The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 334: Displeased

Chapter 334: Displeased

The sky was already dark by the time Damien finally came back home from work. Although it was summer, and the days were long, he was so busy that he had to stay in the office from dawn to dusk. And that day had been particularly so...

Because he had been so busy and came back late, it was Lane who took care of dinner. Of course, in Lane’s dictionary, ’making dinner’ mainly concerned pressing a few buttons on his phone... But it didn’t matter how he did it, what mattered the most was the result, no? And the result was that not long after Damien got back home, just as he got out of the shower, the dining room table was set with a selection of fresh, delicious dishes, a salivating aroma wafting in the air. Since it was Lane’s turn to ’cook’, and Damien had been treating him so well, naturally, Lane had to order from a reputable place!

Damien stepped into the room, tying his bathrobe, and glanced at the sumptuous meal on the table. Although the presentation had suffered a bit, since it was delivered instead of being served in the restaurant, he could tell that it wasn’t any average take-out. It was probably a meal he wouldn’t be able to afford himself...

But he didn’t comment on that. He just nodded his head at Lane, and said, "Thanks," before taking a seat.

After spending two months as Lane’s ’neighbor’, he was starting to slowly getting used to Lane’s spending extravagance. Not entirely, of course, it was a very slow process, but still. Besides, the meal right now wasn’t just for him, but Lane was going to eat it as well, so it was a little bit easier for him to accept.

As they both sat down to eat, the room was oddly silent. Damien had already noticed it earlier, when he had first come back home, but Lane seemed to be... annoyed. And perhaps concerned. It didn’t seem to be because of him, though - whenever he had come back home late in the past, Lane would openly complain, coaxing Damien to recompense him in bed... But this time, he was just quiet, and lost in thought.

With Lane in such a bad mood, it would be difficult for Damien to bring up what he wanted to discuss...

"Is there anything wrong?" he tried asking first. "You seem... displeased."

"Hmm?" Lane lifted his head. Indeed, his grey eyes were dark and clouded. But, he still forced a smile, and shook his head. "No, why would I be?"

Now that was even weirder. Normally, when asked such question, Lane would use it as an opportunity to flirt with Damien... Under normal circumstances, Lane would use pretty much anything as an excuse to flirt. So, for him to deny it... It must have been something serious.

Very serious.

Serious enough that Lane wasn’t even in the mood to flirt.

It made Damien uneasy.

"Are you sure?" he tried again.

"Hahah," Lane chuckled. But his laughter sounded somewhat tense and mirthless. "It’s nothing, really... I’m... I’m just a bit frustrated, because I couldn’t clear one level in the game earlier."

"...Oh." Damien went silent. Was that really it? Damien seriously doubted it... Although Damien didn’t know much about any games, he had seen Lane play before, and Lane had never gotten frustrated because of them. To begin with, with his reflexes and speed, the games he played weren’t challenging to him... Unless for some reason Lane had suddenly decided to play games that tested his knowledge, or difficult logical games, how could he possibly fail to clear a level? It was obviously just an excuse.

Still, he could only suggest, "Would you like me to take a look?"

"No need, no need," Lane waved his hand dismissively. "You don’t play games anyway."

Indeed Damien didn’t. If Lane were truly stuck on a level, it was unlikely Damien would be able to offer much help.

"Enough of that. How was work?" Before Damien could say anything else, Lane swiftly changed the topic.

Damien had no way to press on any further. Although he was still suspicious, and knew that there was something going on... If Lane didn’t want to tell him, it’s not like he could squeeze the truth out of the man. He could only let it go for now, and wait until Lane was willing to tell him himself.

Besides... Concerned as he might have been about the secrets that Lane kept from him, there were more pressing issues to discuss. He cleared his throat, and said, "Quite busy. Because of the recent dungeon break, things are a bit chaotic at the Association..."

Lane nodded his head slowly, taking a bite of his food. Of course things were chaotic. And not just a bit. Even to say that the whole structure of the Association, especially at the Headquarters in the Capital, was on the brink of falling apart wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration. The Association had never been particularly efficient, partially because of its stiff and stupid rules which should have been adjusted a long time ago, and partially because of a lack of sufficient funds and high-quality personnel. With all that had been happening, it was only natural that they would suffer a lot of setbacks. Not only did they have internal problems, but the unrest and dissatisfaction among the citizens were also growing, affecting them...

But, oh well. If the Association fell apart, it wouldn’t be so bad, at least as far as Lane was concerned. Perhaps... Perhaps then, his secret organization would be able to find a way to replace them? If so, the drastic steps that they had initially planned might no longer be necessary...

Damien didn’t know what Lane was thinking. He just scooped some food onto his plate, as he continued, "There was a meeting with all the Team Leaders today to discuss the Restricted Zones in the Capital. At the end of it, it was decided that the Field Teams would be rearranged..."