Does Spring Come Even for a Dying Esper

“Ah…!”

A sound, unclear whether it was a sigh or an exclamation, burst from between his lips. Lucas bit his lower lip with a bewildered expression. It was just imagination, but his heart sank as if he had committed a grave sin.

Thump, thump.

Following his loudly beating heart, a strange stirring spread throughout his body. Lucas stared at the black ink growing and staining the white paper before putting down his fountain pen.

“I must be going crazy.”

Whew. Lucas exhaled deeply and covered his face with both hands. His nape felt hot, as if he had a fever. He closed his eyes tightly and then opened them, as if trying to erase the face that had invaded his mind. Then he repeatedly rubbed his face with his hands.

Yes, this was the biggest problem, more than all the reasons he had come up with earlier. The fact that imagining kissing Iberis didn’t feel bad. The moment he considered whether he should perform level 2 guiding on him, far from feeling repulsed, he was somewhat drawn to the idea.

This realization caused Lucas extreme emotional turmoil. It couldn’t be helped, as until now, Lucas had felt strong aversion towards Espers trying to seduce him or patients openly showing their attraction.

He had only fulfilled his duty as a guide and done his best as a doctor to treat them, but they always wanted something more from Lucas. Each time, he felt very uncomfortable.

He had neither the luxury to engage in love play with someone, nor the desire to enjoy pleasure to forget the anger and guilt that came moment by moment.

‘Why don’t you try to relax a bit? Pushing yourself too hard isn’t good either. You’ll burn out quickly that way.’

‘It’s not a bad idea to find comfort in people or rest in someone’s arms.’

Winfried worried about Lucas like this. He occasionally advised that Lucas shouldn’t be too fixated on a single goal, and that it might be good to have someone by his side.

Lucas didn’t think Winfried’s advice was completely wrong. However, that was only possible if there was someone he was attracted to.

Even when someone he objectively considered attractive showed interest and approached him, or when someone with an enviably sensual body made overt advances, he felt no desire to respond. Therefore, it was impossible for him to form any kind of relationship with anyone.

But why was this person different?

Lucas furrowed his brow in confusion. To say he had grown fond of him seemed inadequate, as there were people he had guided and treated for longer than Iberis when he was at the central headquarters. Among them, there were some with whom he had built friendships or maintained good relationships even now.

There were several who, while not as severe as Iberis, needed consistent management for months due to their poor condition. However, he had never thought of attempting level 2 guiding with them.

He had the confidence that level 1 guiding was sufficient for recovery, but also because the moment he assumed performing level 2 guiding, he felt uncomfortable.

But Iberis was different. It was unusual that Lucas considered it first, even though Iberis had never requested level 2 guiding from him.

“Tsk.”

Lucas clicked his tongue roughly as he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his uniform shirt. Usually, he was comfortable maintaining a perfectly neat appearance, but today his neck felt strangely stifling.

Thinking about it, Iberis had never shown that kind of desire despite receiving guiding from Lucas multiple times. Even though he clearly seemed to feel good.

His silver-gray eyes, clear as crystal, only showed emotions like trust, gratitude, languor, and bewilderment. There wasn’t even a speck of the lust or desire that Espers who received guiding from Lucas often displayed. While Lucas felt reassured by this, he also felt an inexplicable sense of disappointment.

“Haah, damn it…”

Lucas ran his hand through his hair and stood up, frustrated by the confusion and unease that wouldn’t go away. He thought it might be better to go outside and get some fresh air to clear his mind.

* * *

“Oh? Captain?”

As Lucas came out of the building, he turned his head at the familiar voice calling him. He saw Brenda approaching him with a welcoming expression, holding a stack of documents in her arms.

“Where are you going?”

“Just came out to get some fresh air.”

“Ah, I see.”

Since the day Lucas had comforted her, Brenda hadn’t hidden her fondness for him. Of course, it wasn’t a romantic feeling. To her, Lucas was like an angel who had appeared to heal Iberis. How could she harbor any disrespectful thoughts towards such a person?

Lucas knew this, so he didn’t draw a line with Brenda. He didn’t dislike people who showed human affection towards him as long as it wasn’t for sexual purposes. Moreover, her cooperation was essential if he wanted to get along well with Iberis.

“…Where is the Major?”

Lucas, who had hesitated for a moment, asked casually as if nothing had happened. He had come out to stop thinking about Iberis, but seeing Brenda naturally made him think of him.

“The Major? He’s probably in the training room.”

“The training room?”

“Yes, he said he was going to exercise after finishing all the approvals for today.”

Brenda answered, shrugging her shoulders as if to show the stack of documents in her arms.

“I see, thanks for letting me know.”

Lucas, having learned Iberis’s location, gave a brief word of thanks and started walking. It didn’t take long to reach the training room in the annex. As he entered, he discovered people gathered around the one-on-one sparring room.

“Who’s going to win?”

“Wow. Look at the size difference… The Major looks so small standing in front of the Lieutenant.”

“Shh. Be quiet, man. They can hear us.”

Lucas approached with large strides after seeing the unit members pressed against the window as if watching an interesting spectacle. He had heard the word “Major” in their conversation.

“What’s going on here?”

“Gasp!”

“Captain?”

The unit members’ heads turned reflexively at the voice from behind. Some swallowed hard at the sight of Lucas staring blankly at them, even though they hadn’t done anything particularly wrong.

“Well… the Major and Lieutenant Denver are sparring…”

“Sparring?”

With Caleb? Lucas’s gaze turned towards the inside of the sparring room at the soldier’s answer. There, he saw Iberis standing face to face with Caleb.

“What’s this…”

His golden eyes, slightly widened at the unexpected combination, trembled finely. Lucas pushed through the tightly gathered crowd to the front. At that moment, Iberis, wearing sparring gloves and protective gear, lunged at Caleb.

Thwack! Boom!

Caleb defended against Iberis’s attack with ease. Their fists collided in the air, creating an intense explosive sound. The unit members cheered at the invisible speed of the exchange.

“Tch.”

Iberis, judging his attack had failed, retreated to create distance. However, Caleb wasn’t about to let that happen.

Whoosh!

Along with the sound of air being cut, a fist like a huge rock came rushing in. Iberis dodged the attack by bending his waist sharply backward. He planted one hand on the ground and stretched his leg out at a right angle, aiming for Caleb’s chin.

“Hup!”

Surprised, Caleb twisted his head. Despite his large build, he was quite agile, but not as fast as Iberis.

Thwack!

Iberis twisted his body and swung his leg once more. Taking advantage of Caleb’s stumble from not completely avoiding the second attack, he struck Caleb’s waist with his shin.

“Ugh!”

Caleb staggered after being hit again by Iberis. It was an unexpected strength from such a small frame and slender legs. He gritted his teeth, feeling the ache in his waist.

“Haap!”

Caleb stretched out his fist with a powerful shout. As someone with body enhancement and giant transformation abilities, he was skilled in various forms of combat. Caleb took a boxing stance, slightly bent his upper body, and threw a flurry of jabs.

“Your waist is open!”

With his excellent dynamic vision, Iberis easily dodged the relentless punches. Then he countered with a kick each time.

“Wow!”

“Insane!”

The unit members erupted in cheers as Iberis pushed back Caleb, who was several times his size. Contrary to expectations of an even match, Iberis had been dominating throughout.

“…”

Lucas stood like a wooden post among the people cheering excitedly at the intense sparring, watching the two men’s match.

Thwack, Boom!

The initiative in the sparring had completely shifted to Iberis. Caleb’s body staggered under the accumulated impact of successive kick attacks. His legs were losing strength.

Iberis didn’t miss this opportunity and struck Caleb’s ankle hard. At that moment, Caleb completely lost his balance and fell backward with a loud thud.

“…I’ve lost.”