Chapter 21

'Ah. He wants to exchange names!'

Nain stared blankly at the hand extended in front of him before belatedly grasping it.

"I-I'm Nain."

When he hurriedly extended his hand, Ash quickly grabbed Nain's hand tightly as if he had been waiting. It was strong enough that he thought his bones might be crushed for a sign of friendliness. Nain was startled for a moment and let out a small moan with his mouth slightly open.

"Nain..."

He muttered his name inside his mouth. It wasn't that his pronunciation was particularly special, but somehow his own name coming from Ash's mouth evoked a uniquely special feeling. It also seemed like there was a tingling sensation as if electricity was sparking from their touching palms.

'But why isn't he letting go of my hand?'

Nain was a bit flustered. He didn't know what to do until Ash, conscious of his gaze, let go of his hand a moment later.

Ash continued to stare intently at Nain for quite a while. Only Nain's gaze wandered through the air in awkwardness, at a loss.

"I heard you worried about me a lot during this time? That you called every day."

"...!"

Nain answered with a troubled face, not knowing what to do with himself.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh? What are you sorry for?"

"...For making you come all the way here. If I had known you were awake, I would have gone to you..."

Ah. Ash lifted only one corner of his mouth and chuckled. It was a cynical smile.

"Never mind that... Why are you working here?"

"What?"

Ash pointed at Nain's chest with his finger. At the end of where his finger pointed was a silver name tag.

"Aren't you an awakener?"

Ah, that story. Nain finally understood what Ash meant. Silver name tags also indicated staff who weren't awakeners. The man seemed to have heard about his trait test results from somewhere.

"Seeing that you stayed at the center, it seems right..."

"No, that's not it."

Even when Nain denied it while waving his hands, Ash didn't drop his meaningful expression.

"Have you been tested? If I can sense it, others couldn't fail to notice either."

"I have been tested. I have been, but... it was inconclusive."

"Mm?"

"Well, others even call me F-grade."

Nain said with an awkward smile. But Ash didn't laugh at the joke; instead, he immediately asked back without even blinking.

"Who?"

"..."

"Who said that? That you're F-grade."

The man's lips still curved in a soft arc as he smiled. He was definitely smiling, but... why was there an unpleasant undertone? While thinking for a moment and meeting his gaze, Nain realized that Ash's eyes weren't smiling at all. I was just making a joke to lighten the mood... Nain was a bit flustered.

"Nain."

"Yes."

Seeing Nain answer too briskly due to tension, the man finally chuckled and continued.

"You know that wasn't a compliment, right?"

"...Of course I know. It's an insult."

"You know that. And yet..."

"It's okay because I don't feel particularly bad hearing it. I know it was said as a joke."

He made up something plausible to break the ominous atmosphere. It wasn't a lie. In reality, Nain wasn't particularly offended by being called F-grade.

"And it's not really wrong anyway."

"..."

Ash still looked displeased as if something didn't sit right with him, but he didn't show signs of adding more words. Nain was flustered by this situation that arose from his single comment, but was also inwardly moved. The man was such a considerate person that he cared about even such trivial word choices.

"Nain, you're kind. More than necessary."

The words he should have said came back in reverse.

"There's no need to defend people who say such things..."

Ash chuckled and muttered.

"I'll deal with that gradually."

With the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, the tall man stood up, naturally drawing gazes his way. No, from the moment Ash entered the medical ward, there was hardly anyone who had relaxed their tension. The moment he stood up, the sound of other people flinching and gasping could be heard all the way here.

"Take this."

Thud. He rummaged through his pocket and placed a card in front of Nain's eyes. It was an Esper registration card. Nain looked down and stared at the registration card.

The back of the registration card that said A-grade Esper, Ash on the front had a metal chip embedded for payments and even a barcode printed on it.

"Why this...?"

"I feel bad for taking your meal."

He casually showed the sandwich he had just received from Nain.

"It doesn't seem polite to return what I received, but I want to repay you. Use that to buy anything you want after work today."

"...What?"

At the unexpected words, Nain gasped. While extorting Espers' cards to buy meal tickets was Nain's small hobby, he wasn't shameless enough to readily accept a card from an Esper he'd just met.

No, why is this man giving this to someone he barely knows in the first place?

Nain was simply puzzled.

"Price doesn't matter, so if possible, eat a proper meal instead of snacks like this."

"Ah, no!"

Nain was startled and waved his hands.

"I'm fine... That wasn't even a meal anyway, so you don't need to..."

"I'm concerned about it."

He had a gentle face but his tone was firm at the same time. Nain missed the timing to return the registration card and could only blink blankly.

"Well then."

Looking at the atmosphere, he seemed about to leave. Thinking it would be too anticlimactic to send him away like this, Nain quietly stood up and suggested.

"Esper-nim. Then perhaps... I'm getting off work soon too, would you like to have dinner together?"

It was a suggestion he had made with some courage. A moment of silence passed. Ash somehow just moved his lips while delaying his answer, then muttered while pulling his hood down to his nose with his hand.

"Later."

"..."

At words that were tantamount to rejection, the back of Nain's neck turned red. Was it too presumptuous after all? He had thought he might be rejected, but it was also a bit embarrassing.

"I'm adding this in case you misunderstand, but this isn't because I don't want to have dinner together."

"..."

"I came here in a rush right after waking up, so I didn't wash properly..."

"...Ah."

"I'm quite a mess, aren't I?"

Ash avoided his gaze and felt embarrassed.

A mess? Not really. He wasn't sure... Nain tilted his head. While he did look tired, he wasn't shabby enough for him to be this embarrassed about it.

"I really just came to show my face briefly today, so I'm going back to rest right away. I'm so tired I feel like I might collapse. I don't want you to see me like that..."

"..."

"Shall we have dinner together next time?"

Leaning slightly forward against the counter, he looked into Nain's eyes and asked in a subtle voice. While the words sounded strangely suggestive and puzzling, Nain nodded.

"...Ah, yes! Of course we should. Please go in and rest now."

Well, it would be strange if he wasn't tired in such a physical condition. The man needed sufficient rest and treatment.

"Return the registration card later."

"When later?"

Nain looked at Ash while gripping the card tightly in his hand. The man, who had been hesitating for a moment, muttered with a much more subdued look.

"You won't go anywhere alone, will you?"

"...What?"

He asked Nain once more as if seeking a definite answer.

"You'll be here, right?"

"Yes, well..."

"Then that's fine."

He said clearly. Nain stared blankly as his lips curved into a refreshing smile. He would laugh well, then instantly make the air freeze coldly, then smile brightly again as if nothing had happened. The instantaneous atmosphere changes were interesting.

"If I want to get my thing back, we'll have to meet again soon."

"That's... right...?"

"Nain works here at this spot."

"..."

"Then if I come here, I can meet you anytime..."

It was more like muttering to himself than seeking an answer.

"...That's really nice."

He had a satisfied and languid expression like a well-fed beast. What's so nice about it... Nain nodded as if agreeing while not understanding what was what.

"I think we'll see each other quite often from now on."

Ash smiled with his half-lidded eyes slightly crinkled and extended his hand.

"Please take care of me in advance."

"I, I should be the one..."

It was a brief handshake. The man's fingers subtly brushed across Nain's palm as they separated.

Belatedly, the man's words about 'seeing each other often' came to mind as a question, but it was a bit too late to ask what he meant now. ...Well, it's probably nothing much. Nain, who casually dismissed the question, stood up to see Ash out. At that moment, something completely unexpected happened.

"I'll be going. Sleep well then."

"...!"