Chapter 58
Harriet was just licking the candy he received from Alcita when Jayden slyly approached and lightly flicked his forehead. It didn’t hurt, but since this was the first adult to treat him this way, Harriet looked up with wide eyes.
“Kid. Alcita is taking dangerous trips here because of you.”
“……”
“Well, I guess that’s better than him crying over losing his son.”
He was quite a lighthearted person. But the affection in his eyes for Alcita was genuine. It was a gaze so full of love that even the oblivious Harriet could feel it.
Jayden Olden had indeed entered politics for Alcita Maxim, like wearing ill-fitting shoes. His brown eyes, burning like his ability, became infinitely gentle and mild when directed at Alcita.
That was the Jayden Olden that Harriet remembered. Even then, Harriet continuously stroked Ender’s black hair while listening to his breathing as he rested his head on Harriet’s shoulder.
Angela opened the window in the passenger seat and hummed a tune. She seemed to be looking forward to the sashimi they would have for lunch today. Harriet smiled slightly and said to Angela.
“Are you happy?”
“Yes!”
“Why?”
“Because we’re playing hooky.”
“……”
Angela fixed her hair in the fresh breeze. A bright smile blossomed on her freckled face.
“We’re leaving our posts during work hours but still getting paid in full. Plus, we’re going to eat expensive sashimi. Of course I’m happy.”
Harriet smiled gently, finding Angela cute. Anschel spoke while driving.
“Angela, please stay just as you are.”
“What?”
Angela asked, not understanding. Earlier, when Angela didn’t understand the lewd sexual jokes between Harriet and Ender and suggested going for sashimi, Anschel had repeatedly said this to her. Please just stay as you are.
* * *
“Is this your first time at a place like this?”
When Harriet asked Ender who was sitting next to him, Ender shook his head. Whether he liked it or not, he was someone who received attention.
There were people who used petty authority just to have a meal with him, or occasions he had to attend forcibly to achieve certain goals. Sometimes he had to participate at his parents’ suggestion or Dante Maxim’s orders. Most were dining events, with some occasionally extending to drinking gatherings. It was especially worse the day after returning from battle.
Those who wanted to hear his heroic tales and exploit him weren’t just politicians. There were companies wanting to put their brand watches on his wrist, weapons manufacturers offering to sponsor the guns he used, and all sorts of pesky people approaching Ender about cumbersome suits, shoes, accessories, and so on.
The 18th Region where Ender belonged was formerly an Asian territory, famous for sashimi. They would call Ender to sashimi restaurants at every opportunity.
“I’ve been to places like this occasionally.”
“Then why didn’t you eat?”
Ender lowered his red eyes to gaze at Harriet. After staring at his white hair, his gaze dropped to see beautiful white eyelashes. The white person was whispering with red lips.
Ender had a memory that surfaced whenever he saw sashimi. It was the image of a snow-white merman curled up wounded in a tank where blood was scattered.
Although he was young at the time, he could tell that the merman’s injuries were severe. Blood flowed constantly from the merman’s tail, which was gouged deeply enough to expose the flesh inside, and white scales fell off one by one. It was frightening enough to wonder if he might die from excessive bleeding.
Ever since then, whenever he saw sashimi, he remembered the flesh visible between Harriet’s wounds, and he lost any appetite. So Ender would just narrow his eyes and observe the crude people who shoved sashimi into their mouths.
In truth, Ender only realized as an adult that his feelings for Harriet were full of lust and visceral desire. Before that, to Ender, Harriet was someone fascinating, someone he wanted to be near and protect.
“I told you, I thought of my senior.”
“Hmm.”
Anschel, who had finished ordering, could be felt anxiously glancing in their direction.
Even while waiting for the food to arrive, Harriet strangely couldn’t take his eyes off Ender. Unlike earlier, he was now smiling down at Harriet. This splendid, handsome junior occasionally wouldn’t let go of his gaze like this.
As they stared at each other while waiting for the food, effectively ostracizing the others, Angela and Anschel picked up their chopsticks and forks with sour expressions. Since Angela was from Region 04, a European area, she was more comfortable with a fork than chopsticks. In contrast, Anschel, from Region 21, a Chinese area, preferred chopsticks.
While the two picked up their utensils, Harriet and Ender continued to lick each other’s faces with their eyes persistently.
“…Let’s eat all this by ourselves.”
“Good idea.”
Angela aggressively put a piece of flounder sashimi in her mouth. The milky flesh looked firm and fresh just by appearance, and it melted softly in her mouth. The slightly fishy taste as it squished in her mouth was incredibly delicious.
How could this be! To eat such expensive sashimi during work hours.
It was almost enough to make her cry. While Angela ate aggressively, Anschel cautiously observed the situation.
“…Colonel, Mr. Harriet, the food has arrived.”
Angela raised her head with a displeased expression as if to say “did you really need to point that out?”
Anschel patted her head as if to reassure her that they had ordered plenty, so she could eat without worry. And finally, Harriet’s eyes slowly turned toward the table. The sashimi on the large plate was plentiful enough for the four of them to eat without shortage.
Before Harriet could move, Ender raised his hand first and put a piece of the closest sashimi in his mouth. His red tongue wrapped around the white flesh and disappeared. Even then, Ender’s red eyes were staring at Harriet as if he would devour him.
“Not bad. It’s edible.”
“……”
“You asked why I couldn’t eat it, right?”
Ender asked again nonchalantly, even though he had clearly just explained. Harriet couldn’t take his eyes off Ender’s moving lips.
Likewise, Ender didn’t avert his gaze from Harriet who was looking at him. His red eyes sparkled beautifully as they focused on Harriet, and Ender’s charming smile captivated him. Then Ender slowly approached Harriet’s ear and whispered.
When the crude people who went to the sashimi restaurant together were stuffing their mouths, Ender picked up a piece of sashimi that reminded him of Harriet.
And then…….
“I masturbated.”
“Ah.”
“I masturbated while thinking of you, sunbae.”
Harriet slowly turned his gaze. Ender’s voice, whispering subtly at a volume inaudible to the two people across from them, echoed in his ear enough to make his back tingle.
“Why?”
“Because I’ve always wanted to eat you, sunbae.”
‘What are they doing in front of people?’
Angela muttered to Anschel as she swallowed her food. Anschel was just keeping his head down and focusing solely on eating.
‘Don’t make eye contact, pretend you don’t know.’
Harriet, who had been momentarily blank at Ender’s words, picked up a spoon and took a bite of the corn dish sizzling on the hot plate. He looked unaffected, but his ears had turned red. Ender stared at Harriet’s ears while picking up a piece of an unnamed fish with his chopsticks and putting it in his mouth.
If Harriet’s tail were dissected, it would surely be this color. After draining all the blood, stripping off all the beautiful white scales, and tearing the flesh, would it have this texture? Ender had always wondered.
That destructive thought was a vile emotion that should never be directed toward a senior as noble as the heavens. But whenever he had such thoughts, excitement would surge to the point of making him tense below.
He was reminded of his weak, young self who could only watch the small merman curled up in that vast tank, endlessly bleeding.
I want to eat him.
The sensation of wanting to devour him simply wouldn’t go away. A ferocious beast growled with desire to consume Harriet’s flesh.
“Ah.”
Suddenly, Harriet dropped his chopsticks on the table. Anschel raised his head at the commotion, then looked at Harriet in alarm. A blue mist was gradually forming in his eyes. And his snow-white hair was slowly turning blue, while scales appeared on his smooth legs.
“Mr. Harriet!?”
Merpeople cannot endure long outside water in their merman form. This is because gills form around the neck, and webbing appears on hands and ears.
Moreover, if Harriet were to transform into a merman in a place like this, it was clear that a big commotion would occur. Anschel urgently took off his outer clothing to cover Harriet’s face.
“Colonel!”
Though there weren’t many people because it was lunchtime, there were still some. They needed to quickly carry Harriet out before people’s attention was drawn to the commotion. Ender slipped his hands under Harriet’s knees where the tail was gradually forming, lifted him up, rushed out of the restaurant, and then soared high into the sky using his ability.
Anschel could be seen small below, tidying up inside the restaurant. By then, Harriet had completely transformed into a merman, with blue hair flowing through the shirt Anschel had draped over him. Harriet’s pants were gradually slipping off, and a merman tail with distorted fins dangled in the air.
“Sunbae, what’s happening?”
“Hmm… I’m not changing back to human.”
“I’ll take you to a nearby valley for now.”
Harriet frowned as he looked at his body transformed into a merman. Ender observed his beautiful senior’s appearance while slowly scanning the surroundings. Fortunately, Ender found a valley not far away and slowly descended to the ground.
It was a clean valley, though not deep. Although the depth only came up to the knees, it seemed to work as a first aid measure, as Harriet’s tail, which had been drying out, regained its vitality. Harriet stroked his chin while submerging in the water.
Harriet raised his upper body to sit up. The blue hair, moistly wet, caught Ender’s attention.
“Maybe I got too excited.”
Harriet whispered seriously while taking off the black t-shirt he was wearing. Ender swallowed a moan as the blue mist filling Harriet’s white eyes with indistinct boundaries reflected his desire.
“I thought about being eaten by you.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
