The Way to Love in the Place of Dead Chapter 22

Aran, who had been staring down at that sight, bent his knees and sat facing the sofa. Then he raised his hand and gently lifted the hem, placing it on the bare skin beneath Jin’s T-shirt.

“Warm.”

Various studies have been conducted on the abilities of Espers and their individual personalities and traits, but in Kay’s case, his traits were as straightforward as his personality. First of all, his body was warm. It seemed he could regulate his own body temperature, but regardless of his ability itself, he was naturally on the warmer side.

“…”

As he traced the lean abs, thinking he wished they were just a little softer, Aran slowly moved his hand. As he grazed the waist, he felt a subtle but noticeable flinch, a tremor. Several impulses flashed through him at that small quiver, but Aran refocused on his original purpose. He once again traced back the wavelength pulsating along the heartbeat.

“Ugh…”

Following the unique wavelength each Esper possesses upward, there was an origin point, akin to a second heart. A vital spot, much like an Esper’s ‘core’, was igniting in a place close to Kay’s heart, somewhere even Aran’s power couldn’t reach.

‘Still impossible, huh.’

Reaching the fiercely burning core through mere skin contact was impossible. An aggressive wavelength that would burn his hand immediately if he tried to force his approach was protecting it.

‘Should I be satisfied with this for now?’

Shaking off the temptation to fall deeper asleep right here, he picked Kay up. Fearful of waking him, he carefully moved him and laid him down on the bed in his room. Kay, groaning softly and tossing slightly, hugged the thin bedding and curled up like a fetus. Aran, who had been watching that sight, lingered in the spot for a while, looking around Kay and the room before moving away.

∞ ∞ ∞

The luxurious adjustment period came to an end.

Since Aran’s return, Kay had also been mobilized to the battlefield. Not a formally trained soldier, and due to his exceptional S-class combat power, he was less a unit member and more akin to a guerrilla agent utilized wherever needed.

“This is Unit 4. We are surrounded on all sides and cannot create a retreat path! Severely outnumbered! Requesting support!”

[“Unit 4, this is HQ. Responding. Transfer from Pierce Central Center is now complete. ETA approximately 3 minutes. Stall for time and hold the defensive line!”]

“Confirmed. But the damage is severe, we can’t hold out any longer, gaaah!”

The lieutenant, struck by a bullet, screamed and staggered. He managed to brace his legs and resist collapsing, but too many androids stood before him. A muzzle was aimed once again. Machines are different from humans.

Bang—!

The bullet, perfectly calculated for wind speed, trajectory, and distance, flew precisely toward his head.

Sensing his death, the lieutenant closed his eyes. Knowing he couldn’t evade it, his heart felt strangely at ease. The death that came was intensely hot, parching his skin like a scorching wind.

“Hey, snap out of it!”

A roar dragged up from his core, and his closed eyes opened involuntarily.

And upon opening them, the lieutenant doubted whether all of this might be a dream. The scenery before him was something difficult to describe in any language. Most of the androids that had been advancing densely without a gap moments ago were now sliced apart or consumed and burning in a fiery blaze.

— Unit 4. Support has arrived! Respond!

At the static-filled sound of the radio, the lieutenant slowly felt the reality that he was alive.

The burning landscape before him was like a massive wave made of fire. The undulating flames were a clear, bright, and clean red, and the fragments of androids combusting within them scattered like light.

— Respond! Unit 4! Are there any survivors?

No, those weren’t simple fragments. They were pieces that had truly transformed into light.

And that light began to shoot out like bullets toward the advancing enemies.

“This is Unit 4. We have secured the survivors.”

Someone lifted the arm of the lieutenant—immobilized by a bullet wound—and answered.

“Aran Rapperd….”

Smiling at the low murmur, he greeted him.

“You’ve worked hard. Leave the rest to us.”

With his coat fluttering in the wind created by the flames, he immediately threw himself into the combat zone.

Kay raised the temperature of the fire spread over a wide area, burning many things. When the flame-retardant-treated outer shell burned away, revealing the frame underneath, he thrust his blade into the faintly glowing core within and shattered it. For him, numbers were hardly a problem.

Clang!

Having confirmed the core was destroyed and pulled out his blade, Kay dodged the strike of an onrushing android and retreated. The greatsword embedded in the ground changed direction and flew at him swiftly. He chose defense over evasion against the high speed, and the moment their blades met, the enemy’s sword instantly expanded. The weapon, enlarged to the point it could no longer be called a blade, sent him flying away with centrifugal force.

“Urgh.”

Kay, who only came to a stop after crashing back-first into a half-destroyed building, cut down the androids charging at him successively and headed toward the large unit. By the time he finished destroying the remaining dozen or so units and returned to the spot, the large unit was tilting— its body lurching. A white spear was lodged around its knee area, in human terms.

The owner of the spear was, naturally, Aran.

“Welcome.”

Seeing the fire that had spread near him creating strong wind and smoke, Kay waved his hand lightly. Then, the flames that had originated from him died down in an instant.

“Still, you got here fast. You flew faaaar away.”

“Are you teasing me?”

“Of course not. I’m just worried.”

As Kay leaned closer to the grinning face, he sensed a movement. The large unit, its core not yet destroyed, was moving with a screeching sound.

“Aran.”

Even knowing full well that Aran couldn’t possibly have missed it, anxiety flickered in Kay’s chest.

After all, Aran was in an unarmed state, not preparing any counterattack. He stood there completely defenseless, looking at Kay.

“What are you doing?”

Kay hesitated for a moment, then began to move his feet faster and faster.

The massive unit raised its body, still clutching the greatsword. The blade came straight down vertically, aimed precisely at the crown of Aran’s head.

Boom!

The greatsword stabbed into the floor, raising a loud noise and dust. Watching the fire-scorched black fragments fly through the air, Aran wiped the green oil that splattered onto his cheek like a raindrop with his glove.

Kay’s blade, passing over his shoulder, shattered the core of the Aberrant unit.

“Hah, hah.”

That moment just now had been far more terrifying for Kay than seeing hundreds of android enemy troops, or the moment he’d been sent flying far away by the greatsword. It was a primal fear that could be described as instinctive. Proof was the sweat beading on his palm.

Pulling out his blade, Kay confirmed the unit had completely stopped functioning and turned his body sharply.

“Are you insane? Why did you…!”

“Not dodge?”

Facing Kay, who had grabbed his collar with his left hand, were eyes looking down at him with intrigue.

“Because I trusted you’d protect me.”

Kay’s eyebrow twitched.

“It wasn’t trust, it was a test, right?”

“Of course not. If you hadn’t saved me, I’d be dead. How is that a test?”

He couldn’t argue. If Aran had shown any movement to dodge or even the slightest hint of a counterattack, Kay would have relaxed. But he really hadn’t moved an inch. As if he hadn’t known the android was moving at all.

Though he really wanted to punch that smirking face, he just stewed internally, knowing the guy would probably even enjoy that too.

“Anyway, it’s a level that’s hard to ignore.”

“What is?”

“The number of Aberrants.”

“I thought they were calling me only to places where they were intentionally.”

Aberrants. A general term for androids possessing specific supernatural abilities, just like Espers.

The abilities of Aberrants were as diverse as those of human Espers, with units that could enlarge or shrink weapons like just now, machines that transferred poison upon touch, and the trickiest opponent among them being an Aberrant that manipulated metal. They had struggled because it shot android parts like bullets.

“Well, regular soldiers can’t handle Aberrants, so the frequency of being called in must be high…”