By Zephyria 
‘…Is this actually working?’
I had him leaning against my shoulder and was dutifully stroking his hair, but I doubted whether it was actually helping. Vasily showed no sign of falling asleep; he simply kept his eyes cast down in a stiff, uncomfortable posture.
I continued the forced act that made neither of us happy, glancing at the clock. I had been in contact with him for about an hour, so it was almost time for the suppression chip to start heating up.
I shifted my hand to the back of my neck to check its status. Fortunately, it was only warm for now. Just as I felt relieved, thinking I could provide guiding for a bit longer, the metallic scent of blood brushed against the tip of my nose.
Reflexively, I lowered my head toward the source of the scent. My eyes widened when I discovered a drop of blood clinging to Vasily’s fingertip.
Did he hurt his palm? I don’t think I saw that earlier.
The moment I pulled away to examine his condition again, a hand suddenly shot forward and clamped over my mouth.
“Mmph…”
A large hand gripped my lower face. With both my nose and mouth blocked, I couldn’t breathe properly. As I struggled and grabbed his wrist, a cold liquid flowed between my parted lips.
A beat late, I realized his intention. Had he noticed the state of my suppression chip and tried to feed me his blood?
I stopped resisting and obediently drank the blood. After swallowing a few times, feeling I had had enough, I pushed Vasily’s hand away. Unlike the beginning when he had forced the blood on me, Vasily stepped back quietly.
Having fed me his blood, Vasily stood up as if his business here was finished. I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth with the back of my hand and stopped him.
“You haven’t slept a wink yet. If you can’t sleep, I’ll give you more guiding…”
“Forget it. As I said before, I have no intention of sleeping right now.”
It was a rejection dripping with coldness. Without another word, Vasily walked straight into his room.
Click. Silence descended along with the sound of the door closing. Left alone in the living room, I clicked my tongue.
He’s seriously pissed.
In this state, no matter how much I tried to persuade him, he wouldn’t accept guiding or try to sleep. I didn’t want to waste any more words on his stubbornness either, so I quietly stood up.
The first thing I did upon returning to my room was take out my smartphone and send a text.
[I’ll go to China alone.]
The recipient was Huai Yan.
Vasily probably doesn’t know that I’m in contact with Huai Yan. If Vasily found out, he wouldn’t let it slide, so I had to keep it hidden no matter what.
Buzz. The smartphone vibrated briefly, and a reply came back immediately.
[Then I’m leaving the country in three days. Do you want to come with me?]
The text had been sent on a half-impulse, but my heart wavered upon seeing the response.
I didn’t expect it to be this fast…
Huai Yan had said he had no intention of changing his mind, but in reality, it would be difficult to get his help if I missed this opportunity. He was an S-Class Esper after all; once he returned to his home country, he would be incredibly busy. Busy enough to quickly forget a C-Class Guide he met in a foreign land.
It would be better to leave with him. If I could just deactivate the suppression chip as soon as I arrived in China and come straight back, I could be gone for only a few days.
As for Vasily… he can manage on his own. It would take a week at most, and he should be able to endure that long without guiding.
[Understood.]
I sent the reply and let out a long sigh.
Fortunately, I had my passport. The problem was whether I could even leave the house, given that the front door was frozen solid. I’d either have to leave with Vasily or sneak out while he was asleep…
Seeing as Vasily was holding out without sleeping, as he had just done, the latter seemed impossible. I put down my smartphone, deciding I would have to time it for when I went out with Vasily.
* * *
Contrary to my plan, Vasily rarely went out.
The next day, and the day after that. Vasily stayed shut in his room and didn’t show his face. The only time Vasily left the house was when we went to a restaurant for meals. Then, he would return home immediately, freeze the door again, and go back into his room.
Trying to escape during a meal was out of the question. If I said I was going to the bathroom and didn’t return for more than ten minutes, Vasily would undoubtedly come chasing after me. Since we returned home immediately after eating, there was no gap to slip through.
It was obvious tomorrow would be the same. But I absolutely had to leave tomorrow. It was the day Huai Yan was leaving.
“Aren’t you going to work…?”
Unable to hold back any longer, I went to find Vasily and asked tentatively.
“I’m not. Because of what happened a few days ago, the reporters are making a fuss, so they told me to stay quietly at home for a while.”
“I see… Until when are you supposed to be in self-reflection?”
“Until the reporters quiet down and the memory of yesterday disappears from people’s minds.”
Feeling cold sweat run down my back, I asked a question as if grasping at a final straw.
“Then the Gate…?”
“They said they’re sending another S-Class for the time being. So, Guide Kwon Gi-dam, you should also rest quietly at home.”
“…Understood.”
I nodded as if nothing were wrong and left the room. Then, I immediately began a silent scream, clutching my hair.
This wasn’t in my plan!
I had already packed my passport and all my belongings in a small backpack, intending to leave the house the moment an opportunity arose, but it was useless if I couldn’t get out.
A warning light went off in my head.
Huai Yan’s departure was tomorrow. We had already discussed where and when to meet to head to the airport. Since there was a set flight time, it was impossible to postpone the schedule.
Damn it, what do I do?
Biting my nails, I sat on the floor and began to brainstorm a solution.
In the end, the conclusion I reached was… a little scheme.
The time was 11 PM. The perfect time to go to sleep. Dressed in pajamas and clutching a pillow under my arm, I walked out of my room and flung open Vasily’s door.
Bam!
As I made my forceful entrance, Vasily, who was leaning against the bed with his hand on his forehead in a familiar posture, looked up. Seeing my appearance—looking as if I had come with a specific purpose—he frowned slightly.
“I’ll be imposing on you for tonight only.”
Without even listening to Vasily’s opinion, I threw myself onto the bed. As I settled in comfortably and laid down my pillow, Vasily’s low voice drifted from the edge of the bed.
“What on earth are you doing?”
Vasily was watching my actions with a look of disbelief. Regardless, I pulled the blanket up to my chin.
“What kind of useless thing are you trying to do now…”
“Ah, this is comfortable. Aren’t you sleeping, Esper-nim?”
“Just sleep your fill, Guide Kwon Gi-dam.”
Vasily let out a short sigh and turned his head. Soon after, he frowned and pressed his fingers to his brow; he seemed to be suffering from a headache caused by insomnia.
How many days has it been now?
If he hadn’t slept a wink since the day I returned to my parents’ house, it had been almost a week. Having been Vasily’s Guide for a long time, I had witnessed his insomnia. However, since he usually fell asleep while receiving guiding from me before it reached this state, I had rarely seen him struggle, making this haggard version of Vasily feel unfamiliar.
Looking at him now, he seemed on the verge of collapsing. If he were an ordinary person, he would have fainted and been rushed to the hospital long ago, but being an S-Class Esper, it seemed even collapsing was impossible.
Would it take a month before he finally collapsed? No, I leaned toward the idea that he’d have to stay awake for a full six months to pass out. Of course, going insane and rampaging would likely happen faster.
If he were a normal person, I’d just hit the back of his neck to knock him out, but if I struck his nape, it would look like nothing more than a challenge to fight. I’d be lucky if I didn’t end up being the one knocked unconscious and waking up in a hospital.
“You should lie down too, Esper-nim. If you just sit like that, your headache will only get worse.”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t interfere unnecessarily and just slept quietly.”
“Even if you can’t sleep, come over here and at least close your eyes. Won’t you feel sleepy if you receive guiding?”
“I don’t need it.”
My eyebrow twitched at his uncooperative attitude.
Normally, I would have ignored him and slept, but I had the goal of putting Vasily to sleep by any means necessary so I could escape this house. It meant I could not allow the disaster of greeting the morning sun wide-awake with Vasily.
I bolted upright and moved in front of him.
“Lie down.”
“I don’t wa—”
“I said lie down, so just lie down!”
I shoved Vasily’s shoulder hard, forcing him down onto the bed. As his head shook, it seemed the headache surged, and Vasily’s brow distorted fiercely. Then, he muttered something in a foreign language; it sounded like he was swearing.
I saw those silver-grey eyes glaring at me menacingly, but I blocked them out by throwing the blanket over him.