System Mission: Seduce the Strongest S-Class Hunters or Die Trying!-Chapter 92: [MISTER WHO LOOKS LIKE A GIRL]

"I’m..."

Eli’s throat locked up, caught completely off-guard by the weight of Lucas’s stare. His little brother’s eyes—once so wide and bright—were narrow now, sharp, demanding an answer.

For a terrifying second, Eli almost forgot to breathe.

So he blurted the first thing that made sense.

"I’m Lucien’s friend."

Lucas blinked, arms crossing over his chest as he tilted his chin up.

His voice carried that mix of teenage stubbornness and bitterness that Eli knew all too well. "Friend? Please. I love my brother, but I doubt he’d ever have a pretty friend like you."

Eli’s eye twitched violently. His lips pressed into a thin line as he swallowed the sharp retort threatening to leap out.

’You little brat—’ He had to calm down.

He forced his jaw to relax, though his voice came clipped. "I’m a guy."

The words hit harder than expected.

"You’re a guy?!" Lucas’s eyes went round, his voice cracking across the hall like he’d just been told the earth was flat.

He gawked openly, his jaw dropping as though Eli had just sprouted another head.

Great. Just great.

Here Eli was, ready to jump into damage control, terrified Lucas and Kairo might collide in some heated interrogation—and his little brother was still... well, Lucas.

Eli pressed a palm over his face, dragging it down slowly as if that could hide the flush of irritation climbing his cheeks.’ Focus. Don’t let him derail you.’

"I’m a guy," Eli repeated firmly, stepping closer, his voice softening with intent.

He couldn’t afford to lose this. "And yes. I... heard he went missing." His chest squeezed at the words, every syllable tasting bitter on his tongue. "I met him during his dungeon cleaning work. Very diligent. Quiet, but good company."

He exhaled sharply through his nose, forcing himself to keep steady. "We didn’t meet up much—busy schedules and all—but when I heard he was missing..."

Lucas’s arms dropped slowly from his chest. His expression flickered, just slightly, something raw breaking through his doubt.

He looked at Eli, eyes narrowing once more—but this time, it wasn’t suspicion. It was pain.

"...How did you know he was missing?" His voice cracked low, almost a whisper. "I... don’t think my parents ever told anyone."

Eli’s stomach plummeted. His heart slammed into his ribs so hard it hurt.

’Shit.’

Right. He hadn’t thought that far. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Lucas had said earlier—his parents never told him anything. They never explained what happened to Lucien. He probably knew about the explosion, yes, but not that his brother had been there.

Which meant—Lucas had no idea about the truth.

Eli forced a slow breath through his nose, his palms slick with sweat. His brain scrambled for footing, for anything that could sound reasonable.

Finally, he lifted his head, letting his expression soften, letting sympathy curl at the edges of his lips.

"I happen to... come across his old co-workers," Eli said carefully, each word chosen with precision. "They mentioned Lucien hadn’t shown up for work in a while. I tried contacting him too—again and again—but he never answered."

He swallowed hard, forcing the knot in his throat down. "And then..." His eyes locked onto Lucas’s, steady but pained. "...I saw your post on FundForACause.com. The one you wrote. You mentioned your brother went missing."

He stepped closer, lowering his voice to something tender, earnest. "That’s why I’m here. Because of him. Because I... I wanted to help."

Lucas’s eyes went wide, the dull exhaustion in them shattering into something bright—too bright, too desperate. His whole face lit up in an instant.

"You really mean that?" he blurted, voice trembling with raw, unfiltered hope.

Before Eli could even process, Lucas lunged forward, seizing his hand in both of his. His grip was small, warm, shaking—clutching like Eli was the last rope dangling over a cliff.

"You’re sure? You really knew him? You’re gonna help?" Lucas’s voice cracked on the words, teetering on the edge between disbelief and relief, like he was terrified Eli might snatch the promise back at any second.

Eli’s chest tightened so violently he thought he might actually choke. His little brother—his Lucas—was holding onto him, looking at him with trust instead of despair.

For a fleeting heartbeat, it was everything he had wanted since waking up in this body.

But then—

"Thank you, Mister who looks like a girl!" Lucas burst out, his grin wobbling but wide, his grip tightening as though to anchor himself.

Eli’s entire body went rigid. His eye twitched so hard he thought he’d combust on the spot. "Excuse me?"

Lucas only blinked up at him with open innocence, head tilting like a confused puppy. "What? You’re really pretty. Like... suspiciously pretty. It’s weird."

’Oh, Lucas. I taught you better than that.’

Eli dragged a hand down his face, groaning. "Just—call me Eli."

"Eli," Lucas echoed immediately, no hesitation, as if engraving it into his heart. His grin spread even wider, his voice tripping over itself with sheer gratitude.

"Thank you, Eli. Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He repeated it like a chant, like a drowning boy clutching a life ring finally thrown his way.

Eli’s throat burned. His chest felt like it might crack apart. He didn’t want to rely on Elione’s money—money that wasn’t his, tied to a family that wasn’t his.

But what choice did he have? Time wasn’t on their side.

His real family... his mom, his Lucas... they didn’t have time.

He drew in a breath, forcing his voice to steady. "Lucas. How much do you need, anyway? For the surgery."

Lucas blinked at him, frozen. His lips parted, his voice starting to form a number—

And then, abruptly, a hand clamped down hard on Eli’s head.

"What the—?!" Eli yelped, yanked backward with startling force. Fingers dug into his scalp, ruffling his hair roughly as if he were a misbehaving child being dragged away.

His balance nearly gave out, and he stumbled on his heels before twisting around—

Only to find Kairo looming above him, mask sharp against the stark hospital light, his black eyes cutting down like obsidian blades.

His profile was all hard lines, jaw set, silent authority radiating from every inch of him as he pulled Eli away from Lucas without a single word.

"K-Kairo?!" Eli sputtered, flailing as he tried to keep his footing, torn between outrage and panic. "Wait—hey!"