The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 106: Awkward Dinner

Chapter 106: Awkward Dinner

The atmosphere hanging over the table was awkward, to say the least. Nyla, having never been an extroverted person, was naturally a bit uncomfortable, suddenly forced to have dinner with two practically strange men - or at least whom she believed to be strangers. While she wasn’t exactly new to such situations, even all the training the Allens put her through couldn’t completely remedy her own character and preferences.

Damien, unused to wealth, unexpectedly thrown into such a luxurious restaurant, was shifting in his seat, his eyes wandering from the polished cutlery - what were all those forks, knives and spoons even for?! - to the pristine, embroidered handkerchiefs, then to the crystal chandeliers, fanciful ebony chairs, the waiters in full suits cruising among the tables, until finally settling on the beautiful city view. And, as if his discomfort caused by the environment wasn’t enough, his attire made it even worse! Even the toilet cleaners in this place were surely more put together than Damien currently was!

Out of the trio, the only person actually enjoying himself was Lane. He was going through the menu, picking all the fanciest, the priciest, the most extraordinary dishes available - if he didn’t, then who would? Damien surely wouldn’t dare, and since it was all paid for by the Allens anyway, then they just had to take advantage of it! Not like it could ever make even a tiny dent in their massive account, but Damien’s time (that should have been all dedicated solely to Lane) was worth even more than that.

"Team Leader Lennox." Once the order - a massive one - was put through, and the waiter brought the full set of appetizers that barely fit on the table, Nyla finally spoke up. "Will you be attending the international Awakened summit this year?"

"Ah, yes, I will be the main representative from the..." Pulling his eyes away from the view outside, Damien only then noticed the abundance of dishes on the table. Earlier on, when Lane was listing his orders, he was still so distracted by all the lavishness surrounding them, that he barely registered what the man was saying... And now, as he swept his eyes over the table, he could only give Lane a helpless glance, ’What were you thinking?’ written all over his face.

Lane naturally pretended not to notice Damien’s embarrassment. "Oh, right! The summit is coming soon! Are we going?" Chewing on the stuffed olives, he looked back at the man, fiddling with the toothpick.

Exasperated by Lane’s question, Damien forgot about the excessive order for a moment. "Yes, I told you three days ago after the training... Weren’t you listening?"

"A-ah, did you? It must have slipped my mind!" Lane forced a dry laugh. Meanwhile, the toothpick he was playing with broke in half, two uneven pieces stabbing into his skin as he unconsciously clenched his hand.

It didn’t escape Damien’s attention. However, with Nyla Allen sitting opposite them, it wasn’t the best moment to question Lane about his thoughts on the summit, and whether he was unwilling to go. He could only keep it in mind for later, and return to the conversation with Nyla instead. "I apologize. As I was saying, I am the Association’s main representative this year. How about the Allen Guild?"

"It all depends on the state of our dungeons. I will be definitely going, Guild Leader, however..."

"Team Leader, try this!" Lane pushed a fork with one of the stuffed dates in front of Damien’s face. As if he didn’t notice that Nyla was talking, or that she was there at all.

"Xavier," Damien reprimanded the man, furrowing his brows.

But Lane only moved his fork closer, until the food was brushing against Damien’s lips, his eyes twinkling. "Say ’ah’," he coaxed, his voice low and teasing.

Damien looked at the food, then Lane. Perhaps he shouldn’t have agreed to this dinner after all. While unlike with Miles, Lane wasn’t showing any open hostility toward Nyla... He was just treating the woman like air. To treat the heiress to the Allen Guild and conglomerate this way... It would be equally rude and inappropriate no matter who she was, of course, but with her identity, they truly shouldn’t offend her! If it led to worsening the relations between the Association and the Allen Guild...

"I apologize for my subordinate," Damien bowed his head. "He doesn’t mean to be rude, he’s just..." Just what? He himself had no idea how to try to justify Lane’s behavior.

Nyla didn’t seem to mind though. Taking a sip of water, she shook her head, endlessly polite. "There’s no need to apologize. Please, feel comfortable and enjoy yourself. It’s just an informal meal we went for together."

This? Such a rich dinner in an extravagant restaurant ’informal?’

Damien’s face turned weird at Nyla’s words, but he didn’t comment anything. He just said a short "Thank you," and randomly picked one of the appetizers, as he shot Lane a warning gaze. Nyla might have said it was alright, but that was still not enough of a reason to allow the man to misbehave!

"Tsk." Under the disapproving gaze, Lane pouted, stuffing the date in his own mouth instead. While he was still tempted to bother Damien some more, he couldn’t just interrupt Nyla every time she wanted to say something. I mean, technically he could... But then he’d never find out why she invited Damien out in the first place.

So, he spent the rest of the dinner quietly, only pushing the plates with the tastiest dishes in front of Damien, since the man was reluctant to reach for anything himself.

In the end though, his sacrifice was for naught. Both Damien, as well as Nyla, stayed equally quiet throughout the meal, only exchanging some small talk about the recent dungeon appearances, as well as the reactivations of inactive Gates and dungeon breaks. Nothing of particular interest.

Even as they finished the desserts, Nyla still hadn’t revealed her purpose.

"Thank you for indulging me today," she only said, bowing her head lightly to Damien. "I hope we can have a meal again in the future."

"Yes, thank you as well." Damien returned the bow.

It was just the basic politeness, without any actual sincerity behind their words.

Of course, Lane wouldn’t lower his guard. There was no way the Allens would treat them to a meal without any ulterior motives. Was it just because Lane was there as well, so Nyla couldn’t get to the point? Or was the intention behind this particular dinner just to start building a closer connection with Damien? Show him generosity?

Either way, Lane wasn’t able to deduce anything.