[155]
The question was quite impulsive and somewhat akin to a soliloquy. The difficulty in breathing reminded him of what had happened earlier in the printing area. His body and mind were heated, blurring the line between reason and instinct. Otherwise, there would have been no reason to utter such words.
The man, squinting, looked up at Chris and spoke, “Monsters don’t care about human feelings.”
“Trust me,” Yuri whispered. “I’ve lived closer to ‘monsters’ than anyone else.”
“Is that so?” Chris replied, his body slumping as if it might collapse. He hugged Yuri tightly. Yuri wrapped one arm around Chris’s back.
“Even if you’re a monster, it’s okay.” Yuri bit Chris’s earlobe. “Because you’re mine.”
Chris laughed tearfully. He knew Yuri expressed himself this way because he didn’t know any other method. His master was a sharp-tongued man but not a great orator. So, he didn’t say things he didn’t mean, at least not to Chris.
Yuri, still holding Chris, stood up. The sensation of his body spreading Chris’s legs wider made Chris cry out sharply. Still, he didn’t let go of Yuri.
“I told you to move by yourself,” Yuri said with a low laugh. “Use your head.”
Though his tone was a bit gruff, it was forgiving. Chris shook his head as if to say it wasn’t like that. As he moved his hips, Yuri’s fingers slid down his spine, making his body’s sensations surge to one spot.
And lower, even lower. Yuri’s presence inside him stirred deeply. Chris panted, his vision blurring, yet Yuri’s figure remained clear. He wanted to cling to something, so he tightened his arms around Yuri.
If he pressed a little harder, he could break Yuri’s shoulder blades and crush his ribs. Yet, Yuri continued to move, holding Chris tightly. His deep purple eyes were almost black with focus, not avoiding or fleeing, but rather growling as if to devour him.
Chris panted and closed his eyes, feeling Yuri with his remaining senses—the weight on him, the sweat dripping from Yuri, the sticky sensation of their skin touching, the distant smell of smoke, the heavy breath in his ear, and the taste on his tongue every time they kissed. He was deeply intoxicated by all these sensations.
Chris hugged Yuri desperately. So weak, so precarious, his only comfort.
***
It was a rather late morning. Chris woke up groggily to a message on his device. Yuri, sitting upright beside him, looked as composed as if he hadn’t slept at all.
“Is it Northern Light?” Chris asked, his voice slightly hoarse.
“I’ll check right away,” Yuri replied.
“…At least wash your face first.”
Chris immediately got up. The blanket slipped off, revealing his upper body marked with red traces from the night before. The fading marks showed how rough Yuri had been.
“Put on a shirt too.”
Chris felt a pang of embarrassment and mumbled a response before getting out of bed. He disappeared into the bathroom and emerged less than five minutes later. His wet hair dripped water down his broad shoulders, chest, and even lower.
Yuri thought, ‘He really just splashed water on himself.’
The night before, Yuri had taken Chris to the bathroom, made him get on all fours, and teased his insides with his fingers. He commanded Chris to clench his stomach and push out what was inside. Despite his embarrassment, Chris complied, and only after taking Yuri again in the bathtub was he allowed to stand on his own two feet.
Exhausted, Chris returned to bed and fell asleep in Yuri’s arms. Yuri, who needed less sleep, spent half the night gently channeling guiding energy, thinking about the discovery of Rosenhauser’s personal space.
‘If Chris had a restless sleeping habit, would we still be sharing a bed by now?’ Yuri mused.
Eventually, Yuri fell into a light sleep, his thoughts wandering. He woke up to find Chris kneeling before him, dripping wet like an animal. Yuri sighed and dried Chris’s hair with the towel he had brought.
“You seem to be enjoying this,” Yuri said, breaking the silence.
Chris tensed, realizing he had let his guard down. “What?”
“You were so surprised when I said you needed a lot of attention. Yet, you always end up like this.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Never mind.” Yuri finished drying Chris’s hair. “You can get up now.”
Chris put on a shirt and responded to the message from Northern Light. Anong appeared on the screen, looking tired but composed.
“Sorry to bother you so early,” Anong said, holding a steaming mug.
“…It’s fine,” Chris replied, avoiding her gaze. He knew he looked disheveled, and if Yuri hadn’t intervened, Anong might have told him to go back to sleep.
Anong noticed Yuri in the background, lighting a cigar. The dim light highlighted the glowing tip of the cigar, giving Yuri a dangerous aura despite his lazy demeanor.
‘He could have just gotten the report later, but he insists on watching,’ Anong thought, trying to ignore Yuri’s presence.
“Chris, about the Esper you secured from the printing area…” Anong began.
Chris immediately recalled the Esper. “The strength-enhancing Esper?”
Anong nodded. “Yes, that woman. Her name is Maribel.”
Chris was taken aback. “Do you know her?”
“She was a former colleague,” Anong replied.
This meant Maribel had been a member of Northern Light. Given the connection between Rosenhauser and the Esper Union, it wasn’t surprising that Maribel had been found in the Thorns Order.
“But…” Anong frowned. “She went missing during a mission.”
“What mission was it?” Chris asked, tense.
“It was to search for traces of the old humanity,” Anong replied softly.
Chris’s first thought was, ‘Why bother?’
Most useful artifacts from the old humanity had already been recovered. While not everything could be fully restored, there was no need to send an Esper on such a mission.
“Was Maribel an engineer or a specialist?” Chris asked.
“No,” Anong replied calmly.
Maribel was strong but not technically skilled. She was known for breaking things and causing accidents. Sending a combat Esper on a non-combat mission seemed odd.
“Strange, isn’t it?” Anong said.
Yuri, who had been listening, stepped forward. “Where did she go?”
Anong hesitated. “It’s classified, but… I can find out.”
“Then do so. We’ll wait,” Yuri said, raising an eyebrow.
Anong sighed and turned to Chris. “Are you sure about this guy?”
Chris didn’t respond. He didn’t want to discuss his feelings about Yuri with an outsider.
“Fine. I’ll be back before that cigar burns out,” Anong said.
“…That’s not much time,” Chris muttered.
“It’ll take at most thirty minutes,” Anong retorted.
“More like an hour,” Yuri said, cutting the end of his cigar.
“Fine, whatever,” Anong said, ending the call.
Chris looked at the blank screen, then turned to Yuri. “Will she be okay?”
“From experience, the acting leader moves faster when she’s annoyed,” Yuri said, putting down his cigar cutter.
“Let’s see how long it takes.”
True to Yuri’s prediction, Anong returned quickly, her voice urgent.
“I found out—”
Before Yuri could finish his remark, Anong interrupted, “The Winter Continent.”
Yuri fell silent, shocked. It was the first time anyone had rendered him speechless.
“The Winter Continent,” Anong repeated, driving the point home.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
