The Incubus System Chapter 622. Are You A Masochist? (Patreon)

The Incubus System Chapter 622. Are You A Masochist?

"Believe me, it's not her," he tried to convince me, but I knew he was lying. I couldn't help but give him a dry smile.

"You should stop lying to me," I said gently. I couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration and concern. He knew I already discovered the truth. "You can't let her keep abusing you like that.” ‘Even though she is your mentor and you were kinda at fault.’ I wanted to say that, but I decided to hold my tongue. I didn't want to overstep my bounds and declared openly that I knew they were demon hunters.

"I know," he said in a much lower voice, turning his head to the side and looking at the window. "But on the other hand, I also know why she did it. I can't blame her completely." He sounded so wise and understanding, and it was a strange contrast to the Larry I knew.

I cringed at his words, feeling a sense of weirdness. "Are you in love with her?" I asked, unable to hold back my curiosity any longer. I decided to make sure again.

Larry turned his gaze to me, his eyes wide with fear. "No. Seriously, no," he answered quickly. "Don't give me goosebumps, dude. It's terrifying."

Before I could say anything else, the waiter arrived with Larry's drink and food. "Your cappuccino and croissant, sir," he said, placing them on the table.

"Thank you," Larry said, smiling at the waiter. "Remember, it's on him," he added, gesturing towards me.

I turned to the waiter and nodded. "I will pay before I leave," I said. Due his words, I couldn't help but wonder if it was because he knew that the association had already given my dad's compensation to me, or if he thought I would get a great amount of inheritance from my ‘acquaintance.’ Either way, I wasn't going to complain or blame him, especially since he had helped me when I had no money.

The waiter nodded and left, leaving Larry and me alone once again.

I turned to ask him a question. "It's rare for you to---"  I stopped mid-sentence as my eyes fell on his face. His sunglasses were on the table, so I could see the bruise and scar on the corner of his eye, as well as a plaster covering the other one.

Then Larry took off his flu mask. As he did, I noticed another wound on the corner of his lips, still raw and red despite the plaster that covered it. It was clear that he had been through some kind of trauma.

Unaware of my stare, Larry picked up his drink and blew on it briefly before taking a sip. But as he did, he winced in pain, hissing through his teeth.

"Dude… You should go to the hospital," I said, concern etched on my face.

Larry lowered his cup and shook his head. "Because of this?" he asked, gesturing to his wound. "Meh, I've been through worse than this," he said lightly, a chuckle escaping his lips.

I knew what he meant – that his injury was nothing compared to the hard training that demon hunters went through. But still, I couldn't shake the feeling of concern. "Are you a masochist?" I asked in confusion.

Larry frowned at my words, his disgust clear in his voice. "No. What the hell?! I don't have that kind of fetish," he retorted.

I sighed, feeling frustrated that I couldn't dig too deep into his secret profession, even though it irked me to no end. I knew that Ruby had done this to him because of me, and it filled me with a sense of guilt and responsibility. 'I need to take care of her soon,' I thought to myself.

Taking a couple of deep breaths to calm myself, I turned to Larry and spoke up. "You should take care of yourself better then," I said, trying to keep the emotion out of my voice. "There might come a point where you've had enough of all this. You should stand up for yourself," I reminded him.

My words seemed to surprise Larry. "It's rare to hear something like that from you," he said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"I know," I admitted, feeling a sense of guilt within me. We usually just liked to fool around and have fun. "But you are my friend, and I can't see you like this. I bet you would do the same for me," I reminded him.

A smile bloomed on Larry's face, and he nodded in gratitude. "I will. I will definitely do the same for you," he said in a firm tone.

"Then you should stand up for yourself," I said, repeating my earlier words. "You deserve to be treated better than this."

Larry looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "It depends on the case," he said in a soft voice, a rare moment of calm on his face. "I will stand up if I have to, and I will step up if I need to. But in this case, I chose to step up rather than stand up."

I frowned, trying to understand his words. "You mean, you chose to step up for me?" I asked. Bitterness was clear in my voice. Despite his foolishness and stupidity, I knew that Larry had always fought hard to protect me, for whatever reason. He was a loyal and good friend, and maybe that was the reason why I kept being friends with him despite his nonsense. "I'm sorry. I know that she abused you because she wanted to know where I was. I know that she beat you up because of your silence," I continued, feeling the weight of my words.

He chuckled nervously, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. "You don't have to mention it," he said, trying to brush it off.