with half a roast chicken, eating it with boiled potatoes as he browsed gaming news.

’With Gu Ning gone, he couldn’t even be bothered to cook.’

The glow from the terminal illuminated a corner of the darkness, but it only made the room seem even bleaker.

A clattering sound reached Barto’s ears. He glanced over and saw it was Cook, pawing at his food bowl.

Cook had no appetite for the roast chicken, which was usually his favorite food.

Barto said, "You’d better finish your food, or I’ll tell Gu Ning you’re not eating properly."

At the mention of Gu Ning’s name, Cook’s eyes brightened. He sidled up to Barto, staring at him with wide, clear eyes. "Woof... Ning... back?"

He was much bigger now, and he nearly pushed Barto off the sofa. Barto shoved his big head away as he leaned in. "Didn’t I tell you?" he said impatiently. "There are Mutant Species everywhere right now. She’s safer at the construction site. She’ll come back after the military finishes clearing them out." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The light in Cook’s eyes faded, and his tail drooped. "Ning..."

"Hurry up and eat. Do I have to nag you to eat every single day? What, you expect me to feed you?" Barto poked Cook on the forehead as he scolded him. "You’ve gotten so big, so why hasn’t your brain grown to match? If you don’t eat, how heartbroken will she be when she finds out? She went to that construction site for you..."

Barto stopped himself mid-sentence. He jumped off the sofa and slammed the food bowl down in front of Cook. "Eat!"

’This guy... Does he have any idea how much Gu Ning has sacrificed for him?’

’A female, and such a small one at that, actually going this far for Cook.’

’If Cook weren’t a Dwarf hybrid with a regressed intellect, he would’ve suspected Cook was tricking her.’

’But when he thought about the time they had spent together, and the things she had done for him as well, he couldn’t bring himself to suspect anything.’

’It didn’t matter how she showed up in Zone 19. She had other Beastmen protecting her now.’

’Beastmen with normal forms and superior genes.’

’She didn’t need him to worry about her.’

’Maybe, before long, Alex would become her mate.’

’That guy wasn’t too bad, and she seemed to have a good impression of him...’

The light from the terminal flickered across Barto’s face, but he hadn’t taken in a single thing on the screen.

He simply turned off the terminal and began to pace anxiously in the dark.

Cook sensed his agitation and raised a paw, as if to pat his head.

"Get lost!"

Barto swatted his paw away and leaped into his own small, cold bed. Lying down, he yanked a blanket over himself.

He caught the faint, sweet fragrance on the blanket. He curled up, clutching the blanket tightly.

’It was her scent. He’d only had it for less than two days, and now she was gone.’

’Maybe he’d never see her again.’

Cook finished his meal, licked the bowl clean, and lay down beside him.

Even though he had no appetite, he had obeyed Barto. He didn’t want Ningning to worry about him.

"Stay away from my bed."

Barto grabbed the nearest object and threw it at Cook. Cook didn’t move, only flicked his tail.

"Fine, leave. Everyone just leave," Barto muttered as he rolled over.

Just then, his terminal lit up.

Barto’s gaze froze for a moment on the incoming message. His eyes lit up slightly as he opened it. It was from Gu Ning:

Barto, look, look! I got Cook’s signed contract! [Image]

Hehe, I’m pretty amazing, right? [proud puppy emoji]

Now I don’t have to worry about Cook’s status anymore. He can come with me to Zone 5! [excited puppy spinning emoji]

How’s Cook doing? Have you two eaten dinner yet?

Barto clicked on the image Gu Ning had sent. He sat up, typed a message into the chat box, deleted it, typed something else, and deleted that too. After doing this several times, he finally sent a message:

Got it.

He just finished eating. He’s already asleep. I’m going to sleep too.

Gu Ning:

Okay, I won’t bother you then. Good night, good night.

Barto stared at the message thread with Gu Ning. After a long moment, he clutched the blanket that carried her scent, buried his face in it for a deep breath, and curled up to lie down.