âCan you let go?â
As he was about to open his eyes, Aselia covered his eyes, barely grasping her necklace with her free hand.
âAm I still dreaming?â
âYes, it is a dream. So stay like that. I will hate you if you open your eyes.â
â⦠yes.â
Aselia gently removed her hand. He still had his eyes closed, so she reached for the necklace, feeling fortunate. As she struggled to get away from him, he loosened his arms. Then she tried to get away, but he flipped her over.
That was the moment.
âYeah. It is still a dream.â
He said that as he closed her eyes and covered her body with his own.
âI told you not to open your eyes⦠.â
âItâs still closed.â
Hearing his voice in her ears, Aselia suddenly felt her face heat up. Her body was still exhausted, but it had recovered a little because she had woken up. But it was hard because her body was so numb.
âIs this really a dream?â
She stretched out her arms at his question. She reached out to the necklace between the towels. Grabbing it, she turned her body over, holding her chain in her hand.
Then, with his eyes closed, she stared at Kalistenâs muscular upper body, imprisoning her body like a barbed wire.
âYes,â
She answered briefly, examining his collarbone and pectoral muscles. Looking at it with a clear mind, he looked like a perfect statue.
Aselia quickly put her necklace around her neck and then scratched her fingernails across the top of his chest.
âOh⦠. What are you doing?â
âI do not know.â
Then, she scratched the same fingernail mark on his shoulder that she had left yesterday. When she returned to being a man, she was able to leave a more accurate mark compared to yesterday, perhaps because the strength in her hand had changed.
âCan you get out of the way now?â
Then he opened his eyes.
âYou said it was a dream.â
âYes.â
Aselia looked at him, her gaze strangely sinking.
Kalisten was taken aback. Aselia always reflexively smiled at him but now didnât smile even when they met eyes.
âI want to go back to my room now. I am so tired.â
âHuh? When did you come?â
Without answering his words, she slowly tried to push his shoulder.
âI just came. As soon as I arrived, you hugged me.â
âThen why did you say it was a dream?â
âI⦠.â
Aseliaâs attitude, as if she really wanted him to be a dream, came out involuntarily.
âAs grade A, I must obey a Z-ranker unconditionally.â
At her words, he kept his mouth shut.
It wasnât until around breakfast time that Ivan arrived and took Aselia back to Building A.
***
âDeputy Director.â
The deputy director gave instructions to Ivan in the lab.
âWhen youâre done checking, burn it.â
âYes, but do you really only want to modify food for A-702? Then the distribution system and order will be disturbed.â
âSince when are you in a position to question my orders?â
âSorry.â
Ivan read the documents handed over, surprised that only Aseliaâs food was assigned to another test subject, not in order to be changed. Then, surprised that he hadnât read or noticed the back page before he glanced over at the deputy directorâs information.
âAh, itâs because of the second stage of awakening. I was foolish, apologies.â
âNo, itâs okay. When youâre done, go out.â
âYes, Deputy Director.â
Ivan was uneasy when he learned that only Aseliaâs routine was altered for the second stage of Kalistenâs awakening.
Kalisten couldnât even reach the 1st stage of the 1st awakening with a tolerable shock. It seemed that for the second step, the deputy director might really be trying to display Aselia dying right in front of his eyes.
âYou shouldnât give affection.â
Even while Ivan was talking to himself like that, he couldnât pretend he didnât know, perhaps because he remembered Aseliaâs pure expression when looking at him.
So he decided to contact Alexis secretly.