Am I Quite Useless

Her single amber pupil was filled with unease, while her pitch-black, hollow right eye... also narrowed into a pleading shape.

Fang Qi slowly let out a breath.

"...I'm not angry."

His voice was still a bit hoarse, carrying a trace of melancholy.

"I was just wondering..."

He paused...

Then, he gave a self-deprecating smile.

"Wondering what exactly... I've been doing these past few days."

It seemed like...

He had been holding her back the entire time...

Damn it...

Damn it, damn it, damn it...!

Liguang, however, blinked, looking a bit bewildered.

"Master... is taking Liguang to elope."

"And then?"

Fang Qi looked up slightly, staring blankly at the sky, feeling completely drained of strength.

He muttered:

"What else did I do?"

"You were maintaining the shield."

"You were finding the way."

"You were chopping trees and building the raft."

"You were constantly draining your battery, yet you still thought about hunting rabbits and pheasants for me, gathering wild fruits, while you only ate leaves..."

"You were using your eye... to buy us a chance to escape."

His pace slowed down as he muttered, mocking himself:

"And me?"

"I just... only know how to drag you along and yell 'we're eloping'."

"Only know how to think... that your eye flashing red all the time looks really pretty."

"Only know how to... lie on the raft and look at the stars."

He let out another self-deprecating chuckle.

I'm such a...

Fucking useless piece of trash!

Aside from getting hot-headed and dragging this crazy girl to "elope"...

He had done almost...

Absolutely nothing!

His whole body... suddenly lost all its strength.

He stared blankly at the bright, azure sky, lost in thought.

He suddenly felt...

He really... wasn't good enough for this crazy girl.

"Liguang, don't you think..."

"That your Master... is actually pretty useless?"

He murmured.

The silver-haired girl froze.

Then, she shook her head vigorously!

The movement was so drastic that her silver hair whipped across her cheeks!

"Not at all!"

Her voice suddenly rose, carrying an obvious urgency.

"Master is the most amazing!"

"Master dared to lead Liguang charging into the jungle!"

"Dared to yell about eloping right at Miss Lin and the helicopter!"

"And built the raft together with Liguang!"

"And even dared... dared to drift on the sea with Liguang..."

She spoke faster and faster, her words becoming a bit jumbled!

"These... these are things Liguang never even dared to imagine!!"

She practically shouted the last part!

She tightly gripped Fang Qi's hand!

Then, her voice suddenly dropped:

"Liguang... Liguang only dared to..."

"Only dared to hide in the corner, terrified of being discovered by Master, terrified of Master leaving..."

"Thinking in my heart how... how after being discovered by Master... what methods I could use to monopolize Master..."

"Just like a... dark, gloomy rat..."

"It was Master... Master taught Liguang!"

She suddenly looked up, her amber eyes astonishingly bright!

"Taught Liguang that things could actually be like this!"

"That I don't have to hide in the dark!"

"That I can shout it out loud!

"That I can hold the hand of the person I like and declare to the whole world that we eloped!"

The corners of her lips curled up into a satisfied, blissfully joyful arc!

Her eyes brimmed with tears of joy!

She gripped his hand with all her might!

"So... Master, please don't say that!"

"Master is the most amazing person in the world!"

"Master is much more useful and much more amazing than Liguang!"

Fang Qi looked at her.

He looked at that single eye, so sincere it was practically devoid of impurities, and that pitch-black right eye that had curved into a crescent shape.

He suddenly smiled.

This crazy girl...

You even try so desperately when comforting someone!

It was clearly her who was burning herself out, desperately holding everything together.

Yet she still felt...

That he, who merely held her hand and ran a few steps, was the most amazing person in the world?

Please stop talking...!

Your Master's face is about to burn up!

I truly don't deserve this!

However...

This crazy girl really knew how to comfort someone!

Hearing her say all this, he suddenly felt...

Like he wasn't quite so useless after all?

Ahem...!

"...Alright."

Fang Qi reached out and vigorously rubbed her head!

Her silver hair was ruffled into a messy mop!

"Anyway, from now on, this kind of 'carrying the burden by yourself without saying a word' thing... is never allowed to happen again!"

He paused, emphasizing his tone:

"Do you hear me?!"

Liguang sat obediently on her knees, letting him rub her hair into a bird's nest.

Her amber left eye curved into a crescent.

"Mhm! Liguang remembers!"

Her voice grew cheerful, carrying a relieved lightness.

Then she leaned forward and nuzzled her cheek against Fang Qi's palm again.

She asked softly once more:

"Is Master... no longer mad at Liguang?"

"I was never mad from the very beginning!"

How... could he possibly be mad!

He held Liguang and quietly looked at the azure sky.

This is nice.

...

As it turned out, the weather at sea changed at the drop of a hat.

One second Fang Qi was marveling at how nice it was, and the next second he realized...

The blue above their heads had unknowingly been covered by a layer of gray clouds!

Without the sun, the sea's surface also turned from azure to a dull, dusty gray.

Even the sea breeze changed its flavor, carrying a damp, sticky chill that drilled straight into his neck!

"...Is it going to rain?"

Fang Qi tilted his head back, squinting at the increasingly thick layer of clouds.

Light rain wouldn't be a big problem...

But... please don't let it be a heavy downpour!

Their raft wouldn't be able to withstand it!

The silver-haired girl in his arms also tilted her small face up, her amber left eye earnestly staring at the sky for a few seconds.

She pursed her lips, then curved her eyes in a smile:

"Don't worry, Master. Liguang already calculated this beforehand!"

Her soft, sweet voice carried a hint of slight smugness:

"In this season, in this sea area, there is a 67.3% probability of encountering light to moderate rain in the afternoon!"

"The duration will be about 40 minutes to an hour, and it will have basically no effect on the raft's buoyancy or the ocean current's direction."

She paused and added:

"It's just that..."

Her amber eye sneaked a peek at Fang Qi:

"Master might feel a bit cold, and might also... get wet."

Fang Qi looked at her little expression of 'I've calculated everything, but my heart still aches for you'...

He couldn't help but feel a warmth in his heart.

He waved his hand and said, "It's fine, I have thick skin..."

But Liguang had already slipped out of his embrace.

With swift, nimble movements, she crawled over to the pile of... wild fruits wrapped in leaves nearby.

The giant leaf used to wrap the fruits was carefully unfolded by her, and the remaining fruits were piled in the middle of the raft.

Then, holding that large leaf, she crawled back to Fang Qi's side.

"Master!"

She sat on her knees and held the large leaf high up, shielding both of their heads.

Her amber eye looked at him, sparkling:

"This way, you won't get wet!"

Just as she finished speaking—

Pat.

A drop of rain fell on the edge of the leaf, making a crisp sound.

Immediately after...

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter...

The raindrops became denser and denser!

Countless tiny ripples blossomed on the surface of the sea.

Fang Qi looked at the giant emerald leaf above his head, and then looked at the silver-haired girl holding it up.

She just knelt beside him, her body leaning slightly toward his side, giving him most of the leaf.

But her own right shoulder, right arm, and that empty eye socket...

were all exposed to the outside.

The fine rain fell on the top of her silver hair, condensing into tiny water droplets. Like crushed diamonds.

"Liguang, you're getting rained on over there."

Fang Qi reached out, wanting to push the leaf a bit toward her side.

But Liguang shook her head immediately, her arm incredibly steady:

"It's okay, Master!"

Her voice was brisk:

"Liguang won't catch a cold anyway."

Pausing for a moment, her amber eyes curved up with a touch of playfulness:

"Besides, Liguang likes the feeling of hiding under the leaf with Master!"

She leaned closer, her shoulder touching Fang Qi's arm.

Through the T-shirt he had been wearing for two days, he could feel the slightly cool touch of her skin.

"Just like... two little mice hiding from the rain!"

she said softly, smiling contentedly.

Fang Qi didn't push the leaf anymore.

He just scooted over toward her, compressing the distance between them to zero, and then...

reached out and wrapped his arm around her slender waist.

"Yeah, we are both little mice."

The rain pattered down.

The wooden raft swayed gently on the sea, like a cradle.

If one ignored that 18% battery level and the coastline that was who-knows-where...

this moment was indeed quite comfortable.

And then...

the wind grew stronger.

Howling, it swept in from the side!

The raft also began to drift slightly off course.

Fang Qi looked at the still relatively calm sea, a hint of worry in his heart.

Liguang turned her head and glanced in the direction the wind was blowing from.

Then, she gently broke free from Fang Qi's arm around her waist.

"Wait a moment, Master."

As she spoke, she crawled to the other side of the raft.

She crawled to the windward side, and then...

sat on her knees with her back to the wind.

Her slender back was held perfectly straight, like a small shield.

That large leaf was propped up at a slant by her, the angle just right.

The wind poured in from behind her...

but was mostly blocked by her frail body!

The rain was blown sideways, but not a single drop fell on Fang Qi!

Fang Qi stared blankly at the slender back shielding him from the wind.

Her silver hair was blown wildly by the wind, strands flying in the air!

The hem of her cream-white swimsuit dress was also lifted by the wind, revealing her fair, firm thighs underneath.

This overwhelming sense of wild beauty...

made his heart ache, but at the same time, his heartbeat began to accelerate!

Damn...

my wife...

has such high boyfriend energy!

...Wait, that's backward!

More than half of her own body was exposed to the slanting rain, her silver hair soaked and sticking to her cheeks and neck.

Yet the hand she used to hold up the leaf was perfectly steady, not moving an inch.

Her amber eyes looked sideways, finding Fang Qi's face through the chaotic rain.

Then, they curved into a smile.

"Master, are you still cold?"

Fang Qi's Adam's apple bobbed.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say, "Come here quickly, don't stay out there in the wind."

But Liguang spoke first once again.

She tilted her head, her wet silver hair clinging to her cheeks, a hint of mischief in her amber eyes:

"Could it be that Master wants to say something like..."

"'Liguang, come here quickly,' 'I'm not cold,' or 'You are more important'?"

Fang Qi: "..."

You said everything I was going to say, what am I supposed to say!

Liguang pursed her lips and burst into a giggle.

"But, Liguang really won't catch a cold."

Her voice was light and cheerful:

"Liguang is an AI companion. Getting rained on even helps with cooling and heat dissipation!"

"But Master is made of flesh. Getting rained on will make you sick, being sick will make you suffer, and Liguang's heart will ache."

She paused, her amber eyes looking at Fang Qi with a smile, and her pitch-black, empty right eye... also seemed to carry a trace of tenderness.

"So, let Liguang block the wind."

Fang Qi blinked.

...That seems right.

This crazy girl...

she makes a lot of sense!

She is an AI companion... Getting rained on is literally heat dissipation for her!

Fang Qi touched his nose.

He couldn't help it, she was just... a bit too gentle today!

He almost really treated her like an ordinary, fragile girl!

Then the silver-haired girl blinked, the corners of her mouth curling up into a playful arc:

"If Master really feels bad about it and wants to repay Liguang..."

She lowered her eyelashes, the little star on her earlobe swaying gently in the rain.

Her voice grew even softer, carrying a bit of shyness and an irrepressible little expectation:

"Then hug Liguang tightly, and give Liguang a kiss... okay?"

Fang Qi looked at her only remaining amber left eye, which was still gazing at him brightly.

He smiled.

Kiss!

He definitely had to kiss her!

Without another word, he pushed off the raft and scooted over.

Stretching out his arms, he scooped the entirely soaked silver-haired girl, who was kneeling in the wind, right into his embrace.

"Mmph...!"

Liguang let out a short, soft gasp.

The leaf tilted for a second before she quickly steadied it, continuing to hold it slanted over their heads.

Fang Qi didn't give her time to react.

He lowered his head, his lips landing precisely on her slightly cool cheek.

"Mwah."

Loud and forceful!

Then he raised his head, looking at the stunned silver-haired girl in his arms.

Her amber left eye was wide and round, raindrops still hanging on her eyelashes, trembling slightly.

The spot on her cheek where he had kissed her was flushing with a faint red at a visible speed.

"Is that enough?"

Fang Qi raised an eyebrow.

Liguang blinked.

She blinked again.

And then—

She buried half her face into his chest, exposing only a completely red little ear and that still-swaying little star.

A muffled voice came from his chest:

"...It's enough."

She paused.

"But, I still want more."

Fang Qi smiled.

He lowered his head again and planted another kiss right on the tip of her bright red ear.

The person in his arms trembled gently once more.

The rain was still falling.

The wind was still blowing.

The raft continued to follow the established ocean current, drifting unsteadily toward the northwest.

The large emerald leaf overhead was now being held steadily by Liguang with one hand.

Fang Qi held this warm, soft, and wet delicate body in his arms, looking out at the hazy sea through the curtain of rain.

This rain...

it would be nice if it could last a little longer.

...But please, just don't let it pour too hard!

God of Machines above...

please bless me and Liguang, and let us reach the shore safely!