At first, when Will heard Mori say that his girlfriend needed him to take care of her every moment of the day, he’d thought it was ridiculous. But seeing Wen Shu now, he couldn’t help feeling that it was only right.
Whatever her heritage, this black-haired girl seemed so fragile, as if she might shatter at any moment. Her skin was so pale it looked translucent, and her bones so fine that when he’d taken hold of her arm earlier, he’d been afraid he might hurt her.
From what he’d found out, the children who ended up at that orphanage all came from terrible families, and must have suffered plenty there, too. Not everyone could be like Mori, discovered to have exceptional mental power and admitted into the imperial army by special dispensation.
Will frowned. For some reason, he swallowed the words he’d been about to say.
Never mind. Let her come along, too. He was just… saving someone.
The hover car was fairly spacious, but Will still sat beside them.
Several times along the way, his gaze fell on Wen Shu’s slender waist, her pale arms, and her slightly disheveled black hair. Each time, it took him a while to look away.
…
The surroundings changed rapidly, from rundown to futuristic.
The hover car crossed a vast stretch of yellow sand before finally stopping in front of an enormous, imposing building.
The building was made of what looked like pure black steel, and had an intimidating presence. Other soldiers stood at the entrance, all tall and broad, faces hidden, weapons strapped to their backs, as if they might open fire at the slightest provocation.
Like the one on the side of the hover car, the gate bore a dark red emblem. It looked like the head of a beast.
What was it… a wolf?
Wen Shu frowned to himself.
This so-called empire had barely been described at all, yet it looked incredibly powerful.
Just how much had this world filled in on its own?
Mori glanced outside, then looked away and picked Wen Shu up again.
The enormous automatic doors opened and closed, shutting out the howling sand.
Inside was a spacious lobby, its walls covered in electronic screens. The uniforms people wore looked strange, too. Everything in this world was unfamiliar to Wen Shu.
“You’ll have to take another mental-power test to make sure you’re above B rank. Then the army will assign you a job as appropriate.”
The three of them had followed a corridor to the testing room. The staff member accompanying them was explaining things to Mori.
“You have to enter the room alone for the test.”
Mori looked at Will and frowned slightly, but still set Wen Shu down on a chair outside and told him to wait there.
As soon as Mori disappeared from sight, Wen Shu finally let out a breath. His thoughts immediately started racing.
What should he do? Maybe he should just tell them he was a man. He wasn’t anyone’s fiancee!
If he could just get out of here right now…
Wen Shu looked at the officer beside him, about to reach out and grab his arm.
But Will turned to a soldier beside him and said, “Keep looking for the son of the orphanage-director couple. If you put a little pressure on him, I’m sure he’ll tell us where they are.”
Wen Shu’s hand froze.
Will gave the frail-looking Wen Shu a pointed glance, his sense of justice rising even higher. “They’ve probably hurt plenty of innocent people over the years. They can’t be let off lightly.”
But to Wen Shu, that glance was unmistakably a suspicious once-over.
So that was why this officer had agreed to let him come along. Had he suspected from the start that Wen Shu was a man? He’d never even met the people who were supposedly his parents. If they tortured him for information, he’d be in serious trouble…
After giving his orders, Will turned to Wen Shu. “You were… trying to tell me something just now?”
“…” Wen Shu shook his head.
Will was so tall that standing beside him, he nearly blocked out the light.
Wen Shu wouldn’t dare say anything now.
“Don’t be afraid. If you need anything, just tell me.” Will had to kneel on one knee to meet the petite black-haired beauty’s eyes.
But Wen Shu’s face had gone pale. He lowered his head even further and drew his hands and feet in, as if he were afraid of Will.
So wary of strangers. She must have been through a lot.
Will thought that, as a gentleman, he ought to give her some space, but his body didn’t move.
His gaze fell on Wen Shu’s lowered lashes, pale skin, and slender wrist, close enough to touch. He asked softly, “Are you hungry?”
Wen Shu lifted his eyes a little, like a stray kitten hiding in a corner, full of wariness.
What did he mean?
“I can take you to get something to eat.”
Was he testing him? Or was he going to take him away?
“Don’t worry. Someone will let Mori know where you are.”
“…” Better not to let him know.
Wen Shu weighed whether he’d rather stay with that white-haired creep or be locked up by the military. After hesitating for a long while, he nodded.
Will immediately stood up and reached out to steady Wen Shu.
Wen Shu was so tiny next to him. His hand felt so light, as if Will were holding a little patch of cloud.
Will was afraid to use any force at all, and his mind went completely blank.
“…Do you want me to carry you?”
“???” Wen Shu looked up at him in surprise and shook his head hard.
Will seemed to realize he’d said something strange, and the tips of his ears turned red.
The two of them soon reached a place that looked like a mess hall, then went into a private room.
Afraid his male voice would give him away, Wen Shu kept his head down and gave no answer to Will’s questions. Will had to make the choices himself.
After a while, a small plate of bite-sized cubes that looked like steak was set in front of Wen Shu.
Wen Shu stared at it for a while, then even leaned down to sniff it, like a kitten cautiously investigating something unfamiliar. Then he watched Will eat, his dark eyes shining.
Why was she watching him?
Will couldn’t help wondering. She’d been doing the same thing earlier, sneaking glances at him even while she was in Mori’s arms.
Like a cat trying to steal a bite.
It felt as if a kitten had just scratched at Will’s heart. It itched a little.
It took Wen Shu a long time to believe the meat wasn’t poisoned.
This guy really had brought him here to eat.
Could things really work out this well?
Wen Shu immediately picked up his utensils and tried with all his might to use the knife and fork, but soon realized he couldn’t cut through the meat at all.
Was it really this tough? Was the plan to make him choke to death?
To his surprise, after watching him for a while, Will reached over and cut the meat on his plate into small pieces himself. He even asked the kitchen to bring something easier to digest. The meat had been like rubber, but in Will’s hands it became surprisingly manageable.
Wen Shu looked at Will, puzzled. Something stirred in him, and he suddenly thought that maybe he could escape without revealing his identity.
This officer seemed like a good person.
When Will pushed the plate of cut-up meat toward him, Wen Shu reached out and took his hand.
Will’s body immediately went rigid.
Wen Shu’s fingers were pale and slender, their tips a tender pink. They slowly brushed over Will’s hand, as if he wanted to write something in his palm.
The suggestive gesture made Will’s heart race.
This little kitten really did like him.
But she was Mori’s fiancee.
Will’s expression turned pained, and his mind was at war with itself.
He was single, sure, but she was so tiny, like she was made of glass. Could she even handle it…?
No, no. He wasn’t that kind of man!
Will pulled his hand back. “This isn’t right.”
What?
Wen Shu froze. He’d only wanted Will to let him out. Was that not allowed? He hadn’t even written anything yet!
Wen Shu hesitated, then gently pulled down the mask Mori had forced him to wear.
Will instinctively held his breath, and at last saw Wen Shu’s whole face.
It was like a landscape painting missing its final stroke suddenly being completed: sunlight spilling onto the sea, snow settling on plum blossoms. The beauty had already been breathtaking, yet somehow there was even more to it.
Will was practically transfixed.
Wen Shu was just about to speak when Will suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him into his arms.
“Unless… you really don’t love Mori anymore.”
Huh?
Wen Shu was even more confused.
* * *
“All right, B rank.”
The staff member at the mental-power testing center looked at the screen and gestured for Mori to get out of the testing pod.
But Mori didn’t move. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes still fixed on the light screen.
“Wait, wait!” The staff member soon gaped. The readings, which had been stable, suddenly began fluctuating wildly again, then shot sharply upward.
“Holy shit!” the staff member blurted, jumping to his feet to stare at the screen.
Mori remained calm, watching the screen from the corner of his eye. The moment the readings surged again, he yanked the connector off his head.
“A, A, A! He reached A rank!” The staff member slapped his thigh. The result immediately brought several more people rushing into the room, all of them crowding around the machine in astonishment.
By then, the mental-power reading had fallen back to 0.
Fortunately, no one paid much attention to that. They were too excited, checking the test history. It had been ages since they’d seen an A-rank recruit.
Hearing that he’d only reached A rank, Mori seemed to relax a little. Only then did he climb out of the testing pod.
“So, can I have a private room now?”
“Of course, of course you can!”
“Hey,” someone said excitedly, pointing at the light screen. “Your peak was almost S rank. You were only a little short of forming a spirit beast.”
Mori’s lips curved into a flawless smile. “What are you talking about? Only the royal family can do that.”
“That’s true. The current second prince is the first triple S-rank in history.” The conversation quickly moved on.
“He’s someone we can only look up to.”
“Honestly, don’t you think it’s a little terrifying?”
The speaker’s voice dropped to a whisper. “…Like a monster.”
Mori showed no interest in the conversation. After taking his leave, he strode out.
But the area outside the testing room was empty. Wen Shu wasn’t waiting where he’d left him.
Mori’s gentle, pretty face immediately darkened, taking on a frightening edge.
He opened the terminal on his wrist. A bright red dot showed up on the map. Mori glanced at it, then strode toward the mess hall.