11 – Cypress Mosaic

Relieved ​to ​have ​solved ​the burdensome task, ​the ​child ​clung ​to ​the counselor’s waist as ​if ​lunging at him. ​A counselor he ​had ​known ​for ​only ​a ​few days was ​already ​more ​comfortable than Lorenz. ​Since Lorenz hadn’t expected ​the child ​to throw ​himself into ​an embrace, ​he ​gave ​the man a ​nod, signaling ​him to continue the ​session.

The man sat on ​the carpet with the ​child and ​held ​a colored pencil in his hand. ​Various drawing tools, in ​addition ​to ​the ​colored ​pencils, were scattered ​across the ​table.

“Lucas, ​you like trees, ​flowers, ​and animals, don’t you?”

At the ​counselor’s words, ​the ​child nodded vigorously.

“I ​like ​them ​too. ​Looking ​at trees, ​flowers, ​and animals ​makes me feel at peace. It feels ​like being on ​a picnic. Do ​you feel that way ​too, Lucas?”

This ​time, the child ​agreed ​even more emphatically.

The ​child didn’t draw ​himself. He ​simply ​sat close ​by, ​intently watching ​the ​counselor draw.

Previously, ​Lucas ​had ​enjoyed drawing, as ​most ​children his ​age ​do. ​However, ​as he stopped speaking, he also stopped drawing. Despite that, it seemed he still enjoyed watching others draw.

Standing by the door, Lorenz couldn’t see the shapes of the drawing clearly. unauthorized copyBut judging by the general [unauthorized copy]colors, it seemed to [Read on Read BL Novels]be something like a puppy frolicking on a grassy field.

The man spoke as he shaded the grass more deeply with the colored pencil.

“While Lucas was taking his piano lesson today, I went to the park. There are so many dogs out for walks in Central Park. Have you seen them too, Lucas?”

The child suddenly hesitated to answer. He couldn’t easily respond to such a simple question. Then, he gave a tiny, barely perceptible nod.

“Right, so Lucas has seen them too.”

The man responded in a voice as soft as a May breeze.

Then, he took his phone out of his pocket and showed the screen to the child.

“Then do you want to see this? I saw a squirrel today, too.”

The child couldn’t take his eyes off the screen the man was showing him.

His eyes were by no means hollow or dead. They sparkled, clearly showing interest. That was a relief, at least. Yet, the child still showed no intention of emerging from his silence.

Selective mutism.

The symptoms, which had begun shortly before his father passed away, had persisted until now.

It wasn’t that he had lost the ability to speak. A pediatric psychiatrist explained that the child had decided not to speak of his own accord. However, even the most competent doctor on the East Coast could not uncover the cause of the child’s silence. Lorenz had not heard the child’s voice for three or four months.

The man, alternating between green and brown colored pencils to color the drawing, spoke lightly in a casual tone.

“I go for a walk in Central Park every day after work. I ride my bike, too. If Lucas ever wants to come along, he’s always welcome.”

The child didn’t immediately deny it or act frightened. However, there was a hint of hesitation as he shrank back. His small arms tightened their grip on the rabbit doll.

The man stroked the child’s back to reassure him.

“It’s okay. I’m not saying we have to go right now. Whenever Lucas feels like going, we can go together then. Is that okay?”

After blinking a couple of times, the child moved his head slightly once more.

The man’s smile toward Lucas grew warmer. As if that small expression alone was enough. As if there was no need to push himself.

Lorenz watched the man, who was entirely focused on the child. To Read on Read BL Novelsthat visit our siteman, neither Margaret nor Lorenz, watching [Read on Read BL Novels]from the doorway, seemed to be of any concern.

The soft and gentle tone, the gaze, the expression. A kindness that conveyed with his entire being the assurance that he would not hurt you in the slightest. It was an attitude that Lorenz himself could not even mimic. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to. He simply didn’t know how.

For the first time since his father’s death, he felt a sense of relief. Hope seemed to be in sight. Just as Margaret had said, it felt as though he might achieve good results with this counselor.

Perhaps it was because of that relief. As his tension eased, he felt his body recovering rapidly. Until a moment ago, he had been extremely irritable due to the fatigue of the business trip and a headache. The nausea, which had felt like motion sickness, had vanished at some point.

Lorenz quietly stepped back from the entrance of the room. Margaret followed him out and closed the door.

“It doesn’t seem too bad, does it?”

She asked happily, and Lorenz nodded in agreement. Walking slowly while looking down at the hallway floor in silence, he appeared lost in thought.

At the end of the hallway, Lorenz stepped onto the stairs leading to the third floor.

He suddenly looked back at Margaret, who was standing a couple of steps below him.

“Let’s proceed with the interview as planned. Did you say 5 o’clock?”

Margaret looked up at Lorenz with a surprised face.

“Will you be alright?”

“My headache is gone. And tomorrow, it would be better if I come into work after lunch.”

Margaret gave a smile of relief.

As he climbed a few more steps, Lorenz stopped again and looked down.

“How about inviting the counselor to dinner after the interview?”

Margaret smiled even more contentedly.

“That is a wonderful idea.”

■

It was strange.

His condition was exceptionally great.

For the past few months, Lorenz’s physical state had clearly been spiraling toward the worst.

Yet, since returning home, he had recovered rapidly, like a withering flower that had absorbed plenty of water and come back to life.

Was the medicine he took on the way from the airport finally taking effect?

That didn’t make sense either.

He had been taking the same medicine during his business trip, and it had no particular effect throughout. For it to suddenly work now, after only four days and three nights, was illogical.

After finishing his bath, Lorenz measured his pheromone response level.

PRL 35. It was a good number, one he had rarely seen recently.

The PRL, which had been close to 70 when measured in the car on the way home, had dropped by half in the meantime. 35 was within the normal range, indicating no problems. Naturally, his physical condition had to be good.

He examined his naked body in front of the mirror. Even though it was clearly his own body, he scrutinized every corner of his physique with a fresh gaze, as if he had woken up in a stranger’s body.

Regardless of the illness he suffered from, the body in the [stolen content]mirror appeared to have visit our siteno problems on the surface. Far from having problems, it looked larger, firmer, and stronger than anyone else’s.

From the time he was diagnosed with <that illness>, through his growth period, and until now as an adult. The symptoms had steadily worsened. Headaches, nausea, and the resulting frayed nerves had become a mundane part of his daily life.

And yet, he felt this refreshed and light.

He felt as if he could do anything and achieve anything.

Though the intensity varied, the headache that had haunted him for months had vanished without a trace. The symptom of feeling nauseous due to extreme sensitivity to all kinds of smells, not just pheromones, was completely gone. Consequently, his sharp nerves had also eased. He was perfectly fine, like a healthy person suffering from no illness.

Looking into the face in the mirror, which showed no signs of fatigue, Lorenz suddenly pulled his lips into a short smile.

He had been so surprised that he hadn’t even heard the name properly. But the sound of it suited the appearance. A name like a golden sun that shines equally and warmly upon all things.

Once again, a satisfied smile escaped his lips.

Wasn’t it a staggering coincidence?

8:43. East 46th Street.

Even during his business trip, he had thought of that man whenever he had a moment of leisure.

Lorenz had seen enough people who were merely pretty to be bored of them. Of course, that man’s appearance was overwhelmingly striking. So much so that it couldn’t be hidden by modest clothes or a helmet.

However, Lorenz was not the type of person to be curious about someone simply because they were beautiful. If he were, he too would have been involved in numerous scandals that the press would love, much like Joshua.

The reason that man had remained in his mind was not just his appearance. People with flawless looks tended to leave a blurred impression. Impressions come from individuality, and individuality mostly comes from flaws. However, in that man’s gaze and expression, he felt layers of soft emotions. That made Lorenz curious. What kind of person was he? What kind of story did he have that, despite such beauty, he looked so warm yet lonely?

Lorenz did not usually perceive people in that way. Only human need and utility were the criteria for his value judgments. Because this was an anomaly, he found this curiosity annoying and bothersome rather than exciting. He considered it a waste of unnecessary emotion.

That was why he had decided to visit the same place at the same time as soon as he returned to New York. He believed that after seeing him once more, he would realize this curiosity was merely a random emotional whim, and then he could shake it off cleanly and completely.

But upon returning home from his trip, he found that the very person was waiting in his own house. How could he not call that exquisite? Thanks to that, he no longer needed to leave the house early tomorrow morning.

Lorenz, lost in thought while rubbing his lower jaw, finally stepped away from the mirror. A faint smile still lingered on his face.