By Zephyria 
If Vasily’s rampage was truly because of me, I couldn’t guarantee that something like this wouldn’t happen again.
He might misunderstand if I stepped away for a moment, just as I had before. If Vasily rampaged every time that happened, ten regressions wouldn’t be enough.
It would be best to reassure him first.
“I won’t leave without a word from now on, so even if you don’t see me, please wait just a little longer.”
“I understand. But I can’t wait for long.”
“And don’t do something like this again. A rampage? Are you out of your mind? If I had been just a little later, it would have been a situation beyond help.”
“At the time, I thought Guide Kwon Gi-dam had left, so I intended to die.”
Vasily spoke calmly. Since I had already experienced it once, I knew better than anyone that he was sincere. That was why I couldn’t just brush those words aside.
“…Why on earth would you go as far as dying just because one Guide disappeared? You should have thought about coming to find me.”
“Guide Kwon Gi-dam doesn’t know what a living hell life without a Guide is.”
“You’ve managed just fine until now; can’t you endure even that short a time?”
I grumbled and averted my gaze. As I lifted my head from his shoulder, creating a gap, Vasily tightened his arms around me and asked.
“Why did Guide Kwon Gi-dam come back? You really intended to leave.”
“Is that something for the person who begged me not to go over the phone to say? I came back because I couldn’t help but worry about the Esper.”
“You have a softer side than you look. I wonder if that part of you is effective…”
“Don’t even dream of it working next time.”
Despite my words, I couldn’t ignore it whenever something happened to Vasily. If something similar occurred again, I probably wouldn’t be able to pass it by.
I let out a deep sigh as I looked back at the situation, which had become completely tangled due to Vasily’s rampage.
“This is exactly why these problems happen—because you do things like that instead of using a method to easily remove the suppression chip. For the chip to explode and for you to even lose your memories…”
“But I was happy that you came back.”
I paused and looked up at Vasily. I was inwardly surprised because I didn’t expect him to say something so direct. Seeing him curl his large body and rub his head against my shoulder, it seemed his words of happiness were sincere.
I was the one flustered by this clumsy attempt at aegyo. My hand, which I couldn’t bring myself to stop, hovered in the air, lost.
Come to think of it, other people must be watching this.
Sure enough, when I turned my head, I saw people watching us through the glass with bewildered faces. An association employee was there too; I wonder when they returned. In particular, the Attending Physician couldn’t hide their shocked expression.
I understood. If I had been subjected to this while having lost my memories, I would have prayed to wake up, thinking it was a nightmare.
Being the first to snap out of it among the frozen people, I pushed him away firmly and said,
“Please step back. Don’t you know people are watching from outside?”
“Then we just have to make it so they can’t see.”
“How…”
Looking at the beaming Vasily, an inexplicable sense of anxiety washed over me.
“Wait, don’t—”
Before I could stop him, with a sharp sound, the glass separating the inside and outside of the examination room was covered in ice. I clutched my head as I looked at the glass, which had become opaque with thick frost.
Beep—.
Even the machines started making strange noises. It seemed that as he used his ability, a strong wavelength seeped into the machines and finally broke them.
“Damn it! It’s broken! Please tell me we don’t have to start the examination over from the beginning…”
While they were flustered, staring at the machine emitting warning sounds, my chin was grabbed. Led by the gentle pressure of his hand, I lifted my head to find Vasily’s face right in front of me.
I saw his eyes softly closed. While I hesitated, noticing his long eyelashes, a cool breath touched the corner of my mouth.
“Ugh…”
I instinctively closed my eyes tight.
As my vision went dark, a soft sensation swallowed my lips. After a light, brushing kiss, a cold, wet tongue licked my lips.
I don’t know what I was thinking, but I opened my mouth and accepted him. As if he had been waiting for me not to refuse, Vasily kissed me more deeply. I reflexively tilted my head back as his tongue pushed in deep without hesitation.
“Ugh… wait, Vasili…”
I had stepped back because I felt like I might fall, but thinking I was trying to escape, he pulled my waist, bringing our bodies flush against each other.
From the impact of the collision, the devices attached to my upper body clattered to the floor. However, no one stopped us. The machines were broken anyway, and the examination had been suspended.
While only the machine sounds, having lost their purpose, continued to ring out, Vasily and I continued to kiss.
As our lips brushed and tongues entwined, the confession mixed into Vasily’s monologue just before my memories returned floated through my mind. It couldn’t be helped, because his kiss was different from usual.
It wasn’t rough, nor did it feel like I was being devoured. It wasn’t as if he were trying to receive guiding, but rather as if the act of kissing tenderly itself was the goal… Yes, it was a kiss that lovers would share.
“Mmph, hng…”
Vasily obsessively entwined his tongue and layered his lips over mine. He left no gap, as if he wouldn’t let a single breath escape, making me increasingly breathless.
As time passed, the kiss only grew softer. So gentle that it made my chest feel ticklish.
As the kiss continued, my emotions surged distractedly. Perhaps it was because of the strangely cautious kiss, or perhaps because Vasily’s confession kept circling in my head. Maybe it was both. That’s how I convinced myself why I couldn’t push him away.
By the time only a few devices remained on my body, his lips slowly pulled away.
Vasily looked down at me quietly. The hard ice that always resided in his gaze had now completely melted, leaving no trace of coldness.
Before I could look deeply into his eyes, I instinctively averted my gaze. I pretended to be calm as I removed the remaining devices from my body one by one.
“If you’ve received all your guiding, let’s go. They’ll be worried outside since we haven’t come out for a long time.”
As I spoke, hurriedly picking up and putting on my shirt, his low voice drifted from behind me.
“You know it wasn’t to receive guiding.”
“…I’ll go out first.”
I wiped my damp lips with my sleeve and stepped outside. I walked out normally as if nothing had happened, but not a single person could meet my eyes.
A strange silence lingered. As if they knew what had happened inside.
Could there have been a camera? I hurriedly looked around at the surrounding monitors, but there were no screens showing the interior. They definitely said voices couldn’t be heard…
Shortly after, Vasily followed me out of the room.
Sensing the atmosphere flowing through the room as soon as he stepped out, Vasily looked at me, a smile playing on his lips, and approached.
“You buttoned your shirt wrong, Guide Kwon Gi-dam.”
“Ah…”
“Your hair is a mess, too…”
I slapped away the hand Vasily extended to tidy my hair and roughly ruffled it myself. Feeling my face flush, I couldn’t lift my head and kept it bowed even after re-buttoning and straightening my appearance.
After a moment, the Attending Physician approached and began to explain.
“The examination was interrupted, but we obtained sufficient data.”
“What are the results?”
“Assuming Guide Kwon Gi-dam is indeed an S-class guide, the matching rate came out to 91 percent. We plan to send the Guide’s wavelength to the analysis room for a grade re-evaluation; is that alright?”
“It’s fine.”
I nodded obediently. Since Vasily already knew my grade, there was no reason to hide it anymore. It would be better to reveal the fact that I am S-class and receive whatever benefits I can.