After that, Hyde said nothing more. He simply took Uichan’s hand and led him up to the main hall. He seated Uichan on the wooden floor, then crouched in front of him to untie the laces of shoes that hung loosely from his heels.He had gone out to get away from this place—only to end up right back here, like a boomerang. /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Truthfully, it would be more accurate to say he had left to look for Hyde. If he had known Hyde would return this quickly, maybe he would’ve just stayed put.No—that couldn’t be. If he had, Phantom Thief Kill would’ve been captured by Noa, or worse, dead.…It didn’t look like he met Blacktan.Contrary to Uichan’s assumption, Hyde didn’t seem to have faced Blacktan at all. No matter how powerful Hyde was, it would have been impossible to fight Blacktan and come back without a single scratch. Yet his body was completely unmarked. Even his clothes weren’t rumpled.“I deliberately didn’t give you underwear and only left an outer robe, but look at you—where did you get this outfit? Did you go down to the village?”“How was I supposed to climb over the wall dressed like that? People would’ve called the police for indecent exposure.”Hyde had already removed Uichan’s shoes. His hand, which had been touching Uichan’s ankle, slid slowly upward—past the knee, along the thigh, then hovered for a moment before resting on Uichan’s shoulder.“Then how did you leave? Did a wolf bring you some clothes?”“I told you I don’t know.”Though his heart was pounding, Uichan tried to sound calm. A wolf? It felt as though Hyde was teasing him, pretending ignorance while already knowing everything. Saying anything more would only dig him deeper, so he tried to stand and slip away into the room.But the hand on his shoulder pressed him back down. The strength wasn’t great, but Uichan couldn’t move. When he lowered his gaze, he found Hyde’s pale gray eyes meeting his, slightly narrowed.“You couldn’t even wait a little before running off… and then you come back after a rendezvous.”Though the words sounded like reproach, Hyde said them lightly, with a faint smile. The hand gripping his shoulder slid around the back of his neck. His fingers brushed gently against the skin, then pressed down on one spot.“Ah…”The sharp sting made Uichan’s eyes widen. He knew that spot too well—it was exactly where Noa had bitten him earlier.“You’re swollen here too.”Hyde’s fingers then pressed lightly on Uichan’s lower lip. Startled, Uichan flinched and pushed his hand away, covering his own mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes darting downward.“Uichan.”“……”Unable to answer, tongue-tied, he stayed silent as Hyde’s fingers slid up, stroking the soft lobe of his ear. Hyde laughed quietly—still with that unreadable face.“So this is what you want me to keep looking at from now on.”Uichan slowly raised his eyes to him. Hyde’s faint, disbelieving smile looked nothing like anger. Yet Uichan knew—Hyde never displayed rage openly before him, and he was a master at hiding whatever he truly felt.And right now, in Uichan’s eyes—“…You’re not angry, are you?”—he looked like someone calmly planning how to kill Noa and Blacktan.“Of course I’m angry. The one who left without a word comes back on his own, wearing that. Anyone who’s not a saint would be upset.”“I didn’t even want to go out in the first place. But Hyde, you—”“You thought I’d hunt them down and kill them?”Uichan closed his mouth again. Of course he already knew. Hyde always knew why Uichan did anything. From the way he’d mentioned Mother Ship earlier, he must’ve thought she had taken Uichan for a while. But seeing Uichan return with a blood-soaked Phantom Thief Kill—Hyde didn’t need much imagination to piece the rest together.“Why did you think like that? I let the kids go, didn’t I? Isn’t that enough?”“They might’ve let it slide, but… no one else said anything. I wanted to talk, but when I woke up, you were gone.”“…Ah. So that was my fault. You woke up and I wasn’t there, wandering off. Alright then. Want to talk now? Though honestly, I don’t feel like letting those bastards go.”“If you don’t want to, then what will you do about it?”“First, I’ll move the twins under me. Which means no one else can know you’re pregnant.”It was absurd. Hyde already knew from the doctor that the third child’s life was in danger. Yet he was implying that other fathers didn’t matter—that he alone would claim them.Knowing that, hearing him talk like this still made something flare in Uichan’s chest. He slapped Hyde’s hand away from his cheek and strode off. Heavy footsteps thudded against the floor before the sliding door slammed open—then shut with a bang.From outside came a low laugh, the kind someone makes after watching a lover’s tantrum. Uichan glared toward the sound of Hyde’s approach on the veranda.“If you come in, I swear I won’t ever see your face again.”“Mm… alright. Then you rest for now. We’ll talk later—maybe over dinner?”His leisurely tone only made Uichan’s stomach churn harder. He wanted to retort, but he couldn’t. The truth was, Hyde was already being lenient by not interrogating him about running into Noa.The shadow beyond the sliding door slowly faded, accompanied by faint footsteps. Maybe he really was going to cook. Curious, Uichan quietly slid the door open and peeked into the corridor—but when Hyde glanced back, he slammed it shut and fled back into the room.The bedding, still unmade, looked strangely familiar and comforting. Looking down at himself—covered in blood and dust—Uichan sighed and leaned against the wall.–Beck! Ow!Something soft squished behind him and yelped. Uichan pulled the little puppet off his back and set it in front of him. Komi’s stitched mouth was twisted into a frown as it rubbed its face.“Oh… you’re still here? What if Hyde finds you?”–Beck… I was going to leave. Just wanted to see Uichan first.Phantom Thief Kill had said Komi was like a brother to him. Though it was only a hand puppet, it had been in his arms even during his Awakening as Phantom Thief Kill. Wearing its little overalls, Komi was a mischievous boy.People said Kill spoke his foul language through the puppet, but the truth was, he had given a fragment of his personality to it. They were two minds connected in one being—separate, yet the same.Komi stared up at Uichan, then crawled up his shoulder and pressed its head against his cheek.–Beck… Uichan, don’t hate Hyde…. Beck. He’s like that because he likes you. Because he wants to be with you. All the brothers are the same…. Beck. Everyone likes Uichan.“I know. And I like you and all the others too, Komi.”–Right? Beck… right? You like Komi? You do! More than Podo, right? Beck–Excited, Komi threw both hands up and fell over backward. Uichan quickly caught him and set him back on his shoulder. Komi shook his head wildly, then nuzzled Uichan’s cheek again.From somewhere came the rhythmic sound of chopping—a cutting board being struck. Hyde really was preparing a meal. Komi, still pressed against his cheek, glanced toward the door, then looked up quietly at Uichan.–Then… Uichan.“Yes?”–Don’t… like other heroes, okay?“……”Uichan said nothing. Komi suddenly lowered his head, and his small body began to dissolve into drifting white spores.After a moment, alone in the silent room, Uichan touched his neck. When his fingers brushed the spot, he felt the faint imprint of teeth.He looked toward the carved window. The sky outside was filled with the crimson glow of sunset.“…If I could’ve done that, it wouldn’t hurt this much.”When he’d realized La Épée and Hyde were the same person, he’d been shocked by how relieved he felt. Hyde was family. He’d always assumed they’d stay together somehow. If Hyde could become the father of his children, Uichan would’ve gladly welcomed it.But now that Hyde knew each of the three babies had a different father… would he be able to love the others’ children the same way? The thought frightened him. And—–Please… see me too sometimes. I feel left out, you know, hyung….Why did the faces of the others keep flickering before his eyes? Uichan couldn’t understand his own heart. Was this what they called polyamory—the kind he’d once read about online? Or was it some instinctive attachment born from the little ones inside him?He had to… find the fathers soon.Whatever it took, he had no intention of giving up the babies. So he had to find the father of the third child.The disordered day was slowly drawing to a close. Leaning against the wall, Uichan let his eyes fall shut as though collapsing into sleep.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.