The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 303: Late Night Snack and Talk

Damien didn’t ask Lane what he had been doing the whole day when he had been away from home, with his phone unreachable. There was no need for him to ask - after all, while Lane might have scrubbed himself clean of all the monster blood, his wavelengths still betrayed him. He was still stable, of course, but with Damien’s wavelength sensibility, he had naturally been able to pick up on the shift within Lane, which was clearly far above his usual daily (unauthorized and illegal) ability usage for the sake of convenience.

He didn’t tell him off either, even though he knew and Lane deserved some scolding. Partially because after the whole day of worrying, he was just too relieved to even attempt to lecture the man... And partially because they had something more important to discuss.

That is, Ethan Wagner. Or, to be precise, the matching rate test he and Damien were scheduled to have in the morning. Although there was a chance that their compatibility might be too low, and they wouldn’t be paired up... Damien still thought it was better to discuss it with Lane beforehand. He was going to kick up a fuss in protest, Damien was quite sure of that, but it was better than if he heard about it only after the fact.

First, he quickly prepared a strawberry sundae with a lot of strawberry sauce, chocolate curls, rainbow sprinkles, and a mountain of whipped cream on top. It was hardly the healthiest late-night snack... But knowing Lane, sugar (or sex) was the best way to put him in a good mood...

And it was important to pacify him first, before breaking the news about Damien’s morning schedule.

It was only once they both sat down, and Lane was a good one-third down devouring the dessert, that Damien finally spoke up.

"I have a matching rate test scheduled for tomorrow," he said, speaking slowly and carefully, trying to keep his voice calm and collected, to break it to Lane in as gentle way as possible.

But the moment the words ’matching rate test’ left Damien’s mouth, Lane instantly froze.

And it wasn’t from eating ice cream too fast.

He lifted his eyes from the dessert, focusing his gaze on Damien. "With whom?" he simply asked. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Of course, he already suspected the answer, but he still had to confirm. There was a chance that he could be wrong, after all...

Although, even if he were, that would only mean that Damien’s compatibility test with Ethan wasn’t happening JUST YET. It would still probably happen in the future...

But he wasn’t wrong, as Damien soon confirmed, "With Ethan Wagner."

Silence fell in the room. Droplets of condensed water trickled down the glass dessert bowl standing on the table in front of Lane, while the ice cream inside slowly melted in the warm room temperature. But Lane seemed to have forgotten about the dessert, as he sat with a spoon in his hand, his grey eyes staring intensely at Damien.

’Seemed’ was the keyword, though. Even if Lane’s whole attention was stolen by something else, there was a part of his brain that still urged him to scoop up some more of the delicious dessert and stuff it in his mouth to satisfy his sugar craving. The action was more automatic rather than conscious, and Lane barely registered the strawberry, cream, and chocolate flavors melting on his tongue.

"I’ve tried to cancel the schedule," Damien rushed to explain himself, interrupting the tense silence. "But the cancellation hasn’t been approved yet..."

It wasn’t within his authority to fully cancel it on his own, after all. Technically, he COULD do it by pulling some strings, but...

"Even if it’s canceled... They’re just going to schedule another one," Lane said, pointing out what both of them were thinking. "The Allens must be manipulating it from behind the scenes. And from the Association’s point of view, it is only natural for you two to be tested together, considering your ranks. There’s no legitimate reason for you to refuse."

His reaction... seemed oddly calm. However, when Damien lifted his gaze to meet Lane’s eyes... They were so dark it almost sent shivers down his spine. No matter how calm he had seemed on the surface, it was clear that inside, Lane was ANYTHING BUT CALM.

And somehow, it made his calm behavior even more terrifying. Lane could probably set the whole city up in flames without so much as blinking an eyelid at this moment.

Or turn someone into an unrecognizable puddle of blood and flesh. For example, a certain S-rank Guide.

"...You can’t do anything to him," Damien quickly said, as he was getting a really bad feeling about it.

And Lane didn’t even try to deny having such thoughts. He just casually asked, "Why not?" as he stuffed another spoonful of the strawberry sundae in his mouth.

"He’s a spy sent by your parents!"

"Even more so a reason to get rid of him," Lane nodded in agreement.

To which, Damien sighed helplessly, his frown deepening. "If you do anything to him, that will give them a legitimate reason to take action against you!"

He had a valid point... But Lane only smiled in response.

"Who said I will do anything to him? It’s just that... accidents happen, you know? And although he’s an S-ranker, he’s still just a Guide. He could easily die, for example in a car crash..."

"But if you..."

’But if you crash into him yourself, you will still be blamed for that,’ was what Damien wanted to say, but then he remembered that there was no need for Lane to do anything ’personally’. Even if he promised to no longer possess other people... He still had an A-rank hypnotic ability on his disposal!

"Still, no," he said firmly. "It’s just a matching rate test. There’s a chance our compatibility will be low, and we won’t be paired up."

"...That’s true," Lane agreed, unwillingly. He paused for a moment, sucking on the spoon...

"Alright, FIIIINE. I won’t do anything, at least for now..." he eventually said, albeit begrudgingly. "But I’m coming with you tomorrow. To the matching rate test, I mean."

"...Alright," Damien had no choice but to agree. Although it hardly seemed like a good idea... It was still better than leaving Lane alone at home, no? At least this way, he could keep an eye on the man...