Keslan, who had been lying beneath Banteon, bolted upright and yanked the blanket toward himself. Rather than shielding his own naked body, he wrapped the blanket around like a wall to protect Banteon, who was still fully dressed.
It all happened in a flash.
Only after pulling down the blanket that covered him up to the head could Banteon see the intruder’s face. The very presence of this person was enough to bring a suffocating wave of frustration. A tall man with black hair tinged in blue. Delroz stood with a slant against the entrance of the tent.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Keslan growled in a low voice as he glared at Delroz. The tone was rough, like a young lion enraged at having its prey stolen.
“Showing up at this hour—where’s your sense of decency?”
“You two aren’t even a match, as far as I know. Isn’t that a rules violation?”
Why had Delroz come to Banteon’s tent at this late hour, under a moon hanging high in the sky?
Aside from the night of the rampage, there had been no connection between Delroz and Banteon. Even less so any reason for a visit this late. A flicker of anxiety crossed Banteon’s mind—what if Delroz had figured out that Banteon was the guide from that night?
A dangerous tension flared between the two Espers.
“You’re not in any position to talk about rules. I know for a fact you’ve got at least five partners.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Then get the hell out—”
“But are you and I really in the same position?”
An A-rank, and a newly appointed one at that, versus Delroz, born an SS-rank. Even if Delroz had broken the rules, no one at the Center dared stop him. Faced with such an overwhelming difference in class, Keslan clenched his teeth and glared at Delroz with unyielding fury.
“If that precious someone under the blanket gets caught, that’s one thing—but you, wouldn’t it be a problem if anyone found out?”
“I’ll take care of it, so mind your damn business!”
“Keslan.”
Before the atmosphere could grow more volatile, Banteon called his name to stop him. From the beginning, they weren’t in the same league. Keslan simply wasn’t a match.
Surprised, Keslan blinked wide-eyed for a second, then lowered his head, dejected.
To Banteon, Keslan was always like a sweet, lovable puppy. But when angered, he had a tendency to lose sight of his surroundings. He’d already once bared his teeth at Tearot. Back then, Banteon had been able to smooth things over. This time, however, the opponent was far worse.
Getting entangled with a beast that didn’t listen to reason would only cause unnecessary harm.
“Unfortunate, but I think it’s best if you head back now.”
“…Teacher…”
“I’m sorry about this. I should’ve held back.”
“…No, it’s okay.”
Keslan sluggishly climbed down from the bed and picked up the clothes scattered across the floor, slipping them on hastily. He buttoned his shirt all the way to the neck to hide his light attire, then approached Banteon. Hesitating for a moment, he forced a smile over his wounded expression.
“Don’t apologize. Next time… I’ll see you then.”
He looked pitiful, like a soaked puppy. The kind of sorrowful demeanor that made one instinctively want to reach out—but with the unwelcome guest glaring, Banteon held himself back.
When Banteon hesitated, Keslan instead stepped in and embraced him lightly.
Unable to reject even that, Banteon gave a soft hug and gently patted his back. He pretended not to notice as Keslan pressed a small kiss between his cheek and neck, then pulled himself upright.
“You should go now.”
Keslan gave a small nod and left.
Only Banteon and Delroz, who stood with arms crossed and an amused look, remained in the tent.
Banteon finally peeled off the blanket that had wrapped around his body. Realizing it now made the whole thing almost laughable. He, fully clothed, had been bundled up in a blanket, while the naked one had already left.
As Banteon straightened his disheveled clothes, Delroz waited in silence, his expression unreadable. He hadn’t said a word about why he was there or what he wanted.
In the end, Banteon had to be the one to ask.
“What are you here for?”
“Definitely not to watch two guys rolling around together.”
“You’re the one who came unannounced.”
“How was I supposed to know a couple of unmated freaks would be rutting in here?”
Delroz sneered, one corner of his mouth curling up. Banteon wanted nothing more than to throw him out, but he had just been caught in a compromising situation. He had to manage the damage.
If this got out, it would be bad. Like Delroz had said, Banteon would likely get off with a minor warning—but not Keslan.
“There’s nothing here worth making a fuss over, so please leave.”
“True, I did interrupt before things got out of hand. Should I be apologizing for that?”
“That won’t be necessary.”
There was no use responding emotionally to such sarcasm. Banteon replied in a flat, businesslike tone.
Delroz didn’t seem to like that. Leaning against the tent wall, he crossed his long legs. He had no intention of leaving. Even when Banteon asked again, no answer came.
Banteon pressed a hand against his throbbing forehead.
“Every time I see you, there’s a new gnat buzzing around you. Pretty sure I swatted one the last time too. You probably didn’t notice since you don’t care, but… are you really that skilled?”
He must’ve been referring to the time Banteon exited the lecture hall after covering a class. A young student had insisted on carrying his materials and caused a bit of a stir.
“Students always tend to like their instructors.”
“Do kids these days look at their teachers like that? Well… I didn’t exactly grow up with much of an education, so I wouldn’t know.”
With that, Delroz unfolded his arms and strode forward with his long legs, coming to stand directly in front of Banteon. He leaned in, bringing his face close.
“Even if you are kind of pretty, you’re still just a man, no mistake about that.”
As the distance closed, Banteon could faintly see Delroz’s energy. From afar, it hadn’t been visible, but up close, red wisps of aura swirled violently around him.
The last time Banteon saw Delroz’s energy, it had been so stable it was barely perceptible. So was this surge a form of intimidation? Narrowing his eyes, Banteon tried to read Delroz’s intentions.
But aside from the overflowing aura, Delroz made no aggressive move. He simply stood there, as if unable to restrain his own fierce energy.
It seemed he hadn’t received proper guiding in months. With the sheer number of people at the Center eager to guide him, Banteon couldn’t understand how things had come to this.
After quietly observing Banteon for a while, Delroz finally spoke.
“Word is you’re the best at guiding around here. That’s why I came.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. People say you’re the model guide. The paragon of noble etiquette and all that.”
Fuck.
Banteon cursed under his breath. He knew it was a disgraceful reaction, but he needed to let it out—if only silently—just to keep himself from snapping. He had ignored the spreading rumors, only for them to come back and bite him like this.
“You flatter me.”
“Doesn’t seem that way. Someone secretly messing with an unmatched Esper doesn’t exactly scream model guide, now does it?”
“Are you planning to report me?”
“Not interested in that kind of hassle.”
Despite all the earlier talk about rules, he now shrugged like it was no big deal.
“Then what is it you want?”
“What does an Esper ever want from a guide?”
Banteon’s smooth brow creased at that.
A completely reasonable statement, under normal circumstances. If it had been any other Esper, they wouldn’t be having such a stupid back-and-forth. But this was Delroz. The same man who said the very idea of guiding with a male made him sick. So why now?
“So… male guides are okay with you now?”
“No. Still makes me wanna puke.”
“Then I believe you’re in the wrong place.”
Banteon gave a slight shrug, his posture saying loud and clear, As you can see, I’m a man. Delroz’s eyes narrowed.
“Right. That’s true.”
“Then please, be on your way.”
“I know you’re a man. That’s what makes it so damn strange.”
Delroz took another step forward. Now he was so close, just a slight movement and Banteon would be able to feel his breath. He stared at Banteon’s face intently.
Had he somehow figured out that Banteon was the one who guided him that night? The thought crept in, clawing at Banteon’s nerves, but Delroz’s expression remained frustratingly unreadable.
“Strangely enough, I feel like it might work with you.”
“……”
Banteon stifled the breath that threatened to escape. Thankfully, Delroz hadn’t figured it out. He was just following an animalistic instinct that had led him here. Banteon let out a small, secret sigh of relief and responded calmly.
“Thank you for the compliment, but is there really any need to try with a male guide?”
Even if he could sync with Banteon, the result would likely be no different from any other guide. Was there any reason to insist on testing with a man?
At that, Delroz’s expression hardened.
Gone was the usual composure—his face now held uncertainty and frustration.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought too.”
He muttered as if talking to himself. Banteon wished he’d go self-reflect somewhere else—like his own quarters, for example—but Delroz continued in a quiet voice.
“Strangely… I can’t sync with anyone anymore.”
“What?”
“Since that day. The day of the rampage… I haven’t been able to generate any match rate with any guide.”
Banteon’s eyes widened in disbelief. What he’d just heard was too shocking to process. All previous caution flew from his mind as he stared blankly at Delroz.
Unable to sync?
“At first, I thought it was just post-rampage trauma. But after that, nothing worked. Every guiding session came up empty. The retests were the same.”
“…Your sync rate dropped?”
“No. It shows up as zero percent—like testing with a non-Awakened.”
