Chapter 104

Blaine didn’t react at all to Theo’s question. He didn’t widen his eyes in surprise, nor did he tilt his head as if he failed to understand.

“…Pardon?”

Instead, he asked back slowly. Very slowly.

Theo frowned anxiously at the somewhat cold response. Was he actually against the idea?

“I’m not trying to force you… but if you’re okay with it, I’d like to register as partners—”

Theo’s own eyes went wide mid-sentence. Blaine, who had been standing there without a single reaction, suddenly began to shed thick droplets of tears. With his face frozen stiff and not making a sound, Blaine simply let the tears fall before covering his mouth with a trembling hand. Then, he asked in a heavily blurred voice.

“That’s a lie….”

“What?”

“You’re lying, right?”

Blaine’s voice shook pathetically, as if he couldn’t believe his ears. Theo looked up at him blankly and muttered, “I’m serious…” At that, Blaine’s hands began to shake as he asked again.

“Really? Truly…? Is that really okay?”

Theo nodded as if possessed. Blaine, who had been waiting for the answer, scrunched up his eyes and covered his entire face with the hand that had been over his mouth, sobbing.

“I’ll do it! I want to be partners with you, Hyung! I’m so happy… Oh my god… I’m so happy.”

Blaine repeatedly wept and laughed, wiping his tear-stained face with his forearms and palms. Seeing him so overwhelmed with joy in both body and soul, a smile gradually spread across Theo’s lips as well.

After struggling to control his emotions while wiping away tears for a long time, Blaine seemingly gave up and asked urgently while sniffing his reddened nose.

“Th-then, where are we going to live now? Are we living at your house, Hyung? Or are we living at my place?”

Blaine figured they might live at his place since his house was a bit bigger. However, Theo shook his head, indicating neither.

“We need at least two rooms if we’re going to live together. We’ll need a bit more space, too… so I was thinking, why don’t we just move?”

“…Move?”

“Yeah, to Lucilvania.”

Blaine nodded his head vigorously as if there was nothing to think about.

“I’m fine with anywhere as long as you like it, Hyung! So when are we moving? What about the partner registration?”

Somewhat taken aback by the momentum of Blaine’s non-stop questions—as if he feared Theo might take it back—Theo patted his shoulder to calm him down.

“We’ll register as partners tomorrow morning and then go look for a house.”

“Yes, yes! Tomorrow.”

Filled with anticipation, Blaine had a look on his face as if he were dreaming while Theo led him toward his house. If this was a dream, he hoped he wouldn’t wake up even when tomorrow came. If it wasn’t a dream, he hoped tomorrow would come quickly.

Having spent the entire night sitting with his back against the sofa where Theo slept, Blaine blinked his eyes at the dim light of dawn breaking through the window.

It was morning. Blaine pinched his cheek.

“Ow!”

It hurt. While absentmindedly stroking his pinched cheek, Blaine rejoiced, not knowing what to do with himself. It definitely wasn’t a dream. His body fidgeted as he waited desperately for Theo to wake up. He tried waving a hand in front of the sleeping man’s eyes and paced around the sofa, intentionally making noise.

However, Theo was in a deep sleep, completely unbothered. In his anxious and urgent state, Blaine considered waking him, but his hand—extended with a mix of hesitation and courage—couldn’t even get near Theo, clenching and unclenching before eventually withdrawing.

After repeating the cycle of sitting and standing by the sofa, walking to the front door and back, and reaching out to Theo only to pull away several times, Blaine finally called out to him in a low voice with a tearful face.

“Hyung…”

It was a tiny call, barely audible, but like magic, Theo opened his eyes. Theo stared blankly at the ceiling with half-closed eyes before slowly turning his gaze. Then, he sat bolt upright with a scream.

This was because Blaine’s two bloodshot eyes were staring at him from point-blank range.

Theo stroked his heart, which was thumping from the fright, and stammered a question.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

But instead of answering, Blaine pointed out the window, unable to keep his backside still.

“Hyung, it’s morning.”

“…Huh?”

“Hurry, let’s go to the government office!”

“Huh?”

Without even getting a chance to drink a glass of water, Theo was ushered out of the house. In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the office and were registering as partners.

After completing the registration with Theo, Blaine stared and stared again at his system window. Theo’s name was now registered in the previously empty partner slot.

Still unable to believe whether it was a dream or reality, he pinched his cheek several times, but the stinging sensation only made the sense of reality more vivid. He felt like he might burst into tears from the overwhelming emotion. Blaine suppressed the tears, sniffing the tip of his stinging nose.

“Blaine, let’s go.”

Theo’s voice drifted over from behind Blaine, who was still soaking in the overwhelming emotion of the moment. After staring blankly at the partner window in front of the government office for what felt like forever, Blaine snapped out of it and hurried after Theo. Now that they were officially registered, they had to head to Lucilvania to find their new home.

Upon arriving in Lucilvania via the warp gate, the two first bought some snacks to eat while walking. Then, they opened a map and began checking the prices of residential properties one by one.

Naturally, the closer a place was to the central square, the more expensive it became, while prices dropped further toward the outskirts. Though cost was certainly a factor, Theo wasn’t particularly fond of the downtown area. He wanted to find a quiet place, much like Ratteon.

They put in the legwork, visiting every available listing that caught their eye in terms of location and price. However, it was impossible to see the entirety of such a vast village in just a few hours. By the time they had covered about a third of the area, their trembling legs screamed for a break, and they decided to sit on a nearby bench to rest.

Even while resting, their eyes didn’t stop moving. They kept the map pulled up, constantly scouting for the next destination. They went back and forth, scouring the map over and over, discussing which spot looked good or what they thought about a specific area.

As they sat with their heads together, essentially scouting under the guise of resting, they sensed someone approaching.

“Oh? What are you guys doing here?”

Looking up, they saw a pair of identical faces, differing only in color. It was If It’s You Then Me and If It’s Not You Then Me. The twins. After confirming who it was, Theo turned his gaze back down to the map.

“Looking for a house.”

The twins shared a puzzled glance before crouching down in front of Theo and Blaine.

“A house? Why? Are you moving?”

If It’s You Then Me asked, while If It’s Not You Then Me pointed back and forth between the two of them.

“Who’s moving?”

At the twins’ questions, Blaine fidgeted visibly and looked at Theo. He seemed to be asking if he was allowed to tell them. His face was practically itching with the desire to brag. Theo let out a faint sigh to himself and gave a nod. With a face that looked like he’d just seen the light, Blaine spoke up instantly.

“We registered as partners!”

The answer was so bright and innocent that the twins’ brains momentarily stalled. Then, simultaneously, they looked at Theo as if demanding an explanation.

Meeting their gazes head-on, Theo skipped the explanation and asked indifferently.

“Do you know of any cheap, spacious, and quiet houses?”

The twins, whom Theo expected to kick up a fuss, remained surprisingly calm—though their faces were more stunned than anyone’s. They looked between the two of them before pointing to a specific house on the map.

Frowning at the imprecise location, Theo asked, “Where?” and If It’s You Then Me pointed again, providing the actual address this time.

“Number 11-123.”

The place the twins mentioned was near the entrance of Lucilvania. It was a spot where you had to enter the alley between the stables and the training grounds and head up a small hill.

Theo discussed the location with Blaine for a moment before standing up.

“Thanks. I’ll go check it out.”

He patted the shoulders of the twins, who were still crouched there, and brushed past them. Blaine gave a quick bow in greeting and hurried after Theo.

Watching their retreating figures, the twins covered their mouths and muttered.

“No way.”

“They say the quiet cat climbs the hearth first…”¹

Theo and Blaine headed toward the entrance of Lucilvania as the twins had directed. The entrance was a bustling, noisy area since so many people passed through it. However, as soon as they entered the alley between the stables and the training grounds and walked up a bit, the noise vanished as if it had never existed.

Houses lined both sides of the gentle slope. The alley was decorated with rows of various flowerpots and small garden beds, and some walls were covered in thick ivy. Between the quiet, secluded alleyways, the deep blue sky was visible.

“…….”

The two stared blankly at the alley and the sky. It was quite a view. It felt almost unfair that they had lived in Lucilvania without knowing such a place existed.

Number 11-123, which the twins had mentioned, was the house at the very end of the alley. Unlike the other houses with entrances on the ground floor, this was a two-story house where you had to climb a flight of stairs to reach the front door.

As they opened the door and stepped inside, the acrid smell of dust greeted them first. Fanning the air with their hands while coughing, they walked further in to find a fairly large space.

The building had looked big from the outside, but the interior was also satisfyingly spacious. Theo, his interest piqued, poked around various spots before heading up to the second floor. The second floor consisted of a small living room, a terrace, and two bedrooms. The terrace was located directly above the front entrance.

“This is nice…”

Theo muttered to himself unconsciously. He liked it more than he had expected. He had been quite fond of his house in Ratteon, but it couldn’t even be compared to this place. Even if it was considered cheap for a house in Lucilvania, he wouldn’t have dared to dream of it if he were alone.

With an excited expression, Theo took one more look around the second floor before heading back down. There, he ran into Blaine, who was rushing up the stairs. Blaine waved his arms frantically with an ecstatic face and shouted.

“Hyung, there’s a backyard here!”

“Huh?”

Blaine grabbed Theo’s arm and urged him to come see, and Theo was pulled along. In a corner of the first floor, there was a recessed space with a single door. When they opened it, they found a backyard just as Blaine had said. There was a small porch to block the rain and a backyard that was the perfect size for a small vegetable garden.

There was no need to think about it any longer.

“Let’s sign for this place.”

At Theo’s entranced murmur, Blaine nodded happily. The two sold their respective houses in Ratteon and, combining that money with some of their savings, they signed the contract for Number 11-123.