By Zephyria 
Thanks to the cool water, my head cleared, and I finally had the leisure to survey my surroundings.
Perhaps because the scale of the Gate was large, there were more people than usual. Even though there was still plenty of time before the conquest began, the area was already bustling.
I shouldn’t just stand here; it would be better to move before the site gets too hectic. I needed to pick up a temporary combat suit and identify a place where I could wait while Vasily was inside the Gate.
I asked the site manager who had brought me the water.
“Where can I get a temporary combat suit?”
“……..”
The manager didn’t answer my question immediately, instead glancing at Vasily and keeping his mouth shut. Why was he doing that? Sensing something strange, I turned my head and locked eyes with Vasily.
“Did you do something?”
“Well… I did tell them I’d freeze the tongue of anyone who strikes up a conversation with Guide Kwon Gi-dam-ssi.”
“…?”
My expression stiffened at the absurd threat. It was only natural for them to react that way if he had spouted such nonsense.
Rubbing my face, I apologized to the manager on Vasily’s behalf.
“…I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer.”
The manager stole a quick glance at us and then hurried away as if escaping. Watching this, Vasily wore a very satisfied expression.
“Are you doing this because I acted with the Espers at the last Gate?”
“You know me well. I felt that if I didn’t do this, Guide Kwon Gi-dam-ssi would wander around the site being meddlesome again, just like last time.”
“Even so, there was no need to threaten the association staff…”
While I was talking to Vasily, an Esper who caught my eye hurriedly averted their gaze and moved away. I felt incredibly awkward, as if I had become a time bomb that would explode the moment anyone came near.
“I would have stayed quiet even if you hadn’t gone this far.”
“I’m sorry, but to me, those words sound like you’re planning to cause trouble.”
He doesn’t lose a single word in an argument.
Exasperated, I decided to leave Vasily behind and wander on my own. As I turned away without a word, Vasily asked,
“Where are you going?”
“To find a temporary combat suit.”
It was crowded and chaotic, but I figured I could find it somehow if I looked around. As I walked, I heard footsteps behind me, suggesting Vasily was following, but I ignored him.
Every time I passed by, people subtly stepped aside to clear a path. To think that in such a crowded place, not a single person would come within a five-meter radius of me.
It seemed Vasily’s threat had spread to everyone dispatched to the site. Whether they were association staff or Espers, everyone was busy avoiding me.
Sigh… looks like I’m going to be a social pariah for a whole week.
In this situation, it didn’t seem like anyone would answer if I asked them something. In other words, I had to find the temporary combat suits and the Guide waiting room on my own.
I wondered why I had to suffer like this because of Vasily. I would have waited quietly even without all this… probably.
Fortunately, before I had even completed one lap around the Gate, I spotted the distribution point for combat suits in a corner. After receiving a temporary combat suit, I headed to the men’s locker room right next to it to change. Vasily followed me in shortly after.
“Get out.”
The first thing I did as soon as Vasily entered the locker room was kick everyone out. The Espers who were changing into their combat suits scrambled out without even daring to breathe. I felt a bit sorry seeing a few of them rush out half-naked.
Silence descended upon the locker room as the people vanished in an instant. Vasily sat on a bench, looking satisfied.
Deciding it was best to change quickly and vacate the room for others who needed to use it, I immediately began taking off my clothes.
As I pulled off my hoodie, the cold air hit my skin. Since summer had passed and we were halfway up a mountain, it was quite chilly.
It was just as I lifted the top of the temporary combat suit.
“I want to receive guiding before we go into the Gate.”
“…Why are you only mentioning that now?”
“I mentioned it because it just occurred to me.”
I let out a shallow sigh as I looked at Vasily, who answered nonchalantly. He probably waited on purpose until I took my clothes off.
I already knew that Vasily disliked receiving guiding while wearing a combat suit. However, seeing him request guiding only after I had stripped, it seemed he was unhappy that skin contact had decreased as the weather grew cooler and long sleeves became more common.
Moreover, since the guiding was already minimal due to the suppression chip, his dissatisfaction was bound to be greater. I sighed softly and asked,
“Do you want it now?”
“Since there’s no one here to disturb us.”
Hearing Vasily’s words, I looked at the locker room door. I didn’t know when he had used his ability, but the entrance was frozen. Not only was it impossible for anyone to enter, but no one would even dare attempt to enter knowing Vasily was inside.
Did he follow me into the locker room with this intention from the start?
I quietly lifted my smartphone to check the time. There was still some time before the Gate entry.
“Then I’ll give you guiding for exactly one hour.”
“Fine.”
Still shirtless, I approached Vasily. I looked around, realizing there was nowhere to sit, but there were no suitable spots other than the bench Vasily was occupying.
I saw a chair in the corner, but a bag sat lonely upon it, likely left behind by someone who had rushed out earlier. I considered putting it on the floor for a moment, but I felt uncomfortable touching someone else’s belongings.
Then, Vasily’s thigh caught my eye. It might be a bit cold and hard, but it would be sturdy since he has a lot of muscle. Plus, his legs are long, so there’s plenty of room to sit. I have no choice.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
My hesitation was brief. Facing Vasily, I sat on his thigh.
Despite me suddenly plopping down on his lap, Vasily didn’t seem surprised. Instead, he simply gripped my waist to make sure I didn’t fall.
To proceed with the guiding, I pressed my body against his to maximize the contact area and wrapped my arms around his neck. I flinched at the touch of the cold suit against my bare skin, but I adapted quickly.
After guiding in silence for a while, I was the first to break the quiet.
“In the future, if there’s something you want, you can just tell me with words. I would have done it for you even if you didn’t act this way.”
“This way?”
“Like preventing me from talking to people… or waiting until I take off my clothes to request guiding.”
Even without such antics, I would have tried my best to accommodate him. I might have frowned at first at the absurd request not to talk to people, but while completely shutting my mouth would be impossible, I would have minimized conversations. And if he told me he wanted to receive guiding while shirtless, I would have readily agreed for the sake of someone about to enter a conquest.
“You’ve changed.”
Vasily murmured softly upon hearing my words.
Of course, I knew that in the past, such a thing would have been out of the question. I would have reacted violently regardless of what he requested.
As I pondered why I had changed, I suddenly remembered something Vasily had said before. Something about building trust. Perhaps that’s really what happened.
“Well… it seems I’ve developed a bit of trust.”
After speaking, I let my head drop onto his shoulder. I couldn’t see Vasily’s expression, but a low chuckle brushed past my ear.
The guiding, which continued in a quiet atmosphere for an hour, came to an end.
As I pulled away and stood up, I felt a familiar stiffness in my neck. Placing my hand on the nape of my neck, I could feel the suppression chip already burning hot.
I need to take my medicine before the headache starts. As I rummaged through my bag looking for the pills, Vasily approached and asked,
“What are you doing?”
“I felt like my condition was about to worsen, so I was looking for my medicine. Ah, here it is.”
As I fumbled inside the bag, the aluminum packaging caught my hand in the corner. However, the moment I pulled the medicine out, a pale hand appeared from behind and snatched it away.
“I thought we agreed you wouldn’t take medicine anymore. Did you forget already?”
Ah.
Come to think of it, yesterday I discovered that Vasily’s blood also had the effect of calming the suppression chip, and he had taken all my medicine away. Does that mean… I have to drink Vasily’s blood starting today? My face turned pale as I looked at Vasily fiddling with the medicine.
“If you needed the medicine, why didn’t you just say so?”
“C-could I just take it until today?”
“You’re going to take medicine when there are only two pills left, while I’m right here next to you?”
It’s because you threw the rest away!
The words reached the tip of my tongue, but I shut my mouth upon noticing Vasily’s hand, which was dripping blood as if he had just made a cut.
Vasily grabbed my cheek and lifted my head. I kept my mouth tightly shut while being forced to look up.
“Open.”
“N-no…”
Blood splattered over my lips, which had parted slightly to answer. Feeling the metallic taste seep in with my tongue, I reflexively closed my mouth, and the cold blood flowed down my cheek and neck.