Slowly raising his head, he saw that the surroundings had been scoured barren. The trees, the grass, even the corpses that had been scattered about—everything had vanished as if evaporated.“Haa….”No, that wasn’t it. Uichan came to his senses when he saw the arms wrapped tightly around his own body. Lifting his head quickly, he found a man before him, drenched in blood. Uichan froze as if doused in ice water. The blur in his cold eyes focused, and the figure before him came into sharp view.“…Mr. Noa.”“Ah… haha, looks like… we barely made it out.”Blood dripped steadily from Noa’s lower lip. Even so, he casually wiped it with the back of his hand and smiled.“You were just standing there blankly, I got worried. You must’ve been caught in a hallucination for a moment, hyung. But… why are you holding something so dangerous? Put that down. I can’t touch that thing….”Noa’s gaze dropped to Uichan’s hand. In it, Uichan was clutching a finger wrapped in cloth. A foul stench rose as black smoke curled up from it.When Uichan let it go, Noa patted his head as if praising him for doing well.“You almost got hurt….”“You’re one to talk, Mr. Noa… Why are you so badly injured?”What had carved through Noa’s chest like that? He had transcended the limit, so what could have possibly hurt him this much? Uichan’s gaze drifted to the finger that had fallen on the ground.An explosion. Could that have been what wounded Noa? Then what about the Phantom Thief?Uichan hurriedly tried to turn around, but Noa leaned his forehead, hot to the touch, against Uichan’s shoulder.“…Seems ‘In the Hell’ doesn’t have much of a sense of family. You almost got hurt, and they just glare like that. Maybe they were aiming at you on purpose. You should just leave that place.”The arm around Uichan’s waist trembled faintly, either from pain or exhaustion. His breath against Uichan’s shoulder was rough. When the thin layer of dust finally settled, the fallen figure of Phantom Thief Kill came into view not far away. He was vomiting black blood.“How amusing. You think I… would hurt our youngest, cough….”Kill’s face was pale, his injury severe. His white clothes were soaked through with blood, the fabric clinging wetly to his back where something had pierced clean through him. His eyes were bloodshot as he staggered upright.“Stay there, Phantom Thief. Please… just stay put. I’ll come to you.”Neither of them could move properly. Whether it was from the Ability Uichan had used or the battle itself, both were too badly wounded to act.“Mr. Noa.”Uichan’s first thought was to persuade Noa to take Kill out of here. But when he looked at him, no words came. To save Kill, he’d have to push Noa away and run—but he didn’t want to. Not when Noa had gotten hurt because of him.Perhaps sensing his hesitation, Noa tightened his arms around him. Their backs pressed flush together; Uichan could hear the heavy pounding of Noa’s heart. Judging by the strength behind his grip, he wasn’t planning to let go. Yet the words that followed were the opposite.“…I’m not in good shape either… I don’t think I can capture Phantom Thief Kill….”Uichan’s shoulders stiffened. Focused on Kill, he didn’t notice Noa leaning his head against his shoulder, staring at the congestion spreading up Uichan’s neck.“So….”“……”“…Go. Haa….”Uichan’s face twisted slightly. Bloodstained fingers gripped his shoulder and turned him toward where Kill lay.“The heroes… will be here soon….”“…Mr. Noa.”“Hurry…. I’m, cough, fine.”But the ground beneath them was slick with blood. Uichan hadn’t even been able to check the extent of Noa’s wound. Yet from the ragged breaths he heard, he knew it must have been bad—pain so deep he couldn’t even cry out.“…If I go, what about you?”“Me?… The heroes will… hah… handle my rescue….”“How bad is it? You can’t even move?”“It’s fine… I can… endure.”Kill, still on the ground, coughed up blood and glared fiercely at Noa. He stretched a trembling hand toward Uichan, scratching ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) at the ground, urging him to come.Noa was deliberately letting Kill go—using his injuries as an excuse.Noa’s hand slipped from Uichan’s body. Uichan stood dazed for a moment, then began to walk toward Kill. One step, two steps… three steps—And then he looked back. Noa, standing there, widened his eyes, then gave a mischievous smile.He was still bleeding heavily, blood gushing from the laceration across his chest. At that rate, he could die from blood loss. Uichan hesitated, then tore off his sleeve.“Then at least let me treat you.”He quickly moved in, looping the torn cloth under Noa’s arm to bind his chest. The cloth was soon soaked red. Noa caught his hand as he tied it.“Why aren’t you leaving…. Are you that worried… about me?”“Mr. Noa.”Noa’s faint smile collapsed in an instant. When Uichan tried to steady him, a large hand shot out, grabbing the back of his neck.“If you’re that worried… then look at me. I’m about to do something bad.”Something bad? Uichan blinked at him. He barely had time to think he’s too close before Noa tightened his grip on his neck and pulled him in, swallowing his lips.“Ugh….”Uichan’s eyes flew wide open. Noa pressed his hot lips harder, tilting his head to suck on the lower one. Uichan raised his arm to push him away, but everything around him was drenched in blood.In the end, all he could do was clench his fists. Between the rubbing lips, a soft, wet warmth slipped inside. Noa’s tongue teased lightly at first, then slid in deep, moving in slow, lingering strokes. Every motion was deliberate, careful, and unbearably intimate.When Uichan squeezed his eyes shut, Noa’s hand on his neck guided his chin to the side. He left small, smacking kisses along his lips, then trailed down to Uichan’s ear and neck. When his tongue pressed down on a spot, it ached as if bruised.Noa sucked there openly, licking the mark obsessively before biting it and inhaling deeply as though savoring his scent.“Hh!”Uichan’s trembling arms lost strength, his upper body collapsing against Noa’s. In his ear, he heard a low, ragged whisper.“Next time, hah… let’s do something that lets us share a bit more… of our hearts.”“What do you mean… our hearts…?”“I mean… see me too sometimes. I feel left out, you know, hyung….”Before Uichan could reply, a small fluffball crept up from behind and kicked Noa squarely in the ribs. Noa rolled over helplessly, coughing blood. Uichan quickly turned and saw the puppet Komi, the one Phantom Thief Kill always carried.–Beck! You bastard! How dare you lay hands on him! You son of a bitch! You filthy dog! Die! Beck! How dare you rub that disgusting mouth of yours on him! Beck!The panting puppet scrambled up again and kicked Noa’s face, spewing curses as it looked around for something to use as a weapon. Finding nothing, it instead tried to dig into Noa’s wound.–Trash like you should die! Rip his mouth open and tear off his limbs! Who do you think you are! Beck! Who do you think you are!Uichan hastily caught the puppet before it could strike again.“Phantom Thief, it’s fine, really. It’s over now. We just have to go. Hey, calm down, okay?”While checking Noa’s condition, Uichan suddenly lifted his head. Voices echoed from farther down the mountain path. The heroes, drawn by the sight of Noa’s ability, were approaching.“Cough… cough. I’m fine… just go….”Noa pushed Uichan’s hand away, coughing blood. But for some reason, Uichan’s chest felt tight, and his feet wouldn’t move.Urged again to leave, he gathered the struggling puppet in his arms. The puppet still clutched the shriveled finger tightly.Uichan gave Noa’s hand one last firm squeeze. Then he turned and shouted toward the approaching voices.“Here! Someone’s here! He’s hurt! It’s Noatis!”If Noa was to get treatment quickly, being spotted by the heroes was crucial. Uichan kept shouting as he turned and ran toward Kill. He grabbed the Phantom Thief’s outstretched hand just as someone crashed through the underbrush.In an instant, the two of them dissolved into fluttering petals and vanished.Left behind, Noa collapsed flat on his back and stared up at the sky. His facial muscles twitched; then he raised his arm to cover his eyes, grinding his teeth.“…I’m the only fool who hesitated.”Like a dog left chasing after a chicken.He’d thought Uichan was fragile and gentle—someone he shouldn’t rush. So he’d buried his desire and waited patiently.But the other two had already crossed that wall.For a moment, jealousy surged up his throat, choking him. It felt as though two tigers had snatched Uichan away right before his eyes.

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