Obsession... What's That? I Just Wish Someone Would Help Me Escape - Chapter 34
Lifting my head, I met Johann’s green eyes, backlit by the sunlight.
He had called out but then said nothing, just quietly observing me as if I were something intriguing.
The scar on his tightly closed lips appeared starkly visible.
He hesitated, then frowned, as if caught in a trance just by looking at me.
And suddenly, he picked a fight.
“…What are you looking at?”
Wasn’t that my line?
“I’m looking because you’re handsome.”
I nonchalantly commented, glancing at his loosely buttoned chest.
Why does he always wander around half-unbuttoned?
Caught off guard by the compliment attack, a hint of confusion crossed his face.
“Why are you looking there when you talk?”
“I didn’t notice it until you mentioned it, now you made me look.”
He placed a hand over his chest, furrowing his brow as he asked.
“Are you really a pervert?”
“No. But since there’s nowhere else to look, I’d appreciate it if you buttoned up.”
His growl deepened at my candid remark.
“The buttons burst, can’t help it. Look again and you’re dead.”
He issued a fearsome warning, prompting me to immediately lower my gaze.
In such a hierarchically isolated group, the law of the jungle—predator and prey—is the best survival strategy.
Adjusting to my lowered gaze, I fixed my eyes on his belt, which only irritated him further.
“Hey, just f**k off.”
But it was he who vanished, quickly walking away. Watching his retreating back, I managed to get up.
“He’s quite shy.”
Both Enrique and Johann were like prickly cats, difficult to tame.
* * *
Johann’s temperament continued even into bedtime.
He grabbed some chalk from somewhere and drew a line between his and Kido’s beds, issuing a stern warning.
“Just try crossing this when I sleep, and I’ll kill you.”
He seemed to sense some sort of threat from Kido.
It wasn’t the kind of intimidation or momentum one feels from a strong adversary.
“Oh, you’re really scary.”
She lay on her side like a reclining Buddha, propping her head up with one arm,
Her expression was nonchalant, as if to say, ‘What are you going to do about it?’
While ordinary lower-ranked prisoners couldn’t even meet his gaze and shivered in his presence, she was different.
“I swear I won’t cross it.”
Her lips spoke threats, but her expression was unexpectedly relaxed and smug for someone of the lowest rank.
Despite their oppressive and powerful presences, she remained unfazed and full of spirit.
Her response to intimidation seemed almost indifferent, as if she was merely conforming without genuine submissiveness.
Johann suspected that she was no ordinary person.
‘It is said that Prisoner Number 0 exists, I heard he’s in solitary confinement in the basement of the prison.
After what Enrique mentioned, could it really be coincidental that Kido, Prisoner Number 49, wasn’t placed with the other 40s but rather in our room?
‘Me? When I first arrived, I fought with a guard and was thrown into solitary confinement.’
This is what Kido disclosed upon her arrival.
She may have been suggesting she might have even killed a guard.
Despite not having awakened to any abilities, being designated as the heir of the Sloth family certainly implied reasons of its own.
Moreover, was she not a lady notoriously infamous within noble circles?
A reputation of a rabid dog that would never let go once it had bitten, and that any challenge would result in bloodshed, was known even to him, who usually kept a distance from social circles.
“Ugh…”
Suddenly, the sleeping Kido groaned, shifting uncomfortably in her sleep.
Johann watched her intently, alert to any changes.
The moonlight seeping through the window bars bathed her face, giving it a pale glow.
To any man’s eyes, her beauty was undeniable.
Renowned in social circles as both a leading villainess and a beauty, the titles were well-deserved.
While she might seem gentle and fragile at a glance, like the dark side of the moon, she seemed to hide a manipulative devil.
Johann crossed the line he had drawn to take a closer look at her.
He could sense her distinct fragrance.
It was reminiscent of the fresh, invigorating air of a lush forest at dawn.
Returning to his spot, Johann tousled his hair and sighed deeply.
This was the crisis he felt.
“Why do I keep…”
Feeling this impulse to reach out to her?
As time passed, he felt like he was gradually being coaxed into it.
If it had been a clearly defined enemy, perhaps it wouldn’t have been so disconcerting, but a foe that invoked such unfamiliar emotions was entirely different.
Johann’s green eyes, tinged with confusion, drifted downward.
A certain part of his lower body had risen without permission.
This had never happened before.
He had deliberately maintained a promiscuous image and rough manner to build a fortress around himself, showing no interest in women.
“Did it also provoke something else?”
He wasn’t the only one feeling strangely enchanted by her.
“It seems our suspicions might be right.”
In the darkness, Enrique, lying on his back and gazing at the ceiling, murmured softly.
“Perhaps we might even gain the abilities we’ve been seeking.”
