TGIC Ch 124

Chapter 124

“……!”

With a sharp intake of breath, hurried hands pushed against his shoulder.

In an instant, the warmth in his arms vanished, leaving an abrupt chill in its wake. As the heat faded, his body temperature plummeted; cold seeped outward from his heart, spreading through every vein. Feeling the frost crawl through him, Vasily softly opened his eyes.

He turned his head. At the edge of the bed stood Gidam, staring at him with trembling eyes. The way he hastily felt over his clothes, checking if they were intact, made it clear—he did not remember last night.

Vasily exhaled a sigh and lifted himself up.

“What are you doing over there, Guide Kwon Gidam?”

“You distinctly stated that you would not receive Guiding! Why am I in Esper Vasily’s arms?!”

“You don’t remember? You were the one who burrowed into my arms first, saying you were hot.”

“T-There is no way I would have…!”

Gidam’s face, pale just moments ago, flared scarlet. Something had clearly resurfaced.

Still murmuring that it was impossible, Gidam fled the room as though running from death itself. Vasily listened to the rapid footsteps grow distant, smiling faintly as he stepped out of bed.

It was a morning like any other—yet his body had never felt this light. There was no more pain from frozen blood coursing through him, no pounding headache. The faint residue of Gidam’s wavelength drifted inside him, leaving behind the illusion of lingering warmth.

Even the sunlight spilling through the window did not bother him. After merely one night with Gidam in his arms, this was the best he had felt since awakening as an Esper.

He must not lose Gidam. Not now, not ever. He was meant to stay by his side for life.

Vasily dressed unhurriedly in a suit, fixed his hair, and fastened a watch around his wrist. When he finished and went to find Gidam, he was greeted by wary, defensive eyes.

“Put on your clothes. We’re going out.”

“……Is it the Gate?”

“No, we’re going to the Association. I have a meeting.”

“Understood.”

At the mention of the Association, Gidam’s guard eased—slightly.

Vasily shifted his gaze, quietly observing the room. Aside from a few pieces of furniture, it was empty, devoid of belongings.

It was only natural—Gidam had discarded everything he owned—but Vasily still found it displeasing. It looked as though Gidam might leave at any moment.

The instant Vasily took a step toward the room, Gidam swiftly blocked his path.

“I need to change. Please leave.”

“You can change in front of me—”

Bang!

The door slammed shut before he could finish. Though exiled from the room, Vasily turned away without lingering.

Entering the living room, he noticed sunlight pouring across the sofa. He paused, gazing at it, then walked to the brightest spot and took a seat.

Warm sunlight settled on his skin. For the first time in ages, it did not hurt. He had spent years hiding from the sun, its touch always searing as though boiling his flesh.

Now, it felt gentle—pleasant even. No wonder people looked so happy basking under it. This warmth alone could lift one’s spirits.

He curled his fingers as though to hold that warmth, but sunlight could never be caught. Letting his hand fall, he leaned back and closed his eyes.

At that moment, the sound of a door opening reached him.

Gidam stepped into the living room and, spotting Vasily on the sofa, approached quickly. Vasily assumed he had come to wake him and kept his eyes closed, waiting.

Instead, Gidam strode past him and curtly shut the curtains.

The warmth vanished at once. Opening his eyes, Vasily slowly turned his head. Gidam stood at the window, hand gripping the curtain, eyes wide as though he had just realized his own behavior.

“You dislike sunlight.”

Only after speaking did Gidam seem to notice the peculiarity of his own instinctive action. Before he could flee, Vasily raised a hand and caught him.

“You covered it for my sake?”

“N-No… I just suddenly remembered you saying something like that…”

“Is that so?”

“It seems my memory is beginning to return, little by little.”

He did not seem aware that flustered lying only made it more obvious. Still, that hardly mattered. What mattered was something else entirely.

“Mm—!”

Vasily took hold of his chin and kissed him. He had intended to give Gidam time to adjust to his memory loss—but with his Guide right in front of him behaving like this, how could he possibly endure?

Gidam froze the moment their lips touched, then began to tremble. Yet the trembling only spurred Vasily onward.

“B-Vasily—nn!”

Though Gidam’s body stiffened, his lips parted with disarming ease. Vasily twined their tongues, sucking greedily.

When his tongue brushed Gidam’s palate, the latter shuddered violently, clutching Vasily’s shoulders. The fabric of his suit crumpled beneath trembling fingers, but Vasily paid it no mind.

Even such a soft kiss failed to ease Gidam’s shaking.

He felt guilty for frightening him, yes—but he had no intention of stopping. The more they touched, the deeper his thirst grew.

With the suppression chip gone, he had assumed mild contact would suffice for the time being. He had been wrong. Faced with someone so sweet, restraint was impossible.

His body burned. His once-frozen heart beat furiously.

“……!”

Unable to hold back, he tilted his head and devoured Gidam’s mouth. Immediately, Gidam reacted—hard.

Crunch.

The sound of flesh caught between teeth made Vasily pause. A sharp sting spread across his tongue, and the taste of blood filled his mouth.

Gidam’s lashes fluttered violently; his throat bobbed.

There was one thing Gidam did not yet know—pain like this only excited him further. However…

“Haa…”

Vasily slowly withdrew. A strand of blood traced down Gidam’s chin as their lips parted.

“Let’s go.”

He wiped the blood from Gidam’s lips, stepped back, and stilled. As much as he hated to stop now, any further and Gidam truly might stop breathing.

Leaving the house together, Vasily reached the Association and headed straight for the meeting room.

Starting today, he would recreate events from before Gidam’s memory loss one by one. Sitting idly and waiting for memories to return was unacceptable. What he told Gidam earlier was fabricated—but if they retraced their steps, recollections would emerge.

“Welcome, Esper Vasily. We prepared as soon as we heard you would bring your Guide.”

People stood to greet him as he entered. One staff member approached to escort them to their seats.

“We have arranged seats over here.”

Two chairs sat side-by-side in the best vantage point facing the presentation. Vasily eyed them and spoke coldly.

“Remove one of the chairs.”

“Pardon? Then where will the Guide sit…?”

“I will stand behind.”

Before anyone could respond, Gidam answered on his behalf—clearly accustomed to this. The familiar, dismissive retreat without so much as meeting Vasily’s eyes grated on him.

“No. Sit on my lap.”

Gidam’s face turned ghost-pale. His reaction was identical to the very first time he had heard those words.

“Excuse me… what did you say?”

Vasily sat and extended his leg slightly, repeating gently,

“Sit. On my lap.”

“Have you finally lost your mind?”

“No. This is for your sake. We need to restore your memories.”

“And how does sitting on your lap help recover them?!”

“Because you often sat on my lap during meetings.”

“That is an absurd lie—”

“Lie? Some here should remember.”

Gidam prepared to dismiss it as nonsense—but the atmosphere abruptly shifted. Silence fell. Even the sound of paper stopped.

Feeling the strangeness, Gidam slowly looked around.

A few officials, meeting his gaze, coughed awkwardly and turned away. Even the staff member who escorted them avoided eye contact.

Gidam’s expression hardened little by little. Their reactions said everything.