"You sure you are okay? You're swaying."
"I told you, I have gone two days without sleeping before, there's no way I'm going down with only one now."
When morning came, I, who had just finished showering, spotted Ilyas swaying while picking his clothes. Holding him steady, I guided him to the living room. Fortunately, Ilyas didn't have class today because of the music festival, so he could rest at home.
"Good morning, grandma."
I greeted Grandma Zaza sitting in the small table in the kitchen. She was grinding some herbs in a mortar while munching a leaf.
"Ilyas, help me buy some lime in the market."
"Ah, but Ilyas is…"
"Alright, is that all you need grandma? Take care of Ethan for me."
Ilyas bolted out of the apartment as if his swaying was a lie. Maybe he was that filial, or maybe he was exaggerating the sway. Regardless of the fact, I was left alone with Grandma Zaza.
"Sit down you brat."
Under her commanding tone, I quietly sat down in front of the table. Grandma Zaza eyed me up and down then pulled out a red pouch.
"Take it, it's your last chance. You lost it again and I can't guarantee I could fix you."
Her warning made me unconsciously gulp. Reaching for the red pouch, I thanked Grandma Zaza. Putting it in my pocket, I tapped it twice for good luck – the weight of the pouch felt heavy now.
"I'm back! Grandma, here's your lime."
"Put it in the sink, I'll wash it later."
I felt my phone vibrated, and when I checked the screen, it was Wilson calling. Watching the time on the clock hanging on the wall, I excused myself to answer the phone.
"What is it?"
[Ethann, I miss youu. When are you coming back? I bought your favorite cake.]
"I told you didn't I? I'll immediately head to work from Ilyas' place, so eat your breakfast properly and don't wait for me."
[Eating without you is boring though. Oh! I know, I'll watch online videos of you while I'm eating, that way I could feel you staying right beside me while I lick the cream-]
BEEP!
I immediately turned off the call, disgust apparent on my face.
'Is this the effect of being a brocon? My brother is getting weirder every day he doesn't see me.'
"Are you leaving?"
Ilyas came out of the room, following me to the apartment's balcony. His wet hair and the smell of shampoo indicated he took a shower when I was taking my phone call.
"Yeah, we have two gates to raid today and I have morning training with Xain and Cedric."
"Then, can I tag along?"
He asked enthusiastically which made me feel bad for refusing. So we said our farewell to Grandma Zaza and left for the gym.
"By the way, I don't see your watch, did you leave it in my room?" Ilyas asked as soon as we stepped inside my car.
"No, I lost it in a gate, I have applied for a new one yesterday."
"Was it the SS-Rank gate? It's the one that injured you huh?"
I nodded, trying to be honest with him while I focused my gaze on the road. Sensing Ilyas' gaze staying on me, I glanced at him.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm admiring your looks. I knew it, you look good with your hair down."
"... Is that so?"
It was rare for the shy Ilyas to compliment someone this openly, but now he became even bolder in his words.
"Yep, and do you know your ears turn red every time I tease you?"
"Wha-"
I almost stepped on the brake at his words. Fortunately we had already arrived in front of the gym's building, so I told him to get out first while I calmed my heart down.
"Haha, I'll bring a mirror next time so you can see it yourself."
Ilyas gleefully stepped out from the car with a wide grin, not even caring about the already dumbfounded look on my face.
I turned my wheel and parked the car before finally releasing a sigh. My heart had been beating so abnormally fast.
"I'm going crazy."
.
.
"Oh, what's this? You come here too Ilyas?"
"Yeah, I want to see your daily morning routine. I can't participate in it though."
Ilyas cheerfully greeted Xain and Cedric who had arrived earlier than us.
"Here, tap it on the door when you enter." I handed Ilyas a card, it was a one-time use permit card I got from the owner.
The morning training went by as we were used to, with addition of Ilyas observing at the sideline. He tried some of the equipment, but when he was done, he was left gasping for breath on the floor like Cedric was in our first week of training.
After the physical training, next in line was mental training. Ilyas amazed us at how well he could meditate. He just needed a few pointers from the teacher and soon he sat still with steady breaths.
When he was asked if he felt cramps anywhere, he nonchalantly said, "Meditation is already a norm for me. I do this a few times a week so my feet don't feel that much cramps."
Out of the four of us, Ilyas was the only one walking out of the meditation center without wobbly legs.
Once we arrived at the bureau, we settled down in our meeting room. I took a detour to get my new watch before going to Harold and asked for details of our raid.
Shelly had been busy these days so she couldn't tend to us, but I knew she's working hard preparing all the stuff needed for our team.
"Two gates, both are A-Ranks, this might be an easy day for your team. Good luck Ethan."
Nodding, I bid farewell to Harold and went back to my team. When I opened the door, four cups of tea were already served, signaling the start of today's pre-raid meeting.
Scanning each person in this room one by one, I could feel the difference in mood compared to when we first started. It brought a smile to my face.
Waving the papers in my hand, I said, "Let's finish these two gates fast."