The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 62: Well Then, Listen Up

Lane’s fingers flinched, hovering over the layer of bandages.

"What is that?" he asked, his voice a bit breathless after the long kiss, and somewhat strained for unknown reason.

Damien didn’t answer. He just sat still, avoiding Lane’s gaze. He would have pulled the shirt back on, but that would be pointless at this point.

Not that Lane actually needed an answer. The location and the extent of the injury told him everything he needed to know.

Without the word, he unhooked the pin, and slowly started unwrapping the bandage.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Damien caught his hand, his brows furrowed.

"I want to see how bad it is," Lane explained calmly, his face completely expressionless. "Or are you going to explain?"

"I..." Damien’s voice faltered. As his grip loosened, Lane tried to pull his hand away and continue with the bandages, but before he could do so, Damien grasped him once again.

"It’s almost healed."

"Almost?" Lane couldn’t help but scoff. "Well, Team Leader Damien Lennox. When did you get this injury, if I may ask?"

Damien remained silent.

"Well? Was it today?"

"...No."

"Yesterday evening then?"

"No."

"So at least two days." Lane nodded his head, as if he was just comprehending something. freewebnσvel.cѳm

Of course, he was very well aware that it was far more than that. Around two weeks, in fact. But, although he might have gotten a bit carried away, with all the kissing and stuff, it didn’t mean he had completely lost his mind. He wasn’t about to admit that he knew anything about the injury, when it was something ’Aidan’ should have no way of knowing.

Even if that was the injury Damien received when trying to save ’Noah’.

"It has been at least two days," Lane repeated once again. "And it looks like a pretty big injury, no? So, Damien. Can you tell me why didn’t you seek any healers?"

Damien still refused to say anything. He just took the unwrapped bandage from Lane, and fixed it back in place, the best he could.

"Didn’t the Association offer you a healer? Well, then I think I’m going to quit! If that’s how they treat even their high-rankers, then what can a C-ranker like me possibly expect!" Lane scoffed again, losing his patience.

"That’s... not it. They did offer me a healer..." Damien finally muttered.

"So? How come you are still walking around wrapped like a mummy?"

Lane was exaggerating, but Damien was not in the mood to point it out. He just said, "I’m an S-ranker. I will heal on my own."

"So what? With a good healer you would have been fixed right away! And it’s not like your recovery speed is all that great right now, when you haven’t even been getting enough- Ugh!"

Lane bit his tongue. He might have said a bit too much. Would an inexperienced Guide be able to notice Damien’s state? He didn’t really know. It’s been so long since he was a newbie that he forgot how it was.

Luckily, Damien wasn’t a Guide, so he wouldn’t really be able to tell either.

"So?" he asked again, crossing his arms on his chest. He had already gotten up from Damien’s lap, and was standing in front of the couch, looking down at the man.

"It’s just thought there were people who needed it more at the time," Damien explained. He tried to sound calm, but it was clear it wasn’t an easy topic for him to talk about. His frown seemed deeper and darker than ever, and his eyes squinted, as if he was in pain...

Lane wouldn’t let him go, though. "Oh yeah? And in this... time that had passed since then, were there always other people for the healers to take care of? Couldn’t they take care of you as well?"

He glanced at Damien’s shoulder, clenching his jaw.

Seeing the bandaged shoulder, he couldn’t help but recall how it looked, all bloody and torn. The desperate expression on Damien’s face, as he fished him out of the lake. How could he not feel even a pang of guilt?

But even more so than remorseful, he was pissed off.

It irritated him so much.

What was Damien thinking, leaving such a deep wound practically untreated?

Was it some sort of ridiculous memento?

Or did he keep it to make Lane feel bad, if they ever met again?

Lane didn’t know. He couldn’t even begin to guess what was going through Damien’s head. Rather, the more he found out, the more confused he was...

Either way, he wasn’t about to tolerate that.

"You said you liked my guiding, right?" he asked, his voice dark and cold. "Well then, listen up. I don’t care if you’re a Team Leader or whatever. Even if you get promoted and become the Director of the whole Awakened Association, as long as you have even a trace of that thing left on your shoulder, I won’t give you any guiding. I will refuse your every request. Even if you tie me up and try to force me, you won’t ever receive even a sliver of my Mana again, unless you get healed. Are we clear?"

"...Yes." Damien nodded his head. "I’ll contact a healer right away."

"Well, as long as you understand." Lane turned away on the spot, and walked out, without looking back even once, slamming the door.

Only once he was completely alone and out of anyone’s sight, having hidden in the toilets, he exhaled deeply, calming down a bit. His blood was still buzzing in his veins, but as he splashed his face with cold water, his head finally got a bit clearer.

He wouldn’t have expected himself to lose his cool like that, not because of Damien. Or, to be precise, not because of Damien’s injury. Why should he care whether he was injured or not? At the end of the day, it was Damien’s own choice to jump straight into the monster’s jaws. And it was also his choice to leave it unhealed. So why...

"Hah..." Lane exhaled heavily, brushing his hair back as he glanced at his reflection in the mirror. His lips were all red and swollen.

"Really now... I must be losing my mind from all this stress."

He scoffed lightly, half-amused at himself, and quickly put himself in order the best he could, before going back to the office.