CHAPTER 120: JOSHUA THE PATRICK STAR

Joshua’s skin was truly fair, with a faint rosy tint—but the veins running across his hands were no joke. A thin, perfect layer of muscle covered his arms. He was slender, yes, but there was nothing weak about him.

Luther reached out curiously to squeeze Joshua’s arm, nodding in mock seriousness. "Joshua, seriously impressive. Haven’t changed one bit though."

Joshua had been smiling, but at those words, he immediately swatted Luther’s hand away.

"Joshua, look at this." Justin suddenly spoke up.

His skin was naturally tanned, and standing next to Joshua only made the contrast even more apparent—not to mention, Justin’s muscles were on full display.

For some reason, his face turned a little red.

Joshua, on the other hand, looked deflated. He withdrew his hand, then suddenly clenched his fist and raised his arm, eyes shining. "I’m definitely going to bulk up!"

Luther thought of Joshua’s habit of sleeping early and waking up even later—he didn’t hold out much hope—but still gave a thumbs-up. "Even though Joshua is already perfect as he is, I believe in you."

Justin shook his head. "Joshua looks great just the way he is."

Leonard nodded in agreement. "You eat so much, but nothing ever changes."

By now, they all knew Joshua ate a lot. Slowly, steadily—but still a lot. Yet somehow, he never seemed to gain a thing.

Joshua huffed and pulled the hoodie over his head. It was pink—no idea where Justin had even found it. The fabric caught slightly, and his arms moved a bit stiffly.

But to everyone else—

Joshua, stuck halfway in a pink hoodie, his hair flattened by the hood, revealing his delicate face, the fabric clinging just enough to make him look smaller—looked like... a wilted peach.

Luther covered his mouth and immediately pulled out his phone.

The second Joshua saw everyone’s expressions, he knew this wasn’t good.

He turned to look in the mirror—

And there he was: a slightly sun-dried version of Patrick Star.

Pressing his lips together, Joshua’s eyes curved upward—then he couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. Justin hadn’t even managed to apologize yet when Joshua’s cheerful laughter filled the store.

Tilting his hip, Joshua said between chuckles, "Henry, hand me my phone. This is so fashion!"

In the end, Joshua planted his feet apart, flexed both arms upward, and if he could, he would’ve paired the outfit with pink pants too—it would’ve completed the look perfectly.

Leonard was speechless. "This is the first time I’ve seen someone roast themselves like that."

Meanwhile, Luther was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, practically matching Joshua laugh for laugh.

Henry, on the other hand, was snapping pictures like crazy, wearing such a serious expression that it looked like he was photographing a masterpiece—

not a sun-dried Patrick Star.

After all the commotion, they finally made it to dinner.

Thanks to the earlier popsicles, Joshua’s spirits had lifted—but now he was starting to feel hungry. Walking side by side with Justin, the two leaned against each other like a pair of wobbly saplings.

Suddenly, someone tugged on the back of Joshua’s collar—it was Henry.

Joshua turned around, looking for all the world like a kitten being picked up by the scruff, blinking innocently up at him.

Henry didn’t budge. He simply adjusted Joshua’s posture a little. "Walk properly and pay attention."

As he spoke, he shot a look at Justin, who immediately straightened up like a soldier.

He muttered under his breath to Joshua, "Henry’s a scary leader."

Joshua covered his mouth to stifle a laugh, then tried to sound serious. "He’s just a bit cold, that’s all."

They arrived at a self-service restaurant where you could pick what you liked, and the food would be brought out quickly since every portion was small.

Silvanus was savoring a tiny peach-shaped dessert on his plate, his eyes sparkling. On impulse, he scooped up a spoonful and held it out toward Henry. "Henry, try this."

Henry was still scanning the menu. Hearing that, he turned his head slightly, lowering his gaze—only to find Joshua holding a spoonful of cake to his lips, smiling a smile sweeter than the dessert itself.

Joshua then seemed to realize how natural that gesture had been—too natural. Maybe Henry wouldn’t like that. After all, Henry hadn’t grown up with him like the other had. He pressed his lips together, unsure what to do—until Henry leaned in, took the spoon into his mouth, and then turned away, calmly going back to the menu.

Joshua blinked at the spoon in his hand, a little dazed. Then Luther leaned in toward him, looking like a hungry wolf. "Why are you only sharing with Henry, huh? Joshua, did you forget about me?"

Joshua pushed Luther’s face away. "Go eat your own. Besides, you don’t even like sweets."

"No way! Why does only the leader get fed by you?" Leonard jumped in, too.

On the other side, Justin’s eyes widened as he watched.

Joshua: "..."

He quickly scooped up the rest of the cake and popped it all into his mouth. It was a small piece anyway—he’d wanted to savor it slowly, but this was the fastest solution.

Luther watched as Joshua’s cheeks puffed out while he chewed, looking precisely like a hamster stuffing its cheeks with seeds. He couldn’t hold back his laughter. "From now on, I’m calling you Hamster! Hahaha—greedy little thing."

Joshua glared at him. Seriously—whose fault was that?!

They clearly had no intention of ordering any desserts of their own—they just had to rob him!

"Joshua, do you like this one?"

No matter how noisy it got, everyone eventually started eating.

Every time Henry picked up a new dish, he would turn to Joshua and ask if he wanted some before dividing it in half.

Joshua didn’t think anything of it, but Luther, sitting nearby, frowned and insisted that Joshua eat with him instead.

Leonard chuckled and said, "Leader, we don’t see you sharing food with us."

Henry looked at him with his usual impassive expression. "Are you still hungry? I can order twenty more plates for you."

Leonard fell silent.

It was supposed to be a day off, yet the group had spent the entire time being rowdy and loud. Joshua even felt that this was more exhausting than their usual training sessions.

The sunset painted his face in a soft golden hue. Joshua tilted his head slightly, lowering his gaze; the shadow of his eyelashes fell upon his cheeks like the brush of a fan. Under the dim light, his delicate features looked almost unreal.

Suddenly, a large hand lifted his face. Joshua’s cheek was pressed against that warm palm, his soft skin squishing slightly.

"Tired?" Henry’s deep, steady voice sounded above him. Joshua shook his head, saying nothing.

"Joshua, come over to my place next time, okay?"

Luther leaned against Joshua’s shoulder, nuzzling him. Joshua raised a hand and pushed him away, though without much strength. Luther simply followed the motion and leaned back.

Joshua lowered his gaze to check his phone, then stood up. In his arms were bundles of flowers and a model of an off-road vehicle he’d won earlier today—well, thanks to Henry’s help.

"The car’s here. I’ll head back first—bye, everyone." Joshua looked around and spoke softly.

Leonard frowned at Joshua’s drowsy expression. "Stay alert, will you? Are you sure you can go back alone?"

Joshua frowned back. "I’m not a child."

Luther, still reluctant, trailed after Joshua with his lips turned down, clearly unhappy that after all his coaxing, Joshua still wouldn’t come over to his place.

Joshua didn’t want to see Luther looking so dejected.

He lifted a hand and tapped Luther lightly on the forehead, mimicking what Luther always did to him. "Don’t be sad."

Luther covered his forehead—it felt more like a kitten’s pawing than an actual hit. He couldn’t help but chuckle. "Shua, kids shouldn’t try to act all grown-up."

Joshua: "..."

Yeah, maybe comforting Luther wasn’t such a great idea after all.