The Guide is Actually a Body-Switching Esper [BL]-Chapter 440: Late-Night Meal

"Aaah, I’m starving! Let’s sit down and eat first, yeah?" Lane took off his shoes, tossed his jacket onto the hangers, and walked straight to the dining room, carrying the takeout bag in his hand. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

His right hand, even though his right arm had been terribly injured not too long ago and still wasn’t fully healed, but that didn’t seem to matter to Lane.

Not that the takeout bag was all that heavy, since it only contained a light late-night meal for him and Damien, but still. Damien couldn’t help but stare at Lane’s arm with concern. Since Lane showed little to no concern for his own health, he had to make up for it by worrying twice as much.

He didn’t say anything to stop Lane, though, because what was the point? Lane was already at the table, unpacking the bag, so it was too late to lecture him, and Damien didn’t want to nag the man about every single little thing, or else he would have to spend half his day on nagging, and neither of them would enjoy that. On top of that... Important as taking care of Lane’s injuries was, there was something else Damien needed to talk to him about.

He let out a heavy sigh, and took off his boots, stepping inside. He was still drenched in blood, with his uniform partially destroyed by the corrosive substance from the lizard monsters. Unlike Lane, who had been able to shower and get changed in the hospital, Damien hadn’t had any opportunity to refresh himself, not after fighting the lizards, and not after leaving the dungeon, as he had been too busy handling all the formalities...

But the food was getting cold, so it had to wait a bit longer. Damien was used to enduring discomfort, anyway. He only washed his hands, before taking a seat at the table.

The meal that Lane had gotten for them was typical fast food: chicken nuggets, fries, and corn cobs on the side to make it ’healthier’. Hardly the kind of food that Damien would typically go for, but...

Even he didn’t feel like preparing any meal right now, not even anything quick. And he would never complain about any food that Lane had gotten for him, especially not when Lane was the one paying. Not to mention, it’s not like there was a lot to choose from at this time of day (or, well, night), at least not when it came to any healthy, nutritious options...

He grabbed a fry and put it in his mouth. A bit too greasy for his taste, but overall, not entirely bad. He was only eating to keep Lane company, anyway, since after it all, he didn’t have much of an appetite.

"So... What now?" Lane was the first to speak up.

"I... don’t know," Damien sighed, staring at the nuggets in the box. "With Wagner gone, our team has one less Guide... However, we still meet the ratio requirements, at least as long as your true rank is concealed, so the Association most likely won’t do anything... They might want to investigate the Guild that previously owned this dungeon, though, due to the gaps in the information that they had provided... As for the Allen Guild... They haven’t said anything yet, but if they seek damages..."

"Ah, no, not this," Lane waved his hand dismissively. "I’m asking about the raids. When are we going on the next one?"

Damien stared at Lane for a while in silence, rendered speechless. He had already known that his boyfriend was a battle freak, but...

Seriously? He was already thinking about the next raid? After what had just happened, after getting so badly injured? Less than half an hour after getting discharged from the hospital?

That was the first thing he asked about? Shouldn’t he at least care a bit about all of those other issues that their raid-gone-wrong had caused?

Then again, perhaps it wasn’t that Lane didn’t care, but he simply already had a good idea of what might happen. He had been in this line of work for far longer than Damien, after all. Even if his knowledge of the laws and regulations was still lacking (due to his deep disregard for them), based on his experience, it was possible that Lane was able to anticipate what the Allen Guild could do, as well as what repercussions that Guild that he secretly worked with would or wouldn’t face.

...Especially if he had been aware of the accident before it had even happened.

"I’m not sure yet," Damien answered Lane’s question first, observing the man carefully. Lane was dipping nuggets in the sauce and tossing them into his mouth, perfectly calm and collected, as it was any normal night. As if he hadn’t just returned from a dungeon raid in a terrible state. "Most likely, we will enter the other A-rank dungeon as soon as all team members recover, for the initial clear-up... However, it all depends on what the board decides tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay." Lane nodded his head. As long as he didn’t lose his opportunity to have fun with the monsters, he was satisfied.

But Damien didn’t share his sentiment. He watched Lane for a bit longer, before finally asking,

"Do you... Did you have anything to do with the cave’s collapse?"

It felt almost wrong to ask it. It was as if he were accusing Lane, even though he had absolutely no proof, only vague suspicions caused primarily by how convenient everything had seemed for Lane, his injuries aside. Especially considering that the only maimed person was Ethan, the person that Lane hated. And, while none of it was out of character for Lane, to openly suggest that Lane might have been the culprit just based on his past was... Well, Damien would feel extremely guilty if it turned out that he was wrong...

Lane paused with a chicken nugget raised halfway to his mouth, and glanced at Damien, meeting his gaze. The silence seemed to have dragged on forever, until finally...