Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are So Hot! [BL]-Chapter 94: A Day of Surprises

Oh... wow. Damien realized that a "day off" was still months away. They’re working all the way until then without a break? Damien thought, swallowing his concern.

He wanted to ask if it was hard on Leonide, but he bit his tongue. Of course it was. Of course, it was exhausting. But he was a visitor from another world, and he knew it wasn’t his place to impose his perspective or pity onto them.

Instead, he gently stroked Leonide’s hair, filling his voice with warmth and admiration. "You’re amazing, Leonide."

Leonide looked a bit surprised at first, then finally grinned, happy with the praise. "Thank you, Master," he replied softly.

...

But soon, Damien noticed the absence of Theo. Morning was nearly over, and Theo had yet to arrive as usual. Even Leonide, who was still resting on Damien’s lap, looked a little anxious.

"Should I go and check it, Master?" Leonide asked. Damien was just considering it when—knock, knock, knock—the door finally sounded.

As Damien opened his mouth to respond, Leonide pressed a finger to his lips to quiet him. For a moment, Damien was caught off guard by the gesture, which seemed surprisingly intimate. Before he could process it, Leonide quickly got up and headed toward the door, already putting on the jacket he’d removed earlier to avoid wrinkles.

Opening the door, Leonide exchanged a few words with the person outside—judging by the voice, it was Sebas.

Turning back to Damien, Leonide said, "Master, Maste Theo and Lord Rostov have arrived. May I show them in?"

Damien realized that this was how things would proceed from now on.

"Yes, please, show them in."

With Damien’s permission, Leonide invited Theo and Sebas into the room. While Sebas, as usual, wore his typically stoic expression, Theo looked visibly exhausted.

Observing the tiredness on Theo’s face, Damien couldn’t help but ask, "Theo, was it that difficult?"

It had to be about the "urgent matter" that Sebas had mentioned that morning. At Damien’s question, Theo looked momentarily startled, then offered a weary smile.

"Did it show on my face? I suppose I relaxed a bit after seeing you, Damien."

"Yeah, you looked pretty tired," Damien noted, then turned to Leonide. "Leonide, could you bring some tea and something sweet for Theo and Sebas?"

Leonide, keeping his formal demeanor, gave a polite bow before heading to the kitchen area.

"Sir Damien, I..." Sebas began to decline, but Damien waved him off, insisting. Sweets were perfect for fatigue, after all.

Theo watched with mild amusement as Sebas reluctantly gave in and bowed in thanks.

...

"Phew..." Theo sighed as he took a seat, nibbled on a cookie, and sipped some tea that Leonide had brought over. Damien noted how unusual it was to see Theo so worn out. Sebas, too, remained standing—despite Damien’s insistence—but had accepted a cookie and some tea, which Damien took as a sign that he, too, was feeling the strain.

"Seems like it was tough on you both," Damien remarked. Theo gave him a tired smile in response, one that spoke volumes.

"So, um... about today’s experiment. Should we just skip it?" Damien asked gently. "You could use the break."

Theo considered this for a moment, his expression thoughtful. But Damien recognized that determined look and knew what it meant.

"Alright, let’s give it our all today, then! And afterward, you can indulge all you want," Damien said, leaning over to ruffle Theo’s hair as a gesture of support.

Theo grumbled softly, clearly embarrassed, but didn’t protest. It was clear to Damien how much this had affected him.

Damien placed both hands gently on Theo’s cheeks and drew him in, pressing a quick, reassuring kiss to his lips.

"Alright?" he murmured softly.

Theo finally gave a nod of agreement.

With a bit more energy, Theo dug into the cookies, explaining that he hadn’t even had time for breakfast that morning.

"Wait, are you sure we should still do the experiment today?" Damien asked, concerned. "If you have more urgent work, I don’t mind if you take care of that first."

But Theo shook his head, sighing as he replied, "It’s not that simple..."

"Indeed, it has become quite a troublesome situation, but since the experiment is already scheduled, we can’t delay it," Theo explained.

"Um, is there any possibility of extending the timeline?" Damien wondered, thinking about how information was gathered in Earth and whether a similar extension could be arranged here.

"Unfortunately, the internal matters of the Dalehaven family are quite complex, so we can’t really make it a public issue," Theo replied with a wry smile.

When he mentioned "internal matters," Damien guessed it had something to do with Theo’s brother. That was certainly something that would be difficult to bring up at work for various reasons.

"I see... then there’s not much we can do about it," Damien said, resigning himself to the situation.

"Well, either way, let’s focus on doing everything we can today and wait for more detailed communications and materials tomorrow. Let’s concentrate on the experiment this afternoon," Theo suggested.

"Right. I’ll help with whatever I can," Damien offered.

Theo’s eyes sparkled at Damien’s words. Then, unexpectedly, he stood up and scooped Damien into his arms.

"Wha—wait, what?" Damien exclaimed in surprise.

"Then, until this afternoon, please accompany me for a bit of fun!" Theo chirped cheerfully, carrying Damien toward the bedroom.

Damien realized he was about to call for help when he noticed that both Sebas and Leonide were already gone.

This sort of thing in broad daylight was definitely not appropriate.

...

Afternoon.

Damien found himself taken to a small gymnasium-sized building in the backyard, which was referred to as the magic experiment facility.

In stark contrast to Theo, who appeared lively and glossy with energy, Damien was already feeling exhausted and dry.

"You’ll be fine. Today, you don’t have to do anything at all," Theo assured him.

Damien appreciated those words, having already drained much of his energy, but the idea of an experiment where he didn’t have to do anything made him uneasy.