Chapter 75: An Unexpected Awakening

Ethan slowly awoke to an overwhelming sense of quiet. While a silent room was natural upon waking, he realized he couldn’t even discern the faint hum of white noise. Finding this unusual, he opened his eyes, only to freeze mid-stretch as he recognized that his surroundings were not his own room.

He remembered the night before, filled with his own muffled moans, spent in a massive bed within an expansive, soundproofed room furnished with expensive, silent wooden furniture. He also recalled that he was currently lying naked.

And what’s more…

It was morning, and though his recent memory had certainly played a part, he was acutely aware that his own arousal was robustly greeting the new day. Moreover, he could distinctly feel Bliss’s ‘weapon’ – undeniably and vigorously healthy – pressed tightly against his backside, as Bliss slept soundly, their arm wrapped around Ethan’s waist.

He couldn’t move an inch. Thirsty as he was, Ethan dared not rise for a drink. Such a reckless move might only further inflate the already formidable ‘weapon’ he felt. Thus, Ethan closed his eyes, hoping to simply drift back to sleep.

However.

After what felt like five minutes, Ethan swallowed a sigh and opened his eyes. Nothing ever went as planned. His intense focus on falling back asleep had, ironically, banished the last vestiges of slumber, leaving him to contend with an insistent urge to shift his position. Lying on his side, his right shoulder and leg, which bore his weight, felt uncomfortably stiff.

‘He’s asleep, so a little movement should be fine,’ he thought.

This time, he devised a strategy tempered with a touch of rationalization. Turning completely would risk a direct encounter between his own ‘healthy’ state and that ‘weapon,’ so he merely intended to adjust himself enough to find some comfort. As he concentrated on his plan, his own ‘healthy’ state seemed to subside. Ethan cautiously began to move, careful not to wake the sleeping Bliss.

“Mmm…”

As Ethan shifted his shoulder, he froze, hearing a sound from behind him. When no further sound came, he breathed a sigh of relief, and began to gently turn his waist, where Bliss’s arm lay draped.

“H-hik…!”

Suddenly, Bliss’s long, heavy leg draped over and entangled with Ethan’s. The abrupt, significant movement, combined with the distinct feel of Bliss’s bare skin against his, caused a small gasp to escape him. Startled by his own sound, Ethan held his breath and stiffened, hearing Dongja’s exasperated voice.

“[What are you doing? That Bliss has been awake for ages.]”

‘What did they say?’

A sudden surge of indignation made Ethan swiftly turn his entire body. As he turned, he saw a slight ripple in the impressive chest muscles, but consumed by an inexplicable sense of betrayal, he lifted his head and glared at his Esper.

“…When did you, *cough*!”

His voice cracked, and Ethan cleared his throat. He tried to swallow, but only felt the dry scratchiness in his mouth and throat, causing him to grimace as a bite-sized water droplet floated into view before him.

“Drink.”

The face, still handsome even after waking, offered.

The sight of water flying from the bottle, forming a neat line of bite-sized droplets, was both wondrous and amusing, yet Ethan didn’t hesitate, opening his mouth to readily accept them. As he sweetly swallowed the water that instantly moistened his mouth, Bliss’s eyes curved with satisfaction.

Ethan, gazing blankly at the captivating blue and gray eyes that enchanted him the moment he opened his own, wondered. ‘How much longer until I can resist being charmed by my Esper’s handsomeness?’ ‘Will such a day ever come?’

After drinking the water, the handsome Esper’s impressive body pulled Ethan into an embrace. The direct contact of their bare skin sent shivers through Ethan, bringing him back to his senses as he challenged Bliss from within his arms.

“You were awake?!”

Instead of answering, Bliss simply curved the corner of his lips into a smile. Ethan, who had once again been momentarily captivated by the sight of Bliss’s usually stern face softening only for him, regained his composure and began to squirm in a futile attempt at resistance, causing a hint of amusement and slight discomfort to flicker across Bliss’s smiling features.

“…Ethan.”

“You were awake, so why did you keep… Why?”

Ethan, about to unleash a torrent of words, trailed off and averted his gaze. Bliss’s eyes were exactly…

“I’m hard.”

Ethan’s gaze, which had been darting across his Esper’s face, now returned to the same intense look from the previous night, subtly dropped downwards. The very encounter he had dreaded was now taking place.

‘Oh, damn it.’

Ethan tried to hastily pull away, but instead, Bliss’s large hand gripped his backside, pulling him even closer, causing him to squeeze his eyes shut. It wasn’t long before his resigned sigh transformed into a moan.

****

Doctor Sera, who was expected to arrive after the weekend, burst in on Saturday morning, a development entirely due to Huey Cloud. Having heard that Huey Cloud, another individual with a rare compatibility, would be entering a bunker at Bliss’s private residence, she completed her preparations with formidable speed, ensuring she arrived while Huey Cloud was still inside.

“Doctor Sera brought Milo? The Milo I know?”

Ethan, who had been working on an assignment with Maxon, couldn’t conceal his surprise as he looked at Dale. Dale, who was setting down small sandwiches before them, nodded.

“If I heard correctly, then yes. Mr. Milo, the assistant manager at the restaurant where you used to work part-time in the village, became the Guide for Violet, the Riga Lord’s Guard Esper, through a delayed awakening.”

“No way!”

“…Ethan, is that village a Guide village?”

Maxon, who had been listening, asked, but Ethan shook his head. A Guide? That village had only a single Esper, Hans, to begin with. Yet, both Scott and now Milo had undergone delayed awakenings to become Guides. He had heard that her Guide came from the village, but it felt strange that it was someone he knew well.

“Where are they? Can I go see them?”

At Ethan’s ready-to-bolt posture, Maxon’s eyes, checking their progress, grew stern. Dale kindly replied.

“Doctor Sera went directly to Lord Bliss and Lord Huey’s bunker, while Violet and Mr. Milo are currently going through some procedures with Philip. After all, an Esper from the autonomous region of Riga cannot be honestly registered as having entered the Moore household with a Guide.”

“Ah…!”

At Ethan’s regretful sigh, Maxon smiled annoyingly and tapped his tablet. “Ethan, given the circumstances, why don’t you finish this? I imagine there will be a dinner party inside today.”

Dale, offering a benevolent smile, discarded Ethan’s cooled tea and refilled it, agreeing with Maxon. “Ordinarily, staff dine separately, but today, Lord Bliss has ordered a small banquet to be prepared, serving as an opportunity for everyone to greet one another. He also mentioned that he would be very pleased if you wore one or two of the gifts he presented to you, Lord Ethan.”

At the mention of ‘gifts,’ the tips of Ethan’s ears subtly flushed. He was already remembering the possessive whisper from this very morning, when, still disoriented from Bliss’s caresses and petting right after waking, Bliss had expressed how much he wished Ethan would wear the ring and necklace he’d given him while he was still naked.

“[He planned it, he definitely planned it. But why does that Bliss pretend they can’t hear me?]”

Dongja, who had been chuckling, continued their grumbling from that morning. Ethan feigned ignorance, lowering his head and focusing his gaze on the screen Maxon had pointed to. Maxon, oblivious to the true reason, seemed quite pleased by Ethan’s sudden surge of academic fervor, pushing the plate of sandwiches towards him.

“Eat while you work.”

****

Dongja’s grumbling didn’t cease until Ethan returned to his room and finished showering.

“[Ethan, did you just hear me?]”

“Ah, sure… what…”

Ethan answered absently while brushing his teeth.

“[That Bliss is pretending they can’t hear my voice, even though they can?!]”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t want to listen either.”

“[What did you say?!]”

Ethan waved away Oweol, the crow, who had been protectively clutching the gift box Bliss had given them as if it were their own chick. The crow, knowing full well that this particular item was not theirs, yet unable to let go of its attachment, let out a pathetic “caw!” and stared longingly at the necklace as it was taken from the box.

“You kept demanding only what you wanted from Bliss. Like ‘I want to eat lots of strawberry pie.’ And ‘the snacks you give me are sometimes tasteless, so give me more delicious ones.'”

“[What’s wrong with that?! Why did I wait for you two to get together like *that*?! They definitely heard my voice! I even tested them to see if they were listening properly!]”

Dongja, who had been blathering on, oblivious to Ethan’s incredulous grimace, suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Dongja, arms crossed, scrutinized Ethan from head to toe with a suspicious expression.

“[Oh, wait a minute… Now that I think about it… is it because you two aren’t fully connected yet?]”

“Hey!”

Ethan snapped, but Dongja’s contemplation didn’t easily conclude. The crow, as if to say no more jewels would be surrendered, hugged the box and cawed.