[53]
A face incomparably fresh. Even when they first met, he had never seen him smile like that.
‘A bit more.’
His heart pounded loudly.
‘I want to see a bit more.’
How could he make him smile like that again?
Click, click, click.
Chris was unconsciously taking numerous photos of Yuri.
“It’s become. A complete mess.”
Yuri murmured as he withdrew his smile.
At those words, the wolf’s back flinched.
Chris wouldn’t know. That his current appearance looked quite adorable.
“…If you didn’t want to delete them, you could have said so.”
Yuri recalled the moment he first encountered the silver wolf in the Winter Continent.
At the time, he had been in a very uncomfortable state of mind.
His loyal dog had suddenly run away, only to return to Orum City as an enemy’s pawn.
He had even brazenly lurked around the bookstore where Yuri was hiding.
What thoughts had crossed his mind when he met Chris’s gaze, which looked at him like a stranger, as if all memories had vanished?
‘I thought… let’s see how far this goes.’
He had been in the midst of catching evidence of the drug trade Rosenhauser was pushing into the Winter Continent. That day, Yuri had met with a White Night subordinate to receive reports.
He saw a fantastical wolf under the moonlight.
Given that more than half of the continent was snowfield, the existence of a large white-furred wolf wasn’t strange in itself.
He only considered it unusual and memorable that it had come down to human habitation.
Yuri had tensed his body, trying to gauge whether the wolf was hungry or if it knew the taste of human blood.
He had intended to shove bullets down its throat if the beast opened its maw and lunged.
Yet one thing was certain.
The innocent gaze this silver wolf cast toward him resembled Chris.
That was why Yuri had readily extended his hand to the wolf that was trying to rub against him.
But at the moment of contact, guiding energy was sucked away.
‘How dare…’
Thinking that some detestable Esper had approached him in animal form, his mind went white with rage.
That place.
The place of an Esper who could receive guiding from Yuri belonged to Chris.
Despite feeling a strange affection for the wolf, Yuri pulled the trigger without hesitation.
If the wolf hadn’t returned to human form at that moment, and if it hadn’t started breathing again.
What would have become of him?
Even Yuri, who disliked assuming “what ifs,” occasionally sank into such thoughts.
It was why he was inwardly displeased with Chris going to Anastasia to receive abilities for this mission.
Yuri had been avoiding facing Chris in the form he had when Yuri tried to kill him.
“Chris.”
He gestured.
“Come here.”
After hesitating, Chris approached Yuri and rested his head against him.
Could there be another fool who would act so defenseless toward a human who had once put a bullet in his muzzle?
Yuri had gone over that day countless times. Why hadn’t he recognized at a glance the wolf that approached him without caution in the middle of the night, when Yuri looked suspicious to anyone?
Sometimes anger and a sense of betrayal clouded his judgment.
He surrendered to intense emotions despite knowing this fact.
Perhaps it was because Yuri had survived the harsh Winter Continent using anger as his driving force and a sense of betrayal as his scale.
And that method had endangered Chris.
“Soft.”
Yuri’s fingers slid between the fur.
Chris involuntarily trembled at the sensation of his ears being scratched behind.
Thinking perhaps something was displeasing, Yuri hesitantly pulled his hand back. Chris immediately pushed his head forward.
In response to this expression of wanting to be petted again, Yuri moved his hand back and forth.
It wasn’t particularly delicate, but neither was it rough.
Perhaps because he was in wolf form, this kind of stimulation was quite enjoyable.
‘To think I’m making the mistake of actually becoming a dog just because I’m walking on all fours.’
Even while mocking himself, Chris closed his eyes to Yuri’s touch.
“Your body temperature is quite high. Did you know?”
At Yuri’s question, Chris gently shook his head.
Then he realized that due to his elongated muzzle, he had rubbed his nose against Yuri’s face.
“This is wet.”
He murmured as if talking to himself.
Chris thought perhaps he should pull his body back, but Yuri’s hand moved along his jawline and down to his nose.
It tickled.
But like some foolish idiot trying to hold back a sneeze, he endured while holding his breath.
His body instantly stiffened.
Unaware of this, Yuri laughed again at the sight of Chris stubbornly staring straight ahead.
“When I was young, I once thought I wanted to put my head inside a wolf’s mouth.”
The wolf startled and pulled back.
Not only was he shaking his head repeatedly, but his tail had also stiffened.
Yuri easily grabbed the beast’s jaw and pulled it closer.
His purple eyes curved.
“I wonder if it’s still possible?”
Chris’s answer was predetermined.
The fur-covered body slowly reverted to smooth skin.
In the process, the terminal attached to his eye fell off with a clunk. Perhaps they had added an automatic detachment function in case of returning to human form.
Seeing it fall to the floor, it seemed it might have gotten small scratches, though not broken.
But there was no time to dwell on that—Yuri was before him.
Chris, with eyes lowered docilely, waited for Yuri’s disposition.
“I wasn’t planning to force it in.”
At those words, Chris’s shoulders flinched.
He must have been referring to his head, but due to that voice, it sounded somewhat different.
Yuri slowly examined the naked man.
It was a threatening body comparable even to when he was a wolf. It seemed those arms could easily grip an enemy’s neck and cut off their breath.
Such a man showing signs of tension while watching his every move provoked sadistic feelings.
Yuri knew well that he was not a good master.
But wasn’t the other’s dog constantly causing trouble and being watchful?
Self-justification was this easy and sweet.
“Chris.”
At the gentle call, Chris, who had rather become frightened, looked at Yuri.
It would be better if he acted strictly.
Since coming to the Spring Continent, Yuri had been different.
Much had changed from before, when they were simply divided into Esper and Guide, master and dog.
Change was generally frightening and unfamiliar.
Chris wanted to stay in the past.
“Yuri.”
But his body leaned toward Yuri, who extended his hand.
After placing his face against the hand of the one he adored, he surreptitiously checked if this was correct.
“Yes. This isn’t bad either.”
“…You’re not going to scold me?”
“I know you’re a dog that gets excited, but that’s problematic.”
At Yuri’s words, Chris’s shoulders jumped.
He wanted to say it was an absurd accusation, but his face just turned red, and not a word came out.
“Northern Light has only just sent us reconnaissance equipment, right?”
Yuri’s face was stern as he added that they weren’t here to play.
“…I haven’t forgotten.”
The sound that came from Chris’s mouth was grumpy enough to surprise even himself.
At that moment, Yuri moved.
Chris fidgeted, thinking he was going to touch him.
However, contrary to his expectations, Yuri’s hand moved past Chris’s shoulder and picked up a printing terminal that had been thrown onto the bed mattress during the commotion.
Watching with a somewhat deflated feeling, Chris saw Yuri operating the terminal with clicking sounds.
‘That’s.’
Chris’s eyes widened as he saw the smiling face of Yuri he had last photographed appear on the screen.
Perhaps he had been more surprised by that smile than he thought; most of the photos were blurry.
Fortunately, just one.
Just one photo had perfectly captured that smiling face.
Like a bee in front of honey, Chris couldn’t take his eyes off that photo.
After confirming this, Yuri murmured, “Hmm,” then shut down the terminal and removed a small chip.
Given the circumstances, it likely contained the data of Yuri’s face that had just been captured.
“The photo. When you return safely, I’ll put it in your terminal then.”
Yuri waved the yellow chip.
“If you want punishment instead of a reward when you return.”
Chris’s lips moved.
“Would you allow that too?”
Could this be called a request?
It was closer to a provocation.
But Yuri only raised his eyebrows, with no other reaction.
Just as Chris was about to be disappointed, he spoke.
“I think I told you once before.”
Chris couldn’t help but be captivated by the sight of Yuri’s long eyelashes fluttering.
“A dog’s heat is the master’s responsibility.”
So shut up and go.
***
The abandoned factory district was shrouded in darkness.
When night falls, these abandoned factories begin to move.
Chris, who had infiltrated the abandoned ruins of Factory 7 next to Factory 8, carefully took in the scene beyond the window.
The Esper guarding this side was temporarily absent.
Even without someone watching, people moved their hands mechanically.
At that moment, the floor rumbled, and the child he had witnessed the day before came up.
‘Da… Dain?’
Chris read the lip movements of a woman calling the child.
After grabbing and shaking the child’s shoulders a few times, she seemed to be trying to send Dain back to the basement.
But it was already too late.
The door flung open, and Dahlia appeared with a spiteful face.
Workers could be seen shrinking their shoulders as she said something with her hands on her hips.
Dahlia, who roughly snatched the child’s wrist, said loudly:
“You asked me to let you care for him here because he would be a disturbance!”
It was loud enough to hear clearly without even perking up one’s ears.
As she pointed toward the conveyor belt, the figure who appeared to be Dain’s mother returned to her place.
Dahlia took the young child to the basement and only returned after some time had passed.
Dahlia, who moved with large strides, could be seen gesturing angrily at another Esper who had returned to Factory 8.
She seemed to be scolding them for leaving their post.
The golden eyes of the wolf watching this gleamed.
‘That child named Dain.’
How could he make contact?
