Does Spring Come Even for a Dying Esper

“I told you before, remember? When I receive guiding from you, I keep having dreams about the past for some reason…”

“Now that you mention it, you did say that.”

Lucas nodded as if remembering. However, that was all; his strangely rigid expression showed no signs of softening. He slightly furrowed his brow as if displeased with his own behavior. He wondered if it was really worth getting so upset over Iberis saying someone else’s name.

But even upon reflection, it still bothered him. Lucas had touched Iberis’s hair while he slept to tidy it up after it had been messed up during the battle. He did continue touching it a bit longer because he liked the feeling of the soft hair wrapping around his fingers.

When Iberis suddenly mumbled “Captain” in his sleep, Lucas was a bit surprised but quickly regained his composure. It wasn’t uncommon for Espers who had received guiding to fall into a temporary daze like someone under anesthesia, or to say things they would never say in their right mind, so he didn’t think much of it.

But when the name that followed made him realize Iberis was calling for someone other than himself – someone who had been Iberis’s highest compatibility guide before meeting Lucas and who still continued to influence him – he felt his blood run cold and a hot sensation welled up inside him. Lucas knew it was just sleep talking, but he was shaken enough to wake Iberis despite knowing he still needed rest.

“Tsk.”

This wasn’t good. Lucas clicked his tongue softly as he assessed his own state. He had heard that just as Espers could become obsessed with their guides, guides could become obsessed with their Espers, and it seemed he had fallen into that trap.

He felt pathetic for being jealous over something so trivial, but he couldn’t help it. Surely anyone would be annoyed if the Esper they were guiding called out another guide’s name while in their arms. And wasn’t the content a bit strange too?

‘Don’t… Captain…’

‘Captain Jackson, stop…’

Recalling Iberis’s words from earlier, a dark shadow fell over Lucas’s golden eyes. What was he being told not to do, to stop doing? Even though Lucas knew Iberis had no experience in that area, he felt irrationally angry. It was all Iberis’s fault for sleep-talking in a way that could be misunderstood.

“Captain?”

Iberis cautiously called out to Lucas, sensing the unusual atmosphere. While it was understandable to be upset about being mistaken for someone else in his sleep, Iberis wondered if he had really made such a mistake.

“Huff…”

As Iberis watched him warily, Lucas closed his eyes and took a short, deep breath to hide the irritation in his eyes. When he opened them again, he had already returned to his characteristic expressionless face.

“Let’s drop this topic. Now that you’re awake, let’s continue with the guiding.”

“Huh? Didn’t you say you did the guiding while I was asleep?”

“It was only first-stage guiding, so it wasn’t very effective. You pushed yourself too hard today, after all.”

Lucas answered as if stating the obvious, cupping Iberis’s still-pale cheek with his palm. Then he leaned towards Iberis.

“Wait, are you going to do a mana shower here?”

Iberis easily guessed Lucas’s intention as his shadow fell over his face. He asked with wide, surprised eyes. He was so startled that any remaining drowsiness instantly vanished.

“Don’t worry. I was told we could use this room freely for the next few hours.”

Lucas replied nonchalantly as he laid Iberis completely down on the bed. Then he pushed his body between Iberis’s parted legs and placed his hands on either side of his face.

“No, but still…”

Iberis, pinned under Lucas before he could react, flinched at the soft touch of the comforter against his back. Until now, mana showers had only taken place in Lucas’s bedroom. Perhaps because of this, he felt resistant to doing it elsewhere.

“What if… you know, someone in the next room hears?”

Iberis’s lips quivered as he tried to dissuade Lucas somehow. He was already embarrassed at the thought of someone hearing the involuntary moans he made during guiding.

“Ah, there’s no chance of anyone else hearing your moans, Major. I checked before you woke up, and the soundproofing is excellent.”

Lucas dismissed Iberis’s protest, saying there was no need to worry. Then, without giving Iberis a chance to refuse, he immediately released his mana. The space, already filled with Lucas’s mana, shook violently.

“Hngh!”

Iberis squeezed his eyes shut at the sudden flood of mana. It was hard to breathe, as if swept up in a massive tidal wave. His mind went blank and he felt intense dizziness.

“Ngh, mmh…”

Iberis bit his lower lip to suppress the moans that kept escaping. His waist trembled each time Lucas’s mana surged like a wave. His fingers and toes curled tightly.

“Haa…”

Iberis groaned, crumpling the sheets in his hands and pushing them with his feet. Even though they had done this many times, he still couldn’t get used to the feeling of Lucas’s mana overwhelming his entire body.

“When will you break this habit, I wonder.”

As Iberis gritted his teeth on his lower lip, Lucas forced his hand into Iberis’s small mouth to pry it open.

“Hah, ah, mmph…”

Iberis tried to push out the intruder in his mouth with his tongue. He didn’t want to hurt Lucas’s fingers again. However, this had the opposite effect.

Twitch.

As the soft flesh pressed against his fingertips and tickled his fingers, Lucas’s eyes narrowed. He muttered a curse too quietly for Iberis to hear, then once again poured his mana into the body beneath him.

“It’s already hard enough… don’t provoke me unnecessarily.”

“I’m not, uh, ngh…!”

Iberis tried to retort in a moment of irritation, but the mana pouring down like monsoon rain without pause caused a strange moan to burst out instead. Startled by his own sound, he hurriedly closed his mouth. He didn’t want to make any more strange noises. However, Lucas’s fingers still in his mouth caused moans to leak out continuously.

“Ah, aah…”

Iberis couldn’t gather his thoughts under the mana showering down like hot summer sunlight. He twisted his waist this way and that, trying to escape the overwhelming pleasure. His vision blurred from the heat spreading throughout his body as if melting him.

“Captain, please, hah, stop…”

Floundering in the sea of mana Lucas had created, Iberis grasped the firm shoulders under his fingertips. Then he pleaded, gasping for breath.

“Not yet. We need to do a bit more.”

“But, it’s too, hng, hard, haa…”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“Yes, mhm…”

Iberis nodded frantically, making a sound that could have been a moan or an answer. He felt like he might really lose his mind at this rate.

“…Then call me Luke instead of Captain.”

Lucas removed his fingers and looked at the pleading Iberis with eyes filled with a strange heat. Unlike usual, Iberis’s reddened eyes and moist pupils stimulated Lucas’s darker impulses. Feeling a tightness in his chest, he voiced his request.

“Huh…?”

“You call me Luke just fine when we’re with others, but when it’s just us two, you keep calling me Captain.”

Iberis blinked as if wondering why this was being brought up now. As if urging an answer, Lucas’s mana wrapped around Iberis’s ankles, digging into his skin.

“Hngh!”

Feeling his body grow not just warm but hot, Iberis threw his head back. Finally, a faint voice flowed out between his trembling lips along with ragged breaths.

“L-Luke…”

“Yes.”

“Luke, ha, Luke…”

“Yes, Major.”

Having finally obtained what he wanted, a deep smile settled in Lucas’s eyes. Feeling a sense of satisfaction filling his chest, he embraced Iberis.

The reason Lucas used “Luke” as an alias was because it was the nickname his parents used to call him. It was a trace of the past he couldn’t let go of, even though he had vowed to live as a new person for the sake of revenge.

The name Luke was a device that constantly reminded him of the past and reinforced his determination for revenge, as well as a tool to remind him that he was Lucas Lowell Blake. That’s why he felt nothing special when others called him Luke. The name only held meaning when his parents called him.

But why is it different when you call me that? Why does it sound so sweet?

Wrapped in slight confusion and strong fulfillment, Lucas silently asked Iberis questions he couldn’t voice. As he did so, he tightly embraced the body clinging to him and buried his face in the pale pink nape of Iberis’s neck.

Feeling the fierce pounding of the rapidly beating heart and the heat from the flushed skin, a thirst rose in Lucas as if his throat was drying up.