Chapter 12: The Burden of Beauty and Unspoken Questions

Finally, the data organization was complete. Utilizing the gwi, who had been docile for a while after causing trouble, I finished it in three days. Of course, this wasn’t the usual method of checking each book’s title and publication year, so there were some discrepancies. Yet, Ethan willingly enjoyed the verification process. How fortunate it was not to have to review everything.

He called Philip Wyman to ask about his next task, but Philip informed him that he was currently out of town and that Ethan could conclude his duties for the day.

With his schedule suddenly free, Ethan went to Dale Kenis. His conscience pricked him slightly; the magnitude of the trouble he had caused was simply too great for him to just relax after finishing his part-time work early.

“Excellent. Will you assist with the garden work, then? Gardener Luke should be in the rose garden by now. He’s preparing the autumn roses, so there’s quite a lot to be done. While you’re at it, it seems you could continue helping with the garden for the rest of the week.”

Dale, I daresay, had no concept of ‘lip service.’

‘Damn it. Should I have kept quiet?’

Ethan trudged towards the garden, his steps heavy, moving as slowly as he possibly could. Yet, with his reluctance, it felt as though he arrived even sooner.

Opening the garden gate and stepping inside, Ethan let out a long sigh. A rose garden, of all things. This estate’s grandest main garden was, indeed, the rose garden. In other words, it was enormous.

Searching for Luke, the gardener, Ethan instead collapsed onto a sun-drenched bench. Though the peak of summer had passed and the heat had somewhat subsided, the afternoon sun still beat down quite fiercely.

“Why has my peaceful daily life turned into such a mess?”

Once again, he found himself resenting the eight freeloaders. His otherwise regular routine had been a continuous string of incidents these past few days.

He had tried to accept it, knowing he was responsible for the chaos, but he must have overexerted himself more than he realized. The moment he let his guard down, he felt his energy drain away.

Even knowing the sky would be blinding, he tilted his head back to gaze upward, only to find himself making eye contact with an unexpected figure.

“I thought you said it was your part-time work hours?”

The soft strands of his silver hair glittered even more brightly in the sunlight. Ethan winced, feeling his eyes ache further, and the clear green eyes before him curved into a gentle smile.

“…Where’s Scott?”

“He wanted to spend time with his parents. I would only be a distraction if I were there. So, I took refuge at the estate to handle some personal matters in the meantime.”

He lifted the tablet he was holding, showing it to Ethan. The village, still buzzing with media frenzy, continued to swarm with reporters and paparazzi from outside.

Scott was also a target of interest, but his presence with Enoch Cloud intensified that attention severalfold. Knowing Scott would need to return to the capital in a few days and wished to be with his parents, it wasn’t difficult to surmise that Enoch had diverted the attention of reporters and paparazzi to himself before retreating to the highly secure estate.

“I see. Scott must be even more smitten with Enoch Cloud.”

Ethan gave a perfunctory yet polite reply as he stood up. The novelty of seeing a celebrity had worn off after a few days, leaving him feeling rather indifferent.

“I hear you were the friend who came with Scott on the day I was confirmed as an Esper.”

“…That’s right.”

“He boasted that you didn’t evacuate with the others but stayed with him. Said you were a loyal friend.”

Their eyes met. Enoch offered a smile that seemed impossibly sweet. It was so saccharine that one might not notice even if it were laced with poison.

After holding his gaze for a moment, Ethan barely managed to let out a light, somewhat bewildered laugh.

“……Well, I really want to take some credit for it, but then I’d feel a bit sorry for Scott. I did loudly scream and try to stop him from running towards Enoch, but I’m quite the coward, you see. Even with my shouting, Scott, like an idiot, was utterly captivated by Enoch and showed no sign of coming back. I couldn’t go to him, and Enoch looked on the verge of a seizure… I kept yelling, but my body was already moving towards the shelter without me realizing it. Honestly, I think Scott came back from the dead.”

As he listened to Ethan rattle off his confession, the smile vanished from Enoch’s lips. Hoping to appear innocent and foolish, Ethan put on a surprised expression, as if only just realizing something.

“Come to think of it, it seems Enoch and Scott were destined to be drawn to each other from their very first meeting.”

The smile that had briefly disappeared bloomed once more on his perfectly sculpted lips. It was a picture-perfect smile, yet his unsmiling eyes made it seem even more like an illusion.

“……Fate, I didn’t know you were one to believe in such things.”

“I believe in ghosts too. Because ghosts are real.”

“……”

As the silence stretched longer than anticipated, Ethan desperately scanned his surroundings. Unlike his initial reluctance, he now genuinely yearned to know the gardener Luke’s whereabouts.

And as if on cue, he spotted Luke’s straw hat moving in the distance, near the maze.

“I should get going. I didn’t come here to rest; I came to help with the garden work.”

“For someone helping, you seemed quite at ease.”

“Ahaha. I was just going to rest for a moment, truly. I was about to go, I swear! Luke! Uncle Luke!”

Ethan happily sprinted towards Luke, as if he genuinely loved garden work. Enoch, who had failed to detain Ethan further, wore a look of chagrin as he pulled a small, round pouch from his inner pocket.

From within the round pouch of red silk, he took out a small pill and placed it in his mouth. He watched the direction Ethan had disappeared for a long moment, then picked up his tablet and moved to a shaded bench, where he made a call.

–Scott. I apologize for interrupting your time with your parents. I need guiding; when can you come?–

A moment later, he ended the call with a soft smile. He knew his capriciousness was unkind, but he had no desire to retract his request.

Ever since he manifested as an Esper, constant headaches plagued him, and his entire nervous system felt acutely sensitive and painful, as though he were suffering from a severe fever.

Having lived a perfectly healthy life without any issues, he had, true to his status as the second son of a family running a pharmaceutical company, readily accepted the changes occurring within him. However, the actual pain he endured was simply impossible to adapt to.

‘How on earth did Bliss Moore endure this since he was twelve?’

Enoch, briefly pitying Bliss, who must have suffered even greater pain from such a young age, clicked his tongue softly and casually scrolled through the accumulated messages.

****

During Scott’s stay, Ethan found himself once again having dinner in the dining room with Enoch and Bliss Moore. He served rice onto his plate, his expression uneasy.

Though bread was also available, numerous Asian dishes were served, making rice a perfect accompaniment, so the food itself was quite satisfying. However, the company was the problem. Apart from Scott, everyone else made him uncomfortable.

Especially today, Enoch was more unsettling than Bliss, to the point where Ethan wondered if he might develop stress-induced gastritis just from the meal.

“I’ve been curious for a while, Ethan, have you ever considered becoming a celebrity?”

Having heard the question countless times, Ethan answered without even looking at Enoch.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I know I’m good-looking, but if I become a celebrity, won’t everyone around me be just as attractive? I live for the pleasure of my own good looks, you see. Here, I’m told I’m the most handsome.”

“It’s not that, it’s that you’re pretty…”

“Scott, have you told Enoch that you’re the idol of all the ladies in the village?”

Scott’s face immediately flushed crimson as he tried to correct Ethan and tease him back.

“E-Ethan! When did I ever…!”

“So Scott was quite popular, it seems?”

As Enoch showed interest, Scott became even more desperate.

“Ah, no, no. Enoch, didn’t you say you needed guiding? Are you alright?”

“Of course, I need it. But we should finish our meal first. This is more for you than for me, Scott, so eat plenty.”

As Enoch subtly gazed at Scott and touched his flushed cheek, Scott’s face reddened even further, to a degree one might not have thought possible.

Scott, who had unconsciously stopped eating, glanced nervously at Bliss and Ethan, who were watching them. He then stood up, grabbed Enoch’s arm, and rapidly spoke, desperate to escape the situation.

“Enoch, no, I don’t need to eat anymore. Can’t we go upstairs now?”

“Oh dear, you must be struggling.”

“E-Enoch!”

Only after Scott gave him a pitiable, pleading look did Enoch slowly rise from the dinner table. He curved his eyes into a smile at Ethan, who was staring blankly at him and Scott.

“It seems we won’t be able to enjoy a leisurely dinner and conversation today.”

Bliss, observing the dazed Ethan, answered on his behalf.

“Get out.”

Enoch chuckled, then led Scott away, whose face was practically ablaze with embarrassment. Ethan glared at the closed door for a long moment before turning his gaze to Bliss, who remained impassive.

The question of whether Enoch was performing all his guiding through s*x rose to Ethan’s throat as he watched Bliss resume eating. However, his relationship with Bliss was not one where such a sensitive topic could be casually brought up.

Ethan found himself meeting Bliss’s gaze, realizing Bliss had been intently watching him. ‘Yes, should I gather the courage to ask? Or rather, would Bliss Moore even be aware of such an intimate relationship between Enoch and Scott? It seems too private an area for him to have any interest at all.’

“……You seem to like rice.”

Bliss, who had been observing him intently, uttered these words with an utterly serious expression, and Ethan somehow felt his energy drain away.

“It’s more filling than bread.”

For his part, Bliss suppressed the urge to ask if Ethan liked rice enough to buy 80kg of it.

Unable to ask the questions lingering in their minds, their quiet dinner continued.