The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]
Chapter 95: Overslept

Chapter 95: Overslept

So Damien could be trusted. At least to some extent.

Of course, that didn’t mean Lane was going to reveal everything to the man... After all, while Damien might not have reported him so far, who knows what he would do if he found out the whole truth? There was a big difference between possessing someone else’s body after dying and what Lane was actually doing...

But perhaps admitting just to the fact that he was ’Evan’ would be okay.

He didn’t HAVE to do that though. Now that he knew Damien wouldn’t rat him out so easily out of fear he might disappear, he could just continue to play dumb and keep the man in the state of uncertainty...

Not that he enjoyed tormenting Damien so much, it was just all about what was the best for him. Only Ava knew about his possession ability, no one else, so telling Damien anything was a big deal... It came with a lot of benefits, such as, for example, Lane wouldn’t have to be so cautious anymore, or they could continue with their fling, but it still wasn’t an easy decision to make.

All those thoughts kept Lane awake at night, despite the alcohol-induced sleepiness he felt. He tossed and turned, chewing over all those issues, trying to make up his mind. Even when he finally dozed off, he didn’t sleep well, and when the alarm rang in the morning, he wasn’t rested at all.

He even had a brief thought to call in sick, but... After last night, it was even more important to show up to work, so that he could observe Damien, and check whether he remembered their ’chat’ about his past identities last night. Which he shouldn’t, if the hypnosis worked well. If he was only pretending to fall under Lane’s spell though...

So, Lane popped a Recovery Pill in his mouth, stopped by a cafe to get a super sweet caramel latte with double espresso, and showed up in their meet-up point in the Association Headquarters’ parking garage on time.

But, to his surprise, Damien was not there. Everyone else was, waiting on the spot, but Damien, who was usually the first to arrive - as far as Lane was aware. Since he almost always came at the last minute, he didn’t actually know - was still nowhere to be found.

Even when the clock struck eight, which was the time they were supposed to depart.

The team looked among themselves. "Anyone knows anything?"

However, of course, no. Lane had an idea... But he wasn’t about to volunteer his information.

"Someone should call him," he only proposed.

"Alright. I’ll do it." Tina, as Damien’s most long-standing subordinate, was the one to step forward. She dialed Damien’s number... Then dialed again... Only on the second try, after a good few signals, the man finally picked up. "Ah, Team Leader! I’m just calling because we are waiting by the buses... Ah... Ah, alright, I understand. We’ll be waiting then." She ended the call, turning back to the rest of the team, her face incredulous. "Team Leader... Ahem, overslept. He said he will get here as soon as possible."

"Pfft," Lane bit his lip hard, barely managing to stifle the laugh threatening to escape his throat. No matter how hard he tried though, his shoulders still shook uncontrollably, and he had to cover up his mouth tightly with his hand as to not burst out loud. Perhaps it was not nice, to laugh at Damien’s mistake when he was the cause of it...

But being late one time was no big deal, it’s not like it would have any serious consequences for the man. As for Lane, he was simply proud of himself, having unlocked a ’new achievement.’

"Did Team Leader say he was on the way?" he asked Tina, once he finally managed to calm himself down.

"Hmm? No, he just got up, why?"

"Ah, then... Does anyone know which dungeons we’re inspecting today?"

"I have the list," Hallie pulled out her phone. As the second driver, she needed to have all the addresses, in case they got separated on the road. She opened the map, showing it to Lane. "There you go."

Lane quickly scanned through the list. It wasn’t exactly on the way, but with just a bit of a detour... He turned back to Tina. "Tell Team Leader to just wait for us at his place, it’ll be faster if we pick him up. He might not be in the best condition to drive anyway."

All eyes fell on him, full of surprise and confusion, but Lane just ignored the gazes. Instead, he took the keys from Hallie, unlocked one of the minibuses, and got in the driver’s seat. "Come on, we’re already behind the schedule. The sooner we depart, the sooner we can all go home!"

Since it was all his fault, the least he could do is try to ’fix’ the issue himself.

His teammates hesitated for a moment longer, in the end though, Lane’s argument was convincing. No one wanted to just waste time waiting around for who knows how long. Besides, considering even Hallie, who was the Vice Leader, wasn’t opposed to the idea, why should they argue? Even if Team Leader got angry later, it wouldn’t be on them.

As they all got in, departing - Hallie going straight to the site, while Lane doing a detour to pick up Damien - Tina called Damien again. "Hello, Team Leader? Are you... Ah, that’s great. Don’t get in. We’re going to pick you... Ah, but we’re already on the way. Well, but... Ah..."

Tina’s face, visible in the rear-view mirror, was full of consternation. Lane let out a sigh, giving her a quick glance. "What is he saying? Put him on the speaker."

"...unnecessary for you all to go out of your way due to my mistake..." Damien’s hoarse, tired voice filled the car, coming from Tina’s phone speaker.

"Team Leader."

Unprepared, Damien instantly turned silent at the sound of Lane’s voice.

"We’re already on the way," Lane continued. "Just wait for us, okay? Go eat some breakfast, and maybe get yourself some isotonic drinks. We’ll pick you up soon."

"But..." Damien wanted to protest, but Lane didn’t let him.

"It’s faster that way. I get that you don’t want to inconvenience us, but it would be even more inconvenient if we had to wait for you to arrive... Don’t you think?"

There was a long silence, before Damien finally let out a heavy sigh. "Yes. I understand."

He sounded dispirited, his voice filled with guilt, so much so that Lane himself started feeling uncomfortable. Sure, Damien was the one who was late... But if there was anyone at fault for the situation, it was Lane, for pushing such an insane amount of alcohol Damien’s way the night before.

"Ahem, good. We’ll be there soon." Lane pushed all the guilt away, focusing on the road. Yeah, sure, he did Damien wrong a bit... Not just last night, but many times in the past... But most of it wasn’t on purpose, okay? And, he’ll more than gladly repay him for it all in bed, as long as the man will let him.

So, won’t it all be worth it in the end?