The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 298: Jealous?

"So, about the inspection..." As they sat down for breakfast the next morning, Lane brought up the topic again.

But just like the day before, Damien only firmly shook his head. "No."

"But Damien!" Lane whined.

"No means no. You don’t have a license."

"But I won’t be working. I’m just there to observe and learn!"

"Still no. If you want to learn, then you have plenty of study materials at home."

"Ugh..." Lane couldn’t help but groan. Was that really all necessary? It would be far more efficient if Lane just hypnotized someone or something. Why did he have to bother memorizing all those rules, when he had a walking rulebook for a boyfriend?

He knew that mentioning hypnotizing his examiner to Damien wasn’t a good idea for the above-mentioned reason, so he just said, "Yeah, yeah, I should study for the exam, I know. But you really shouldn’t leave me at home, not when Ethan will be coming with you!"

"It’s not like we will be alone," Damien pointed out. "Besides, he’s your ex... lover, not mine."

"That was fifteen years ago!" Lane rushed to defend himself. "And besides, we were never lovers or anything. Just... an Esper and a Guide with benefits."

Glancing at the clock, Damien let out a heavy sigh. He didn’t have time for it now.

"I know. I’m not saying it to accuse you or anything. I’m just reminding you that there had never been anything between me and him," he tried to reassure Lane, but that didn’t do much.

"Just because there hasn’t been anything in the past, doesn’t mean he won’t hit on you now!" Lane pouted.

"...Are you jealous?"

"I’m not! It’s just that..."

Well, perhaps he was a bit jealous. He was better looking than Ethan, that’s for sure... But then again, Damien wasn’t someone who cared about looks all that much, considering that he had been into Lane regardless of the body he had possessed. At the same time, it also showed that he was firm in his feelings, chasing after Lane for so long, no matter how flippant Lane had been...

All things considered, there shouldn’t be much for Lane to be jealous about.

It was just that Ethan was an S-rank Guide.

And Damien was an Esper.

Their matching rate was still unknown... But it was likely that it wasn’t nearly as bad as Lane and Damien’s. If they had some guiding sessions, it would give Ethan a chance to get closer...

And although he wasn’t as good-looking as Lane, he was still an attractive man. And gay. Which was why the Allens had sent him to the Association instead of Zoe Parker, Damien’s former Guide. Lane was sure of it.

"Look," Damien sighed once again, rubbing his furrowed forehead. "I wouldn’t mind taking you with me... If I were sure that it was absolutely safe. But you know as well that in the recent months, many of the previously cleared dungeons had reactivated... Thus, there is a chance we might encounter monsters. What are you going to do then, when you’re not allowed to fight without the Esper license?"

Damien... had a point, Lane had to admit. Because of all the Fertilizer Lane had planted in the past, many dungeons were now swarming with monsters again. However,

"It’s not a big deal, really. I would just pay the penalty, I can afford it," Lane shrugged his shoulders, still not convinced.

But Damien quickly shot him down. "Remember that it’s not your first offense, you had already admitted to hiding your rank. Not to mention, you are a public servant now... And there’s a spy from the Allen Guild on our team."

Well, that... Lane didn’t know how to argue with that. Indeed, while Ethan was the reason why Lane felt he absolutely HAD TO GO... He was also the reason why he DEFINITELY SHOULDN’T. Any mistake he did, the Allens would undoubtedly use against him. Pressuring the Association to exact a proper punishment, suspending Lane in his duties, or even arresting him...

"I still don’t like it," he muttered, sulking. Too bad living beings couldn’t be placed in spatial bags. Then, Lane would have been able to tag along secretly...

"Then study properly, so that you can officially join the team soon. Your next exam is in three days." Damien remained stern.

As he got ready to leave, however, he walked over to his sulking boyfriend, who was sitting on the couch looking like an abandoned puppy - or a cat perhaps would be a better comparison - and planted a soft kiss on top of his messy pink hair.

"Don’t worry too much about it," he said. "We will just go on inspections, measure Mana levels in a few dungeons, and I will be back tomorrow morning at the latest."

Tomorrow morning. So Damien might be gone all night. It wasn’t anything new, as the Association often scheduled the inspections without taking the area they had to cover into account... But for some reason this perfectly common thing suddenly bothered Lane.

Following Damien into the dungeon without his approval was not a good idea, though, so all that he could do now was to wrap his arms around Damien’s waist, and pull him into a tight hug...

And bite his neck. Above the collar, so that Damien wouldn’t be able to cover it up.

"Lane!" Damien called out, reproaching him, but Lane didn’t care. He just licked his lips with satisfaction.

Even if Damien was a bit angry at him, or embarrassed at the mark that was visible to everyone, it was still worth it. If Lane had to leave Damien alone with Ethan (the rest of the team didn’t really count. They were pretty much background characters! And Lane didn’t have enough time to get them on his side, not as ’Lane Allen’, so he couldn’t count on them to intervene when needed), then he had to at least make sure to mark his territory beforehand!

Not that it would stop Ethan from trying to mess around - he must have known that Lane and Damien were a thing from the start, and yet he still came to the Association - but still. Lane had stated his claim, and the mark would serve as a reminder. If Ethan wanted to get Damien, he would have to go through him first!