It's Actually Not Easy Wanting to be a Supporting Male Lead Chapter 16 part9

Translated by Eve
Edited by Karasunofight
Like this, they got Erick on board. The plan that Zhao Xihe was hesitant to go with became their best option. At Sui Yuan's command, the space pirates quickly put the plan into motion, packing up and relocating without another word.
Although they were a bit reluctant to part with the old lair that they had spent so long in, so long as they could save Hill, abandoning a base or two was nothing. After all, a sly individual has more than one plan to fall back on. The space pirates did not lack places to hide in.
——As for what they should do after Hill was transferred to the Guide Academy, even if the space pirates were at a loss over what to do, their "blind" faith in their Commander prevented them from looking too closely into this matter. In any case, it would be fine to just follow their leader.
The space pirates finished their preparations. Meanwhile, Erick was also very active. He used the excuse that he and Hill once had friendly relations and could perhaps persuade the "pitiful" immature guide. Then, he took out the emblem and gained the other's trust before telling him of the space pirates' plan.
Zhao Xihe made a grand display of his outstanding acting abilities. First, there was anger and hostility. Then, there was hesitation between trust and suspicion. In the end, he nodded and agreed to follow the plan. Furthermore, all of their actions were monitored by the military via security cameras. In the military's eyes, Erick had successfully convinced the young guide.
Erick relaxed after completing his objective. As soon as he left Hill's prison cell, he was patted on the back by a fellow member of his squad, who was wearing a mischievous smile, "Truly worthy of being the most popular sentinel as rated by the Federation's guides. Even that little space pirate couldn't resist your charm. Truly makes me feel a whole new level of respect for you, ah! It makes us bachelors, who have never even approached by a guide before, envious to death!"
Erick forced a smile, shaking his head slightly, "Don't spout nonsense. I don't know what popularity contest you're talking about, nor have I even come into contact with any of those guides before. It's just an unfounded rumour."
"Yes, yes, yes, of course, my great, upright, young master!" The officer shrugged, walking side by side with Erick as they headed towards the conference room. He complimented the other exaggeratedly in an excited tone, "Only, this is a great meritorious deed to have gotten that fellow to loosen his mouth! Wait until we annihilate the Germain Space Pirates, that group of reckless fellows. You'll be promoted to the heavens, ba! Of course, I'll also take a bit of that spotlight!"
Erick's gaze fell and made a noncommittal sound of agreement, uncharacteristically unenthusiastic.
After getting to know the space pirates, Erick realized that his previous attitude regarding them: that they were all disgraceful people was not accurate.
The space pirates had their own troubles. Most of them were forced into becoming space pirates—they didn't have a choice. Nova and Hill were innately kind, lively, and sensible. Germain was intelligent and careful, strong and graceful. Furthermore, there was that feeling of family from the space pirates that made people envious….
Erick was raised in a frigid family. He was educated according to the military's standards. His sentinel father would only show his gentle side to his guide mother. Furthermore, his father considered the entire military as part of his family out of his strong sense of responsibility. Meanwhile, Erick's guide mother had been □□ by the Guide Academy, brainwashed to follow one's sentinel blindly. His guide mother's heart and soul were all dedicated to his sentinel father, leaving very little free time for Erick to receive any care.
Although he didn't show it, he longed for a real family, for a like-minded guide. So, although there had been quite a number of precious guides tossed to him, and his parents and commanding officers urged him to quickly choose a guide to bond with, Erick stubbornly resisted the pressure and refused each and every one.
Erick wanted a guide who he truly liked and who also truly liked him back. Nova was the first person who he had thought about wanting to bond with. Who knows if it was because of his bias towards Nova, but there was also Germain's charm that left people at a loss. Erick felt especially conflicted upon realizing that he seemed to have been moved by the deep feelings between the space pirates and unexpectedly couldn't help but envy them….
——Clearly, they stood on opposing sides. In this lifetime, they would only be enemies….
In short, regardless of Erick's existential crisis, Hill, who had been "persuaded," successfully "sold out" the Germain Space Pirates, giving away the location of their base.
The military did not hesitate to send out their troops. Unfortunately, the lair was empty when they arrived. The space pirates had already deserted the base. They were even relaxed enough to leave a note for the military, mocking them, saying that they were truly stupid—as soon as Hill had been captured, they had switched base locations, not giving the military a chance to surround and eliminate them.
The expression of the military officer, whose IQ was being doubted by the space pirates, twisted. He fiercely threw the note onto the ground. Meanwhile, Erick, who already knew what the outcome would be, tried his best to show an equally resentful expression. However, on the inside, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry over the space pirates' "mischief."
——Actually, what Erick didn't know was that the space pirates' original plan was actually not as simple as leaving a mocking note, but rather, they had actually planned on leaving a trap that would cause disastrous losses for the military. It was a pity that because of their worry that the military would vent their anger on Hill, they regretfully had given up on the trap to prevent the innocent Hill from being harmed. Thus, they changed to a more "mild" method and just used their words.
Anyway, even if it was just this, it was enough to make the military, that had always thought highly of itself, fly into a rage from humiliation. After angrily returning home empty-handed, they tried to see if they could extract any other information from Hill. Unfortunately, all of the information proved to be out-of-date. The extremely vigilant space pirates were very cautious in covering their tracks. They did not give the military any clues that could be used to track them.
After confirming that Hill held no valuable information whatsoever, the military had no choice but to give up on their delusions and finally hand Hill over to the Guide Academy to deal with.
Sui Yuan, who finally got what he wanted, was especially happy. He was also much more amiable to Erick, who came to share the news. He made the other feel quite overwhelmed with favour. Once this icy beauty rescinded that bone-penetrating cold air around him and eased back his attitude, his once intimidating and distancing aura immediately changed into one that made people want to get closer. It made people unable to control themselves!
"You don't need to be involved with what happens next. After all, if you participate again, you might draw in the military's suspicion, ba," Sui Yuan's fingers were interlaced, placed in front of him on the desk, as he spoke magnanimously.
Erick's heart throbbed involuntarily. His first reaction was to think, 'Could it be that he's worried about me?' However, he very quickly threw this fantasy to the back of his head, "Then, what do you plan on doing?"
"Did you think that I would tell you about my plans? Don't be silly. I'm not that stupid," Sui Yuan raised the corner of his lips derisively, "You've tentatively paid off the debt you owe Hill. I ask that you don't try to get into contact with us in the future, especially Nova. He is not suitable to be your guide."
——Of course, that last part was not Sui Yuan's true thoughts. However, as the boss of a space pirate crew and Nova's older brother, he couldn't not say this.
Erick, who had been used and thrown away, felt a very complicated emotion. He had thought his good feelings towards the other was reciprocated. However, Erick knew that it would be for the best if he did end his relationship with the space pirates now. After all, they would meet on the battlefield sooner or later.
After watching Sui Yuan apathetically go into another room after saying his thanks, Erick sighed slightly, "…Fine. I understand."
After he said this, he turned to leave. He didn't notice that after Sui Yuan heard his reply, the other's fingertips had begun to quake. Wait a second! Protagonist gong, don't agree so straightforwardly, ah! I just said it casually, you can totally continue cultivating feelings with Nova. I actually don't mind!
Sui Yuan felt choked up as he watched Erick's silhouette disappear through the doorway. He felt like he had become a wooden stick that beat a pair of mandarin ducks. Meanwhile, Erick, who was one of the beaten ducks, was a bit absent-minded when he saw Nova upon exiting the establishment.
"…What?" The smile on Nova's face froze. He felt that something wasn't right.
Seeing that Erick had gotten closer to the space pirates, Nova naturally felt happy. He even felt a faint anticipation, hoping that this meant he could be with the other.
Unfortunately, this delusion was like a brightly-coloured, rainbow bubble. Although it looked magnificent, it will burst when poked. Now, it was time for him to return to reality.
"I…won't come here again. The next time we meet will perhaps be on the battlefield."
Eric hid his emotions beneath his calm words. He suddenly thought about Germain, who had exhausted all resources in order to get his guide back. There was also Hill, who was "innocent and naive" but also extremely trusting of Germain. It had to be said that Erick currently felt incomparably envious.
Nova lowered his gaze and fell silent for a moment. Soon after, he nodded, "…I understand."
"…Then…goodbye?" Erick probed.
"Mn, goodbye," Nova raised his head, revealing a smile.
The two of them passed each other. Neither of them looked back. Sui Yuan, who watched this scene from the window, felt extremely terrible. This kind of parting with no hard feelings, being strangers from now on…it had to be an illusion, ba?! QAQ
"…Gege?" Turning around and seeing Sui Yuan by the window, Nova rescinded his sadness and disappointment. He blinked, calling out softly.
"…Do you regret it? He's not a bad sentinel. The compatibility between the two of you is very high as well," Sui Yuan said slowly, watching Nova's expressions tightly.
Meanwhile, Nova completely misunderstood his brother's implicit meaning. He shook his head with force, "No, I don't regret it! Compared to a sentinel or what not, of course Gege and all of the space pirates are more important! Perhaps I'll even meet an even more suitable person, no?"
Sui Yuan："………………………………"
——Silly child, the sentinel most suitable for you in this world is Erick. Don't try to believe in your own lies!
Sui Yuan muttered to himself for a while, doing his best to think of how he could best persuade Nova to have a change of heart without OOC-ing. Only, before he could think of an option, his adorable little brother gave him a critical hit: "Therefore, I definitely will not get in touch with him again. Gege, you can feel reassured, ba!"
Sui Yuan："………………………………"
——I'm not reassured in the least!
"Hahahaha, Little Nova said it well!" All of the space pirates, who were watching nearby, happily approved of Nova's action. They then stabbed their family's boss with a huge knife in passing, "There are sentinels everywhere! That Erick isn't all that great! If Little Nova wants to find a sentinel, then he must find a sentinel as outstanding as Boss! Although this is a bit difficult, considering how our Boss is unrivalled!"
Seeing these fanboy space pirates sinking into self-glorification and Nova unexpectedly nodding along in approval, Sui Yuan couldn't help but feel goosebumps arise along his skin. He couldn't help but make one last attempt, "If we ignore his affiliation with the military, Erick's personality and strength are not bad. It's just a pity…."
"That's easy, ah! If Boss likes him, we just have to beat up the Federation's military and snatch away that pretty boy and force him to be Little Nova's wife!" As soon as they heard that Sui Yuan appreciated Erick, the space pirates immediately changed their tone and went along with it, carefree.
Sui Yuan："…………………………"
Nova："…………………………"
——He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt like a door to a whole new world was suddenly opened….
While Sui Yuan and Nova were thrown into a mess from the space pirates' wild imaginations, Zhao Xihe met with an unexpected development.
As soon as he entered the Guide Academy, for insurance, Zhao Xihe did not directly set his plan into motion. Instead, he planned on pretending to know his place while he scoped out his surroundings. Only after careful considerations would he act. Only, what he didn't expect was that his opponent was more impatient than he was.
The plot had changed. The Germain Space Pirates, who were originally supposed to have been annihilated, still lived on happily and unfettered. Meanwhile, Nova who was supposed to have been captured and sent to the Guide Academy had become Hill instead. The Destroyer obviously didn't know whether this was due to the butterfly effect caused by his own actions. After all, it was the Destroyer who acted first, letting the military expand their scope of attack to include all space pirates. This gave the Germain Space Pirates many excuses and Zhao Xihe room to breathe.
Furthermore, now that the Germain Space Pirates had not been destroyed, then it was only logical that the plot would change.
After he knew that Hill had been captured, the Destroyer looked into all sorts of information regarding him and the Germain Space Pirates. Only, he didn't find anything too incriminating. In order to confirm whether or not the other was a threat, the Destroyer decided to meet with Hill face-to-face. After all, he was a teacher of the Guide Academy. It was only natural that he would go meet with the young guide who was marked by the military as someone who should receive special care.
Unfortunately, while the Destroyer believed that his disguise was cautiously and deliberately made, in Zhao Xihe's eyes, he really wasn’t trustworthy at all. At least, before the Destroyer had confirmed Zhao Xihe's identity, Zhao Xihe had already marked him to be a main suspect and had immediately sent this information to Sui Yuan.
Iressa—he was the most popular teacher at the Guide Academy. His sentinel had heroically died in battle. Iressa felt especially pained, refusing to bond with a new sentinel, and instead placed all of his enthusiasm into the Guide Academy, making a great contribution to the education of guides.
A perfect resume and a respectable status…Sui Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, knocking on the desk lightly, conjuring up the perfect plan to successfully kill the other while avoiding being implicated.
——If it was one-on-one, Zhao Xihe wouldn't lose to the other. The issue was that the Guide Academy was the Destroyer's base. The other was extremely vigilant too. This matter was a bit tricky.