The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 114: Inconsiderate

Chapter 114: Inconsiderate

Next two weeks were way to busy to do... well, anything. Beside work, of course. Having to run around the area closed off post dungeon break, hunt the remaining monsters wandering around and help clean up their remains, Damien and Lane were both busy from morning till evening. And Damien still had a lot of office work to complete on top of that all!

So, despite being ’in relationship’ - technically, temporarily, accidentally, or whatever - Lane didn’t get to see any ’relationship perks’. Damien was so overworked, that he even stopped brining his homemade protein bars for Lane! There was just not enough time left in the day for him to prep them. He already slept two hours at most...

It was all because of the summit. Before long, Damien, as well as a few other important Association members would depart, going abroad with some entourage, and there wouldn’t be enough high-ranking people left to explore the Gate. Postponing the mission wasn’t an option, not when the safety of the Capital was at stake, so they had to all try their best and endure.

And finally, the day before their scheduled entrance to the Gate arrived.

***

Ping!

The elevator opened, and Lane stepped in, together with five more Espers. "Fourth for me please," he muttered to the person closest to the control panel, rolled his shoulders and leaned against the back wall. A moment later, the door closed, and the elevator started moving again, stopping on every floor on its way.

Because of the dungeon break, the Guiding Center at the Association had been unusually busy in the recent days. And even more so now, right before the big scouting mission. Four out of six high-ranking teams would participate - that was fifty-three Espers in total. Fifty-three Espers, each of whom had to be in perfect condition, their wavelengths as stable as they could possibly be. While there would be Guides coming with them, naturally, as per dungeon entrance regulations...

It was an unknown, high-ranking Gate they were entering. No one knew what awaited them inside. If, by any chance, they were to be ambushed by the monsters inside... And something would happen to the Guides, or they simply wouldn’t be able to keep up with guiding everyone... Then, if due to insufficient guiding, some of the Espers were to go on rampage...

Well, to put it simply, that was a situation that the Association, always lacking in high-ranking Espers, couldn’t afford.

The elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and Lane got off, turning his steps to the private room no. 405, where he was scheduled to meet Samantha. Only that, after opening the door, he realized that there were two people inside, not one.

Clara was glaring at him from the couch, sitting with her arms crossed.

"I-I’m sorry," Samantha muttered, her head lowered. "I-if, if you’re un-uncomfortable, we can reschedule..."

Lane scoffed, meeting Clara’s eyes. "Reschedule? And then what? Will you be able to stop her from coming?"

Instead of responding, Samantha lowered her head even more. Well, that could have also been considered a form of response, as it told Lane everything he needed to know.

"Well, forget about it. Some people..." Lane paused, giving Clara a pointed look, "simply don’t care when they’re inconsiderate of others."

His words instantly caused Clara to flare up. "As if you’re one to talk!"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Lane curved his mouth in a smirk. "I’m not the one arguing with my brother over his choice of partner, when he clearly doesn’t want anyone to intervene. Or tagging along with my sister at work, when it obviously makes her uncomfortable!"

Of course, he did plenty other... ’inconsiderate’ things. Way worse than Clara, beyond compare. Lane was aware of it, and there was no justifying it... But Clara had no way of knowing any of it. All that she knew of ’Xavier’ was that he was an Esper from her brother’s team, who was also intimately involved with her brother. Only this, the rest was just her speculations.

So, there was nothing she could say as an retort, only "It’s all for their good."

"Hahah, well, that’s what you think. Do they agree, though?" Lane chuckled. A moment later though, he stopped messing around, and threw himself on the armchair next to the sofa. "Alright, let’s get this over with then. What do you want? For me to dump your brother?"

"This..." Clara’s frown deepened. She thought for a second, before shaking her head. "No, that’s not a good idea. He seems to... care for you, although I can’t comprehend why," her face twisted with disgust and she looked at Lane as if he was some hideous bug, "so he would be hurt if you suddenly left..."

Despite the disgust with which he was regarded, Lane felt kind of fuzzy and warm inside all of a sudden. His breathing quickened, and he shifted in his seat... Still, he clenched his fists, suppressing the emotions - he didn’t want such weird emotions to show on his face, especially not now! - and curved his lips in a mocking smirk instead. "Well, I’m glad you at least get that! Then, maybe you should just fuck off?"

"I can’t!" Clara yelled out through clenched jaw. "He’s too caring, too naive, too... Ugh!" She dug her hand in her shoulder-length hair, bulling on her locks. "First of all, what do you even want? A raise? Promotion?"

"Hah, it seems you don’t know your brother all that well? Do you really think Damien would agree to something like that?"

Clara glared at him darkly. "I know he wouldn’t, but you might not have." Then, she exhaled slowly, calming down a bit. "Alright, good. If not that, then what?"

"Sex."

"...What?"

"Sex," Lane answered. "He’s really hot, you know?"

It was most certainly not what Clara expected. She was so stunned, that it took a good minute or two before she finally managed to return to her senses. "So... you just want to hook up?"

"Hmm. That was the plan, but it seems we’re in relationship now?"

Lane’s cheerful, light-hearted voice seemed to have done some critical damage. Clara was sitting quietly on the couch, trying to wrap her head around it all...

Meanwhile, Samantha, completely red in the face from the conversation she was forced to listen to, quietly made her way to Lane, taking his hand to begin their guiding session. Clara was too absorbed in her thoughts to stop them, and it wasn’t like she could do anything either way - Samantha was Lane’s assigned main Guide, it was her duty to guide him.

"...That’s the worst," Clara finally muttered after a while. "How could that possibly happen..."

Lane clasped his chest dramatically. "Wow, that’s rude. Damien seemed very happy about it, you know?"

But Clara cared nothing about his antics. She only glared at him with her frosty blue eyes, "Yeah, for now! Until you cheat on him!"

Now that was truly rude. And unexpected. At least Lane was taken aback by the accusation.

Well, considering how flirtatious and promiscuous he was, it wouldn’t be weird to think Lane would also be a cheater... But he never cheated on anyone before. Sure, it wasn’t much of an achievement when he never had been in an exclusive relationship before, but...

"Why do you assume I will cheat on him?" he couldn’t help but ask.

There was no answer though. Whatever Clara was thinking, she had no intention to explain herself.