TWLPOD 12
by soapa“…Why?”
“Because you are a dangerous element. You.”
For the center, it was a matter of course. Since not only persuasion but also torture and brainwashing had failed, it was impossible to expect loyalty from the S-class in front of them, and just as no one lets a wild beast without a leash roam in their yard, they needed Kay’s weakness.
“Since Mr. Aran did not share the conditions of bringing you, we needed a reasonable price. As that price, Mr. Aran bet his life.”
He could not understand. Not only Aran, who had said nothing even after betting his life, but also the person opposite him, who spoke of it so lightly.
“In other words. It does not matter at all if Kay refuses the wavelength test. It’s just that if you disobey the center’s orders or cause damage, the punishment for that will be borne by Mr. Aran.”
“Don’t mind it. These guys can’t harm me anyway.”
“The center’s greatest strength is that it possesses a large number of espers and guides. If it is a method of inflicting pain without taking a life, there are plenty of ways.”
Jin, who refuted again this time, smiled with his eyes narrowed thinly, as if he were genuinely enjoying himself.
“Of course. I’m sure Mr. Aran is well aware of all of this.”
In the end, everything he said was meant for him to hear.
“What will you do? Kay. I will leave the choice to you.”
Even though the answer was already set, at the subtle question, Kay held out his hand.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”
A lukewarm heat was transmitted from the hand that touched his.
The speed at which he blinked his eyes increased at the wavelength that swept through the inside of his skin and spread through his body. The hand, as lukewarm as body temperature, spread as if it were scanning from his muscles to his internal organs, and his stomach churned.
A creeping discomfort, which felt like it was ticklish, and also like it was stickily clinging to his throat and suffocating him, emerged. The compatibility between an esper and a guide varied widely; in cases where they were a good match, one could feel a pleasure that made their whole body tingle, and in cases where they were not a good match, one could even feel a revulsion that made them want to vomit… and the sensation transmitted from Jin was, if he had to choose, the latter.
The discomfort dug into his bones, and at some point, when he started to feel nauseous.
“That’s enough.”
The hand was pulled away.
“Haa.”
As he let out a big breath, the once thin oxygen was supplied, and his vision returned.
He had been stepping back without realizing it, and thud, what he bumped into was Aran, who had caught him as he staggered. Thanks to him, he quickly came to his senses and righted his body.
However, while he was regaining his composure, Jin was looking down at his own hand the entire time.
Just as he was thinking, ‘Is there some kind of problem?’, he smiled as if nothing had happened.
“Thank you for your cooperation. …There are no problems.”
The subtle silence between his words was somehow bothersome, but Jin continued to speak as if nothing had happened.
“And Mr. Aran.”
“What.”
“There is a request for dispatch from Sector H.”
“I know. I’ll be there soon.”
Aran replied nonchalantly and headed out of the building.
“How long will you be?”
Aran’s expression was as nonchalant as Jin’s indifferent question. But within that expressionless face, the displeasure that arose was, strangely enough, clearly visible to Kay.
“30 minutes.”
“I will give you 20 minutes. That should be fine, right?”
“Jin.”
Aran, who stepped outside the boundary as the automatic door opened, turned around and warned.
“Stop messing around.”
Even at the words that held a murderous intent, Jin, visible through the closing door, was smiling brightly as if he was enjoying himself.
Thud. Aran, with his back to the closed iron door, muttered.
“What a detestable bastard.”
Let’s go, he said, and as he started to go down ahead, Kay called him to a stop.
“Why did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“I’m talking about you betting your life.”
“It’s just as you heard.”
For an ability user from Willamere to live in Lympus, a complicated administrative process was required. Usually, the center handles it on their behalf, but since Kay came here through a deal with him, the price for that also had to be paid by Aran himself for the calculation to be correct.
“The center wanted to get a hold on your life. If we’re going to make a deal, we have to at least put up something of similar value, right?”
“So you bet your life?”
“Yeah. But as I said, it’s not something you need to worry about.”
“How can I not worry when you bet your life on my behalf?”
Aran turned back on the path he had walked and stood in front of Kay, then asked with a subtle smile.
“Are you worried?”
At the unexpected words, his mind went blank for a moment.
“It’s fine. I am one of only two S-class multis on this land, and the center can’t threaten me even if they wanted to.”
That was not the kind of logical argument he was talking about. Unable to figure out where this conversation had gone astray, Kay’s heart pounded the moment he came face to face with Aran, who had slowly bent his waist.
“If not that….”
As if he had remembered something, he whispered at a short distance where their breaths could overlap.
“Then you can just protect me.”
The unusually light tone made the weight of reality seem faint. The heartbeat that hammered against his bones was by no means because of his beauty, or the distance that felt like their lips would touch if he moved slightly. Something that was neither tension nor excitement flowed down his spine.
Kay realized it when his eyes, which sparkled like glass, blinked once and met his eyes again.
That he was a different person from El. Very clearly.
“You….”
As he opened and closed his mouth without finishing his words, Aran tilted his head, and Kay threw out his honest impression.
“Your head is strange.”
“My head?”
“Not that head.”
He straightened his back and felt his own hair. The suspicion sprouted that perhaps even this action was an act to change the subject.
“…The calculation doesn’t add up.”
Kay reminded himself over and over again that he did not know this man well. Because he resembled the person he loved most, he had to build up the wariness that he so easily demolished, over and over again, like a sandcastle that would disappear in the wind.
“You and the center both have the same goal of wanting to end the war, right? If it’s to use me, wouldn’t it be enough to just hand over my weakness?”
“That’s right. But just because the goal is the same doesn’t mean the process has to be the same.”
Process?
“The moment the center finds out the conditions of our deal, they’ll use you recklessly with ‘that condition’ as the price. They’ll push you until you’re hurt, broken, and even your mind is a mess, and if you go on a rampage, they’ll throw you into the middle of a battlefield and even frugally recycle you as a human weapon. Since they can’t give you information about ‘that person’ anyway, it’s best if you die before the war ends.”
Knowing the center’s past actions, Kay could not deny it. That was why he could not understand it even more.
“Are you saying you’re not like that?”
“I bet my life so you would believe that.”
Aran’s finger, who had come back up the stairs he had gone down and stood in front of Kay, poke, poked his chest. It was exactly over his heart.
“Don’t think about it too hard. I only told the truth, and I made the choice to become your safety device because I wanted this deal to be fair.”
“Even if it puts you in danger?”
“This is getting off cheap, relatively speaking.”
His smile, which he had to look up at even though he was one step below, caused a ripple. The sands of the sandcastle flowed down again in the spreading ripples. In a deal that was unfair but had no choice but to be swallowed, he had adjusted the weight of the scale solely for Kay.
His mouth felt sweet. Even as suspicion preceded the too-good conditions, his head and his heart were separate.
“You’re holding a blade now too. The center can’t treat you carelessly, and depending on your actions, you can decide my life and death. Isn’t that actually a good thing?”
“The former may be so, but the latter is creepy.”
“Why? Isn’t it thrilling to think that you hold the power of life and death over someone else?”
His back, as he turned with a smile still on his lips, looked carefree.
“Your head is really strange, so go see a doctor.”
“I don’t want to. I’ll get my feelings hurt if I go and they say I’m really strange.”
Calling his head strange was an understatement. He felt like someone who was wrong somewhere, like someone with a broken part.
‘If not for that….’
There was absolutely no reason for him to make a deal that would deliberately put himself in danger.
Solely for the reason of buying his trust.
“……”