The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 322: Snowstorm

Chapter 322: Snowstorm

Ethan might have joined the team earlier, but when it came to winning the teammates over, Lane had an obvious advantage.

He was more sociable to begin with. Getting along with people had never been difficult for Lane, no matter what fake identity he took on. They were exceptions, of course - for example, Damien had initially been somewhat difficult to talk to, and Clara disliked him whether he was ’Xavier’ or ’Lane’ - but generally, if he wanted to be on friendly terms with someone, he would most likely succeed.

On top of that, while the members of Damien’s team might have only met him once so far, when Lane had joined them for training, he had spent a few months working with them. He knew them well, and thus was able to make them feel more at ease around him. Almost like an old friend...

And that wasn’t all. Everyone knew that Lane was Damien’s boyfriend. The rumors had already spread and reached everyone’s ears long ago, and that one time Lane had appeared at the team training confirmed it all. So, while Ethan was Damien’s main Guide with near-perfect compatibility, if he tried to snatch Lane’s man from him, everyone would know who was in the right, and they wouldn’t support the wrong person...

The problem was that Ethan hadn’t acted out of line yet, not in front of the others. If he only wanted to be close to Team Leader without making any obvious moves on him, then that wasn’t anything deserving of criticism... He was his Guide, after all, it was understandable for him to stick to Damien’s side!

Which was a bit frustrating for Lane. Honestly, as much as he hated Ethan making moves on Damien, at this moment he wished the Guide would just act, so that he would have an excuse to deal with him!

Since he didn’t, though, Lane had no choice but to hold himself back. He sat in the back of the minibus, chatting with his teammates and ’getting to know each other’, while throwing surreptitious glances at Ethan every now and then, to make sure that the man sat down on his ass quietly, and kept his sticky hands to himself.

The road felt much longer than it should have, but eventually, they arrived at the site of the Gate. Damien and Hallie parked the minibuses in front of an abandoned house, and they all got out.

A representative from the Guild that had owned the Gate was already waiting for them at the front. He exchanged a few words with Damien, before letting them in.

The B-rank Gate they had to inspect this time was located inside, in the middle of the staircase. It wasn’t built this way - it used to be an ordinary house. Until a few years ago, a Gate suddenly appeared... And the family that had used to live there had no choice but to move out. Even now, after the Gate had long been cleared, they wouldn’t be able to move back in, even if they wanted to...

That’s how it was with the Gates. They could appear anywhere, out of nowhere, and completely change their surroundings with just their presence. As to why they appeared, or whether there was a way to move them, or better yet remove them completely, it was still unknown. Whenever new Gates emerged, people just had to adjust to it, whether they liked it or not.

It was summer in the Capital now, and the temperature was rising every day, the sun heating up the pavements, and making the air stuffy. But the moment they crossed the Gate, they suddenly found themselves inside a massive snowstorm...

It was not the best weather to walk around, but they had no choice. The schedule was tight - if they didn’t inspect the dungeon today, it would be hard to readjust the schedule... Inspecting Gates belonging to the Guilds had to be scheduled with the respective Guilds to gain access. The only Gates they could change to were the ones owned by the Association, and even that would create a lot of delays... Not to mention, there was no guarantee that when they came back here another day, the weather would be any better...

So, Damien just took a look around, and said to his team, "Stick close together so that you won’t get lost. Stay vigilant at all time."

Although the Gate was inactive, and there should be no monsters around, you never know.

After warning the team, he turned to Lane next. He stared at the man for a long while, looking as if he wanted to say something... In the end, though, he just sighed, and reached into his spatial bag, pulling out a thick winter coat. "Here, wear this," he said, wrapping it around Lane’s shoulders. "It’s cold."

Lane was the person who was most likely to stray from the course. But at the same time, he was also the one who was in the least danger if the monsters really were to appear... And if he wanted to wander around, no amount of warnings would stop him.

Lane stared at Damien for a moment, snowflakes landing on his pastel pink hair, quickly accumulating, and forming a white layer. "What about you?" he asked.

"I have cold resistance, I’ll be okay," Damien shook his head.

Then, he turned his eyes to the Mana fluctuation measuring device, taking the first measurement at the dungeon’s entrance.

Lane stared at him for a while with a complicated look in his eyes. He had his own winter jacket in his spatial bag, there was no need for Damien to give him his...

Eventually, though, he just tousled his hair, shaking off the snow, and pulled the hood over his head. Although Damien’s coat wasn’t as good as his own... Somehow, Damien’s felt warmer. Much more so. And, while a bit too big for Lane, it was very comfortable...

He didn’t even realize when his lips curved up in a smile on their own.