Chapter 22

Nain gasped in surprise. Even though no magic scroll had been used, the person had suddenly evaporated like smoke and disappeared without a trace. Nain unconsciously looked around. People who had been glancing this way with tense faces all let out sighs of relief in unison.

What a shock. For a person to suddenly disappear right before his eyes—this was probably that man's ability.

"I'm envious. Teleportation scrolls are expensive..."

Nain muttered with a bewildered face and sat back down in his seat. The desk clock he saw while organizing his messy desk was showing the current time. 5 PM. It was still too early to hear a "sleep well" greeting.

* * *

'He said we'd see each other often...'

Did he mean he'd come right away tomorrow? Nain looked at Ash, who had appeared with a much better complexion than yesterday, and awkwardly greeted him.

"Esper-nim, hello..."

"Yes, hello."

The man swallowed a yawn and casually returned the greeting. Then he sat back down in yesterday's spot and stared at Nain just like that. It felt like his cheeks might get holes burned through them from the stare. How much time had passed like that?

"...Do you perhaps have business with me?"

At Nain's question, unable to bear the penetrating stare any longer, he pondered briefly before shaking his head.

"No, not particularly..."

"..."

It was utterly absurd. Then why are you staring?

Despite saying he had nothing to say, Ash looked at Nain persistently with very observational eyes. And he settled in right there. Sitting across from him doing nothing at all. He really did nothing except occasionally taking Nain's things and fiddling with them.

'Someone please...'

Nain looked around and sent pleading glances for help. But everyone started avoiding his eyes and pretending not to notice.

From the moment Ash entered this space, signs of stress and headaches appeared above the staff's heads. A man whose mere existence gave other people headaches was truly remarkable in many ways. Perhaps because of that, no one came to rescue Nain from his predicament.

He knew that the rumors surrounding Ash weren't entirely good. But he still hadn't done any harm to him, nor had he even shown signs of doing so.

'It's not that bad...'

Ash was quite a reasonable person when you got to know him, to the point where just recalling the rumors about him made one feel sorry. But regardless of his lukewarm fondness for him, Nain didn't make any effort to become close with Ash. This level of distance was just right.

Nevertheless, he did feel a bit sorry for Ash being ostracized by everyone. How friendless must he be to come looking for someone he'd only met yesterday and sit here glued to his seat...

"Nain. Where are you from?"

Ash suddenly asked. Nain thought for a moment and asked back, "The country name?"

"Yes, including that. This and that... When, where, with whom, and how you lived—tell me everything."

Nain was about to open his mouth but hesitated for a moment.

'Isn't he asking for too much detail?'

He was definitely his benefactor, but... somehow he felt a bit strange about it. Nain decided to be cautious of the man for now.

"Why do you ask?"

"I'm curious."

Is that not okay? Ash looked at him blankly and tilted his head.

There's nothing wrong with it, but... Nain blinked blankly and mulled over the words that came to mind.

'Nain, remember this. People who are unreasonably kind and smile at you when you first meet are one of two things: scammers or perverts.'

He had always lived hearing people tell him to be careful. That he had no eye for people so he should be twice as careful as others... Moreover, the man in front of him was unnecessarily handsome. Nain decided to keep his wits about him so his heart wouldn't weaken.

It wouldn't happen and couldn't happen, but he worried that the moment he mentioned a place name, lightning would pour down on the entire country, plagues would spread, and the continent's history built over thousands of years would perish in an instant.

"Nain."

The man who had lightly propped his chin on one hand leaned forward and gestured. At his gesture to come closer, Nain also leaned forward without thinking. Ash's face came close. His lips stopped by his ear, parted, and a subtle voice settled softly by Nain's ear.

"Have you heard any rumors about me?"

"...!"

Nain gasped and shook his head vigorously.

"Yes. No?"

Nain, who had been about to thoughtlessly answer yes, came to his senses the moment he spoke and changed his words. But it was useless. Ash was already lifting the corners of his mouth as if he knew everything. From his reaction, it seemed he was already caught.

"This damn popularity."

He laughed with his shoulders shaking. He probably knew best that his rumors couldn't be positive content, but seeing him say such things, he didn't seem particularly offended. Nain relaxed a bit.

"Nain. You don't believe all those rumors, do you?"

He asked playfully, drawing out his words. The corners of his mouth lifted, revealing white, even teeth. His crinkled eye corners curved up like a fox's. The man's smiling face had the ability to make Nain's mind go blank momentarily. Nain belatedly came to his senses and closed his mouth that had been hanging open.

...He hadn't believed everything. He had briefly thought it might be true, though.

"No."

At Nain's excuse, Ash muttered in a voice as if he found it hilarious.

"Not even a child, yet so naive that he believes it all."

Nain, who was used to being treated like a child, straightened his face and denied those words.

"I didn't believe everything."

"Then?"

"I believed just a little."

Nain answered seriously while slightly spreading his thumb and index finger apart. Then Ash's lips twitched as he avoided Nain's gaze and said.

"I see. You believed just a little."

"..."

The man who had been holding back laughter finally couldn't control the laughter seeping out and shook his shoulders. There was no way Nain couldn't notice his intention to tease him. Nain narrowed his eyes with an indifferent expression.

"Nain."

Ash tilted his head while propping his chin. As he lowered his eyelashes, three-dimensional shadows formed under his eyes.

"What kind of person do I seem like to you?"

What kind of person? After thinking silently, Nain finally opened his mouth.

"I'm not sure."

No matter how much he thought about it, there was nothing else he could say. He had some fondness for the man in front of him, but he didn't know much about him.

Based on public rumors alone, Ash didn't seem to be such a one-dimensionally rotten person, but he also hadn't known him long enough to define what kind of person he might be in one sentence.

At Nain's words, instead of feeling bad or embarrassed, Ash lifted the corners of his mouth slightly and said.

"Then we just need to become well-acquainted now."

"Me with you?"

At his thoughtless answer, Ash's brow momentarily furrowed faintly then smoothed. He immediately grumbled in a voice full of hurt feelings.

"'You'? Drawing lines now? When you brought a huge bouquet and waited for me to wake up, and now in just one day I've become 'you'..."

He spoke slowly and clicked his tongue. At his attitude of openly appealing 'I'm hurt,' Nain became a bit flustered.

"Uh, Esper-nim..."

"Did you forget my name?"

It wasn't even a difficult name, so there's no way he'd forgotten it already. But wasn't their intimacy still insufficient for him to readily call him by name...

"If you draw lines with me like this, you'll regret it later..."

"Regret?"

"Didn't anyone tell you? They're all so... But you definitely need to know this."

"...So what are you talking about?"

"Seeing you say this, you haven't heard yet."

What story could it be that he was so certain it was something he didn't know? Nain's brow furrowed.

"Wait a moment."

Even after searching his mind thoroughly and thinking once more, he really had no clue. Nain tried to recall the stories he'd heard about Ash.

"Is there anything that comes to mind?"

"..."

Nain looked up at Ash's face. Unfortunately, all the stories he'd heard about Ash were nothing but vicious rumors—not a single good story.

Nain spoke carefully.

"My friends told me not to even associate with you..."

"Who said that?"

"..."

Nain didn't answer. It felt like tattling. Ash didn't seem that curious either, as he didn't ask twice. Though he didn't know for sure, it seemed the misunderstanding between people ran deep.

"So what is it that I need to know?"

"The dimension wanderers who fell from gates."

The beginning of what Ash brought up was enough to capture Nain's interest. ...Dimension wanderers? Seeing Nain's eyes waver at those words, Ash meaningfully lowered his tone and continued.