The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 260: Just Spit It Out!

It wasn’t that Lane thought Nyla had no right to keep any secrets from him. Rather, it was natural that she did. He had a ton of secrets as well, and he wasn’t going to reveal any of them to his sister, not any time soon. They had been distant for so long, that it was to be expected there wasn’t much trust between them, if any.

It was just that... This whole situation was suspicious from the start.

The fact that they let Lane know it was Nyla who got him that ’get out of jail’ card? Indirectly, yes, but he doubted that their mother’s assistant made a mistake in front of Ava, even a slip of the tongue was unlikely. Which meant that they let Lane find that out DELIBERATELY. And why would they, now, when they had been trying to drive a wedge between Nyla and Lane before the two of them were even ten years old? Of course, that could be just to make Lane THINK this whole thing was fishy, but still.

And that wasn’t the only reason why Lane was skeptical. The other problem was... What could Nyla possibly have offered them in return? Everything she had was owned by them anyway. As for anything they might have wanted her to do... She had already been listening to everything they had ever asked her to do, like an obedient little puppet. So, what more could she possibly have to give?

The only option left was that she threatened them to STOP fulfilling their orders. It would technically make sense - of course their parents would rather let their useless, problematic son go, rather than lose their perfect pawn - except that... She had never dared to disobey them before, even when Lane’s LIFE was at stake, so why would she now? He was only kept locked at the mansion, that’s all. But he still was properly fed and clothed, with internet access and so on... Yes, it was a terrible situation, and he hated it, but it was hardly the worst that could have happened...

The point was, it was all very sus. And now that Nyla refused to explain herself, it made Lane doubt her even more.

But there was still everything that happened back at the summit, when Nyla didn’t know that ’Xavier’ was Lane. Sure, she didn’t say anything that special, all things considered, but the way she spoke...

Lane clicked his tongue, tousling his hair. Honestly, he didn’t get it at all.

"Well," he turned back to Nyla, lifting his brows. "Then, to what do I owe this honor? Can you at least tell me that much?"

"...Honor?"

"Yes. The honor of receiving your merciful help!"

At Lane’s mocking tone, Nyla couldn’t help but lower her head again, her blond hair falling forward and covering her face.

...Did he overdo it? Yes, Lane purposely was being sarcastic in order to get to her, to give her a jab and see how she reacts, but that didn’t mean he wanted to push her so far that she would just shut inside! He was actually there to attempt to communicate, not just to express his annoyance!

He kicked the chair with, maybe not his full, but a lot of strength, so that it flew back at banged into the wall, leaving an indent in it, and getting mangled. "Ah, for fuck’s sake! Do you really have nothing to say to me?!" he snapped, finally losing his patience. "Keeping sweets, snacks and desserts that I like in your spatial bag for years. Learning to use twin daggers in a style I used to fight before I left the Allens. Mentioning to some random guy who had saved you that he reminds you of your brother. And now, apparently making some sort of deal with the Allens for my sake? Just what the hell do you want?"

Nyla, who had flinched at first, startled when the chair had crashed into the wall, was now staring at Lane with wide eyes. "How do you... How do you know all that?"

Right. Because Lane shouldn’t have seen how she had thought with the daggers she had borrowed from ’Xavier’. Or known about the things she had told him when they were alone. Lane probably shouldn’t have mentioned that at all, but he had been frustrated because of it all for so long, that he had lost his cool.

Taking it back wasn’t an option - Nyla couldn’t just ’unhear’ it all, and trying to hypnotize her... wasn’t something that Lane even wanted to attempt, so he could only say, "I can’t tell you that."

"...Oh. Okay." Luckily, Nyla seemed to accept that. He probably assumed he had some connections. Maybe a friend at the Association who had been in that dungeon back then?

Well... If so, then it wasn’t exactly wrong. Lane had a friend. A BOYfriend. Who had been there. Even if it wasn’t from him that Lane knew those things. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Closing his eyes, Lane took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. "Either way, what and how I know it’s not the point," he spoke again, much calmer this time. "The point is: What do you want? From me. With me. Or whatever."

"I..." Nyla fiddled with her hands, so much that it felt as if her fingers might end up permanently twisted. And yet, she didn’t seem to be able to squeeze it out.

"Ah, for fuck’s sake!" Lane clicked his tongue, getting annoyed again. He’s been holding this frustration back for YEARS. Only accumulating with time, with no way to let it out. So now, when they finally had their little confrontation... He was completely out of patience. "Just spit it out!"

"It’s just that..." Nyla muttered, her voice growing quieter and more mumbling with each word. "I’m not sure if I have any right to ask..."

The edge of the desk cracked, a piece chipping off, as Lane squeezed it with too much force. "Just. Fucking. Do it!" he uttered, his chest tight as he suppressed his urge to yell, his eyes twitching violently.

What ’right to ask’. That was so fucking stupid. You could always ask. At worst, you just wouldn’t get what you wanted, if you really had no right to it!

Nyla lowered her head even further, fumbling around for a while longer... Until eventually, she muttered,

"I just... would like for us to be like we used to..."