[BL]The Hero and his Party Won't Let Me Go

Shuu kept an eye on Kris’s face, and once he was sure that the situation was serious, he decided to take out his phone as well.

The news he read made his blood go cold, and his body staggered, unable to hold his weight.

"Shuu, get a hold of yourself. It will be fine. I am sure Rin is fine. He’s a smart kid, right? And he’s an esper as well. He will make it out alive from the sudden dungeon break. Besides, Secretary Ann is there with him."

Kris tried to make Shuu feel better about the sudden dungeon break, but Shuu felt even more unsettled hearing Kris talk about it.

He wanted to immediately head toward the academy and grab Rin to hold him in his arms, but his body would not listen to his decision and instead seemed to cage him down like this.

"I... I need to save Rin. He’s all I have left, and I-"

Shuu’s chest was hurting. He could feel the pain traveling up his chest, and breathing felt difficult. But it was really hard for him to concentrate on anything at the moment.

Soft hands patted Shuu’s back, and the human warmth brought him back to his senses. He blinked as he looked up, only to see Kris’s face looking back at him with warmth and compassion.

That alone made Shuu’s eyes wet, but he knew that it was not the time for him to cry.

"I know that it’s difficult to hold yourself together, but you need to do that. For Rin’s sake, you need to calm down. I am sure the authorities and the guild leader will send people to help soon enough."

Shuu knew that as well, and yet a part of him wanted to be the one to go out and save Rin right now.

His reluctance to leave this to the authorities must have shown on his face because Kris suddenly looked determined.

"Shuu, do you want my help? I am an A-class esper as well, and I have clearance to go inside such a dungeon. I also have training and experience with dungeons now. If you want, we can go inside the dungeon and save Rin."

Kris offered, trying to earn some points with Shuu.

He was not actually clearly sanctioned to make a decision to head into a dungeon on his own, but what Shuu did not know would not hurt him.

And if anyone asked, he could simply tell them all that he got trapped inside the dungeon while trying to head back from the academy.

Kris was not usually such a noisy person. He preferred to maintain a low profile and not cause trouble for himself and the others.

But right now, all he wanted to do was help Shuu out, and to do that, he was willing to go as low as he needed to.

Shuu had a small smile on his face when he heard Kris’s words, and that made Kris’s heart beat faster in his chest. Suddenly, all this trouble felt like it was worth the hassle he had to go through.

"Thank you for helping me out. I will be in your care now."

Those sweet words tickled Kris’s ears, and he could not help but want them to change and have Shuu completely dependent on him.

’No-! Don’t have such dangerous thoughts. Shuu is not my personal guide, and I cannot monopolize him. I need to keep myself thinking straight...’

Unfortunately, it was something incredibly hard for Kris to do at the moment. His feelings were getting mixed up, and his emotions were getting played with by his own violation.

__________

Shuu’s heart hurt as it beat faster and faster in his chest. He wanted to calm it down, but he did not have the courage to reach out and do something about it.

He... was feeling a fear he had seldom felt before-the fear of losing someone precious to him.

When Shuu had been with Kaiden, he did not have to fear any of this because Kaiden was with him.

Not only did the emperor take care of menial tasks for Shuu, but he also made sure to do it in a way that would not cause Shuu any distress.

Shuu felt like he could trust the emperor with everything he had.

Unfortunately, Kaiden was not here, and Shuu was left on his own to protect Rin at the moment.

"We are almost there. You can share any of your worries with me, Shuu. And don’t worry so much. We will save Rin and bring him back home."

Kris flashed Shuu a smile, and that made Shuu feel better. He was sure that it was all going to be fine from here on...

But he still felt a lingering detachment in his chest that reminded him that this was not a dream, but reality that he was facing.

They reached the academy, and a few teams were standing around, waiting for instructions before heading inside. This was pretty normal and adhered to protocol, but Shuu felt angry about the situation.

’Why are these people not going in to help, but are instead standing out here and waiting for the situation inside to get worse? They need to get moving-’

"I will go and ask about the situation. You should stay here and keep yourself out of trouble, alright? And don’t worry so much. The more you worry, the more you will feel like you are losing your mind."

Kris reminded Shuu before he walked away from him. For a second, Shuu debated whether he should stop Kris or not, but ultimately decided not to do anything and wait for him to come back.

Waiting around for Kris was much harder than Shuu anticipated. He could feel other people looking at him and wondering who he was.

But he kept things to himself and did not go out to talk to anyone else. Somehow, he was sure that he wouldn’t be able to handle it if someone else made a stupid comment about the situation.