Chapter 41

“Kal, th-this is… .”

Embarrassed, I tried to take my necklace back, but to no avail. He held my necklace very tightly, and I was much weaker.

“I’m hallucinating again.”

“What?”

“Ha.”

He seemed to think I was an illusion. But it was a reasonable assumption because some of the drugs he was injected with contained hallucinogens.

Perhaps he had the afterimage of me from the meeting in Alexis’s room. Of course, there were a lot of similarities; only we were of different genders.

“Yeah, it’s a hallucination.”

Those words reassured him.

“Since when? From the moment you came in?”

“No. From the moment you took off my necklace.”

“I see.”

He sighed in relief and rested his head on my chest. Every time his blood-stained hair moved, it left a faint trace of blood.

“If it’s a hallucination, I can do whatever I want, right?”

“Uh… . do you want to kill me?”

“No.”

Kalisten answered immediately and then removed his head. He grabbed my waist again, and I looked up. My heart ached, perhaps because of his strangely messy appearance.

“I want you to wash me.”

“Is that something you really want, even if this appearance is just a hallucination?”

“Yes.”

As soon as I heard the answer, I became dazed as if thinking about it and then opened his mouth.

“If you think you’re in danger, run away.”

“Why?”

“I can’t control myself right now.”

Again. I should be afraid again, but instead, he seems more afraid of me.

“Is Kal afraid that you will kill me?”

“… .”

“Really?”

He didn’t answer, but I knew the answer was yes.

If it is the same as the original, I have seven days left.

If I could change him in 7 days.

“Let me go.”

At that, he reflexively hugged me very tightly around the waist. And then he immediately let go.

“I won’t run away.”

When I got up, his expression turned fierce, like a black leopard chasing a fleeing herbivore with its eyes.

“Can you give me the necklace for a moment?”

When he reached out his hand, he placed it on my hand, and I took it.

“Kalisten.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Don’t you want to go wash up? The room is too dirty and Kal is drenched in blood.”

Then he stared at me with a blank expression and nodded his head.

I let go of his hand for a moment and put my necklace back on. Then I pressed the button in the corner of the wall. The round, red button was in a Z-class room but not in the A-class room.

It was a button to call a researcher.

“Kal, come here.”

By the time Kalisten approached me quietly and took my hand.

– Beep.

“Remarkable.”

“Researcher Ivan. I want to wash Kalisten, or Z-999.”

I completely returned to my male form; I was concerned about Kalisten’s gaze. So I couldn’t look straight into Ivan’s eyes; I looked down at the floor.

“Alright.”

After saying that, Ivan pressed the device, he was wearing on his arm and stood there.

“Empty the shower room. Class Z will use it.”

With that notice, he turned around and walked. I didn’t know if I could follow, so I stood there. He looked back once as if telling me to follow and stepped forward again.

So I followed.

Ivan seemed to be worried that Kalisten would go berserk. He was holding his wrist just in case; the band-like device on his wrist appeared to be a means of communication.

“Kal, don’t do that.”

“… uh.”

The moment Kalisten met Ivan’s eyes, his magical powers spewed out. With my remark, he restrained himself. Then he quietly followed again, perhaps finding stability in my voice.

“Hand.”

“What?”

“Hold on tighter. Otherwise, I won’t be able to control my power.”

“Ah, yes. I will.”

I walked and held his hand tightly. Kalisten tilted his head.

“You’re holding on tightly.”

“Am I holding it too tight?

“Your hand hurts. Look at this, you’ve turned white.”

I had applied so much strength to my hand that it turned white, and blood could not pass through. Then he said,

“Don’t hold it so tight. I’ll just hold on to you.”

“Okay.”

Even though he was intoxicated, he could not hide his true disposition which was naturally kind and friendly. It was clear that Kalisten ran so wild in the original because he was pushed to the limit.

An isolated laboratory, and the fear of death that would come upon him at any time.

There, he was given painful drugs daily, had hallucinations, and was traumatized.

“It’s nice to have Kal’s strong grip. My hands are so warm.”

It was scorching but tolerable. My hands seemed to withstand the heat better than the rest of me.

Ivan glanced back but then walked back without saying a word.

We passed the research building and headed for the shower room. There were signs of a grade rushing out with few R-rated people. 

They looked up when they saw Ivan and me, and when they saw the bloody Kalisten behind us, they quickly packed up their clothes and left.

“Hurry up, quick, quick!”

His voice was hoarse, but the researcher who shouted was a man. Most researchers here were women, but they didn’t do such chores.

Even though many of them had long hair, they were primarily men.

“How dare you ants be slow when you haven’t even been able to awaken?”

At his words, the R-rated subjects looked down and disappeared expressionlessly.

“One hour until the next level’s shower.”

“Thank you, Jared.”

“Don’t mention it.”

A man with long brown hair called Jared seemed quite friendly with Ivan. Jared soon went away with the R-class subjects he was in charge of.

“I’ll be here waiting in the front, so wash up and come out.”

“Yes.”

So he came out of the showers, and only Kalisten and I went in.