Chapter 197: BETTER OFF.

Chapter 197: 197: BETTER OFF.

June and Syll stared at each other for a while before June finally spoke.

"Does it matter...?" He scoffed. "I guess I have my ways..."

Syll hesitated before slowly looking away. "Given your strange skills... I suppose you do have your ways." He glanced down at the files on his desk. "Thank you..."

June was surprised by the sudden gratitude. He stared at Syll, who eventually looked up at him again.

"Thanks for not telling him..." Syll hesitated. "About everything..."

June slowly folded his arms as he asked, "Why haven’t you told him everything? If you like him, then at least you should be transparent about it. You’re quite aware that my silly brother is willing to remain loyal to you until the end."

Syll lowered his gaze. "You won’t understand... I have my reasons."

"What reasons?" June asked, even though he already knew. "It’ll only lead to worse scenarios. Things will only get worse if you keep playing these games with him." He stared at Syll. "You’re only going to make things worse."

"And that’s why I told him to leave... He should..."

"And we both know he won’t," June interrupted. "We know that won’t work on him. He’s been around you for years, and even now, while you keep chasing him away, he stays. We both know he’ll stick around for many more years, no matter how much you try to push him away."

June sighed before adding, "So doing that won’t help. It’s best you tell him the truth and let him decide for himself. At least, I’d appreciate that..."

Syll fell silent. He didn’t know how to face Gray and tell him everything.

June continued, "And... I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to keep this from him for much longer."

"He’s my brother, and I also wish to protect him. So I hope you can find it in yourself to finally be honest with him, especially after everything that’s already happened. It’ll be better that way."

He paused, his expression turning serious. "Because if you can’t... then I might have to prioritize protecting my brother over keeping your secret. I just want you to know that."

Silence lingered between them for a while before Syll slowly nodded with a smile.

"I guess my time is already numbered, then..." He looked up at June. "Thanks for understanding. I guess I’ll... I’ll have to find a way to tell him."

June slowly nodded, keeping his gaze on him. "And..." He hesitated, trying to find the right words. "If it’s meant to be, then it’ll be. You can’t protect him forever this way. You’re only going to make things worse..."

Syll smiled and nodded. "I can’t believe a kid is lecturing me about this, but... thanks."

June scoffed. He supposed he’d have to accept the whole kid thing if he wanted the conversation to flow smoothly.

As they stood there exchanging smiles, Syll seemed to find the courage to express a little more of what was on his mind.

"I guess I’ve spent my whole life trying to measure my actions by whether they’d please him..." Syll admitted with a sigh, shaking his head. "I hate him. I should hate him... That’s the only thing I should do..."

He ran a hand through his hair before continuing, "But I always find myself wanting to make him see me in a good light. At least, I want him to regret everything he’s done..." He smiled faintly at June. "I feel like a terrible person whenever I think about it all."

But June smiled at him. "He’s your father, at the end of the day. Don’t be too harsh on yourself. And it’s okay to feel bad about it. You’re allowed to feel that way, at least."

The two exchanged smiles, and Syll nodded. "Thanks, and... I’m sorry."

June understood what he meant and scoffed. "It’s okay. We can always intern somewhere else if you’re not too..."

"No. You can stay." Syll smiled, interrupting him. "I’ll need the academy’s current hot-topic Esper and Guide in my organization if I want to generate some buzz for myself. So do stay."

June stared at him with his arms folded. "Okay, then. We’ll help promote your growing organization," he said, making them both laugh.

Gray and the others soon arrived, interrupting their conversation and prompting them to turn their attention to signing the documents.

Syll informed them that they could come whenever they wanted. "I’m pretty lenient here, so you don’t have to follow any strict schedule or anything. Just come whenever you’re free."

June smiled brightly. "The dream of every worker!" He gave a slight bow. "Thanks!"

Gray folded his arms and looked at Syll. "Aren’t you giving these rascals a little too much freedom?"

"None of your business," June snapped. "If there’s nothing else, we should get going."

And so, after making the necessary preparations, they set off to return to the academy. Gray was supposed to give them a ride back, so he reluctantly followed along.

As they left, Syll smiled and shook his head before turning his attention back to the books on his desk.

He took his time looking through them before reaching out and picking up a particular one. For a while, he simply admired its cover, seemingly lost in thought, before finally opening it.

Inside was a photograph of him and Gray from their high school days. It was one they’d taken back when they were still dating, a reminder of the time when things between them had been different.

Syll stared at the picture for a while before casually smiling to himself.

"Is it worth it, or...?"

He sighed, slipped the photograph back into the book, and closed it before returning to work.

---

The weekend had finally arrived. Saturday—the big day of June and Nyx’s first official date as a couple.

And with the arrival of the long-awaited day came the sudden realization that June had absolutely nothing to wear!

He’d gone into a mini frenzy, turning his dorm room upside down in search of the perfect outfit for their first date. Clothes were scattered everywhere as he rummaged through his wardrobe, desperately trying to find something suitable.

Meanwhile, Ryan sat nearby, watching the chaos unfold and suffering the consequences of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.