Chapter 140

After Vasily fell asleep, I must have dozed off myself while waiting for the ice covering the doorknob to melt.

Through my hazy mind, something glittered beyond my closed eyelids. When I slowly lifted them, sunlight was slipping through the gap in the curtains.

…What, sunlight already?

I was about to sink back into sleep when I noticed the glow of Vasily’s phone on the bedside table. It was vibrating — a call was coming in.

Thinking it might be an urgent request for gate support, I shook Vasily awake at once.

“Esper-nim. There’s a call.”

I shook his shoulder, but Vasily didn’t rise. No, to be precise — he was awake, but he clearly intended to ignore it with his eyes still closed.

So… he wasn’t going to answer. Fine, whatever.

I left him be and looked down at the still-ringing phone. The number wasn’t saved, but the pattern felt familiar. After a moment of recall, I concluded it was the doctor’s number.

Well, this much — I could answer.

“It’s a call from the doctor. I’ll just take it.”

The signal had been ringing for a long while already. I didn’t wait for permission and quickly tapped the button.

“Hello, Doctor. This is Kwon Gidam.”

— Ah, Guide Kwon Gidam? Good morning.

“Esper-nim is asleep, so… I’ve answered for him.”

To be exact, he wasn’t sleeping but pretending, but whatever. As I spoke, I used my free hand to push away Vasily’s head clinging to my side.

— To think he’s sleeping in this late… It seems the guiding you provided worked very well indeed.

The doctor, who knew Vasily suffered from insomnia, spoke with fascinated admiration.

I quietly lowered my gaze to look at Vasily lying beside me. The very person being discussed had his arm wrapped firmly around my waist the moment I woke — not budging at all.

His silver hair flowed softly over my side, tickling my ribs. His energy seeped faintly through where our bodies touched, and a beam of sunlight filtering through the curtains rested gently upon his closed lashes.

Peaceful.

As much as I hated to admit it, the moments I spent with him had grown too familiar.

Staring at him for a long moment, I finally spoke.

“If you tell me what you need, I’ll pass it on to Esper-nim.”

— In fact, I meant to inform you as well. The results from yesterday’s analysis — your wavelength and your matching score — have come in. Nothing has changed from the preliminary reading, so we plan to report it to the Association as is. Is that acceptable?

“Yes. That’s fine.”

— Given the unusual situation, the Association will likely summon you in a few days. I thought it best to let you know beforehand.

“Thank you.”

With only the necessary information exchanged, the call ended.

Looking down at Vasily, still clinging to my waist with his eyes shut in feigned slumber, I said:

“You heard that, right? The results are out.”

“…Mmh.”

“Stop pretending to sleep and get up. The sun is already high.”

Pressed with a firm tone, Vasily finally opened his eyes.

There wasn’t a trace of sleepiness in them. Was this really the face of someone just waking up? I had a feeling he had been awake long before me, and the thought left an unpleasant aftertaste.

“How long are you going to keep calling me that?”

When I stared at him, unsure what he meant, he continued:

“‘Esper Vasily’ sounds so stiff, doesn’t it? Considering our relationship.”

“What relationship…?”

“Call me Vasya.”

“…What is that?”

“My nickname.”

“……”

A short, icy silence fell. My expression must have frozen over from sheer disbelief.

“I will absolutely not call you that.”

I refused flatly and tried to rise from the bed — but the arm around my waist didn’t move.

“Let go. I need to go to the bathroom.”

“If you call me by my nickname, I’ll let you go.”

…You little—

Normally I would’ve scoffed and waited him out, but… I really needed the bathroom. Damn that late-night alcohol.

Worse, his arm pressed against my stomach, making light flash before my eyes. The harder I struggled, the tighter his arm locked.

“W–wait… Fine, so ease your arm a little.”

When I pretended to give in, the weight on my abdomen lightened.

I exhaled slowly, calming myself.

Nickname? As if I’d ever say something like that.

I’d coax him for now, then slip away immediately.

“Didn’t you sleep late yesterday? Aren’t you tired? Why don’t you sleep more? There aren’t any gates anyway.”

“If I fall asleep, you’ll run away, won’t you?”

“……”

Caught instantly. And those eyes — wide awake, not sleepy in the slightest.

My pride and my dignity wrestled inside me for a long moment… and then, I spoke.

“…Vasya.”

The moment his nickname left my lips, Vasily’s eyes curved brightly.

“Да, мой чёрный кот1.”

…Kot? What?

Foreign syllables spilled from him — Russian? It wasn’t English, and I’d never heard it before. I couldn’t even guess the meaning.

Vasily tightened his arm around my waist again, pressing his forehead lightly against my side with a soft laugh.

“I used to think things like this were childish… but now I finally see why people get attached to nicknames.”

His low murmur tickled my ear. He seemed far too delighted, leaving me uneasy that his nickname might mean something I didn’t know.

Ugh… Regret hit me all at once.

But the meaning of his nickname wasn’t the priority — my bladder was.

“Esper-nim, I called you what you wanted. Please let go now.”

“‘Esper-nim’?”

“…Vasya.”

Satisfied, he finally released me.

I muttered every curse I knew internally as I scrambled out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

“Haa…”

A while later, feeling immensely relieved, I stepped back out.

Only now did I take in my surroundings.

The living room still bore the traces of last night’s drinking — the whiskey bottle, a half-filled glass on the table, dried splashes on the floor, and an empty glass rolling near the wall.

I bent to pick up the glass.

The cold surface pressed against my palm.

Staring down at it, I couldn’t help thinking — Vasily and I had changed. We had never sat and had drinks together like this before. Somewhere along the line, the distance between us had blurred.

And then — the Russian word he said earlier. What did it mean again? Something ending in kot…

“What are you doing over there?”

Startled, I snapped my phone shut. I’d been trying to look it up.

“I was cleaning up the alcohol from yesterday.”

“You can do that later. Come to the room. I’m waiting.”

“Why would I go back to your room? Put on some clothes first.”

I shooed him away firmly, and he headed back with exaggerated reluctance.

I let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Good — he didn’t see my screen. I could search again later.

But just as I pocketed my phone, Vasily’s voice drifted from the doorway:

“It means ‘cat.’”

“…What does?”

“The word you were looking up.”

…So he did see.

I slowly turned toward him, face twisting.

“Why would you call a grown man a cat?”

“I thought it suited you. You’re wary, prickly… and when you’re startled, your eyes go nice and round.”

“When have I ever—”

Vasily chuckled softly and stepped back into the room.

Left alone in the living room, I dragged my overheated hands over my equally burning face.

Damn it…

Why was my face so hot?

Footnote

1. “Да, мой чёрный кот.” — Russian; literally “Yes, my black cat.”