MCLE | Chapter 4

“We’re gonna have to keep up the act for quite a while.”

Zero Nine didn’t respond right away. His lips parted slowly.

“Can you just… keep touching me? It feels nice.”

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Basically, he was saying, Just shut up and do what feels good. Some guys who just move on instinct are easier to deal with. But the ones like him, the ones who hold back and make you think, they’re the real headache.

Hexion clicked his tongue inwardly and let his hand, which had been stroking Zero Nine’s hair, slide down to the corner of his eye. That stubbornly unblinking eye.

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“Is your eye always like this?”

“I think they said one of my eyelids was too short since birth.”

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A defect, basically. Zero Nine said it like it was nothing, casually calling himself a defect.

Well…

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It wasn’t exactly wrong. His very existence was like a flaw in the world’s system—an Esper capable of bringing disaster.

Hexion thought, If God really exists, then He must make mistakes too.

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Hexion idly traced his thumb along the edge of Zero Nine’s eye. There was no particular emotion in the touch. No curiosity, no sexual tension—just a dull, impersonal gesture.

Zero Nine shut his mouth. Normally, whenever someone touched him, there were always emotions involved—pity, disgusting curiosity, a twisted sort of attachment. Praise for being a well-behaved test subject.

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Suppressing the bile rising in his throat, he smiled out of habit. Because of his shorter eyelid, when he smiled with both eyes, only one would properly close.

It made him look like he was winking.

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Hexion clicked his tongue at him.

“If you don’t wanna smile, don’t.”

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He pressed his forehead against Zero Nine’s, just staring into those light purple eyes—now so close they practically filled his vision.

Zero Nine didn’t respond. And Hexion didn’t seem to expect an answer. Instead, he lowered his lips to the corner of Zero Nine’s mouth.

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Zero Nine tilted his head slightly, following the touch. A guy who’d never kissed anyone before, and yet somehow, he’d learned how to do it.

Huh. Teaching him might actually be fun.

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As Hexion pressed his lips more firmly against Zero Nine’s, the latter realized something new.

So this is possible, huh? Kissing without any feelings behind it.

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Just like that touch from before—completely devoid of emotion. Empty skinship.

Ah, so this is guiding.

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But just because there were no emotions involved didn’t mean the kiss was gentle. Hexion parted his lips and ran his tongue over Zero Nine’s lower lip.

Zero Nine’s tongue flicked out instinctively, brushing against Hexion’s in return. Hexion responded by opening his mouth further, pulling Zero Nine’s head closer by the back of his neck, tilting it to deepen the kiss.

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Their tongues tangled instantly.

Hexion furrowed his brows.

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Damn. He’s learning way too fast.

This was completely different from when Zero Nine had been out of it. His movements were much more deliberate now.

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Zero Nine regretted the restraints he was wearing.

Just from this—just from the feeling of lips, the touch of a small tongue—it felt this good. How much better would it feel if he could reach out and grab that body, hold it tight?

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His arms twitched within the confines of his restraint suit.

Hexion felt it.

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And that was when he pulled back, lifting his head and breaking the kiss.

“…Ah.”

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A quiet, disappointed sigh slipped from Zero Nine’s lips.

“You learn fast.”

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Hexion didn’t even pretend to be out of breath for someone who had just been kissed. How many times had this man performed such unemotional and persistent kisses? Zero Nine suddenly became curious about it.

“It doesn’t seem like a compliment.”

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“And you’re quick to notice.”

“That is a compliment.”

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Hexion narrowed his eyes as he looked at Zero Nine, who responded punctually. Perhaps noticing his gaze, Zero Nine smiled broadly.

It was a well-crafted smile.

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Seeing that smile, Hexion felt that he was indeed tricky to handle. A tricky Esper, Zero Nine.

But what could he do? Since he had decided to take responsibility, he might as well try to make a decent person out of him.

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“See you later.”

Zero Nine responded to that.

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“How much later?”

Hexion looked at the watch on his wrist. The silver watch from A Company shone brightly even under the yellow light. After checking the time, he replied while still focusing on his watch.

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“About an hour.”

Zero Nine blinked. An hour. That meant he would have to wait at least three. The waiting time always extended beyond the scheduled duration during experiments. No one had ever kept a promise with Zero Nine.

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So it would be the same this time.

He would just quietly wait three or four hours in an empty metal box.

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“It won’t take too long.”

Hexion looked down at Zero Nine—calm yet somehow clinging—and had to admit it lightly. Quite interesting.

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He had thought he’d taken on an annoyance, but this man, problematic and thoughtful, had something intriguing about him. Whether he was flirting or not, he was somewhat cute.

Might not be too bad.

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Hexion had never failed to indulge in what interested him. Well, for now, it was the property of the nation, but from now on, it would be in his hands.

Deciding to think positively, Hexion withdrew his hand from Zero Nine

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“Don’t cry out of loneliness on your own.”

“Who…”

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“My catastrophe.”

“…”

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Zero Nine didn’t immediately process what had been said as Hexion’s lips lightly brushed against his ear. It was a soundless kiss—light, fleeting.

And without giving Zero Nine time to dwell on his confusion, Hexion simply left the room.

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Though, it didn’t really feel like a room.

Now, with Hexion gone, Zero Nine was left alone in the box-like space.

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Definitely, being touched by him had felt good.

Those who had tried to guide him before had only trembled and awkwardly touched him—their eyes filled with fear, their words stuttering, their fingertips barely brushing against his skin.

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To Zero Nine, those experiences had been more unpleasant than pleasant.

‘Perhaps this is better.’

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As he thought of Hexion, Zero Nine rubbed his arm through the restraints. If he had to be forced together with someone, it was better to be with someone who feared him less.

After all, he had to be with him, regardless of his own will.

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Yes, entirely without his own will.

He sat on the chair and closed his eyes. For the first time in a long while, the afterimages behind his eyelids weren’t white.

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Instead of the fluttering white lab coat, it was the deep gray suit—and the same dark hair color—that lingered.

He licked his still-wet lower lip.

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‘Ah, what do they call this?’

Zero Nine realized it was an emotion he hadn’t felt in a very long time and struggled to name it.

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‘Annoying.’

It was his attitude—believing he could control everything.

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Zero Nine thought he would be waiting for Hexion for hours in this cage-like room. Most likely, Hexion would show up about three hours late without a hint of apology, merely taking him into temporary custody as a duty.

“Ha ha.”

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He laughed, but it didn’t bring him any joy.

And Zero Nine’s thoughts were wrong. Exactly one hour after he left the room, he was in an elevator with Elijah, heading to the surface.

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Wow, this is actually happening.

Ding.

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A cheerful sound rang out, and as the doors opened, Hexion, wearing a fitted coat, looked around the elevator. As soon as he saw Zero Nine, he flashed a slight smile. Out of habit, Zero Nine smiled back.

“You’ve put me in something like a sack.”

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“…”

Zero Nine looked down at himself at the blunt remark. He thought he had dressed decently in plain clothes after taking off his restraints outfit. Compared to the usual patient-like garments, it was just a simple t-shirt and pants.

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Elijah, who had come up with him, responded instead.

“It’s just ordinary, why the sudden criticism?”

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“My dog wears better clothes than that.”

“Do you have a dog?”

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“No.”

“…”

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Hexion sneered perfectly.

Zero Nine realized that the sneer he had just made was nothing compared to Hexion’s. The perfect tone and irritating manner of speaking would have earned applause from anyone skilled in picking fights right then and there. Perhaps the bit of sarcasm he had thrown earlier felt like nothing more than a minor tantrum to Hexion.

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Whooosh.

The wind blew once. As expected from an underground base that contained a potential catastrophe, the surroundings were barren. Only sand, rocks, and cliffs were visible.

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Hexion, facing the wind mixed with sand, laughed. He looked thoroughly displeased, and Elijah hurriedly spoke up before he could open his mouth again.