By Zephyria 
Hearing his apology made my feelings a bit complicated.
Though the focus was slightly off, the fact that Vasily had offered an apology and agonized over his mistakes was nothing short of shocking. That Vasily was apologizing? He had even gone so far as to think about what he had done wrong.
Vasily added that he had even sought advice from others, asking me to praise him for it.
“Is that person even still alive…”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
“…It’s nothing.”
It seemed he heard me even though I had muttered it softly. S-Class hearing is terrifying. I shut my mouth, thinking I should be careful when cursing Vasily from now on. I am no longer Vasily’s dedicated Guide, so if I rub him the wrong way, I might lose my life.
“Will you accept my apology?”
“Well… it wasn’t exactly the right answer, but I’ll let it slide this once.”
For starters, I doubted whether the person Vasily sought advice from was still intact, but since Vasily was going this far, I couldn’t simply ignore his apology. When I reluctantly nodded, he gave a slight, eye-curving smile.
Can a person actually change? Watching Vasily smile faintly, I felt a bit confused.
Regardless, looking at the time, it was time for me to go. I had a lot I wanted to say, but since I had slipped away for a moment during the morning, I had to hurry back. I checked the time and stood up from my seat.
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yes. So please open the door.”
“We haven’t seen each other in a long time; aren’t you going to give me any guiding?”
“I am a civil servant affiliated with the association. If I don’t return to work, I’ll be fired.”
“Hmm…”
When I rejected him flatly, Vasily tilted his head as if deep in thought, then spoke.
“I’ll apply for designated guiding. Then there’s no problem, right?”
“…….”
“I shouldn’t overdo it like last time, so I’ll only take one hour.”
I fell silent. If that were the case, I had no excuse to escape. And there was no way Vasily would open the door willingly.
I pondered for a moment while looking at my watch. One hour was just enough to barely hold on without medication… would it be okay?
“All right.”
In the end, I accepted his proposal.
Vasily tapped his smartphone and showed me the screen.
[Temporary guiding application complete. : Guide Kwon Gi-dam]
With this, any pretext for escape had completely vanished.
After showing me the application screen, Vasily waited for me with his arms open obediently, just as he did when receiving guiding normally.
That faintly smiling face was still uncomfortable. I didn’t see any malice to harm me in his expression, but perhaps because of the time he had tried to kill an Esper without a second thought, my vigilance didn’t easily subside.
I set an alarm to go off in one hour and quietly sat down beside him.
“Then, I will proceed with the guiding.”
I carefully hugged him. Without letting it show that I was nervous, I wrapped my arms around his body, and a familiar chill flowed into me.
Right, I just have to endure until the alarm rings. Once the guiding is over, Vasily will have no further excuse to hold onto me, so he’ll open the door.
However, I was worried about the suppression chip that would overload after the guiding. My stomach churned at the thought that I would have to take those unpleasant red pills as soon as I arrived at the office.
“…….”
Vasily received the guiding obediently, like a tame cat. Unlike before the regression, when he would throw a fit every time he received guiding, he entrusted his body to me with a very compliant attitude. I almost wanted to hang his photo in the Guide Association hallway as the Model Esper of the Month.
I wish all the other Espers who came for temporary guiding were like this.
He smelled good, he didn’t toss and turn to get closer, and he didn’t strike up useless conversations… While receiving guiding, Vasily seemed to have become a very gentle sheep, to the point where I was confused whether I was hugging a giant cat or a predator.
But…
“…Esper Vasily.”
Not long after thinking that, Vasily began to press down on my body, applying strength. Feeling my shoulders grow increasingly heavy, I called Vasily’s name in a low voice.
What is he trying to do? If Vasily suddenly lost his reason and pounced on me, I wouldn’t be able to resist. Since this was a private room, if something happened, it would be too late for anyone to come rescue me. A wave of intense regret washed over me for stepping into Vasily’s private room so carelessly.
After enduring it for a while, I spoke up nervously.
“What are you doing? If you don’t follow the precautions, I will stop the temporary guiding—”
“Mmm…”
It was then. I heard a steady sound of breathing in my ear. I instinctively shut my mouth.
Sigh, sigh. Vasily’s breath leaked out quietly right next to me. It was true. That Vasily was actually leaning on me, with all the tension gone from his body.
Could it be, is he asleep?
“Esper Vasily?”
There was no answer.
“Are you actually sleeping?”
“…….”
He’s really asleep?
I was appalled as I listened to the steady breathing in my ear. I remained tense until the end, thinking Vasily was acting, but he was truly fast asleep, entrusting his body to me.
Confusing emotions washed over me. I was so flustered that I couldn’t react and simply froze in place.
Trill.
Just then, my smartphone vibrated and the alarm began to ring. I instinctively snatched the phone and turned off the alarm.
‘…Did he wake up?’
After checking the silenced phone, I shifted my gaze slightly to check Vasily. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to have woken up; Vasily was still leaning on me, sleeping soundly.
But my suspicion grew. The insanely sensitive Vasily didn’t wake up even though the alarm rang? This time, I really thought Vasily was acting, but he was truly asleep. And with deep, heavy breaths at that.
I think this is the first time I’ve seen Vasily completely let his guard down in front of me. A guy who was that vigilant, suddenly?
While I was paralyzed by confusion, I heard the sound of water dripping from somewhere. Turning my head toward the sound, I saw water dripping as the ice that had frozen the doorknob shut began to melt.
Now is the chance.
I quickly laid Vasily down on the sofa and slipped out of the private room. I kept looking back, anxious that Vasily might suddenly wake up and chase me, but the direction of the private room remained silent, as if he were in a deep sleep.
Come to think of it, how long has it been since I saw Vasily asleep? I think I only occasionally saw him sleeping when I briefly opened my eyes after guiding him for three days and nights following a trip to a Gate.
My thoughts were a jumbled mess. I returned to the Guide Association as I was, but Vasily did not come looking for me even as the afternoon passed.
Vasily’s sleeping face wouldn’t leave my mind. I wondered if he was still asleep, or if he had woken up but chose not to find me. Even while guiding other Espers throughout the afternoon, the confusion did not subside.
* * *
Fortunately, from the next day, the bouquets stopped arriving. Thinking it was a relief that one headache had disappeared, I started my day as usual.
Today, Vasily didn’t visit, there were no nightmare customers, and the number of assigned Espers was small. I’m lucky. Since it was Friday, I waited for the clock-out time, planning to go home and relax with a movie and some beer. The thought of resting all weekend after work put me in a good mood.
Screech.
As I walked among the crowd of people leaving work to take the subway, a familiar car suddenly stopped right beside me.
A sleek foreign car shining black like obsidian. That is definitely…
‘That’s the one Vasily drives.’
Damn it… No wonder I felt lucky all day…
The window began to roll down. Before I could even see Vasily, I hurriedly moved my legs. Then, I began to sprint toward the subway station in front of me.
Tap, tap, tap!
It was currently Friday rush hour. It was the time when civil servants from the Esper Association and Guide Association flocked to the subway to go home. Once I got inside the subway, even Vasily, who hated crowds, would give up on chasing me.
Conversely, it meant he wouldn’t give up on me until I entered the subway.
Clunk, thud.
I heard the car door open behind me and someone stepping out. However, I had already almost reached the subway entrance. In a place this crowded, it would be impossible to catch up to me from this distance. No matter how much of a monster Vasily is, he can’t stop me from going home on a Friday—
“…!”
Suddenly, an ice wall shot up in front of me. I tried to stop hurriedly, but my legs, which had gained momentum, couldn’t stop instantly.
“Ugh!”
Just before colliding, I barely managed to raise my arms to prevent my face from slamming into it. The arm I sacrificed instead of my face throbbed. It’s damn hard. I had slammed into it at full speed, but not even a hairline crack appeared in the ice.
I tried to hurriedly go around the wall, but as soon as I changed direction, another ice wall rose. It was the same when I turned the other way. In an instant, ice walls surrounded me like prison bars.
The people leaving work all stopped in their tracks and stared at me, trapped in an ice prison. Dozens, hundreds of pairs of eyes turned toward me. It was far too much attention for someone living as a mere ordinary person to handle. I think I can see a teammate in the distance…
…Damn it.