Chapter 217
Nyx couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at her lips as she watched Chubby’s serious little expression. She thought, ‘He’s really putting on quite the act. The lesson isn’t particularly difficult, but it also isn’t something a hatchling this young should be able to understand.‘
Then again, thinking back, she found that Chubby had always been like this–even before he hatched. The only time he was ever quiet, aside from sleeping, was during the early education lessons his father gave him.
When the lesson ended, the light screen at each seat lit up, displaying a few questions for an in–class quiz.
The tiny python tilted his head, staring at the screen for a while before tapping it with the tip of his tail.
“Hm?” Nyx was stunned. She thought, ‘Is he actually doing the quiz?‘
She couldn’t help but lean in for a closer look, and Theon also moved over to see.
Even the teacher’s attention was drawn, and soon, the entire class was watching Chubby.
At first, they thought he was just randomly tapping around. But the more they watched, the more shocked they became- Chubby was actually getting the answers right.
If it had just been one or two correct answers, they might’ve chalked it up to luck. But when Chubby got all of them right, luck was no longer an explanation.
The teacher’s jaw practically hit the floor. “How did you do that?”
“Daddy taught me. And just now, the teacher explained it too,” Chubby replied, looking at the stunned adults as if they were the ones being ridiculous.
Theon was momentarily speechless.
He had indeed taught Chubby these things, but that was before he even hatched. It had just been early education for exposure–he never expected it to have any real effect.
Chubby’s level of comprehension and memory was far beyond what a hatchling should have. Even most adults couldn’t achieve this.
Meanwhile, Heps glanced at his own quiz score and lowered his head in shame.
After spending years on the Desolate Planet with little education, he was still struggling to catch up. Even though he worked hard to study on his own after class, his performance was barely passable.
Compared to Chubby, he felt absolutely dumb.
“Don’t doubt yourself, Heps.” The teacher saw through his thoughts and patted his shoulder. “You’re a very smart child.”
In the teacher’s eyes, catching up after missing so many years of school was already impressive. It was just unfair to compare anyone to a prodigy.
Nyx picked Chubby up, turning him side to side in disbelief.
She had thought Chubby was just a little smarter than usual, but now it was clear–he wasn’t just smart. He was genius.
She thought, ‘How am I supposed to raise a genius hatchling? I have no experience! Sending him to school earlier? No way- I can’t bear the thought.
To her, Chubby was still a tiny baby meant to be cradled in her arms. He hadn’t even shifted into his human form yet. His
1/3
19:12 Fri, 28 Feb
Chapter 217
childhood should be carefree. But if she kept him by her side, she worried about holding him back.
Torn between her options, Nyx went home and asked Jaws for his opinion.
47%
“He’s still young. No rush for school,” Jaws said, swirling a freshly prepared bottle of hatchling formula in his hand, teasing Chubby with it. Before Chubby could get angry, he quickly popped the bottle into his mouth.
The sweet, creamy formula made Chubby wrap himself tightly around the bottle, utterly immersed in drinking.
Jaws watched him with a soft smile, his expression full of warmth.
He thought, ‘A hatchling still on formula going to school? Fat chance. My child doesn’t have to be some great figure in history. Even if Chubby grows up to be utterly ordinary, I’d still raise him happily‘
Chubby didn’t want to go to school anyway. Visiting school once in a while was fun, but staying there all day away from Nyx was terrifying for him.
For days on end, Nyx noticed something surprising–Chubby studied on his baby–sized Intelligent Brain for two hours every single day without fail. He was completely self–disciplined.
“Chubby, do you really love studying that much?” she marveled, lying down beside the tiny python to watch the online lessons with him.
Chubby hesitated for a moment, and then gave a guilty little nod.
He didn’t really love studying. He just wanted to finish learning everything in advance. That way, he wouldn’t have to go to school later and could stay by Nyx’s side all the time.
To hide his guilt, he used the tip of his tail to peel a grape and fed it to Nyx.
The more he used his tail, the more dexterous it became, even able to handle delicate tasks like peeling grapes with ease. Nyx opened her mouth to accept the cub’s affectionate offering and gently hugged him. “Thank you, Chubby.”
*****
It felt like just a blink of an eye, and Chubby had already grown a lot. His baby fat had faded, and his body had grown longer, coiling up with noticeable weight.
He no longer dared to lie on Nyx’s stomach like before, only leaning his head close to listen to the movements of his unborn siblings.
By now, this pregnancy had already reached the full month, but Nyx hadn’t experienced any typical pregnancy reactions. Her belly was rarely active, completely different from when she carried Chubby.
If the medical checkup hadn’t confirmed everything was normal, she would have been really worried.
“This is normal. Embryonic eggs aren’t actually that active.” Zayne reassured her. “Chubby was an exception.”
Chubby seemed like he had evolved. From the moment Nyx was pregnant, he had been particularly special. Even inside the egg, he was different. Now, he was exceptionally intelligent and mature, making people forget he was just a little cub.
“As long as they’re healthy, that’s all that matters,” Nyx said, gently stroking her stomach. She didn’t expect these two cubs to be as precocious as Chubby.
As if sensing her touch, a faint movement rippled across her belly.
Chubby’s eyes lit up. “It moved!”
19:12 Fri, 28 Feb
Chapter 217
Excited, he nuzzled against Nyx’s belly, but before he could rub too much, Jaws scooped him up to prevent him from pressing down too hard on Nyx. “Want to go out and play?”
Out of a subconscious desire to make up for his own childhood, Jaws was particularly indulgent with Chubby.
Chubby coiled himself around Jaws‘ shoulder without hesitation. “Yes! I want ice cream.”
They shared one ice cream, with Chubby taking the first few bites before leaving the rest to Jaws,
The once–feared former leader of the Space Pirates had now become the bottom of the household food chain–eating not only Nyx’s leftovers but also the Chubby’s.
Such a shift was too amusing to the onlookers, as they found it oddly endearing and couldn’t help but secretly watch and snap pictures.
Jaws, of course, noticed the attention but didn’t mind as long as they weren’t too intrusive,
Chubby also noticed the stares. But he was used to being in the spotlight and didn’t care at all.
He was too captivated by the bustling commercial district of Central Planet, his head swaying as he looked around curiously.
“Do you want this?” Jaws would buy anything Chubby lingered on for more than a couple of seconds, spending lavishly.
The spectators watching shook their heads and sighed. They thought, ‘Who spoils a cub like this? And he’s not even a female! Male cubs shouldn’t be raised so delicately–what if he ends up spoiled?‘
After riding on Jaws‘ shoulders for a full tour, Chubby had gathered quite the haul. Finding a place to rest, he began sorting through his spoils. “This is for Mom, this is for Dad, this is for Theon. And this-”
Nearby, those who overheard his murmuring suddenly realized their mistake and felt ashamed of their earlier assumptions.
Even while out having fun, Chubby had thought about every member of his family. He wasn’t the spoiled brat they had imagined.
Chubby happily played with two brand–new cub–sized Intelligent Brains. “These are for my little brother.”
3/3
