Close Combat Mage
chapter-413-30041322

Chapter 413 – Fair Competition Pt. 2

Miya:

Little dumbo, I have left…Don’t come looking for me. I do not want to break your group apart because I know that your dream right now is something you need your comrades’ help to achieve. Miya does not want to become a burden, let alone the reason for destruction.

Forget all these depressing things. You…you are still too young. I gave myself right up to your lips yet you slept through the entire night with me in your arms without doing anything. Miya has now lost all self-confidence. Although older than you, Miya does not want to become your mom!

Ok, I’ll just stop here. Don’t worry about Miya, I will take care of myself. Miya will wait until you’re a bit older, more mature, and once a resolution is found, Miya will return. Miya is a mature woman after all, with no desire to be an inconvenience for you. You have to work hard!

Suo Jia trembled as he stared at the letter for a long time…then banged open the door and raced out wildly onto the deck. He grabbed the captain and shouted, “Oi! Did someone leave the ship this morning?”

“Huh?” The captain gave a baffled look at Suo Jia and answered in astonishment, “Nosir! Without your orders, how could anyone leave the ship? Even if someone did flee, I would immediately notify you!”

Suo Jia loosened his grip in disappointment. While he had not personally witnessed Miya’s strength, the fact that she had been able to approach him before without his detection meant that there was no way anyone could sense her if she wanted to leave.

Suo Jia ordered solemnly, “Alright, I want you to go now and check if there’s a lifeboat missing. Come back and report immediately!”

The captain did not dare to dally, and he personally brought a sailor with him to do the inspection. The captain soon ran back with sweat dripping from his face as he stated in a terrified voice, “I’m sorry, there really is a lifeboat missing. I don’t know when this happened, but I can swear to you that there’s always someone watching there!”

“Ah…” Suo Jia let out a long sigh and shook his head. “Forget it, it’s not your fault. If she wanted to leave, how could she possibly have been noticed by you guys? You can go down now…just make sure to be on proper guard in the future.”

The captain thankfully wiped away the sweat on his brow and hurriedly turned to run away. Although Suo Jia was affable to others, they all knew he was not at all weak!

They had only encountered a large-scale battle once throughout the entire journey, but that didn’t mean they were not interrupted by small disturbances every day. Despite Suo Jia’s baby face and the fact that he was only just past eighteen, he was second to none in ferocity.

The captain and all the ship’s crew witnessed daily the sight of Suo Jia ruthlessly decimating pirates one after another, never leaving a single person alive. That fierce strength was enough to make anyone feel chills.

However, while Suo Jia was colder than winter’s day to his enemies, his charitableness to his own people was matchless. The crew had only been working on Suo Jia’s ships for a month, yet their earnings were more than what they would get on other ships’ after an entire year. Moreover…Suo Jia never punished the crew members; none of them dared to cause trouble on his ships either.

Suo Jia returned to the cabin and sat there with a lost expression as he spaced out staring at the ocean outside. In the past, Suo Jia had always felt that everything was in his favor, all of it within his grasp. But after these past events, he had come to the sudden realization that there were many things that were beyond his control.

It was evening when Suo Jia sent out a signal for Xiang Yun, Nicole, and Roger to all gather together. The four of them once again sat around the circular table. Xiang Yun and Roger had their usual faint s miles, while Nicole sat with her head lowered gloomily, refusing to say a word.

After a while, Xiang Yun carefully asked, “Boss, why don’t I see Miya? Is she sick?”

“Sigh…” Suo Jia answered in a heavy voice, “No…she’s not sick. She has already left!”

Nicole’s head sharply shot up at Suo Jia’s words to stare at him in astonishment. Suo Jia then turned his head to meet Nicole’s steadfast gaze and said, “Nicole, perhaps…I overlooked your feelings before. But…it was truly unintentional. I didn’t know, I really didn’t…”

A shudder went through Nicole’s body as her eyes quickly reddened. She quietly lowered her head again and painfully closed her eyes. Who was to blame? Why had she not expressed anything? If she did not clarify anything and just sat there with her own thoughts, there was no way the other person would know [of her feelings].

This was an example of “benefiting from intimacy with an influential person”. But after knowing Suo Jia for so long, she had never stated that she liked Suo Jia, instead secretly harboring this in her heart. It was not that she had no opportunities, rather, it was that she had never grasped and treasured them instead.

Nicole knew that Suo Jia still cared about her. Otherwise, there was no way he would have allowed Miya to leave. The reason he let Miya go was actually because he cared about Nicole’s feelings. However, that was not what she hoped to see either.

Feelings were something that were easy to form and difficult to retract. Nicole knew that if Suo Jia had already proclaimed Miya as his girlfriend, Suo Jia had already invested into a deep relationship. Now that Miya had been driven away, Suo Jia’s pain was definitely not as light as what it seemed on the surface.

Now, despite Miya’s departure, it was very evident that she had successfully won Suo Jia’s guilt. While Nicole remained, it was impossible for Suo Jia to accept her with the guilt he felt towards Miya. Nicole knew that Suo Jia was a person that possessed a strong sense of responsibility; he would never allow himself to let his friends down.

Nicole’s expression was solemn as she raised her head, her gaze looking deep into Suo Jia’s eyes. “This isn’t your fault. It’s mine. I didn’t grab the chance to let you know that I actually like you.”

Nicole paused slightly before continuing, “But, if you let Miya go like this, it’s not fair at all to her or to me. No matter what, I want you to bring her back!”

“Huh?” Xiang Yun stared at Nicole in confusion and asked, “Foolish girl, what are you thinking? It was difficult enough to have your love rival leave, so why…”

Nicole resolutely shook her head and firmly declared, “Suo Jia and I have known each other for a while, yet I didn’t grasp the proper opportunities. On the other hand, although Miya and Suo Jia did not know each other into later, it’s clear to see that she keenly took the first chance she had. That’s why…we both have the qualifications to pursue Suo Jia.”

Nicole then sharply changed focus to Suo Jia. “But while Miya has already left, her shadow still remains in Suo Jia’s heart. There’s no way Suo Jia could possibly receive my feelings this way, right?”

Xiang Yun nodded in understanding as he agreed, “When you put it that way, it’s true. Suo Jia’s only problem is that he has too strong a sense of responsibility. Now that Miya’s gone, his guilt will make it impossible to accept anyone else.”

Nicole tilted her chin as she declared, “Until we find Miya, it’s not a fair competition. Otherwise, it’s unjust to both of us. I won’t force Miya to leave, nor am I willing for Suo Jia to be in pain because of it! So…let’s bring Miya back! I don’t mind competing against her fair and square!”

“Sigh…” As soon as Nicole finished speaking, a long sigh rang out from the doorway as Miya’s figure silently appeared.

Suo Jia leaped up in shock when he saw her and cried out happily, “Heavens! Didn’t you leave, Miya?”

Miya shook her head with a dry smile. “How could Miya leave? We’re at sea; Miya doesn’t know where to go. Without a sailor’s help, Miya cannot go anywhere.”

Everyone noticed the sailor uniform Miya was wearing, and they quickly realized that she had definitely planned to mix into the sailors to silently accompany Suo Jia. Contrary to her words, it was actually impossible to leave. It was truly depressing to see that a girl had been forced to such a point.