“It’s all done. You did well.”
Lucas kissed Iberis’s eyes and cheeks as he collapsed into his arms. Despite being the same age at twenty-five, he couldn’t understand why Iberis was so cute.
After removing his hand, Lucas barely suppressed the urge to hug Iberis tightly and shower him with kisses. He felt like he understood how his parents must have felt when they lovingly embraced him and his younger sister when they were children.
“Haah…”
Iberis, exhausted from the aftercare, buried his face in Lucas’s broad shoulder and exhaled deeply. Then he was startled by the warmth subtly rubbing against his perineum.
“You, you, why…”
“Hmm? Haha, no need for that expression. I won’t do anything more right now.”
Lucas’s eyes curved mischievously when Iberis looked at him in shock, as if caught. He had actually been internally debating whether to go one more round, but seeing Iberis’s pale face, he thought it best to refrain. He suppressed his rising desire and put on his most harmless smile.
“Right now…?”
Despite Lucas’s smile, Iberis’s tense face didn’t relax. After a few experiences, he could now easily grasp the hidden meaning in Lucas’s words. Saying “right now” was as good as saying they’d do it again later.
“Well, it seems the cleaning is done, shall we go out? I’ve ordered room service since you might be hungry…”
Sensing that the activity outside had ceased, Lucas quickly changed the subject. He smiled casually at Iberis, who was giving him a distrustful look, and got up first. Then he lifted Iberis up.
“Just a moment.”
Lucas reached for a large towel and wrapped it around Iberis’s body. Then he left the bathroom in that state. The bedroom connected to the bathroom where they had been was now neatly tidied.
“Where would you like to eat? Or should we clean up first…”
Lucas moved towards the direction of the appetizing aroma.
“It’s okay, I’m not cold. I’m hungry, so I’d like to eat first.”
Iberis expressed his desire to eat first. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until just now, but his stomach growled in response to the food smell tickling his nose.
“Shouldn’t we at least dry your hair?”
“We can dry it after eating. Just wrapping it in a towel should be fine… I’m really not cold at all.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, this is the first time in my life I’ve felt like this.”
In the past, he would have had to thoroughly dry off in the bathroom and put on warm pajamas before coming out. Iberis marveled at how he didn’t feel cold even with just a towel loosely wrapped around his naked body. Due to the natural high-level guiding that occurred during sex, his internal mana was more stable than ever, despite his physical exhaustion. Because of this, the chill that had long plagued him had completely disappeared.
“If it could be like this every day, I’d have no complaints…”
“That’s how it will be from now on.”
…Does that mean he wants to do this every day? Suddenly anxious, Iberis swallowed the question that had risen to his throat. It would be terrible if Lucas were to affirm it if he asked.
Not being cold in exchange for enduring aching bones throughout his body, pain in his lower back, and throbbing in his lower half every day? While he didn’t dislike sex with Lucas, either option seemed equally hard on his body.
“That smells delicious. Is it porridge?”
Feeling a momentary sense of crisis, Iberis awkwardly changed the subject.
“Ah, yes. When I inquired, they said it was possible, so I asked them to make it. You like egg porridge, don’t you?”
Lucas carefully seated Iberis on the living room sofa and brought over the steaming egg porridge.
“This seems better than the dining table.”
Clank. After setting down the tray with the egg porridge and utensils on the table, Lucas got up again. He returned with towels and a blanket.
“Dry your hair first, not mine.”
As Lucas went behind Iberis and started drying his wet hair, Iberis pointed at Lucas’s silver hair, which was dripping with water. His heart felt warm seeing Lucas prioritize him over himself. At the same time, he thought, “Why don’t you take care of yourself first?”
“Does my hair bother you?”
“It’s not that… I’m worried you’ll catch a cold…”
“I haven’t caught a cold in years, but… Thank you for your concern.”
Lucas smiled brightly and carefully wrapped Iberis’s now almost dry black hair with a towel. Then he brought a new towel and loosely tied up his own hair.
“If it’s difficult, should I feed you?”
Lucas covered Iberis’s knees with a blanket and sat beside him. Then he picked up a spoon and scooped some egg porridge.
“Ah, go ahead.”
Lucas blew on the porridge to cool it down and brought the spoon to Iberis’s mouth.
“It’s fine, I’m not a child… I can eat by myself.”
“I’ve already scooped this, so please eat this much.”
At Lucas’s plea, Iberis finally made a small sound and slightly opened his mouth. He ate the porridge like a baby bird, then grabbed the spoon with a reddened face.
“I’ll feed myself, so you should eat quickly too.”
“Alright.”
After speaking, Iberis began to eat in earnest. Perhaps due to hunger, the porridge went down smoothly today. As he was eating mindlessly, he felt a gaze on his cheek and paused. Turning his head, he saw Lucas looking at him with fond eyes.
“W-what?”
“I’m just happy to see you eating well.”
“Huh?”
“So this is what it feels like to feel full just by watching someone eat.”
Lucas ate his share of egg porridge with a bright smile. Savoring the rich taste spreading in his mouth, he reached out his hand.
“Shall we take a nap after we finish eating?”
Lucas wiped the porridge from the corner of Iberis’s mouth and gently suggested a nap. He smiled brightly once more as he watched Iberis, whose cheeks had turned bright red, nod in response instead of answering.
* * *
“Haha, I knew it! I knew this would happen!”
Winfried, who had finally gotten in touch with Lucas four days after the Carlos incident, was delighted by the news Lucas shared.
“I sensed something unusual about the atmosphere between you and the Major when I last saw you… but I didn’t expect things to progress this quickly.”
“It just happened that way. The Major seems to have been stimulated by this incident. Thankfully, he gathered the courage…”
“Ho ho. Well, well, has Norris become Cupid in this love story? So that’s why you’ve been holed up in your room, not coming out? Not even answering calls.”
Winfried whistled as if he understood everything.
“I asked for permission in advance to rest without disturbance.”
“I didn’t expect you to go off the grid for this long. If I hadn’t heard from you today, I was planning to visit the hotel. Is it nice to enjoy your time together while leaving all the work to this old man?”
“Yes, it was absolutely fantastic. So much that I’d like to live like this forever.”
“What? Haha.”
Winfried let out a hearty laugh, then murmured in a voice tinged with emotion.
“To think I’d live to see this day. You finally having a lover.”
“Indeed.”
Lucas looked down at Iberis, who was sound asleep with his head on Lucas’s thigh, as he leaned against the headboard. Having blocked out surrounding sounds with mana to avoid disturbing Iberis’s sleep, Lucas twirled a strand of Iberis’s hair around his finger.
“The light is indeed dimmest at the base of the lamp. To think that your Name partner, whom we couldn’t find despite all our searching, was the current Major all along. Ho ho ho.”
Winfried burst into laughter again, as if still amazed and delighted by the thought.
“There was a reason for the unusual increase in matching rates all this time. That joke I made before turned out to be true.”
“By the way, how is the investigation into Carlos Norris progressing?”
Lucas asked as he moved his hand from playing with Iberis’s hair to his soft earlobe.
“Ah, well… Former Major Norris’s mental state is unstable, so there’s been little progress.”
Lucas’s brow furrowed at Winfried’s response. Ability users, who have stronger bodies than ordinary people, don’t easily get intoxicated by drugs or alcohol. The fact that Carlos, an A-class Esper, had become an addict meant that his body and mind were that severely damaged. Lucas clicked his tongue softly before speaking.
“He did seem out of his mind… Is it very serious?”
“Besides the addiction, he’s currently under a powerful hypnosis. It seems to be the type that amplifies his hatred and murderous intent towards you.”
