The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 43: Switch Back

The next day, Lane drove Ava back to ManaTech early in the morning. There were experiments she was conducting in the lab that she wanted to check on. She got a message from one of her assistants that some of the subjects showed results, and she just couldn’t wait to see that herself.

"You’re gonna stay for long?" she asked Lane, as she was getting out of the car in the parking lot.

"Nope. Damien only gave us four days off." Lane let out a heavy sigh. After what he’d heard from Ava the night before, he felt even more uneasy about going back and facing Damien.

What if Damien still insisted on ’teaching’ Lane how to use a sword?

A shudder passed through Lane’s body at the mere thought.

"Alright then. Just text me next time you’re back! And remember, the samples!" Ava called, turning around and entering the building. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

"Yeah, yeah, sure. If I get a chance."

Lane sat in place for a moment, his thoughts haunted by Damien, before also getting off. There was no point worrying about the future too much, he’d just deal with it when he got there.

Leaving the car behind in the parking lot, he walked over to the massive park nearby. It was still pretty empty at such an early hour, save for occasional joggers and a few people with dogs. Exactly what Lane needed. He pulled on his hood over his head and his neck gaiter to hide his face, did some simple stretches, and broke into a run.

He ran at an astonishing pace off the trail, making swift turns, dodging the trees and bushes in his way. In the blink of an eye, he was already on the other end of the park.

Of course, he didn’t just end there. He was barely getting started. He landed on his right foot, using his momentum to turn in place, and continued his run, changing his direction.

He went on like that for close to three hours, adding some variations, such as jumping on the trees, swinging on branches, doing multiple flips in the air... Only when more and more people started appearing in the park, strolling around, did he decide it was time to finish his little ’jog’ for the day.

He stretched his back, a satisfied smile blossoming on his face.

Yup, his real body was definitely the best. He drank so much last night, didn’t get much sleep, and then went for a run, and yet he was not tired in the slightest. If anything, he felt even more refreshed than before.

Which was why, although he already accomplished the purpose of this switch - that is, getting the guiding - Lane was in no rush to return to being ’Noah’. He had to go back soon, of course, to ensure that the body was all rested up and in good condition before his return to work, but...

Humans could easily survive without food for a few days, and Lane left some water to drink in the safe, so it would be perfectly fine to leave it for another day or two. He had left some of the bodies he possessed for longer than that in the past, and yet they were still fine, for the most part.

So, after the workout, he just went back to his apartment, read all the reports he received from the Forbidden Zones, sent the photos and a video of the dungeon expansion he took in the Eldenveil, together with his description of everything he experienced to his research team - although he doubted it would be of much use, as it missed any precise data or the measurements of Mana fluctuations, who knew? Maybe the scientist would find it useful in some way. Lane was no expert, so he couldn’t tell.

Afterward, he just chilled, watching TV and getting some more exercise.

In the end, by the time he finally decided to switch back to Noah, it was already late afternoon on his last day off.

As he opened his eyes, all tied up in the safe, the first thing he noticed was how stiff and aching his body was. It felt especially uncomfortable right after spending a few days in his real body, but Noah’s body was really frail. Of course, the current state of his body was the result of being locked in a cramped space for three days, with no food. And it seemed that the pills had worn out and the real Noah woke up at some point, and started trashing around, trying to free himself, getting plenty of bruises in the process...

And judging by the dampness of his joggers, he also seemed to have peed himself.

Lane clicked his tongue, quickly getting himself out of the safe. His throat was painfully raw and dry. Noah must have tried screaming for help until he lost his voice.

Of course, Lane had already expected it all. That’s what the safe and the soundproofing were for, after all. It was all prepared based on his years of experience.

And as annoying as it was, having ’his’ body in such a state upon his return, at least it was better than Noah dying from an overdose.

Without much care about what went on while he was gone, he took a Recovery Pill and jumped in the shower, tossing the dirty clothes in the laundry bin with disgust. He washed himself clean, scrubbing his whole body well, before applying medicine to his countless bruises. He had training the next day, and he would struggle a lot if his body was still so achy.

He was already displeased after finding ’his’ body in pain, and his mood was only about to get worse. As he went back to his bedroom, looking for some clothes... He found the closet completely empty. He could find some clean boxers and socks, but that was about all.

’Shit.’ Lane couldn’t help but swear, standing in front of the empty shelves.

For this, he couldn’t blame anyone but himself. After all, he lived alone. Noah was all locked up in the safe while he was gone, so the only person responsible for his lack of clean clothes... was Lane.

He glanced at his phone. Almost 7 PM. A bit late, but it was a weekday, and close to the city center, so perhaps he might be able to find a place that would wash his clothes overnight, if he dropped them off himself. At least his uniform, for the rest he could afford to wait.

There was a laundry machine in his apartment, of course... But why would Lane bother to do it himself, when he could just pay to get it done? He could probably count on one hand the number of times he ever did any chores.

He quickly looked up places online, found some clothes that seemed clean enough to wear, and went out. After dropping off by the laundry services, he stopped by the mall, getting some new clothes to wear at home, and getting dinner while he was at it - Noah’s body didn’t get any food intake for close to four days, after all, so he was proper starving.

He dropped dead on the bed as soon as he got back home, completely exhausted.

’Damn, I really wish I could find an Esper to possess soon... Civilians’ bodies suck too much...’ he complained inwardly, as he closed his eyes, quickly falling asleep.

He needed to get as much rest as he could, since he had to face Damien again...

He had a feeling his life wouldn’t be easy, not anytime soon.