Belly

My name is Ybao. I was born beautiful and unlike any other skunk.

I don't know why I smell good.

Nor do I know why I'm white.

Even less do I know why I'm so smart.

All I know is that cuteness is a capital, and also a weapon.

And I possess such capital and weapon.

Therefore, humans are willing to let me live.

Because I, alive, am more valuable than I, dead.

I understand this very clearly.

So, even though I lost my freedom, I wasn't flustered at all.

Until... I met that man who left me speechless.

In the empty weapon shop, Maud and Sunny surrounded the white skunk slumped on the counter, one after the other.

Sunny said regretfully, "So this can't be eaten?"

"It's not a matter of whether it can be eaten or not, but eating it would be a waste."

Maud pried open the white skunk's legs and took a look, then mused, "It's a male."

Sunny looked at Maud in confusion and asked, "Does it matter if it's male or female?"

"It's nothing much, I just considered the possibility of breeding him, but just thinking about it makes me feel troubled. I'll just sell him directly then."

Maud explained, then suddenly thought of something.

"Sunny, do you still have the auction catalog?"

"Yes."

"Give it to me."

Sunny heard him and opened a cabinet, rummaging through it. She quickly found the small booklet.

Maud took the catalog and began flipping through it.

Last time, Sunny had no interest in rare and exotic beasts, so they had flipped through it very quickly.

Maud had peeked from behind at the time, and in those hurried glances, he had only seen a couple of brief lines of description.

"Found it."

Maud quickly flipped to the page detailing the white skunk.

There were no pictures, but the entire page was filled with descriptions of the white skunk.

Maud immediately began reading the description, scanning it line by line. Only then did he learn that the white skunk was a hybrid animal, and thus its body structure and fur color were different from ordinary skunks.

Beside him, Sunny also leaned over to read the description.

After a while, the two of them finished reading the white skunk's description.

It was essentially a skunk with unusual fur color and sweat glands, especially the sweat glands, which could emit a pleasant fragrance.

Because of this, the white skunk had value for auction.

However, creatures that could emit such a peculiar fragrance were often highly sought after by perfume companies.

Yet, the white skunk was thrown in with a group of pirates. It was the kind of pirate, like Ebe, who might impulsively decide to buy one as a pet, who would spend money to acquire it.

"It's indeed not an ordinary skunk."

Maud looked at the white skunk on the counter, as if looking at a brand new quick blade.

"It would indeed be a pity to eat it."

Sunny was also looking at the white skunk on the counter, as if looking at a bulging money bag.

Sensing their gazes, the white skunk, having given up struggling, lay like a pile of dead mud, not moving at all.

"Sunny, treat this little thing first, lest it be crippled. Also, do we have any chains or anything in the shop?"

"Yes, I'll go get them."

Sunny now realized that the white skunk was a mobile money bag and immediately became attentive.

She went to the basement and brought out medical tools and a bundle of chains as thick as knuckles.

Returning to the shop, she first treated the white skunk's injuries. Then, as if afraid it would run away, she used the chains to bind the white skunk's upper body like a zongzi.

After this was done, more than half an hour had passed.

Sunny nodded in satisfaction as she looked at the result, but she also thought of a rather important question.

"Where should we put 'Belly'?"

In a short time, Sunny had already given the white skunk a suitable name.

Maud glanced at the empty weapon shop and said, "How about we put it in the shop?"

"No."

Sunny shook her head, rejecting the suggestion.

Maud thought for a moment, then suddenly came up with a suitable place to keep it.

"How about hanging it in the bathroom?"

"The bathroom..."

Sunny considered it seriously.

Considering Belly's scent that constantly emanated from its sweat glands, she immediately felt the suggestion was quite good.

It would be a little troublesome to take Belly out and put it back every time someone used the bathroom.

But compared to purifying the air, this little bit of trouble was nothing.

"Okay, let's put it in the bathroom then."

With that, she made the final decision.

On the counter, the white weasel, which had already been forcibly named "Belly," could no longer see a bright future.

Why are you doing this to me?

If there's a hell, it must be here.

Three minutes later, Belly was hung in the bathroom, serving as an air freshener to improve air quality.

Maud then went to his room, put on the weights on his legs, and returned to the shop. He exercised while keeping Sunny company as she watched the store.

It was only then that Sunny belatedly asked about Belly's origins.

How did a rare and exotic beast that was auctioned off fall into Maud's hands, and why was it injured?

She was quite curious.

"It's a long story."

Maud didn't deliberately hide anything and told Sunny everything that had happened that afternoon.

This made Sunny look at him a little strangely.

"Belly was an unexpected surprise. When I picked him up, I didn't expect him to be valuable. If I had known, I wouldn't have thrown him away then. Fortunately, he still ended up back in my hands."

Maud said with emotion.

He had almost missed out on a fortune.

As for the subsequent threats from Ebe and Kazt, as long as they were back at the shop, they had Saul's strong backing.

Sunny nodded and said earnestly, "That's fortunate."

Time slowly passed.

By evening, Saul's Weapon Shop had once again ended a day of business with no income.

Sunny went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Maud, meanwhile, closed the shop door and cleaned the store.

After cleaning, Maud went to the kitchen to help Sunny.

Although his cooking skills weren't as good as Sunny's, the food he made was still quite tasty.

"Don't forget to prepare an extra portion for Belly."

Maud remembered Belly, who was hanging in the bathroom, and reminded her.

"Ah, I almost forgot."

Reminded by Maud, Sunny took out two more meat patties from the refrigerator, along with some vegetables.

Maud glanced at the meal Sunny was preparing for Belly.

He could only say that when it came to food, Saul's Weapon Shop never cut corners.

The two were busy in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, Saul, who had just woken up, came downstairs.

With tired eyes, he went straight to the bathroom.

Dozens of seconds later, a piercing scream came from the bathroom.

"Help me!!!!"

The voice sounded as tender as a young boy's, filled with panic.

Hearing the unfamiliar cry for help from the bathroom, Maud and Sunny, who were busy in the kitchen, stopped simultaneously. They exchanged a glance, then put down their things and went to the bathroom.

They arrived at the bathroom first and saw Saul pinching Belly's head with one hand, as if he were about to apply more force at any moment.

Belly's terrified eyes looked towards Sunny, and it spoke with great difficulty, "M-Mom, save me!!"

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