By Zephyria 
Time flew by, and the day I had told Vasily I would return to him finally arrived.
Since the phone call ended that night, Vasily had been completely silent. Some say no news is good news, but unfortunately, that didn’t apply to Vasily.
I spent every day glued to my smartphone, checking to see if Vasily was causing trouble, to the point where my parents eventually asked if I had found a lover. I denied it immediately, but it was clear the misunderstanding persisted.
Before leaving my parents’ house, I said my goodbyes and stepped outside with a handful of medicine.
“I wonder if Vasily is in his private room.”
I had intended to take the subway home, but thinking he would likely be at the association by now, I changed direction. As soon as I stepped out of the taxi in front of the association, I felt a sudden wave of lethargy wash over me.
Ah, I already don’t want to go in. As I was crossing the association lobby with heavy steps, I heard urgent footsteps from somewhere. Turning my head, I saw a staff member running breathlessly in the distance.
Another incident must have happened. I stopped for a moment to watch, but the staff member, upon making eye contact with me, suddenly changed direction and started sprinting toward me.
Why is he coming this way?
Flustered, I looked around, but there was no one else nearby except me. Even as I took a few steps back, the staff member continued to charge toward me.
“Guide Kwon Gi-dam-ssi!”
As I thought, he was coming for me.
Unable to ignore the desperate shout, I resigned myself and waited for the staff member to reach me.
Stopping in front of me, the staff member panted, catching his breath. After a moment, he looked up and grabbed my arm firmly, looking as if he had found a savior.
“You’ve arrived after receiving the notice! Let’s go immediately!”
“Excuse me?”
Then, without a single word of explanation, he began dragging me away.
Is Vasily flipping over a conference room? Whatever it was, it seemed certain that my help was needed, so I followed him obediently.
However, the staff member led me out of the building and pushed me into a vehicle waiting right in front. As soon as the door closed, the car began racing down the road with its sirens blaring.
At this point, I realized the situation was unusual. Being dragged off to some unknown location, I couldn’t help but ask for the reason.
“Um… where exactly are we going?”
“Huh? Didn’t you come after receiving the notice?”
“I haven’t received any notice…”
Only then did the staff member’s eyes widen, and he hurriedly pulled out a tablet. After tapping the screen to find something, he thrust the tablet in front of me.
A real-time live stream was playing on the screen. The video showed the middle of an eight-lane road in complete shambles. I wondered if a monster had appeared, but only two people were moving on the screen.
But why did I get the feeling that the person there was Vasily?
I must be dreaming. A terrible nightmare, at that.
“…Is the opponent Esper Huai Yan-nim?”
“Yes…”
“Sigh…”
The screen turned white for a moment, and then red light began to flash. Only then did Vasily’s words—that he would deal with Huai Yan first once I returned—flash through my mind.
I knew he wasn’t speaking lightly, but I didn’t think he would actually start something.
“By the way, this video looks like it’s being filmed by an individual. Aren’t you stopping them?”
“It’s an area with a high floating population and a concentration of companies, so there’s a limit to how much we can block filming…”
In short, it means it’s uncontrollable. With so many witnesses, it seemed the association had no choice this time.
I let out a shallow sigh as I watched the view count rapidly increase.
The first incident where Vasily attacked Huai Yan was somehow glossed over, but it’s difficult to hide it twice. If Huai Yan were to get injured, China would certainly hold them accountable this time.
Even as this was happening, flames were soaring brilliantly through a snowstorm on the screen. Cars, severely damaged, lay scattered across the road as if an earthquake had occurred. It really would be impossible to let this pass quietly.
Since we were driving with sirens on, we arrived at the scene quickly. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I was greeted by a thick white mist and dense dust.
Thanks to that, maybe my vision would be obscured. Deciding that it would be better to settle the situation quickly and leave the scene since my face wouldn’t be exposed, my mind leaned toward that conclusion.
“Guide-nim, here is the protective gear.”
“I’ll go in without protective gear.”
“What? Into that place…?”
I nodded calmly at the flustered question. I had no intention of wearing protective gear in the first place. It would be better to get Vasily out of the scene as quickly as possible than to waste time changing clothes.
Since I would be entering with Espers anyway, a certain level of safety was guaranteed. Among the group of Espers who would escort me, I saw a familiar face.
“Captain?”
“…Hello.”
It was the Captain who had mistaken me for an Esper at the Gate site and dragged me all over the place. I greeted him warmly at the unexpected encounter, but a blunt response returned.
The friendly attitude he had shown on-site had vanished, leaving only awkwardness. I belatedly remembered that we hadn’t parted on good terms.
Was it because I hid the fact that I was a Guide? Since I had hung around the site despite not being an Esper, it was natural for him to feel betrayed. Moreover, just the fact that this crazy Guide was hanging around with that Vasily probably made me look far from normal.
“I’m sorry about what happened back then. I didn’t intend to deceive you about being a Guide, but I missed the timing to tell you…”
“No, I’m the one who was wrong, so why are you apologizing…”
As I bowed my head bitterly, the Captain flustered and hurriedly waved his hand. He ruffled his own hair as if frustrated and apologized.
“I’m the one who’s sorry. I misunderstood and made you do hard labor…”
If that was the case, then it was a relief. However, now that he knew I was a Guide, I would never be able to feel that sense of belonging again. It had been quite fun… I felt a bit disappointed.
“But why are you here, Captain? I thought you were avoiding everything related to Esper Vasily-nim.”
“I heard two S-class Espers are fighting and that most ranks can’t handle it, so I was called out suddenly while resting at home.”
“…I’m sorry.”
While exchanging words with the Captain, a loud roar echoed from beyond the mist along with a massive vibration. It seemed the battle between Vasily and Huai Yan was intensifying.
“I think it would be best to stop those two first.”
For now, closing the distance was the priority. As I took a step forward, I almost slipped; looking down, I saw that the concrete road was frozen in places.
Under the escort of the Espers, I cautiously approached Vasily. When I was about halfway there, I saw a shadow land lightly nearby. It was Huai Yan.
Upon discovering me surrounded by Espers, he greeted me warmly.
“It’s been a while. What brings you here?”
“I’ve come to pick up Esper Vasily-nim.”
“That’s a relief. I was on my way to an interview with the Korean association, but I was suddenly attacked, which was quite troublesome.”
“That schedule… has probably been canceled.”
“Is that so? That’s a shame.”
The blizzard raining down from the sky stopped abruptly. Looking toward Vasily, he was staring this way with a fierce gaze. Seeing this, Huai Yan whispered softly in my ear.
“I guess the persuasion failed?”
“…Yes.”
I wiped my face with my hand.
Anxiety surfaced, wondering if Huai Yan had changed his mind about helping me remove the suppression chip. I quietly bowed my head and offered a low apology.
“I’m sorry. Even though you offered to help…”
“It’s okay. I have no intention of withdrawing my help, so don’t worry too much. Thanks to you, I’m developing a suppression chip for Guides. I think there will be quite a demand for it, so think of it as a reward.”
Has he already confirmed the effect?
I nodded upon hearing his words. There was no way he wouldn’t be grateful to me. It was practically the same as expanding his target market.
If the effect is proven, the demand for illegal suppression chips will explode due to Guides wanting to avoid matching with Espers. It’s information that would be revealed in a few years anyway, but thanks to me, he’ll be sitting on a pile of money much sooner.
“I plan to return to China soon. What about you, Guide-nim?”
Hearing Huai Yan’s words, I glanced at Vasily. Judging by his attitude so far, it seemed I should give up on going to China with Vasily. However, I had no intention of giving up on removing the suppression chip.
“Then, even if I have to go alone…”
“It’s dangerous!”
With someone’s shout, my body was jerked backward. Huai Yan also heard the warning and quickly stepped aside.
A sharp ice pillar surged up where Huai Yan had been standing just a moment ago. If I had moved a bit slower, I might have been caught up in it.
Gulping as I looked at the fiercely risen ice, I turned my head toward Vasily. Vasily was approaching this way with a cold, hardened expression.
The ground froze with every step he took. It seemed the conversation with Huai Yan had provoked him.