Divine Milking System-Chapter 66 | What Does The Fox Know?

I took my stance in front of the high-tech training dummy, adjusting my grip on the practice spear exactly where Tsukishima had positioned my hands. The dummy’s metallic surface glinted in the morning light streaming through the windows. It wasn’t a simple sandbag—these were academy-grade training units with pressure sensors, movement tracking, and impact analysis that would give detailed feedback on every hit.

"Basic stance, basic thrust," I muttered to myself. "Even I can handle that."

I planted my feet shoulder-width apart, took a breath, and lunged forward with the spear. The tip connected with the center mass target, sending ripples of blue light across the dummy’s surface. A small holographic display appeared showing "37% optimal force" in yellow numbers.

Not great, but not terrible for a fat lottery kid who could barely do a pull-up two days ago.

I reset my stance and tried again, focusing on driving power from my legs rather than my arms. The second thrust landed with more authority, bumping the number to 43%.

"Getting the hang of it," I said, allowing myself a small smile. The Silver-tier essence from Naomi was still working through my system, making my muscles respond with more snap than they had any right to.

I was lining up for a third thrust when a voice came from just behind my right shoulder.

"So... you and Naomi, huh?"

The unexpected question shattered my concentration. My thrust went wide, missing the dummy entirely. The momentum carried me forward and I stumbled, nearly face-planting onto the mat. I caught myself at the last second, but not before making a complete ass of myself in front of Belle Fox.

She stood there with the crossbow cradled in her arms, wearing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Her blue hair was pulled back in that high ponytail that showed off her asymmetric bangs, and she’d somehow already modified the academy uniform to sit lower on her chest and higher on her thighs than regulation allowed.

"What about it?" I straightened, trying to look like I’d meant to perform that spectacular display of incompetence.

Belle shrugged, her amber-brown eyes holding mine. "Just asking. You two seem to be getting... closer." Her voice dropped on the last word, and something flickered across her face. "Weren’t we friends first?"

I ran a hand through my hair, considering my approach. Belle wasn’t asking out of simple curiosity. Everything Belle did had calculation behind it, every conversation an investment with expected returns.

"Well..." I rested the practice spear against my shoulder, buying myself a second. "We found out my ability has enhancement properties. Can actually boost her output when we train together, so we’ve been doing one-on-one sessions after class."

Belle’s eyebrows climbed. "Oh? So you had this ability this whole time and didn’t tell little ole Belle?" She stepped closer, voice shifting into something softer and more theatrical. "That’s so rude, Jaceeee."

She dragged my name out over two syllables, batting her eyelashes with exaggerated devastation, one hand pressed to her chest like I’d personally wounded her. The entire performance was practiced down to the timing. I could see the exact moment she flipped the switch from calculating to cute, the way an actor marks the start of a scene. She was good at it, genuinely good, which almost made it impressive if I wasn’t watching the machinery underneath.

"Figured it out recently," I said, which wasn’t technically a lie. "Still running tests on what it can actually do."

Belle hummed a single skeptical note, clearly unconvinced, then abruptly changed angles entirely and held up the crossbow between us. "How’s that working for you?"

"The spear? Decent reach. My form won’t be winning any demonstrations, but it gets the job done."

"No." She smiled sweetly, all teeth. "I meant the whole ’I’m just helping Naomi with her ability’ thing." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

I stared at her.

Belle stared back, smile fixed in place while her eyes remained sharp.

"It’s working exactly as advertised," I said. "Her Wave Motion output increases when I help manage the physical strain. Pretty standard endurance support."

"Mhmm." Belle’s fingers moved along the crossbow’s frame in slow, idle circles. "And the mark on her neck is also part of the endurance support program?"

Fuck.

The real problem with Belle wasn’t that she noticed things. It was that she noticed everything and immediately understood what the pieces meant when you put them together. Her Treasure Sense might be dead weight in a fight, but her ability to locate something valuable and calculate its worth in real time was another matter entirely.

She’d clocked Naomi’s neck from across a training floor through a crowd of students actively practicing weapon forms, filed it away, and waited for the perfect moment to set it down on the table between us like a card she’d been holding since we sat down.

I shifted my weight against the spear and smiled back at her with equal pleasantness. "What is it you actually want to know, Belle?"

The cute performance dropped. Not gradually, not with any theatrical transition, just gone, replaced by the sharp-eyed focus that was her natural resting state when she stopped performing for an audience. "I want to know if you’re actually with her. Or if you’re running something."

That was not what I expected. I had a full menu of likely angles ready: fishing for leverage, checking whether I was competition for resources, maybe even straightforward jealousy dressed up in concern. Not this.

"Why do you care?" I asked.

Belle glanced across the training floor to where Naomi was practicing staff forms, her movements smooth and controlled. "Because she’s nice," Belle said, her voice quieter. "She doesn’t deserve to get hurt. There aren’t many decent people here."

Now that was interesting. Belle Fox, materialistic survivalist, concerned about someone else’s feelings? Either she was running a longer game than I could see, or there was more beneath her gold-digger exterior than I’d given her credit for.

"I’m not using her," I said, surprising myself with how true it felt. "Not in the way you’re thinking."

Belle studied my face for a moment, then nodded once. "Good. Because if you are..." She lifted the crossbow slightly. "I’m getting pretty good with this."