Show Me Your Stats!-Chapter 75

Her eyelids tickled. Deep in slumber, Ayra absentmindedly rubbed her eyes, brushing away the hand that had been playing with her eyelashes. With a groan, she turned over—and something hard, hot, and solid touched her body.

Did Botello heat up a rock and put it in my bed again?

Still half-dreaming, Ayra pulled the warm thing close. It had just the right curves to fit perfectly into her hands, and the texture was so pleasant she kept stroking it absentmindedly, relishing the languid sleepiness—until a quiet laugh tickled her ears.

A moment later, something damp and soft touched her lips. It trailed gently along the corner of her mouth, sweet and syrupy. Without thinking, she licked it. Something slipped into her mouth, nudging her tongue, and when she bit down, tangy juice burst out.

She finally opened her eyes. Janus was lying on his side, propping himself up on one arm and slipping candied fruit into her mouth. Still groggy, Ayra groaned again as she chewed the second piece. She may have slept deeply, but the fatigue still clung to her bones.

“How long was I out?”

Her voice was hoarse and thick. As Janus popped another piece of fruit into her mouth, he answered:

“About half a day?”

With a pop, the stone companion resting on Ayra’s hand stretched and yawned, only to shiver and scurry away when Janus’s hand brushed against it. Ayra glanced around the room. Dusk had fallen, and the interior was dark, lit only by the flickering fireplace. The warmth and quiet filled the air with a drowsy stillness. Her weary body sagged back into the bedding.

“Why’ve you been so busy lately? Is there no one else at that castle doing any work?”

Janus’s voice carried subtle discontent as it struck right at the core. Ayra composed herself—worried the dragon might get irritated enough to stomp Solar into dust—and began explaining in detail about the recent surge of thugs and gang activity. As she spoke, the frustration she’d been bottling up poured out in a sigh.

“Haa... I can’t just wipe them all out, either. And interrogating them afterward is a pain. I wish I could just stamp their foreheads or something. They’re just gonna get caught again anyway.”

Even when she imprisoned them, they’d be out again soon, probably by bribing someone. Worse, some were working directly for the Temple. It was clearly sabotage, yet no one but Ayra seemed to notice. There was no solid evidence tying it back to the Temple.

Complaining eased her stress a little. Her dutiful lover, who seemed to take his relationship as seriously as an imperial vow, nodded along.

“Mm. Poor baby. Yeah, a stamp would help... make the work easier...”

Then Janus fell into thoughtful silence. Ayra stretched with a groan. She wanted to keep lying down, but the fruit had awakened her appetite. Her stomach rumbled loudly. Janus snorted, rubbing her slightly concave belly.

“I bought something while you were sleeping. Want some?”

“Yeah. Right now, I feel like I could eat anything.”

The old bed creaked as Janus got up. With only a loose top thrown over him, his sculpted torso was on full display. Ayra lay still, admiring the slow ripple of his muscles until he returned, holding a plate of Solar’s famous steamed meat buns—various types, still warm.

Ayra picked one and took a big bite, licking her lips. As he watched her eat, Janus suddenly spoke, his tone casual.

“You didn’t sprinkle that stuff this time?”

That stuff...? Wait. Does he mean—

A chill ran down her spine. Ayra paused mid-bite. Trying to sound natural, she replied with a light, “Hm?” pretending she didn’t know what he meant. Janus curled his lips into a crooked smile.

“You know. That powder you’ve been sprinkling on every meal we eat together lately.”

This time, Ayra froze completely. A few seconds later, she forced herself to swallow what was in her mouth. The last vestiges of sleep vanished. Sweat beaded cold at the back of her neck.

She’d always been careful to sprinkle it only when he wasn’t looking. It was colorless, odorless—how the hell had he noticed? Ayra slowly set down the bun. Janus’s expression remained amused and unbothered, but her skin prickled with goosebumps.

“...You weren’t watching. How did you know?”

“When you’re this close, I can sense movement as clearly as if I saw it. So, what is it? Poison?”

What flashed through her mind was the image of Janus walking perfectly through a crowded street with his eyes closed. She’d always known his instincts were sharper than Bloom’s, but never imagined he’d detect her discreetly adding a pinch of powder from a distance.

As she struggled to decide how to respond, the stone hidden inside her body popped up a choice menu.

1. Lie and say it’s a spice. (Main Quest Failure)

2. Tell the truth. (???)

A main quest failure, or... some unknown consequence.

She hesitated—but only briefly. Watching Janus closely these past weeks, she’d come to understand something: no matter what kind of injury she inflicted on his body, he didn’t really care. Probably because she was his lover. Not to mention—he was so durable it barely even counted.

Ayra decided to place her trust in the compassion a dragon reserved for his partner. She regretted not being more careful, but chose Option 2.

“Come on... would I feed something poisonous to my own boyfriend?”

She had some sense, after all. It wasn’t like she was running illegal experiments on a slave. This hadn’t even made the cut for her dream project, “342 Experiments to Perform If You Ever Meet a Dragon: Subtitle...” (the rest omitted). It was more like a light test.

Still, Ayra couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, and her gray eyes darted left and right. Pressing her hands together, she offered him her most innocent smile.

“It’s kinda like... uh, catnip. Let’s go with that.”

“Catnip? What’s that?”

There was no catnip in this world, huh. And he clearly hadn’t raised a cat before. As she scrambled for a vague explanation, Janus’s curious red eyes locked onto hers. Ayra had no choice but to elaborate.

“It’s, uh... a powder that ma-beasts go crazy for...”

Janus blinked. Then: “Huh?”

He repeated her words and let out a low, unsettling laugh. Clearly amused, he asked:

“So... what, you think I’m a ma-beast?”

“N-no, I mean, not exactly. It’s just—one of my theories. I’ve always supported this hypothesis that... dragons might be a form of humanoid ma-beast...”

Mumbling awkwardly, Ayra stared at him with a “Well? Are you?” expression. Instead of answering, Janus held out his hand—clearly asking her to hand it over.

Sighing, Ayra reluctantly retrieved the powder from her subspace and placed it carefully in his palm. But his hand stayed out.

“...What? Didn’t you want this?”

“You always jot something down after meals too, right?”

He knew that too? Ayra let out a long sigh and slowly pulled a small notebook from her subspace. The moment she held it out, Janus snatched it like a thief. Ayra’s fingers trembled. She had never—not even once—been robbed of her research notes, not even in the labyrinth!

“You’re hungry, aren’t you? Keep eating.”

Janus popped a now-cold bun into Ayra’s mouth and sat on the bed. Holding the bun, she paced nervously around him, watching in horror as he casually flipped through her sacred notes.

“Gently, please... gently...”

Nibbling anxiously, she whispered her plea. But Janus ignored her entirely. He flipped through her precious research like it was junk mail, then finally stopped on the page he wanted.

What he read was this:

[Research: Solar001 (Working Title)]

1. Objective:

Study the biological classification of dragons through observation.

2. Subject:

Dragon (Name: Janus Rehzedet)

(1) Appearance:

By human standards: late twenties, attractive male. Estimated height: 3.4 bart. Estimated weight: 23.7 [N O V E L I G H T] olin. Muscular build. Red hair and red eyes.

(2) Age:

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Appears to be in his late twenties, but likely older (or younger) due to racial longevity.

(3) Habitat:

Prefers frigid climates. Unknown whether this is personal or species-wide.

(4) Diet:

Omnivorous, but shows preference for meat.

3-1. Primary Observations – Reaction to Food with Compound (97% base, 3% Excenflarion)

(1) First trial: Venison (compound) vs. Smoked Chicken → Preferred venison

(2) Second trial: Venison vs. Smoked Chicken (compound) → Preferred smoked chicken

(3) Third trial: Spiced Chicken vs. Smoked Chicken (compound) → Preferred smoked chicken

(4) Fourth trial: Spiced Chicken (compound) vs. Smoked Chicken → Preferred spiced chicken

(5) Fifth trial: Spiced Chicken vs. Smoked Chicken (compound) vs. Braised Chicken → Preferred smoked chicken

3-2. Subject displays a significant preference response to the compound.

4-1. Secondary Observation: Response to Beverages Containing Compound (97% base, 3% Excenflarion) ...

After reading, Janus turned to look at her with a face full of realization.

“So that’s why you’ve been feeding me chicken nonstop.”

“...But it tasted good, right? Besides, it’s harmless. Not poison. The compound breaks down naturally and exits the body...”

Ayra turned her gaze away, voice small. She’d only completed the first stage of her tests, and she bitterly regretted it. Opportunities to study a dragon this closely didn’t come often. If only she’d just sprinkled the powder outside and walked in normally... but no. Her greed for slightly more “perfect” data had ruined it.