[93]
Yuri slightly narrowed his brow.
His purple eyes seemed somewhat subdued.
Chris tried to guess the numerous thoughts that must have passed through his mind but soon gave up.
There was no need to guess Yuri’s intentions. He just needed to accomplish what Yuri asked.
“If we’re lucky,” Yuri finally spoke.
“We might discover the identity of our new friend, the ‘leader.'”
“It seems Anong came to the Spring Continent with that expectation.”
“A matter significant enough for the head of the Esper Alliance to come personally.”
Yuri’s eyes narrowed.
“Why did she come to me instead of investigating right away?”
“She said the memory of the person who handled this matter has been sealed.”
Without asking, it was clear that all related documents would have been destroyed.
But there was one thing bothering him.
“They got rid of everything else but kept the person alive?”
Yuri tilted his head slightly.
Something didn’t feel right.
But this was the Spring Continent, not the Summer or Autumn Continents where Rosenhauser mainly operated.
Perhaps it would have been burdensome to dispose of and bury several people in a place that wasn’t their base.
“Does the Alliance leader want Fortuna’s help?”
“Yes.”
Chris confirmed Yuri’s question.
Northern Light originally had mental Espers, but most had retreated from the frontlines.
Rosenhauser had squeezed them dry to create an intercontinental communication network. The remaining functional mental Espers had been persuaded by Rosenhauser, so they fell with him when he lost power.
Among these “survivors,” Fortuna had the most stable abilities.
Fortuna, who had joined hands with Yuri to bring down Rosenhauser, had established herself as an executive of Northern Light.
“Let’s ask Fortuna first.”
“Yes.”
“Rosenhauser’s adoptee…”
Yuri’s voice dropped slightly.
He didn’t seem particularly pleased.
“It appears the paperwork was halted before the adoption was finalized.”
“That makes me even more concerned.”
“Because of Rosenhauser’s nature?”
“Yes. That man always finishes what he starts. The fact that he abandoned this midway means either the child found another use than originally expected…”
Yuri paused momentarily before moving his lips.
“Or… he thought the child was too dangerous to put in the spotlight.”
Chris lowered his eyes.
A ‘dangerous’ being.
The first thing that came to mind when hearing ‘dangerous’ was an Esper.
What if Rosenhauser had discovered an S-class Esper? And what if he had hidden them away to place them in the Thorns Order, an unofficial military organization?
Chris’s gaze turned to Yuri.
He had never met someone with abilities that could match his own.
But Chris had never fought without restraint.
Because he had someone to protect.
Chris never considered this a shackle.
If Yuri hadn’t been there, he wouldn’t have even thought to control his power.
‘I would have used my ability as naturally as breathing.’
Crushing buildings like sand, bursting people open—he wouldn’t have known these things were wrong.
There was a time when he didn’t even understand that Yuri could get hurt.
Born a monster who happened to grab the opportunity to wear human skin, if he hadn’t met Yuri, he would have been hunted down or perished in self-destruction.
Now he knew that.
“Could it be an Esper?”
“Probably.”
Yuri nodded calmly.
But ultimately, all answers would be in the mind of this person called Herbert Raine.
“Don’t you have anything to ask?”
Yuri suddenly questioned.
Confusion flickered in Chris’s eyes.
“I… don’t know what you mean.”
“Things like where I’ve been. Who I’ve met. What I’ve heard.”
Yuri narrowed his eyes at Chris’s uncharacteristically blank stare.
His face showed he hadn’t even thought to ask such questions.
From the beginning, Yuri wasn’t the type to explain his daily routines in detail, and Chris wasn’t one to dare ask or be curious.
Yuri had never been dissatisfied with this submissive attitude.
But…
“Our relationship has changed, so you should practice this too.”
“Practice… you say.”
Chris’s face became quite serious.
“I’m telling you to be curious.”
At those words, Chris’s blue eyes filled with perplexity.
“But that’s a bit…”
“Aren’t you curious about anything?”
“It’s not that.”
Chris shook his head.
There was a time when he would sit by the door, endlessly waiting for Yuri to return.
Back then, he couldn’t even speak proper sentences.
He just vaguely knew that Yuri, who left around dawn, would return after the day turned red at dusk.
Time passed very slowly while waiting, but those moments were always empty.
He didn’t think about questions or loneliness.
He just stubbornly maintained his position, almost stupidly.
‘Maybe I didn’t want to fill Yuri’s absence with such emotions.’
“I’m a bit… afraid.”
“Of what?”
“…Greed.”
Chris’s eyes darkened.
“If I’m allowed curiosity, won’t I start to think about what comes next?”
“…What comes next.”
Yuri slowly rolled Chris’s expression over his tongue.
It was quite surprising that Chris mentioned greed at all.
“I don’t want to fill my head with unnecessary thoughts.”
“Hmm.”
“I think… it’s safer to keep it completely empty.”
Yuri looked at Chris with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.
“I don’t recall ever telling you not to have desires.”
“It’s not because I don’t have desires.”
Chris lowered his eyes. His voice suddenly became submerged.
“Because once it’s permitted, I think I truly won’t be able to control myself. So.”
Yuri closed his mouth at the painfully twisted voice.
“I’m trying not to start from the beginning.”
“If you can’t control yourself,”
Yuri suddenly asked.
“What do you think you would do?”
“…I’m not sure because I’ve tried not to consider such possibilities.”
“Imagine it now.”
Yuri’s lips twisted.
“I’m a bit curious about how cunning you could be if you started using your head for such things.”
Chris looked at Yuri with an astonished face.
“Cunning… you say?”
“You don’t look after your own interests. It’s not that you were born stupid.”
Yuri said flatly.
Chris did tend to veer in strange directions sometimes. But ultimately, the cause stemmed from his twisted reverence for Yuri.
His instincts were so good that he didn’t need to use his head, which made him non-calculating. Besides, when it came to Yuri, he didn’t think at all and only obeyed.
Fearing even to have desires, he was close to not using his intelligence despite having it.
It was enough to just execute commands as they were input.
This was indeed more convenient.
But Yuri didn’t want to leave Chris like this.
“What you fear, ‘what comes next’…”
Purple eyes looked straight at Chris as if piercing through him.
“I want it.”
“What?”
Chris’s face was astonished.
“I think I’d be curious to see you being petulant. Or spiteful.”
Petulant, spiteful.
These unfamiliar expressions completely broke Chris.
“What do you think?”
Chris opened and closed his mouth several times.
But no voice came out properly.
Yuri reached out and tapped the stiffened man’s cheek.
“Chris. Answer.”
“…I’ll try.”
It seemed nearly impossible to draw out any more of an answer.
But that was fine. Yuri knew at least that Chris didn’t speak falsehoods.
Even in their abnormal relationship, they had shared a long time together.
Yuri had always thought he held the leash alone. But Chris at the other end had also “allowed himself to be tied.”
The proof was that he had made decisions “for Yuri’s sake” on his own and left.
In the end, this leash couldn’t bind either of them.
Chris also had thoughts. And Yuri intended to hear the answers that came from his mouth of his own accord.
‘From the beginning.’
Yes, everything needed to be rebuilt from the start.
It would be an extremely arduous task, but Yuri had no intention of giving up.
Because Chris was the only one he had decided to fully possess for his entire life.
“…Is there anything else you’d like to say.”
Chris awkwardly asked, hesitating under the intense purple gaze.
He straightened his posture and spoke.
“Did your visit to Susanna go well?”
It was like a formal bow, but Yuri’s mouth softened slightly.
“Yes.”
“Did that Esper bother you again?”
“There was no particular issue. She seems to have a knack for bartending.”
“…She always did like alcohol.”
Chris muttered unconsciously before closing his mouth.
Though he knew it was childish, it bothered him that Yuri praised Susanna.
Wasn’t she the Esper who once nearly drove Yuri to death? He knew Yuri was somewhat insensitive to his own safety, but he wished he would be more cautious.
“Don’t just roll your eyes. Tell me why you’re making that face.”
Yuri asked.
Chris made a sour face and answered.
“…I wish you would be more cautious around Susanna. If you must meet her. Well.”
After hesitating briefly, Chris squeezed his eyes shut and blurted out like a machine gun:
“Please go with me.”
“Why? Do you feel threatened by that woman?”
“…I want to eliminate all situations where you might be in danger.”
If this utterly blunt voice sounded cute to him, then he must be crazy.
Yuri closed his eyes momentarily and then opened them.
“I’ll try. Is there anything else you want to ask?”
“…What did you talk about?”
It was still at the level of repeating what he’d been prompted to say.
“I met a guide named January. I heard some interesting stories from him.”
“By interesting stories, you mean…”
“An illegal Esper fighting ring.”
Yuri’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“I heard about the Colosseum.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
