SGT CH213

213 Stories of the Tianjia Males

◎Joshua x Minister of Foreign Affairs◎

【Joshua】

From early childhood, Joshua discovered that he suffered from severe mysophobia and an intense fear of physical touch.

Growing up in a place like the Male Breeding Academy, developing psychological traumas was far too common.

The Academy, however, regarded this as an unacceptable defect.

And so, Joshua learned to disguise himself.

He was very clever, never letting any administrator notice anything amiss.

Most Academy administrators were married sub-females who inherently avoided excessive direct physical contact with underage males.

Except for certain deviants.

Joshua had once been targeted by one, and another male had saved him.

That male was named Mu Si, the most stunning among all the males in their courtyard, around whom many other males loved to gather.

He treated every male with gentle warmth and friendliness.

That was the first time Joshua saw his other side.

With his own eyes, he watched Mu Si take control of that administrator using psychic power.

The administrator’s expression turned blank and vacant as, driven by psychic puppet manipulation, he snapped his own fingers—the ones that had touched Joshua—one by one.

The crisp, sharp sound of shattering bones rang out glaringly distinct in the silent night.

Like a scene from a horror film, sending a chill straight down any Tianjia’s spine.

Yet Joshua had felt only unadulterated catharsis.

Only when the administrator was directed to leave did lingering dread finally wash over Joshua.

“We’ll be found out, let’s run away quickly!”

For the first time, Joshua took the initiative to grasp another Tianjia’s hand.

Yet where could they possibly run?

Joshua’s hands and feet were icy cold.

Mu Si pushed him back into his room, gave him a mental grooming session, and told him to get a good night’s rest.

As a male, he had practiced mental soothing on many females during classroom drills, but this was the first time his own mental realm had been soothed.

Drifting off amidst the cozy comfort and drowsiness following the soothing, Joshua fell asleep.

The next morning, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

He saw that administrator again.

His hands were completely intact.

The way he looked at him was entirely mundane, as though he held zero recollection of the previous night.

A female Tianjia’s regenerative ability was formidable; even if a sub-female’s physique was relatively weaker than a pure female’s, a single night was more than enough for snapped fingers to knit back together.

This did not surprise Joshua.

What truly astonished him was the other’s amnesiac behavior.

Was it Mu Si’s doing?

The Academy only taught them how to execute mental soothing, never imparting other applications of psychic power.

Only after witnessing Mu Si dominate that sub-female the night before did Joshua realize psychic abilities held such terrifying utility.

Whether it was mental manipulation or memory erasure.

Catching his gaze, the administrator walked toward him.

Under Joshua’s tense, defensive glare, the other halted five paces away to offer greetings, his manner respectful and marked by clear boundaries, wholly unlike his usual demeanor.

Perhaps it was not merely memory erasure.

There were psychic suggestions and memory alterations as well.

Completely like a different Tianjia altogether.

So terrifying.

So formidable.

And so, when afternoon break arrived—

A window Joshua preferred to call “yard time”—

Crowds of males swarmed around Mu Si, calling out “Mu Mu,” “Mu Mu” one after another.

Joshua had never taken part in such things.

He disliked physical contact with females, nor was he particularly fond of contact with males; he simply maintained slightly different tolerance thresholds between the two.

This time, however, he walked over on his own initiative, carrying a trace of apprehension.

“Mu Mu…”

He was welcomed effortlessly.

Indeed.

How could any Tianjia ever dislike Mu Mu?

He wanted to learn more techniques for wielding psychic power from Mu Mu.

If total mental control was too difficult, then simple psychic suggestions would do, so long as they could compel females to keep their distance and stay away from him.

Mu Mu held nothing back, teaching him with earnest focus, serving as a strict and exacting instructor.

Joshua learned remarkably well.

Proving to be the quickest to master the techniques among all the males.

Thereafter, life at the Academy grew quite comfortable; even after Mu Mu departed, Joshua was fully capable of defending himself.

Only, he frequently missed the Mu Mu who had deployed to the military, accompanied by deep worry.

A place teeming with high-risk military females was horrifying just to contemplate.

What was more, it was on the frontlines, where war flared constantly.

He and the males at the Academy began paying close attention to frontline news.

Yet the materials they were permitted to view were strictly filtered by the administrators, leaving their understanding exceedingly limited.

Mu Mu contacted them regularly, but he only reported the good and concealed the bad.

Even when he deliberately framed photos featuring lovely scenery to send them, the barren wasteland and smoke of gunpowder peeking from the background corners were enough to alarm these males who had never stepped beyond the Academy’s gates.

Yet Mu Mu seemed to live very happily.

He truly loved that kind of life.

Joshua had known all along: Mu Mu was that wild bird yearning most for unbound freedom.

At times, Joshua envied his courage.

Yet if given a genuine choice, he might simply desire a clean, tidy little cottage, staying there with a single Tianjia until the end of time.

Yet that was destined to remain an extravagant delusion.

Ahead of him lay only hell.

Joshua reached his physiological awakening.

His personal hell.

All his psychic tricks were rendered entirely useless.

The Academy had arranged his guide long ago.

Months prior, the Academy had auctioned off his awakening guidance rights.

He would be blindfolded and claimed by a faceless, unfamiliar female until his awakening concluded.

Thereafter, the Academy would sell him once more, delivering him to one or several females, completely bartering away the lifetime usage rights to his body.

The only unexpected twist was that the female who purchased him was extraordinarily wealthy, securing both his awakening guidance rights and his lifetime usage rights in one fell swoop.

Yet that merely meant transitioning from multiple hells into a single hell.

He would ultimately perish in that abyss.

Joshua revealed no abnormalities whatsoever, bidding farewell to the other males with his usual composed expression.

He had always been skilled at dissembling, pretending from childhood to adulthood, more than capable of keeping these males from suspecting a thing.

He had no wish to make them worry for him.

He would march toward his hell alone.

Only, he hadn’t managed to say goodbye to Mu Mu.

Perhaps it was better this way; Mu Mu would learn the news later.

By then, the dust would have long settled.

Living Tianjia never remained endlessly submerged in grief over the deceased.

Joshua met his purchaser… ah, his Female Master.

It was the Minister of Foreign Affairs he had occasionally seen on the news.

Golden hair, emerald-green eyes.

A warm palette, reminiscent of a sunlit forest.

Yet bearing an icy, ascetic countenance.

Most Tianjia military females wore aloof, unsmiling faces, yet when claiming a male, they never exercised restraint, proving far more frenzied than sub-females.

Joshua had long passed the age of judging a Tianjia’s character by outward appearances.

The Foreign Minister pulled open the shuttle door for him.

Dodging the hand extended to assist him, Joshua stepped inside.

The Foreign Minister naturally retracted his hand without a word, boarded the shuttle, and took a seat across from him.

The cabin was spacious, with a table separating them, keeping their bodies from brushing against one another.

Yet Joshua knew that physical distance imposed zero actual restriction upon a female.

Whenever the other wished, he could claim him inside the shuttle at any moment.

And do so with full legal standing.

The Foreign Minister poured him a glass of fruit juice favored by males and laid out an assortment of fruits and snacks.

He introduced himself, expressed care for his health and mood, speaking with humor, wit, and charisma—befitting someone serving as the mouthpiece of the Empire.

Yet Joshua remained entirely on guard, watching for when the other’s feral nature would erupt.

His eyes locked onto the hand resting on the table.

Under his gaze, that hand shifted slightly, adopting a pose that displayed the clean, elegant lines of its fingers to their finest aesthetic advantage.

To Joshua, however, that was no different from a dragon flaunting its razor-sharp talons.

Yet until the shuttle touched down steadily before an imposing, grand estate, the dragon never swept its talons down upon him.

And he was about to enter the dragon’s lair.

Evading the Foreign Minister’s outstretched hand once more, Joshua stepped out of the shuttle first.

The Foreign Minister paused, followed behind, and continued introducing the residence, sharing all access permissions with him.

This was undeniably the most articulate and silver-tongued female Joshua had ever encountered, though he hadn’t met many females to begin with.

Even when Joshua offered zero replies, the Foreign Minister kept the conversation going effortlessly on his own, preventing any awkward silence.

Joshua had assumed Tianjia handled diplomacy purely through brute force; he hadn’t expected a female from the Foreign Ministry to genuinely possess such conversational finesse.

Yet it was destined to be casting pearls before swine.

Joshua held zero mood to absorb anything.

His body burned with feverish heat, his ears ringing loudly, as though listening to the countdown of his own life.

He was still in the throes of physiological awakening; though he exercised extreme restraint without leaking a wisp of pheromones, he was rapidly approaching his breaking point.

Darkness encroached upon Joshua’s vision; while being guided up the staircase, his foot slipped.

A hand caught his, and a firm, powerful arm caught him securely.

Joshua’s mind went blank for a heartbeat.

He had only ever touched the hands of Mu Si and a scarce few other males.

A male’s hand was generally delicate and tender, soft and pliable like silk when clasped.

Mu Si’s hands were slightly more slender than an average male’s, carrying a touch more sinewy strength, akin to warm jade or fine porcelain. Clearly fragile entities as well, yet capable of imparting support and security.

A female’s hand was an entirely different matter.

Broad, calloused, and forceful, dripping with terrifying dominance and restraint, capable of snuffing out his life at any second.

Joshua wrenched his hand away violently, his entire frame shuddering with sheer terror.

The Foreign Minister reached out wanting to draw near, but halted before the wild panic in his eyes.

The Foreign Minister’s lips moved as if speaking, yet Joshua registered only a dull hum resembling white noise.

After some time, a physician carrying a medical kit rushed over.

Joshua’s reaction turned even more violent; curling on the stairs, he clutched his head, refusing to let any Tianjia draw near.

The Foreign Minister held back the physician who wanted to step forward.

Ultimately, only a long-distance scan was conducted.

The physician and the Foreign Minister conferred in hushed tones, both wearing grave expressions.

The physician departed.

The Foreign Minister sat down beside him on the steps, keeping two steps of space between them, placing water and rations before him.

Physiological awakening burned immense energy; Joshua was indeed starving, but he dared not touch food provided by a female.

He resolved to confess everything to the Foreign Minister.

“I have haphephobia. I cannot endure any form of physical touch.”

He fixed his gaze on the Foreign Minister, his eyes declaring: Your money was wasted; you purchased a defective, unusable piece of goods.

Naturally, the Foreign Minister might claim him by force regardless.

At that point, he would be completely ruined.

The Foreign Minister did not react with suspicion or humiliated rage as anticipated; instead, he watched him with a calm, gentle gaze, seeking to soothe him.

“This is a psychological condition; you are simply unwell. Such an ailment is not unique; certain high-ranking females exhibit similar symptoms as well. It simply requires clinical intervention.”

Female pheromones repelled one another, a trait growing more pronounced with higher ranks.

High-ranking females typically loathed being touched by their peers.

In extreme cases, a single touch would provoke an explosive brawl.

Though slightly distinct from the dread and revulsion displayed by a male, the fundamental essence was likely identical.

Joshua did not believe this could be cured.

Especially given his intimate knowledge of the Academy’s therapeutic methods.

He chose not to refute the Foreign Minister’s words at this moment, however.

At the very least, the Foreign Minister hadn’t laid a hand on him.

“I require a solitary room to undergo my physiological awakening.”

The fever and agony of awakening tortured him fiercely; he could not hold out much longer.

He needed a room to endure the physiological awakening in solitude.

Yet the Foreign Minister was unlikely to agree.

No female would permit his male to weather an awakening alone, denying them their enjoyment.

“Out of the question. A male undergoing awakening requires the supervision of a guide; you cannot remain alone.”

The expected refusal.

Despair flickered in Joshua’s eyes.

He saw death drawing near.

He was already trapped in hell.

“I must remain with you.”

The grim reaper tolled the death knell.

“Rest assured, I will not touch you.”

A female’s promise carried zero credibility.

“I will wear an inhibitor, bind myself to an electric restraint chair, and hand both the remote control and the keys over to you.”

Joshua lifted his gaze.

…

Everything unfolded precisely as the Foreign Minister had promised.

He underwent his physiological awakening on the bedroom bed, while the Foreign Minister remained bound to the chair on the opposite side of the chamber.

Pheromones swirled throughout the enclosed room.

His own, and the Foreign Minister’s.

It carried a scent reminiscent of sunlight, deep woods, and morning dew—warm, crisp, and exceptionally soothing to inhale.

Without a female’s physical guidance, a male’s physiological awakening was grueling.

Yet to Joshua, this was salvation.

Enveloped in pheromones, he successfully weathered his physiological awakening.

And drifted off in utter exhaustion.

When he awoke once more, his body was clean and refreshed, wrapped in warm sleepwear crafted from an exceptionally fine, soft fabric, perfectly tailored for a male’s hypersensitive post-awakening skin.

Joshua bolted upright, clutching the collar of his sleepwear, panic flaring in his eyes.

“It was changed by mechanical droids. No living Tianjia entered this room, and no Tianjia touched you.”

A slightly raspy voice drifted over.

Lifting his eyes, Joshua saw the Foreign Minister still bound to the chair.

He appeared extraordinarily disheveled, his attire rumpled, sweat-soaked bangs plastered against his temples, his eyes bloodshot with a frenzied, savage hunger that looked ready to devour any Tianjia whole.

Joshua felt fear.

Yet… not entirely terrified.

He stepped out of bed, his bare feet touching the carpet.

The Foreign Minister’s voice sounded immediately:

“Put on your slippers first, they are behind you.”

Joshua obeyed, slipping his feet into the footwear.

Very plush white slippers, like clouds or marshmallows, embroidered with several pale blue birds remarkably similar to the insignia on his terminal bracelet—the one Mu Mu had carved for him.

“…”

The daily necessities provided to males by the Academy were predominantly white as well, yet nowhere near as exquisite as what the Foreign Minister had prepared.

Joshua walked toward the Foreign Minister.

Drawing near, he discovered the other’s condition was far worse than he had assumed.

His garments were crumpled, his frame saturated with the pungent scent of pheromones.

Pheromonal fluids had trickled from the chair down to the floor.

Having never witnessed such a sight, Joshua stood frozen in shock, briefly wondering whether he had accidentally pressed the electric shock button during his awakening.

The Foreign Minister hadn’t anticipated him approaching voluntarily either, caught flat-footed.

Stunned for a moment, he pulled his tightly pressed legs back with awkward self-consciousness, seeking to conceal his state.

A futile effort, naturally.

Joshua turned back to search for the remote.

Lifting the blanket, he found nothing.

“Beneath the pillow,” the Foreign Minister reminded him.

Lifting the pillow, Joshua indeed uncovered the silver-white remote.

Grasping the device, thinking of the unsatisfied, bloodshot desire in the Foreign Minister’s eyes, he hesitated for a beat.

Just then, the Foreign Minister spoke:

“Do not rush. There is a high-potency anesthetic on the nightstand, and meals are prepared in the dining hall downstairs. Having just weathered your physiological awakening, you need sustenance to replenish your energy.”

“Once you have eaten your fill and rested properly, administer a dose to me, press the unlock button, and leave the rest for the mechanical droids to handle.”

Joshua stood rooted to the spot, his gaze fixed on the Foreign Minister, laden with profound bewilderment.

“Why?” he murmured softly.

The question came without context, yet drawing on his years of diplomatic experience navigating various factions, the Foreign Minister vaguely caught his meaning.

Yet born of a race notoriously impoverished in emotional vocabulary, the Foreign Minister struggled to offer a definitive explanation.

Ultimately, he could only say:

“You are my Male Monarch, and I am your Female Master. Do not overthink it, and do not bear unnecessary burdens; simply leave everything to me. This is the duty I ought to shoulder as your Female Master.”