By Zephyria 
Every time Vasily exhaled, their overlapping bodies shook minutely. The cold body temperature pressing against my skin soon became familiar.
Throughout the guiding, I couldn’t take my eyes off the bandages wrapped around Vasily’s shoulder.
I didn’t know if he had refrained from using his abilities to manage his own condition or if he intended to avoid forcing me to guide him excessively. However, the fact remained that he was injured because he lacked guiding.
It would take six months, or perhaps longer, to remove the suppression chip, and he couldn’t keep ending up like this every time they went to a Gate.
‘Maybe it really would be better to try contacting Huai Yan.’
After discovering that Vasily’s blood could soothe the suppression chip, the overheating issue had been resolved, but the fundamental problem remained. Because of the side effect of the matching rate dropping, the guiding remained at a negligible level.
If it was Huai Yan, the one who created the suppression chip, he might know a way to safely remove the device embedded in the back of my neck. He must have seen people suffering from side effects, so there would have been cases similar to mine.
“When will you come for your next guiding?”
“I think I’ll only be able to come out after the Gate conquest is finished. We’re planning to head toward the deep sector from now on.”
“How much longer will it take?”
“I’m not sure… two days?”
I muttered, unintentionally surprised by the faster-than-expected conquest speed.
“I heard it would take a week…”
“We agreed that I’d get the injections every Friday.”
Did he hurry on purpose because of that?
Shortening the conquest time from a week to five days was a remarkable achievement. It was likely only possible because it was Vasily. Perhaps that was why the Espers who came out during the day looked so exhausted—they were struggling to keep up with Vasily’s pace.
Even though it was late at night, I couldn’t stop talking, perhaps because it had been a while since I’d seen Vasily. It felt as though I had been practicing a vow of silence while Vasily was gone, and now that I finally had someone to talk to, I had become talkative.
However, thinking it would be best to let the exhausted-looking Vasily sleep, I shut my mouth. As soon as my voice vanished, Vasily’s eyelids quickly fluttered shut.
It was clear that I had disturbed his sleep. However, since Vasily was the one who provided the cause, I decided to set my guilt aside.
* * *
As soon as Vasily left for the Gate, I dragged my cot back to the Guide waiting room.
My thoughts leaned toward removing the suppression chip as soon as possible. Rummaging through my suitcase, I pulled out Huai Yan’s business card, which I had tucked deep inside. It was a good thing I kept it, just in case.
I paused while entering the number into my phone.
Is he still in Korea?
I looked up at the dim sky. It was early morning, the kind of hour when only the most diligent people would be awake, so I wondered if Huai Yan would answer.
When I pressed the call button, the ringing tone continued for a long time. As expected, he’s not answering. Just as I was about to pull the smartphone away from my ear, thinking I should leave a text instead, a voice came through the phone.
Hello?
Chinese? I didn’t know what it meant, but given the context, he was probably asking who I was.
“Hello, Esper Huai Yan. This is Guide Kwon Gi-dam.”
Who… Ah! The Guide who was with Vasily?
Huai Yan seemed to remember me instantly and greeted me in a bright voice. After responding appropriately to his inquiries in Korean, I brought up the main point.
“I’m calling because I have something to ask regarding the suppression chip.”
I briefly informed him of my condition. That the suppression chip was adhered to the nerves in the back of my neck, making it difficult to remove, and that I was suffering from daily overheating because of it.
After listening to my story, Huai Yan pondered for a moment before answering.
There have been similar cases. Usually, they’re easy to remove, but since Guides have weaker bodies than Espers, the situation might be a bit different.
“So removal is difficult after all…”
Don’t worry. Even if we can’t remove it immediately, the problem will be solved if we stop the suppression chip from operating.
Ah, if that’s the case…
My darkened expression instantly brightened.
If the suppression chip stopped operating, the matching rate would return to normal. Since there would be no overheating, the adhesion wouldn’t worsen. I could wait until the adhesion cleared and then slowly undergo surgery. Moreover, turning off the power would be simple and wouldn’t take much time.
The technician cannot leave China, so you’ll have to come meet him in person. Is that alright?
“Can I go with Esper Vasily?”
As long as Vasily is okay with it.
“I’ll talk with the Esper and contact you again.”
Then I’ll tell the technician to be prepared in advance.
I hung up the phone with a much brighter expression.
If Vasily went with me, there was nothing to worry about. Vasily would be watching with sharp eyes to make sure Huai Yan didn’t try anything funny, so he would resolve it if anything happened.
Once the suppression chip was dealt with in China, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to go sightseeing with Vasily. Before the regression, I had traveled on countless overseas business trips, but I had never once toured leisurely.
I was a bit concerned that Vasily had attacked Huai Yan… but wouldn’t he understand if I explained it well? It would be stranger to refuse when I was trying to remove the suppression chip for his sake.
“Once Vasily returns, I should look into plane tickets first.”
What should I do in China? I didn’t know if Vasily could leave Korea for a long time, but since I was going anyway, I wanted to enjoy it properly.
I’d visit famous tourist spots and eat plenty of alcohol and food. After making up my mind, I spent the whole day clutching my slow smartphone, searching for Chinese tourist attractions with an excited heart.
* * *
As the conquest dragged on, groups of Espers would come out once a day to receive guiding. Of course, Vasily was not among them. I had heard that he likely wouldn’t be able to come out until the conquest ended, but I kept glancing around the Espers just in case.
On the fifth day since the conquest began, it truly ended. The site became bustling upon hearing the news of the clear. I also packed my things early and waited for Vasily to emerge.
Then, I saw a figure walking out from the Gate in the distance. Familiar and striking silver hair. Recognizing it as Vasily at a glance, I strode toward the Gate.
“Esper Vasily!”
As I approached with a wide smile, Vasily curled the corners of his lips softly and stopped in front of me.
“Did something good happen? You seem especially welcoming today.”
“It’s because I’m happy at the thought of going home.”
Realizing I had greeted him too enthusiastically, I felt embarrassed belatedly and cleared my throat. I must have been unconsciously excited while planning the trip for the past two days.
I brushed it off and changed the subject.
“By the way, why aren’t the other Espers coming out?”
“They’re slow, so I left them behind.”
Typical Vasily.
After hearing that it would take a long time for the remaining personnel to exit the Gate, I left the site with Vasily first. If dozens of Espers who had finished a grueling battle poured out all at once, this place would become chaos, so it was better to avoid it.
We drove down the mountain road.
After passing through the rugged terrain, we finally entered the highway. I glanced at Vasily in the driver’s seat and asked tentatively.
“Esper Vasily, I’ve found a way to remove the suppression chip.”
“Really? That’s welcome news.”
Vasily immediately showed interest with an intrigued voice.
“I’m told it’s possible to just turn off the power of the suppression chip. Once it stops operating, the adhesion won’t progress, so I think I’ll only need surgery later.”
“How do you turn off the power?”
“I was introduced to a technician by the person who created the suppression chip. However…”
I continued, watching Vasily’s reaction.
“The person who created the suppression chip is… Esper Huai Yan.”
The air froze instantly. As I swallowed hard and checked his reaction, I saw Vasily’s face had hardened coldly.
“I think an unpleasant name was just mentioned. Did I hear that correctly?”
Vasily murmured in a low voice. As if proving his mood, the steering wheel was slowly being covered in ice.
“Wa-wait. Let’s pull over first before you speak.”
Fearing an accident, I urgently stopped him. Fortunately, there was a drowsy shelter right ahead, so we were able to pull over to the shoulder. I cleared my throat and continued the explanation.
“I happened to meet and talk with Esper Huai Yan. He said he noticed I had a suppression chip when he saw me at the West Sea conquest meeting and wanted to talk.”
“You two met separately?”
“When you went to the meeting alone, Esper…”
That was when. Vasily muttered, chewing over the fact as if he had a suspicion.
“Forget the conversation you had with Huai Yan. There is no way I will accept that proposal.”
“Then it will take too long to remove the suppression chip! Can’t you think about this a bit more positively?”
“Ha, I’d rather wait six months.”
“That’s too long!”
“I survived twenty years without a Guide; do you think I can’t endure a mere six months?”
Vasily sneered and stared at me. His voice was chilly, as if he were angry. But I didn’t back down and countered him.
“Can’t you just come along, Esper Vasily! What on earth is the problem that makes it impossible!”
“What’s the problem? Everything.”
It was like talking to a wall; communication was simply impossible. Did he even want to receive proper guiding in the first place?
To be so stubborn without even realizing the effort I was making for his sake. The heart that had been fluttering with excitement at the thought of going to China with Vasily instantly sank into a cold void.