Chapter 81
“…”
“…”
Startled, Claude and I locked eyes in shock.
“…Was there a doorbell here?”
I had never heard it ring before. Even the Logs who periodically brought food always came and went quietly while I was asleep.
After a moment of silence, Claude responded…
“No.”
An absurd answer.
“B, But I clearly heard it just now…”
“…I didn’t hear anything.”
Claude seemed determined to feign ignorance.
Both of us had heard it and were equally startled, yet he acted as if nothing happened, his face the epitome of shamelessness.
Regardless of my struggling or objections.
Having secured my consent, he felt no need to hold back and started to gather my wrists above my head to continue undressing me.
But the doorbell rang again, rendering his words utterly unconvincing.
I bolted upright and hastily adjusted my half-lifted clothes. Then, I cautiously glanced at Claude.
Claude was… well.
He looked like a dog who had its food snatched away just as it was about to bite.
In other words, he was infuriated.
Sweat-drenched hair swept back, his red eyes were ominously fierce.
Grinding his teeth, he muttered curses… whoever rang that bell was most definitely doomed.
“Um, I… I’ll go check.”
“No, stay here.”
“Please, can I just check?”
I begged, hoping to save the unfortunate soul outside.
Claude, with a look of disbelief, glanced down at me then abruptly stood up.
It was clear he was unaware of his own state.
Flushed with excitement, his body sweaty.
His upper body was bare, and although he wore pants, the outline of his lower half was not something that could be ignored.
Was he really going to go out like this?
As much as I doubted it, Claude, blind to everything, left the room.
Inside, I was anxious.
Sure enough, the door burst open with a thunderous sound, followed by the frightened screams of the unwelcome guest.
***
Contrary to my expectation that Claude would quickly toss the intruder out and return, he didn’t come back to the room for quite a while.
Feeling half relieved, yet undeniably a bit disappointed, I hesitantly got up from my spot.
Too embarrassed to venture out hastily, I fixed my clothes and tiptoed to the door.
I could hear voices through the slightly ajar door.
“…immediate deployment is requested…”
“Then the deadline is…”
“Given it’s a Code Black situation…”
The conversation was muffled by distance, but one term distinctly stood out: Code Black.
There are levels to indicate the crisis when Espers and Guides are conscripted, known as Codes.
Green, Blue, Yellow, Red… There are various colors, but among them, Black is the code that specifically indicates the most serious national disaster-level crisis.
The most recent Code Black situation occurred 14 years ago when a colossal gate burst near the capital, causing the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians.
It was a shocking event that led to the establishment of a center to systematically train Espers and Guides to counteract the mutants.
…And now, we’re in a Code Black situation?
It didn’t feel real. At this very moment, a catastrophic event that could snatch hundreds, maybe thousands of lives, might be happening somewhere in the country.
“Hi, hiik…! I’m sorry!”
The office worker who delivered the news of Code Black was trembling with fear.
I don’t know what Claude’s expression was as he turned his back on me, but it must have been terrifying.
“…I’ll go right away.”
“Y, yes! Thank you! I’ll be leaving now!”
Relieved, the office worker disappeared quickly with a look of relief that clearly said, ‘I survived’.
Claude drew a hand over his face to rub it in frustration, then he turned around and walked straight toward me as he caught sight of me peeking through the door gap.
“…Rose.”
Clutching my chest, which was fluttering with anxiety, I asked him,
“Isn’t Code Black a very dangerous situation?”
“…Indeed. It might take a while to resolve.”
Claude glanced at my hastily fixed attire and responded with a grimace.
The duration wasn’t the problem. From Code Red onwards, there were often cases of Espers and Guides being conscripted and dying.
Let alone Code Black…
It’s hard to compare since the last precedent was 14 years ago, but it could be really dangerous.
…Will he be okay?
Discussion
1 CommentReactions
amarisu