By Zephyria 
Am I in my right mind?
What’s the intention behind asking such a question?
Even amidst the bewilderment, the answer flowed out dutifully.
“…Well, it’s because you’re better looking.”
Am I an idiot?
Why am I readily answering such a foolish question?
The back of my neck heated up involuntarily.
“Hey, you….”
I was about to scold him for asking such embarrassing questions.
At that moment.
“Thank you.”
Jae-ha’s sapphire blue eyes, as if meticulously carved, folded gently.
“I’m really happy to hear you say that.”
I guess I was the idiot after all.
I blankly opened my mouth.
Jae-ha sometimes gave me refreshing smiles only in front of me, but this was the most radiant and beautiful smile of them all.
Even the faint blush on his cheeks seemed like a perfect device to accentuate that smile.
After admiring Jae-ha in a daze for a while, I snapped out of it and fumbled.
“Uh… uh…. It’s good if you’re happy.”
What’s good about it?
Just standing there dumbfounded like a fool….
But seeing Jae-ha’s clear smile, I couldn’t grumble anymore.
Because Jae-ha seemed so happy. I have no idea what this question means….
‘…Well. It’s enough if Jae-ha is happy.’
In fact, Jae-ha was overwhelmingly more handsome than anyone else on the list of suspects.
Facing Jae-ha, who was grinning, a laugh eventually leaked from my mouth.
“Are you that happy? Being complimented on your looks?”
Jae-ha answered without hesitation.
“Yeah.”
“That’s so unexpected….”
“If it’s coming from you.”
A moment of silence fell.
In a different sense than before, it felt like my neck and head were about to turn red.
No matter how oblivious I am, I knew that what Jae-ha just said wasn’t the kind of remark that would come out between just friends.
Jae-ha, my most comfortable friend and reliable colleague.
Just a moment ago, the most trustworthy and comfortable person in the world had suddenly become the most uncomfortable person in the world.
‘What should I say?’
My mind went blank.
I know that Espers and Guides have a high probability of becoming lovers because of their close relationship.
But… Jae-ha never showed any signs of that even when I was ‘An Ga-hyeon’.
But the feeling I felt now couldn’t be a misunderstanding.
Just by looking at Jae-ha’s eyes shining in the dark, I could be sure that this wasn’t a joke to tease me.
It felt like time was passing very slowly.
I had to open my mouth and say something, but I couldn’t.
It was Jae-ha who broke the terribly awkward atmosphere.
He pretended to be nonchalant and returned to the original topic we were discussing.
“Being able to narrow down the candidates for X to three is entirely thanks to you, Ga-hyeon.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah. It’s true that our White Tiger Unit has been trying to uncover X’s identity, but… the results were insignificant compared to the years we put in.”
20 years is by no means a short time.
Jae-ha burned all that time with his colleagues. With the sole determination to catch the culprit’s tail.
“But it was difficult. Because I was socially nonexistent as a deserter Ability User. I could erase memories with my sub-ability, but getting information about the culprit itself was like walking a thorny path. Everything was accompanied by danger, and there were clear limits to the authority to access information.”
Jae-ha’s eyes were looking back at a distant past.
“Sometimes we lost the lives of our colleagues.”
“Ah….”
I couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Jae-ha’s joy at finally being able to closely pursue the enemy after enduring such a long time.
And the Hyeon Jae-ha who must have been in pain, holding his fallen comrades in his heart.
Jae-ha smiled faintly, like the ashes left after burning, and stared at me quietly.
“I, Geum Na-ro, and the other surviving White Tiger Unit members are grateful to you. Thanks to you copying and bringing the latest version of the Database that the Administration Bureau had, we were able to complete the last puzzle piece about X.”
“Aren’t you praising me too much? There are still three candidates.”
“No. There are only three.”
In an instant, Jae-ha’s eyes narrowed. Viciously, like a beast aiming for its prey.
“Three. Only three. The culprit must be among them. They are people who meet all the conditions of X that we have investigated so far. If we take the time to monitor them, the moment they reveal their ugly true selves will surely come.”
“X will be trying to kill you and the White Tiger Unit by now.”
…And probably me too now.
I told Jae-ha about the story of encountering the guy presumed to be X in the Administration Bureau.
“…If the real X is among these candidates, I think he might come looking for me.”
While listening to my story, Jae-ha’s face hardened like a cement wall.
“It’s too dangerous. You mean to use you as bait again?”
“It’s okay. I’m just going to focus on preparing for my comeback for a while. And even if I do come back, I’ll only be among people. There’s absolutely no way I’ll be alone.”
Jae-ha’s expression frowned even more.
I understand. X, who freely came and went even in the depths of the Administration Bureau, wouldn’t be unable to come just because it’s a place where people gather.
“If I were to lose you again….”
“I won’t be lost. I won’t waste this life given to me like a miracle, using it as bait.”
There’s something X is still overlooking.
The fact that my identity is An Ga-hyeon. And that Jae-ha and the White Tiger Unit have approached X’s identity thanks to my cooperation.
If the guy I encountered was X, if that guy had a brain, he would have certainly suspected. Why was ‘Yeon Yu-jin’ loitering in the deep information section of the Administration Bureau, even in the place where the Database was located? Even if he had permission, this was enough to upset X’s mood.
Unlike Jae-ha and the White Tiger Unit, X, who confidently roamed the world, was bound to be anxious.
I looked at the X candidates that Jae-ha gave me. They were all children from wealthy families. Even though 20 years had passed, the information recorded about them as being in their late 20s was telling me that it was 100% a disguised identity.
X, who had been living as an A-Class Esper with someone else’s ability while even laundering his identity, must be burning up inside by now.
“X, that guy is bound to come looking for either you or me.”
It’s obvious that he’ll target me, a relatively easy-to-handle C-Class Guide.
X can’t be unaware of the value of the Database. He will be afraid and angry that his identity has been exposed.
X has only two options left.
Either be caught by us, or catch and kill us.
I slowly pointed to the X candidates and whispered ominously to Jae-ha.
“We don’t even have to bother going to find these people. If it’s the real X, he’ll come to kill us. Even just loitering around the X candidates will make the real X so anxious that he won’t know what to do.”
The answer came out just from the fact that he boldly approached the depths of the Administration Bureau. X is impatient. Despite the 20 years that have passed, he was showing an arrogant move.
As if he was sure that we could never beat him.
I wanted the arrogant X to be in a state of tension and suffer for a long time.
More than the weight of the years that my poor partner Jae-ha lost chasing X.
Jae-ha sighed after hearing my words and nodded.
“Okay. I understand. I’ll do as you wish.”
“You’re agreeing more easily than I thought?”
“But there’s a condition.”
“What is it?”
“Use me, or anyone from the White Tiger Unit, as a bodyguard. I have to guarantee your safety so that my heart doesn’t explode.”
The Potato above my head burst into cheers of unknown meaning.
[ Wow. ]
I thought it would be nice if the Potato was fully cooked and turned into a whole Potato.
‘I couldn’t refuse in the end.’
Jae-ha’s last line of defense was to attach the White Tiger Unit as bodyguards.
I said that it was okay because the Secrety members were A-Class natural Espers, even though they were young, but I gave up when I saw Jae-ha acting like he couldn’t back down on this.
‘Last time, an employee of the Administration Bureau infiltrated disguised as a manager, so if the White Tiger Unit uses Jae-ha’s ability, they can somehow get in as bodyguards.’
I entrusted that problem to Jae-ha.
What greeted me upon my return was not a dark dormitory, but the members sitting under bright lights.
A bad feeling flashed through my mind.
“…Why are you all awake? You must be tired, why aren’t you sleeping?”
Ra Ho-yeon said to me with a dark face.
“There’s no way we could sleep.”
“Why?”
“We’re worried about you going out somewhere every night.”
“…….”
I turned my head and looked at Seo Yun-chae.
Seo Yun-chae avoided my gaze, pretending not to know.
“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t doubt me anymore?”