31 - How to Escape the Reverse Harem Cliché
Chapter 31
The scene was a mess. They had hastily brought Evan to a secluded spot and put him inside an empty building, but he was on the verge of Berserk, emitting a blinding white light from his body that made it difficult for anyone to approach.
Unit members who had been communicating from outside spotted Aiden and Orion and rushed over, reporting at breakneck speed.
"I think we should pull all the troops back. There's no one nearby, and even if the building collapses, the damage will be minimal."
"Understood. Everyone fall back for now, we'll go inside alone."
"What? It's dangerous!"
"Don't worry about us, just fall back."
Aiden gave a curt command and immediately moved into the building. Orion followed him, walking in step.
The further they went inside, the stronger the light became. At the same time, their minds were being churned by strange emotions. Anxiety, distress, and frustration mixed together, paralyzing their thoughts.
"It seems like a psychic type."
Aiden, walking ahead, said this and opened a tightly shut door. In the room, where dust and dirt swirled, Evan lay collapsed, emitting light from his entire body.
"Evan!"
The moment I rushed towards him, Orion spread his ability widely around us. Thanks to that, the light weakened slightly, allowing us to secure our vision and approach Evan's side.
"Evan. Please, open your eyes."
"……."
I placed my trembling hand on Evan's face, where he lay sleeping as if dead.
Ah… my Guiding is seeping in.
Faintly, but slowly. My Guiding was steadily seeping into Evan's body.
But it was too slow. The flashing light didn't diminish, and my mind, still reeling from Evan's ability, remained unsettled.
"Laila!"
Ignoring Aiden's urgent call, I pressed my lips to Evan's.
They say the higher the intensity of physical contact, the better the Guiding, and I could truly feel the Guiding energy draining away at an incredible speed.
As I held Evan's upper body, still unresponsive, and kept our lips locked, Evan suddenly opened his eyes wide. He pulled me into his embrace with one arm around my waist and deepened the kiss, his lips biting mine and penetrating my mouth.
Then, as if by someone's prank, we were both dropped into an unfamiliar space.
I recognized that our surroundings had changed, but I didn't have the capacity to assess the situation.
Evan, sitting me on his lap, thrust into me with such urgency that my center of gravity kept tipping backward.
I was helplessly at the mercy of Evan, who was ravaging my mouth. Overwhelmed, I clenched my fist and hit Evan. He pulled back slightly, looking at me desperately.
Finally getting a moment to breathe, I gasped for air and pulled my head back.
"Evan… wait, just a moment…!"
"Not enough…."
Evan's collarbone was visible through my parted clothes.
The color of the bright red mark was gradually becoming dull, and the shape, which had been grotesquely torn, began to form a consistent pattern. However, the fact that the mark's shape was not clear meant that the Guiding was still insufficient.
With a sigh, I finally spread my arms around his neck and pulled him close.
"Come here. I'll fill you up."
Before my words were even finished, our lips met again.
I had to adjust my pace slightly to match Evan's more aggressive advances.
His eyes were still half-lidded, his gaze dulled, but he seemed to have regained consciousness, as he occasionally slowed down to allow me to breathe.
The slower pace was actually more stimulating. Even I, who should have been maintaining my composure, was drawn in as if mesmerized, following Evan's lead.
However, as Evan's hand, which had been roaming near my waist, passed my ribs, I regained my senses and checked my collarbone first.
The pattern was clearly visible. I quickly pushed Evan's shoulder away, and he also pulled his lips away.
But Evan, as if disappointed, briefly brushed his lips against mine several times, leaving lingering kisses all over my face. That ended when I covered his mouth with my hand.
Gasping for breath, I finally took in our situation. I was lying on my back on a soft floor, and Evan was looking down at me from above.
What in the world is this situation? And where are we…
"...Why did you save me?"
But Evan's words, falling from above, forced me to look at him again.
I hated Evan Olivite, who spoke words of resentment mixed with relief. After all the trouble to save him, this was his first remark. Why are you always like this, Evan Olivite?
I raised my hand and gently tapped his lips, which were speaking such cruel words. He let out a weak laugh, looking down at me.
But his laugh felt so sad that I lowered my hand again, just staring blankly at him.
Then, Evan's hot tears began to fall, drop by drop, onto my face.
"I thought I was going to die..."
"Yeah."
"I almost died, Laila."
"Yeah, I know."
"Without you, I'm truly nothing."
"......."
"Why did you come so late? I was waiting..."
I didn't have the strength to say anything to Evan, who had started crying like a child. All I could do was reach out and pat him. I couldn't offer any clumsy comfort.
"Laila."
"Yeah."
"Laila."
"Why."
"Thank you for saving me."
"Right, that's what I wanted to hear. It feels rewarding now."
As I let out a small laugh, Evan, who had slipped from my grasp, gave my neck a brief kiss and then helped me sit up.
But the problem was that he was as limp as a paper doll. He had no strength in his body. Evan was the one who almost died, yet I felt like I was the one dying.
I was truly drained. I had just experienced firsthand how exhausting intense physical Guiding could be.
"Are you tired?"
"Yeah. But I think I'll be okay if I rest a little."
As I heard Evan's reply that he just needed a little rest, I blinked and looked around again.
The place where Evan and I had been lying just moments ago was a bed. We were supposed to be in a derelict building, so why were we here…
"Evan. But where is this?"
"My dorm."
"...What?"
"I must have used my ability subconsciously."
"Was your ability teleportation?"
"Yeah."
What? Didn't Aiden say he seemed like a psychic type earlier?
When Evan was Berserk, I felt nauseous the closer I got, so I also thought he was a psychic Esper. Usually, when an Esper Berserks, their ability explodes outwards.
"Laila. What are you thinking?"
I couldn't get used to Evan's voice, which seemed much more affectionate since the Guiding.
He suited the role of a rude, arrogant prince much better. The visual of him looking like he could lower the corners of his eyes and smile goofily at me at any moment was quite shocking.
"I'm not thinking anything."
"Liar."
"Yes. I was thinking about what to do next. I caused quite a stir to find you."
"What is it? I can solve it all."
Where does that immense confidence come from… Sometimes I wonder what's inside that small head of his.
Well, he was born into a great family and is a fixture at the Academy, so no one can touch him, which is probably why he's like that.
In the end, I roughly explained what had happened to Evan, who kept bothering me with questions about what was going on.
I told him I had asked members of the Imperial Academy for help to find him. Of course, I didn't mention that Astolphe, Pascianne, and the Restro families were involved. If I had said that, it would have been truly unmanageable.
"But why does that matter?"
"Why does it matter? I know you're an Esper."
"That's enough. I don't care about that anymore."
"Anyway, I broke a clause in our contract. Article 1. We will take each other's secrets to the grave. So, let's just nullify the contract and pay three thousand gold coins..."
"Nullify? What are you talking about?"
Evan, turning pale, shot up from his seat, looking as if I were spouting utter nonsense.
His reaction was so intense that I was even more surprised, and I stared at Evan. He ran his hands through his hair, then crouched in front of me, looking at me anxiously.
"Laila. You're joking, right?"
"I'm not joking. We wrote it in our contract. If a clause is broken, we pay a penalty and nullify it..."
"We agreed to nullify it by mutual consent. I don't want to. This was a matter of my life, so consider it a special circumstance."
You won't do it, will you? We're continuing the contract, right? Huh? Laila, answer me. Laila. Huh? Please. Huh?
It was like a machine gun. The more I listened to Evan's non-stop nagging, the more my energy drained, and I waved my hands to shut him up.
"Alright. Let's stop talking about that for now and we need to go back."
"Go where?"
"Where else? To the place we were just at."
"Do we have to?"
"An S-class Guide came to save you there. If we disappear like this, they might come looking for you later."
"I don't care about that anymore. I only need you."
"That's enough. If you don't want to go, stay here. I'll go and explain."
Apart from Aiden and Orion keeping Evan's secret, Rose knew of Evan's existence. If Rose or one of Aiden's unit members were to tell Valerian, Evan's existence could be revealed.
An explanation was needed somehow. As for why Rose's S-class Guiding didn't work, and my lower-class Guiding did.
Of course, this was my speculation. Laila's Guiding was said to have a serious addictive quality, so perhaps Evan, having received Guiding from me for a long time, was unable to accept Rose's Guiding because of it.
At the very least, I had to explain to Orion and Aiden. Before they could misunderstand my rank as higher than Rose's.
"Wait."
Evan, who had been blocking me as I reached for the bedroom doorknob, sighed and reluctantly nodded.
