Chapter 40 ….
“Ah, this is….”
Perhaps because she had just seen Calisten earlier, Acelia felt strangely unsettled. It wasn’t the first time he had seen her completely naked. And yet, why did it feel so unfamiliar and embarrassing this time? On top of that, there was his disappointing answer.
Because of that, a flicker of embarrassment rose in her—but it quickly faded, and she was able to smile at him.
“I’m helping with Z-898’s training.”
Calisten looked at her suspiciously, his lips twitching slightly. Acelia reflexively smiled again when she noticed him staring straight into her eyes. The reaction clearly displeased him; his brow furrowed. Every time he saw her smiling face, it felt like his heartbeat went irregular.
“What kind of training requires you to change clothes?”
“Huh?”
“I asked what kind of training.”
Behind Calisten stood the manager of Building Z. Acelia glanced toward him. Calisten immediately followed her gaze and gave a silent warning with his eyes.
The manager of Building Z quickly stepped back several paces.
Maybe back when he was just Z-999 it would have been different, but these days he was an experimental subject personally observed by the deputy director. Keeping some distance was wiser. Once Z-grades awakened, it was obvious they would receive treatment above that of low-ranking researchers.
Moreover, Calisten was an experimental subject who had already succeeded in Stage 2 of the five stages of the first awakening.
Because of that, the researcher in charge of the building couldn’t help but shrink back. Aside from that, Z-999 was also infamous for being so fierce that experiments couldn’t be forced on him.
“Z-898 has body-enhancement abilities… her clothes tore.”
“You were injured and burned because of me, and you went straight to help with training?”
“Ah, yeah. I volunteered….”
At Acelia’s answer, Calisten’s eyes widened further as he stared at her.
“Why?”
“Do I have to explain that?”
She said it because she didn’t really have a proper answer. At that, Calisten lowered his gaze with a disappointed expression.
“No.”
“Then… can I go in?”
At her words, he fell silent. After a moment of thought, he lifted his lowered gaze again.
“By any chance, did you see a woman?”
“Huh? Huh?? Huh???”
Acelia froze in extreme panic in front of her room door. She tried to tap her card to open it, but her hand fumbled uselessly.
“….”
Seeing her reaction, he realized she must have seen the woman he had encountered—Selina. Meanwhile, Acelia began to worry that he might have noticed her true identity from her expression.
“Why are you asking that?”
“Acelia.”
“Huh…?”
“I want to go into your room.”
Acelia hesitated briefly. Then, the moment her eyes met the Z-building manager standing far enough away not to hear them, she answered:
“Okay.”
—Beep.
The door to Acelia’s room opened, and for the first time ever, Calisten entered her room.
As soon as he stepped inside, Calisten felt something strange.
His own room was small, but hers was even smaller—almost like a chicken coop.
And yet it was meticulously tidy. His belongings often ended up broken whenever the drugs affected him, but although the items in Acelia’s room were old, everything was clean.
Maybe that was why… he found it cute. It felt like her personality showed through.
“My room will be changed soon. To a Z-grade room.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah. Apparently the room I’ve been using was a punishment cell.”
That was because he had been so rebellious during experiments. Punishment rooms were equipped with restraints so experimental subjects could be subdued at any time. The rooms located toward the front of each wing were punishment cells, while the proper rooms in the back were designed to provide privacy.
Among the Z-grades, those with no hope of awakening—or those showing signs of collapse—were placed in punishment cells.
In Calisten’s case, it was because of his defiance.
“I see. Congratulations.”
“So, about that.”
He got straight to the point.
“I’d like you to share the room with me.”
Acelia lifted her head in surprise at his words. He stared intently at her as she met his gaze without avoiding him.
Her violet eyes always felt new to him—like violets swaying within his line of sight. Like dewy irises.
“But… rooms are supposed to be single occupancy….”
“The deputy director approved it. I just need your permission.”
“…For how long?”
The fact that she immediately asked about the duration disappointed him a little. He had thought she might want to keep living together after hearing it—especially with such a small room like this.
Maybe she really had grown uncomfortable with him.
Even though she used to say she liked him.
“One week.”
“Ah….”
Acelia felt uneasy about his remaining five days of rampage period. If they lived together this week, she feared she wouldn’t be able to avoid the original storyline.
“If I refuse….”
“Then you can.”
His answer sounded disappointed, which made her hesitate.
Things were already very different from the original story. The original Acelia had never even talked to him, and he had ignored her.
But now?
He might still view her as an object of desire, but unlike the original, he didn’t treat her as insignificant. Besides, in the original story, he killed her because she didn’t smile.
And now she had smiled at him enough to make anyone sick of it.
“Let’s try sharing for just one day, and then decide.”
“…Okay.”
She spoke at last. It seemed better than refusing outright. Besides, she had slept in his room many times before, and since he had come all the way to ask like this, refusing felt strange.
More than anything, she was A-grade, and he was Z-grade.
When he said something, she couldn’t easily refuse. Yet the fact that he still asked for her consent meant he truly respected her.
In this research facility, the only one who genuinely respected her was Calisten. He asked her opinion, and if she said she didn’t like something, he stopped.
But in the end… he still only saw her as an object of desire.
Did he really have no feelings for her at all?
Thinking about it only made her feel depressed.
“Then, let’s go.”
“Huh? Right now?”
“Yeah.”
When he held out his hand as if telling her to take it, Acelia grabbed it without thinking.
His large, hot hand wrapped around her small one. It felt strange—but not unpleasant—how naturally he held her hand. That only made her feel foolish.
Maybe the reason he treated her well was just because of her appearance as a woman.
Still, he never did anything she explicitly said she disliked.
“Calisten.”
“Why don’t you call me by my nickname?”
“You know….”
Before leaving the room, there was something she wanted to ask him.
“What would you think… if I didn’t see you as just a friend?”
At Acelia’s words, Calisten stared at her blankly.
His heart was pounding wildly. And then he realized—
The woman who stirred his desires… the one called Selina…
His heart raced because she reminded him of Acelia.
“I… you….”
But he was still an experimental subject who hadn’t even awakened yet—someone who could go berserk at any moment. And she was someone who kept getting used for his awakening.
Still, there was a promise he had made with the deputy director.
‘You want to bring that girl into your new room?’
‘Yeah. And don’t use her in my experiments.’
‘You think I’ll agree to that?’
‘Agree. I’ll do anything. Anything, as long as you don’t use Acelia.’
That was why he wanted her in his room. If she wasn’t right in front of him, he didn’t know what might happen.
Even so, he believed he had no right to confine her if she didn’t want it.
He had intended to tell Acelia all of this honestly. Earlier he couldn’t because of the researcher, and now… his heart was racing too much and he forgot.
“I’m… not sure.”
Until his awakening was complete, he was a ticking time bomb.
So he couldn’t say anything yet.
“I understand, Cal.”
But she felt as if her feelings had been rejected, and her eyes grew slightly moist.
“Let’s go.”
“You….”
“…Can we just go without you looking at me?”
Acelia’s eyes burned. But he tried not to look at her, just as she asked.
Not now.
He couldn’t promise anything yet.
Many experimental subjects died during awakening—especially high grades.
The researchers would try not to let him die, but the experiment was extremely difficult. Even as a Z-grade, his survival couldn’t be guaranteed.
If he foolishly told her the truth now—
What would happen to the Acelia who might be left behind?
He thought himself terribly cowardly, but until he awakened, this was the only way he could protect her.
Bow to the deputy director and pray for her safety.
“Acelia.”
“…Yeah.”
His new room in Building Z was visibly spacious at a glance. When the door opened with a beep, Acelia looked inside and gasped.
“Wow….”
Seeing her mood brighten, Calisten quietly felt relieved.
But as she walked forward, he noticed something in her pocket—the clasp of the red necklace Selina had been wearing.
He grabbed it.
“What’s this?”
When Acelia turned around, the first thing she saw was the flashy red necklace dangling from his hand.
The one Alexis Rainier had given her.
